The following day, Darius was given medicine to keep him calm but lucid. The detectives did not want to question him under the influence of any drug – should their findings get dismissed in court. Erwin was a bit relieved – because now he had questions of his own. He did not want to overwhelm his own partner – but the burning itch of his curiosity was beginning to overpower him. He sat on the grass, beside Darius' wheelchair. They watched as some of the children and nurses were flying a kite and laughing about. They sat in silence before Erwin broke his silence and said,
"It's nice and warm today." Darius did not budge.
"Yes, its afternoons like this one that makes you happy to be alive, right?"
The joyous sound of birds singing, the gentle breeze blowing the green leaves all around them; yes this was peace. It was momentary, insignificant and small – but it was real, even if it was a fleeing moment, even if somewhere else hell was loose. Erwin learned to appreciate it, especially after the war – his bloodied hands.
His heavy sins.
His partner still did not speak.
"We've been through a lot together; the war – the mess that came after it ended. I'll never forget how you had my back when I was just a rookie cop…the day I lost control and pulled a gun out on a doctor 10 years ago..." Erwin chuckled, eyes looking at the ground with a fond smile on his lips.
He could never forget that rainy night – 10 years ago.
He had gotten a radio call about a possible robbery gone wrong. When he arrived, the story changed. The attack was deemed political; as the victims were the refugees from Marley. Michael Liebert, a politician from the old Marley communist government was shot twice in the head. He was granted asylum once he entered Paradis, 3 years after the great World War – and he was executed along with his wife.
What shocked him was finding his adopted son with a gunshot wound to the head and their adopted daughter standing over his bloodied body in complete shock.
But she had no injuries.
Why would they harm their adoptive Eldian child?
If it was a political crime of passion against Marley, why did they shoot the Eldian boy?
"I remember…" Darius finally spoke out, forcing Erwin from his cogitations. The blonde lifted his head and looked at Darius with wonder.
"It was the most human reaction I've ever seen out of you…" Darius continued and even though it was a compliment, it stung a little.
There was a long pause.
"We saw horrible things during the war – the concentration camps they forced Eldians in…the experiments; the torture." His voice didn't crack once. But Erwin remembered being a boy of only 15 witnessing such atrocities.
It changed him forever – probably for the worse.
"So when the surgeon was going to choose to operate on the Mayor of Wall Marie because his life was deemed more valuable instead of the boy you dragged to the hospital desperately yourself, you snapped." Darius looked at Erwin directly.
"I remembered what you screamed before slamming the Dr against the wall with your gun drawn. You said, "What have we been fighting for all this time?!"
Erwin tensed.
"…I always wanted to know…were you really asking the Dr. that question…or were you asking yourself instead?"
Erwin's shoulders sunk a little bit. He recalled the plague of emotions that overcame him that night. Just when he was sworn into the Scouting Legion Police force, his father had been murdered; and he knew why his murderers were cruel in their methods of disposing him.
They dumped him in front of their home, beaten to death.
Bloodied – unrecognizable.
They wanted to send a message.
They thought it would scare him away from what got his father killed in the first place.
But it only ignited the flame inside of him.
"Erwin…the war fucked a lot of us up…It scared me so bad that I became desperate…" His tone carried traces of lamentation.
"I…I really, truthfully believed…that by throwing away my humanity for that one cause, we could achieve security for our country. So that the atrocities committed against our people would never happen again…"
Erwin caught on quickly – he was confessing.
Darius had streams of tears running down his face as he recollected.
"Just what did you do Darius?"
Then Darius gingerly looked at him, with widen eyes and his mouth completely wide open.
"We signed our death warrants the moment we let him step foot in that place…"
"What place – Kinderheim 511?!" Erwin growled, not wanting to let the others nearby hear. Then Darius started to cry aloud, covering his hand over his mouth.
"Please, forgive me Erwin…forgive me…"
Darius was shaking and crying uncontrollably –a man who had seen the horrors of war was reduced to a trembling ball of fear.
Yet, nothing he was trying to profess was coherent.
Erwin could only deduce it all as his guilt getting the best of him, driving him into madness.
