Awakened

Chapter 16.5

It was incredibly hot, and Levi wasn't enjoying a second of it.

He gulped down his water bag, and tossed the empty container on the ground. He was sweating profusely, and even though he was left in charge of the rest of the Scouts, he didn't let that responsibility stop him from training.

Besides, he knew the Scouts could govern themselves for the most part. It's not like he needed to be watching them at all times. They knew what they had to do, and if none of them did their chores then Levi would without a doubt be at their necks.

He was sitting on a tree trunk seat, already tired from his exercises. The afternoon sun was beating down on him mercilessly, but he withstood it after years of the abuse.

The courtyard was relatively full today, with most Scouts training intensely. It was no secret that Erwin was planning on going on a mission in the next few days, and the Scouts wanted to be prepared.

He studied all the Scouts, not caring to memorize their faces, because he knew very well that the chances of seeing them again after such a dangerous mission were little to none.

He exhaled heavily through his nose and looked down, letting his mind calm down even further in a silent meditation.

"Captain!"

Dammit, Levi thought.

He lifted his head back up and saw Lya running towards him, her eyes frantic and alarming. He immediately stood up and met her halfway, knowing Lya well enough that very few things could get her like this.

"What is it?" Levi asked immediately. "What's wrong?"

"There's a variant around here," She panted out, and Levi frowned.

"A variant?" He asked in disbelief, and Lya nodded.

She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the door where he could reach the top floor of the Keep. "You need to see this, there's all these- just look."

Levi let himself be dragged to gods-knows-where, but was still confused. "What else is there? Lya speak up."

Lya let him go, growing more frantic by the second, and she began running for the door. Levi had no choice but to follow her.

He followed Lya through the door and up the steps of the Keep, skipping two steps at a time. They finally made it to the top, and Levi was surprised to see other Scouts there. There were staring dumbfounded towards the distance. Levi followed their gazes and his eyes widened.

There, standing still on the plain, was a Titan that Levi has never seen before. It was too far away for Levi to make out its eyes, but close enough for him to know it was staring right at him.

"What the fuck is that?" He blurted out, studying it. It had pointed ears and pale skin, but the joints on his body has no skin, along with several places around his torso. He had dark beige armor around his chest area, his forearms, and skins. White loose hair fell around him, covering his eyes a bit, and even though he was far away enough to not see them clearly Levi couldn't sworn they were the color red.

Around the Titan were around seven smaller Titans, ranging from around six to ten meters. None were as tall as the main Titan standing in the middle, whose white hair billowed in the slight wind.

"They're just...standing," Ash, another one of Levi's squad members, said.

The smaller titans around the main one were standing still, facing the Keep. Levi narrowed his eyes, trying to think of what to do.

"Captain, maybe we should-"

The main Titan roared, and it was a horrendous screech like sound, as if a whirring of an engine combined with the scratching of metal on metal, and everyone within the Keep winced.

Three of the still smaller Titans instantly lurched forward, as if they were jerked, and they ran to the Keep.

"Get everyone on their gear right now! We need to leave!" Levi shouted at Lya, who nodded and ran back down the stairs.

Levi turned to Ash, "Help Lya! We need to leave right now!"

Ash sputtered, "But Captain, it's only three Titans. We can take them."

Levi's expression hardened, "That isn't a Titan," Levi pointed to the White-Haired Titan. "That's a Shifter. Now go!"

Ash stumbled back, but then regained his composure and ran downstairs as well.

The rest of the Scouts on the floor with him ran off as well, going to different directions on the long strip of the top floor but all heading to the courtyard.

Levi heard a whoosh, and he was only given time to turn around and widen his eyes at the sight.

A Titan was thrown right towards him.

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