Petra = a nymph, that shall not be named, or spoilers. hahahhaahahahaahahahahaha, I'm awful. I like mint too.
This chapter was a pain in the ass to write, fuck me side ways. This is more of like, I dunno, a chapter to introduce how the fic is going to change in future chapters? Does that even make sense, I dunno, I'm eating cheesecake and not giving a fuck.
I have a feeling this chapter is gonna have a lot of mistakes too, SORRY!
Also, I was kinda told it was a good idea to follow stuff in tumblr, I dunno. I'm a tool so like, I'm gonna be following the Fic:Imbue tag, I mean...I dunno, I suck
Warnings: stuff, if I tell you then it would be spoilers. If you are triggered easily, just...idk, hold someones hand or something.
A gentle song was consuming the whole forest. It reached the rivers and the mountains and it filled the forest with life. The voice was soft but strong, the notes sang perfectly and as it reached its peak that voiced cracked just a bit, just enough to give the melody another type of character. As the song came to an end, a warm blanket spread through the flora, the flowers bloomed faster and the grass seem to curl on itself, before relaxing and blowing freely with the wind. The trees let out a fresh smell that consumed the forest, and soon intoxicated every plant around them, encouraging them to let go the same enticing aroma. The animals were relaxed, going on about their way with such serenity that there was no unnecessary bloodshed. The sun was slowly reaching its lowest point and the forest was ready to sleep, the melody was coming to an end, and as it did the sun settled and darkness crept through the forest. It started towards the edge and it slowly reached the end, coating all that came after the forests edge similarly. Stars came to life and the moon became brighter, letting its presence be known as it gave the night the only light it needed.
The nymph that had been singing was looking at the stars, her brown eyes reflecting the lights in the sky. Strawberry blond hair reached and lightly curled below her chin and the strands seemed to have a light of their own. The white dress she was wearing hardly clung to her shape, it was short and loose in some parts, giving her the freedom she needed to run through the forest. Small flowers and flower vines covered her legs and arms, some of them even reaching her hair. Freckles scattered across her face only accentuated the small nose and thin lips, and as she turned she smiled. The person sitting on a tree trunk was looking at her, his dark eyes staring back at her.
"You have been here for a while Levi, when do you plan on leaving?" She walked over and sat next to the God, her hands resting on the tree trunk as she kept smiling at him."Not that I'm complaining, it's just odd seeing you outside the underworld for so long."
"I'm avoiding home at the moment." Levi's answer was short and he glanced at her, eyes looking her over, noticing that the nymph hadn't changed at all since the last time he met her. It wasn't like nymphs changed much over the years either way, their eternal beauty was a gift and they treasured it. This nymph was no exception, except Levi had known her for years, maybe hundreds of years. It was one of the few people he could talk to. Well, at least he used to be able to talk to her.
"Oh? I thought you were living a happy married life now."
The silence that followed her words was cold. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't thick, it was cold. The comment had meant to sting. It had meant to show the truth. The fact that it wasn't a happy marriage, the fact that everything was worse than before. How Eren was struggling with himself every day, how Levi couldn't control him and how he had dealt with everything. Not only that, but the words were bitter, behind the soft voice and words, there was a bitter tone that the two of them ignored. Petra ignored it because it hurt and Levi ignored it because he didn't want to think about it, or talk about it.
"I am."
Levi's words were absolute. He never spoke with doubt and he never sounded insecure, at least that's the perfect image he gave everyone, he never falter. He had only done it with Eren, once or twice. But not even the nymph had seen this and the hurt in her eyes was enough for Levi to win. If she wanted to use hurtful words, he would too, and his indifference was his best weapon.
"What's wrong, Levi? You never visit me for this long, you know I love your company but you are not much for staying outside for a long time. You enjoy your home, you love it." The little war they had was over and the Nymph frowned at him worried. She reached to gently place her hand on top of his and leaned in to look at his face.
"Nothing is really wrong. Things are just not going as they should be. They are moving too slow, too slow for my liking. I hate waiting."
The nymph chuckled quietly, her hand squeezing Levi's. "I know you do. But you chose him, Levi. You picked him and you said that this was a good choice, that you wouldn't regret anything no matter how long it would take. I told you Levi, I told you so many times that the child, Eren, was trouble. But you ignored me, you picked him."
And not me.
