Titans Rule, a Levi Ackerman x Fem OC story.

(55) The one-eyed wanderer.

~Amelia~

"What is this?" Levi asked me as he awkwardly held the box in his open palms.

It was late on Christmas Day, and most of the Scouts were in their beds, either trying to recover from their hangovers from the night before or passed out from consuming even more alcohol at the Christmas feast. Levi and I, however, had retreated from the dining room, both of us contrastingly sober compared to everyone else. I had learned that Levi tended to stay away from alcohol; he had developed a habit of remaining alert so that everyone else could enjoy themselves. As for me, I had learned from my misadventures last year and avoided Hange, who had been the cause of my drunken escapade.

Although I had promised Furlan that I would throw Levi a surprise party, I later realised it would have been a terrible idea. Levi disliked loud gatherings, messes, and being the centre of attention. Fortunately, I had been so drunk that I slept for the next couple of days, and it was only when I recovered that I remembered my promise.

Even though I was relieved that that dreadful idea never came to fruition, it still hurt to think that Levi likely spent his birthday alone. That thought felt like a stab to my stomach. This year, I decided to skip any elaborate parties. Instead, I bought him a gift and some fancy tea from the Trost District and gave them to him when we were alone.

"To make up for last year," I explained, but the puzzlement in Levi's brow remained. "For your birthday."

Levi's eyes widened, then narrowed as he examined the box. "My birthday?"

I chuckled. "Don't act like you've never been given a gift before."

"It's been a while," he admitted, reaffirming a fact I was already aware of. I had consulted with Levi's closest friends, Furlan and Hange, and both confirmed that the last time Levi allowed anyone to celebrate with him was during his teenage years.

"Go on, open it!" I encouraged. The suspense was killing me, as the gift I had picked out was a risky choice. I was ninety per cent sure that Levi would hate it, leading me to purchase a case of tea as a backup.

With his lips pressed into a thin line, Levi opened the mahogany box. He was silent momentarily before grabbing its contents and draping it over his fingers. "A necklace?"

"You hate it, don't you? I bought it when Hange and I went shopping in Trost District, thinking it would suit you. If you want, I can return it," I said in a panic, gripping the tea I had hidden beneath the table. "I also got you this." Quickly, I slid the ornate wooden box towards him, allowing the earthy scent of the tea leaves to waft into the air.

"No, it's fine. It's just... unexpected." Carefully, Levi dropped the necklace back down and opened the tea. "Thank you," he said, a slight grin on his cheeks.

I couldn't help but mirror Levi's smile. Each time I saw him smile, it felt like winning the lottery. I never saw the necklace again after that day, but I didn't dwell on it; it didn't take me long to forget the whole thing.

Later, when I briefly left the Scouts, I spent one of my birthdays without Levi. On that day, I received a gift without a note, but somehow, I knew Levi was the one who sent it. It was a necklace with a seashell pendant, like the one I brought back when we first saw the sea together, and I have never taken it off since.

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As I stirred, a ceaseless buzzing rang in my ears. Instinctively, I reached my hand toward the sound, shuffling around for my phone to snooze it. Eventually, I gripped the cool metal, smashed the screen aggressively, and fell back to sleep for five more minutes.

When my next alarm broke my slumber, I stared blearily at my ceiling, debating whether to snooze the ungodly screeching beside my ear. But when a sudden jolt of unease ran through me, I instead sprang out of bed, tripped over my sheets and tumbled into a heap of fabric on the floor.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" A concerned knock came from the other side of my bedroom door.

Smothered by my heavyweight duvet, my breath came out hot in the confined space around me. My hand found my chest, and below it, my heart was threatening to break out of my ribcage. I had no idea why I was so startled. I tried to remember what I was dreaming about before I woke up, but I couldn't recall anything. It surely couldn't have been my alarm that scared me; it had never spooked me like that before.

My bedroom door creaked open, and my head instinctively snapped toward the noise, causing my heart to pick up its pace again. I tried to free myself from the tangle of bedsheets to confront the stranger breaking into my room. However, my struggles ceased when a familiar snort immediately quelled the adrenaline and cortisol rushing into my bloodstream.

"Amelia, how on earth did you manage that?" My mother's snort turned into full-on laughter, alerting my father, who must've just come out of the shared bathroom.

"Mum?" The word came out as a sob, followed by tears that streamed down my face, hot and fast.

Swiftly, my mum skillfully untangled me from my duvet and pulled me into a hug. "What's wrong, honey-bee?"

Breathing in my mum's signature lavender scent, my sobs calmed. Then, another set of arms encircled my back.

"Was it another nightmare?" My dad's minty-cool breath tickled the hairs on my neck.

"Nightmare?" I questioned.

"She's still not fully with us, honey," my mum looked at my dad with knowing eyes. "Don't worry, we'll be here for you when you're ready, Amelia. We love you."

My mum released me from her embrace, turning away from me with a melancholy smile and eyes rimmed with tears. "Marcus, sweetie, we have to go."

As my dad pulled away from me, I realised there was a wet patch seeping through the back of my shirt.

My dad shifted himself back to an upright position in his chair, slipping his hand into my mum's. Reluctantly, the two of them head over to the door.

For a second, I catch a glimpse of my brother waiting for them. "Wait! Mum, Dad, Matthew! Don't leave me!" I call out to them as they begin to disappear as they cross over the threshold separating us.

Desperate, I crawl toward them, only for the room to start falling away from me like paint washing down a sink. My cries echo into nothingness like I've never felt before.

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Weightless and endless was how I would describe the silhouette before me. It looked just like me: dark hair wafted around its face in waves, and its body was lean and strong - a runner's build. But where my own body was rigid, theirs was soft; where I was scarred, they were smooth.

As I drifted closer to my doppleganger and they to me, I thrashed in the darkness, my limbs sinking into it like liquid as I tried to stop myself from crashing into them. However, as we collided, I passed through them like air. Whatever force had been pulling us together was intercepted, and we continued to float in place with me above and them below.

From the expansive twilight, a figure emerged. Clad in a blue cloak, the wanderer glided effortlessly towards us. As the being drew closer, they stopped in front of the other version of me, not even acknowledging my presence.

Now that the man was close enough for me to make out his features, I noted that he was aged, with flowing white locks and a beard, and one of his eyes was missing. A visage that I was so sure I was acquainted with, and yet inconceivable to me at the same time.

The man held out his wrinkled hand towards the other version of me and ever so slightly brushed his fingertips down my spine. A subtle yet brilliant light radiated from where he had made contact. Then, satisfied with his work, the being removed his and waded back into the darkness.

Before he returned to his endless journey, he glanced over in my direction, the real me, and mouthed the words, "Wake up."