ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴇʀᴄʏ {ʟᴇᴠɪ ᴀᴄᴋᴇʀᴍᴀɴ}

Humanity's Strongest Soldier

    {Mercy's POV}

I woke up in terror from the nightmares that seeped into my sleep and came back to reality fighting for air.
    I propped myself up, and rested my arm over my knee as a nonchalant way to console myself.
    Captain Levi was just meters away from me.
    I stared at the grass in front and tried to calm myself so I didn't bother him or cause any alarm even though I was sure the gasp I let out when I woke caught his attention.
    The events that unfolded while I slept flashed before my eyes as if they had just happened in real time.
    I worked on catching my breath and sorting my thoughts.
    The woman in my dreams and visions was proven to be the mother I thought I'd never met. My gut became sour at the thought of forgetting such a magnificent woman with the kindest soul. Even though the reaction with her in my memories was brief I could feel her pure heart.
     My chest felt poisoned as I accepted the fact I'd forgotten my own mother.
    It begged the question: Why? Why did I forget her? Based on the dream I was surely old enough to carry some memory of her with me down the line.
    The memory of her blood stained hair invaded my mind.
Maybe I just repressed it.. I thought to myself. With  an event as traumatic as the one I experienced there was no doubt I would've done everything I could to shove it down where even myself couldn't find it.
      I had so many questions.
     Why was I remembering so many things all of a sudden? Was it the head injury? And who murdered my mother, and why? Was my father actually paralyzed from the stab wound he endured and not some disease? How did I manage to have my father's ring?
    My heart stopped as I remembered that I had lost it. I moved away from the dreadful realization anyway because having that on my mind was just too much to handle at the moment.
    The questions seemed to bounce around in my head all at once and I felt myself becoming overwhelmed again so I moved my focus from the grass to my newly folded cloak.
    I remembered using it as a blanket that morning, but there it was folded neatly beside me.
    I could feel Levi subtly watching me from his post. I felt the dampness of my arm and noticed the heavy heat in the air as the trees did their best to shade us from the sun's intense rays. I could hear Jean snoring in the distance.
    Captain Levi must've removed the cloak from me when it started getting hotter. 
    "Thanks," I said weakly. I was touched by his small act of kindness.
     Suddenly, I remembered my mother. I remembered what she told me after glancing at the bowl of underwhelming soup we shared just moments before her death. Such a small act of kindness, but even a woman as humble and generous as they come found true appreciation in my actions.
    I lifted my head up to look at Captain Levi. He was obviously ignoring me, but I didn't care.
    My memories showed me that my mother was selfless, and appreciated the little things with such intensity.
     I wanted to be just like her.
    "You have a strong heart," I whispered and shot him a small smile.
    His eyes slightly widened at my words, and I wondered if it was because he rarely received any appreciation. I also wondered what brought him to do what he did since he always pretended to have a will of stone and fire.
    Regardless, my heart felt full and I wanted him to know it.
    After ignoring me further, I decided to step away from Captain Levi to give him some space since he obviously wanted nothing to do with my gratitude. I also figured some fresher air might help me sort my thoughts better. The dreams, or memories I suppose, were a lot to take in, but if I didn't keep a level head I was bound to let them get shoved down just like before.
     I threw my cloak around my body and walked out into the field directly in front of our resting spot. There were no Titans in sight and it was beautiful.
    Being outside the walls was a surreal experience. Inside the walls there was a hidden beauty of its own, but outside them was a whole new world I'd only ever heard Armin fantasize about.
    We hadn't yet made it to the sea, and there were no mountains from what I could tell, but the glorious and beautiful creation that was set out before me was more than enough to satisfy my need to see anything more.