Those words were left unspoken but Levi knew what she was trying to say. She was staring at him with her eyes looking straight into his. She was a good person, but just like any other nymph, jealousy plagued her. Levi only stared back at her, looking at those angry eyes that were begging him underneath that emotion. She was one of Levi's oldest friends and he could always come to her when something was on his mind, that was until Eren came around. The friendship had strained. She didn't give him words from the bottom of her heart but words that would tilt him towards her favor, to show how much better this would had been if he had left Eren out of the picture.
"I told you Levi, I did." She continued. "I know what that child has done, I have seen what he is willing to do...Why nobody touches that forest, why no nymph dares step foot in it. He is not fit to be with you. Return him to his home, to his mother. Let him be the way he was, or else he will do something Levi, something that even you might regret."
Levi looked onward, even if he did what the nymph was saying, it would be a hard thing to do. The death god didn't want to let go, and he wasn't going to. What was his was his and there was no questioning it. Just like every single soul in the underworld belonged to him, Eren did too. It was his need, it was the one obsession he felt and he couldn't control. He just couldn't. There was no big explanation behind it, there was no story and no real drama. It was just what it was. Levi wanted Eren and he wanted to keep him. As if to clarify his doubts the death god looked at the ring on his hand and then back at nymph. She followed his eyes and removed her hand from his.
There was a long silence again.
"He can't even give you children..." The nymph stared down at her feet, her words quiet but loud enough for the god to hear. "The children your siblings have, that they talk about, that they love and are their pride. One of them which you are wed to right now. You will have none of that, none at all Levi. You wanted a family, I want a family. Are you willing to sacrifice that as well?"
The Death god stared at her, and she turned and looked at him. The two stared at each other for a long time but Levi's eyes never flickered, never showed any hesitation. "Sacrifices have to be made." And there was no doubt in his words.
The nymph rubbed her lips together, her eyes looking away for a split second before glancing back at the god. "Let me do that for you, I can do it. I won't ask for anything else, I won't fight over this with you anymore, if only you let me do this for you. I will carry that child, I will do it for you and I will love them Levi. I will. You will see them grow and they will become your pride, and you will love them. I promise you. Please, a family is what I want the most, Levi."
But it has to be with you.
More words were left unspoken and Levi stood up, looking around the forest as his eyes stared into something that no one else could see, or maybe he was thinking things over. The nymph gently reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze again, she smiled at him and kissed his hand, bringing it to her face to touch the cold fingers. So she could feel him, and he could feel her warmth.
"Think about it Levi, just like you I can live forever. I will give you the family you don't have." She smiled one more time and let go of his hand.
Levi gently held onto her face, the back of his hand brushing against her hair. "Good bye, Petra." He gave a weak nod at her and then turned to leave, the nymph behind him doing the same, as she knew that he would be back. But that good bye was cold and distant, a farewell that had no doubts, almost like a promise.
But he didn't say no, and that was all the hope the nymph needed, because she was right and the doubt in Levi's eyes made her happy.
Mikasa had always known she was born in the shadows of the gods. She was invisible, non-existent. It was a sad story, but not a complicated one. Her grandmother ran away from her country, and in this new one she had been scared and alone, with no one to help her except for one man. He was a rich man, interested in her mostly because of her looks. She was so exotic, so different. Mikasa's grandmother accepted to become this man's mistress, out of hunger and need. She had been pregnant even before that. The child was a girl and it was Mikasa's mother. Just like her grandmother she was beautiful, with black ebony hair and a stunning face. It was no surprise that many men courted her and wanted to be with her, but she denied every single one, with the exception of Mikasa's dad. They fell in love, the concept was simple. The older women had wanted her daughter to find love and not live like she did, in fear and only to be there to fulfill a man's need. No, Mikasa's mother found true happiness with this man.
It wasn't long before Mikasa's family moved to what would be their future house, away in the country side. Her father owned a lot of land, and soon enough her mother became pregnant with her. She was their first child and the only one they would have. Mikasa, just like her grandmother and mother was graced with beauty, but that was not what made her who she was. She was strong, determined. There was something inside of her that couldn't be stopped and so she wasn't. But Mikasa had one small flaw, one that she couldn't control or had any power over...she had awful luck. It was like the gods couldn't even see her. It started with her first nanny, she had died when taking care of her. The second one was no different. When the third one passed, they decided that maybe only Mikasa's mother could take care of her.
