CHAPTER II
They had been hanging in there long enough, defeating enemies one after another and trying to be as careful as possible not to fail. And even though the rain that started to fall wasn't ideal to battle, it made her feel better; helping her to relax and that eased the headache that had been reaching alarming levels. She assumed it was almost certain that they'd die there, not because they wanted to, but rather due to the fact they were outnumbered. It was only her, her two comrades, a guard from the Garrison and two cadets she didn't know, but at least they fought well enough for being their first time facing a real battle against titans. All of them agreed that the mission so far, was to reach the military building to get gas; without it, all were exposed, and they almost ran out of it already. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, the titans kept approaching to that place, imprisoning those inside and preventing groups like hers from entering.
"Look out!" Luther shouted from a higher building, and although it wasn't to warn her, she looked at every point in which the improvised group was located.
A seven-meter titan had managed to climb onto one of the rooftops and was trying to grab one of the cadets with his hands; a short, freckled, red-haired girl who decided two hours ago to follow her lead after seeing her group in action. The girl simply walked away slowly backwards, standing on the opposite side of where the creature was, but no one expected for another monster, half-hidden on that ally, who in a single jump, wrap the cadet's body with its jaws and gulped her.
"Noooooo!" Screamed her partner, a blond boy, skinny and much taller than herself. He started crying, heartbroken, as he hurled himself after the titan "Nicky!"
"Don't!" Ilva shouted, but it was too late.
The thing turned its gaze to another site and was leaping away towards there fast. An abnormal, she thought as she made visual contact with her two friends, still upset after seeing the boy chasing after his partner's killer. It was impossible for him to survive out there on his own and they were well trained not to follow.
The guard from the Garrison went pale, fell on his knees, and started vomiting out of panic. Will approached to the soldier, trying to help him stand up because they couldn't waste any more time.
"What are we going to do, sir?" she heard him ask, terrified "We're going to die, aren't we?" he asked as he sobbed.
"That's right, and we know that. Is the reason why people call us insane" mocked Luther, half sarcastic, half angry while checking his last pair of blades "During war, you must be ready to die. There is no other way" he said to the guard "And he is no sir" he blurted out, referring to his twin brother.
"We all need to concentrate" declared Ilva, understanding the fear of the guy who never before fought Titans. In the past, he probably saw some from the safety of the Wall. The fact that he was still alive was only because of them "This is no time to falter or quarrel" she added, looking at her friend, who had a very dark sense of humor on a regular day. And the current situation only made it worse.
"We're running out of gas fast" commented Will, a bit dejected, hitting lightly his last tank with his operating device, as a proof to his statement. His brother imitated him and snorted.
Both men were identical twins; dark hair, brown eyes, square chins, tall and quite hunky, however, they were as different as day and night. Will was kind-hearted to everyone, but Luther only to the few he wanted. Still, both were good people, and her best friends and allies ever since she met them at the Academy.
"You're the most agile here" claimed Luther, without looking at her "we could move forward through the rooftops and then create a diversion so you can get into the building" he offered, shrugging, as if it was the obvious.
Ilva knew that, aside being practical, he loved her more than just a friend and always tried to discreetly protect her. He never confessed, but the signs were there, which she later corroborated in a conversation between the brothers she overheard by accident. Will urged him to tell her, but Luther refused, fearing that might ruin their friendship, and she secretly thanked him for that. Her goals and aspirations were far from a romantic relationship with anyone, but still hated the idea of rejecting him; she didn't want to hurt him. And this whole situation painfully reminded her of something she herself had experienced years ago, on someone she hadn't seen in a long time.
"My brother is right" Will intervened, giving some steps towards them after leaving the guard a few meters behind, a bit better "It's the best option, within our possibilities. We can't stay here, exposed"
She sighed, tired, trying to think at full speed of a way out, but there were no other options. The fact of not counting with the best soldiers of the Survey Corps from the start was the greatest drawback and the reason why human forces had perished in such haste. None of them ever fought Titans before, and although she knew the skilled ones were probably still alive, they were scattered in different areas of the district, without gas to mobilize, in similar conditions to theirs, or too scared to try anything. The rest of the Garrison deployed was all dead.
