Chapter 1: Will You Be Mine at the End of the World?
He stared up at a crimson sky. It seemed oddly reminiscent of all the blood that had been needlessly spilled throughout the war. He felt as if his body was on fire and it was being burned from the inside out, like he would soon be incinerated and turned to ash so that there was no trace of him remaining. Nothing left to remember. They were all simply mortals with meaningless names and equally meaningless lives.
Levi could hear several voices calling out for him with hoarse and bloodied throats. He heard them rush towards him, the pounding of feet and the clanking of metal as he felt his hot, molten lifeforce flow out of him. Why did they even bother calling him a hero? He was but an ordinary man, a thug who only knew how to kill and spill blood whose shoulders they had placed all their hopes and fears upon. There was only one person he wished to have at his side in this moment, someone who saw him not as a hero, but for his mortality.
Petra…
"Captain!" A female's shriek rang out, cutting through the air. Someone was running, no stumbling towards him. They instantly fell to their knees beside him, pressing their small hands to his chest.
"Captain Levi!"
"Levi!"
A chorus of voices chimed out, all in anguish and fear. The rest of the voices he heard were drowned out by the pounding in his head and the red haze that clouded his vision until he felt his eyes slide closed. He was dying, he knew that. But he also knew that it was well past his time. He should've died long ago alongside his friends so many years ago. So many times he had wished for the sweet embrace of death, for surely it was better than living in this hell on earth.
"T-there's so much blood…"
"Somebody! We need a medic!"
Levi's eyes rolled back into his head as he felt a coldness sweep over him. This was it, the end of the world as he laid, dying out on the rugged battlefield. He had made it so far and yet this was how he would die. What would she think when she saw his broken body? The body of her revered captain, superior officer, lover, surrounded by a pool of blood. Would she live on without him or was she also gone away from this hell? What would her life like without him? Would she find someone else to marry, to settle down with? Would she even remember him years later? Levi dreaded the future, even now when he had none.
Darkness descended upon him, darker than when he just closed his eyes for a restless sleep. He could consciously hear his heartbeat, slowing with every passing second. He found it hard to breath and he felt something hot and thick dribble down his lips. In the darkest depths of his awareness, Levi swore he saw a vision of Petra. Petra, the soldier that had always held a tender spot in her heart for him. His Petra, bare and lying in his bed, hair tousled and her lips cherry red. Then he saw a set of images of moments not meant to be; Petra in a white dress, a bouquet of flowers clutched in her delicate, uncalloused hands; Petra, round with child and glowing, her radiance even more stunning than before. Petra, herding a couple of children with his raven hair and her amber eyes, or possibly her golden hair with his onyx eyes. The images made him feel a stabbing feeling in his chest, a lasting ache that would stay with him forever. If only he could see her only last time, even if it was just to caress her face.
Levi was jolted back to consciousness by a sharp crack that rattled his entire body. He opened his eyes only to stare back up at that same crimson sky. He felt a tightness around his body and suddenly something warm latched onto his hand. He turned his head as quickly as possible only to gaze directly into a pair of round amber eyes. Blinking away the bleariness that obstructed hung over him, Levi's breath caught as he took in the hazy vision of Petra. Petra's hand clutched at his sleeve, her eyes pleading.
"Do you remember anything?" she choked out. He now noticed the tears in her red eyes.
"What happened?" he croaked, grimacing at the taste of blood in his throat. Petra let out a broken yet bright laugh, wincing as she tried to roll onto her side. Levi then realized that they were moving. They were on a moving cart. A trail of dust was kicked up behind them, clouding the passing landscape.
"Levi, y-you almost died. I luckily was able to reach you in time to stop the bleeding, but it was s-so close. You were so close to dying, Captain." Petra's eyes now welled with tears, threatening to burst from her lashes. Levi noticed how her breathing frequently hitched. His eyes fell from her face to her opposite hand which was locked at her side, hiding a series of bloodied bandages that wound around her small waist beneath her jacket.
"You're hurt, Petra," he murmured with concern, reaching for her.
Petra's eyes clouded over. "I-I'm fine. I didn't come as close to death as you." She squeezed his hand tightly. She took in a sharp breath. "I don't know what I would've done if you had died and I had lived. Not now, not now…"
Levi searched her eyes. "Is it… over?"
Despite the tears that were streaming down her flushed cheeks, Petra's smile beamed at him from both her lips and her shining eyes at his words. "Yes Captain, it's finally over. We can rest in peace now."
Levi let out a sigh and a noise that choked and fizzled in his throat. His chest fell and Petra curled against him as best she could without causing pain.
"This may be the end of the world, but I look forward to the coming dawn and what will come in these new beginnings."
Levi looked at her strangely but then sighed again. Perhaps she was right; maybe it was time to start thinking of the future instead of dreading it.
