Levi blinked his eyes. Damn, had he fallen asleep in his armchair again? His leg could not take sleeping in such a confined space anymore or it would just throb. Adjusting to his bed had been difficult, but after several hospital stays he broke his old military sleeping habits.

He looked at the clock. 5:45 in the morning? How long had he been asleep? And what had he last read? The dusty book with the cryptic message from a former inheritor of the Attack Titan had a crease in the fiftieth page. Taking a minute to clear his mind from the grogginess of sleep, Levi recalled what he read the night before.

As suspected, only Hange would have been able to understand the scientific aspect of the book. But there were many footnotes about the history of the Ackerman clan. Centuries prior to serving the royal family's Founder, the Ackermans lived lives that consisted of subsistence farming, mostly on wild grains. But with other nations harnessing and capturing the power of the Titans, the royal family needed a way to guarantee their protection without having to rely on turning their subjects into Titans, or they would decrease the population too rapidly and lose more power than needed.

The exact reason why the Ackermans were chosen to be the protectors of the royal family were unknown, but some researchers speculated that it was due to one side of the clan stepping up serving the Founder's family after the household took a blow in a battle against them about two hundred years prior to the Great Titan War. The power of the Founder was harnessed to change the biology of the clan. And through much painful experimentation, the clan became powerful warriors and accessed the Paths and thus the power of the Titans without becoming Titans.

Levi remembered when Historia and her servants spent days scouring her family records for anything on the Ackerman clan. Sadly, when Karl Fritz discovered the opposition of the Ackerman and Asian bloodlines, they were considered a blight in his little paradise, and they were driven to persecution and made to hide their true identities. Quite the irony when Kenny Ackerman almost took out a young Historia for being a blight on the royal family. But Levi's own mother never explained the family history, and neither did Kenny. All this history was almost lost to time, if not for the survival of this book.

Levi's mind wandered back to the night he discovered he was an Ackerman. Mikasa knew only bits and pieces more of her heritage. Such a damn shame that they never had time for a proper conversation being the only ones of the clan left on Paradis. They were very distant cousins at the least, but they still had ties.

It would probably be afternoon or early evening in Paradis at the time. He wondered how the first negotiations with Queen Historia and Hizuru had gone. The Jaeger Faction were fierce in their handling of foreigners. Some shit about winning and losing they would shout and scream like deranged animals according to news reports on the radio. Another reason the radio bothered him. And speaking of Mikasa, wasn't it the anniversary of Eren's death too?

Levi slowly stood as a round of throbs surged in his bad leg. It was time for his first cup of shit tasting tea of the day. Not that he complained of what other food there was outside of Paradis. He recalled the time that he convinced the Reeves Company to provide the Survey Corps with meat before the night they went to retake Maria. Meat was a luxury inside the Walls at the time but a regular commodity to the rest of humanity. Of course, after the Rumbling, meat was hard to comeby for most of the world save for fish, birds, and whatever dead meat that did not come from humans on trampled ground.

Levi fumbled in the kitchen, squinting at the sight of the first sunlight. He really needed to eat better. He had lost at least several kilos over the last three years due to scarcity of food and his weakened condition. He was really starting to look like the emaciated brat he was in the Underground when Kenny found him, except this time, he had to learn to fight to live for something tangible, not for his fight to the top.

…

It was 9 in the morning. After his usual newspaper reading, Levi prepared himself for a short walk around the neighborhood. Most of the citizens of Nodlon would already be starting work for the day, so the streets wouldn't be too crowded in this depopulated world. He already stood out as the short man missing two fingers, an eye, and his full strength to walk unassisted, not to mention his skin color was very pale with the majority of the population resembling Onyonkopon, although diversity in the city had increased since survivors gathered.

Paradis must have been the same for somebody like Onyonkopon or even Mikasa. Her mixed heritage was the reason she was prized like some brat's precious doll when sex traffickers tried to take her and killed her parents. None of her comrades ever mistreated her, but anybody could turn out to be a racist- a new concept that Levi had to learn along with the rest of the Corps- piece of shit ready to strike.