Was he trying to pull the insanity card should he be held accountable in court?
What could possibly have a strong, big man like himself so afraid?
Erwin stood up and beckoned for one of the nurses outside to bring him back in.
For the first time in a long time – nothing was making sense to him.
Nothing at all.
The sky twisted into dark hues of gray and black when Erwin decided to return to the hospital after a blind date Hanji set up for him. The conversation was dry and the woman was just some spoiled politician's daughter. She was indeed beautiful and intelligent; but her idea of wisdom conflicted with his. He greeted the nurse at the front desk and took the elevator.
Once he entered the hallway, he noticed it was almost pitch dark – only the light from Darius' room lit the way as it was left wide open. This set alarms off. He rushed forward and paused to the officer lying on the ground – he was foaming at the mouth, eyes wide open, not a breath to be taken. Erwin stared in shock, instantly wondering if Darius had poisoned this officer in order to escape. Then the sound of the exit door closing caught his attention. Quickly, he rushed down the hallway and through the door. He stumbled down the stairs and saw Darius running out of the parking lot and into the street.
"Darius!" Erwin shouted before following suit. Fortunately, Erwin was tall and athletic whereas Darius was a bit on the heavier side. So catching up to him was not a problem. When he was lead to an empty parking lot building, he threw his hand against the wall and took a couple of breaths before prompting his head and yelling,
"RUNNING IS RECKLESS DARIUS, IT ONLY MAKES YOU LOOK GUILTY, YOU KNOW THAT!" His voice echoed.
"STAY AWAY ERWIN!" Darius cried out in a frantic tone – but in the moment, Erwin perceived his pleas as a demand. His eyebrows furrowed before walking slowly up the stairs, following Darius' voice until it got louder and louder.
"I AM BEGGING YOU PLEASE – DON'T LOOK AT HIM."
This sent a storm of goose bumps all across his skin, forcing him to run up the flights of stairs with urgency. On the 4th floor, Erwin paused just at the top of the stairs and saw Darius in his hospital gown, on his knees before a shadow.
The moon's light kissed everything, lighting up Darius' mortified expression and only the right side of the man who had him on all fours.
The lot was completely empty, Erwin observed that much before stepping forward, focusing on the silhouette of a man who stood just against the end of the structure; completely still.
He was small in stature – but carried such a terrifying air about him.
It was almost instinctive, to be alarmed and guarded – he didn't know why.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
Darius was holding his left arm, which fell lifelessly on his lap – it had been snapped just at the elbow.
Was that person responsible?
"Who are you?!" Erwin demanded with a low growl, naturally reaching for his gun but remembering Hanji had forced him to leave it behind for the date. That was when Darius held out his hand to him and cried out,
"Just run – get away, FUCKING LISTEN TO ME ERWIN!"
He froze in his tracks.
Erwin couldn't stop staring at the man who looked like a ghost. The shadows seem to embrace him perfectly; his presence so ominous. It was inexplicable, this gut wrenching sensation that came from just looking at his static figure.
That was when the phantom finally spoke with a voice so serene; it sent chills down the detective's spine.
He had not expected such a graceful tone.
"It's been a long time, Detective – it's me."
Erwin's body stiffened, his sharp blue eyes overcome with shock.
"10 years ago, you saved my life."
"10 years…ago?" Erwin was trying to deflect the only answer that would clearly come to mind.
"Have you forgotten already Detective – about the siblings you saved at the Lieberts?"
Erwin had imprinted that boy's name into his soul; begging the hospital to save his life opened his eyes to the state of his country.
It's what pushed him to carry on his father's research.
It was that incident that helped him understand why his father was willing to die for it.
The corruption of their great country.
The poison that infected their people.
"Levi…?"
One single memory of that boy instantly flashed into his mind.
It wasn't his bloodied, lifeless corpse in his hands as he demanded help in the emergency room.
No.
It was of the moment the boy woke up. Despite the protests from nurses, the directors were selfish enough to try and unite the traumatized siblings. The sister was still in shock, unable to speak – but they did not care. They just wanted a photo to present to the media.