Mikasa became interested in horse back riding when she was five. She got the pony a lot of girls her age wanted. It was hers and she loved it. She named it and a horse saddle was bought specifically for her. It was her father that taught her how to ride the pony, and he was so careful with her, so loving. Two weeks later, the horse was found dead, a snake bite being the only evidence of what could have happened. It was fine though, they got her another one and after the second one died, she didn't want to ride a horse anymore.
It all seemed like bad coincidences. After all, she still had a great family, a loving father and a mother. They understood her and supported her, she had all of that for herself. She couldn't be unlucky. It was impossible, she had so much and other people had so little. But as time went on, things got worse. The crops her father had invested in, all of them had rot. One year was not a problem but it kept happening, over and over. Then their home was taken away by a fire. All the friends Mikasa would make were soon missing or harmed. All she could do was hide in her home and talk to her mom, asking her what was wrong. They had been doing so well, why did everything change, what happened? And how could it be fixed? Sadly her mother held no answers and Mikasa was left alone to ponder. Everything had been fine with her parent's lives until she was born, until she came around. It was the same with every other incident. It was her, she was the cause and as much as it pained her to admit it, it was the only explanation she could find. She wasn't blessed, not like her parents, not like her grandmother. She bought this upon people and she was the cause, and suddenly being pretty didn't matter anymore because nobody would dare to get near her.
Mikasa could still remember the worst day of her life, it was the day that she first started to hate the gods. She was twelve and her birthday had just been a month ago. The young girl woke up when she heard screaming. It wasn't just any random screaming either, it was definitely her mother. She ran out of her room as quick as her legs would allow it, and what she saw broke what little faith she had left. Thieves had broken into her home, but when they realized her parents weren't asleep and her father had gotten his gun, they decided that what little they had left was worth killing them for. Mikasa's father was stabbed repeatedly, and her mother's head had been cut off. The gore was still fresh in her memory. She could still remember her father's bloody face and twitching body, her mother's idle eyes and semi-open mouth. The way her hair covered half of her face. The way her father's body bended awkwardly on the floor. Everything, she was never going to be able to forget it.
She ran away that day. She ran as fast as she could, she ran before they could get her. The rough stone pathway cut into her bare feet, and she tripped multiple times in pain. But she couldn't stop running, she ran and ran until she couldn't move. It was then that she realized that she was completely alone, just like her grandmother had been. The girl came back home later, and the whole house had been raided of anything valuable. All she took were some clothes and food with her and she left. Even if the guards were able to find out who had done this, it truly didn't matter. She had nothing left, no one to take care of her and no money. The land was going to be sold to cover her father's loans and she was going to be stripped of anything she could possibly use to survive. She left, with no time to mourn her loss.
It was a rough life, she had to work hard to earn food, and sometimes she couldn't even afford a place to sleep. A lot of people wouldn't even want to help her because of the way she looked, she was an outsider. But thinking about how her grandma made it gave her the courage to continue trying. But, unlike her grandmother, she wouldn't sell herself off. No, she was going to struggle like her father did to earn everything he owned.
It was silly for her to think that way, it was silly for her to even consider that she could make it. She was so unlucky, and as she ran through the forest she kept cursing and screaming at any god that was willing to answer her. She kept running, ignoring how tree branches were cutting into her skin, or how she was running so fast that she would sometimes trip over low trunks and cut her hands, thighs, or stomach with the rough wood. She kept running, just like so many years ago, and far behind her she could hear the men chasing her. They were laughing and calling for her, and her eyes stung with tears, as her breath was becoming too erratic. She needed to get away. She needed to run faster.
Mikasa was fifteen by now, her legs were longer and her body had changed, everything about her was slightly different. It had attracted people's attention, especially a group of men who were known for their horrible ways, and it had quickly gotten out of hand. So much that Mikasa had been forced to run from them, and her attempt to escape lead her deep into the nearby forest. She was aware of what would happen should they catch her and the mere idea made new tears form in her eyes. Forcing herself to run faster, she glanced back, noticing that the men were still chasing her and their pace had not slowed down at all, just like hers. She wasn't even sure where she was anymore, the forest was so thick, so wide and it almost felt like it was alive because of the way the trees twisted and went around. When the road forced her to make a sharp turn, she regretted it right away as her body found no ground underneath her feet and she fell down a small cliff. A groan of pain slipped out when her body fell onto the ground like dead weight, her shoulder taking the full fall and her ankle was now painfully pulsing. It was twisted and her shoulder was dislocated. She whimpered and crawled, getting to her feet again and limping as she tried to kept trying to get away but the voices were getting closer and closer.
