Never Say Goodbye (Levi x Reader)

Prologue

July 11th, 819

Off into the distance, a mother and her child laughed as they held hands and caught fireflies that lingered in the night sky. The child pointed to the manor that stood atop a hill and asked, "Mom, will we ever be rich like them?"

The mother responded, "I hope so, sweetie. One day."

In a fairy tale, the rich get whatever they want when they want it; they have the perfect lives. In the manor, no one had a perfect life; no one had a good life. To the naked eye, the L/N manor was a pristine place that donated its riches and welcomed the common folk. In reality, those donations went to fuel the fire.

The woman was snapped back to reality when the bedroom door opened. When she turned around, she was met with the only person she trusted. "So, you were serious this entire time..." Lillith, the woman who entered the room, whispered. "You know, it's not too late to turn back. We can think of a different-"

Irene put up a hand to stop Lillith from speaking. "You know that isn't possible. We've been planning this thing for two years - there's no way I can turn back now." Her eyes shifted from being locked with Lillith's to the blanket Lillith was cradling. "Besides, there's no way I can be trapped in here with that... thing any longer." Irene's tone dripped with malice.

Lillith's shoulders slumped. "You don't mean that..." she quivered. Irene gave her a serious look, and from that look alone, the two could already tell what each other was thinking; a bond so intense that not even a blade could shatter it. Irene's head tilted to the side with a defeated look, but the moment Lillith spoke, her expression changed to anger. "Take her with you. If you survive, then-"

"No!" Irene shouted. Lillith instantly ushered for Irene to keep her voice down, but Irene didn't listen. "It's her fault that I'm in this situation in the first place!"

"She's your daughter, for crying out loud! If you let her stay here then she'll end up going down the same path as you one day!" Lillith cried. Irene crossed her arms and looked away as a scowl made its way onto her face. "On day one, you told me that you wanted nothing more than to have your own family, and you told me that-"

"People change, Lillith!" Irene yelled. "People! Change!" Irene finally realized she was being too loud. Passing travelers in the night could see a dim light appear on the manor's first floor: the barracks. However, Irene didn't stop. "I never should have agreed to that man's offer... Damn it, how stupid of me! If I had known I would make a mistake as sickening as that thing, then I would have disagreed in a heartbeat!"

"Lower your voice," Lillith whispered. "Someone will hear you."

Irene stopped dead in her tracks. "Lower my voice...? Lower my voice? Lower my voice?! Do you honestly think I should lower my voice?! After more than ten years of being trapped in this Hellhole and not being able to think for myself, you want me to lower my voice?! The only time I get to say something for myself, you want me to be quiet! WELL, TO HELL WITH THAT!" Blinded by years of grief, anger, and endless torment, Irene stepped forward and quickly slapped the blanket in Lillith's arms to the floor. Lillith gasped as she immediately rushed to the three-week-old child's aid.

Footsteps began shaking the manor, and Irene's heart sank. She knew she had messed up, and now there was no time to fix what she had started. She rushed over to the window and started to pry off the bars. After years of slowly scratching away at those bars, she was able to remove them with ease.

"Lady Irene!" a guard yelled as they bashed into the room. "Step away from the window!"

Lillith cried as she looked at Irene with eyes filled with betrayal. "Irene! Please, don't go!" Time had stopped; everything seemed to move at a snail's pace, and everything seemed surreal. Irene had two choices: she could either stay and live the rest of her life with the person she cherishes the most while struggling to survive, or she could make a choice so drastic that it would change everyone's lives. Deep down, she knew the right choice; she knew what she needed to do, but something was holding her back. She couldn't figure out if it was the guilt of leaving the person she loved the most, or if it was the selfish claws of Hell holding her back.

Time resumed, but the life Irene once knew came to an end. Her deep, sea blue eyes filled with tears as she could barely utter the words 'I'm sorry'. She swiftly turned and pushed herself out the window. The only thing that could be heard for meters was Lillith's heart-wrenching screams as the horrific sound of a splatter echoed from below.

That night, everything changed; life would no longer be the same for the unfortunate lives within the manor.

As the guards rushed Lillith out of the room, and as they tried to pry the crying child from her grasp, there was a promise Irene left behind: a promise to one another that they would never give up or let go; a promise that would fuel their desire to keep fighting even beyond death.

A promise so fierce that it would soon come to change the young woman's life for the better.