The Threnody of Humanity.
Summary: She appeared almost god-like. Colossal erbium wings and swords of many soaring above her. She listened to the music of their world, lyrics of brittle pain to iron strength. A sorrowful song that seemed to rewind endlessly. It brought tears to her eye, one that garnered her to say an unbreakable promise:
"I will put an end to this melody, and lift you all from endless threnody."
Pairing: It will be recognized in due time.
Longer Summary: Erza had accepted a peculiar request from Makarov, in ask that she help rid a country's source of pain. Unquestionably, she took the job. Refusing help from any of her peers the woman went alone to the country, however it slowly becomes obvious that this place wasn't ordinary from the gigantic human-like monsters and the unawareness of magic. Erza Scarlet was far from home.
Author's Note:
Notes will be at the end.
Enjoy the read,
braze.
PSA: I don't own anything but original content.
While it certainly wasn't the first time thinking about this, it would be correct for him to say that it's the first time he had thought of such topic with a feeling that exceeded curiosity.
Were there others out there like him living in walls like theirs?
With that question being the seed, others begin to grow.
What language did they speak?
What did they use to kill titans?
Did they live like them?
How many were willing to die for their freedom?
Ideals, constructs, ethics, and beliefs formed from their body and tongue was all they knew. It left a sour tang on his tongue to think about someone who was different from him in all aspects.
Yet, who was to say that they, the ones from far away, lived this life?
Perhaps they weren't contained within walls, maybe the rivers stretched to the horizon — perhaps they interacted with snow touching the tips of their noses.
If that was truly the case, he wasn't sure he could be so happy about it.
That was all Eren Jaeger could truly think as he watched his Commander and the scarlet woman walk across the field to sparring grounds. With the shorter soldier ahead in strides and the woman pulling a sturdy gait that looked oddly lethargic for her fast steps. Her skin shined, her body was not war-bred, and her hair was blood.
Blood.
It was the color of blood, human and titan blood. As long as it was red and flowed out of a living creature that was the color of her hair.
He recognized the same color from titans as they popped under his hateful grasp, the same color seeped out of his mouth as Corporal Levi swung his foot across his flesh with a false vendetta.
It was the same color of his mother's blood, the same blood that flew across the sky — dark petals of a flower, yet they splatter to the ground faster than hail.
A color that reminded him of war, anger, and despair. Blood was a color so red and so alive that transcends from mankind to beast. The purest vein in a babe carried the same liquid as the bodily beings that engulfed humanity with the smack of its lips.
He hated such a color, he realized, and it was a terrible hair color.
The people had marveled in her beauty; but looks be damned, there was no beauty in blood.
"Eren," he turned around to meet the eyes of his adopted sister, staring at him with a face of simple indifference. For once, he didn't feel too chafed about her appearance, as she had pulled him away from dark thoughts. "Armin and I are heading towards the outer tower to see the spar... Are you coming?"
He sighed before turning back towards the window, only to see that two people he had been watching intently were now out of sight. "Yeah... Sorry, I was thinking."
Metallic eyes give him an unrelenting stare as she tilted her head, the rosebud of her lips are pursed into small but prominent line before softly asking: "What's wrong?"
His forehead crinkled, and he looked back to the window, he saw the verdure plains with the sun crawling out of its den. Pink blush wafting in the surrounding sky, mending gracefully with the calm fires of orange and blue.
"Have you seen her?" Eren questioned, "the girl."
Though his eyes stay towards the flats, he knew her answer. A shake of her head and the very monotone but soft tone of: "No."
There was a pause then, "why?" She asked, "did you see her?"
He blinked owlishly, and finally tore his eyes away from the window, he sent her a weak stare and pursed lips then slowly walked past her, his large hand placed swiftly on the edge of her shoulder, urging her to turn around, "yeah, I did."
