Titanic Ship: II

Levi rode his horse through the ruins of the battlefield, his sharp eyes scanning the remnants of the carnage. The grass was flattened, the dirt churned up where titanic clashes had occurred. His face remained stoic, but his mind churned with thoughts of Eren.

Eren Yeager, that reckless brat. Levi clenched his jaw. Alone or not, he would find her.

A rustling sound broke the stillness behind him. In one swift motion, he leapt from his horse, blades drawn. A twelve-metre Titan lunged from the trees, its grotesque face twisted with hunger. Levi darted forward with calculated precision, his ODM gear hissing as he zipped through the air. The Titan barely had time to react before Levi's blades sliced through its nape, sending its monstrous form collapsing to the ground.

Breathing steady, he wiped the blood from his blade and mounted his horse again. His gaze fell on the massive footprints nearby—distinct, deliberate. The Beast Titan.

The trail led deeper into the woods. Levi followed it, the hoofbeats of his horse muffled by the soft forest floor. The footprints were larger and more defined than those of mindless Titans. But then, in a clearing, the trail abruptly stopped.

Levi dismounted, crouching to inspect the grass where the footprints ended. "Tch." His sharp eyes scanned the ground, spotting dried blood smeared across the trampled vegetation. Eren's? Or was it from someone in the Levi Squad? The bitter thought crossed his mind that it could be a mix of both—blood from the dead, staining her during the struggle.

He followed the faint trail of blood, his movements silent and deliberate. The path led him to a cave, its entrance partially concealed by overgrowth. Levi's nose wrinkled at the distinct smell of coal and wood, faint but unmistakable. He knelt, inspecting the ground again.

Human waste nearby. He stayed here.

Levi's fingers brushed against a torn piece of cloth lodged in the rocks. He lifted it, recognizing the dark yellow of the Survey Corps' uniform. It was faintly stained with blood.

The bastard didn't kill her. He tended to her wounds.

Levi's teeth clenched, his knuckles tightening around the scrap of fabric. Could it be? Could Eren have been foolish enough to believe—

"No," he muttered, standing abruptly. "That idiot brat…"

Mounting his horse, he spurred it into a gallop, heading back toward the Walls. He would find her, no matter what it took. His voice was a low growl as the wind whipped past him.

"She'll believe anything a human says…"

Û~Û

The morning sun painted the sky with hues of gold and lavender, casting its light over the restless waves as the ship rocked gently on the sea. The crew was already awake, bustling about the deck as the scent of breakfast wafted through the air. Eren, still groggy from her first night on the ship, hesitated before joining them, clutching her gown awkwardly. She hated how it flowed, unfamiliar and impractical. A part of her still clung to the comfort of pants and shirts—remnants of a self she dared not mention.

Zeke greeted her with a nod, gesturing for her to sit beside him at the long, weathered wooden table. "Eat," he said simply, handing her a plate. The food was foreign—thicker bread, fish that still smelled of saltwater, and strange fruits she didn't recognize. She poked at it cautiously.

"So…" Eren began, looking around at the crew before leaning closer to Zeke. Her voice was low, tentative. "This place we're going to… Marley. What's it like?"

Zeke paused mid-bite, his face betraying nothing. "Marley is… different from your home," he said carefully. "It's bigger. More advanced, I suppose. You'll see for yourself soon enough."

Eren frowned, dissatisfied with the vague answer. "What will happen to me? I mean, I'm kind of a refugee now, right? Will they take me in? Let me stay?"

Zeke forced a smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You'll get asylum," he said, his tone firm but distant. "You'll be safe."

"But I can't stay forever," she added quickly, her fists clenching in her lap. Her voice dropped even lower. "I have to go back. I have to avenge my comrades. My friends."

Zeke's jaw tightened. He looked at her, so determined and yet so vulnerable, and something twisted painfully inside him. She was just a kid—too young to carry the weight of vengeance, too young to know the depths of betrayal she was walking into. He felt a pang of guilt for the lies he'd fed her, for the hope he'd let her cling to when the truth was so much darker.

