Before Us (Levi Ackerman X Reader)

Chapter 18: Awakening

Levi stood soaked and drenched in blood. His once raven black hair was now tainted scarlet and his blades were now dull from the cuts he made. He heard horses gallop towards him and the remaining titan carcass that was now giving off large amounts of steam as its flesh disintegrated leaving only bones. The sun began to rise as the fog began to vanish.

"What a shame," Erwin said, "you're the only survivor. How pathetic."

Levi gritted his teeth and took a look at Erwin ready to kill him. He raised his blade towards Erwin's face. Erwin stopped him by holding the blade.

"This is all your fault!" Levi shouted, "I'm...I'm going...to kill you! That's why I'm here!" Erwin took one look at Levi's eyes before throwing something onto the ground. It was a thick scroll tied with a small piece of string.

"These are the documents containing Lobov's crimes," he explained, "They are all fake. The real ones have most likely reached Darius Zackly by now. Lobov is done for."

"You knew...You knew everything from the start! You knew we were after you! And yet you-!" Mike stopped him before he did anything else. Levi fell to his knees.

'Believe in us!' He heard Furlan's voice in his head.

'We're counting on you, bro!' A memory of Isabel's voice came to mind.

'When I looked into your eyes,' and there he heard her voice, like a song accompanied by a soft strum of a guitar, 'it was just like the night sky...' 'We're never going back there...'

He recalled their shining faces smiling in the sunlit sky. I lost you...he thought, It was my fault that I insisted I go alone...It was my fault, that you're no longer-

"Don't even," said Erwin, "if you begin to regret, you'll only dull your future decisions and let others make decisions for you. After, the only thing left for you is death." He turned around and started for his horse, "We will continue the expeditions. Levi, I expect you to come with me."

Erwin climbed onto his horse and saw the face of dead Flagon, He showed no sign of sorrow or remorse and went away. Levi looked at him shocked that he could just ignore the face of his dead comrade.

"(y/n)..." Ansel whispered, standing in front of the remains of a girl with (hair color) hair and gleaming (eye color), that were wide open. He knelt down next to her corpse, "I wish I knew...how to get you back." Tears began to form in his eyes as a small hint of light grabbed his attention. He saw, on (y/n)'s finger, a sliver ring. It had no diamond, and was instead a plain circular object on her hand.

What's this? Ansel thought, wiping away his tears as he picked up her hand and examined the ring. Wait...was this...? He slowly slipped the ring off her finger as he began to recall that one moment:

'Levi, what are we doing here?' Ansel heard a familiar voice say.

'There's something I've been meaning to ask you,' he heard another voice say as he spied on two figures, one shorter than the other. He figured it was them. A glint of light struck Ansel's eyes as he saw Levi pull something out of his pocket.

'Is that..?'

'Look, we have a few minutes till we go and get ready for the expedition and I want you to promise me something.' Ansel saw her silhouette look up to face him.

'Promise me, that once this is all over, we will live a life of happiness together. We can live up here with Isabel and Furlan and every night, I want to watch the stars and the moon with you.' Levi said as he placed the ring on her finger, 'Can you promise me, that you will live?'