She begged, she begged to any god, to anybody, to help her. She was shaking in fear, and her steps were getting slower. It hurt to move and any hope she had left was slowly vanishing. A scream tore from her throat, drenched in pain, the pain in her mind, in her chest and the pain her body was going through. It was impossible now to keep from sobbing and her throat was now rough, clogging up, and burning, just like her chest. Mikasa couldn't see what was in front of her anymore, her vision blurry with tears. Her better hand held onto her wounded arm while her foot dragged her down as she kept trying to walk. The voices came closer and closer and she could feel them, she could feel them getting close, the hands reaching for her and then one hand reached for her hair, pulling her back and roughly shaking her head. She fell back, her foot losing balance as she was pulled and roughly shoved to the ground. The hand on her hair left and she quickly tried to crawl and get back to her feet but she was pulled by the back of her robe. She whimpered in pain and a hand pulled on her hair again. The robe was tore from the front first. A pair of hands roughly pulled on the fabric, starting with the fabric on her shoulders, roughly pulling on it and making it burn against her skin. The only thing she could do was scream and try to push the man away, clawing at his hands.
Mikasa was slapped across the face and a big foot kicked her in the stomach. She coughed violently, and the hands pulled on the robe again, ripping and tearing on the layers of fabric until her upper torso was exposed. The hand in her hair roughly pulled on it and yanked her around, forcing her to walk like that until they were in a more open space. The man behind her was touching her waist, the hands moving up and down her breasts, groping without hesitation before a tongue slid over her neck. She couldn't stop crying now and a piece of cloth that was left of her robe was shoved in her mouth. The rest of her clothing was yanked and torn to pieces, leaving her fully naked as she was shoved onto the ground. She didn't stop fighting though, she didn't stop struggling and trying to crawl away. The hands kept moving, pulling her closer and one of the men was on top of her, pulling her hips towards him and forcing her face onto the dirt. She screamed, she screamed so loudly her throat felt like it was bleeding.
And then she heard humming. It was a soft melody and it stopped her struggling. It also stopped her attackers. She tried to look up but couldn't, the hand kept her face buried against the ground, hardly letting her breathe.
Mikasa could hear the men talking, mumbling and the man above her pulled her back by her waist and held onto her hair again. She could see what was happening then, someone was walking through the forest. It was someone that looked smaller than her, even slimmer. The person was wearing an expensive looking robe, adorned with pretty patterns and their feet were dragging on the ground. The person looked out of place, even more so in this damn situation. Still the stranger was walking almost right next to them, their body swinging back and forth as they continue to hum quietly. It was a song that Mikasa had heard before, a song only the kids would sing but she couldn't remember it now, not in this situation.
One of the men moved towards the person, blocking their path and the figure stopped. The man was saying something but Mikasa could hardly hear it because her mind was too hazy, and her senses were still numb with pain. It was amazing that she was still awake but that was probably the adrenaline still keeping her up. The man reached over and touched the strangers face, and she watched as the man touched the raven hair and moved away the long bangs that covered the face. The hair wasn't messy but it was obvious that it hadn't been cut or styled in a long time. As the man pushed the bangs back, his filthy fingers touched the strangers lips, rough digits against the plump flesh before he laughed and yanked on the person's hair. Mikasa whimpered, watching this, knowing what they were thinking about doing with that person too.
She watched as the man roughly pulled on the girl, or boy, she couldn't tell. He yanked on the dark hair harder and brought them near his own body. One of his hands was holding onto their chin and another one was pulling them near by their waist. And what happened next was what startled the girl, she watched as the man suddenly screamed in pain and pulled back, blood coming from his hand. Mikasa's eyes widened, and the stranger took a step closer, slowly moving in the same way. The odd person stared as the man hugged his hand to his chest and Mikasa was able to somewhat see that a chunk of flesh was missing and the unknown person was chewing on something.
The men that had been holding her let go of her immediately and moved towards their friend. One of them quickly inspected the wound while the other two were pushing and yelling at the stranger. Mikasa gathered whatever was left of her robes and covered herself with the thin pieces of cloth. With the distraction she backed away slowly, feeling that there was something wrong, something very wrong, but she wasn't able to get very far, because the loud scream she heard next froze her in place.