"All right" she accepted, a bit worried "but you're forbidden to die, do you hear me? Or I will kick your big asses the way Captain Levi would" she joked, trying to lighten the weight pressing inside her chest, knowing that the presence of the man alluded could have made a huge difference.
Both siblings looked at each other and smiled. An accomplice gesture that she didn't like very much; it seemed as if they were concluding a nonverbal agreement that she wasn't aware of.
"No way in hell! That would hurt too much" Will said, cheerfully "Besides, I wouldn't be able to sit and so, I'd miss the feast they might give us after they arrive and annihilate them all"
"Don't speak about food" his brother scolded, right before his stomach roared.
Ilva smiled while shaking her head, as if it was a regular day in the middle of training, far from the dangerous situation such as the current one. They managed to distract her and calm her troubled spirit in order to make their final move.
"OK, fools" she joked and called their attention, even though the two had a clear idea of what they'd do. Unfortunately, to accomplish it, the guard also had to participate. So she got closer to him to make him listen "We'll do the following..."
Her comrades listened attentively, and the guard too, however, the hands of the latter kept shivering and it seemed he was unable to control himself for a couple minutes. Ilva touched his shoulder, and the man, although nervous, nodded slightly more focused. It was his only chance, according to Luther, who plainly told him his options were to cooperate or stay there alone until a titan found him. Obviously, the guy chose the first but just because he felt safer with them.
The four would advance running and jumping through the rooftops to save as much gas as possible, using the arrow formation, as Ilva used to call it. She'd lead, Will was going to be her left flank and guard her right, while Luther would be in charge of the rear. Ideally, they were her flanks in the field, alongside any other from their squad, but it was too risky to entrust their backs to the nervous soldier.
They observed the perimeter, sighting only a pair of smaller Titans around, which was the ideal way to start. She gave them the sign, her arm pointing forward, and the group began to run, keeping at least eight meters of distance in case they required to draw out their blades. All ran full speed, but the problem was that the closer they got to the building, they needed to use their equipment and for the worse, the enemies increased. That's what she was thinking about while flying through the air, when panic assaulted her as she heard an alerting shout to her right. ¡No! She screamed internally, knowing it was Luther's voice.
While she turned her eyes, horror overwhelmed her at the sound of a second cry, a mix of pain and fury. Her body reacted automatically, landing on the nearest roof to jump back in that direction, but a pair of arms stopped her from doing so.
"We can't help him, Ilva" Will was yelling, holding her tightly as he cried. The way his body trembled told her that his words were directed more to himself than anyone else.
And he was right. It was the reason why Ilva noticed she started crying without even knowing. The impact at the image in front of her pierced through her, as if her own blades were lacerating her flesh. The upper half of Luther's body lay motionless on a smaller roof, about fifty meters from their spot. It had something stuck on the side of his stomach, and his right hand was still firmly holding one of his blades, where the blood already dyed most of the cloth in his sleeve.
A few meters further, the same abnormal titan that ate the cadet earlier, and another one slightly smaller, were devouring the rest of Luther's body and the guard's, who was supposed to alert them if he saw any titan nearby.
"Why?" She barely whispered, filled with pain.
"The abnormal approached from that flank, straight towards the guard" his friend explained, his voice seemed dead "but instead of alerting us, he just tried to escape and left his position. It was in that instant that the Titan jumped, going for you, and my brother stepped in"
He didn't need to recount that, because Ilva saw everything when she heard the first scream. After seeing what was coming for her, compromising her life, Luther threw himself and the Titan grabbed him with his mouth in the air. He intended to turn, but the monster's speed was too much and before the mechanism of retraction of the strings pulled him, the thing caught his legs. Luther pulled out his blades and stuck them inside the giant's mouth, with such force that he loosened some teeth, and one of them even broke. That's when he screamed in agony. The Titan closed its jaw completely and finally got the lower part of his body. The rest of him fell on that rooftop and bled out there, with two teeth still attached to his stomach. Afterwards, the monster decided to go in search of the human who tried to flee but another Titan had already reached him.