Of the happy siblings alive and well.
Instead, that little boy was left crying in his hospital bed, reaching out for his sibling who fainted upon seeing him still alive.
It was not a happy moment.
That boy's shattered expression never left him; not even when the siblings disappeared suddenly from the hospital during the chaos that ensued shortly after he awoke.
Everyone had forgotten them once the Director and world renowned surgeon mysteriously died in their offices. Their throats were slit in one clean, quick and ruthless precision.
That crying little boy was now this ruthless man before him – out for blood.
"Yes, you remember." Levi replied, his voice void of any real emotion. Erwin's jaw dropped upon the realization that his fears were now true.
"DON'T LOOK AT HIS FACE HE'LL KILL YOU!" Darius screamed, forcing Erwin from the trance he found himself in. He grimaced before shouting back,
"What are you doing to my partner?!"
"What am I doing?" Levi replied in that same soft, nonchalant voice as he proceeded to pull out a gun from within his coat and pointed it at Darius.
"An execution." Levi sounded almost gleeful – almost.
Erwin froze – he could not think straight with all of the thoughts that now terrorized him. He did not have his gun; he was not stupid enough to rush in head first – he could only stand there helpless.
But Darius was going to die.
Darius started screaming in fear for his life and all Erwin could muster up was a plea,
"Don't do it."
"Erwin run, he killed my friends – you need to get out of here!" and yet, despite being full of terror, Darius was still looking out for Erwin's safety. If he wasn't so destroyed from the war then surely, the act would have moved him to act emotionally than logically.
But Erwin was not that kind of man; not anymore.
Darius turned and looked at the shadow once again before saying,
"He doesn't even blink when killing someone, it means nothing to him. Just run Erwin – he will kill you where you stand!"
Erwin couldn't move.
"Even without a weapon he is deadly –h-he snapped my arm with one hand. You can't overpower him – whatever you're thinking don't do it and just get out of here!"
"You talk too much Mr. Zackly." Levi replied dryly before pointing his gun firmly.
"Levi!" Erwin shouted his name as if they were well acquainted. But, this is perhaps what made the killer freeze.
"Don't do this. We already know so much about you. You're Levi Liebert, son of Michael Liebert, former advisor of Marley who fled from Eastern Marley in 1986 as a political refugee in Paradis. You're the eldest brother to a sister named Historia Liebert. If we know this much about you, you can't possibly escape. Don't add to your crimes Levi!"
Erwin tried to persuade, to blackmail – anything to be the one with the upper hand.
"Levi Liebert, huh? Yes- I once went by that name. But you see detective, that isn't my real name.
Then he paused, almost like he was reflecting.
"Also, Historia is not related to me by blood. She is no more my sibling than Darius is an innocent man."
"What are you talking about?"
"You must never know about my past, Detective. After all, I've started to get rid of everyone who knew."
Erwin bit back, all of the words he had retreated back down his throat.
"…But you're different Detective." Levi mused.
"You cared for me and it's because of you that I'm standing here right now." Following that revelation, Levi once again lifted his pistol and pointed it at Darius – taunting Erwin with the haunting truth before him.
"Stop it! You can't just go around killing!" Erwin was once again reduced to begging for Darius' life.
"Why not?" Levi replied rather sweetly, like a demon that spoke like an angel.
"…Why not?" Erwin reiterated with a baffled tone.
Levi hummed a few chuckles before saying,
"Is killing only justified when you put on a uniform for the sake of war, Detective Erwin?" Levi mocked, forcing the blond to bite his tongue. A chill traveled down his spine.
How did he know he was a veteran?
The sound of thunder shattered the short reticence shared between them. The rain started to pour and fall hard against the concrete balcony.
"Erwin, I'm really happy you were still able to keep your badge and reach Detective after the Dr. and the Director of Surgery died suddenly."
"What are you trying to tell me?" Erwin demanded.
"You are where you are today because the Director and the others pressing charges against you died, right? I'm so glad I was able to help you."
And then it hit Erwin.
A memory not even worth remembering up until now.