Their footsteps against the wooden floors — creaks and groans — speak for them as they slowly walk away from one of the few sources of light in the hallway. The silence is not awkward but tense, yet they were both familiar with its air as it dwelt between the too many times. That silence filled the wordless descent as the two lived far more in their own head than anyone else. Though, one less often to do that than the other.
"Mikasa."
Mikasa perked up, "yes?"
"Her hair color is hideous."
Perhaps if one did not catch the gleam in her right eye, they would've assumed she held no care or scrutiny for his comment.
"I see."
That couldn't have been farther from the truth.
"Since, I'm sure you know how a spar works. I won't go explaining it to you."
Her fingers left the burrow of her hair, locks now high and swinging. She gripped the odd sword tightly. Her brown eyes pick at the mass of people that watched them, spanning from near and afar. All spectating. Most silent.
"What is your signal of forfeit?" Erza asked.
"The moment you see the life leave my eyes." Levi challenged.
Erza pursed her lips, brows raised in confusion as she crouched ever so slightly, "are you saying…"
"Don't make me repeat myself."
"... So be it."
What commences it is unknown, whether it is the cough of a spectator, or the croon of a raven, but the two leap into action.
The speed is not of unreasonable extremities, but it is unmatched. She is aware of this when his eyes narrowed, and the muscle of his arm bunched up to grip the sword tighter. With a flick of his wrist, he switched the titan blade to profile, ultimately pushing him to defense as he waited for her slice.
Metal hits metal and it shrieks. His sword violently hit against hers, ultimately drawing him back a few steps, he pulled his arm back and thrust it forward, the tip of such strange sword clanged and hummed when struck at the width of hers. Yet, she hastily drew back and swung the blade down again, an attempt she knew would be refuted.
Their swords shook in their grasps, trying to sustain the strength each opponent was putting.
"I'm impressed," Erza hummed, "you're quite the fast one."
Levi only grunted, the cries of the blades growing louder as neither one threw back, "don't congratulate a fish for swimming. You're testin' me and unless you want to leave resemblin' butchered meat,"
The sound of a crack did not go unnoticed between the two.
Instantly, he drove his sword right and the pressure knocked her blade out of her grasp, the tip of the metal drew dangerously close to the apple of her neck.
"I'd suggest you stop fuckin' around."
She staggered back and swung her arms into the air, giving him no time to react as she flipped back and proceeded to kick his sword right out of his hand with the force of her toe box. Shock left like a candle blown out as he quickly grabbed her boot and yanked her in, with her balance and focus lost, he caught the falling sword with his other hand.
He was planning on stabbing her, she realized, and with the surrounding grip on her booted ankle she was sure he was thinking about disabling her in some sort.
She'd admit that she hadn't expected such power from the man. It wasn't due to his lack in height but more in his lack of build, or perhaps what build was hidden in the gender less uniforms that everyone wore. She had heard the title the people gave the man, 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier', and understood that above the many his skills were considered inhuman.
Yet, and secondly, she hadn't expected such force to be used on her. He was brash and violent with his movement but still all so calculated. The way he moved was not akin to graceful yet nonetheless practiced and intentional, the jabs and slices he had made towards her were not in the name of spar but a full-blown death match.
'Killing you would be a fucking hassle.' He had said, but it seemed to her that he was going for something only a breadth away from attempted murder.
However, what surprised her the most was that she heard no noise from the man. Earlier, in the shed, she had assumed she heard nothing because of the rowdy nature around them but then the setting was far quieter and she still hadn't picked up anything.
The buzz and thumping from the surrounding soldiers were loud and clear. Of course, a few people she had passed had sung soft and low, but they were always there, always heard, always singing.
He carried none of it, barren, like her.
It shouldn't have been a worrying feat as back home this was never an occurrence, but the music that reigned within these walls were significant to them and only them. In a mass of overly chirpy choir of souls for you to not sing must've meant something.
What made him so different from the rest of his own people?
The blade that was minutes away from her chest reeled back. Instantly, he dropped her foot and kicked her broken sword towards her.
