Maneuvering yourself away from the titans' jaws, you came up behind one of the bigger ones, taking a direct shot at its nape. Feeling air rush up from under you, you moved forward right before a titan could mash its teeth around you. Blood from your wrists leaked out, forming long swords. Landing on the ground, you ran towards a titan, its arm outstretching to grab you. You jumped, running up along it before slashing its nape. Out in the distance, you heard a roar. Did Zeke transform?

The dark red ring appeared in your eye. The skin and clothes on your back tore, bloody wings emerging. In a flash of red, you took out the smallest titans before moving onto the remaining bigger ones. Their bodies fell to the ground in a heap of mass and steaming flesh. Looking around, you didn't notice anymore titans around. Your blood blades retracted back into your body, and you took off in the direction where Levi and Zeke went. Trees zoomed by you, cold air whipping across your face, and tussling your hair. As you got about half a mile from the campsite, you noticed a giant mass in the middle of the forest floor. You flew down to the ground before landing on your feet.

Walking away from it was a bloody Levi, dragging a beaten-up Zeke behind him.

"You're fast," you commented as he walked by you.

"What about our comrades?" he asked.

"Dead," you replied, walking close behind him. You glanced at Zeke. Ugly as shit.

"I see."
You and him walked together in silence.

"... you didn't have to do that."

"Do what?" You glanced at him.

"Kill them for me. You could've gone after Zeke yourself and been faster. The Survey Corps have killed more soldiers than that."
Your brows furrowed. I... killed them for him?

Levi looked at you from the corner of his eyes. "I'm strong enough to bear the burden."

"I know," you replied. "But sharing it doesn't hurt either, I guess. I did it impulsively." Levi didn't say anything after that. With a squelch, your wings liquefied and went back into your body.

"What are we going to do with him now?"

"I've got an idea."

~
It was sunset. You took a step back and watched Levi tie a wire around the still-unconscious Zeke's neck. A thunder spear impaled in his torso, he didn't have much room to wiggle. You sat at the front of the cart, and Levi sat in it, watching him. After hours, you heard a grunt come from Zeke.

"You awake?" You heard Levi ask. "Hey, wait. Don't move."
Your eyes glanced back at Levi's order. You could see Zeke had shifted closer to his back. If he had gone a few more inches, he would've blown himself, and probably you two, to shit.

"There's a wire around your neck attached to the Thunder Spear fuse. Squirm too much and you'll be blown in half or worse."
You heard Zeke retch, and you didn't know if it was blood or vomit. You didn't turn to look.

"Bet you wish you were dead right now," Levi continued. "Not that I sympathize. You toyed with the lives of my comrades." He stood, drawing his blade.

"Tell me, was whimpering while covered in shit part of your master plan?!"
You heard the slide of flesh and bones, immediately knowing Levi was cutting something off of Zeke. And by his screams, Levi was doing well.

"Shut up. Unless I slice you to bits, you'll turn into a titan again."
You let Levi do his thing, just relaxing at the front of the cart. When Levi was done slicing Zeke's feet off, you turned around to glance at them.

"Where... are... my glasses?" Zeke gasped out.

"Huh? Who cares? You won't be needing them anymore," Levi replied. He looked over at you and nodded. With a jerk, the cart was pulled by Levi's horse. Zeke quieted down and stopped moving for the most part, and Levi joined you up front.

"You think he'll stay still and quiet?" You asked.

"Who knows," he replied. "If he doesn't, I'll slice him up again."
You glanced over at Levi.

"How are you doing through this absolute shitshow?"

"Fine."

"I know that's a lie, but we can discuss it some other time," you replied. "If there is another time." Levi immediately looked at you.

"What do you mean?"
You leaned back against the cart.

"I don't think we've scratched the surface on what's going to happen."

~
Into your cart ride, it began to rain heavily. You and Levi pulled up your hoods to shield you somewhat from the downpour. Zeke had been quiet so far into the ride. You and Levi didn't converse that much either.

"Our sole salvation... is Eldia's euthanization."
Levi turned, barely hearing what Zeke heard. But you heard it clearly. You stopped the cart.

"You say something?" Levi asked. "Euthanization?"

"Eldia's euthanization," you confirmed. Levi stood.

"You're about to find yourself in a titan's mouth, listening to what it sounds like to be digested. Compared to how you stole the lives of my comrades, it sounds like a pleasant way to die."

"I didn't steal... I saved lives," Zeke weakly replied. "The lives of the children they would bear... from this cruel world." Then it hit you.

"Looks like your legs are growing back," Levi said, unsheathing his blade. You stood, pulling your gun out of its holster.

"Isn't that right... Mr. Ksaver?! I hope you're watching!" Zeke arched back, pulling the wired pin out of the Thunder Spear fuse. Your eyes widened, re-holstering your gun and lunging for Levi, who was already beginning to move back. However, the thunder spear exploded faster than you anticipated, and the force knocked you into Levi, before sending both of you flying through the air. The whiplash knocked you out for a few seconds, and when you came back to it, you were already in the river.

Swimming up to the surface, you looked around, seeing the cart in flames, and Levi's horse dead, and burning on the ground. Your body steamed, suturing the wounds you sustained closed, and regrowing the hand you lost in the explosion. You looked around, trying to find Levi, but you didn't call out, just in case others were around. The rain was pounding down, your clothes torn. Your skin was now exposed to the harsh weather. You climbed out of the river, keeping low to the ground. That's when you could faintly hear the sound of horse hooves coming closer.

Until season four, part two comes out (winter of 2022), this book will be completed for now, and no longer updated!

Ja ne!

{Ruby Red}