Levi Ackerman x Reader (Without You)

The Sea

Third Person POV

Hanji's 'executioner from hell,' which had been crushing titans day and night, went silent just as the snow began to stick. Months later, when the snow started melting, the military formally announced that Wall Maria had been cleansed of titans at last. By the time the elevators on Trost's walls were freed for use, and work had begun on paving the main road, there were flowers in bloom and butterflies dancing between them.

Maria's refugees were finally permitted to return to their homes roughly a year after what had been called humanity's first victory in Trost. And so, six years after the colossal titan's first devastating attack... the scouts resumed their expeditions, exploring the world beyond the walls once again.

Your POV

I smiled, seeing the vast terrain in front of me as we galloped through the field. Knowing that I could ride as far as I wanted without running into a wall or a barricade made me giddy. I wanted to ride as far as I could. I wanted to reach the sea that I had seen once before in another life.

"It's just as you thought, Hanji," Levi spoke from beside me. Most of the titans had already gone inside Wall Maria. We've all but wiped them out, and it only took us a single year."

"Then let's push straight forward, exactly as we'd planned," she replied. 

I couldn't help the cheer that escaped my lips as I urged Oak to go faster. For the first time... I felt truly free. 

A Little While Later...

I shot up a red smoke signal, seeing a titan in front of us. It barely had any limbs and wasn't really able to move. I jumped off Oak, seeing that this titan was no threat to us. The small drag trail that it had left behind it was overgrown with grass, meaning that it really hadn't been able to move much at all. But even so, it still tried to get to the walls.

The others joined me within a minute or two, and we stood around it. Eren was the first to step forward, placing his hand on the titan's forehead.

"Hey! Careful!" Floch warned.

But we all ignored him, knowing that we weren't in any danger.

"It was shipped to paradise, which means it's a fellow patriot," I said sadly. I wonder if I knew the person at some point. 

Eren pulled his hand back and jumped on his horse again, "Let's go. We're close."

We all followed after him, not bothering to kill the titan. I rode up to front with Levi and Hanji once again. We rode until we reached a bunch of sand dunes. Then, the walls of the harbor came into view. 

I recognized them from both my memories and my fathers. "This is it. This is the place where they'd turned the Eldians into titans." I shook my head, shaking away the thoughts of all that I had witnessed here. 

Levi reached out, placing his hand on mine and giving it a firm squeeze. I looked up, meeting his grey blue eyes. Then I remembered what was on the other side of this wall. The sea.

We went around the wall and walked our horses up a path. Then, we were met with the most amazing sight I had ever seen. It was a massive body of water that spanned past the horizon. 

I halted Oak on the grassy overlook and stared out at the water that shined under the sun. The cool breeze blew gently through my hair, the faint smell of salt coming with it. I had seen the sea only once before, but that felt like it was in another life. 

Not wanting to waste another second, I jumped off of Oak and slid down the grassy overlook and onto the sand below. I stripped myself of my boots in a haste and rolled up my pant legs before taking a few steps into the water. It was a little cold, but it felt refreshing against my skin.