Destruction
"Good morning," Ezreal said, greeting his former instructors.
Armin and Mikasa looked serious, and did not speak, until the mapmaker motioned for them to follow him into his office.
"Ezreal, we have bad news," Mikasa said.
"What is it?" The cartographer asked.
The two soldiers looked at each other. They were debating which one of them was going to share the grave news.
After a few moments, Mikasa began to speak again. She sat with her head hung low. "Th-there's nothing left. A stampede of titans…"
"What are we going to tell Levi?" Armin said, desperately. "That's why we came to see you, Ezreal."
"Wait…are you two the only…survivors?" The blonde asked. He received a nod from Armin, but Mikasa's face was hidden behind her hair and hands.
"We have no place left to go. The titans broke through walls in one night. The entire city fled. Most were killed. Only those with maneuvering gear had a chance to live," said Mikasa.
"I think it would be best for you two to tell Levi what happened. He's spent years with you two, and I don't think it is my place-"
"Ezreal! Levi is going to be devastated! Of course we're going to tell him, but he is already so emotionally damaged; I don't know if he could handle knowing the truth," the female soldier stressed.
"Levi loves you. I don't know if he's came out and said it to you, but it's obvious. When he was planning to come visit you, he was the happiest we'd ever seen him. All we're asking is that you'll stay with him so he can get through this," pleaded Armin.
"Yes, of course I will. Don't even worry about that. Are you two going to be alright?" Ezreal asked.
"In time, we will," said Mikasa. "Worry about Levi first."
The mapmaker decided not to argue with Mikasa. Her eyes were louder than her voice.
Ezreal's boss was understanding of the tragedy that had occurred. Piltover was welcoming survivors, but so far, Armin and Mikasa were the only ones. He let Ezreal take the day off so he could go back and inform Levi of what had happened. His two comrades accompanied him.
When they reached the blonde man's house, Levi was inside. Ezreal found him lying on the couch, taking a nap. Armin and Mikasa sat at the kitchen table. They wanted to wait for Levi to wake up.
When the wall clock in the living room struck noon, Levi sat up and rubbed his eyes. He heard voices coming from the kitchen. First, he saw Ezreal, and then his soldiers. He blinked several more times, in surprise.
"What are you two doing here?" Levi barked. Judging by the looks on their faces, he regretted using the tone he addressed them with.
Ezreal didn't interrupt, but he watched the life drain from Levi's already stoic visage as he listened to his comrades. By the end of their exchange, the captain refused to speak. It appeared that he refused, but Ezreal wondered if he even could.
Days passed, after Armin and Mikasa had left. They had gone out to find jobs in the city. Levi had stopped talking, eating, cleaning, cooking, and everything else he normally enjoyed. Ezreal tried and tried to get him to speak, but the man continued to sulk. Every time the cartographer made an attempt to cheer Levi up, he'd receive a pair of sad, lifeless eyes.
When it seemed like Levi wasn't going to recover, he remembered something. He had no will to communicate with anyone, not even Ezreal, but he still had his own mind. Levi realized that he no longer had to leave Ezreal. He was glad about that, but now he had no home to return to. Knowing that his home had been crushed by titans made him feel hopeless. He jumped right to the thought of Piltover being destroyed the same way. The weight of humanity dwindling weighed upon Levi's shoulders like a ton of bricks. He had no reason to believe that humanity wasn't crumbling.
Ezreal did the best he could to take care of Levi, but nothing he did improved his condition. It had gotten to the point where Levi was too weak to even get out of bed. The mapmaker knew he had to do something. He carried Levi out to his car and drove him to the nearest hospital.
The blonde explained everything he could about what had happened to Levi, but the doctors could only do so much. Physically, they revived him, but psychologically they weren't successful.
After another couple weeks passed, Ezreal finally found a reputable specialist that was willing to treat Levi. Her name was Doctor Rosalynd Ambrose. She was an expert. Ezreal met her outside of Levi's room in the hospital. His doctors had moved him to the psychiatric ward.
Doctor Ambrose was a very short woman with completely silvered hair tied back in a compact bun. She walked with a cane, and wore a set of glasses with thick lenses. She looked to be at least seventy.
"Ezreal Hauksteinn?" She asked.
"Yes," the blonde replied. "Nice to finally meet you in person."
"Likewise. Now, let me see him," the doctor insisted.
When the old woman entered the room, she looked at Levi. His eyes were shut, but he wasn't asleep. She walked over to him, and picked up his hand. She waited for the man to respond.
Ezreal watched, curiously. He didn't know what the doctor was doing, but he didn't question a single thing she did.
"Levi, can you hear me?" Doctor Ambrose asked.
Levi slowly opened his eyes. They were as cold and gloomy as ever. He analyzed the new face, but soon began to shake his head.
After an agonizing hour of coaxing, Levi finally responded to the doctor's question. "I can hear you. Do you still remember me?" To both Ezreal and the doctor, it was a most unexpected question. Tears filled Levi's eyes as he realized the old woman didn't know who he was.
Doctor Ambrose squinted through her glasses and focused on Levi. "Levi? M-my son?"