Your Wings - Reader X Levi Ackerman

Chapter 32: A New Ruler

The scouts ride through the fields toward Orvud, the atmosphere tense with dread. Occasionally, their eyes dart uneasily to the side, where the behemoth, worm-like titan crawls at a steady pace, its grotesque form leaving a deep, smoldering trail in the earth. The ride is otherwise silent except for the rhythmic clatter of horse hooves, the creaking of the wagon wheels, and the faint, thunderous thuds of the titan's steps.

By the time they arrive at Orvud, the town is cloaked in the uneasy quiet of early night. Civilians, roused from their sleep by distant tremors and the sight of rising steam on the horizon, peer cautiously from their windows. Fear spreads like wildfire through the streets as rumors of impending doom circulate. The scouts dismount and make their way to the local Garrison headquarters, where Erwin is summoned to speak with Captain Carsten. Levi and his squad accompany him, ready to provide any details they can about the situation.

In the cramped office, Captain Carsten greets them with visible agitation. "What the hell is going on out there?" he demands, his voice edged with panic.

Erwin steps forward, calm and composed. "The abnormal titan approaching this city is Rod Reiss. He's become a threat unlike anything we've faced before."

At the mention of Rod's name, Historia tenses, her hands clenching into fists. She stays silent, but her conflicted emotions are written across her face. She feels the weight of responsibility crushing her, knowing the plan requires her to be the one to kill him—to finally sever the twisted ties of her lineage.

Carsten pales. "We need to evacuate the city immediately. If that thing gets here—"

"No," Erwin interrupts firmly. "The citizens need to stay."

The captain's jaw drops. "Are you insane? If they stay, they'll die!"

Hange steps forward, her tone calm but insistent. "We need the population here to keep the titan moving toward this location. If the city is empty, it may veer off course, and we'll lose our only chance to confront it effectively."

"And what happens when your plan fails?" Carsten retorts, his voice rising.

"If it fails," Erwin answers coldly, "then we evacuate. But not before." His unwavering confidence leaves no room for argument. Carsten, though clearly uneasy, nods reluctantly, realizing he has no better alternative.

---

The scouts regroup and prepare for the imminent arrival of the titan. The Garrison works to ready their cannons, soldiers scrambling into position as the ominous thuds of Rod's approach grow louder. Levi, however, remains detached, his expression hardened with apathy. His thoughts linger on you, the fresh pain of your loss consuming his focus. He tightens his grip on his blades, not for the sake of duty, but out of simmering anger, desperate for an outlet.

Hange tries to lighten the mood with a remark, but her voice falters when the ground beneath them quakes. All heads turn toward the horizon as Rod Reiss's towering form comes into view. The grotesque titan drags itself closer, its disfigured face sheared down to bone and muscle from scraping along the earth. Steam rises in thick columns from its gaping wounds, and its sheer size dwarfs anything the scouts have encountered before.

The Garrison opens fire with cannons, aiming for the titan's head. Explosions light up the night, but to no avail—the shells barely graze its massive form. Panic begins to set in as Rod reaches the base of the wall and begins to climb. The sound of its enormous fingers scraping against stone sends chills down every spine.

Below, civilians scream and scatter in every direction. Some of the Garrison soldiers abandon their posts in fear, their morale crumbling. The scouts, however, hold their ground, even as the titan's grotesque visage looms closer, its exposed brain and skeletal jaw grotesquely illuminated by moonlight.