He tied his cravat around his neck and looked in the mirror. May as well look like a man and not a pathetic brat. His dear old cravat had been lost years before when he nearly lost his life in the thunderspear explosion, probably in the river. He shuddered at the memory of his near death experience. His internal organs on fire, his right eye shredded to bits, his hand mutilated, and his dignity lost. He couldn't tell if he had pissed himself or if the rain drenched him first. All he remembered was Hange mumbling over his condition before diving into the cold river.

It was only half a day later when the Rumbling was triggered that he awoke fully from his experience. Hange was broken, not her usual self, wanting to run away with him in the forest, away from the responsibility that he and she had placed the island into in the first place.

Get out of the forest.

He exited his apartment and entered the elevator. His apartment floor had a few other tenants, but they were almost never around. He swore he could hear crying from the one across the hall some nights, but he never bothered to introduce himself anyways. He didn't need more attention as an Islander Ackerman, even as a "hero" who stopped the Rumbling.

The morning breeze struck him with the taint of petroleum. At least in his day on Paradis, he never had to experience the smell. But the island had probably only modernized in its technology as well. The streets were quiet. An older woman was walking a small dog on the opposite side of the street, but nobody else was there. Good.

Levi's neighborhood consisted largely of apartment buildings meant to house those without or with few family members. Disease control post-Rumbling was vital, and with the Island Eldians having been isolated from the rest of the world population, there was some ridiculous amount of concern that Levi would get sick, or he would make others ill. Dammit, Shitty Glasses, we really need you.

As he walked past several shops nearby, Levi kept thinking back to what he had read earlier about the Ackerman clan. Turns out they weren't always brass balled warriors but some petty farmers who tended to plants. Tch. Too bad he couldn't visit his family roots due to the limited farmland leftover.

At the end of a few blocks was a bench. Time to rest already. How did Mikasa cope with her lack of access to the Paths? Was this what it meant to be a normal Eldian, not a damn living weapon? He sat himself down and kicked up his leg and leaned back. Other than the sound of traffic, he could hear the sound of many birds. Birds. Of all the wildlife wiped to extinction, birds were the only ones to not be affected. But even they too struggled to find their new homes after their forests were crushed, so what remained of human civilization provided a new space for nesting. The one that bothered him to read last night must have been one of those… unless there was some Paths shit still at play even after they closed.

Day two of negotiations with Paradis must have begun unless the Jaeger Faction and Queen Historia decided to play differently. It was hard to believe that those brats, as adults, were now coming together, face to face, to encourage each other to not blow the other up. Tch, and here he was, wanting to take Gabi and Falco to the forest of giant trees. There would probably be another radio update later that afternoon.

Levi closed his eyes. Hell, none of those brats better be too idealistic. By some miracle, the Marleyan army believed them that day after Eren's death that things would all be okay. The Survey Corps' idealistic outlook may have rubbed on them too much. All those lessons from him about being ready for humanity to fight itself rather than Titans all went to waste. No, damn you. Armin was a smart kid. He knows what he's doing.

That day, after he struck Eren in the mouth, he and Falco were making a round to try to fight off the centipede, but then… everything had stopped. Without warning, Falco screamed again, and they went crashing down. Smoke was everywhere. They both hit the ground, and he crawled to the nearest rock for safety. If he was going to die, this was it. At least die someplace nice, not in a Titan's mouth. Then, he saw them. Somehow, that kid with blue eyes had done it again. Their mission was complete.

The next events were a blur to him. It was Connie who found him, blabbering like a child about the end of the Titan curse. He didn't know why he didn't have any memory of Eren speaking to him, but hell, his body felt different. Next thing he knew, Marley was carrying him off to their Fort's medical base. He passed out then and woke up many hours later on the train. Armin, Muller, and the one doctor at the Fort were looking over him. He had almost died of blood loss and was given an emergency transfusion as they traveled to the least damaged of the cities in the Rumbling for better care and for containment. Turns out the internment of Eldians wasn't done yet.

Levi remembered the part of the book about his ancestors being experimented on when they became genetically modified warriors. But this was painful for other reasons. He was prodded and poked whether asleep or awake. They were helping him, but goddammit. And not all of Marley was trustworthy of the sudden miracle of no more Titan transformation. He wasn't injected, but several of the Fort survivors were chosen at random to be given Titan serum. Fortunately, nothing happened, but he could hear several young children screaming a few makeshift tents away.

