If the world wasn't ending || LeviHan

》Chapter 24《

PoV: Hange

Point of time: Post rumbling + recap.

-

To summarize it all up, it was worse than first expected. The moment me and Levi were able to reach the light of the tunnel, something like an explosion went off not far away from the two of us when the bloody and gigantic sea of colossal titans kept trying to blast the breaches of what was left on the island and the continent of Marley.
We got lucky, we weren't close enough to be caught in everything and evaporate in flames across the sky, but it looked like hell got laid lose.

There were the young inductees who's only experiences contemplated wielding the blades of our gears and using the trained on tactics in the different regiments. Now none of the branches had mattered any longer of course, everyone fought for their lives out there.
But that didn't count for me any longer, I was watching, mesmerized for the end which the world at large expected to come, who in this lifestyle ever actually grew old in peace? Was it the fear of the prey or the fear of what was beyond it. Didn't they realize what was going down?
The strange thing was that the rare ones who got out of the titan mass fell apart anyway, as if the sudden release of pressure did more harm than good. Not me though... Even if this was my first plan.
It was supposed to be me, who would dedicate their heart to another corps mission one last time.

The screams still echoed in my mind, repeating over and over again, chasing after me in agony and resentment over my decisions like before.
But I wasn't here to bore anyone, I won't keep telling the same old tale in which I keep talking myself down.

At this point in this moment, we had managed to get out of the forest and to the main course, charging for mainland when suddenly everything was quiet. Not a single titan to be seen, heard, or even feared. Just silence. As if someone had turned a knob that made all volumes disappear. Perhaps it was just my imagination.. right?

"Hange.." Levi coughed a bit, his arm around my side to support himself better when we walked as quick as possible.
"Where is everyone?" His gaze turned to the landscape which looked like an empty battlefield, wounded soldiers, both friends and enemies, helping each other and fixing their injuries. It was a picture no one expected to ever witness.

"Do you think we won?" I glanced towards his direction, holding him close to avoid that he could fall or anything alike.

"Maybe." his voice was a whisper by now, the uninjured eye restlessly looking around the whole field.
"The walls are gone, aren't they?"

Just when he mentioned it I came to realize the same, catching a glimpse of everything another time.
"Do you think they are.." I didn't need to finish my sentence, I knew very well that he understood without words being spoken.

"I don't know." He shook his head a slight bit, his expression lowering as he probably came to think of it.

"Do you think they'll forgive us?" I bit my lip, stopping in my tracks when we slowly arrived at the edge of the whole scenery.
"For leaving, I mean." I couldn't help but sigh, thinking about how disappointed Moblit and Erwin would be if they saw me right now. Were their deaths meaningful? Perhaps they'd have done a greater service than me.

"It's too late for your shitty regrets, Hange. They won, even if it was without us being there. That's what counts." I could feel Levi tensing up a bit, resulting in me taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"You're right." I nodded, starting to walk again once making out some people of the survey corps, the heavy feeling growing bigger in my throat.