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"Don’t ever close your eyes, child," his mother had once said, her golden eyes bleeding streams of light into the darkness, the gleams and shimmers born out of the shadows flickering softly, like a slowly dying flame, as those dimming eyes fluttered close.The sound of his cries were fresh on his mind, and so was the wetness of what had seemed like waters upon waters of fuming rivers running down his face, as his own drowning eyes caught fire for the first time ever since their first dawn on this world, mirroring the shine of the stars and the warmth of his mother’s fading glow. And so the hues of emerald seas and lime forests were gone forever, replaced by golden suns cursed to burn themselves out until their last blink.Such was the fate of Keepers, guardians of the Lights of the Old World. Eren Jaeger, son of Carla and Grisha Jaeger, was one of such Keepers, destined to serve as a bridge between the golden eras of the past and the darkness of the New Age, to hold the flames of eternity for as long as he lived, just as his mother had done before him, and as her predecessors had done before her.Every morning just after sunrise, Eren would walk through the Path Where the Sun Always Shines, a long, narrow strip of hidden land on the Northern Mountains of Sina, carrying with him the Old Lights that his kin had been bound to guard ever since the birth of the kingdom. Watchers lingered along the path, following his step with their keen gaze as the eyes of the King across the four corners of the kingdom, making sure that everyone, from peasant to craftsman to lord, filled their parts in his play. Eren didn’t know where they were exactly, not even how many there were—he had never caught sight of one before—but he could always feel their sharp, hawk-like eyes upon him. They were never at one place, but always at them all. They were the enforcers of order and law, the protectors of the weak and the defenders of justice—and, above all, they were a force of fear. They were the source of many, many stories from his childhood, haunting stories about ambitious, infamous and deeply unfortunate men who’d strayed too far away from their duties, only to never be seen again.As he walked, Eren always let his eyes wander about, taking in the lengths of the valleys and clear skies englobing the world. Birds chirped and sang alongside the creak of tree barks and the trickling of the waters of nearby rivers, the calling of nature being the only indication that he wasn’t completely alone in that vast, empty sphere of green and blue. Most of the subjects of the kingdom of Sina had no idea that this sacred, hidden path existed, and even if they did, they would probably steer clear of such an uneventful, lonesomely meagre and narrow path of nothing but dirt and stone. The Path Where the Sun Always Shines was the only path Eren could walk through, since all other strips of land, even those in the immediate surroundings of the golden soil beneath his feet, were permanently threatened by darkness. The flames that he so fervently guarded could be easily extinguished should he ever as much as set foot outside of the edge of the trail, for he would be falling into the perilous domains of the Forest of Shadows, covering the mountains in specks of green charcoal.His mother had always warned him to never leave his path, to never choose curiosity and the desire for freedom over his obligations, not only because it would endanger the kingdom, but because he'd be punished for it with his life. For once a Keeper abandoned the light, they were no longer fit to carry out their duties, and a new Keeper would have to rise from the ashes of its predecessor. Fighting the temptations of not only the obscure, cryptic lands surrounding them but also the darkness and desires from within was a task not fit for just anyone, and thus Keepers were treasured and regarded highly all through the kingdoms. It was a task accorded only to those who had starlight running through their veins and pyres in their eyes, to those fit to burn themselves out like the oldest of suns.Despite his mother's words, he'd catch himself thinking about leaving everything behind in favour of searching a life for himself more often than he'd wished, just like the men from the stories of his childhood had done. He was consumed by the longing for travelling to far, mysterious, magical lands beyond his reach and meeting peoples of remarkable kinds, but the fear of punishment, the shame of breaking the vows of Keepers and the strength of his ancestor's will were enough to keep him anchored in place, submerged in his unhappiness. So as he walked, he would always make sure to drown those tempting thoughts away and stay rooted on his path. It was in moments like those, as he stared out at the world that he could only see but never touch, that he felt the loneliest.Besides the mountains, trees and skies, the flames in his charge, their voice and their warmth were Eren’s only company through day and night. Of course, without counting the Vigils, priests of the Old World who tended to the flames in the Temple of the Light; and the Watchers, who always lingered one step behind Eren, but were never to be seen. But they were more like ghosts than anything else.It was a lonely, restless life indeed, for on top of it all he had to stay awake at all hours with nothing more than his own company. Keepers of the Old Lights didn’t sleep. Not only did they not need to, but they couldn’t. The last time he'd slept... was exactly the day his mother had passed away. Her dying words were more than a simple echo, they were a hard-etched truth, one more peculiarity of their cursed physiology. For some reason beyond his comprehension, Keepers couldn't, for the life of them, make their eyes shut close, as simple and trivially easy as it seemed, and as much as they tried. According to his mother, it was because if they ever did, the light within their souls would smother out, and their lives would burn out along with it.Not unsurprisingly, Eren once tried to see if it was true, many many years ago, hazed by an idiotic surge of courage and the blinding ravages of loss.(His mother had just passed away— at the time, it felt like there was nothing else for him to lose.)But there had been some unknown, inner instinct within that had kept him from successfully closing his eyes—he'd been, in all honesty, glad that it hadn’t worked, despite feeling a bit disappointed. He could only wonder just how much willpower it would take to surpass that instinct, to win over his nature as a Keeper. It was just like how even if you wanted to keep yourself from breathing, your body would eventually betray you, filling you up with the overwhelming urge to gasp out for air. Which led him to wonder, if that was something they simply couldn't do no matter how much they tried, then why had his mother warned him so fervently against it with her last dying breath? It was one of those things he would never come to know, for there was no one left to ask, so he preferred to just push it into a corner of his mind as he continued to drown himself in his life’s meaninglessness.He would continue with his journey following the course of the sun through the sky, streaks of obscurity emerging occasionally and surrounding but never managing to touch him, for the lights of the sun, moon and distant stars shining on the path were enchanted to cast those sneaking shadows away through day and night alike. And so he walked and walked, the weight of the flames warm and heavy against his palms, growing brighter and brighter as the day went on, until he finally arrived at his destination—the Temple of the Light, greeting him every afternoon just a few hours before the sun set. Only Keepers and Vigils were allowed past its gates and into the Chamber of Lights, where he was to gently place the flames into the altar filled with the dying, dimming fires of the previous days.Once the task completed, Eren returned the way he came, the weight of his empty hands a reminder of his lonesome, dull existence. Before the last lights of the sun went out, he arrived back at the place he called home, a small, humble cottage surrounded by fertile, holy lands and near the opening of the cave where the Lights of the Old World were burrowed in, the place where they had sprouted out from the depths of the earth many, many eons ago.His main duty of the day being completed, he busied himself with farming the lands and tending to the cattle he got nourishment from; with dusting, sweeping and mopping the rooms of his empty home, and doing any of the crafts his mother had taught him. And so his days went on until they turned into nights, his restless, sleepless self doing any and all things that could help him pass the slow, unyielding numbness of time. And when night passed and the sun was about to give birth to a new day, Eren made his way into the sacred cave near his little cottage, walking through its damp, dark narrowness with only the glow of his eyes to light the way, going down and under and further and deeper into the most profound parts of the cave, where a room bathing in streaks of golden starlight awaited him. In its centre, a blaze of blooming radiance lay, beams and glimmers of ethereal, astral flames dancing to the tune of silence and turning the place into an ocean of lights from days long lost to men. The Lights of the Old World, as the prideful, picky beings that they were, only allowed the golden hands of Keepers to fall upon their warm, flickering forms, to listen to their hidden wisdom, refusing to be tamed or heard by just any soul; not even by Vigils, who were tasked with their protection inside the Temples. On top of that, only Keepers, those blessed by them—loved ones whose souls would be forever linked to them— and creatures of pure nature were allowed inside the cave, making it one of the safest, holiest places in the whole kingdom.And so Eren reached out to the flames, enveloping a small cluster of them in between his two bare palms and drawing them out towards his chest, where he would keep them safe and sound for the length of the day until he could fulfill his duty of delivering them to the safety of the Temple, where their raw, brute, volatile forms would be transformed into the very fabric that made up their world. All around Paradis and scattered across the kingdoms, six temples as such existed; together, they were the soul of the world, its source of power and vitality. And, above all, the places where magic was birthed.Just like that days came and went, flames upon flames of birthed and deceased light accompanying him through his loneliness. What were only days soon turned into weeks, and months, and then years, and yet, nothing changed in his small, sheltered world of only light and silence. And before he knew it, ten years had gone by since his mother had turned back into stardust, rejoining all those who had left before her and leaving Eren completely alone and empty in a cage of meaningless duty. He was trapped by the Lights, by the curse of his golden blood; forced to embark day after day in the same dull, monotonous journey without even being permitted to stray from his path, without being granted even a tiny speck of freedom. He had no idea what the rest of Sina or what the other kingdoms of Paradis looked like, what beings existed outside of the edges of his narrow, unfortunately sacred path, or what normal people with normal lives did day after day. He only knew of the things he’d read through the years in the numerous books in his library, and the memories of the old tales he’d come to learn by heart in those days when his mother had still been around to shower him with nothing but love and affection. And so he often found himself wondering how normal lives with normal duties were, how living without having to carry the burden of an entire lineage would feel like.He occasionally allowed himself forbidden wonderings, too—what would darkness taste like, if he ever ventured into its core and took a bite of its supple obscurity? Smoke and ash, perhaps, or maybe the obsidian, soft fur of a ferocious beast? Perhaps, even, the utter blackness of starless night skies swallowing up the earth in fits of ravenous greed?But he made sure to never dwell on those musings for too long, for he knew nothing but trouble and heartache could come out of them. It was no use wondering about things he would never be able to grasp. He would only allow such realisations to bother him for small moments, never too long to completely stain his life in misery, for he would always will himself to stay focused on his daily duties.Even more days came and went, yet another season rolling by with slightly colder evenings and even colder nights, the warmth of the flames against his palms the only true comfort for the cold inside his bones. And it was in the middle of one such cold evening of autumn that a remarkable, utterly unimaginable event happened. The brunet had been returning home through the Path Where the Sun Always Shines when a particular sight caught his eye. Lying a few meters ahead and some steps away from the edge of the path, was the motionless body of a person clothed in white. Upon approaching, Eren realised the person—a young, blonde woman—was wearing a white, holeless mask over her face. A deep sense of dread consumed him upon noticing the small specks of red coating the side of her chest and the puddle of blood seeping into the ground next to her slumped body. He gave a step back, eyes widening at the shocking sight, head immediately snapping up and around to inspect his surroundings, for he knew he was not alone—Watchers always lingered around, keeping an eye on every breathing soul precisely for this purpose, ready to intervene at any moment, should the situation call for it. However, as much as he looked, the only thing he found was the odd sensation of being completely alone in the vastness of the mountains, the well known icky feeling of someone’s eyes on him wholly missing. And it was right then that it dawned on him, his eyes darting back to the lifeless body a few steps ahead, that this woman was one of the Watchers.The reality of the situation came to him like a splash of freezing water; the shock and panic didn’t even allow him to feel amazement at finally being able to see a Watcher in person.For a fleeting, passing instant, he realised nothing would probably happen to him if he were to leave right now and never come back, for the only Watcher in the area was, as horrible as it sounded, conveniently dead. But that thought was immediately dismissed—it could never be that simple, could it? He couldn't just selfishly leave his duties behind like that. Panic came kicking in. The echoes of the well-known stories of men who’d gone missing after neglecting their duties and disrupting order started playing out in his mind, and he could feel himself start to tremble. He had to go home right now and pretend like he'd seen nothing, lest the Watchers who'd soon come charging down to find the culprit think he had anything to do with it.The rest was hazy to him, all he could remember being the weight of his feet and the sting of the air against his cheeks as he ran and ran for the first time in his life, the adrenaline and fear flowing through his veins like melted brimstone. He suddenly halted a few seconds later, a booming sense of dread consuming him, for something wasn’t... right. No, not the fact that there was a Watcher lying dead not even ten yards away. Something else. He didn’t know what, but he could feel it in… in the air, clinging against his skin, like a distressing, tingling heaviness that soundlessly called out to him. Maybe it was the thrill in his lungs, the absurdity of whatever was going on, the rush of emotions making the hairs on his skin stand on end. Whatever it was, he couldn't stop himself from wanting to know, and so any rational thought of the Watchers was pushed to the back of his mind by the overwhelming, wild curiosity now taking reins of his body. Hence why instead of running into his little cottage and locking himself inside like he knew his mother would have wanted him to—and like he would have done, had he been thinking more clearly—, he let his gut take over, and before he knew it, he was running towards the sacred Cave of Lights, leaving all notion of safety behind as he approached its dark wilderness, only to be stopped a few steps away from the entrance by another equally unexpected, outstandingly enthralling sight.A dark mist floated about, covering the usually bright, luminous place in swirling shadows. He could see a figure looming from within the darkness, the figure of a pale, dark-haired being dressed in black clothes stained deep red. Eren felt himself freeze, the sight of so much darkness surrounding what he knew to be a sacred, holy place making him tremble in fear... and excitement, for it was the first time he found himself face to face with the world of shadows. Was this—was this really happening? Who, or what, was that being, and what was he doing here? What did he want? And why were there so many shadows? Was he evil—Eren's thoughts were cut short when the being—a man, by the looks of his sleek, pale and clearly human silhouette—moved forward and emerged from the shadows, dark eyes sharper than the steepest of peaks and glinting silver immediately pinning him in place. He froze, feeling as if he were being cut apart from head to toe by those piercing eyes, strangely bewitched by the thrilling obscurity swimming in them. Mesmerised, Eren almost didn't register himself giving a few steps forward, coming dangerously close to the edge of his path. How could he stay in place, when this unknown, probably very dangerous yet extremely peculiar human was the first outsider he'd ever come across in his life, being the closest thing to getting a feel of the exciting, wondrous mysteries of the outside world he'd ever come to?Suddenly, the man pulled out a bow from behind him, lifting it up and pulling back on the string to aim at Eren, the word threat threat threat written over each one of his movements. A chorus of voices from his mother and those preceding her screamed at him from within his bones, urging him to run away, to step back from the darkness playing over and over in his mind like a broken song, pleading him to go back into the light that would forever shelter him from all evil. But his ears were shut close and his eyes wide open, more open than they’d ever been, too enthralled by the sight of the unknown, mysterious and beautiful form in front of him to pay heed to any warning. So instead of pulling away like he should have done, he felt himself give another step forward and away from the path he'd never stepped foot out of his whole life.In the same moment his feet came into contact with the soil just outside the path, he felt the whistle of the wind against his ears as an arrow flew past him, piercing through the spot where he would’ve been in had he stepped back instead of forward."Betrayer," a silent voice whispered in that short, confusing instant; perhaps it was the voice of the cold, harsh autumn winds mercilessly whipping his skin, or perhaps the screams of his ancestors, in a chorus of disappointment and fury that hurt just as much.Only then did the spell break, the shock at the fact that he’d been so close to dying finally snapping him back into reality. He felt as though he were about to faint when he looked down and realised he was standing on forbidden soil, panic immediately engulfing him.Oh no.What had he done? How could he have been so stupidly careless? Why was he even here, instead of home? Why couldn't he had just ignored his stupid gut and avoided all this! He couldn’t believe it, in that tiny, ridiculous instant, he'd thrown everything he’d ever had, everything he’d built into the drain. All his life, his boring, meaningless life, meant even less now. He’d chosen the allure of darkness and the sparks of curiosity over safety and duty, over centuries upon centuries of his ancestors’ efforts—And that was exactly why what actually shocked him the most weren't his own actions or the obvious consequences they entailed, but the fact that it was thanks to him disobeying his ancestors' desperate cries and breaking the one rule he was supposed to always obey without exception, that he was still alive.Before he could continue mulling over what that all meant, he was pulled back into reality when he saw the man give a step back, realising he’d missed his shot, an expression of pain clouding his features. He fell to his knees, clutching one side of his chest as he growled in pain, before his eyes glazed over and his body dropped to the ground, unconscious.Eren darted forward without thinking, again, taking in the raven’s wounds as the gears clicked in his mind— he must've been the one who struck the Watcher woman from before!Ignoring the voices that were still shouting at him to leave and forget about the man before the Watchers came to the scene, he walked closer and closer until he was next to him. He let his eyes wander over his form, taking in the strong build hidden under bloodied robes and the sharp, fine, almost graceful features of his face. Unconscious, he didn't seem as dangerous as before, although the deep red hues he was covered in were still pretty unsettling. It was then that he noticed the faint, glowing haze of light coating him like a second skin, pushing away the shadows that lingered around his form. Eren would recognise those lights anywhere—the sacred, holy Old Lights that had apparently draped themselves over the man’s body, making him writhe and squirm under their warmth.And Eren now understood why the raven had been standing by the entrance of the cave and not inside; impure beings weren’t allowed to enter, and if they ever dared to, their wickedness would react with the cave's purity, making them feel as if their flesh was being burnt to ash.What on earth was someone like him doing here? And why had he fought against that Watcher? Was he a criminal, a fugitive, someone who had gone against the King and the rules of the kingdom? Or was he a rebel, a Wanderer of unknown, far-off lands, a soul who'd given up all notions of comfort, security and duty in favour of freedom and adventure? Or was he indeed a being of the dark, a Wicked One, someone who had betrayed the light and all notion of order in exchange for power and the charms of darkness?Whatever he was, he was definitely someone his mother had warned him against. Someone dangerous. And yet here Eren was, outside of his enslaving, ever-present path, looking down at the unconscious, inexplicably beautiful frame of this stranger he knew absolutely nothing about, as if he were a blind man seeing the light of the sun for the first time.He wasn’t entirely sure what drove him to place his hands over the man’s trembling body, commanding the flames he was so used to holding into ceasing their torture upon his hurting flesh. Maybe his blood as a Keeper, forcing mercy out of him even in the most unlikely situations; or perhaps his undying, suicidal curiosity and desire to know more about the alluringly dark man. Maybe, he mused, it was the realisation that if this man, this probably very dangerous man who had awakened such a deep curiosity within himself and represented everything he'd always longed to know, was the reason he'd thrown everything away, then he couldn't afford to let him slip away even if it meant putting himself in danger.Soon the man’s contorted movements stopped, his face melting into an expression of relief as his eyes slowly opened, immediately sharpening upon noticing Eren crouching down next to him. His expression morphed into one of utter confusion after realising he was no longer in pain, sending Eren a quizzical, cautious glance that turned into something akin to disbelief—and was that... disappointment?—when he drank in the sight of Eren's golden eyes.“You... you healed me,” the raven spoke, voice rough and gruff, coughing right after as if to rid his throat of any lingering pain. The dark, deep tone made Eren almost shiver in fear, his instincts screaming at him to get away before the man could try to kill him again now that he was no longer in pain.