He Told Me to Live

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"There's more of us than I thought there would be after all that." Hange noted, eying each of the cadets.

I nodded silently, thinking back to Erwin's body that was delicately placed in one of the buildings, his face covered by his cape. I would've preferred a proper burial, but this is simply a reminder of our line of work.

"Y/N, help us clear away the area." Levi ordered.

I lifted a few pieces of wood with the help of Mikasa, Eren, and Levi, until we discovered the door leading to Eren's basement.

Levi held up a lantern and we followed him down the steps. When we arrived to the door at the end, Eren lifted the key and put it in the hole.

"Ah!"

Everyone gathered around him to see what the fuss is about, only to see that the fuss was, "This key... isn't the key to this door."

This is the one things Erwin wanted to see here and Levi wasn't about to let the measly lack of a key stop us from getting through. "Move. I'll open it." He pushed us back and plunged his foot through the woodened door, revealing the contents inside.

I tilted my head: it looked just like what Mr. Jeager had said it was. A doctor's office.

Medical records and books lined the shelves and widely available medicines scattered across the shelves and tables.

"Stop moving." Levi said, nodding to me.

Everyone froze in place and I took in a breath, allowing my eyes to dart around the room to take in every detail: how the light hit each object, where shadows cast, what seemed out of place.

Sounds that came through my ears - wind, breaths, wood creaking - became sharper. And finally, I pointed at the desk. "There's a drawer."

"How can you tell?"

"There's an ongoing gap in the wood. It's not a wood grain."

Mikasa and Eren rushed to the desk and spotted a keyhole, which was what Eren's key was actually for. He opened it and exclaimed, "It's empty?!"

"Look closer." Levi said. "It's a false bottom."

The false bottom was lifted and my nose was overwhelmed with the smell of peppermint and charcoal. I stepped back and placed my hands over my face.

"Seems like they've been treated to keep moisture and bugs away." Hange stated. "Three books..."

"These must be what we were looking for." Levi handed me a handkerchief to filter the smell.

One of the books were placed on the table. "What could my father have wanted to show me?" Eren wondered aloud.

He and Mikasa opened the book and I was met with a familiar face.

The moment I saw the illustration, photograph, whatever it wanted to be called, I dropped the handkerchief and walked up the stairs.

"Y/N?" Levi strayed from the table and chased after me. "Hey! Where are you going?!"

"To the son of a bitch that lied to me."

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"Hey!" I was woken up by a sharp voice, like an instrument letting out a note in staccato. "You got another client."

I nodded and slipped out of my bunk that I shared with no one, dragging myself through the halls of the organization, the place where I lived but never called home.