The female soldier shivered, horrified and unable to believe him there, inert and gone. That image turned on the switch of all the contained affliction experienced that morning, the one she endured for hours since she saw her parents being crushed by a huge piece of rock right after the Colossus Titan destroyed the gate of her home: Trost. She grabbed her head with both hands, releasing the tears of sorrow for them that burned inside, and allowing the sharp physical pain to return. She abruptly crouched, closing her eyes tightly and covering her ears, completely broken. It was so intense that she vaguely noticed, Will was still holding her.
"Ilva, please react!" He was shouting at her, but the soldier was unable to answer. Torture, physical and mental, was blocking everything around her "Don't go, please. Don't you leave me too" cried her friend.
His words weakly penetrated the barrier of the pain that was near to blind her. But for a few seconds, she managed to focus her gaze and saw his face, in which a faint smile, full of sadness, appeared. And in the distance, behind him, her mind allowed her to take a glimpse of a trail in the sky, a green blur of smoke, showing the way.
The pain was leaving her, but also her consciousness; Ilva was so energy drained that her body didn't respond. But she knew the meaning of that signal. At last, they are close, she thought to herself, fulfilled to have endured enough. She gave in to exhaustion, her eyes to rest, and as soon as she did, she saw Luther's face with that usual defiant yet funny expression, followed by her mother with that warmth smile full of love, then her father looking at her with joyful pride, and finally, there were Elia's pleading eyes, begging her to come back.
She knew no more about what was going on around her, except that she heard Will's voice in the distance. He seemed quieter, and that led her to abandon herself to the limbo, grateful to no longer feel anything except the need for a very long nap.
Just a couple hours had passed, and tension was palpable in the atmosphere, especially after hearing those hard to believe rumors that kept spreading to every corner of the city from the few military forces that managed to return from the vanguard. The same she tried to pay some attention while she was treating the wounded, but it wasn't easy. For her, it seemed like an eternity had passed since it all started and still had no sign of her younger sister, Ilva, or the Möser boys. She feared the worst, but even if that happened, for the love and pride in her, she couldn't fail; it was the least she could do to cooperate somehow. And luckily for her, the owner of that establishment where she was now, decided on collaborating too; it was the closest bar to the gate that separated Trost from the inside of Wall Rose, and so, the area would be the first affected if another breach was created. Those weren't her exact same words, but Elia made sure to emphasize the consequences to the man when she foresaw his denial. The place was ideal to work because of the many gallons of alcohol that, despite not being the surgical kind, still worked during an emergency such as this.
"I need you to stay still, please" she asked the man with a dislocated shoulder that went pale out of fear to go back outside. So scared that he was completely oblivious to everything around him; he didn't even make a sound when she put the bone back in its place "I know the conditions don't allow it, but in order to heal properly, the shoulder requires you to take a rest for at least two weeks before using it" she indicated, placing and adjusting bandages in the area, and also improvising a sling with a piece of fabric of his ruined dark green cape until he managed to get a better one later "This is temporary, sir. As soon as the hospital starts treating noncritical patients, I suggest you quickly go there".
"... ou" the guy mumbled while getting up. It was most likely to be a thank you, but it was hard to understand him.
She watched him walk towards a nearby small group of soldiers. All with minor wounds, but already treated by her.