“That I did,” he said slowly, cautiously, regret and worry starting to cloud his mind. What was he getting himself into?But even if a part of himself was mind-numbingly terrified, desperately urging himself to go back home as soon as possible, another much stronger part kept him rooted in place.And that part only grew stronger with the realisation that things would never go back to how they were before. He couldn't take back his disobedience, a crime that would cost him his life should any Watcher come to learn of it. He would be punished. He would be disposed of. He would become one of those nameless, forgotten people who disappeared without a trace from those haunting tales that had accompanied him through his childhood. Suddenly, that train of thought came to a halt. That meant… Yes, he’d be in danger, but only if he was caught.No one knew yet.Right?A little voice in his mind insisted they did know, because, how could they not? Watchers must know, they must, they knew everything— But then, Eren remembered a little, crucial detail. The only Watcher in the area was dead.Yes... he could flee! Leave this place behind for once and for all and finally make a life for himself somewhere he could be free, even if that meant cursing himself to bear a life of guilt. Because even if no one knew, even if he went back home and pretended to be the good little Keeper that he wasn’t, his conscience wouldn’t let him live it through. He couldn't just go back, now that he'd broken the commitment he held towards the Lights, now that he’d disappointed all those who’d ever been proud to hold the same title as his. But how would he survive out there? How would he even find a life for himself, if he had no idea how the world worked? And, most importantly, how would he hide from the Watchers? As many times as he’d wondered what a normal, different life would be like, he had never thought this far ahead. He'd simply never thought it to be possible.But soon, instead of regret and worry, as the questions in his mind increased, other much different emotions started invading him. Notably, the foreign, much too exciting taste of hope. He knew in his heart, despite how bleak and uncertain his future appeared, that this was an opportunity to do all he’d always wanted, to be freed from the dullness of his existence, from the shackles of duty and his cursed lineage. He'd have the power to step into every corner of the world without anything binding him away. If this was the choice he’d made, the choice that had apparently saved him from death, then he would follow it.And, deep inside, he also felt relieved. For he was not only alive, but also free. He'd spent his whole life wondering how this precise moment would feel like, but he'd never thought he'd actually have the courage—or stupidity—to do it. He'd known what was at stake, and he thought he'd been prepared to sacrifice his desires and dreams for the good of the kingdom. It seems he'd been wrong. And even if it had taken this strange situation and the presence of this man for him to finally snap, the decision to embark on this path had been his choice, and his alone. If he was being forced to escape from the Watchers and travel through the dark path of unlawfulness to save his life anyway, then his only option of survival and of fulfilling his dreams was to stick to this man, who clearly knew how to defend himself from both the world of light and shadows alike. This strange man was not only his route out, but his opportunity to learn about the world he’d always yearned to but had never been able to touch. If Eren helped him out, the man would be indebted to him; he would owe him his life. Eren would use that to his advantage."You have my gratitude," the raven said, taking Eren out of his deep musings. A look of confusion soon swept over his features, his eyebrows drawing in together. "But, why? You’re a Keeper, aren’t you?”Before Eren could speak or feel reassured at the man's words of gratitude—that meant he wouldn't try to kill him any time soon, probably—he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, the feeling of dread in his gut and the same heaviness from before alerting him something was coming, and he had a pretty good idea what, or rather who, it was. At the same time, the raven sharply looked back, probably having felt the same incoming presence nearing them. Eren cursed silently, his worry growing; he'd had a chance to flee before, but now there was almost no time. The Watchers were coming, he could feel them. And if they didn’t know about Eren’s crime, they soon would. The man’s head immediately snapped back towards him. “What are you doing? You need to leave now ! Do you want the Watchers to take you away too?” he hissed, eyes darting around in alert, vigilant of every movement taking place around them. His comment startled Eren, who hadn't expected him to show concern for him.“I can’t leave you here, not after all I’ve done. They will soon know I left my path and helped you. It’s too late.”But, what would he do? What could he do? Take the mysterious man into his home and pray to the Gods the Watchers wouldn’t find them? No, there wasn’t a corner on these mountains that the Watchers couldn’t get into, except…“Come with me,” he blurted out suddenly, urgently, bravery unknown to him pushing him to grab the raven by the arm despite the fear he felt, pulling him up forcefully into a walking stance and dragging his reluctant body towards the entrance of the cave.“What are you...!” the man tried to resist, but his body was too weak and injured to pull away from Eren's force, eyes widening upon noticing where he was being led to. “Are you crazy? I already tried that, I can’t go in—”“Close your eyes,” Eren commanded, coming to a stop right before the entrance, making another decision that would have surely disgraced him if any of his ancestors had been alive to learn of it.“Why would I—”“Just trust me, if you want to live.”The man stared at him for a few seconds, his sharp eyes searching for any sign of danger or deceit in the boy’s golden ones. He didn't like the idea of depending on someone else to survive, of owing someone with his life, especially if it was someone he didn't trust. But he had no reason to suspect this boy, a pure, beautiful being as the tales told. Finding no evil in his eyes, the raven finally sighed, before pulling his eyes shut as he'd been told.Eren leaned in and down, for the man was shorter than him, before taking in a deep breath of fresh air. He knew he was breaking another taboo, gifting his breath away to not only someone with whom he held no bonds, but also someone who, as everything led him to believe, belonged to the world of shadows. After a few seconds of keeping the air in, he breathed it out softly into the man’s face, blowing away the wickedness surrounding him.Upon feeling the cool air against his skin, the man’s eyes darted open in confusion and disgust. “What the fuck did you just—”“I blessed you,” Eren cut him off, feeling light and dazed for a split second, eyes fixed to the mist that was slowly dissipating around the man as if wanting to focus on anything but him, a slight flush staining his cheeks. “Now you can come in.”"And how will we leave, pray tell? This place will soon be infested with Watchers!"Eren frowned, searching through his mind, digging up something his mother had told him a long, long time ago. "There's a secret exit out of the cave, close to one of the roads that leads to the village down the valley. After you've healed, I'll show you to it, you have my word. Now come."Without another word, Eren stepped inside the cave, waving his hand towards himself to urge the man in. The latter just stared at him, seeming reluctant to walk in; he wasn’t really to blame though, since the first time he’d done it to hide from the Watchers, he’d ended up in a state of withering pain. But as Eren's gaze grew increasingly expectant, the man breathed out in resignation, stepping forward with weak, shaky steps and closed eyes, as if to brace himself for the incoming pain. There was, however, none. Gasping in surprise, his eyes widened upon registering not pain, but a tingly, pleasant sensation travelling through his body. He felt light as a feather, and his limp and the pain of his injuries were but a phantom ache. “See? I told you,” he said with a smile, stepping further inside. A fleeting thought of warning surfaced in his mind then, worried that he'd done something awful by letting the man come in, but he buried it as soon as it emerged—besides, as long as they stayed inside the cave, no darkness would be able to hurt him."What is this... tingling sensation?" the man asked, voice laced with a tinge of fascination."If you're feeling that, then it means the Lights are working their way into healing you. Now come, let’s take you somewhere you can rest while you heal.”“Why are you so intent on helping me?” the man questioned, narrowing his eyes as he caught up to the boy, inspecting the roof of the cave as if someone were about to come charging down at them. As they walked further away from the entrance, dimness started enveloping them, but the glow of Eren’s eyes was enough to brighten the way. “As a being of light, I have the duty of helping all those in need, even beings of the shadows.”“Bullshit," the man scoffed. He knew Keepers to be holy, selfless beings, but how could that be true in this case? It was his own fault that the boy with the eyes of gold was now to be hunted by Watchers for the rest of his life. How could he, knowing his life had been ruined because of his mere presence in these lands, bear him no resentment and help him so freely? "Your duty is to guard the Lights, not to mingle with people like me. You should have left when you had the chance, the Watchers would have spared you.”“When I had the chance, you say? I would be dead if I had. Shall I remind you who threw that arrow at me?”The man shut his mouth with a click, looking irritated. “I wasn't thinking clearly from the pain, I thought you were another Watcher. And I meant before that.”“I'm telling you. From the moment I stepped out from my path, even before I saw you, it was too late. Is it really that strange for me to want to help you, when I'm on the run too? Helping each other out for now is the most logical thing to do in this situation, don't you agree?"The man hummed, not entirely convinced, even if there was truth in what the boy said. Without his help, he would be dead already. And even if he somehow had managed to escape the Watchers, he'd still be suffering from immeasurable, agonising pain. However, what could he give to the boy? So far instead of helping him, all he'd done was fuck up his life and ensure he would never go back to his peaceful days again, dragging him down into his own world of darkness. "Perhaps. But you see, I don't think I can help you. Bad things come to those who stay too close to me."Letting out a little laugh, Eren shook his head. "That remains to be seen."As they continued on walking, the echo of their footsteps was the only sound that could be heard in the emptiness of the cave. Eren's thoughts were, unsurprisingly, stuck on the man walking next to him; for all the things he’d heard about people like him being bad and dangerous, he didn’t seem so at all. But maybe he was being too careless. What if the man was deceiving Eren just so he would help him? What if he was planning to kill him right after healing his wounds? What if—?“What’s your name, Keeper?” the man suddenly spoke, snatching him out of his hazy, increasingly panicked thoughts.Taking a breath of air, Eren willed himself to take a grip. “I am called Eren. What about you, Wanderer? Where do you come from, and do you have a name?”"I'm Levi," the raven said simply. “I come from Avernus, in the south of Paradis.” That made Eren halt, turning to face the man—Levi—with interest. "Avernus? That's a very long way away from here. What are you doing in Sina? And why are you here, travelling through these sacred lands?""A curious one, aren't you? It's better not to meddle with things that don't concern you," Levi said, fixing Eren with a glare. Eren frowned, not willing to let himself be intimidated by Levi's threatening gaze. "But it does concern me, you see. I'm the Keeper of the lights of this land, the lights that spared and healed you. Any business you have with them, you have with me.""Are you implying I owe you my life because you saved me? Not only that, but my secrets, too?" Levi asked, eyes lit up with something dangerous.Suddenly overtaken by fear, Eren quickly shook his head. "I—No. Forget it."The silence that followed in was pressing and humid against their skin, their steps light as they kept on walking through the quiet cave, going deeper and deeper into the heart of the mountain. Soon, a source of light appeared at the far end of the passage, breaking the darkness that had accompanied them throughout the way and welcoming them upon their entering into the stone chamber that nestled the Old Lights."Is this...?" Levi trailed off, eyes widening at the sight of hundreds of beams and glimmers twinkling against the darkness. In the centre of the chamber, flames of all shapes, colours and sizes twirled around each other, their waving, luminous reflection dancing on the walls and making the place seem underwater. Even beings as dark as the night would be rendered speechless upon taking in such a majestic sight."It is," Eren confirmed with a proud smile, making his way inside and sitting himself down on the soft ground next to the flames, calling Levi over with his hand. The man followed suit almost hesitantly, his eyes still pinned to the gleaming lights surrounding them."So the tales are true," he spoke after sitting down and placing his belongings next to him, voice slightly hoarse, only now recovering from bewilderment. "Places like these do exist." As he observed Levi, Eren had to hold in a chuckle. It was funny to him how such a common, regular place for him was a place of myth for the man, when it was he who had surely traversed unimaginably mystical lands of the most wondrous kinds. He couldn't help wondering how much people knew about his kind—did they think Keepers were mere myths, too?"They do exist. In fact, there are six of them. Is that something people don't know about?""Of course not," Levi scoffed, proceeding to take off the outer layers of his bloodied clothes, dropping them next to him with a grunt of disgust. "No King would want anyone to know. How would they protect their kingdoms otherwise?"Moving closer to Levi, he asked, "So how do you know about them?""Didn't I tell you to mind your meddling tongue already, Keeper?"Eren scowled, feeling his patience run out. "You keep calling me Keeper, and yet you seem to forget what that means. The Lights are allowing you to stay and heal here only because I asked them to. If I so desired, I could make them scorch you on the spot. You should be more grateful.""Then why don't you?" Levi challenged, argent eyes dangerously lit by the red of the flames set firmly upon Eren's. The latter was momentarily rendered speechless not only by the intensity of Levi's gaze, but also by the apparent indifference in his voice. "I am grateful, but I didn't ask you to save me. You did it out of your own volition, claiming it was your duty. If that was true, then don't expect me to repay you with anything.""You truly are wicked," Eren grumbled, irritated at how things were going. Levi's logic was sound, he had to give him that. But if he couldn't even convince him to answer one question, how would he convince him to let him tag along in his journey?"Wicked? Don't be so childish," Levi rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "I accept mean, but wicked is just ridiculous.""But you are! Why don't you want to tell me? It's not like I'll go and tell the Watchers," Eren almost whined, growing increasingly frustrated."Then will you tell me why you're helping me?""What?" Eren barked, confused. "I already told you, besides from it being my duty, isn't it logical to help each other—?""You don’t actually need me. It doesn't even make sense, since the only thing I’m doing is putting you in even more danger," Levi cut off, observing Eren carefully. "So there must be something else. No one would burden themselves in such a way without a motive. What, are you a goblin, luring me into your cave so you can feast on me? Or are you working for the Watchers? Are you a spy from one of the other kingdoms? Were you promised some sort of reward if you turned me in?”Reward? Spy? Goblin?What the fuck? “Wait, what? No, I—”“Do you think I'm a fool who deserves no honesty, then? Is that it? You think I'm a fucking imbecile, you brat?"Starting to feel himself growing hot with anger, Eren hissed, "No, I don't—I never said that! Stop saying things that aren’t true!""Are you're calling me a liar now?""No!" Eren shouted, the flames behind him suddenly growing stronger, their blinding light forcing Levi to shut his eyes for a second. Taking a deep breath, Eren willed himself to calm down, as the flames returned to their initial, milder state. "I, I just did it because I wanted you to take me along with you in your journey."Levi opened his eyes back again, fixing Eren with an unimpressed stare that somehow held some kind of newfound interest, as if just now he were seeing Eren for the first time. He then hummed, thinking over Eren's words with an expression that betrayed nothing. “I see.”Eren coughed, looking away in embarrassment, wanting the earth to swallow him whole. But before he could try to explain himself or make things less awkward, his attention was caught by what Levi did next. He casually drew his left leg up towards his chest, grabbing the hem of his pants and lifting it up to the knee to reveal pale, smooth patches of skin marred by jet black splotches of a dark, sickly substance. It seemed like the substance was slowly traveling its way up through his translucent skin, becoming darker and more opaque the higher it went, almost as if there were ink splutters running through his veins.Eren gasped, eyes widening like plates. Something clicked in his mind as he whispered, "You're cursed."A second later, Levi sharply pulled the hem of his pants back down, covering the foul sight with an expression of contempt, almost as if he were ashamed of it."Is— Is that why you're being followed by shadows?"That seemed to surprise Levi for some reason, his eyebrows darting up to the back of his head. "You can see them?"Frowning, Eren nodded his head. "Yeah. I mean, not now, since the cave wouldn't allow it, but they were there when I first saw you. Wait— that's..." Eren trailed off in realisation, eyes flickering down to Levi's now covered leg. And all fear Eren held towards him seemed to dissipate in that instant, being replaced by relief because—that surely meant he wasn’t evil, Right...? Or, at least, he wasn’t a cold-blooded, hungry creature of the dark or a highly dangerous, despicable criminal. He was just a man, an unfortunate man, with a terrible curse. "That's why you're here! You want to break your curse!" Levi averted his eyes, not saying anything as Eren continued on, "I mean, you were right to look for this cave and not for the Temple of the Light, but in any case I'm sorry to say the flames won't be able to help you since they're not the ones that rule over healing magic—""I know," Levi cut off, sighing. "I came looking for the Fountains of Aforetime, not the Lights of the Old World. I knew I was in the wrong place upon seeing you here.""Me?" Eren echoed, feeling lightheaded for a split second. "Why?""Because, as the old tales say, a Keeper with stars instead of eyes guards the Old Lights, not the Sacred Fountain.""Oh," Eren whispered, dizziness now threatening to take over his whole body. "Wait, so you don't know which of the six temples is the right one? And you don't even know in which kingdom they're in?""Unfortunately not. As I said, it's not something you can easily learn or just ask around in the streets.""How did you know where this place was, then?"At that, the raven looked slightly upset. "The information I had gathered stated the temple was here, in Sina's Northern Mountains. My plan was to follow one of the Watchers until I found it, but I had to deal with unforeseen... complications," he paused, gesturing vaguely at his leg. "The Watcher ended up noticing my presence, and you know how the rest turned out."Amazed and a little bit confused, Eren couldn't help to ask, "But, how did you manage to follow her long enough to find this place without the others knowing? I thought—I thought they saw everything.""Good lord, if they did, we would all be dead," Levi huffed, pushing a few strands of hair out of his face. "There aren't lot of them, and even if they're quite skilled, it's still possible to outsmart and elude them. Besides, they don't concern themselves with normal, mundane affairs. They only take action when something highly suspicious and critical to the kingdom's safety happens, which is why that woman only attacked me when she realised I had entered these sacred, supposedly unknown lands."Eren felt his lips part at Levi's words. All his life he'd grown to fear the Watchers, thinking he would never be able to escape their grasp, thinking he'd never be freed from them. And after all these years, learning not only that they weren’t as all-powerful and threatening as he’d thought, but also realising that there had always been a chance for something else, another life (even if not for him) was a refreshing splash of water. It meant there was hope, there was freedom for all those people living their little, mundane lives, without having to live in constant fear of the Watchers. Yes, he realised that chance wasn’t as strong for people like himself who were directly related to the safety of the kingdom, but it was for this man—this man that, in Eren’s eyes, each time looked more and more like freedom itself."Now, let me ask you one thing. You don't happen to know where the Water Temple is, do you?""I... I'm sorry, I don't," Eren mumbled, feeling quite idiotic. It seemed ridiculous that he, a Keeper, had no information about the other Temples, but that was just how things were. "Since a few decades ago, Keepers have been isolated from each other, so we don't really have any contact with any of the other Temples." "That's a shame. And here I thought you could be of some use."Eren just frowned, staring up at him in confusion."You wanted to come with me, wasn't that what you said?"Feeling himself grow hot with embarrassment, Eren grimaced. Right, he'd admitted that... "I... yeah, I guess I did say that. At least until you finish your quest, then I can figure something out.""Why would you want to?""I don't have anywhere else to go. I betrayed my people and broke our biggest taboo. I'm no longer useful as a Keeper,” he found himself saying with a small voice, looking down at his feet. "Besides, I've always wanted to travel the world, see new things, meet new people. I—I'm sure if you let me come with you, I'll be of help! It will be easier to—""Taking you with me would be a burden. If someone catches a glimpse of your eyes, what do you suppose they'll think?""Oh, I... I hadn't thought of that.""Of course you hadn't."Closing his mouth with a click, Eren felt himself deflate. "Please, let me come with you. What am I supposed to do now? What I said earlier was true, I have nothing else to live for. I can't stay here anymore, not as a Keeper, not as anything as long as the Watchers keep looking for me. And I can’t leave either, since I have nowhere else to go, so I—” Eren paused, embarrassingly aware of how desperate he sounded. “I beg of you. Please, take me with you. Please.”Levi looked down at Eren with a slightly grim expression, feeling quite afflicted by his desperation. It was extremely troublesome and a pain to travel with someone else, not to mention someone he didn't know, but—how could he possibly refuse the boy, when all the despair he was going through was his fault? Besides, even if it weren’t his fault, he couldn’t help sympathising with the openness and sincerity in his sun-gold eyes, shouting out to him with a strange sense of earnest, hopeful determination.After a few seconds of staring, he finally looked away, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "There's no need for you to beg like that. I'm aware I do owe it to you for saving my life, especially since it was I who got you into this mess.""Wait, are you saying that..." Eren trailed off, a smile immediately climbing into his face."Yes, I'm saying I'll take you with me. But," Levi paused, swallowing a yawn and fixing Eren with a stern look before the youth could feel too happy about his decision, "I can't assure your safety. This is a dangerous road, Keeper. Are you sure this is what you want?""More than anything," Eren replied without missing a beat, a new kind of fire lighting up his golden eyes. "I won't be a burden to you. I'll try as hard as I can to help you in your quest. In fact, I might be able to help you find and get inside the Sacred Chambers, being a Keeper and all. You won't regret it, I promise.""Good, you better hold on to that promise," Levi whispered, closing his eyes for a second before opening them back again slowly. Eren gaped at the sight, enthralled by the way Levi’s lashes fluttered against each other when he shut his eyes close, by how the light in them was snuffed out for a small instant, disappearing behind pale, quivering lids.And suddenly he was ten all over again, motherless and empty, trying to remember how that felt like. Blinking. Letting your world darken, if only for a split, sinful second.Getting a grip of himself, Eren shook those thoughts away as soon as he saw them come. "You must be tired. You should get some sleep."Levi hummed, nodding his head. "Yes, although I doubt I'll sleep more than a couple of hours," he said, before leaning back on his body until he was lying against the ground, using the puddle of clothes next to him as a pillow. "We have a long day ahead of us. It's better if you rest too.""Ah," Eren breathed out, looking slightly sheepish. "I... I'll just keep watch. That's what I'm good at, you know?"Levi rose an incredulous eyebrow up at him. "There's nothing to keep watch of. ""I know, I know. I just don't need to sleep."Rising both eyebrows now, Levi just shrugged—too tired to question him—before slowly closing his two eyes, the meaning behind Eren's words clearly lost on him. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t just explain it better, but it was probably for the better."Suit yourself, but don't blame me if you're too tired tomorrow. We'll leave at the crack of dawn.""Alright. And don't worry, I won't be," Eren assured, eyes pinned to the man's now still form. Some minutes passed, the sound of Levi's breathing against the crackling of the flames filling up the emptiness of the cave, as he regarded with fixation the subtle, strangely soothing rise and fall of his chest. As minutes turned into hours, Eren kept his eyes trained on Levi for the rest of the night, once again surprised at how relaxed and truly harmless he looked when asleep.Eren had never stayed this long inside the cave, not even when his mother had been around to show him all its secrets. What would she say about… all this? About the choices he'd made, the promises he’d broken? Would she be disappointed, angered? Would she have given up all hopes on him? This felt too unreal, like a dream. It was so incredibly unbelievable, and yet he wondered why he felt so unbothered and calm, knowing his life had taken a complete turn in a matter of just a few hours. As his eyes rested on Levi, he couldn't stop himself from feeling excited at the thought of their incoming journey, already imagining what remarkable, exceptional places and astounding creatures they would encounter. And, even if it awakened a sense of dread within him, the prospect of being a runaway was strangely thrilling. Soon, he lost himself in his thoughts of wonder, the steady rhythm of Levi's breathing lulling him into a pleasant daydream, full of magic and marvels.And just like that hours passed in silence, until Eren heard the voices of the lights that called out to him every dawn urging him to take them into his receiving hands. A sudden ache filled him up, the fact that he would never again caress the warmth that had accompanied him ever since he'd been born only now sinking in. He didn't know whether the pain he felt was entirely his own, or if it belonged to the generations of people who'd guarded the flames for lifetimes and lifetimes before his, but it was a pain that would stick to him like a shadow for the rest of his days.He briefly wondered what would happen to the flames now that he wasn't there to guard them; what the kingdom would do without a Light Keeper to take them into the Temple of the Light, allowing light magic to be birthed into the world. He knew a new Keeper would have to be found soon, for the future of the kingdom.But the only way for that to happen, was for him to die.Suddenly, his attention was caught by the rustling of clothes against the ground next to him as Levi stirred awake, stretching out his arms and repeatedly blinking his sleep-fogged eyes."Good morning," Eren greeted as Levi lifted himself up into a sitting position, sleepiness still glazing his features. "Did you rest well?""Too well for having slept on hard ground," Levi replied, rubbing his limbs as if expecting them to be sore, but he felt nothing of the sort. "This place sure is something else.""I'm glad you did. Your wounds should have healed enough, too. Should we leave now?"Standing up, Levi started arranging the clothes he'd thrown into the ground and gathering his belongings, before throwing a black cloak at Eren. "Yeah. Put this on, and let's hope it covers you well enough."It was slightly small on him, Eren realised in amusement after wrapping it around his shoulders. "Where are we heading off to first?""You said there was a village down the valley, didn't you?"Eren nodded, momentarily getting distracted by the laces hanging from the neck of the cloak until Levi sent him an irritated look."Then we'll go there, get food, clothes and provisions. We can't exactly travel with an empty stomach, especially not in this state," he explained, gesturing to his bloodied clothes and to Eren’s oddly pristine, priestly appearance. "Besides, we need to do something about your eyes.""Oh..." Eren trailed off, feeling self-conscious for a split second. "Right, of course. Then what?""Then, we're heading off to Mitras, a city in the centre of the kingdom. We'll gather new intel on the Fountain's location there."Soon, both of them were making their way out of the chamber, Eren giving one last glance at the place that had accompanied him through his days of loneliness, bidding farewell to the flames that had gifted him with their company and love as his only friends in the world.They walked in the dark, Eren leading Levi through the narrow passages of the cave as they approached the exterior. Finally, their eyes were met with the lights of day, a forest of brown and green awaiting them on the other side of the cave's opening. The Forest of Shadows, his mind reminded him, but he was too wonderstruck to feel anything other than awe and excitement upon registering its deep, large width. They walked silently through its brown-green paths with careful steps, cautious and mindful of their surroundings, alert of any movements happening around them.Well, Levi was the only one who was truly keeping watch, since Eren's eyes were irredeemably stuck to the sights around him. Even if he'd grown up in these lands and was used to the sight of forests, actually walking through one was a completely different experience. He couldn't get enough of the feeling of his feet against the damp, rocky soil covered in shrubs and mosses; of the uneven lights of the sun filtered by the canopies of tall, imposing trees falling like mosaics onto his face; and, above all, enough of the sight of swirling, alluring shadows dancing over the few tree barks and bushes closest to the ground, where no light was allowed to disturb them.Around noon, they finally reached a much clearer and defined path that led right to the village. After a while of walking, Eren's breath hitched in his throat as the first few houses started appearing in the distance, his eyes widening when the sight of the main street, colourful beyond belief and brimming with people of all sorts, appeared in front of them."Careful!" Levi hissed besides him, reprimanding him for staring so carelessly. "Stand by my side at all times, don't stare at anything or anyone and keep your head down, for God's sake.""S–Sorry," he mumbled, head immediately dropping down and burying itself deeper into the hood of the cloak.Despite Levi's warning, Eren snuck as many discreet glances as he could while they made their way through the crowded street, drinking in all the sights he could. He noticed Levi looking around their surroundings too, sweeping his gaze over the various establishments lining the street and the numerous people passing by them. But unlike Eren, it seemed like he was carefully searching for something—or rather, someone."So... who are we looking for, exactly?"The raven gave him a long, level look, as if deciding whether to tell him or not. "A witch.""What! Really?" Eren exclaimed almost a bit too loudly, looking down immediately upon seeing a few heads turning their way.Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Levi sighed. "Yes, really. We need a spell to hide your eyes.""Oooh," Eren mouthed in understanding, but then frowned. "Wait, but how are we going to find one? Don't they hide away in forest shacks and the like?""Some settle in villages, living off the spells and medicines they sell. We need to look attentively. There has to be one here."They continued walking, this time Eren daring to take a better look at the people walking past, wondering what kind of look a witch was supposed to have to be recognised as such. As they turned the corner of a bakery, Eren caught a movement coming from the inside of an alleyway and immediately turned his head towards it, despite his mind screaming at him not to. There was now a certain feel to the air that hadn't been there before, a metallic heaviness that didn't exactly fit with the light atmosphere of the lively, colourful village."You feel it too?" he heard Levi ask next to him, but he was too caught up in the almost electrifying feel in the air to pay notice to his words. Without really being aware of what he was doing, Eren felt his body move on its own as it ran into the alley, only registering the loud beating of his heart against his chest."Hey Keepe—Eren, come back here!" Levi shouted after him, but he'd already ran too far into the alley and then into a smaller alleyway to pay heed to his words. And he ran and ran until he reached a dead end, where, amongst the shadows, he saw the towering figure of a tall man with hands wrapped around a much smaller, cloaked figure's neck. Maybe it was his overly virtuous blood as a Keeper, or maybe his utter stupidity, that pushed Eren to lounge himself at the figure, elbowing the tall man on the neck and effectively making him release hold of the victim's neck."What the—" the tall man shot out in surprise, turning around to throw a punch at Eren, who narrowly missed it by quickly giving a step back. The cloaked figure took that as an opportunity to get back at its attacker, knocking him out with a hard kick to the head.Once sure that their attacker was unconscious, the cloaked person allowed themselves to look up at Eren, something like gratitude swimming across their black, mysterious eyes."Kid!" he heard Levi's voice call out to him, right before said man appeared at the scene. In that same moment, the cloaked figure threw itself at Levi, pinning him against the ground before he could as much as register what was going on, making him drop all of his belongings. He wrapped his hands around the person's wrists a second later, wrestling against their force and trying to get them off of him, and all Eren could do was stand on the side, mouth hanging open in confusion as both figures fought against each other.Coming to his senses, Eren stepped forwards, crying out a, "Stop it, he's with me!" which thankfully seemed to snap the person out of whatever trance had possessed them to attack Levi, staring down at the man in confusion. Right then, the raven used that instant to pull the person to the ground, rolling on top of them to trap them in the position he'd just been in. During the flip, the cloaked figure's hood came off their head, revealing the person to be a surprisingly young, beautiful raven-haired woman.Before Levi could say anything, his attention was diverted to the woman's cleavage, now visible from his position, where a peculiar marking lay. "Who would have thought? This sure is convenient," he whispered, allowing himself a small smirk.The woman's eyes widened, before she raised a hand to slap Levi across the face, "You disgusting—""Not that, you stupid witch," Levi said, catching her wrist before it could land on his skin. At the mention of the word, the woman froze in place."Wait, she's a witch? How do you know that?" Eren almost squeaked, not completely sure of what the hell had just happened.Getting off of her, Levi stood up and offered his hand to the woman, who just glared at it and got up on her own."She has the distinct marking of one on her chest. Besides, it makes sense. The weight of magic was too heavy around this place,” he explained, picking up his belongings from the ground."Woah, that was magic?" Eren said, completely awestruck. Sure, he spent his days and nights taking care of the very beings that made magic, but this was the first time he'd come into contact with the pure, completed, real end-product.“Life magic, to be precise. Unusual in these lands, but still common amongst most witches—”"Do you need something?" the woman cut in with impatience, her black eyes flickering to Eren's golden ones."Is that how you thank me for saving you?" Eren asked back, giving a step towards the woman."I didn't need your help, this happens all too often. I was about to rip out his lungs before you interrupted me." At her slightly disturbing answer, Eren gulped, stepping back. It might as well be true, since she seemed to be quite a good fighter, capable of defending herself against Levi."What's a Keeper like you doing down here, anyway?" The woman frowned, eyeing the both of them suspiciously."We need a spell to cover up his eyes," Levi intervened, sending her a calculated look. "That's why we're looking for someone like you. Do you have anything that can help us?""For the right price," the woman answered, sharp eyes flickering back to Levi, looking him up and down as if to asses his worth. The raven stared back at her, unimpressed, his unfaltering, steel gaze holding hers for a few seconds, not the least bit intimidated.In the end it was she who looked away first."Alright. I will help you," she said, setting her eyes on Eren. "Follow me."They followed her back through the alleyway and into the street, where she led them to a small, ordinary-looking tea shop. Inside, they walked until they reached the far back, passing through a backdoor that led to an alleyway and then to another shop, its insides full to the brim with books lying about, shelves containing jars of all sizes with strange, vibrant herbs and vials with shiny, fishy-looking liquids in them."Woah!" Eren gasped, assaulted by the exorbitant, curious appearance of the shop. "Close your mouth, or a frog might jump in," Levi said, something like amusement colouring his words. Eren's eyes darted up to look at him in surprise, that being the first thing resembling a joke he'd heard him say. Upon registering the brunet's stare, Levi said, "What? Would you rather I scold you for running off like that when I explicitly told you not to?""Hey, thanks to that I found us a witch!"Eyes twitching, Levi pressed a hand against his temples, sighing in frustration. Well, he had to admit the boy was right, even if they would've found her soon enough anyway thanks to the trail of magic she’d been leaving behind.Meanwhile, the woman had walked behind a desk full of papers and quirky utensils, starting to rummage through the desk's drawers in her search for something. After a few minutes, the rummaging stopped."Alright, I have one thing that might help you. It's a spell that will change your eye colour, returning it to how it was before you were a Keeper. It can be reversed, but only with its specific counter-potion."Eren's heart quickened for some reason he didn't quite understand. Maybe it was the excitement of being freed for good, if only in appearance, from the life that had imposed itself on him, returning to how things used to be in much happier times when his mother had still been alive.He registered Levi frowning next to him, his lips pursed pensively before he spoke. "Good, we'll take that. What do you want for it?""I want a blessing from him," the woman said in a heartbeat, staring intently at Eren."What? No way!" the boy barked out, looking at Levi for help. "What's wrong? This is quite convenient, is it not? We won't have to spend money on it, and since this spell is for you, it's only fair you pay it yourself," Levi said, shrugging.Looking down, Eren fervently shook his head. "I can't do that!""But you've blessed me before," Levi added, frowning in confusion."You blessed him?" the witch echoed in disbelief and slight amusement, eyebrows rising up."That—that was different! We were in a life or death situation...""Then you can surely do it for me," she insisted, stepping closer to Eren. "I don't even want it on me. I just want to store it inside a vial; it's for a potion.""No way, you don't understand—""Okay, can someone fucking explain what the fuss is about?"Eren closed his mouth with a click, averting his eyes as a blush started to stain his cheeks.The witch sighed, sparing him the embarrassment of explaining it himself. "For Keepers, blessings are a way to bind souls together, much like marriage.""Wait, you're making it sound weird!" Eren cried out, "of course that's not what it is! Well, not quite, I—It's more like a transfer of energy, a way of marking you so the Lights know you're with me, so to speak..."Levi blinked up at Eren, seeming at a loss for words for a second, eyes slightly widened."I—I'm sorry, I—"Levi cleared his throat, something suspiciously similar to a small flush painted on his features. "Listen, it's fine. I don't really care and I understand you did it to save my ass. Now think of this as a life or death situation too, and just fucking do as she asks, alright? Let me remind you we're here in the first place because of you. We wouldn't have this problem if I hadn't brought you with me, so don't make it more difficult."Well, he had a point there.Sighing in defeat and trying not to look like a scolded child, Eren finally nodded his head to the woman, who immediately smiled in satisfaction and quickly ran off to search for a vial."Here," she said, presenting it to him. Both she and Levi stared at him curiously as he reluctantly sighed, unclasping the vial and inhaling a puff of air before blowing it slowly into the glass, filling it up with his golden, silky breath. Putting the cap on, Eren handed it over to her, looking extremely embarrassed."See? That wasn't so hard," Levi patted him on the shoulder, which only made Eren sink further into his embarrassment.After leaving off to store the vial, the witch returned with two more, the first filled with a purple liquid and the second with a red one. "Alright, purple one's the potion. Red one's for breaking the enchantment. Guard it safely, for it is hard to come by."Eren took the vials into his hands after contemplating them for a few seconds, storing the red one inside his pocket and bringing the purple one up to his lips. After he'd drank its entirety, he started feeling himself tingle all over, as a daze fell upon him for a few seconds. When the strange feeling was gone, he supposed the effects of the potion had settled in and turned his head to look at Levi, who was staring at him strangely, with widened eyes and parted lips."Levi?" Eren asked hesitantly. "Is there something wrong?"Blinking rapidly, Levi looked away. "No, nothing," he paused, clearing his throat. "Green looks good on you."“Oh,” Eren mouthed, feeling himself flush. "Thank you."Frowning at himself, Levi shook his head, turning on his heels. "Okay, good, now that we have this settled we can find ourselves something to eat. Let's go.""Okay." Turning to the witch, "Um, thank you for the potions, miss... ?""Mikasa," she supplied, giving Eren a sudden, small smile."Yeah, thank you, Mikasa. Please take good care of that blessing and, uh, have a nice day?" he offered, smiling back at her awkwardly before turning around too and following behind Levi."Hey, midget," the witch called out before they could leave through the door, making Levi turn around to face her with a twitching scowl. "Don't you want anything for that?" she rose a derisive eyebrow, pointing out towards his legs."Mind your own business, Witch," he spat, looking away once more. "Good day."And with no other words they left the place, returning to the streets with the mission of finding a tavern."You can look around all you want now, kid," Levi said, as a wide grin immediately plastered itself on Eren's face. He wasted no time to sweep his gaze over the whole street, staring up at the shops that bordered it, at houses’ colourful window frames lined with flower pots and wooden artifacts, at the quirky coats, hats and skirts of the people walking by, at the beautiful engravings on the doors and roofs of the buildings in their view, at those and all other sights he could, completely mesmerised.They finally found a tavern a bit further down the street, making their way inside and asking for a meal for two. They ate in silence, as Levi had warned Eren before going in that one must always be quiet in taverns, for shady criminals loved to loiter around, fishing for information and victims to steal from. But even when his eyes took in the frames of the intimidating, buff and suspicious-looking men, he couldn't contain his excitement, eagerly looking around like a curious child as Levi merely rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance.When they were done, they paid and left to look for the marketplace."Stay by me," Levi instructed once more, almost as if he'd known that only a few seconds later, upon entering the marketplace, Eren would go absolutely crazy with excitement at the insane amount of peculiar and unknown trinkets, handicrafts and merchandise filling up the baskets and carts of the shopkeepers and traders bustling about. They spent more than half an hour buying food and provisions, although Eren wasn't exactly paying attention to the things the man was buying and making him carry in a sack over his shoulders, too distracted with the sights around him."Alright," Levi said about half an hour later, snapping Eren out of his sight-seeing reverie. "We're done here. Let's go." Only then did he notice that Levi had changed clothes, looking way less dark and suspicious than before and more like an ordinary, harmless traveller. In that moment he also noticed that his shadows were still very much gone, for some reason. Was it because he’d blessed him? Or because the cave had somehow permanently lightened the burden of the curse upon his flesh?Eren didn’t have time to keep asking stuff to himself, since Levi soon threw new clothes at him, telling him to change before they set out towards Mitras.As they walked, Eren couldn’t help his curiosity and asked, "How far away is Mitras? And how do you know where to go, do you have a map?""About nine days on foot. It would take about three on horse ride, but we can't afford such luxuries. And yes, I do. Plus, I asked around a bit while you were too busy being a brat."Instead of feeling insulted, that comment made Eren laugh. "To be fair, you did give me permission to look around."Levi clicked his tongue but said nothing, the corner of his lips twisting up slightly in amusement. And just like that they walked out of the village and through the forest, always keeping watch of their surroundings for any signs of the Watchers. They climbed through hills and went down rocky slopes in silence, Levi ensuring they followed the way that would supposedly lead them to Mitras and monitoring their surroundings, while Eren was unsurprisingly too focused on sweeping his gaze over the landscapes and scenery around them. Every now and then, Eren would ask the raven about a particular thing he'd lay eyes upon, despite the latter's reluctance to entertain the boy's childish musings. He wasn't much of a talker, Eren soon came to learn."Hey, what are those weird, hat-shaped plants growing against the trees?" he'd asked at one moment, fed up of seeing them everywhere without knowing what they were."They're mushrooms, have you seriously never seen one before—wait, no, don't touch them!"That had earned him a scolding. And yet, a few hours later, he was at it again. "Levi, do you know why the sky's blue?"At which he had only received a, "What the hell, kid. Stop asking useless questions."But when dusk had come and he'd stopped hearing the sounds of chirping birds around him, he couldn't contain himself. "Hey, Levi... do you know why birds sing? Do you think they get sad and lonely, and that's their way of keeping each other company when they're far away?"He'd seen Levi sigh then, what surprisingly looked like a small smile gracing his lips. "Maybe, who knows? That would make us humans and birds a little similar in a way."And Eren could only stare at him in something much like awe, his words making him feel strangely warm against the cold evening winds.Night soon fell upon them, and when they found a clearing, Levi decided it was best to make camp before it got too dark. Without the light of his golden eyes to illuminate his surroundings, Eren felt strangely vulnerable, as if the darkness would be able to get to him whenever it so pleased."Don't worry, there are no bandits around these lands, and I believe we're deep enough to be safe from the Watchers," Levi assured, probably noticing his nervousness."Ah, it's not that, it's just, I—I've never slept out in the open before," he said, as the both of them laid out the two mats they would sleep on, one next to the other, tying a rope over them in between two trees and covering them with a cloth to create a makeshift tent.Well, he'd never even slept before, but that was just a technicality."You'll soon get used to it," Levi said, just as Eren's stomach grumbled. With a smirk, he added, "Come, let's make a fire."They gathered a few branches into a batch, before Levi proceeded to clash two rocks against each other to create a spark. After a few tries, a flame came to life, but it was way too small to hold itself against the strong night winds."Let me," Eren said, placing his hands over the flame as Levi regarded him curiously, probably wondering what the hell he was doing. Soon, the small flame grew bigger, turning into a strong, healthy fire."Looks like you are useful after all," Levi whistled, looking impressed, remembering something similar happening the day before, when due to Eren's anger the flames in the cave had grown stronger all of a sudden. "Is that something all Light Keepers can do?"Shrugging, Eren sat himself down in front of the fire, its warmth making him feel like he was once more inside the Sacred Chamber, guarding over the Old Lights. "I guess so? I wouldn't know. I mean, I think my mother could. It does make