Murmurs filled the air as Erza slowly lifted herself up, shock in her wide eyes as she and the scout fell into another glare match.
"Did you think I would stab you?" His voice gripped her shoulders and sounded like a concert of hells. A dump of sea-salted water on her barren face to rip her away from her thoughts, "you even froze." He sneered, shining eyes watching her body rise from the ground.
Was it his title?
"I apologize," Erza said curtly, her hands stained with the earth, she clenched her blade— a blade now cracked— and swallowed thickly. "I was questioning far too many things."
He had fooled her and the humiliation she felt was not to her liking whatsoever.
The patriotism that resonated with the rest of them, was it lost on him?
He was a confusing man, one that undoubtedly deserved respect but knew how to strum on the nerves of people quick.
'In fact, it's all too confusing,' Erza cursed, 'and it's wrong that I'm left blind and lost walking in a place I have little to no understanding of.'
So she sought to back down for now, but to ease her hurt heart she was determined not to leave without tripping this man.
"I also believed… for a fleeting moment, that I could win."
With the prop of her legs, Erza quickly drew herself back up into a crouching position. She dropped the cracked sword to the ground, position lower than the one she began with.
Levi only glared at her, and huffed, "so you forfeit, huh."
"Yes, I forfeit," she stated loud and clear, eyes closed for longer than a second. Her eyes flied open, and she soared towards him, only a blur of beige and ruddy.
She grabbed his blade by the fuller, the metal kissing into her palms, and promptly snapped the steel in half.
"I forfeit because I am unprepared."
Shock stabbed the crowd as they watched her rock away from the Commander, her eyes carried no fear or riddles of anxiety at her actions or his reaction. Shouts of disdain and confusion were directed towards the two opponents. One that stood rigid and befuddled while the other stood with perseverance.
"An odd sword, but I believe I'll manage in a few days or so." She shrugged impassively. Her eyes nystagmic, "it would be ill-sighted of me to fight when I'm not prepared in the slightest."
The truth was, there were many ways for her to win this fight. Even right now, without even moving she could find a way to win. However, the thoughts in her mind clouded her sight, and she lost path and intuition. There were too many things unnerving about this place, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it first.
A spar could always wait to be finished.
He stood lost upon words but then his jaw tightened. "You—!" Levi growled, eyes drowning with fury as he lumbered over to her, his voice ragged and vicious. His calloused hands grabbed at her buttoned shirt and with a vicious yank he brought her head down. His dim cobalt eyes burned hers. "Fuck do you take me for? A fool? Do you think I'm an idiot, Scarlet?"
She stared, gimlet-eyed, Erza swallowed the amusement that promised to break out. "I apologize, Commander," she couldn't stop the faint taunt that stained the title as it left her lips, "I had no intentions—"
"Bullshit." Levi snarled, "don't even try—"
"If she makes the choice to step back, then she can, Levi, is that not what the rules were?"
Her eyes perk up to the sight of Erwin stepping within the grounds, his presence bringing a hush and drumming of footsteps across the field, soldiers disperse to allow him to move, "simply because you deemed them unnecessary does not mean she has to as well."
The grip on her buttoned shirt is reluctantly released and what is left is a wrinkled and ruined mess, "she's been holding back all this time and wants to use the excuse that she is not equipped to use the blade because the handle is odd." His words spat into the air with each syllable.
Erwin only blinked, looking at the two. His eyes carried indifference, making it impossible to know what he felt, "perhaps this was for the best, after all," Erwin looked up to her, an arched bushy brow, "it was only a spar, the rigid animosity you give out is unneeded." The mass makes it deductions and assumptions as they watched to leaders with power stare down one another.
Levi then kissed his teeth and flung what was left of his sword to the ground. With a cock of his head, he sent her one more glare, one bundled with rhymes of rage and ruin, and turned away. At his approach, the crowd scurried like fish in a pond when a hand runs through.
It had been over an hour or two and Eren could not bury the ire inside of him.