As for himself, his right eye was beyond saving, and his two fingers could not be replaced. His leg was mangled, muscle and bone. Resources were limited, but Muller was forceful with the medical team to provide him with an improvised surgery.

There was never a time one feels so stripped of pride than before surgery, lying naked under a sheet and positioned and strapped down. Then you are forced to breathe in some strange gas that reminds you of that damn centipede before you pass out as people do all types of things to your body. And then you wake up in a daze wrapped in bandages and drugged like a drunkard in the Underground.

He shook his head. Time to stop fantasizing about being in some state of pity. He was also startled by the sudden loud chanting nearby. Oh, it was some of the religious here on a morning procession for prayer. They were dressed in robes and carried bouquets of fake looking flowers, probably replacements for the flowers that were on the verge of dying out or already dead.

Onyonkopon was a religious man, he knew that from the first day the Volunteers arrived. He had a vastly foreign idea of religion to the people of Paradis, believing in a singular Creator with many spirits, a Creator who could not be touched or seen with the body. Tch. Levi always hated the Wall religion and their lack of concern for the poor, so he'd never step or wheel his damn feet into one of their churches. But what did his stupid brain care for if people worshipped something? That slave girl Ymir had something bigger than any of them could have imagined, so there wasn't anything right or wrong that Onyonkopon's people did. And they seemed to be okay and more willing to help survivors after the Rumbling than the Wall priests ever helped him and his mother growing up, so there was that.

What exactly did the people on Paradis worship now if not the Walls? Their devil, Eren? Did they keep his head on a silver plate or a golden box? Did they worship themselves as a people, decked with new military gear and all the power in the world? Damn you, Kenny.

The worshippers were walking the opposite side of the street, about fifteen or so in total. Most of them were adults, and he had no idea what they were chanting, but it sounded ancient. But there was one teen boy, about thirteen or fourteen, in the procession. He could have been Gabi or Falco's classmate. He was wearing round rimmed glasses that had tape wrapped around the ear pieces. Religious education? Wall Priests were trained starting at age ten back on Paradis. Must not be too different here.

The kid suddenly tripped over his own robes. Levi cringed. It reminded him when a bunch of greenhorns to the Corps forgot to tighten the ODM straps before the 57th Expedition, except at least this kid wouldn't have to worry about falling from the sky or being chewed like cud. An older man in the procession grabbed the kid by the hand and dusted off his robes. His tightly curled hair got off centered too. He blushed and lowered his head, but not before catching sight of Levi watching. Levi turned his head.

Eren screwed up many times in his life. Plugging Maria got numerous people killed. Being hesitant against Annie. Blurting out the truth of the Founder and royal blood right in front of the MPs. Attacking Liberio solo. What would that brat have been like without three Titans in his head? Would he have been no worse off than some angry, klutzy kid like this one? Was he supposed to mourn him? Hate him?

What had happened to that one orphan kid in Marley that day? Did he get away in time from the Colossal Titans? Poor kid. He should have come back with them to the Orphanage with his family. No, damn it. How would they be treated there?

The religious procession made its way down the street, their chants fading gradually. Silence again until the city clock bell chimed. It was 10 A.M already? Damn, he got lost in his thoughts easily. Time to head home.

...

The rest of the morning to afternoon was uneventful as usual. The paper arrived, he read it, he drank more tea he still could not believe counted as tea- even coffee was not as bad as this. He thought he heard a neighbor walk through the apartment hallway. What a break in the routine.

Three o'clock arrived, and on time were Gabi and Falco. Gabi was grinning ear to ear again as usual, but something seemed off about Falco today. He didn't bow his head slightly like he usually did. Instead, he was frowning.

"So, did you like the book we brought you? There was a lot to know, and did you see the message?" Gabi damn loved to gab about everything.

Levi nodded. "I thought one of you brats decided to play pranks at first. But damn me. Some bird decided to attack me into reading it."