sense, since we were supposedly born out of the flames."Levi hummed, taking out two small pieces of bread out of his sack, handing one to Eren, who immediately took it into his mouth. "So your mother was a Keeper, like you? What about your father, was he one too?" he asked despite himself, not usually this curious about other people's lives. But a Keeper's life was something extraordinary, worthy of the curiosity of others, even his own. He'd figured the boy's parents were dead, but he could only wonder what had happened to them.Swallowing the mouthful he'd taken, Eren's now emerald eyes looked down, shadowed by sorrow. "I suppose you're not familiar with how a Keeper comes to be one."Levi shook his head, staring at Eren with interest as he started eating his own bread. "Well, you see," Eren cleared his throat, snatching his eyes away from the ground and fixing them on Levi. "Decades ago, all those who shared our same blood used to live together in a clan, near the Temple of the Light. There could only be one Keeper at a time, and upon their passing, a clansman or woman would be chosen by the Lights as the next Keeper, and their eyes would turn gold as proof of the burden they were now to carry for the rest of their lives. When I was born into this world, however, my mother was the only person around. Coincidentally, she was the chosen Keeper of her generation. I don't know what happened to the other clanspeople; she never told me, but only a few things could've happened, and her silence made it pretty evident."Levi hummed, processing Eren's words. "And your father?""My father... He didn't belong to our clan. He was an outsider, an intruder, so to speak. I don't really know much about him, because a few years after my birth, he suddenly left. I have no idea what's become of him since.""So you became a Keeper when your...""When my mother passed away, yes," Eren paused, sighing. "I was ten at the time. That more or less confirmed I was the last living member of the clan, since being a Keeper is usually never passed on from parent to child, unless, of course, there is no one else to pass it to.""I'm sorry," Levi heard himself say, not sure of what else he could've offered, staring intently at the reflection of the flames dancing across Eren's green eyes, lighting them up like forest fires."It's alright, that was more than ten years ago. It's a surprise that after all those years alone, I didn’t decide to leave any sooner."Levi nodded in understanding, resuming to eat his bread in silence. Eren followed suit, finishing it earnestly. Levi was done not long after, feeling the weight of the day finally upon his shoulders."I'm going to sleep now," he announced, walking over to one of the mats under the makeshift tent and lying down on his side, giving his back to Eren. "You should, too. I doubt we'll pass by another village tomorrow, so we'll be on our feet all day.""Alright," Eren said, figuring that even if he couldn't fall asleep, he'd just lie over the mat and look up at the hazy, dark night sky. So after a few minutes of staring at nothing in particular, he finally made his way to the empty mat besides the raven as quietly as he could.And it was only when he'd laid himself down flat on his back, looking up at the cloth hung over their heads as it was softly blown by the wind, that he felt suddenly too aware of Levi's presence next to him, too conscious of their bodies' closeness. His small, bundled silhouette was at less than an arm's length away from him, his body-heat a beacon of warmth in the middle of the night cold. His smell slowly invaded Eren's nostrils, a mysteriously pleasant, masculine scent as murky and wild as that of the leaves fluttering in the wind and of the fresh, damp earth beneath their bodies. He was even close enough to hear the steady beating of his heart along with the even tune of his breathing, resounding loudly against the emptiness of the clearing. If he were to move forward a few inches, if only a few, he'd easily be pressing against his broad, firm back, his nose burying into the crook of his neck and brushing against the soft, thin hairs of his nape. This was the closest he'd ever physically been to someone since his mother had passed away, and he honestly didn't know how to feel about it. Human contact was precarious at the Temple, the most he’d ever had with one of the Vigils being a brush of hands. This feeling, this closeness, was too much for him.Feeling increasingly flustered and odd, he sharply rolled away from Levi, focusing his attention on the few twinkling stars scattered across the obsidian sky, wondering if perhaps one of those stars was what his mother had turned into.Dawn came by sooner than expected, and the both of them quickly set out to take as much advantage of the light of day as they could. As Levi had said the night before, they walked and walked through the forest in the hours that followed, and not once did they come across a village. They stopped for a while to eat lunch before setting out again, neither of them wanting to waste any unnecessary time. And like that they walked in mostly silence, exchanging light words every now and then, once again busying themselves with staring at their surroundings, although with different purposes in mind. Night soon fell once more and they found a clearing, where they proceeded to set up camp and make a fire.They ate quietly around the flames for a while, until Eren broke the silence, looking over at the raven almost shyly. "Hey, Levi? What did you do before you got cursed? I mean, did you have a job or—""What makes you think I'll tell you?" Levi cut in, looking up at Eren with a dark, fierce look similar to the one he'd been wearing when they'd first met.Eren flinched, opening his mouth like a gaping fish as if to say something, only to close it right after. After a while of staring at the raven's sharp, bitter eyes, he looked away dejectedly.Registering the expression of hurt on the boy’s face, Levi sighed, rubbing a hand through his face. "Hey… I’m sorry. Don't take it the wrong way, it's just not something I like to talk about.""I understand," Eren quickly assured, waving his hand in the air for emphasis, eyes immediately lighting back up. "Then, could you maybe talk about something else?"Blinking up at Eren, Levi frowned. "Why?""I don't know, I guess I just want to know more about you."Levi leaned closer to the fire, resting an elbow on his knee and lazily placing his head over his palm. "Believe me, kid, I would like to indulge you, but I have nothing interesting to tell.""I disagree," Eren said, his eyes unconsciously flickering down to Levi's left leg.Following Eren's gaze with his own, Levi rolled his eyes upon realising what he meant. Despite not being very keen on telling someone about his past, he supposed he'd have to tell Eren about it at some point or another anyway, since they'd be travelling together for a while. It was probably better to do it now, and get it out of the way."If you want to know so badly, I suppose I have no choice," he sighed, rubbing his temples. "About a year ago, as I travelled through the Southern Avernian lands, I came across a very powerful, old witch. It wasn't a very nice encounter, on either part. She not only cursed me, but left me almost for dead in a land of darkness and shadows. The rest you know."“And, this curse… what does it do?”Levi clicked his tongue, cussing at himself for having accepted to tell Eren about this. “As it slowly crawls up through my skin, it takes away my strength and life force. Once it consumes my entire body, it's easy to guess what will happen. And as if it weren't enough, she cloaked me in a veil of shadows that follow me wherever I go, bringing upon me and those I crossed paths with a string of disaster and foul, nasty luck.”Eren bit his lip, resisting the urge to grimace. “At least those shadows seem to have stopped following you.”Levi only looked mildly surprised at that, offering Eren a small, cryptic smile. “I figured as much. That explains why I've had nothing but good luck since two days ago. I suppose I have you and your lights to thank for that.”Eren felt himself flushing slightly at the man's words of gratitude, feeling happier than he probably should be. A second of comfortable silence spread between them, before he was at it again, fuelled by his insatiable curiosity. "But… what happened between you and that witch? What did you do to her to deserve such punishment?"Steel eyes slowly turned cold, despite the ocher, warm hues of the flames painted across their vastness. "I took away the life of the person she loved most."And Eren saw it then, he saw the form of a man engulfed by impenetrable darkness, wrapping itself around his limbs and squeezing the purity out of him like a ravenous beast. He saw the blue of his eyes stained as red as his hands and as black as the splutters marking his soul, his now dark silhouette standing over the almost angelic, lifeless body of a blonde girl of unpaired beauty, white robes stained deep-crimson and dripping into a pool on the ground. Deafening, gut-wrenching screams of profound sorrow echoed in the background like an ominous, haunting lullaby, as the whole scene was slowly engulfed by shadows."Eren?" the raven asked, staring at him in concern."W—what?" he mumbled, coming back to his senses. He looked around at his surroundings with wide eyes, taking in the dark green of the trees sheltering them from the evils of night, the brown of the soil beneath their feet and the vibrant reds and oranges of the flames dancing around each other."You were... gone, for a couple of minutes."“Oh, I—I'm sorry, I guess I got distracted," he said with a frown of his own, mulling over the sight he'd just seen in his mind."You must be tired. We should go to sleep now, we have a long day ahead of us."And so they found themselves once again lying side by side, their backs facing each other, Eren's heart pounding so loudly inside his chest that he was afraid Levi could hear it too. He couldn't stop thinking about the strange vision from earlier and Levi's words. He had said he'd taken away another life, he'd confessed to being a murderer; how could he not feel afraid after knowing that? It meant Levi's darkness wasn't a product of his curse—it had come well before it.Panic slowly crept through his veins at the thought, heavy and constricting, and he had the sudden urge to move, to shake those thoughts away. Rolling over his back to his other side, he almost yelped upon coming face to face with Levi, who had apparently rolled over too at some point or another, without him noticing. Craning his neck and chest away with eyes as wide as plates, Eren had to will himself to stay still and keep quiet, lest he wake him up. As the shock wore off, he surveyed Levi's face with narrowed eyes, making sure he was still asleep; only then did Eren allow himself to relax, dropping his head onto the mat and curling up into himself. From this close, he could see every detail on Levi’s small, sharp face, like the little wrinkles dusting his skin. He could even make out almost every one of the dark, long lashes lining his fine eyelids. For the first time since they'd met, he wondered how old he was—certainly older than he appeared at first sight, if those wrinkles were anything to go by. Though the lack of a glare and a frown on his sleeping features took some years off him, making him look strangely peaceful and harmless, almost even content. Was he truly someone evil, someone stained by greed and wrath, a morally-dubious criminal, someone Eren couldn't trust? But how could that be? So far, all Levi had shown him was generosity and kindness, in his own crude way.Eren breathed out, slowly, reminding himself that he didn't know the whole story—he couldn't just judge Levi of being a bad, immoral being without knowing exactly what had led him to commit such a despicable act, even if what he'd seen in that strange vision left little to be thought. Maybe he'd done it to defend himself, or because the person in question was dangerous and evil. In any case, there was no way for him to know without asking Levi more about it, though he wasn't too keen on trying. It wasn't exactly an easy subject to approach, at least not without angering him. And who was he to judge, anyway? ... Especially when he was a criminal now, too."Go to sleep, Eren," Levi suddenly whispered, voice thick with sleep, almost giving him a heart attack. He immediately stilled, eyes widening, not completely sure how the man had known he was awake. And how had he woken up?Not saying anything, Eren kept on staring at Levi's face warily, waiting for him to do something. When after some minutes he didn't, Eren relaxed, assuming—quite naively—he'd fallen back asleep."Eren," Levi warned, this time opening his eyes. He was met with the sight of two startled, shaky forests of green staring back at him."I don't need to sleep!" Eren blurted out, panicking, leaning away onto his back to put some distance between them."What?" Levi said, confused and completely awake now, leaning up on his elbows to look down at the boy, his eyes adjusting to the darkness surrounding them. "Just shut up and go back to sleep.""I told you, I don't need to sleep," Eren muttered, looking up at Levi like a little wild, lost animal."We all do," Levi deadpanned, now regarding him as if he'd grown horns on his head."I... I think I should explain myself better. It's not that I don't, it's more that I can't." At Levi's utterly blank look, he elaborated, "It's a Keeper thing. You see, we can't close our eyes, not even blink. The moment we do," he paused, his mother's forever haunting words playing out in his mind, "we die."Levi blinked slowly, the cold night air mercilessly blowing against his skin and making him shiver. His mind was way too sleep-fogged to react despite the shock he felt, because, what the absolute fuck? Eren couldn't even blink? Wait, how hadn't he noticed that? "Why didn't you say anything?""I did say! I guess you just didn't understand.""How could I, when you made it seem like you..." only now realising Eren had been pretending to sleep for the last two nights, he frowned. "Why even pretend in the first place?""I don't know," Eren mumbled, looking down at his hands as the quiet noises of the night filled up the void, echoing against their hushed voices. "It's been so long since I saw anything but light below my own skin, so long since I last let my world darken, if only for a few moments. I liked pretending I still could, like in the old times when I wasn't a Keeper. And now that I'm no longer alone, I suppose I wanted to feel a bit more normal, too. I'm weird enough already as it is.""Being weird is no crime," Levi said, laying back down against the mat, sending Eren a curious look. "Although I understand, it must suck not being able to sleep."Eren hummed, turning his body slightly to the side so he'd face Levi better, now that both of them were lying on their backs."So, what do you do instead of sleeping? Doesn't it get too boring?"Eren let out a chuckle. "Nothing, really. Just stare around I guess. At some point my brain kinda shuts-off on its own, even if I'm still technically awake, so I don't really get bored waiting for morning to come."“Is that a burden all kinds of Keepers have, or only your kind?”“Well, only my kind. Other Keepers have different burdens, depending on who they guard. For example, Wind Keepers can’t speak, lest the winds inside their souls get blown away with their words. Earth Keepers can’t be touched, or their skin will peel off like dirt off a mountain. And Water Keepers can’t cry, for their life will be drained away through their tears.”Levi could only stare at him in mild awe and horror.Eren let out a heartfelt laugh, amused at the older's reaction. “Come on, it isn’t as awful as it sounds. And in my case, it’s even good! It means I can keep watch as you sleep.”Levi snorted before briefly closing his eyes, the urge to sleep growing stronger. He wanted to give more of a fuck at that intriguing new piece of information, but he was just so goddamn tired. “Pros and cons, I guess,” he settled for, yawning.“Levi, are you—”“Yes, I am. Shut up now," he mumbled, blinking slowly. "Unlike you, I do need my rest.""Ah, sorry, yeah. Go ahead.”Eren watched as Levi's eyelids slowly shut close once more. Without another word, the latter turned away, giving his back to Eren as silence enveloped them once more.Hours passed slowly after that, Eren feeling strangely numbed-out as he waited for dawn to come. He'd managed to put away the thought of the strange vision from earlier, if only for a while, although it was still present in a corner of his mind. It was better to forget about it, he knew. He'd already concluded there was no point in worrying about something he couldn't know for certain, something that probably didn’t even matter by this point. The sun rose not long after, accompanied by a sharp autumn chill and cold morning winds. By the time Levi rose, Eren was already up and about, with a bunch of fruits and berries piled up in his arms. "What are you doing?" was the first thing that left Levi's mouth as he stared up at Eren through half-squinted eyes, trying to get used to the brightness of morning."I was gathering stuff for breakfast," Eren replied casually, approaching Levi. He sat down next to him, placing the food down over a cloth."But we already have plenty of things," Levi said, confused and probably still a little bit drowsy."I just thought it would be nice to eat something different for a change." Shrugging, Eren ran a hand through his hair and lifted one of the berries up to his mouth. Levi followed the movement with his eyes, almost disoriented, taking in the way the boy's pink, soft-looking lips closed in around the plump fruit.Blinking rapidly, he looked away with a frown—what the fuck was he thinking?—busying himself with inspecting the fruits now spread out in front of him. Picking one of the better-looking blueberries out of the pile, he turned it around in his hand to check for mould or bruises, before throwing it into his mouth. As the savour sunk in, he hummed appreciatively, very aware of Eren’s eyes on him and the way they lit up upon seeing his pleased reaction. If he was more awake—and less, well, distracted—he would probably refuse to eat something he hadn't picked out himself, something that hadn't been properly washed and rid of the impurities of nature. And he would have probably scolded the youth for being so reckless, going off who knew how far just to find those berries.But, that presently wasn't the case."Well, you're right, it is quite nice," he said instead, proceeding to pick out another berry, inspecting it in the same manner as the one before. "Although I hope you're aware that fruit isn't enough for a proper breakfast.""Oh, right," Eren answered quickly, flushing slightly. "We can have some bread too."After they were done eating, they stored away the rest of the berries per Eren's insistence, who claimed such good food couldn't just be thrown away, despite Levi insisting they'd soon rot anyway. They set out not long after, once more venturing into the heavy, entrancing wilderness of the forest. After a few hours of walking, they crossed paths with a river of calm, shallow waters and quiet, soft streams, deciding to walk along its bank."Rejoice once you find a river, for a village is always close by," Levi breathed out, a small smile gracing his lips as he approached the edge. Eren rose a surprised eyebrow, not used to seeing Levi so oddly... content. "And, of course, for rivers serve as balms to our suffering, stinking bodies.""Stinking... bodies?" Eren echoed.Sharply turning to him, Levi sent Eren a strange, slightly impatient look. "Get undressed. We're having a bath.""A—What? Right now?" he stammered, taken aback, following Levi’s movements with his eyes as said man started taking off his boots."Yes. Right now," Levi drawled out as if talking to a child, eyelids fluttering down in annoyance."B-But do we really have time for one?""What kind of question is that? There's always time for a bath, when the opportunity presents itself. Have you no sense of personal hygiene?"He didn't really pay attention to Levi's words, too focused on his growing panic. He had never, in all his twenty years of life, bathed with someone who wasn't his mother, understandably so. Most importantly, he had never seen anyone else but himself naked. "I get it, you like being clean. But do I really have to bathe too?""Of fucking course. We've been traveling for three days, I won't have you smelling like a skunk any longer."There wasn't much else Eren could say after that. He could only stare, disoriented, as Levi took off his cloak and then his shirt, revealing lean, muscled arms and a slim chest that extended down to a firm abdomen, and even further down to a nest of black—Eren immediately looked away as if electrocuted, his cheeks burning like fire. He kept his eyes on the ground until he was sure Levi had entered the river."Kid, hurry up. We don't have all day," Levi called out from the water, oblivious to his discomfort. His pale, white skin glistened in the sun, almost as if were made up of thousands of tiny, twinkling diamonds.Eren tried to keep his mind blank as he disrobed himself, doing everything in his power to not feel self-conscious, letting his clothes fall into a heap at his feet. He felt very much aware of the chilly, humid afternoon air hitting his bare skin, making him tremble slightly. Once he was done, he hesitantly turned around towards the river edge, noticing in relief that Levi was facing away from him, at least having the decency to give him some privacy.He quickly stepped into the water, almost slipping on the smooth, wet surface of the riverbed, trying not to shake and grit his teeth as the cold waters touched his skin. After a few seconds he got used to the temperature, and he had enough courage to dip his head underwater.As he resurfaced, he heard Levi sigh contently, eyes closed and head rested against the grass on the river’s edge, little water droplets running down the length of his long, arched-back neck.Eren swallowed, feeling his entire body heating up. After pondering for a second, he decided to swim closer to Levi, and stopped a few meters away from him. Even though he couldn't really see anything from above the surface—or be seen—, he still felt a little bit uneasy. If it was from excitement or from nervousness, he couldn't tell. On top of that, although he couldn't really understand why, he was having a hard time containing the urge to stare (and gape) at Levi's wet, glistening skin, deciding to focus instead on the ever-moving, light-reflecting waters of the river.Probably noticing his discomfort, Levi's lips curled up slightly. "Ease up, Eren. We're both men, there's no need for you to be embarrassed.""I–It's not that, I've just never done this before," he quickly explained, hiding the fact that he did, in fact, feel quite embarrassed. "This all is a little too wild for me.""What, bathing in a river? Don't be ridiculous," Levi snorted, "besides, isn't that what you wanted? To do wild, adventurous things in unusual places?""I-Yeah, I guess so," he replied, laughing softly. “I'll just have to get used to it, then."They stayed in the river for a little while longer, enjoying the feeling of the water against their limbs and scrubbing off the dirt that had settled on their skin during the past few days. In one moment, Eren caught a glimpse of a black, inky splotch of liquid moving underwater, only to realise in slight dread that it was the mark of Levi’s curse on his white, pristine skin. From above the surface it was hard to tell, but it almost looked like the mark had grown in length since the last time he’d seen it, now extending up to his thighs. Did that—did that mean the curse was getting worse? He had no way of knowing, but that seemed logical, didn’t it?Catching a hold of himself, Eren looked away before Levi could notice, not wanting to risk upsetting him with his prying eyes. He would have to ask him later, even if it wasn’t exactly an easy subject to approach.Levi got out first not too long after, dressing himself up after letting his skin dry in the sun. Once more Eren had to focus his gaze on everything but the sight of his naked body, refusing to even as much as take a peek at him, his face almost heating up enough to boil the waters in his surroundings.As Levi packed up camp, Eren got out of the water and dressed up as quickly as he could, almost tripping over his pants in his haste. His hair was still wet when they set out, neither of them wanting to waste any more time than they had, although Levi fervently claimed it hadn't been a waste at all. They walked along the riverbank until the first houses of a village started popping up in their periphery, painting the scene with even more lively colours than the vibrant green of the grass and the vigorous blue of the waters.Once in the village, Eren couldn't keep his eyes to himself as they made their way through its streets, once more taking in all the sights he could, as if afraid they'd disappear right before his eyes. There were peoples of all ages and appearances bustling about, carrying baskets full of bread, fruit and eggs, pulling on ropes tied around the necks of cows and horses of different sizes and breeds and scurrying off to