On one hand, the state of shock in which most of them were, helped her to get things done rapidly; whether it was disinfecting and sewing, it was easier as they didn't complain or move. But on the other hand, concerning battle purposes, she realized most of them were terrified and unable to do more. Elia breathed in and out to calm her own anxiety meanwhile changing her gloves to assist the last private that arrived and just sat in front of her. He had a deep cut above his eyelid, which most likely got by falling or something; the dust in his clothes said so. But at least, the wound wasn't severe, and the bleeding stopped; only traces of dried blood remained on his cheek. Fortunately, the area won't get infected, she told herself after finishing her task and throwing away the bloody gauzes into the trashcan the owner provided to keep the place somewhat clean; he'd burn all of it later. A tired Elia sighed and walked into the restrooms, noting she barely had more supplies in her bag, aware that military resources were being sent to other places. The problem was the lack of personnel to help outside the hospitals.
While she washed some dried blood from her forearms, she looked in the mirror and her eyes wide opened, slightly bewildered by the person she saw there. Her eyes were red, she had big bags under them and what bothered her the most was seeing how dirty her hair was, which on a regular day was dark brown, but the dust impregnated in it made her look like an old lady full of grays. It made her uneasy to feel this dirty, but it also worried her; it wasn't wise to treat patients in such conditions. Therefore, knowing well she needed to keep working, she began to untangle it using her fingers as best she could, and then placed it in the sink to remove the dirt. She recalled she'd find a small container of lavender essence in her bag, so she took some and applied it on her soaking hair quickly; she knew that familiar scent would keep her calm and to concentrate better. She later squeezed all of it carefully and with a small towel, dried it until the dripping stopped. It was still quite damped, but she braided it as usual, for comfort. When she was almost ready, started washing her face with cold water and felt better after seeing a face more like hers in the mirror. In which she saw behind, the window in the back showed the rain finally stopped.
After leaving the bathroom, she noticed that everyone inside that bar was walking out to see better what was going on, so she followed them. Once outside, she looked down on the main street, impressed by the number of soldiers there. All of them attentively watching the exchange of words between several terrified comrades and Commander Dot Pyxis, located right above the wall. Her disappointment was no less when she saw so many turning their backs on the horror that laid at the other side of it, and if it was like that for her, she was certain Ilva would have been enormously enraged and ashamed of those. But in the end, Elia considered that, under the circumstances, it was for the best. The paralyzed ones, if not dying, they might end up indirectly causing death to others who tried to save them or expected combat assistance. The Commander was right to tell them that if they were so afraid, it was not wise to remain there. However, at that very moment, a furious cry emerged from the crowd, and everybody heard the sound of blades being drew. And a higher-ranked officer was the one behind it, screaming at the deserters.
Screams here and there warned of the chaos that was beginning to reign as they were desperate to flee or stayed still, disoriented, and unsure to leave; all knew they were going to be hanged for treason if they refused to fulfill their oaths on the battlefield. But silence took a hold when, from above the wall, the old Commander's firm voice was once again heard, addressing the all the military forces with an incredible power, handling the situation perfectly. When he finished talking, Elia saw how, in that very moment, almost all those who wanted to flee stopped, terrified at the thought of seeing their loved ones threatened by the dreadful creatures. That'd be hell and they could not allow it. Well, this one is certainly cunning, the healer thought, looking a bit hopeful at the place where man was standing. The effect his words had had, if you cared about anything more than your own life, was the precise shake they needed to keep fighting. Good to know we have someone here who seems to know how to lead, Elia said to herself, feeling proud of him while everyone returned to their ranks and prepare to hear the counterattack.
