In Between The Ends

Chapter Forty Nine

The wilderness reclaim of Shinganshina was laughable compared to what remained of the Temple of Light, buried beneath thousands of years of forest growth. Had it not been for Arya they would have completely passed it by, as they nearly had, unaware of the depths of history that lay tangled in briar and thicket on the Northern edge of the crystal-clear lake.

It bore a strong resemblance to the Marotsara site in its abandon: lichen and creeper moss climbing up the sides of structures, as if at any moment it would be dragged down into the depths of the green sea that swam below it. Most of the buildings remained standing thanks to the dome-like grove of trees that had grown to shelter the temple and surrounding housing, but they were merely shells; echoing, dark structures that were now only husks left by the passage of time.

Making their way through the prickle bushes and thorny shrubs they came to settle on the shallow stairs that lead to the dark maw of the temple, which had become more like a piece of the forest itself than anything made by man. The feeling of being watched had not abated, and even though each of them stared into the woods and abandoned homes around them carefully, they were still confronted with the strange sensation of being both surrounded yet impossibly alone, as if they had stepped into a room that could been seen into, but not out of.

Taking a long drink from his canteen, Armin wiped the sweat from his brow and peered up to the rotting doors of the temple and into the darkness beyond them. The air was thick but incredibly clear, like the sheer amount of greenery was producing too much oxygen for such a confined space. Moisture clung to every leaf and vine dappled by the overcast sunlight above, creating swirls of mist that hung over the ground like fallen clouds.

How Arya had known seemed like too small a question for the scope of its meaning, and in any case, no one appeared to possess the desire to ask, at least not in as many words. There had been a brief moment during their short walk along the pebbled coast in sight of the first few hulking ruins that Levi had stopped her, stepping into her path next to the water, his request for an answer etched onto his face. Neither of them had spoken, but Armin had the impression that they didn't need to.

The time to ask would come, sooner rather than later he was sure, but now he had finally managed to grab ahold of the reins of his focus. This would require all eyes.

Climbing shakily up to where the entrance stood, moldy with decay against the otherwise stable stone around it, Armin leaned in, inspecting the thick doors the same as he had in the mountains. If there had been any doubt as to whether this was the place they were searching for, it was now put soundly to rest. The wood may have been eaten away by the elements, but the wrought iron crest of the tree was still embedded deep in what remained.

Connie, Oz and Mikasa had followed him up from where the rest of the team was waiting for further instructions, and they were now eying the shadowed halls beyond cautiously.

"Is this it?" Mikasa asked, her voice muffled by the damp moss that ran like carpets across the landing.

"This is the place." Armin replied, gesturing to the sigil adorning the entrance. "While I'm sure whatever we are looking for will be somewhere in the temple, there may be something useful within the town itself. We have a lot of ground to cover, and I doubt we can get much done once the sun is down."

He turned to Jean, who had come to join them on the landing, a deep frown on his face.

"Something's not right here, Armin." He said, looking restlessly around at the wall of forest that encompassed the settlement. "It's like the trees themselves are watching us, waiting for our next move. I don't know what the hell this place really is, but I'd rather keep our stay here brief."

"Ah, shit, don't say that!"

Oz had whipped around at Jean's words, shifting back and forth on the balls of his feet uneasily. If he had seemed nervous before, it was nothing compared to how he acted now that they had arrived at their intended location. It looked like he was one loud noise away from making a break for it. Armin patted his shoulder lightly - which made Oz jump - as he returned Jean's concern.