wherever their presence was needed.They walked into the village's tavern and asked for something to eat, Eren's stomach rumbling in anticipation. This tavern's food was better than the one from the first village they'd visited, which explained why upon receiving their plates, Eren practically devoured his fill without much decorum, earning himself a disgusted look from Levi.They continued with their journey once their bellies were full and their provisions replenished, walking through crop fields, grasslands and meadows until flowers and corn plants turned into the tall, robust trees that came together to form mighty, dark forests. And they walked on in mostly silence for the next few hours, Eren a few steps behind Levi, every now and then getting distracted by a curious stone lying on their path, or by an unusual bird flapping its colourful wings over a tree branch. Night soon fell upon them, painting the skies above their heads in red and orange hues that reminded Eren a little too much of home."You think we should make camp now?" Eren asked, gazing out at the shadows being cast out by the darkening trees."Not yet, these lands are not safe to sleep on, they're plagued by bandits," Levi replied, not bothering to look back at Eren as he spoke. "There's a village nearby where we can look for an inn, we should find it within the next hours."It was unfortunate, although in retrospect honestly quite funny, how in that same instant the loud noise of horse hooves screeching against the ground was heard against the void of the forest.Eren and Levi shared a look."What the—""Quiet," Levi warned, eyes sharpening into slits. "That can't mean anything good."They silently approached the source of the noise, hiding behind tree barks and bushes as they moved amongst the shadows, until they spotted a thick, suspicious log lying in the middle of a dirt road. It was a few steps away from a refined two-horse carriage, surrounded by eight or so black, huddled figures in the middle of taking boxes out of it."That carriage is—it's being ransacked!" Eren gasped out, turning to look at Levi with wide eyes. "We have to do something—" "Keep your voice down!" Levi ordered, placing a hand over Eren's mouth to shut him up. "Listen, we shouldn't get involved. We need to leave, hope they don't see us—wait, Eren! What the fuck are you doing? Come back here!"It was useless, though. Levi could only look in dismay as Eren ran off towards the carriage, disregarding all notions of discretion and good judgement in favour of... what the hell was he even doing? They didn't even know if the person inside the carriage was worth them risking their skin! Of course, Eren was aware he was doing something quite stupid, barging right into the wolf's nest, so to speak, but he just couldn't help it. How could he do nothing when a crime was being committed right in front of his eyes? So it wasn't really a surprise that he'd charged right in, throwing himself at one of the black figures lingering over the carriage's door, knocking him off with a punch to the head. He climbed into the carriage and swung the door open, coming face to face with a blond, clearly wealthy young man struggling against the bindings tightly wrapped around his body. Upon seeing Eren, he immediately trashed against the bindings, trying to shout something at him from behind the cloth clogging his mouth. In that moment, two of the bandits threw themselves at Eren, pulling him away from the door and into the ground. He struggled against their weight, trying to get them off of him whilst defending himself from their hits, which was proving to be rather hard. His arms were about to give out when he felt the weight of the men being lifted from him, Levi's face popping up into his vision."Levi!" Eren cried out in relief, looking around the road once he was on his feet. "Where are the others? Did they run away?""No, I took them all down. They won't be waking up for a while," Levi replied with a frown as he dusted himself off, looking particularly annoyed."Wha—all of them ?""Yes, all of them," Levi sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I had no choice, after you recklessly put both of our lives in danger, just to play hero to some probably ungrateful, deranged capital pig!"Eren gasped, feeling incensed. "How can you say that? I had to do something! There's a poor boy in there, all tied up and terrorised because he almost got stripped not only of all of his precious belongings but also his life, and all you think about is your own safety?""That's a bullshit argument, of course I think about our safety, especially yours!"Just on cue, the muffled, high-pitched voice of the boy was heard from inside the carriage, calling out to them. Eren sent Levi a dirty look, probably something like a fuck you, before he hastily turned away towards the carriage.Levi crossed his arms in irritation, before finally sighing and following behind the boy. There was nothing he could do now that Eren had gotten them involved. Once inside the carriage, Eren started undoing the blond's bindings. Per Eren's insistence, Levi carried back the boxes the bandits had attempted to steal, placing them in the back. When he was done, he stayed by the door with his arms crossed, looking over with a raised, unimpressed eyebrow at the blond boy's fair, unblemished features and the fine, expensive clothes he wore below a dark blue coat. For some reason, as his eyes took in the shape of his hair and his big, blue eyes, some sense of familiarity washed over him. Did he know him from somewhere…?When Eren was done, he took the cloth out of the boy's mouth, and he immediately broke into a fit of coughing."Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?""No, no, I'm alright," the blond sniffled, eyes swollen, looking up at both of them with honest, bright eyes. "Thank you, thank you both so very much for saving me! Without you, God knows what would’ve happened to me.""You don’t have to thank us, anyone would’ve done the same thing," Eren assured, smiling down at him. "Still, your bravery and kindness must be rewarded. Tell me, is there anything I can do to repay you?"Strutting around the small inside of the carriage, Levi swept his gaze over the fancy, intricate decorations on its walls. Alright, he had to admit this was quite convenient. They could do with a few gold coins and jewels; it would certainly make their journey easier."Well, for starters, you could..." he halted suddenly, eyes narrowing upon noticing a very particular crest of arms engraved on the walls."Is there something wrong?" Eren asked, frowning at Levi.“You,” he said, turning around and setting his gaze upon the blond boy, eyebrows slightly raised in surprise. So that's why he looked so familiar. "You're the Prince of Maria, aren't you?"The blond pressed his eyes shut, sighing deeply, looking strangely resigned— as if he’d been expecting this to happen at any moment now. "Please, there's no need for formalities. You can call me Armin.""D-did you say prince?" Eren spluttered, looking between the two of them in astonishment, about to have a heart attack. Not in all his twenty years of life would he have dreamed to actually meet a real prince! "Indeed," Prince Armin said, smiling bashfully. "But please don't think that because I'm a prince, I won't reward you appropriately," he added, standing up shakily to face them properly. Eren could only nod stiffly, afraid that if he opened his mouth, he'd let out a very high-pitched, embarrassing squeal.Thankfully, Levi was there to take reins of the situation."Oh, I'm sure you will. But before that, allow me to ask one thing," his lips slightly curled up, a look that coupled to his sharp, glinting eyes was, in all honesty, quite unsettling. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence in our kingdom, Prince Armin?"If Eren hadn't been as nervously excited as he was, he probably would've made some sort of reaction at Levi's words, not being used to hearing him speak in such a polite way—especially after having insulted nobles so fervently before. But since he really didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of a freaking prince, he stilled as best as he could, whilst trying to seem as confident and in ease as Levi. Apparently, it wasn't working, because he soon earned himself a weirded-out, what the fuck are you doing look from said raven."I was headed for the capital. There are some issues I need to discuss with the King.""You're going to Mitras?" Eren gasped, immediately slapping a hand over his mouth. Levi rolled his eyes as Prince Armin let out a laugh, probably finding Eren's nervousness a little amusing."What a coincidence, we were just headed the exact same way," Levi said, resisting the urge to elbow Eren."Truly?" Armin beamed, looking down pensively, "you're absolutely right, it sure is a wonderful coincidence. You could travel with me, if you'd so like."Woah—what?"That's a most kind offer, Prince Armin," Levi said, bowing slightly. "It would certainly be a pleasure to travel with you."Eren could only gape as he witnessed the quick exchange, not quite believing this was happening. They were actually going to travel with a prince? How—how would he be able to behave in a proper way for so long? How could he control his excitement and not make himself look like an annoying, mannerless, stupid peasant? "It's settled, then! I'm sure you'll make great companions for the next couple of days," Armin exclaimed, sitting back down on the velvet seat. "Of course, since it's going to be a pretty short journey, I'll compensate you fully after we arrive at our destination."It was surprising to Eren how easily the Prince had accepted to take them along, despite them not being noblemen and him not even knowing who they were. Was he being foolish, or was he just an abnormally kind prince? Judging by his generous, gentle demeanour and words, it probably was the latter. In any case, that reassured him quite a bit, making him feel less nervous and inclined to act in an overly proper, careful manner around him.Speaking of travelling, Eren looked down with a frown, a little fact bothering him. "Um, Your Highness, there's just one problem. There's... no coachman? And where are your guards?""Oh, no! I had completely forgotten about that," Armin worried, placing a palm over his mouth. "We got separated from them right before the bandits attacked, and I'm afraid the coachman seems to have run away.""Don't worry about it. I'll get us over to Mitras safely and in no more than three days," Levi spoke, approaching the carriage door. "For now, we should head off to the nearest village to rest for the night.""Wait, are you saying you'll drive us there yourself?" Eren questioned, eyebrows raised."I've done it before," Levi merely said, his voice slightly strained. Eren sent him an alarmed look upon watching him walk away, only now realising he'd be staying inside, alone, with the prince. Was Levi seriously going to just leave him there?Apparently he was, since without another word, he sent Armin a curt nod, before jumping out of the carriage and closing the door behind him."I... I guess I'll stay in here, then," Eren muttered, willing himself to relax and to act as natural as he could. He wouldn't want to weird-out or overwhelm the Prince with his slightly fidgety behaviour and irritable questions, would he? Though he knew he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of asking him all about his princely life. He could already imagine the wondrous, intriguing experiences he must've lived through."Oh yes, please do," Armin smiled up at him, eyes crinkling as the carriage started moving. "I can't wait to know all about you two and your journey.""Our journey?" Eren echoed, averting his eyes as he sat down in the seat opposite to the blond. "Well, I hope I won't bore you, Your Highness.""I'm sure that won't be the case. Why don't you start by telling me your names?""Uh..." he trailed off, unsure of whether he should answer with the truth or not. Well, both of them were on the run, weren't they? He couldn't afford to give out their names so freely, not even to the prince of a neighbouring kingdom. "I'm called Ernst, and my companion is Leon, Your Highness.""It's a pleasure to meet you, Ernst. And, as I said, there's not need for formalities. Please, just call me Armin," the blond insisted."Alright, A-Armin," Eren tried, flushing slightly at how shaky his voice had come out."So, Ernst, why are you two heading off to Mitras?""We, uh," he gulped, thinking of something that wouldn't sound too bullshitty. "We're visiting our sister. She's... getting married.""Your sister? So you and Leon are brothers?""Yep." Eren resisted the urge to grimace, only realising now how stupid that sounded. Him and Levi, brothers? They didn't even look alike!"That's wonderful, you must be so happy! What's her name?""...Mikasa," Eren said slowly, fixing his eyes on the moving trees outside the window in an effort to keep himself from grimacing, wanting so hard to hit himself. Was that witch's name seriously the only female name he could think of? "We love her very much," he added, trying to make himself sound more believable. "I don't have any sisters. Or brothers," Armin said, lips curling up into a sad smile. "You're lucky to have grown up with other people around you."It shouldn't have made him feel as bad as it had, lying to Armin. But it did. He knew, he knew exactly what it felt like, to grow up completely alone. He wanted so much to say he understood, to make the prince know he'd suffered from that same loneliness too. But he couldn't. "I suppose I am. Although many would argue you're very lucky yourself, being a prince and all.""Oh," the blond laughed, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Of course. I have everything I could ever wish for, and I've done more things than many will in their lifetimes."Eren frowned at the Prince's tone. "...But?"Armin looked outside the window, the reflection of the trees mixing with the blue of his eyes. "But being a prince isn't as wonderful as it seems. There are too many responsibilities, too many duties, too many appearances to keep," he sighed, "and not enough freedom."And again, Eren knew exactly what he meant. He remembered clearly the pressure, the monotony and meaninglessness of his life as a Keeper, the desire for something more, anything at all. But, even so, his situation wasn't exactly like Armin's. Whereas the Prince claimed to not have enough freedom, even though he'd probably travelled through more kingdoms than Eren knew existed, savoured the most delicious, exquisite foods in all the realms and gotten to know all kinds of unique, prodigious people, Eren hadn't had any freedom at all."Then all you have to do is wait until you become king. Won't you be free then?"Armin pursed his lips pensively, looking slightly upset. Eren wondered if maybe he'd said something impertinent, if Armin would be angered by the dismissiveness he'd treated his unhappiness with. But before he could worry, the prince's face broke into a small, gentle, almost hopeful smile. "Yes, maybe I will."All remaining light vanished from the sky in the minutes that followed, the trees they'd pass by becoming indistinguishable from the dark void. As the quiet night enveloped them, houses started taking up the place of trees, welcoming them into yet another village. Before they realised it, the carriage had stopped in front of an inn, and soon Levi was there, opening the door for them. They climbed down, Armin making sure his cloak covered him well enough so as to not draw any attention to himself. A porter soon came to fetch their bags, leading them inside the inn."I hope this will suit your expectations," Levi whispered to the blond as their eyes took in the interior. It was a very nice, homey-looking inn, clearly for wealthy travellers, although not luxurious enough for the likes of a prince. "Oh, definitely, I'm used to staying in austere, cozy places, there's no need for excess."When they arrived at the front desk, Armin asked, "I suppose you two would be more comfortable sharing a room, wouldn't you?"Levi turned to Eren, confusion evident on his eyes. "W-what? O-Oh, um," Eren said with a grimace, for some reason feeling the need to avoid Levi’s eyes. "Yes, that would be preferable." When the blond was done paying, the innkeeper led them upstairs to show them to their rooms, handing them the keys before leaving. "I suppose it's in all our interests to wake up tomorrow as early as possible. We should meet for breakfast at sunrise," Armin proposed, unlocking his room."That seems reasonable," Levi agreed."Alright, then. Ernst, Leon, I bid you goodnight and the most pleasant of dreams."From the corner of his eyes, Eren saw Levi’s eyebrows rising in what could only be amusement, probably at the names he’d chosen. Both of them curtly answered back with goodnights, watching the blond disappear behind the door of his room.Once they'd made their way into their own room, Levi sharply turned to Eren. "So, Ernst, what was all that about? What did you tell him?""I told him we were brothers," Eren quickly said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, afraid that having gone ahead without permission and telling Armin so many things—even if they were lies—might have upset Levi. "I just figured we wouldn't have to explain anything with that as an excuse. And when he asked for our names, I thought you wouldn't want anyone knowing our real ones, so I made those ones up."The raven hummed. "Good. That was smart of you."Eren was slightly thrown aback by that. It was a compliment, wasn’t it? Wait, or was Levi just being sarcastic? "Do… you mean that?""Why wouldn't I? I know you're astute, kid. If I didn't, do you think I would've trusted you to stay inside the carriage with the prince?""I-I suppose not," Eren stammered, cheeks flushing slightly as he tried to fight down a smile."What else did he ask? I'm sure he must've been quite curious," Levi continued, walking over to one of the beds before sitting down. Eren followed suit, sitting down on the empty one."He asked what business we had in Mitras. I didn't really know what to say, so I said we were going to our sister's wedding.""You sure got inspired, huh, little brother?" Levi teased, allowing a small smile to grace his lips.Eren laughed lightly, shaking his head. "I still can't believe that out of all the nobles out there, we had to stumble across a freaking prince.""What’s this we I’m hearing? It was you who got us involved despite—""—despite you telling me not to, yeah, yeah, I know." Eren rolled his eyes in fake annoyance, although his smile gave him away."Well," Levi said, eyes glinting in amusement and something else Eren couldn't quite place, "I can't say I complain, since it shortened our journey by a good six days.""You're welcome, then," Eren joked, doing a mock-reverence. "Next time, you should just let me throw myself at danger without reproach. Maybe I'll find us a unicorn, a leprechaun or a dragon’s gold.""As tempting as that sounds, you know I won't," Levi said, leaning back against the bed with a yawn. Eren merely grinned, letting his eyes land on the dark night sky peeking at them through the windows.After a few seconds of silence, Levi spoke again. "Alright, it’s gotten pretty late. I think we should sleep now—or, well, I should, whatever. Can you blow off the candles?""Sure," Eren replied, standing up from the bed. A few seconds later, the room was engulfed by darkness. "Goodnight, Levi.""Goodnight, kid."Eren spent the night sitting on his bed, thinking about nothing in particular despite having a great deal of things to think about. It was best to avoid them, and thankfully, he was good at that. Every now and then he would pace around the room, finding himself more often than not stopping in front of Levi's bed and watching over his sleeping, dim features. He didn't really know why, but he enjoyed watching him sleep. He just looked so calm, so peaceful and vulnerable, enticingly so. It was probably very... creepy, but it wasn't as if he had anything better to do.Morning soon came, and they made their way downstairs to the breakfast hall, where Armin was waiting for them. They exchanged curt words and stories as they ate, Armin taking that time as an opportunity to practically interrogate Levi with enthusiasm, since he had yet to talk to him like he'd done with Eren. When they were done eating, they wasted no time to go fetch their things and leave the inn. Once again, Eren sat inside the carriage with Armin, listening to tales of his homeland and his travels across nothing less than wonderful, bizarre lands full of strange, mythical creatures and wondrous peoples of colours and cultures he didn’t know existed. It was so fascinating, so utterly absorbing, that he didn't even notice when morning turned into afternoon, not until Levi stopped the carriage for lunch. Armin had been carrying with him meat and vegetables, which he kindly shared in exchange for bread. They continued with the journey after they were done eating, the Prince resuming the tale where he'd left it off. Every now and then, he would ask Eren about his life, and Eren would be forced to lie about how he'd grown up with Leon and Mikasa in a nice, peaceful fishing village in the North of Sina."When it comes to me, I have no idea how to fish or even hunt. I probably wouldn't survive alone a day out in the wild," Armin said, trying to sound casual, yet sounding a little pitiful and self-deprecating."Oh, I'm sure that's not true. You would get the hang of it pretty quickly, it's not something that requires much skill or artful mastery," Eren assured, feeling a bit guilty about having to be so untruthful to the Prince, when he didn't even know how to do those things himself. "Besides, I'm sure there must be many other things you're much more skilled at, like sword fights and battle strategies.""Right. Because I'm a prince," Armin muttered, looking slightly dejected.Eren furrowed his brows, not understanding the Prince's sudden change in mood. He knew Armin wasn't exactly all too pleased about being a prince, but why was he this upset? Maybe he didn't think he was truly capable or worthy of being one, a feeling he knew well.For some reason, Eren felt the sudden urge to reassure the blond, to convince him that he was the smartest, worthiest and most noble prince of them all, but he couldn't just tell him that when he didn't even know if it was true, or else it'd sound like cheap flattery. He didn't really know much about the prince after all, despite, strangely, feeling like he knew him all too well."If it's not too discourteous of me to ask," he said instead, setting his eyes upon the blond's, "Is there something you wish you could've been, if you had never been born a prince?""There is," Armin's lips pulled up into a little smile and he dropped his eyes down, his expression becoming slightly dreamy. "I've always wanted to be a sailor.""A sailor?" Eren echoed, finding the blond's answer odd, yet somehow fitting. "I see. It must be an exciting life, full of travels and adventures. Is there's somewhere in particular you'd like to go?""There's not really a place, I just want to go wherever the winds take me. Anywhere,” Armin enthused, a gentle yet passionate gleam lighting up his eyes not unlike the last lights of a setting sun reflected on vast, clear ocean waters. "That way, I would always be free."Eren could only smile in response, feeling warmth spreading through his body at the thought of the prince's heartfelt, unattainable dream.Slowly and imperceptibly, evening and then night came once more as they arrived at yet another village with slightly less colourful houses and less colourful people than the ones before. According to Armin, that was a sign they were arriving at Sina's core, getting farther and farther away from the modesty, vitality and peace of the countryside. They managed to find a nice inn to rest in, paying for similar room arrangements as the day before.And it was only when the first streaks of sunlight lit up the sky that Eren realised, as he looked over the quiet, dormant village through the inn's narrow windows, how odd the slightly taller, narrower, more refined yet somehow gloomier houses and buildings of the village looked, in comparison to those he'd grown used to seeing in all the previous villages. After breakfast and once aboard the carriage, as they passed by those same grayish, bleak and depressingly somber houses, he couldn’t help to voice his curiosity to the Prince."Whatever do you mean?" Armin replied, looking strangely tense as he smiled up at Eren in apparent confusion, eyes glimmering ambiguously."I don't know, It's just," Eren frowned, trying to read the prince’s expression. "Other villages don't look quite as… as abandoned, somber and dimmed out as this one, despite them being clearly poorer."The prince's smile faltered for a second, before it was up again. "This isn't exactly a village, it's more like a small city. It's bound to be dirtier and more chaotic, don't you think?""Well, yes, but that's not what I mean. It's almost as if there was some sort of dark weight lurking about, sucking the light out of every street, house and person in sight."Armin pursed his lips, shrugging his shoulders. "Really? I haven't noticed anything of the sort. Maybe you're imagining things.""I'm not," Eren shot in indignation, only to close his mouth with a click a second later, realising his impertinence. "I–I apologise, Your Highness, it's just," he paused, looking up at Armin in exasperation, "I feel something here. I—I can't explain it, but every time I feel this way, it means something's off. Terribly off."Armin blinked up at him a couple of times, appearing clueless and confused, yet calculatedly so. Eren kept on staring at him determinedly, unwilling to give up, searching for an answer in those big, blue eyes and trying to understand why he was suddenly acting in such an odd, strained manner.After a while of intense staring, Eren knew he'd won when Armin finally averted his eyes, sighing in defeat and running a hand through his blond locks."This is troublesome," the Prince muttered as he shook his head, looking slightly upset. "I'm not supposed to speak word of this to anyone."Eren only leaned in closer to the Prince, feeling himself growing more and more desperately curious by the second."It's… not just this village. As of a few days, every village, especially those farther away from the North of Sina, find themselves in this plight. I was in Rose when I was informed there had been an... incident, so to speak. Of the magical sort. The light enchantments and protection spells that guard and strengthen Maria, and it seems now Sina and probably the rest of Paradis too, are slowly vanishing. It can only mean one thing, and it is the responsibility of Sina's King to deal with it, per the agreement he holds with all the other kingdoms."Eren felt a heavy weight settle in his gut at those words, and had to forcefully stop himself from wincing in horror. This— was this what he thought it was? Levelling his voice, he asked, "And what was this incident about?"Looking quite conflicted, Armin bit his lip. "I'm afraid I've told you enough."Eren tried not to look too disappointed and nodded, focusing his attention on the road.Shit.He willed himself to drown the panic, frustration and guilt that were slowly filling him up as the words further sank in. Even if the Prince hadn’t exactly told him what was going on, he’d told him enough. Enough for him to realise it was exactly as he feared: whatever was going on, it was all his fault. "Don't worry, I don't really understand any of it,” he claimed, making a big effort so his voice would sound steady, lest he make himself seem suspicious.That seemed to work, for Armin's seriousness melted away into a soft laugh before he said, "Well, you know what the say. Ignorance is bliss.""Yeah," Eren huffed, shifting in his seat. "It must be a burden, dealing with matters of such importance on a daily basis. You weren't lying when you said it was tough to be a prince."