Silence was absolute during the time the man spoke, especially when he mentioned the possibility of closing the huge hole in Trost with the help of an allied titan; at that moment, he pointed to a guy on his right. Elia squinted and tried to block the sunlight with her left arm in order to take a better look, and at the same time, trying to assimilate each word, unable to believe it yet. It was then that she saw the boy standing next to Commander Pixis, the ally who was supposed to do the trick. To her astonishment, she immediately recognized his face. He was the son of Doctor Yeager. It cannot be, claimed Elia, He's not even sixteen years old yet! How can he be human and a titan? she wondered, shocked. It was then she reminded something Ilva said a while ago, about her suspicion that both, the Colossus, and the Armored Titan, were more than abnormal, because their attacks were too specific not to possess a level of intelligence. Besides, after destroying Shiganshina and Wall Maria's gates, nobody reported any of them eating people like the rest. Their objective, though unknown in detail, had been clear, and that behavior didn't fit in the regular profile. Not to mention that they always appeared out of nowhere and disappeared shortly after. Maybe they're able to temporary look like us, her familiar voice echoed in Elia's mind. If what Ilva said was possible, many things were changing. But tha fact of having an ally also provided new possibilities. She wondered if Ilva and the boys were listening all of this. She truly hoped so.
Once again, Elia looked at the Commander with hope, and determined to offer her knowledge to assist the wounded that would arrive during the operation starting in one hour. She wasn't a fighter, but she was eager to support all these people in whatever way she could, and above that wall was the best place for now.
When they finally reached the top of Wall Rose, Commander Erwin gave the order to leave all seriously wounded in Karanese Hospital; the ones near Trost were probably full. And, as the sky began to clear, now, they needed to move fast because Titans kept getting inside.
"Please, Captain" his subordinate said after hearing the leader's command "This is nothing serious. I request your permission to get there and help" begged Eld, who had just woken up minutes before. His eyes showed some fear, but he stood firm as he held his wounded arm "I assure you I'm fine. Please"
An expressionless Levi looked at him, but the man wasn't oblivious to that feeling of urgency trying to reach a place, as he remembered from his first expedition. He only hoped not to be forced to tie Eld up somewhere because he couldn't fight under any circumstances like that; death was certain if he did. The Captain exhaled, somewhat exasperated, but ended up giving in.
"Don't give me that abandoned mutt's face. You have my permission to go, but you're forbidden to fight" he stated while checking the triggers of his hand grips "You do, and you're no longer under my command. Is that clear?" Fortunately, they all knew their threats were serious.
Eld failed to answer because, at that very moment, everyone there turned their heads to look at the trail a green smoke flare that was shot relatively close to where the breach in Trost District was. Seconds later, a new lightning bolt fell from the sky, followed by the sound of an explosion, all coming from the same place.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Mike Zacharius exclaimed from a group ahead of his and, as always, tried to look for answers with that disturbing mania of sniffing everything around.
"Erwin" Hange's voice sounded excited. If her theory was right, those thunders implied the appearance of an intelligent titan. Which Levi believed, was no good.
"Yes. So it seems" the Commander replied as he approached the edge of the wall. Then addressed them all "Move from within Wall Rose! We cannot act until having a better understanding of the situation here, soldiers!" He shouted "Let's go people!"
His friend jumped with determination, followed by the squad leaders and their teams, then it was their turn, Captains and company. Levi turned to his team, nodding once to the four, completely on alert. They repeated the gesture, especially a grateful Eld, whom Gunther offered to carry on his back after being the lightest one.
They moved fast and precise meanwhile listening to the screams, a loud noise and the sound of several gigantic footsteps coming from the other side, incapable to participate until knowing in detail what the operation was about. Still, they heard some whispers from a couple soldiers stationed on top pf the wall as soon as they climbed it, who were commenting with fear about something. And for him, the story's implausibility led him to believe people already lost their minds, but it wasn't until they finally reached Commander Pixis that they confirmed everything. All indeed, was true. A cadet who's able to transform at will into a titan and, is also an ally of humanity? Levi frowned and looked at the old man quite irritated, wondering if he was as drunk as always, but let Erwin the chat and just preferred to observe in silence. Is that boy the hope they all had been waiting for, for so long? He glanced sideways at the insane woman to his left, noticing Hange's smile, which looked as if she was about to explode from excitement, probably already running weird experiments in her mind for the kid. Erwin, on the other hand, remained undeterred, lost in his own world while his gaze was fixed on the place where the operation was taking place. Levi could almost hear how hard his head was thinking, planning, and working different scenarios with the boy's help. But the most important for now, was figuring out how to keep him alive, since, according to the veteran Commander, the terror about this new piece of information led to an important incident with his subordinates before his arrival. They already tried to kill him but didn't succeed.
