"Seriously? There are more?" You murmured quietly. You and Levi were crouched down by the shoreline, watching three scouting ships sailing towards Paradis. Levi pushed his elbow into your side.

"Can you handle them?" He whispered. Your eye twitched.

"You treat me like an old woman," you replied, "I think I'm going to go ahead now." Levi's eyes widened slightly.

"You mean... you're going?"
You nodded.

"Yeah. To Marley."
He turned his head to look at you.

"And what are you going to do when you get there?"
You met his gaze.

"Wait for you guys to catch up," you replied, "You keep talking and negotiating with Yelena."

"You'll be recognized," he said, "I'd rather not arrive to see your head on a spike." You rolled your eyes a bit.

"How weak do you think I am? I can still beat you blindfolded with both arm tied behind my back." You looked at the ships slowly sailing towards Paradis. "Besides, I won't be going as myself."

"Hm?" Levi hummed.

"Who do you think people are more scared of? Y/n L/n, or Red Ember?"
Levi caught onto what you were saying.

"You're going back those days?"

"Bringing those days to Marley," you corrected, "You heard Yelena. They worship me there. If I can get in using the Disciples, then I can use whatever time I have to prepare for whenever you guys arrive." You carefully stripped out of your Survey Corps uniform, and put on what you used to wear, along with all of the pockets for more supplies and ammo.

"That might not be for years," Levi said, "Are you sure you'll be okay for that duration of time?"

"You ask too many questions." You nudged him back, adjusting the voice distorter. "I'll be fine. I'll rendevous with you guys. I'll message you via bird."

"Understood," he replied. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the side of your head. "Be careful. You're not allowed to die." You locked gazes with him.

"And neither are you." Briefly touching your forehead against his, you pulled the hood over your head before you jumped into the water and swam over to the ships. It's not your first time swimming and certainly not the last. You moved pretty quickly under the water, and you were undetected as well. It wasn't hard to tell where the ships were, though. You came up to the surface near the hull of the first one. Looking up at it, you raised your arm and your hook shot out, hooking onto the metal railing at the top. You pulled yourself up and jumped onto the deck. The moment your feet landed on the floor, you pulled out your newly-built guns, courtesy of Amalasanda, with more destructive power than ever before. The Eclipses. The first shot was what alerted them.

Levi watched from the shoreline explosions coming from the top of the ship. The other two changed their courses to assist. His eyes trained on you, who effortlessly took out the ones who tried to fight you. He knew you were going to be okay. He knew you were going to survive--and live. He knew that when the time came, you would meet back up with them in enemy territory, in Marley.

Once you took out all of the people on the ship, the red ring appeared in your eye. You held out your arm, and your blood portruded through your palm, creating a long, giant axe blade. You raised your arm and brought it down, cutting it straight through the middle of the ship. Your feet slid against the wood, but you managed to cut it in half. The boat began to sink rapidily, and you moved onto the next one. None of the soldiers were at the level they should be at to even have a chance of fighting you. You had hoped that one of the ships held a Disciple. If what Yelena said is true, if there is a thing—a cult—called the Order of the Red Ember, cause apparently you can't catch a break from cults, then you'd be able to get into Marley no problem.

When you were busy cleaning up the second ship, the third ship sailed by, slowly. The large guns up on the deck were aimed at you. With a nimble body, fast reflexes, and perceptive eyes, you managed to avoid the heavy gunfire. The bullets were destroying the ship though, which made your job a little easier. The gunfire kept going, you couldn't leave your spot from behind the ship's funnel. That was fine. Reaching into your thigh pocket, you pulled out a small bottle of nitroglycerin. Because you swam in the cold water, it helped freeze it back to a solid, however, the bottle it was in was insulated glass, which helped kept it solid, and a little more stable. Of course, there's always a chance you could get exploded into tiny bits. You've just been lucky.

You opened the top and gently rolled it onto the palm of your hand. You then threw it where it fell through to the lower portion of the ship. You took out your gun and shot a hole through the wood where you can see it lying on the floor. With scary accuracy, you shot the bullet through the frozen explosive, setting it off. With the ship sinking, and the others distracted by the explosion, you jumped off the side of the ship and swam to the last. Using your hooks to pull you up, you quickly used your guns to kill of the ones handling the giant machine guns.

Others came at you with more guns, but you used your sword to deflect the bullets, running up to them and slashing through their bodies. The third ship carried more people than the other two. When you cut down the last, there was one more left. You turned to face them, reloading your gun, and putting your empty magazine back in your pocket.

"Re-Red Ember," he said, falling to his knees. His eyes were wide, gazing up at you like you were some rare, treasured artifact. "M-my Goddess..." You pulled your hood down over your eyes more.

"Are you a Disciple?" You asked, voice blending in multiple pitches to make a grating tone. He nodded fervently, leaning over to bow at your feet.

"Of course I am!" He exclaimed, "You, who slayed so many of the devils who keep us in purgatory... standing in front of me."

"You still worship me?" You asked, eyes narrowing. "Even after I killed your comrades, you still bow to me—swear your undying praise?"

"They were martyrs in the quest to better the lives of my fellow Eldians," he replied, forehead pressed against the ship's floor. You gazed down at him for a moment before reaching behind yourself to grab a flare. You loaded it and shot off a green one.

Levi saw from the shore. You successfully found a Disciple. All he had to do was wait to see you again.

Ja ne!

{Ruby Red}