“It's a royal pain,” Armin said, grinning wide as Eren let out a laugh at his very bad play on words.As morning went on, they continued talking about the same sort of light, mundane things as the day before, namely the blond's adventures and his exciting yet taxing life as a prince, and in equal measure about Eren's made-up, peaceful and idyllic and life as a countryboy. And in between stories they laughed and laughed, throwing witty words and jokes at each other, a permanent smile making its way into Eren’s face for the rest of the voyage. His eyes were practically bursting out with glee—not only was he lucky enough to be exchanging words with a prince, delighting Eren’s ears with the most incredible tales, but he’d also managed to get wonderfully along with him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun. Was this what having a friend felt like?They passed by another somber village a bit after midday and stopped for lunch, setting out soon after to take advantage of daylight. And soon enough, the blue of the sky turned into soft oranges and pinks, just as they reached the gates of Mitras. Before he could notice how much time had passed, the carriage had already stopped, and soon Levi was right next to them, opening the door."Here we are, in Mitras at last,” Levi said, looking up at Armin. At those words, Eren couldn’t help feeling a pang of disappointment. "I trust you've arranged for someone to lead you to the castle?" "I have, you needn't worry. What about you?""We'll find our way to an inn easily enough."The prince nodded and stood up, before approaching the carriage door and handing a pouch over to Levi. "Here, this is the rest of what I promised you.""We're most grateful for your kindness, Prince Armin. It will be remembered."Armin smiled, shaking his head. "Thank you, Leon, for bringing us safely, just as you promised. You'd make a wonderful knight. I wish you'd work for me," Armin joked, making Levi let out a small, sincere laugh. "Your words honour me, Your Highness. I hope your journey ends with success." Levi then bowed his head, bidding farewell to Armin. Before leaving the carriage, he looked over at Eren, beckoning him with a jerk of the head to get out too."I suppose this is goodbye, then," Eren said, smiling down at Armin, feeling increasingly saddened by the fact that their journey had come to an end. He'd really enjoyed meeting the prince and exchanging not only words but also countless stories and smiles with him. His only regret was not being able to be completely truthful to him."If we ever cross paths again, it will be as friends," Armin stated, his gentle smile becoming wider with promise as he reached a hand out towards Eren, which the latter took gladly in his own. "Until then, I wish you two and your sister a prosperous, happy life.""Thank you," Eren smiled back, wide, toothy and warm like a summer sun. "And I wish for all of your dreams to become true, someday."The expression Armin made then, blue eyes shining with the sweetness of wish and hope, would remain with him for as long as he lived.Giving one final nod, Eren climbed down from the carriage, following behind Levi as they made their way past the guards and through the city gates, trying not to turn back to sneak one more glance at the prince.It was silent as they both quickly made their way through the empty, darkening stone streets. As much as Eren wanted to turn his head around in all directions and sight-see, there wasn't much he could do, with how dark the sky was becoming.Soon enough, they stumbled across a nice-looking inn. Eren was about to suggest they pay for a room with just one bed since he wouldn't be needing one for himself, but didn't when he realised how weird it would sound. They had considerably more money now anyway—and that was thanks to him— so he shouldn't be worrying about cutting costs so much.Once in their room, Levi immediately made his way to one of the beds, dropping himself down on it.“You look tired,” Eren commented, walking over to sit on the chair by the window, in front of Levi's bed.“I’m fine, my muscles are just a bit sore from all the driving,” the man dismissed. “You are the one who looks rather tired.”“Me? I— I feel alright.”Levi shrugged, leaning his head back to rest it against the headboard. “Well then, if not tired, then I’d say you seem almost sad. But what do I know?” Sad, Eren echoed in his mind, sighing as the feelings of frustration and guilt he'd been trying so hard to ignore earlier surfaced once more.“I’m... just worried. I learnt some bad news from Prince Armin earlier.”“About what?” Levi inquired, that having piqued his interest.“The kingdom. It’s starting to weaken, and—and it’s all my fault,” Eren explained, voice strained, looking down. “But it’s not just Sina. It’s extending to the other kingdoms too, that’s why the Prince was here! Because I—” he cut himself off in exasperation, wincing with guilt. “Because I abandoned my duties, because I was selfish, greedy, and put the weight of my own happiness above that of everyone else’s.”Levi pursed his lips together in thought. “It was only a matter of time before that happened,” he reasoned, seemingly oblivious to the extent of Eren's affliction. “But whether or not you’re guilty, there’s nothing you can do about it now. You can only move forward, holding on to the decision you made that day inside the cave, willing yourself to honour all the people you’ll wrong by feeling as little regret as you can.”“But how can I? I know I told you I wanted this more than I could ever explain, and that’s still the case—I mean, if I could go back I would definitely make the same choice—but right now I just can’t not feel regret, knowing that my selfishness will cost the safety of the whole of Paradis!”Levi brought his eyebrows together, stern eyes boring into the youth. “Eren, you are allowed to be selfish, to fight for your own freedom. There's no reason why you should be a prisoner of the kingdoms, a slave of the whims of magic. Let someone else take responsibility, I'm sure the King will sort things out soon enough and appoint someone else for the role. It won't be the end of the world.”Eren furiously shook his head at Levi's words. He didn't understand a thing, that wasn't how it worked! There was a reason why his kind served the kingdom. And it wasn't like just anyone could be a Keeper, or like the King would just let him go with impunity! Burying his face into his palms in frustration, he tried to keep himself from breaking down in angry tears.“Eren,” Levi called, feeling increasingly puzzled by the boy's shift in attitude. He eyed him cautiously as he moved closer to him, trying to figure out what was going on. He could tell he was feeling extremely frustrated and guilty—more than just sad, as he'd guessed before—but the reason why was beyond him. Was he about to have a breakdown? He sure as hell hoped not.When instead of a reply he received a sob, Levi’s suspicions were confirmed and he cursed silently to himself, rubbing a hand through his face. What the hell was he supposed to do to now to calm him down?Awkwardly, he crouched down in front of him, hesitating for a second before his next actions. “Eren,” he repeated, grabbing the youth's wrists to pry his hands away from his face. “Eren, look at me. Everything will be alright.”“No, it won’t,” Eren choked out, swallowing another sob. “Don't you remember what I told you? For a new Keeper to come forth, I can’t be alive. The only way for me to make things right is to give up my life.”Levi resisted the urge to grimace, feeling suddenly awful. How could he forget that little, crucial detail? Now that explained why Eren was feeling so distraught.“Listen to me, Eren. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, like throwing away something as precious as your life for the sake of others—especially for the sake of a shitty, capricious and corrupt kingdom. You and your kind are the ones who hold the power, the ones who Kings and Queens should bow down to. It’s only thanks to you that magic exists in this realm, and as such you should have the right to decide over its fate,” Levi asserted, voice unusually gentle, tilting his head from side to side to try and catch a hold of Eren’s eyes, which up until now had been firmly set on the floor.Eren could only frown at the raven’s words, trying to hold the tears in. Him, being more powerful than royals? Having total control over his own desires and not having to venerate a kingdom that was, according to Levi, unscrupulous and corrupt?All those things sounded completely crazy. And yet…And yet in a little corner of his mind, they made sense.And once his mind rationalised those simple, idealistic words, it was astounding how much they could tranquilize him, placating his fears and guilt in a way he could’ve never done himself. The more he thought about it, the more everything Levi had said felt true and right, even if he knew not everyone—especially not the Watchers nor the King—would agree with it. But it felt true to him, and that’s what mattered.Taking in a deep, calming breath, Eren finally looked up at Levi with red, watery eyes, and was struck by the utter softness and understanding written over his usually stoic features.“Besides,” Levi went on now that he held Eren's attention, a faint, reassuring smile making its way into his lips. “Paradis can survive without Light magic. In fact, it could even survive without any magic at all, like it used to in the eras of the past when magic wasn’t a tool, but the very fibre of life. Things changed once already, nothing is stopping them from changing back again.”Having now completely calmed down, Eren came crashing back to his senses, feeling his cheeks growing hot with embarrassment once he realised he'd just broken down in front of Levi, not only making himself look like a total crybaby but also burdening him with the task of comforting him.“I- y-yeah, you’re right,” he muttered, furiously wiping at his face with the sleeves of his shirt, as if it would erase all evidence of his moment of weakness. He resisted the urge to look away from Levi, who in the meantime had leaned back against the bedstead and was looking at him with increasingly amused eyes. “I’m—I’m terribly sorry, for making you see me in such a pitiful state. I know I’m already a burden to you, and I don’t want you to ever think that I regret any of this, especially since you insisted so, so much on me being completely sure from the very beginning, and—and I guess what I’m trying to say is, I promise you’ll never see me like this again, and I assure you I won’t change my mind or lose my resolve to stay on this path, so please forgive me for being such a weak—”“Eren,” Levi cut off, shaking his head softly. “I understand. You don't have to apologise for anything.”Eren opened his mouth to protest, but the complete sincerity and lack of judgement in Levi’s words and the almost tenderness in his eyes made him close it right back. And suddenly all he could feel was warmth, the sight of the stern yet inexplicably kind man in front of him making his chest fill up with what he could only guess was gratitude—and an unknown, much too pleasant emotion he had no name for.“Thank you, Levi,” he whispered sincerely, eyelids fluttering slightly, letting a relieved, small smile spread across his face. The raven was slightly taken aback for a moment, drinking in the beautiful way Eren’s forest-green, still glassy eyes lit up with a warmth he'd never seen on him before. “Don't mention it, kid,” he dismissed, feeling strangely flustered, looking away quickly.“I think I’ll go to sleep now,” he announced a second later, lying back down on the bed. “All that talk has made me tired.”“Uh, sorry,” Eren apologised, although he knew Levi wasn’t complaining. “Goodnight, Levi. Have pleasant dreams.”“Hopefully I will," Levi said, offering Eren a gentle, almost invisible smile.Levi fell asleep pretty quickly after that. His breathing was the only thing filling in the silence of the dark, starry night, constant and ever-present until morning came. And for the first time in days and maybe even years, as he became more and more drunk on the warmth that still lingered inside his chest, Eren was able to pass the hours without any troubling, afflicting thoughts eating at him, losing himself in the gentleness of night and the soft echoes of Levi's words.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Levi woke up with the first rays of sunlight, the call of morning bringing him back to the world of the awake. After getting themselves ready for the day to come and eating a particularly tasty breakfast—as expected of the capital—they left the inn to get on with whatever it was they'd come here to do."So... what now?" Eren asked after a long while of walking through the busy, polished city streets, almost panting. He was having a hard time keeping up with Levi's fast pace."We're meeting with someone," Levi replied without turning back to face Eren, who just pouted.They walked on for about half an hour more, passing through main roads, squares and alleyways alike, too fast for Eren's liking. It left him with almost no time to look around and admire the symmetrical, grandiose beauty of capital buildings and the rich grace of the people walking through its streets.Finally, they stopped in front of a plain-looking, gray establishment that contrasted sharply against the adorned and refined buildings of the square. As they made their way inside through empty, bone-white corridors, Eren felt himself growing strangely nervous. After minutes of walking in silence, they finally reached a door at the end of the corridor. Levi pulled it open without so much as knocking, revealing, to Eren's complete astonishment, an eccentrically decorated, psychedelically colourful room filled to the brim with curtains and hanging tapestries, extravagant trinkets of mystical appearances and an abundance of candles and crystals of all hues and colours that brightly shone and refracted in all directions, making the place look like an extraordinarily bizarre kaleidoscope of madness.Eren's mouth practically fell to the floor in awe, staring with enraptured eyes at the sheer amount of glimmering, curious and completely unknown objects lying about in a wonderfully absurd mess, feeling as if his eyes would pop out of their sockets and fall to the ground if he kept on staring as intently as he was.Next to him, Levi made a sound of disgust, shaking his head. "This place still looks like an utter shithole.""Levi!" a voice exclaimed from behind a curtain, and right then a messy head of auburn hair excitedly emerged into their field of vision. It was a woman, not much older than Levi, dressed in white robes with colourful, embroidered cloths draped around her frame. Eren gasped in surprise when he noticed her eyes. They were an unnervingly pale, paper-white, practically transparent colour, and yet they held so much vigour and life in them. It was perplexing.She slowly approached them with a giddy smile plastered on her face, her bare feet screeching against the wooden floor. "Please, don't just stand in there. Come in!"Levi sighed and walked inside with his usual uninterested expression, Eren hesitantly following close behind. The woman led them over to a table in the back of the room and gestured for them to sit down, before sitting herself down opposite to them.Once they were all seated, she let her eyes roam over the two men with a conspiring smile, making Eren sink down in his seat, feeling increasingly nervous and self-conscious under the force of her stare. "I see you found what you were looking for," the woman addressed Levi despite her eyes being pinned on Eren’s, her smile becoming impossibly wider."If you think that, then you're a shittier Seer than I imagined," Levi said bitterly, his eyebrows pulling down into a scowl. "The fucking information you gave me was wrong. I found jack shit.""Oh, dear," the woman whispered, looking at Eren with something like sympathy—or amusement. He really couldn't tell. "He just called you jack shit ."Eren didn't know how to reply to that. All he could do was look in confusion between Levi and the woman, trying to understand what was going on."Spare us the nonsense! Why the fuck did you send me to the wrong place? Did you find it amusing, toying with my desperation in such a way, when you knew how urgently I needed to break my curse?" Levi almost shouted, eyes sharp and furious and red, looking the most upset Eren had ever seen him since they'd met.Despite the menacing presence in front of her, the woman didn't even blink, offering Levi a mere shrug. "I know your words told me you needed to find the Sacred Fountain, but that's not what your heart told me.""And how the fuck would you know what my—fuck, you know what? Forget it. Coming here was a waste of time," Levi muttered, feeling his rage slowly melt into frustration and annoyance."Nooo, Levi, don't get mad at me!" the woman mock-wailed, yet clearly uncaring and unbothered by Levi's annoyance."Then just give me the courtesy of an explanation!"She sighed dramatically, toying with a strand of auburn hair. "Even if I had told you where the Fountain was, you wouldn't have been able to find it. You needed a Keeper's help," she explained, her eyes landing on the brunet. "And this particular Keeper, Eren, needed yours.""How do you know my name?" Eren chimed in, amazed and slightly frightened."Oh, I know many things about you, honey," the woman replied casually as if it wasn't something extremely creepy, shifting her attention back to Levi, who was furiously glaring at her."And why the fuck didn't you just tell me all this last time I was here?""Because you would have insisted on going alone. I know you, Levi.”Saying nothing, Levi just crossed his arms, looking too much like a sulky child for it not to be funny.“But now that you're actually prepared,” she continued, “I can finally comply with your request."They stared at her in confusion as she leaned forward towards them, extending her arms before placing a palm over each of their foreheads. However, upon making contact with their skin, she immediately snatched her hands away as if burnt and let out an ear-piercing, loud shriek that ripped through the room, echoing chillingly for the next few seconds.“You should be dead. Both of you—you weren’t supposed to meet like this, not now, not here,” she gasped out, her white, shaking orbs rolling up to the back of her head.Eren could only stare at her in awe and confusion, utterly entranced by the otherworldly scene playing out in front of his eyes, the meaning of her words completely lost on him. He felt a strange sense of deja-vu crawling up inside of him, as if this weren't the first time he'd met the woman, as if he'd already been subjected to her barely-sane, mad words, making the situation all the more surreal."What the hell, Hange! Your words make no sense! Didn't you just say we had to meet so we could help each other?"The Seer hummed, her delirious eyes focusing back into reality. Suddenly, she jerked in her seat, clapping her hands together in excitement with a loud sound that made both Eren and Levi flinch back. "Oh, I did! I did just say that, didn't I? This is so interesting!"Eren heard Levi mutter a curse under his breath, probably on the brink of exploding from annoyance. "Stop wasting our time and just tell us what we need!""Alright, alright, sheesh. Calm down," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. "Let's see... The temple you're looking for is either in the northern woodlands of the kingdom of Maria, or in the eastern shores of the kingdom of Rose."A beat of silence passed between them, and then Levi was scowling again. "What do you mean either ? How can you not know which one it is?""Well, I can't know everything," she poorly excused herself, smiling unapologetically."Wait, then how come you know so much about me?" Eren interjected, feeling just as puzzled as Levi."Oh, well, that's because the King is looking for you. He's made public some information about you and ordered a bunch of wanted signs to be placed all over the kingdom. They’re honestly quite hard to miss."Eren felt himself pale at those words, turning towards Levi with an expression of slight panic. The latter just whispered, "Well, shit.""Oh, don't worry, the description wasn't very specific. The only real clue were your eyes, and you've already gotten that problem out of the way."That answer didn't calm Eren at all, but his focus shifted when a new question popped up in his mind. "But how did you even know where my temple was, if you can't tell which temple is which? Are you sure you're a real Seer?""Hey! Don't insult my abilities!" Hange exclaimed, pouting slightly. "I was skilled enough to find it thanks to my brilliance and astounding talent, thank you very much! However, that was only because it was in Sina's territory. Locating a temple becomes harder when it's under another kingdom's domain. On top of it, temples are especially hard to locate since they’re protected against all kinds of magic, even of the divining sort. I really can’t do anything beyond getting a vague idea of where it might be, anything else is beyond my power.” "Alright, whatever. If that's all you can tell us, then I don't see any reason to stay in this God awful place any longer. It's giving me a headache," Levi said, standing up from the chair and walking towards the door."How can you be so cold, Levi? Aren't you going to show any gratitude to this old friend of yours?"Levi paused, staying still for a few seconds before he sighed, looking over his shoulder at Hange with a small, betraying smile on his lips."Thank you," he said, soft and surprisingly sincere. "Goodbye, Hange."Without another word, he walked through the door, apparently forgetting that Eren was still inside the room, or maybe expecting him to wordlessly follow behind him."A curious one, isn't he? Oh, and he's so cute when he gets mad," Hange commented once he'd left, almost fondly, directing her full attention to Eren now that he was the only one in the room.Eren gaped at her in sudden disorientation, feeling stupid for staying frozen in place and not following behind Levi. He awkwardly stood up, conscious of the woman's amused gaze upon him."Uh, well, thank you for everything, Miss Hange. I guess I'll just... be going..." he mumbled, smiling awkwardly at her, taking one last look around the odd yet incredibly fascinating room. He would never forget its extravagance... or hers, for that matter. "Eren," she called out before he could so much as give a step away towards the door. "I'm really, really sorry."Confused, he frowned down at her. "For what?"Sighing, she shook her head, looking strangely grim. "You will see."Before he could question her about it, he heard Levi's voice calling to him from the hallway. Giving one last look at the mad, yet completely intriguing Seer, Eren ran out of the room to catch up with the raven, his mind still stuck on her last words."What took you so long?" Levi inquired as they left the building, walking once more into the busy city streets."I just got distracted," he said, which wasn't a complete lie. "So what will we do now? We still don't know where the temple is.""Hange gave us good intel, despite it being incomplete. Both Maria and Rose are east from Sina, Maria being the farthest away. In other words, we can go to both temples without having to make a significant detour. If Rose’s not the one, then Maria’s has to be.""Oh," Eren said, feeling relieved. "That makes sense. How long would it take us, exactly?""On foot, it would take less than a week to reach Rose, and three more to reach the south of Maria. It's a good thing we're travelling on horseback.""Woah, really?" Eren exclaimed, not quite believing he'd actually have the chance to ride an actual horse. "How will we get horses, though? Aren't they really expensive?""Yes, but now we have more than enough money, thanks to that little blond prince."Eren was about to say he's just as tall as you, but bit back the words. He'd already seen Levi upset once today, he wouldn't want to make that twice. Now that they had the information they needed, they walked around for another couple of hours, stopping at markets and stores to buy all necessary items for their journey. At one moment, they both stopped in their tracks when they walked past a stone wall with a very peculiar sight."Is that supposed to be you?" Levi questioned with a raised eyebrow, looking over the brown-haired, golden-eyed youth drawn on the wanted sign nailed to the wall. "What an unsightly drawing. To our luck, he looks nothing like you.”Eren was too busy feeling incensed by how inaccurate the drawing was to register the fact that Levi had just more or less called him attractive. And, of course, too busy growing panicked.