Levi noticed that Pixis' face suddenly became much older and tired than ever. And now, from the way his expression just hardened, the Captain suspected something was wrong, which he corroborated when he followed the direction of the man's gaze. Too good to be true, the soldier snorted to himself, disappointed by what the red smoke trail indicated: the mission's failure.
"We don't know what's happening right now, but I entrust you to bring him here, Levi" Erwin approached him, and there was a subtle scheming gleam in his eyes "It's the only way"
"What do you mean?" asked a weary Captain "All I see is a brat with no control over that power and probably losing his mind. The only thing left is just kill him"
"That boy is our hope, Levi" the Commander placed his right hand on his shoulder, urging him to calm down and understand how big this was "For what Pixis said to me, he's a good cadet, one of the best in his generation. And he was very willing to help" the blonde explained "But, like you said, he might not know how to control that power... not yet" Erwin added.
"The idea of another giant pest isn't very encouraging" Levi's distrustful nature had always helped him survive. This time would be no exception "What if he ends up being a new threat?"
"It doesn't make much sense according to what I heard" the Commander expressed "The kid already proved he has already been focused on killing Titans only, so I believe in the possibility of him, mastering his Titan form, do exists".
"The moment he turns dangerous, I'll kill him" warned the Captain, seeing fear in his friend's eyes as well as the tension in his posture "Tch! Another one here making a face" he complained "You look like a criminal about to be hanged, Erwin" he mumbled, but then let out a sigh of resignation "Okay. I'll evaluate the whole thing before acting"
"Stay alert and wait for my signal" the Commander said, patted him once on the shoulder as a sign of trust and then walked right back to where Pixis was.
Tired, Levi snorted and moved in the opposite direction to prepare his squad. He couldn't stand the crying of some soldiers regretting their faith in this plan, where several comrades ended up sacrificing their lives to see it through. I hope you're right, Erwin, he was seriously irritated on how uncertain the situation was as he finally located his four subordinates. The three unharmed looked ready, their tanks refueled and just waiting patiently, but none of them had noticed his presence since their backs were turned to him. Gunther and Oluo, sitting on top of powder barrels, were drinking some water, and looking at Eld, who was sitting onto some wooden boxes while being treated by medical staff he had never seen. A woman was treating his cut and every now and then, she talked to Petra, who was standing right next to Eld.
Levi sharpened his gaze and recognized something familiar in her, who was clearly not military, or so her civilian attires told him, and he didn't know many of them. Maybe someone he'd seen in his old life in the underground? He considered for a moment, but then he looked at the tone of her skin, which was far from sickly, like most people there. He felt slightly annoyed about missing the answer but staring from a distance prevented him of capturing any more details apart from her dark braided hair that, under the sun, showed some reddish strands. He stood in the distance, observing the conviction in the way she gave instructions to Eld and Petra about the injury and, apparently, also showing them certain movements that he better not do. Unexpectedly, her eyes caught his presence, and from the way Petra immediately turned to report to him, Levi knew that Jane Doe was the one who informed them. Before looking at his subordinate, he looked at her once more, and now she was finishing to bandage his second in command's arm.
"Eld will recover well, sir" informed her subordinate, clearly relieved "Elia left him as good as new and says that, if he behaves and look after his wound, it'll heal very soon. Aside from that, he already found out his fiancée and Gunther's family are safe, thanks to a soldier they knew, who we saw ten minutes ago" she added smiling, but then recomposed after remembering who she was talking to.