He had watched with bright and calculating eyes as his captain backed that girl onto the floor only to be tripped up by her speed.
Of course a conflicting hurricane of feelings wailed inside of him but the most prominent thing was anger. Anger at his colleagues for not picking sides, anger at his captain for losing to hands that seemed so supple, who cares if it was a forfeit— it was still a loss, anger at the woman in red for turning these walls upside down.
Anger at himself, for not having the (authoritarian) power to stop the events unfolding.
He had heard Mikasa calling him, pleading for him to slow down, but his thoughts urged him to keep moving, keep walking, or else he'd submit to his emotions. His teeth ached with pressure as he ground them together, eyes bubbling swampy lakes of green.
This woman, the same girl who had been struggling to escape her boot from a grip had sailed towards his captain only resembling a blur, not even a sound to sense her movement.
Was everything just a farce? Was this simply child's play to her?
It was otherworldly, the speed that had soared towards Levi like a javelin, that bloody hair flying behind her. Her body blitzed like a twinkle on a diamond, her whole being disappeared with a blink of an eye and reappeared. Just looking at such a scene had brought his eyes to water, he couldn't begin to speak for his captain on the matters.
She had gripped Levi's own blade and snapped it apart. No combat, just pure strength and inhuman speed. Only for her to forfeit, to flaunt such a power in front of someone weaker and taunt them by withdrawal.
Levi, weaker? To Eren, it was a preposterous thought, yet his conviction was slowly being chipped away.
Who's to say where that witch lived if they even had Titans? Perhaps, they killed them all, she seemed fast enough to do so, with no accommodations whatsoever.
Unlike them, where they struggled to just leave the war zone of blood and bones without a missing leg or arm.
"Eren!"
It was pitiful. Disgraceful.
"Eren!"
It left a bad taste in his mouth, his lurching stomach yelped and begged for its contents to be vomited.
"Eren!"
He saw a flash of his mother, though fleeting, still beautiful.
Eren swung his arm around and slammed his fist into the wall. The crater that bloomed from under his strike was small but prominent. Venomous eyes stared at the stygian-haired girl beside him, her brows knitted with worry and those impassive orbs now bug-eyed.
He couldn't speak, he was unsure of his own voice. Though, what could he say? His captain lost to a woman from outside the walls, a woman that mocked him with feats seemingly so unnatural only to further disgrace him and drop out, a woman that only caused disarray since she first appeared.
The feelings were mixed and many, but he knew without a doubt.
Erza Scarlet was a problem that needed to be dealt with.
He removed his hand and stared at Mikasa and after those few seconds turned around and continued walking.
"Perhaps, it is too much of a task to ask you, Erza." Makarov hummed, hand cupping his chin. "Another experience like Edolas may be too much to deal with."
Erza gave the man a smile, "after all Fairy Tail's dealt with, I doubt this could hold a candle."
Makarov chuckled, the wrinkled letter in his grasp was now settled onto the desk, allowing Erza to peer down at it. "I'd summarize this problem as a mass infestation going rampant, for now I'd like you to spectate and learn all you can." His small fingers tapped against the oak wood, "maybe after a few months you could decide whether Natsu and his team should join."
Erza reached for the letter, eyes skimming over the paper, "how long will this take?"
"That," Makarov fell back into his seat, "I do not know."
A small smile graced her lips, her dark eyes bounced with mirth. "I see, tell Natsu to be prepared for my call."
Author's Note:
Wow, it's been months.
College is tough and the finals are coming up so everyone's just buckling up for a mountain of work. Hopefully, around Christmas break, I'll have more time to work on this story.
That spar scene was lame, originally, it was going to be longer and more in depth but with the direction of where I'm going I chose to leave it like that. Levi and Erza will have their spar, I promise you.
I know, in the previous chapters I promised 6k words each chapter but I'm making an exception to the rule, because I can. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing if you do. I'll be cleaning up previous two chapters.