The battle was over, the dust settling like a heavy silence over the broken ground. Levi’s body ached, muscles screaming from the last-ditch effort he’d made to save his squad from the explosion. As he lay sprawled against a rock, he blinked through the haze, searching for familiar faces. The remaining soldiers were accounted for. But you… you were nowhere to be seen.

For a moment, Levi told himself you were just delayed, that you were handling something or helping another soldier. But as the minutes ticked by, his heart clenched, panic creeping in. Not you, too, he thought, the image of you flashing in his mind—your gentle eyes, your reassuring voice, the warmth you never failed to show him. The thought of losing you, the one person he’d let in, who saw beyond his rough exterior, was unbearable.

“Where are you?” he murmured, trying to keep his voice steady, but his hands clenched as his chest tightened with grief. One of his men came to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, and that’s when he felt it—the hot sting of tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall. Levi Ackerman, Humanity’s Strongest Soldier, feeling the weight of loss crush him like never before.

He thought of the countless nights you’d sat by his side, listening as he confided in you with a vulnerability he’d shown to no one else. You were his constant, his anchor. And now, you were gone—or so he thought.

But, miles away, you were still alive, fighting to make your way back to him. Unbeknownst to Levi, your heart was set on returning, determined to reunite with him, just as he silently mourned you.