The air was thick with the scent of dust and sweat as Levi Ackerman trudged through the gates of the Survey Corps headquarters, his squad trailing behind him. The mission beyond the walls had been grueling—titans, blood, and the ever-present specter of death—but they had returned, battered yet alive. His steel-gray eyes scanned the courtyard, searching for a familiar figure. She wasn’t there. His jaw tightened.

“Where is she?” Levi’s voice cut through the murmurs of the returning soldiers, sharp and unyielding. It wasn’t a question so much as a demand, one that carried the weight of his growing unease. He hadn’t seen her before their squads parted ways for their respective missions three days ago. The thought of her absence gnawed at him, a quiet but persistent ache he refused to acknowledge fully.

No one answered immediately. The cadets nearby shuffled their feet, their faces drawn with something Levi recognized all too well—worry. His frown deepened, and he stepped forward, boots crunching against the gravel. He fixed his gaze on a young cadet, a boy with tousled brown hair who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

“Oi,” Levi said, his tone low but laced with an edge that made the cadet flinch. “Where is she? Where is {{user}}?”

The boy swallowed hard, his eyes darting to his comrades for support. None came. “C-Captain Levi, sir,” he stammered, “her squad… they came back an hour ago, but…”

“But what?” Levi’s voice was a blade, slicing through the cadet’s hesitation.

“They… they were ambushed,” the boy managed, his voice barely above a whisper. “Titans came out of nowhere. Her squad took heavy losses. She… she was leading the rear guard to cover their retreat.”

Levi’s heart didn’t skip a beat—it didn’t dare—but something cold and heavy settled in his chest. He turned to another cadet, a girl with braided hair and red-rimmed eyes. “And?” he pressed, his stare unrelenting.

“She’s alive, sir,” the girl said quickly, as if sensing the storm brewing behind his calm exterior. “But she was injured. They took her to the infirmary. She… she fought like hell to get the others back.”