Chapter 10: Lightning

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Levi's POV: 

It took us long hours before the walls came into view. We saw the smoke before we could see the stone rise above the horizon. I could hear the uneasy murmurs as they sounded around me- we all had an idea forming in our minds of what happened, but seeing the gaping chasm where the wall once stood solid and firm chipped away at what little hope remained. 

Cries of disbelief rippled along the ranks. The giant rift in the wall presented itself to us, growing in size as we neared, as though it were the open jaws of our imminent failure. I thought about what (f/n) had said with the walls not lasting forever. Her words echoed in my head as though she spoke them right behind me. 

What does it matter? I thought bitterly. She left, back to where she wanted to be all along. She never wanted to help us in the first place. 

I started to get angry. At the tear in the wall, I felt hopeless, and at (f/n)'s departure, I felt dejected. Thinking back on what I had done, and what I had said, I grew hateful of myself and my pitiful decisions. I let (f/n) go, and now, I returned with the others to a broken kingdom, slowly crumbling at the edges. We were taking refuge behind thatch walls from the coming storm as it effortlessly swept aside wood and stone. We were foolish to depend on anything but ourselves. 

I was foolish to let her go. 

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Erwin's POV: 

I was in shock about what happened to the walls while we were away, but still, I kept my pace and led the formation. 

As we neared what remained of the gate, the titans grew more and more numerous, crowding around the crack like flies around a wound. It didn't take long for the outliers to notice our approach and split the ranks in their sudden attack. I called for the side flanks to fend them off, but it was no use- the titans were too many. They came like a flood, overwhelming the scouts, entrapping my soldiers in their grip and killing them before my eyes. 

I fired a green flare, steering my horse to the West. "Scouts!" I called. "Make for the West side of the wall!"

Levi rode beside me, seething in anger. He looked grudgingly at the titans, at the wall, the corners of his eyes crinkling in accumulating hatred. 

"It's no use," he spat. "The titans are going to mow through more than half of our ranks."

I turned to him, about to tell him it was impossible to get through the gate, when I saw him tapping the gas gauge on his ODM gear, readying his blades as he eyed the nearest titan. "Levi, no! Stay in the formation!"

My words were unheeded as he flew into action. His speed made his movements incomprehensible, spinning among the titans, edged in sharpened metal that pelted the ground in evaporating blood. 

While he kept the titans at bay, his furious and relentless movements caused furls of smoke to swarm behind him. He was using too much gas. 

"Dammit, Levi, get back in formation!" I cried. 

Whether he chose to ignore me or was rendered deaf under his rage, I didn't know. He continued to zip through them, the ground shaking as they collapsed, quivering as he exacted his anger. 

"He'll be fine!" Hange called. "Levi can take care of himself! Erwin, you must lead the formation to the West so we can get over the walls safely!"

I forced my eyes ahead, racing along the grassland with what remained of the scouts, the sounds of Levi felling the titans behind. I had to think about what was best for the regiment, for those who remained after the mission, but I couldn't stop clenching my teeth at Levi's outburst, worrying for his wellbeing. What the hell was he thinking, anyway? 

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Levi's POV: 

I sliced its nape and landed heavily on the dirt- the ground shook as it fell behind me, expelled wind kicking up my cloak. I stood there for a while as my breathing racked my chest. I saw Erwin and the scouts racing West in an attempt to go over the walls with their gear rather than through the gate. 

Dammit, what the hell came over me? I haven't lost it like that since... 

The earth shook as more titans came my way. I gritted my teeth at their approach. There's so many of them. What even happened here? How did that hole get in the wall? 

Turning to face the nearing onslaught, I counted at least twenty of them, probably more in the back following. I looked at my gas gauge and hesitated; I was empty. 

"Great," I muttered. 

I swapped my blades and eyed the coming titans steadily. It didn't worry me that I couldn't use my gear- rather, it annoyed me thinking about how much longer this was going to take. 

The first few titans came close enough to where I widened my stance and readied myself, when suddenly, a thundering flash flew by, leaving behind a trail of splattered flesh. The titans fell before my feet as I watched the shape swirl among the rest of them, slicing until the air was tinted red from the spray of blood. They fell, one after the other, sending tremors along the earth, their evaporating corpses coveting the surrounding lands in a hazy mist. 

I watched as a shadow darkened in the grey, making their way towards me. The smoke parted, and I saw her emerge, steam wafting off her skin where titan blood had splattered upon. She held a great sword in her hand, and her (e/c) eyes were focused and piercing; I thought I saw bolts of white flash through her glare, and around her the air seemed to shimmer. 

"(f/n)?" I felt my voice quiver slightly as my posture loosened. I must've looked like an idiot. "Wh-" 

"You got a fucking death wish, Ackerman?" The anger in her voice caused my muscles to tense. She approached me, the tip of her sword scraping the earth behind, until her eyes were inches away from mine. Seeing her more clearly, I caught distinct glimpses of lights passing through her irises like flashes of lightning. The space surrounding her form looked faintly crystalline, like the air had been condensed, creating fingers of mineral and matter that glimmered as they laced about her. 

"What the hell is this?" I backed away, the caution returning to my stance. 

Her eyes never left mine. She stood there, menacing and foreign, and for the first time, I felt intimidated.

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