Falco blinked. Poor kid. He did not like being reminded of his flying Titan. Birds were not his favorite animal now. It was a result of…. Oh shit. The exact dates of the whole Rumbling were a blur, but it must have hit him today hard. His own brother stayed close to him as a fellow Warrior candidate set to take on Zeke as he turned into a Titan after drinking Zeke's spinal fluid. They could never even go back to get his charred body. And then he ate another Warrior who sacrificed himself for his sake to get home.

"Not feeling good today, Falco?"

Falco nodded. "We- we didn't know what else to do with that book. And a bird just attacked you?" He headed to the sofa and laid back, gently placing his book bag to the side. "Why do I have to be reminded of this wherever I go?" Gabi followed him to give him a hug. At least she still had her older cousin.

Levi didn't know what it was like to have a sibling. Whoever the bastard who knocked up his mom probably had other kids somewhere, maybe with other prostitutes, that Levi never knew about. A normal family growing up would have been nice, but you can't choose your bloodline.

"Falco, you're getting tea today. It always calms your nerves. Even if it tastes like shit." Levi headed to the kitchen. Tch. It was one thing to be a Titan in human flesh at one point but another to be a shifter with memories of people you had to eat before.

Back in containment, the former Shifters were kept together and experimented on a bit like the normal Eldians were. It was damn impressive that Marley didn't go straight for their jugulars to test their healing abilities. Were they left with some scars on their arms and legs? Sure, but it was the moment that Reiner broke down crying tears of relief that he wasn't destined to die in two years that made it worth it.

Gabi looked up at the clock. "Hey, my mom said that you're coming over tonight for dinner whether you like it or not. Aunt Karina is making her soup."

The Braun family was a pleasant surprise to meet with considering Reiner's past experience with Levi. The only time they met prior to the Rumbling was during the whole Shiganshina operation, but even then, it was a matter of making him eat his blades. But he really loved his younger cousin and Falco. He never wanted them to live in such a fucked up world with a dark future. Not that much had changed save for no Titans. But in the days following containment, Reiner put in a good word about each of the Alliance members from Paradis to the remnants of Marley's brass. They weren't quite friends yet by any means, but with scant resources, forced reconciliation was necessary.

"Mom, I'm telling you, he helped me shoot the Okapi! We saved Commander Armin from Ymir! And then we killed Zeke to stop the Rumbling!" Gabi, twelve at the time, boasted to her mother from the improvised medical tent in containment on one of her daily visits as he laid drugged and half awake at best as she insisted that the Ackerman who killed Zeke was the bravest of them all.

She was acting as if nothing had happened the prior days and proudly recounted war stories like a veteran. But damn it, that brat deserved to have some innocence with that Falco boy she loved. Just a few years time and they'd understand.

Levi hobbled over with the freshly brewed tea to Falco. Falco bowed his head slightly and accepted it. "Thank you, Mr. Levi. And I'm sorry we didn't ask if you had plans tonight before Gabi invited you over. We were going to have supper together and remember Colt and Magath." Gabi blushed, changing her huge smile to a somber expression.

"Tch. Not like I had anywhere important to go. Just make sure to lock that mutt in a room this time." The stray mutt the brats found after moving here was their main source of comfort and happiness. It's just that it liked to play with Levi's walking stick. "And it's a good time to remember the last of my old comrades as well."

He sometimes wondered how Hange would cope in a world without Titans, her passion. Would she have used her skills to invent new weapons to fight humans instead? And Erwin. Was this what he dreamed of? He still didn't regret putting him to rest that day.

"And because I'm an old man, I didn't turn the radio on today. Hear anything about negotiations?"

"No," Falco and Gabi said at the same time.

Worst case scenario, the Alliance was being held hostage or already shot dead by firing squad. Best case, nothing happened of interest.

"I'm sure Reiner is fine. I think he used to talk about Historia being a goddess in his first days back from Paradis… or was that Krista?" Gabi thought. "She's got to remember him on his better side, right? He also brought back this one girl named Ymir after the Founder because she wanted to keep her safe, and-" she looked at Falco. Right. Porco was the one who took on Ymir's shifter, and then Falco took on his shifter. Gabi cleared her throat. "So. Let's start our homework.