One of the men that had pushed the stranger was now screaming in pain, he was struggling and coughing out blood, an arm was going through his chest and a bloody hand was poking through his back. The hand had long, black finger nails. It pulled back swiftly and the man fell on the ground, obviously dead. He'd stopped moving and Mikasa saw the familiar shadow of death on his face. The other three men stared in fear and within seconds they were running away. One of them was impaled by a branch, the thick wood had stabbed him from behind, going through his lower back and sticking out from the side of his shoulder. The man was twitching, still somewhat alive and suffering, but in mere seconds the twitching stopped and his body hung there from the branch, not moving and his feet lightly swinging back and forth. The stranger was moving so fast, they were already in front of another of the men and this one had his head cut off by the same hand, showing the strength that it held. The cut was clean and easy, looking like it had been a sword that tore off the flesh and not a hand. The corpse limply fell down and the head rolled away, resting near the first man who had died. The last man kept running and Mikasa watched as the stranger walked behind him, not speeding up or doing anything. She blinked and then the thin figure was in front of the man and he quickly ran the opposite direction just to have the same result.
The stranger, this odd person, was playing and the man was screaming in fear, running so fast with his pants wet and tears in his eyes. He kept trying to run away, he was trying so hard just like Mikasa had, just like she had struggled and suddenly, she felt herself glaring. The anger that had been building up inside of her finally showed. She was crying but this time it was out of hatred. They deserved this, they had it coming. They deserved it all of this. It was only fair, it was only fair.
"Kill him..." she heard herself whisper, the words barely leaving her lips, but a surge of anger stopped that and she looked up, her eyes wide with tears and anger. "KILL HIM!" she yelled this time. The man stopped running, his eyes widening as he stared in her direction with fear. He yelled at her to shut up, but he made the mistake of looking way from the stranger and he ran right into a bundle of sharp tree branches. The first branch went through his head and then the rest stabbed through his chest, arms, legs and neck. The man died instantly, but his body was still moving and little by little it stopped. Mikasa watched the whole time, her eyes not blinking and tearing away from the scene in front of her and an odd satisfaction filled her body.
The stranger was standing near the body, but in less than a second he was front of the girl and her eyes widened. She couldn't even bring herself to move, the pair of golden eyes were staring down at her, and now that the person was so close, she could tell it was a boy. He was around her own age or at least that's what she was thinking. The dark raven hair reached his chin and the skin was so pale she could see tiny veins crawling over it. But the pale skin had a slight hue of yellow to it, and the small veins were a very light green color, similar but different from the usual blue. The golden eyes were wide, staring down at her, and he took another step closer.
Mikasa remained frozen in place, not saying or doing anything and the boy soon sat down next to her. Slowly he leaned his head on her shoulder, his eyes staring off into nothingness. The blood that had splashed on him was slowly peeling off, leaving the robe and his skin clean, like nothing had ever happened. Really, she wasn't sure how long they sat like that, but Mikasa wasn't able to break the silence. She just sat there, with her hands still clinging tightly to her robes remains and covering herself, but the boy never looked at her body.
Time flew by and she dozed off and so did the boy. She only woke up when she heard foot steps. Mikasa slowly blinked, her eyes hardly able to make out anything in front of her for a couple of seconds, but when she did she felt her blood running cold. A man was walking towards them, but this time it was different. This man didn't feel dangerous, or evil, no, he felt deadly. Just looking at him made the girl want to run and never look back. She shivered and looked at the boy next to her, gently shaking him.
"W-wake up, we have to leave." She said quietly, shaking the boy non-stop until he was awake. The golden eyes looked up and blinked slowly before he sat up and rubbed the sleepiness off of his face.
"Come on, hurry." The dark haired girl said as she tried to stand up just to whimper in pain at the reminder that her ankle was twisted but she still gripped the boy's hand and quickly pulled him to his feet before dragging him away. She was limping and not moving very fast and each time she glanced back the man was closer. He was wearing all black and had a mask on, his raven hair showing, and even though Mikasa could only see dark hollow eyes, she could feel the icy stare that was watching them. She whimpered and tried to move faster, the boy walking with her and never pulling away.
The cold feeling behind her was growing and growing. Pain and fear were slowly taking over and she began to panic, glancing back once again and saw nobody. There was no one there. She blinked in confusion, not knowing what happened, and she stopped. She kept looking around, her hold tightening on the boy's hand. It was then that her view was blocked by a black robe and someone was looming over her. She stayed there, frozen in place, staring at the dark figure in front of her. She was cold, her blood was freezing and she couldn't bring herself to even make a sound.
