That Heart Of Gold | Levi X Reader

chapter twenty-three

My name is Eren Jaeger.

You bolted upright, your heart in your throat.

As you scanned your surroundings, you realised that you weren't in the forest, surrounded by trees. Instead, you were sitting on sand. Sand that seemed to stretch for miles.

How did you get here?

I'm using the Founding Titan's power to speak to all the subjects of Ymir.

Eren. That was Eren's voice.

I've undone the hardening of Paradis Island's walls. And the Titan's buried within have begun their march. My goal is to protect the people of Paradis Island - the place I was born.

He was... inciting the rumbling? With all the Titans in the walls? How many even was that?

However, the world wants to exterminate my people - and not just on the island. They will not stop until every last subject of Ymir is dead. I refuse to let them.

"Eren..." you whispered, hoping that he could hear you, hear the utter desperation in your voice.

The Wall Titans will trample every inch of the world beyond this island. Until every last life beyond our shores is wiped out.

You blinked, and you were back in the forest.

"What the fuck?" you murmured as you checked your surroundings.

Hange was a few meters away from you, working on repairing a wheel on the cart. She turned to you. "Did you hear that?" she asked, her eye wide in astonishment.

"Yeah," you confirmed. "Eren."

"He's going forward with the rumbling," she said, her voice laced with shock. "He'll kill everyone..."

There was a pause as the both of you tried to clear your thoughts and work out what was going on. And you tensed up as you heard a groan from next to you.

You twisted around, tears springing into your eyes as Levi sat himself up on his elbows, the blanket sinking down to his stomach. "The Beast... Where'd that shithead go?"

Hange sprung up and rushed to him, pushing down on this shoulders. "Lie back down," she ordered. "It's been half a day since Zeke and the Jaegerists left for Shiganshina."

You reached forward and placed your hand on his bicep. His eye flickered towards you, and you smiled softly at him. As much as you wanted to jump at him and never let go, he was still injured.

Levi closed his eye and sighed. "I botched it. He was fully prepared to die... and I didn't see it. He got away again." He brought his injured hand up to his face, gazing at it.

"That's unfortunate, but right now-" Hange started.

Levi cut her off. "If we run and hide, what will be left?"

Oh. He heard you and Hange talking.

"Oh... You heard us talking? While you were unconscious?" Hange asked, looking at you with what looked like panic.

Levi ignored her and looked over at the cart that Hange was in the process of building. "What are you building? Are you gonna pull me on that... with a horse?" he asked. "There's no way in hell you guys can stay out of the action."

"You're right," you said, your thumb stroking the skin of his arm. "We can't."

There was silence for a few moments, until Hange broke it. "I'm gonna go keep working on that cart." She looked over at you. "Get some rest."