“A generous reward will be granted for handing him over to the King, alive,” he read, looking back towards Levi with surprised, puzzled eyes. “He… doesn't want me dead?” he said, frowning in thought. “But why? Is he planning on publicly executing me, or—”“We can dwell on all that later. For now, let's concentrate on getting out of here. We can't have the King finding out you're here in the capital."“Right,” Eren nodded, giving one last glance at the sign, although they'd be seeing a lot more of it in the days that would follow.They proceeded to look around for a stable where they could get a pair of horses, finding one in the outskirts of the city.Levi chose for him a young, sweet yet quite jumpy horse that, according to the breeder, would quickly grow fond of its rider. In other words, perfect for beginners. For himself, he chose a much older horse of a darker, finer breed that was stronger and more experienced in travelling, yet a lot harder to control. It looked just as intimidating as the raven himself, funnily enough.Learning to control his horse was hard at first. The sharp, up-down galloping motion that only intensified whenever they rode through woodlands and rocky grounds coupled to the rigid, uncomfortable position he was seated in took him a while to get used to. Moreover, he was still afraid of pulling too hard on the reins whenever they had to change course, in fear of distressing or scaring the horse and being thrown off it. However, the more they kept riding for the next few days, the more he found himself falling in love with the sensation of the cold, harsh winds crashing violently against his skin, with the warmth and softness of the docile creature beneath him and the strangely soothing, rhythmic sound of hooves clicking against the ground. Levi always rode a few steps ahead of him, leading the way and setting the pace for Eren's horse. They would ride in mostly silence, every now and then exchanging light words and laughs—from Eren's part, at least— stopping a few minutes for lunch and then making camp once night fell.Two and a half days had passed by the time they crossed the frontier, entering Rose's territory. As they ventured deeper and deeper into its domain, they passed by forests and meadows, mountains and valleys, plains and farmlands, until they could see a mass of vast, blue infinity in the far, far distance, so endless and immense that Eren wasn’t sure where it ended and where the sky began. He couldn’t contain the gasp of wonder that left his lips upon noticing it, for it was the most beautiful, breathtaking sight he’d ever had the pleasure of laying eyes upon.The sound made Levi turn to look at Eren, and the boy’s absolutely awed, blissful expression left him feeling strangely breathless for a few seconds. “Wait until you see it from up close,” he heard himself say, a small smile tugging at his lips.And when they were no more than a few meters away from the sea and Eren turned to him with pleading, eager eyes full of pure, unbridled excitement, Levi couldn't bring himself to refuse him. During the ten or so minutes that Eren spent running around the shore, sinking his feet into the hot, wet sand and splashing through the water like a total child, Levi watched closely with what could only be described as amusement, and maybe a little bit of fondness, too.They resumed their course not long after, when the sun started to hide behind the line of the horizon. They made camp inside a cave by the shore, lighting up a fire and watching the lights and glimmers dance around the creases in its walls. They ate in almost-silence, the hushed, cryptic voices of the sea soothing their ears."How close do you think we are from the Sacred Fountain?" Eren asked, shivering at the way his voice echoed along with the waves crashing against the sand."I think we're pretty close. We should be entering the hidden, sacred lands that surround it by tomorrow."Eren nodded pensively, biting at his bread with worry. "So that means... we'll have to look out for the Watchers from then on.""More than ever," Levi confirmed, yet he didn't look particularly worried. "Although there are only two or three assigned to these lands. If we're careful and lucky, we should be able to trail one of them all the way to the Fountain without any trouble.""Are you sure that will work? I mean, last time it didn't. Didn't you say you had some unforeseen—""You don't have to remind me," Levi cut in with a sigh, rubbing his temples. "It is indeed risky, but as the only option we have, it's not too bad. And I'm pretty sure nothing of that sort will be happening again, now that my bad luck has run out.""But isn't it better to just... look for the path that leads directly to it?"Levi creased his brows, evidently confused. "What do you mean, that leads directly to it?"Eren felt like slapping himself. Right, of course Levi wouldn't know about that, how could he have forgotten to tell him? "Well, at home there was a path that directly connected the Light Temple to the Cave of Lights, so there must also be one connecting the Water Temple to the Sacred Fountain. And that should be the case for all the other temples too.""Are you sure about that?" Levi said slowly, digesting the boy's words. "Because if it's true, we could be spared a lot of trouble.""I'm positive. A path as such is mandatory for all Keepers. I had to follow it every day and every night for ten years, as it was the only path I could walk through in order to deliver the Old Lights into the Temple. Any other path was dangerous, and taboo. I absolutely hated it."Levi made a face of slight consternation. "That sounds...""Like an utter pain, I know," Eren waved his hand in the air for emphasis, almost shuddering at the memory."Well then, I'm glad it can be of use to us. But why does it exist in the first place? Why couldn't the temples be built closer to the source?"Eren let out a slightly dramatic sigh, running a hand through his hair. "That's quite a long story. I'd have to start from the beginning for you to understand, although I'm afraid I might bore you."Levi shrugged, swallowing down a mouthful of bread. "It can't be more boring than listening to a mad Seer's ramblings of metal horses, flying boats or man-eating giants for hours.""Yeah, I guess you're right," Eren chuckled, setting his half-eaten bread on his lap. He let his eyes fall on the fires burning in front of him, images from a time long gone surfacing from within their fickle, red-orange beams. "It is said that when the new world was created, those who would later become the first Kings tried to make a deal with the only beings that remained from the ancient world, the holy beings that we now know as the Ancients. Despite abhorring the idea of being enslaved and controlled by the likes of men, they agreed to lend them their power and vitality in exchange for everlasting peace and justice between all creatures across the realm. And, also, in exchange for a sacrifice.""A... sacrifice," Levi repeated, frowning with interest."Yes. The holy beings felt lonely by themselves in this new, foreign world, and so they demanded companions. Each of the to-be Kings offered them one of their children, and their young souls were consumed by the Ancients until there was nothing of their former selves left, their now empty, man-born bodies being filled instead with the energy and spirit of the old world. It was as so that Keepers were born, cursed sons and daughters of both holy beings and men. Insisting on being left alone amongst their own kind, excluded from all matters of the world of men, the holy beings only allowed us, their descendants, in their presence. And so in order to comply with the agreement with the newly formed Kingdoms, the Temples were built as close from the Ancients as they'd allow it, which as you know, wasn't very close at all. In any case, that's how it became a Keeper's job to not only guard and accompany them, but also to deliver a small, tiny part of their energy into the Temples, where it would be turned into magic. But for that to happen, first their raw forms had to soak up some of the energy of this world, and only then would they be able to become supple, malleable and stable enough to be controlled by those doted with the proper gift, like witches and wizards. Taking all that into consideration, it makes sense why the paths exist. But it doesn't make me hate them any less."Looking up from the fire and setting his eyes on Levi once more, Eren felt almost proud when he took in the expression of almost breathlessness and complete fixation on his dark, pale features. It felt like a triumph, drawing out such a deliciously strong expression from the stoic, reserved man.As they stared at each other, Eren raised an eyebrow at him, allowing a small smirk to tug at his lips. Levi quickly looked away, clearing his throat. "I don't even know what to say. That's just... insane."Eren's lips stretched into a smile, pleased and proud, relishing the way Levi's eyes were still widened half a fraction more than usual, amazement not yet leaving his features. "Isn't it? Bet you had never heard such a cool story before."Levi rolled his eyes, trying to hold back a grin. "Yeah, whatever, kid. If it makes you feel good, then no, I hadn't.""Yes! Now you have to pay me with an interesting story of your own," Eren decided, unconsciously skidding closer to Levi."Really, do I? Whoever made that ridiculous rule up?""Obviously I did. Won't you humour me?" Eren said, staring up at Levi with wide, puppy-like eyes, and his retort died in his throat, for some reason feeling himself falling prey to the youth's persuasion."Alright, alright," Levi huffed out, racking his brain for something interesting to tell. He knew almost no legends or tales about magic or ancient words, and the few actually interesting stories he did know were probably a little bit too violent and explicit for the boy. What the hell would he tell him then? Well, he could always just tell him the one and only story he absolutely knew by heart, despite it being also the one story he was the most reluctant to tell. Well, what the hell. He had nothing to lose by telling Eren, they were long past that point now, and somehow the thought of telling him didn't bother him as much as he thought it would."This story starts just like any other shitty story you'll hear in the mouth of a drunkard. With love," he said, sounding almost bored, not missing the way Eren's eyebrows came together in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything, you ask? Well, a pretty peasant girl fell in love with a nobleman. What became of that love was a child, abandoned after the mother died in labour and the father went on his merry way, blessing the heavens for being rid of a potential scandal. The child grew up surrounded by criminals, prostitutes and scoundrels, soaking up not only dirt and misery, but also the art of deceiving, stealing and ruining people's lives. After the years, the child, now a man, eventually got into trouble with some people of higher standing, becoming indebted to them and getting blackmailed into doing a dirty job for them. Not like he didn't do those more often than he had a proper meal," Levi added with a shrug, resisting the urge to smirk at Eren's slightly dismayed expression."The job was simple—infiltrating the royal guard, stealing a document of national importance from one of the princes, getting the fuck out, money, money. It didn't turn out to be as easy, though. It took him quite long to even get a lead on where the document was, and he had to put up with all the tasks of a guard for almost a month. Good thing he was goddamn great at it, or else. He even unwillingly saved the life of the King twice, the first time by shielding him from a stray dagger during a banquet, the second by stopping an assassin sent by a resented nobleman from slicing him up into pig food in his sleep. But before he could complete the job, the commander of the royal guard found him out. That asshole," he murmured, and Eren could only raise a still very confused, yet slightly amused eyebrow at him."Anyway, the commander was aware of how skilled the man was. He offered him his silence in exchange for pledging allegiance to the King and becoming part of his personal guard. As things usually go in these stories, the man accepted. If you'd asked him why, he probably wouldn't have known himself. Maybe because being a royal guard was better than living in the dump he used to call a home. Maybe because the pay was good, because his skills were valued. Maybe," Levi paused briefly, letting out a long sigh. "Maybe because he now had a purpose. Something to hold onto, to live for. It was by no means the most honourable of professions, as it involved more slaughter and bloodshed than what should be allowed, but it was still better than anything he'd ever known. As you can imagine, life was good after that, and as the years passed, he even got to the point of calling himself happy. Of course, until love had to come and fuck things up again."By that point Eren was slightly gaping, looking in equal measure shocked and fascinated by the tale. Before continuing, Levi briefly wondered how much longer it would take for him to figure things out. Not too long, if he gave him any credit."A witch, as it usually happens in these stories, was the culprit. She fell in love with one of the King's children—no more than 16 years of age, that child was—and what was her way of courting them? Kidnapping. How romantic," Levi deadpanned, making Eren almost choke on air. "The King, like any respectable parent, sent his most skilled and well-trusted soldier after the witch. Not hard to guess who that was. He tailed the witch easily enough, following her all the way into her lair, only to discover that the child deeply reciprocated her love. For the first time in his life, the man had no idea what to do. There was no way the witch would let the child go freely. Did he dispose of the witch, robbing the child of their beloved and forcing them to live an unhappy, miserable life back in the castle? Or did he leave them be, disobeying the King and renouncing everything he'd gained in the past few years so those two could live a happy life?"Eren frowned then, something about the tale sounding awfully familiar, and off."If only he'd chosen the latter. It turns out he underestimated how much love could drive people to do the most irrational, yet noble of acts in times of total desperation, like throwing one's life away in exchange for a loved one's salvation."Eren felt the realisation dawn on him then, like a light being switched on in the middle of a dark room."The girl..." he whispered to himself, feeling his gut fill with relief as the puzzle pieces fit into place. "She lost her life protecting the witch."Levi frowned, looking at Eren with bewildered eyes. "I never said it was a girl," he said slowly, before his eyes shot open in alarm. "How did you-""I saw it," Eren shot out, eyes wide and firmly fixed on the ground. Realisation seeped through his veins, cold and sharp. "I— I saw you. In the forest, a week ago. When you told me about your curse. I'm not sure why, maybe because of the blessing, but I saw the scene playing out in front of me, as if I had been there. I saw the princess lying dead on the ground, I heard the witch—the monster's screams of grief, I felt her agony. I—" he paused, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. "I saw it. I saw it and I'm sorry." And he really was. Where did he start? When he'd wondered how Levi's life was like, he never expected this. From his awful childhood, to how he ended up being a royal guard, to the terrible decision he had to make for the sake of his King. Now he could finally give an explanation to the happenings of that hazy vision, he could finally understand the man's motives, and why he'd been cursed. Which shouldn't have made him feel as reassured as it did, but he couldn't help it because—because, in the end, it meant Levi hadn't meant to kill the girl. Yes, he had meant to kill the witch, and had killed God knows how many other people before her, but only per the orders of his king. He wasn't a bad person. He couldn't be. Levi slowly closed his eyes, the vivid, almost tangible memories playing out in his head in tune with the boy's words. "Don't be. I fucked up, I wronged them both, and now I have to pay for it. I probably deserve it, for all the bad things I've done and all the lives I've taken.""Don't say that, you—" Eren cut himself off, realising Levi would not want any pity or shallow words from him. Clearing his throat, he asked instead, "What happened to you after that?"With a sigh, Levi went on to explain. "I was found half-dead and barely conscious many days later by the commander of the guard, my good friend. Although I wanted to turn myself in for the crime I'd committed, he refused to let me, and insisted on telling the King I had been murdered along with the princess. Better to be thought of as dead than a traitor, he'd said. Bullshit, if you ask me. But I was too weak to protest, and before I could do anything, I was losing consciousness once more. When I came to be, I was in the care of an acquaintance of his, a witch apprentice who nursed me back to health and who told me where I could find information that'd help me break my curse. I left Avernus as soon as I was strong enough to hold my own weight, knowing I'd probably never set foot near its capital... my home, ever again. I've been on this quest ever since.""I see," Eren said gloomily, pursing his lips together and staring down at the ground, still shocked about the extent of Levi's struggles. "I remember hearing of Avernus falling into chaos about a year ago, from one of the Vigils. Did that have something to do with... this?" he asked, raising the unfinished, almost-forgotten piece of bread on his lap up to his lips."It had everything to do with it. In his grief, the King succumbed to an illness and passed away soon after, letting the control of Avernus fall into the hands of his eldest, yet least capable and most corrupt son. Everything became a mess after that.""Ah. That... that's awful," Eren voiced, not knowing what to say after that, swallowing down a bite of bread.Silence soon spread between them, tight and unusually constricting as they stared at the flames. "Is it... pretty?" Eren blurted out after a while, not able to put up with the depressing atmosphere that had settled around them any longer. "Avernus, I mean. Not much is written about it in books, only that it's full of rocky grounds, ash mountains and drylands covered by ever-cloudy, thunderous skies.""It's beautiful," Levi breathed out, voice softening a fraction, seeming glad for the change of topic. "Not many would agree, because of how deserted, dark and cold it is. Almost no sunlight falls on the surface and in winter everything freezes over, making harvests scarce and life above ground difficult. But after living there all your life, you learn to see beauty in the generosity of a land that despite being barren and bleak, still manages to provide you with all it can.""I think I'd like to go there, someday," Eren said, turning to face Levi with brightness in his eyes and a hint of shyness in his voice. "After all this is over, maybe I could show you there," Levi offered, surprising even himself once the words left his mouth. Yet what was even more surprising, was the realisation that the thought of going back to Avernus after all this time, not alone but with this boy he practically didn't even know and to whom he'd somehow grown such a liking for, didn't really bother him as much as he'd thought. "That is, if you'd like," he quickly added, in response to the slightly stunned expression that took over Eren's face."Y-Yeah," Eren stammered, looking at Levi with those bright, big, unfairly pretty green eyes of his, a deep blush staining his cheeks. "I—I'd like that very much." Levi could only stare back at him in almost transfixion, his breath hitching in his throat at the way the flickering, twirling lights of the fire played with the shadows on his youthful, fine features, his beautiful eyes gleaming with a brilliance that couldn't have possibly just come from the flames.And for some reason they didn't quite understand, during the silent moments that followed, neither of them could seem to snatch their eyes away from each other, losing themselves amongst the red, shimmering beams of the fire and the hazy, silent emptiness filling up the spaces between their soundless bodies. It was in that moment that they both knew something had changed—what exactly was hard to tell, but they could feel it in the air, in the way time seemed to stop around them if only for an instant, in the intoxicating, almost electrifying paper-thin texture that had gradually wrapped itself around their figures, much like the stagnant, cold night air of the cave, pressing and tight against their flushed skin."It's getting late," Levi spoke after what seemed like an eternity, clearing his throat and snatching his eyes away from the youth's, shattering the illusion. "I think I'll go to sleep now.""Ah, alright," Eren nodded, he, too, averting his eyes, feeling himself burning up with that same warm, unknown feeling from days before, just like the embers being consumed by the flames in front of him. "Sleep well, Levi. See you in the morning.""Thanks," the raven responded with a small, soft smile that only seemed to make the feeling in Eren's chest worsen. "Goodnight, Eren."When he was sure Levi had fallen asleep, Eren stood up from the fire and approached the mouth of the cave, where he sat himself down and leaned his head back against the hard, rocky walls, keeping a close eye on the horses and every now and then letting his eyes roam over the dark night sky above. It was filled with the most stars he'd ever seen in any sky before, their twinkling, far-away bodies accompanying him through the night.When the first streaks of sunlight emerged from the horizon, painting the waters of the ocean with soft pinks and oranges, he stood up from the spot and walked back inside the cave, where he would wait for Levi to wake up.He didn't have to wait much longer, as Levi woke up right along with the cries of the seagulls welcoming the new day and the rumble of the waves crashing against the shore. After a quick breakfast, they mounted their horses and resumed their journey, galloping through the beach that became narrower and narrower the more they advanced, until the cliffs lining the shore in the far, far distance were now mere meters away from them. As they rode on, they passed by numerous caves burrowed deep inside the cliffs and walked under a few sea arches, the landscape in the other side of the mountains now completely hidden from them. It was as they passed by one of those caves that Eren felt it, that same metallic, tingly feel in the air that always alerted them of something amiss."Levi, I think… I think we should go through that cave."Levi stared at him for a second, before nodding. "From here on, I think it's better if we go on foot. I'm counting on you to point us to the right path."Eren nodded slowly, biting his lips in dread and anticipation as they tied the by the entrance of the cave. What if he couldn't find the path? What if they wandered aimlessly about, and were spotted by a Watcher? What if—"Hey, it's going to be fine," Levi assured, noticing his nervousness. "Remember? Only two or three Watchers look over the sacred lands, and they're never together or too far from the temples. I promise you, we will be able to tell when and where they are. That's the fault with them, you can always tell when they're watching you.""O-okay," Eren breathed out, calming down his nerves. Well, he knew that to be true. He could still remember the itchy, prickling feeling of the Watchers' piercing eyes on him, like tiny needles digging themselves into his back.So they moved forward and through the cave's dimness, until they reached the clarity of the other side, where large meadows awaited them. They moved along the cliffside and through the grasses filled with weeds and flowers, always careful and alert of their surroundings, especially since they were now on open, flat ground. And as the meadows turned into hills, slopes and dirt trails that rose all the way up into the cliffs, Eren felt his body come to an abrupt halt."Eren?" Levi asked, turning to him with worry. After a few seconds, the worry morphed into realisation. "Oh. You think we should climb up?"He only nodded in response, suddenly feeling too overwhelmed to speak.Without hesitation, Levi turned away from their previous trajectory and started climbing up through one of the dirt paths. Eren followed behind, feeling a bit dazed and still unbelieving of the fact that Levi was actually trusting him enough to follow his hazy, muddled gut-feelings. They meandered through the hills for a while, feeling the harsh, cold, violently strong sea winds crashing against their skin the more they climbed up, until they were high enough to see the vast, blue immensity of the ocean in the far, far distance. Eren stopped to catch his breath and to put order to his thoughts, which had become messy all of a sudden."Is there something wrong, Eren?"