The man in front of her tilted his head and waved one of his hands in front of her, and within seconds new clothes were covering her body. The black gown was warm and she then noticed the pain on her shoulder and ankle were gone. He faintly nodded at her and then reached for the boy, who simply took his hand and pulled away from Mikasa. She didn't let go though, she couldn't. She was scared, but still she had to, she had to let go, they were waiting for her to let go. She slowly let the warm hand slip from her fingers, and watched as the man gently stroke the boy's cheek. The dark fingernails on the ends of his fingers looked sharper and deadlier than the boy's. The two walked away, leaving the girl behind and the boy started humming again, the man guiding him somewhere Mikasa couldn't go.
That was the first time that she met Eren and Levi. It was also the first time she didn't doubt the gods.
Mikasa snapped out of her memories when she heard quiet footsteps. She was curled up within her tail, her arms resting on the thick coil. Her dark eyes looked up to see Levi walking across the bridge and lightly smiled at him before frowning and looking back at the gloomy mansion. It looked quite different right now. Mikasa couldn't go in, she couldn't slip through the thorny maze that the mansion now was. Thick vines covered with thorns had possessed the mansion. The windows were shattered and so were the doors. The thick vines went around the mansion and broke through the walls, making it impossible for anyone to go inside. Well, at least anyone who's body was at least somewhat mortal. She couldn't go in even though she had tried, she could hardly crawl through the tight space.
Levi walked over and looked at her before turning his attention towards the mansion. He didn't look upset or mad, maybe just somewhat annoyed.
"How long has it been like this?" He sighed quietly.
"A couple of days after you left, it started to happen..." She moved near the door, trying to peek inside but she couldn't see Eren at all. "You have been gone for a month and he was locked up in there, what did you expect to happen?"
"I didn't expect for him to react so quickly." Was the reply as he moved next to her, staring in the same direction she was.
"Levi...why?" The question was quiet and there was a long pause, and the death god said nothing. After a few moments, Mikasa simply looked away from him.
"You didn't even recognize him when you first saw him, right?" He was changing the topic.
Mikasa rubbed her lips together, staring down at the floor with a soft sigh. "No, he looks so different like this. It's not bad, not at all, but I was just surprised I guess. He couldn't even remember me."
"Eren never remembers a lot, having memories makes it harder on him to be alone. He is too afraid to be alone, and he doesn't even realize it. All of his actions revolve around his fears, his fear of loneliness, his fear of himself, and his fear of being trapped. So he forgets, he shuts himself down and acts like time never passed, like it never even happened. It's likely he's doing that to himself right now."
Mikasa nodded her head slowly, her hand holding onto one of the big thorns. She was sad, helpless. She wanted to help but couldn't, all she could do was watch as this unfolded before her. It had been a long time since she felt like this, since she didn't have the power to change something.
"How much time does he think has passed since his mother last visit him?" Mikasa asked, her apathetic eyes resting on Levi.
"He probably thinks it has been just a couple of weeks. Carla hasn't visited him in over three hundred years. Just like always, he starves, cries, and tries to end it. He walks outside into the forest and feeds on anything he sees, to end the hunger, to end his confusion. He is probably trying to do that now, but he can't. There are no humans here for him to devour. There are only souls."
"That's too cruel, Levi." Mikasa frowned and curled up like she was before, looking up at the god with disapproval on her face.
"It's necessary. Maybe things will change, maybe not. I'm just doing what I think will help him." He glanced at Mikasa one last time before simply walking towards the door, the thorns and vines quickly withering away. They dried out and died beneath his feet, and some of the ones that fell from the ceiling went right through him, as if he were nothing but smoke, a dark fog that had no matter. He kept walking through the mansion, not really caring about getting rid of the maze, he was mostly focused on finding Eren.
Levi followed the path the thorns had created, going up the stairs and through different hallways and rooms. Each one was looking worse than the one before, but his steps only slowed down when he realized where the pathway was taking him. He was walking through the same hallway he had taken Eren the same day he tried to escape. He walked faster then, the thorns not only withering but catching on fire as he got too close to them. Blue flames were left behind him and he walked faster, and faster. If Eren was to fall into the river of souls, if he had thrown himself into it... He ignored the thoughts running through his head, and within seconds he was at the other side of the hallway.