"Isn't that what you wanted, Detective Erwin? That's what you said anyway, right after I regained consciousness."
Erwin stared in shock, feeling as though the blanket protecting his vulnerable side had just been torn away.
(***)
After a very successful surgery, Erwin was being threatened by every force in the hospital because the Mayor, who the surgeon was initially ordered to perform on, died. To the hospital's directors – the game of life and death was political. They were only in it for the money and a positive media response. They spat on him and his career, robbing him of the honors placed upon him after the war. He was shunned by his peers - all except Darius.
Erwin sat in the little boy's room, listening to his beating heart on the monitor – growing frustrated the more he reflected on every single event that lead up to that moment.
His innocence was torn from him, hands bloodied and the images of tormented women and children plagued his mind almost every night – and all for a country that would abandon those in need if it didn't serve their personal vendettas?
It was vile.
It was unfair
It was unfathomable.
Erwin's father had been murdered attempting to liberate his countrymen of their leader's darkest secrets and those same countrymen were merely doing the same to those below them.
It was a never ending cycle.
His father died for people like this?
What a cruel joke.
Erwin shouted angrily,
"They tell me that my principles are twisted – but they were going to let a child die because the mayor had more money and value to offer Paradis?!" His voice was shaken with disbelief.
"People who think they can play God and dispose of those they don't deem useful would be better off dead! They're the reason why we were called Devils – why we were accused of being uncivilized beings with no sense of humanity by the rest of the world!" Erwin thought back on the image of his father's bloodied corpse.
"What a bunch of contradictions we are!"
After his outburst, Erwin collected himself, stilled his breathing and smiled at the boy in the bed.
"…You should just worry about leading a good life – this is your second chance, Levi. Not too many people get that in life." Erwin stood up tall before saying,
"It seems as though I have to pay a heavy price for the actions I had to take in order to save your life…so grow up strong and perhaps seek the truth in my stead." He chuckled, humoring himself with his own distasteful joke before leaving the room.
(***)
Erwin did not know the boy was awake at that time. But no one would have expected a child would be capable of carrying out such ruthless killings. The case went cold despite the public outcry. With the charges dropped, Erwin was given his badge back and he never once questioned it – until now.
"All I did was grant you your wish, Detective."
Erwin could only stand there, speechless. His careless words then were such a heavy toll now.
As the rain fell harder, Darius started to scream once he realized Erwin was incapable of saving him.
"I don't want to die…"
Erwin's once proud shoulders had sunken – because he saved the boy then, Darius was going to die now.
It dawned on him; the reality of his once selfless actions was now a living, breathing curse.
"PLEASE I DON'T WANT TO DIE."
2 gunshots echoed into the empty lot, Darius fell forward, lifelessly onto the ground. Then another bullet was shot directly into his head. Blood seeped down, leaving his old friend in a pool of blood. Erwin stared, silently – not feeling anything other than his own heart racing and the heavy weight of guilt.
Levi finally stepped forward, leaving behind the darkness casting over him. The tapping of his dress shoes replaced the harrowing sound of death. Erwin could only stare at Darius' corpse as Levi paused just at his side.
"I was supposed to die that night…" The raven haired man spoke softly,
"You're the one who resurrected me."
Hesitantly, Erwin shifted his eyes towards him, trying to catch a glimpse of the devil himself despite Darius' warnings to never look at him.
He had not expected someone as ruthless to look so…charming, not a strand of hair out of place, a wrinkle on his blazer or blemish on his porcelain skin. It was like he had been carved out of marble. But what was truly shocking, was the gentle smile across his lips as he stared at Erwin; a smile right after executing a pleading old man.
It made his stomach twist.
Just when Erwin was assuming he'd be the next one with a bullet in-between his eyes, Levi simply walked off, going down the stairs.
Leaving him with the body of his dear friend who…felt more like a stranger now.
Woof this chapter was hard to write. I don't want to reveal so much information all at once.
But soon as Erwin dives into his detective work we will begin to understand why Levi executed Zackly.
Thanks for reading! I will update another few chapters shortly!
- Aki