If she only knew. If she knew what awaited her in Marley, she would have jumped ship and swum back to the island without hesitation. But that wasn't an option. Not for her, not for him.

Zeke looked away, his voice soft. "We'll see what happens when we get there."

She didn't notice the hesitation, too consumed by her own thoughts. She was already planning, already imagining the battles she would fight, the people she would save. Her eyes burned with conviction, and Zeke felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.

He closed his eyes briefly, steeling himself. This was for Marley. For the mission. For the greater good.

Anything. For Marley. Even this.

Û~Û

The military bar seemed darker that night, not just because of the dim lighting but because of the suffocating air of despair that hung over everyone inside. The room was silent except for the occasional clink of glass or the creak of a chair. At the center of it all stood Mikasa, her frame tense, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. Her dark eyes brimmed with something volatile—a mixture of anguish and rage that could no longer be contained.

"He's gone, and we're just sitting here?!" Her voice sliced through the quiet like a blade, sharp and trembling. It wasn't a question—it was an accusation. Others didn't say anything as she insisted on referring Eren as 'he' or 'him'.

Armin looked up, his expression a mixture of sadness and worry. "Mikasa…" he began softly, but she didn't hear him—or didn't care.

Before anyone could react, Mikasa seized a chair and hurled it across the room with a primal scream. It shattered against the wall, the crash reverberating through the bar. The splinters scattered like shrapnel.

"Why aren't we doing anything?!" she roared, flipping a nearby table. Bottles of liquor toppled over, smashing against the floor. The sharp smell of alcohol filled the air as it pooled, glinting like blood under the faint light.

"Mikasa, stop!" Jean pushed himself up from his chair, his voice firm as he tried to approach her.

She shoved him back with such force that he stumbled. "Don't you dare tell me to stop!"

Connie leaned toward Sasha, whispering uneasily, "She's losing it…"

Sasha nodded but didn't say anything. The fire in Mikasa's eyes was terrifying.

Armin tried again, stepping closer this time. "Mikasa, please, we're all upset, but this isn't helping. You're—"

"Helping?!" She turned on him, her voice dripping with venom. "Eren is out there, and you're just sitting here talking about helping?"

Before anyone could respond, the door creaked open. The sound seemed impossibly loud in the tense silence. Captain Levi entered, his posture calm but his gaze cold and assessing. His mere presence commanded attention, and yet Mikasa's fury only shifted targets.

"You!" she spat, storming toward him.

Levi didn't flinch as she closed the distance, her fists flying. She struck him square in the chest, then again and again. The sound of her fists meeting his uniformed body echoed in the room. Levi stood there, impassive, enduring the blows without a word.

When her punches slowed, her strength finally waning, Levi's calm voice cut through the quiet. "Are you done?"

Mikasa stepped back, her chest heaving as she glared at him. Levi straightened, brushing off his uniform as though nothing had happened.

"A shifter took Eren," he said evenly, his tone sharp enough to pierce the heavy air. "Not just one. Multiple. The Armored Titan. The Beast Titan. And probably the Colossal Titan too."

The weight of his words sank into the group like a stone sinking into the ocean. The room fell silent.

"Why are you telling us this?" Armin finally asked, his voice cautious, his mind racing. "This isn't information for junior soldiers… Unless—"

"Unless the higher-ups won't do anything about it," Levi interrupted. He leaned against the wall, his eyes narrowing. "They're too scared. They won't send us after her. Hell, they won't even let us go. Eren means nothing to them now."

"Commander Erwin…" Jean began, his voice hesitant.

"Suspended," Levi said curtly. "He's under house arrest. And I'm being watched too." He spat the last words, his disdain palpable.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Sasha asked hesitantly, her voice small.

Levi's eyes swept over them, sharp and calculating. "We're going after her. You brats are coming with me."

"For what?" Connie asked, though a grim understanding was already dawning on his face.

Levi's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "We're going to get your suicidal maniac back. Eren."

Û~Û

Author Note: Go, get 'em tiger!

…eh, but how?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Do drop your thoughts in the review section.

Till next time!