The entire ground was covered with the same thorns, these ones twisting in such odd angles it looked painful just to look at them. He slowed down then, seeing a silhouette near one of the river of souls but then narrowed his eyes, it wasn't Eren. He hissed quietly and disappeared in a cloud of smoke before reappearing near the stranger, he was ready to attack but then stopped himself. The silhouette was him. It was Levi, a statue made out of branches, that looked exactly like him. Next to it, there was a statue of Eren, looking at the river of souls like he had over a month ago.
The statues didn't end there, they kept going and going, down alongside the river until they stopped at the sphere that stood above it all. There, Levi could see the last statue of himself and a small wooden chair next to it. The chair had blood on it and a couple of red flowers had bloomed, and the closer he came he could see scratch marks marring the wood. From the look of it, it had been used for a long time. The chair faced the sphere, while it merely kept spinning and showing the many lives of people.
Levi stared at the sphere and then at the chair before his eyes widened in realization. He quickly moved towards the sphere, and the thing stopped spinning then, it stood frozen in place. The death God flicked his wrist and then it started to spin again, this time in the opposite direction. He could see as souls were given their fate, and where they had gone. Exactly two days ago and the days before that, two hundred thousand souls had been sent to some of the deepest sides of the underworld. All of them were killers, rapists, kidnappers, abusers, and over all scum. All of them had been given no pity and no mercy was shown.
The only other person that could had done this, that Levi had allowed to have the power, was Eren. Eren had condemned all of these souls. Eren had sent them to the personal hell they deserved and he had done it while thinking that Levi was right next to him.
The death God felt a small smile twitch on the corner of his lips, his icy eyes widening with glee before he quickly turned. But where was Eren? Where was he. He couldn't find him. Levi disappeared once more but this time he reappeared at the entrance. He quickly moved towards the snake girl, leaning in with a small glare.
"Where is he?" He hissed out the question, narrowing his eyes dangerously.
Mikasa just stared at him, her expression calm. "Levi, when I got here this place was already like this. I haven't been able to get in, and I've not seen anyone getting out. I don't know when he left, if he did, but I didn't help him."
Where was Eren?
The gentle song of the forest had ended a while ago, the dark sky covered everything and the moon was hiding behind the clouds. No stars could be seen and the light was almost non-existent. Yet, someone was running through the forest. She was running quickly, swiftly, with no flaws in her steps. It was like she was part of the ground beneath her and it was the smoothest surface that no expensive floor could match. She jumped over tree branches and trunks that had fallen over the years. She jumped over streams as she kept running, leaving a small trail of bright dust behind her. The forest was letting her run, it was helping her, guiding her and telling her which way to turn. But the forest had many masters, and those who owned nature were more likely to win a fight since the beginning.
Petra's eyes widened when a root shot up and went through her foot, stabbing through the soft flesh and shredding some of her toes. She fell on the ground screaming, her eyes staring at her foot while her hands dug into the ground in an attempt to ease the pain. She was breathing heavily through her nose, her eyes glassy with tears. It was painful, so painful that it felt like her whole leg was slowly dying from pain and she couldn't do anything to stop it. A gasp of pain slipped out, and slowly Petra sat on the ground, keeping her wounded foot up while she slowly tried to drag herself backwards, by lifting her body and dragging herself with her hands.
The nymph tilted her head back in pain, rubbing her lips together to keep herself from making anymore noises. She wanted to hide, she needed to hide. She kept dragging herself like this, the bleeding slowly stopping thanks to her own abilities but it wasn't going to do much for the missing part of her foot. The forest was quiet now, the wind blowing but there was no sound and the trees around her seemed to be looming over her form, trapping her, keeping her where she was.
She wanted to cry and scream.
Petra was panicking, looking around to her right, then to her left. She was trembling and her grip was giving up on her, no longer able to carry her weight just by the strength of her arms. The pain was not helping, it was making her feel worse, sick, and dizzy.
She couldn't move anymore and she stopped struggling when she could see someone through the darkness. The dark figure was slowly walking towards her, and as it came into view the clothes became more visible. The dark gown had a decorative chest plate, and the black jewelry adorned the long, thin arms. The golden eyes were obviously smiling as they looked down at her, and raven black hair fell atop the yellowish pale skin. There were tiny green veins showing through the delicate skin of his neck and the side of his face. The veins were a darker shade as they reached the bottom of his eyes, while his lips were soft looking and had a pretty pink hue to them, enhancing the small childish smile.
