Levi
"Is everyone ready?" Hange called.
"Ready!" the brats shouted back.
Levi glanced to where Anya sat atop Nightmare on the other side of Hange and pressed his lips together to hold back a smile. It'd been a long year since the tragedy at Shiganshina but in that time, Anya had become stronger than ever. She'd successfully rebuilt the Scouts and alongside him and Hange, she'd played a key role in strategising to secure Paradis' future against their enemies. However, today was possibly the most significant day of all in the year that had passed. At last, the so-called 'Executioner from Hell' had fallen silent, signalling the scarcity of Titans left on the island, and the Scouts had consequently been granted permission to go beyond Wall Maria for the first time in six years. He'd never admit it, but Levi was nervous. Their destination was the sea. That big, seemingly endless stretch of water that had been a part of so many of their dreams for so long. He hoped, for everyone's sake, that it was as they imagined and that, for once, everything would go smoothly. He subtly moved his hand to one of his pockets, then readied to ride out.
***
The air was changing. After two days of travel, it was beginning to smell and taste like salt, and the birds swooping and diving in the distance weren't the same as those they were used to seeing. They were close. The journey, so far, had been uneventful. They'd come across one virtually immobile Titan and not a lot else, and the newest recruits were following directions well considering it was their first Expedition. It felt damn good, being able to ride out again after so long cooped up behind the walls. Levi rode at the head of the group with Anya and Hange, both of who were suspiciously quiet. He was about to ask them what was wrong when the terrain changed. The earth gave way to something softer and lighter in colour, carried easily on the breeze in the wake of their horses' hooves. Sand, Levi thought it was called. He scowled as a huge, man-made wall loomed on their left, no doubt built by Marley. They rode alongside it until it gave way to rocks and boulders on either side of a steep, sandy slope. Hange slowed her horse and they all began the ascent. The terrain changed again, the sand becoming solid ground as they crested the top and came to a gentle, awestruck-stop. Levi could hardly believe what he was seeing. Rippling before them was a glittering expanse of water, as blue as the sky and just as endless. It went all the way to the horizon and beyond, and it moved as though alive. No-one spoke as they stared at the sea for what felt like hours. Levi managed to drag his gaze from it to look at Anya. Tears were escaping from her wide, amethyst-blue eyes and her lips were parted as she struggled to contain her emotion. At last, Hange broke the silence.
"We made it," she announced, almost as though she couldn't quite believe it. "Let's go!"
She led the way down to the water's edge and directed the newest recruits to ride along the shoreline and report back. Meanwhile the rest of them dismounted. Anya swiped the tears from her cheeks and shot a grin at Hange, who nodded back with equal enthusiasm. They removed their ODM gear, socks, and shoes, and ran straight into the water before Levi could stop them.
"Hey!" he called. "It might be dangerous!"
They ignored him and the brats soon followed suit, splashing each other and laughing.
"Woohoo! Is this thing seriously all salt water?!" Hange exclaimed. "Huh?! What's that?!"
She walked forward and bent down to inspect something.
"Hey, Hange!" Levi warned. "It might be poisonous, so don't touch it!"
He looked to Anya in the hopes she'd stop their friend from getting herself killed, but she was far too interested in what the brats were up to. She watched as Eren, Armin and Mikasa gazed out across the waves, whilst further down Sasha, Conny and Jean messed around in the water. Armin beamed, tears in his eyes, and walked forward a few paces to Eren.
"Look, Eren! On the other side of the wall-"
"There's a sea," Eren interrupted, his voice void of emotion. "On the other side of the sea...is freedom. That's what I always believed. But I was wrong. On the other side of the sea...are enemies. Every part of this is exactly how I saw it in my dad's memories."
Eren paused and raised his arm, pointing to the horizon.
"Hey... If we kill all our enemies over there...will we finally...be free?"
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The Path Back to You | Levi x OC
Fanfiction"Reveal yourself," Erwin ordered, though Mikasa detected uncertainty in the commander's voice. It was almost as though he were afraid of who lay beneath the cloak. The entire regiment held its breath as the rider reached up with pale hands and lowe...
