Was She... A Traitor? | Levi X OC

Chapter 13: Shadows of Betrayal

After dinner, Levi's squad gathered for a late-night meeting, the flicker of the fireplace casting eerie shadows across the room. The crackling of burning wood was the only sound that broke the silence as everyone sat around the table—Oluo, Petra, Eld, Gunther, and Kat. The tension in the room was palpable. Something was coming, and they all knew it.

Levi stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. "Starting tomorrow," he began, his voice cutting through the quiet like a blade, "the real challenge begins."

Immediately, everyone sat up straighter, sensing the seriousness in his tone. Even Oluo, who always found some way to joke around, felt the weight of Levi's words.

"I need to make this squad stronger," Levi continued, his gaze sweeping over them. "And that means more than just improving your individual skills. We're going to develop new tactics—traps and strategies that only we will know. We'll train until we can read each other without speaking."

Oluo leaned back in his chair, trying to lighten the mood with a smirk. "But aren't we already doing that? I mean, we've been training like crazy."

Levi's eyes narrowed, and in a single moment, the temperature in the room seemed to drop. "No."

Oluo's grin vanished as quickly as it had appeared, his body stiffening under Levi's piercing stare. No one dared to speak as Levi continued.

"All you've been doing is focusing on yourselves. That's not enough. Out there, in the field, you need to know what your squadmates will do before they do it. If we can't trust each other with our lives, we'll fail. Understand?"

Petra nodded thoughtfully, her brow furrowed. "So you want us to act as one... like instinctively knowing what the other will do in battle?"

"Exactly," Levi replied, his approval barely noticeable. "We're a unit, not individuals. Our survival depends on how well we can work together."

A tense silence fell over the room. They all knew Levi was right. Out beyond the walls, there was no room for mistakes, no time to second-guess their actions. They had to be perfect.

"And one more thing," Levi said, breaking the quiet. "I've spoken to Erwin Tanchou. I've canceled all of your individual missions for the next five months."

Five months?

A collective groan rippled through the room, followed by a few disbelieving stares. Five months without a single break?

"No exterior distractions," Levi continued, ignoring their reactions. "For the next five months, it's just going to be the six of us. I hope you all know how to handle your personal affairs because we won't be seeing the outside of this camp until I'm satisfied."

Oluo slumped in his seat, muttering under his breath. "Five months stuck with Heichou? That's worse than death."

Petra nudged him with her elbow, but even she couldn't hide the slight frown on her face. Gunther and Eld exchanged glances, their expressions grim but accepting. They knew the reality—they were soldiers, and soldiers didn't get to complain. Still, the thought of five months under Levi's intense watch wasn't exactly appealing.

Kat, meanwhile, felt a mix of emotions. She admired Levi Heichou, truly, but the idea of five months with no outside contact, no chance to escape to the marketplace or catch her breath... No gigs, no time to relax. I mean, I love Heichou but... five months? She sighed internally. This is going to be brutal.

Levi, ever perceptive, noticed the shift in the room. He gave them a moment to absorb the news before speaking again, his voice calm but commanding. "I know it's a lot. But if we don't train like this—if we don't push ourselves—we won't survive what's coming. We'll be dead before we even get a chance to fight."