Eren was humming quietly, and stopped in his tracks once he was near the nymph. He tilted his head from one side then to the other, the amused smile never leaving his lips. He gently tapped the jewelry on his right arm which caused a soft clinking sound to disturb his own moment of silence, and then looked back at her.
"Do you like it?" He asked, his voice sharper than before, and full of arrogance. "He made all of this, his taste is so gloomy. But it fits him. He likes to dress me up, and is quite talkative about everything with me. He wants to take me into the outside world, has he told you that?"
Petra remained silent, her glare staring directly into the golden eyes that were staring back at her with nothing but amusement.
"He likes me a lot..." The God nodded, walking around the nymph. "He says he loves me every night, that he is going to make everything better for me, that he is never going to leave me alone...but he left me alone, he did..." At this he frowned and looked down at her. "And he left me to spend time with you? How funny is that?"
"Then you go and tell him he can have a family with you. How troublesome I am and how he can leave me behind. It stings. I have never said anything bad about you. I don't even know you, and you are saying all of that about me. How rude."
Eren stopped walking when he was in front of Petra once again, watching as the nymph started shaking from pain and glaring at him with such fury he was sure it could match the glare of a God.
"You are right, I cannot give him a family...But, neither can you now." And with snap of his fingers a tree branch emerged from the ground and stabbed through Petra's hips, followed by another and then another. Each one stabbing through a different angle and shredding the flesh very much like what happened to her foot.
The nymph stared in horror as her body was pierced multiple times, her eyes widening as tears finally rolled down her cheeks. She wanted to scream but her voice was gone, the shock of what had just happened taking over her body, not letting her do anything or say anything. Finally, she let out a shaky, pain filled noise, her hands gently touching the flesh around the branches. She couldn't see much anymore, her tears were blinding her vision, but that wasn't what she was concerned about at the moment.
Eren ignored the disgusting noises and instead crouched down in front of her, one of his arms resting on top of his knees while his other elbow was on top and his chin was resting on the palm of his hand. He stared at what she was doing and simply kept talking.
"But I don't think he cares about having children anyways, because when he's with me... He forgets everything else." The God grinned slowly, a soft laugh coming from his throat before his hand reached for Petra's chin. One of Eren's long black fingernails lifted her chin and the skin on there turned green, showing how poisonous the claws were.
"So, you are not needed." He smiled at her, watching her tears roll down her face before his hand pulled back. He hummed quietly, his half lidded eyes staring down at her with a condescending stare. The God lazily waved his hand and green dust started to appear around the nymph. The dust was shinning an unidentified bright color, and the moment it touched her skin, the soft flesh turned green.
Petra watched in horror as the dust touched her skin and it slowly started to affect her body, her skin became rough and dry like a leaf and little by little the color changed and her veins started to pop out and then the worst happened. The way her body was changing, the way it was twisting and shrinking felt like every single one of her bones were being crushed. She screamed and shook her head, trying to get away but her feet were now rooted in place. It wasn't because she was in so much pain, but her feet were slowly splitting into small roots that were digging themselves into the ground. The more dust that fell on her, the more she changed until there was nothing but a small green bush with a single, small, green stem that had tiny purple flowers.
Eren tilted his head and stared at the plant in front of him, and slowly his hand reached for it and yanked it off of its roots. "It's not even a pretty flower, you're ugly until the end." He mused and stood up, his fingers slowly tearing the plant apart until all of it was gone.
Levi couldn't count how many times Eren came back to this place, even though he hated it. He stared at the little cottage and the open door, remembering the time he took him from here and finally dragged him into the underworld. With a small frown on his face, he walked into the small cottage, and went to Eren's room right away. He sighed in relief and leaned against the door frame, watching the sleeping figure that was curled up on the bed.
The death God walked over, the back of his hand rubbing the tanned skin before his fingers ran through the soft brown hair. He gently rubbed Eren's lips with his thumb and leaned in to kiss him, pulling his chin near him. He carefully picked up the sleeping boy, and the other God quickly curled up against him, holding onto his robe so tightly, that Levi was surprised.
Eren was waking up, and his turquoise eyes blinked slowly and then looked up at him, his face quickly hiding against his chest before he let out a soft noise.
"Don't leave me alone again, please. I'm scared."
I have cheesecake, yes I do.