"At last, some good news" He commented, with a serious gaze while trying to clean a persistent stain on one of his blades "Tell the rest of the squad to be ready. We'll leave as soon as we get the right signal" Petra nodded, and before she returned to her group, the Captain added "Eld better remember not to argue. He stays" and so he shared the final details on the mission.
The girl gave another nod, obedient and respectful, and then left to meet with her group. Levi followed that direction with his eyes, noticing that, although everything indicated that the medic had finished her work with the soldier, the unknown woman was still among them. The men were standing in front of her, and Gunther said something that she later replied to, then smiled but there was certain sadness in the gesture. When Petra joined them and delivered his orders, and he saw Eld's posture deflating as he choked on something he was drinking, most likely water. The Captain was heavily obsessed with order and cleansing, and he also was the same about the lives of his subordinates; if they weren't in perfect conditions, they shouldn't fight unless imperative... That was one of his rules.
He remained absorbed and worried about what was going to happen from that day on. So much, that he hadn't immediately noticed the stranger to be watching him. Until to his surprise and for a brief moment, the eye contact didn't break. Then again, he thought he'd seen her somewhere before.
On another hand, the Captain was aware that consciously or unconsciously, he was the kind of person who intimidated others just by being near, so it was interesting to note that the woman's gaze was as firm as his; cautious, a bit serious and there was something else that he couldn't put his finger on. He smirked internally, somewhat amused to realize it looked as if she was evaluating him, and what a strange sensation that was! He tried to focus a little better but from that angle he had no better view. And again, only took a glimpse of certain features in her face that were familiar but her expression wasn't.
The connection shattered when he saw her turning and looking towards his subordinates, she exchanged a few more words with them and finally, bowed as a farewell. After that, she made her way to another group that was near the elevators where new patients were coming. The doctor in charge there seemed to be having trouble with one of the newcomers. The man's face was covered in blood and he was in the middle of a nervous breakdown, but that woman approached and placed her hands on the nervous guy's arms. The way she started to remind him how to breathe, deep and slow, as she spoke to him without breaking eye contact seemed to work. Despite the soldier's initial insecurity, she managed to calm him little by little, and a small smile was in that stupid face of his, showing how she succeeded. But even with that, she didn't cut off the breathing exercise or eye contact with the soldier while helping him to sit onto a wooden box, just like Eld, to carefully start cleaning the man's face.
If Levi kept observing all that was because watching her work so resolutely, in the situation they all were in, was somehow revitalizing. He even considered it'd be useful to count on having a medical team with that kind of strength. Especially when they were at enemy's territory.
It was at that moment that he was briefly startled after hearing the firing of a new flare in the distance. He turned in the same direction, genuinely amazed to see a new trail of green smoke in the air. The plan is working now? asked to no one, incredulous. But by the confident expression in Erwin's face, who was walking towards him at the same instant many soldiers started running through the wall towards the edges of Trost, he confirmed it to be true: and this was the sign.
"It's time, Levi" said the Commander, pointing to the breach with a slight smile on his face.
"Understood" he obeyed.
Levi turned, but he had no need to get near his squad because they were just two meters away from him now; as expected, they approached as soon as the sight of that flare appeared.
Everyone listened carefully his instructions, ready to battle.
"Captain, I..." Eld managed to say, but his leader only gave him a warning look and he looked down, giving in, feeling helpless, but accepting his order "I'll see you later."
"Move through the left flank. You'll run until getting as close as possible, then use the equipment to make a way as you get rid of those monsters" he said, making a face that showed nothing else but disgust "I'll go ahead by air, understood?"
The three dedicated him the military salute, dutiful and solemn, right before start moving.
Levi breathed in quietly while adjusting his blades, feeling better now that they had a clearer goal. He ran across the wall and hurled himself hard, a bit more interested in the prospect of what an ally such as that could mean to this war. If Erwin was right, for the first time in history, all the deaths around them would not have been in vain.
Since Elia can only share her own povs along with some of Levi's, I'll give her a hand with the others. ;)
Thank you for the interest!
Namárië
