The sight was gut-wrenching. A wave of memories surged through you, uninvited and unwelcome. You had followed every suffocating rule, played your part to perfection—and for what? This?

Levi stood beside you, silent but clearly unsettled. You could see it in the way his jaw tightened, the way his eyes narrowed.

There it was: the Underground.

Why would Erwin conveniently assign two former criminals—from this very place—to a mission like this? It didn’t feel like coincidence. It felt like a test. Or a punishment.

You sighed, dragging a hand down your face in frustration.

“This place is still as filthy as I remember,” Levi muttered, voice steady but clipped. Calm, maybe—but only on the surface. Given where you both stood, in the rot of his childhood, it was obvious he was just as irritated with Erwin’s decision as you were.