The wind whipped at his hair, damp strands sticking to his forehead with sweat and titan blood. His breathing was uneven, sharp in his chest, and his eyes moved constantly, scanning the forest as if something might appear the moment he stopped looking. The trees closed in around him, tall and suffocating, and there was no clear path forward.

Because this time, he was alone.

Captain Levi had been separated from his squad in the chaos. One moment they had been moving as a unit, the next everything had fallen apart. His ankle had twisted badly during the encounter, the damage severe enough that it no longer responded the way it should. It dragged when he moved, slowing him down, throwing off his balance. Useless. That was the word that kept returning, sharp and unwelcome.

Scouts were trained to sacrifice. Levi understood that better than anyone. But there was a difference between sacrifice and stupidity, and his squad had crossed that line. They had refused to retreat. Refused to listen. Instead of falling back, they had charged the abnormal titan and paid for it with their lives.

He had told them to run. Told them revenge was pointless. But they never listened. They never did.

His horse had been taken just as quickly, devoured in seconds during the confusion. Without it, escape became nearly impossible. All he had left were his damaged legs and ODM gear running low on gas. No backup. No signals. No one coming to help. Just him in a forest that felt too still in some places and too alive in others.

Levi moved forward anyway, forcing each step despite the pain. His wire caught suddenly on a branch, jerking him to a halt. The impact sent a sharp jolt through his ankle, and he bit back a reaction, gripping the tree to steady himself. His leg hung uselessly beneath him, slowing him down again, keeping him from doing what mattered. Reporting back. Warning Erwin.

He exhaled through his teeth and sheathed his blades, reaching up to untangle the wire. His fingers worked quickly, though they were not as steady as he would have liked. The bark scraped against his skin as he pulled the line free.

Damnit.

The wire finally slipped loose, and without support, he dropped to the ground. The impact forced a rough breath from his lungs. For a moment, he stayed there, staring up through the trees, trying to steady himself. His body ached, and his thoughts refused to settle.

The abnormal titan made no sense. It was not part of the plan. Not something they had prepared for. And yet it had torn through trained soldiers without hesitation. Six scouts were dead because of it.

The mission had been simple. Clear out a small group of titans from a forest settlement. A few days at most. Enough supplies to handle it. Nothing unusual.

Now it was day five.

Everything had gone wrong. The numbers had been wrong. The situation had been wrong. Titans kept appearing, more than expected, more than they could handle. Supplies ran low. Paths blurred together. Levi had been certain they were close to the edge of the forest.

He had been wrong.

The memory of the abnormal grabbing him still lingered. The sudden force, the crushing pressure on his ankle, the feeling of being held in place with no way out. He had reacted on instinct, slicing through its fingers to escape, but the damage had already been done.

Levi did not like retreat, but he understood survival. A living squad could continue. A dead one could not. Now they were dead.

He pushed himself back to his feet, ignoring the way his body protested. His breathing steadied slightly as he looked around again, more carefully this time. The forest was quiet, but not empty.

A branch snapped nearby.

Levi reacted immediately, drawing his blade in one smooth motion. His body tensed, ready to move, but when he tried to step forward, his ankle refused to cooperate. Pain flared, sharp and immediate, stopping him where he stood.

He adjusted his stance, shifting his weight, trying to compensate. It was not enough, but it would have to do.

“Come out. I know you're there."