“I... I am losing the trail,” Eren admitted, feeling a bit ashamed and upset with himself. “I suddenly started getting all these mixed signals from every direction, and it’s hard to choose which one to follow...”“So,” Levi stated, cutting to the chase. “Are you saying we’re lost?”“N-no! Well… maybe. Just, just give me a few moments to sort all these signals out. Please?”Levi rubbed his temples in slight frustration, before nodding and taking to scout over the shore. Eren sighed, approaching the edge of the cliff and looking over the moving sea, willing himself to concentrate on every one of his senses. Levi had trusted him with this. He’d trusted him with leading the way, with guiding them, despite knowing Eren was inexperienced and clumsy. It was a big responsibility, and he couldn’t fail him. Minutes passed by, and although he managed to get rid of some of the noisiest signals, he'd had no luck locating the trail. "Eren?" Levi asked again after a while, his patience running out. "O-One more minute, please!" Levi sighed, turning around once more. Eren concentrated harder this time, barely registering his hair fluttering wildly in the breeze, hitting his forehead like tiny, angry whips that reminded him too much of the winds back home. Though the winds here were more ferocious and violent than those at home, blending together with the powerful sea currents and imposing their power over the shore and its creatures as if they had a spirit of their own. And it was that train of thought, wild and sudden, that made his eyes slowly widen in realisation, as the hushed voices of the winds whirling around him became louder and louder against his ears."Levi, I," he started, face contorting into a baffled grimace. "I think we're not in the right place. The reason why I couldn’t locate the Fountain was because I think these are the lands of the Wise Wi—""Wait, Eren," Levi hushed him right then, pointing down at a figure clad in white making its way through the beach."A watcher!" Eren gasped out, quickly crouching down next to Levi behind a large rock, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and his heart beating a mile a minute. "What do we do now?""We wait."They watched as the Watcher walked through the sand, turning his head every now and then to inspect his surroundings. What was odd though, was that he almost looked as if he were... making sure no one followed him. He didn't walk much farther than that, for he stopped in front of a cave, where a figure dressed in long, priestly clothes emerged from the inside, coming to meet him up."That's—that's a Vigil," Eren pointed out as they watched the two greet each other with an embrace. "What's a Vigil doing here?" he heard himself ask, turning to look at Levi with a frown. Right then, he noticed the surprised, almost amused expression that had taken over Levi's face, his eyebrows raised up to his hairline.Turning back towards the pair who had yet to release each other from the embrace, Eren noticed in dismay that now they were not only pressed together chest-to-chest, but also mouth-to-mouth... In what was clearly a deep kiss. When they finally came apart, the Watcher wasted no time to press his lips against the skin on the Vigil's neck, trailing kisses down its length."W-what are they doing?" he almost squeaked, feeling his cheeks burning up at the sight. Why were a Watcher and Vigil together, disregarding their duties in favour of... of whatever it was they were doing in this remote place? It was so surreal, seeing a figure of authority and a priest breaking the rules in such a scandalous way, severe enough to be punished by death if it reached their King's ears.Not paying mind to his panic, Levi turned to him with a serious look. "Listen, Eren. We're climbing down. It shouldn't be too hard, since the slope isn't too steep.""W-why?" Eren could only ask, dumbfounded and utterly lost. "But that's where the Watcher is!""Exactly. We're ambushing them. Since we’re lost, using them is the quickest option we have of finding our way.""What!?" Eren yelled, all too late. Without another word, Levi walked over to the edge of the cliff, quickly climbing down through its steep, rocky walls with agility unbeknownst to man.Eren groaned in frustration, knowing that whatever plan he had would be all for nothing, since they'd never find the Sacred Fountain in these lands. He'd failed to notice before, and thanks to his incompetence he'd be putting them both in danger. Despite his absolute terror of giving a wrong step and falling to his death, he, too, approached the edge, urging himself to not look at the ground as he slowly but surely climbed down, making sure his feet were planted on steady, solid soil with no risk of sliding off. It was a good thing that in the two weeks or so he'd been travelling with Levi, they'd climbed up and down a variety of hills and mountains, so he wasn't as inexperienced or scared as he'd been the first time. After a tormenting while of climbing that felt like an eternity, Eren finally reached the bottom of the cliff, letting himself fall onto the soft sand. Seeing no sign of Levi or the pair around, he cautiously sneaked into the cave, only to find the Watcher and the Vigil kneeling down next to Levi's feet, hands and legs tied up with ropes and mouths gagged with a piece of cloth."Took you long enough," Levi said offhandedly, not taking his eyes off the pair. "For a moment there I thought you'd slipped and broken your neck."Eren gaped at the sight and at Levi's words, not sure if that was another one of his jokes or if he'd actually felt concerned about him. "Uh, thankfully I didn't. Listen, I need to tell you something important—"And once again he was interrupted, this time by the Watcher—who he could now see was a young man with ash brown hair and hazel eyes—angrily shouting at them through the gag, trashing against his bindings like a wild animal."Looks like this one wants to speak real bad," Levi said, looking too amused for the situation, crouching down to take the cloth out of his mouth."Who the hell are you?!" the Watcher immediately shouted, looking at them with a mix of anger and fear."Nobody of real importance," Levi said with a shrug. "Although that might change, after we tell the King all about you two lovebirds."The two men paled up at that, exchanging a look of pure terror that made Eren's chest swell with sympathy. "What do you want?" the Watcher asked once more, tone still angry, yet resigned.Before Levi could answer, Eren took the opportunity to run over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder to grab his attention. "Please listen to me for just a second, we are in the wrong place! These are the lands of the Wise Winds..." he said quickly, grimacing at the way Levi's expression slowly morphed into one of disbelief, and then frustration."Shit, why didn't you say so before?""I only realised a few minutes ago, and when I did try to tell you, you didn't listen and went off on your own!"Levi sighed, rubbing his temples. Fuck, couldn't Eren have literally told him that even one second before he'd decided to reveal their presence to the Watcher? What a mess."Uh, you two," the Watcher muttered, looking confused and increasingly impatient. "Could you just tell us what you want already so we can be set free?"Sharply turning towards the two tied men as if he'd forgotten they were there, Levi's brows twitched. "Goddamnit.""Uh, well, haha, you see," Eren started, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Would you believe us if we said this was a simple misunder—""We made a mistake," Levi cut in, blunt and straight to the point. "Just forget this ever happened. Don't worry, we'll just let you go and won't tell anyone a word of what we saw.""Do you really think I will just let you walk away after what you did to us, which I remind you, is clear criminal conduct?"Eren had to contain the urge to laugh at that. Was he serious? How could he say he would not let them just walk away, when he was the one tied down and in risk of being exposed to the King? What an idiot.The Vigil—a freckled young man with kind-looking eyes—seemed to share the sentiment, sighing in what could only be second-hand embarrassment and exasperation at his lover's stupidity."I don't know, I just don't see how you could stop us with those ropes around your wrists," Levi said, a smirk ghosting over his lips as he moved on to take the cloth out of the Vigil's mouth, who had until now behaved exemplarily. "Believe me when I say this was a mistake and that we want nothing from you. But I suppose if you insist on being little shits, we could always just leave you like this, and you'd have to deal with getting yourselves out of those bindings on your own.""Jean, it's okay," the Vigil whispered once his mouth was free, trying to calm down the Watcher. "Please don't be difficult. We are in no position to argue with them, and besides, can't you tell they're telling the truth?""Ah, wonderful. At least one of you two knows how to reason," Levi exclaimed, deciding to not waste any more time and take off the Vigil's bindings first, now that he knew him to be the most cooperative."We apologise for putting you through this," Eren felt the need to say, since Levi showed no indication of wanting to do so. Immediately after he spoke, the Vigil's eyes snapped up to him curiously, looking at him with wide-open, strangely knowing eyes.As Levi worked on the bindings, the Vigil kept on staring at him, eyes growing more and more curious until—"Oh," the Vigil uttered in realisation, his face lighting up with surprise. "You're a Keeper."Eren felt himself freeze, eyes widening in panic because—why? why did he know? How could he know?He sharply turned his head to Levi, desperately hoping for an indication of what to do, of what to say, but the man looked just as shocked as him, hands hovering numbly over the Vigil's almost-undone bindings."Are you sure?" Jean asked the Vigil, now eyeing Eren as if he were nothing more than a hunting target, a prey, an enemy."Yes. It took me a while to notice, but he's surrounded by the aura of the ancient world.""That changes nothing," Levi said, voice dropping an octave as he stepped back, instinctively placing himself between the Watcher and Eren. "Shall I remind you of the position you're in again?""So he's the one who's been causing a magic crisis all over Paradis! I don't care what you say, it's my duty to report him—""Jean," the Vigil cut in, tone firm and severe, sounding just like a mother scolding her child."What, Marco?" Jean snapped. "Stop being unreasonable! How can you still hold on to duty, when we have done nothing but neglect ours for the last few months?" the Vigil called Marco shot in indignation, looking at Jean with disappointment. "Yes, I understand they've broken the law and should be reported, but so have we. Don't you get it? We can't condemn them for a crime when we are just as guilty ourselves!"That seemed to shut the Watcher up, who after realising the truth in the Vigil's words sullenly looked down in defeat, seeming almost ashamed.Turning to Levi and Eren, Marco offered them an apologetic smile. "In any case, please just ignore him. As I said, we have no intention of causing you any trouble. So please, don't just leave us tied up like this.""Don't worry," Levi sighed, crouching back down in front of the Vigil. "We won't. I know you mean your words."Eren allowed himself a breath of relief, glad the situation had gotten back in control. Curiously, he sneaked a glance at the Watcher, and immediately looked away upon seeing the glare the latter sent his way. Almost instantly, he felt the much too familiar, sour taste of guilt rising up in his throat."Don't pay mind to him," Marco said gently, approaching Eren once he was freed from the bindings. "You can't blame him for keeping a hard eye on the enemies of the kingdom. It is his job, after all, even if he technically shouldn't be allowed to be a Watcher anymore.""So that's what I am now. An enemy of the kingdoms," Eren muttered, feeling increasingly dejected. It wasn't like he didn't know that, of course he did. He and Levi were criminals, fugitives, traitors. But it was only now, hearing someone else saying it aloud for the first time, that it actually felt like it was true."You may be an enemy of men, but you will always be holy. You are forever loved by the Ancients and respected by us Vigils, Keeper, and for such, you should rejoice."Eren could only look at the ground at that, suddenly feeling too overwhelmed with frustration and remorse to say anything else. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Levi still working on taking the bindings off the Watcher, taking longer than necessary due to the latter's obvious displeasure and reluctance to cooperate. The contempt and aversion he felt towards them was so utterly evident in his hazel eyes, lighting them up with an angry, disdainful glow. Eren could only wonder if that was how the Ancients regarded him now."Loved, you say? Even after I betrayed the lights that birthed me?""You betrayed your clansmen, not the Lights, Keeper," Marco said, placing a warm, comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know that was what you were taught, but those teachings stem from the laws and beliefs of mankind. The Ancients would never impose those kinds of principles and rules upon their children.""What?" Eren could only say, frowning in bewilderment and shock. How could that even... could that be true? If it was, Eren wasn't sure if it made him feel better, or worse. "You mean to tell me all my life I..." he trailed off, letting the words drop in favour of sighing, realising that whether Marco spoke the truth or not didn't matter, for it changed absolutely nothing. "I... It's just so unfair.""I know," Marco smiled sadly, soft eyes drifting off to Jean and resting on his frame. "Believe me, I do. But these are the rules we were born into as men, as unfair as they may be." "Keeper," Jean called out suddenly, standing up and walking over to where Eren and Marco were. A wary, still very much annoyed Levi trailed behind him, making sure he wouldn't do anything rash like attacking them now that he was no longer bound. "Tell me, why did you run away from your temple?""Jean, what do you want? Didn't I tell you already to—""It's not that, Marco." Jean shook his head and pursed his lips, the anger and contempt still burning in his eyes. "You reek disgustingly of privileges you don't deserve, Keeper, and it is infuriating. Why the fuck was it you, a Keeper? Why not us, any of us? What makes you so fucking special? Who on earth decided that we couldn't have the same damn courage you had to run away and leave everything behind?""Courage?" Eren spat, feeling a lump growing in his throat, his eyes welling up with hot, angry tears. "You're wrong. I'm nothing but a goddamn coward."That answer seemed to particularly displease Jean, a scowl spreading over his forehead. "How dare you. Watchers and Vigils have it worse than you, you know? You lot are revered by everyone, and your duties are a mere breeze compared to ours. You can do whatever you damn please when your daily tasks are done, and you still complain about your lives. You Keepers never realised it, but you always had more freedom than you thought, more than any of us. So of course you had to rebel against your Kings, and your clans had to get wiped out as punishment. One would think you'd have learnt how lucky you were after that, but it seems not.""What ?" Eren choked out, the revelation making him feel as if his lungs were collapsing in his chest, his heart stopping cold for a few painful seconds as he felt tears falling from his eyes, leaving a trail of wet, bitter agony."Jean!" Marco yelled, looking at his lover in shock."What, the previous Keeper didn't tell you?" Jean shrugged his shoulders, looking at Eren unapologetically. And suddenly it was too much for him, his body becoming too weak to hold its own weight, the world turning black above his head until he could see nothing else but darkness."That's enough!" Levi snapped, his loud, harsh voice echoing against the walls of the cave as he ran to Eren's side, catching his body before it could collapse into the ground. He gripped the unconscious boy tightly against his chest, sending Jean a furious, shrilling look that promised him a world of pain should he keep on talking.The Watcher immediately flinched back, looking away sourly in a mix of fear and shame."I–Is he alright?" Marco asked, as Levi carefully sat Eren's body down against the wall of the cave."I don't know," he answered, voice strained as he looked over Eren's increasingly pale skin and blank, numb eyes. He hurriedly moved on to check for his pulse, visibly relaxing once he found it to be still there, albeit faintly."Leave them, Marco. We need to go now, our time's running up," Jean said, sparing one last, almost sympathetic glance at the pair, before he started making his way out of the cave."Right," Marco nodded, before looking down at Levi with warning, worried eyes. "Whatever you do, you mustn't let his eyes fall close.""I know," Levi said, brushing away soft, chocolate locks of hair off the boy's forehead, the movement almost affectionate. "He'll die if that happens.""Well, then, I can only wish you good luck. You'll need it," Marco offered, sending Levi a soft, sincere look before turning away."Thank you," Levi said, giving the kind Vigil a final nod as he watched him hurriedly walk out of the cave. Once they were alone, Levi turned his full attention to the unconscious boy in front of him, his forehead creasing with worry. "Eren," he called, shaking his shoulders over and over again. "Eren, wake up. Eren."Getting no answer, Levi sighed in frustration, softly cupping Eren's cheek in his palm as he stared into his vacant eyes, completely devoid of all the gleams and shimmers that were always lighting them up. It was more unsettling than he'd thought, seeing those beautiful, usually bright and lively eyes looking so utterly dead. A weird feeling of dread settled inside his gut, the sight of Eren's almost lifeless eyes seeming somehow familiar.This definitely couldn't be normal, Levi reasoned. This state was very much like being asleep, but Eren never slept. What if it was taking a toll on his body, what if it was hurting him?"Eren, come on."What should he do now? Wait for Eren to come back to his senses? But that could take hours; they couldn't afford wasting so much time and to risk coming across another Watcher by staying there. Should he carry him back to where they'd left the horses, and continue their journey with him in that state?Levi pondered over his options for a few silent minutes, holding on to Eren as if afraid letting go of him would make him disappear, the sound of his loud, heavy breathing resounding against the cave's emptiness."Eren," he tried again after a while, looking over Eren's unmoving features and searching for any sort of reaction. Such soft, youthful features they were, he thought briefly, running a hand through his cheek and caressing the smooth skin beneath his fingers.When he was about to pull his hand away, his eyes involuntarily drifted down to Eren's pink, slightly parted lips, and before he realised it, he was wondering if they'd feel just as smooth and warm as his skin. He leaned in towards Eren's face as if suddenly losing all awareness of himself, wishing to get a better look of his fine, pretty features, coming close enough to feel his faint breath against his chin. And for some reason, all logic and consciousness seemed to abandon him in that instant, for he couldn't stop himself from leaning in all the way and softly pressing his lips to Eren's, drinking in their soft, intoxicating warmth—Levi sharply pushed himself away, shattering the haze he'd involuntarily trapped himself in. What the fuck was he doing? Did he just fucking—shit, now was not the time for this crap.Shaking his head, Levi urged himself to come back to his senses, doing everything he could to ignore the warm, lingering sensation of Eren's lips on his. For all he knew, the youth might be suffering right now, and here he was, letting himself indulge in such irrelevant caprices. He should be focusing on nothing else than waking Eren up! But still, what was he supposed to do? As much as he shook him or called out to him, nothing worked. What if, as much as he tried, as much as he waited, nothing ever worked? What if Eren never woke up?That thought distressed him more than he could explain, more than it made sense for someone he'd met less than a month ago, and left him with a strange, constricting and much too sour taste of deja-vu in his throat."Levi... ?" Eren mumbled then, his eyelids fluttering for the briefest of seconds, voice rough and barely over a whisper.Levi jumped back in shock, crawling towards the brunet before tightly gripping his shoulders, as if he couldn't believe he was actually awake. "Eren, you're back! Shit, I thought—" he paused, looking strangely afflicted, the amount of relief dripping off his usually level, collected voice taking both Eren and himself by surprise. "I thought you'd never wake up.""Wait, did I... fall asleep?" Eren asked, brows coming together in confusion, still feeling very disoriented."What? No, no, you were just unconscious," Levi explained, eyes sweeping over his face to make sure everything looked fine, just like a mother inspecting her child after a nasty fall. He couldn't hide his relief upon noticing the youth's complexion coming back to normal, and the glow returning to his eyes. "How do you feel? Does anything hurt?""Um, no, n-not really," Eren stuttered, taken aback by Levi's sudden display of concern, feeling his cheeks heating up because of the attention. "I mean, my head's pounding slightly and I feel a bit dizzy, but otherwise I'm fine. I just," he frowned, trying to think of the last thing he remembered, but all he could see was black. "It seems like I... blacked out. How is that possible? Why am I not dead?""Don't say it like it's a bad thing," Levi chided, wrapping an arm around Eren's waist to help him up to his feet. "And that must be because your eyes were open the whole time."Eren let himself be lifted up, trying not to be distracted by the warmth of Levi's body against his own. "What about the Watcher and the Vigil?""They left a while ago. We should leave soon, too. We only have a few hours until dusk. Are you fine walking on your own?""Uh, y-yeah," Eren answered, wishing a second later he'd lied instead just so he could keep on feeling Levi's warmth for a bit longer, as strange as it might seem. Looking down at him almost shyly, he said, "Thank you, Levi. For taking care of me as I was out."Shaking his head softly, Levi ruffled Eren's hair. "Of course I'd take care of you, Eren. You don't have to thank me."Eren had to force himself to look away, feeling once again that sweet, unknown warmth filling his chest.They exited the cave in the moments that followed, getting themselves out of the lands of the Wise Winds and going back to where they'd left their horses, before setting off towards Maria. Hours passed in silence as they rode through plains and meadows, leaving the coast behind as they went deeper and deeper into the mountains. And once night fell, they searched for a clearing amongst the trees, making camp for the night. Levi fell asleep right after eating, leaving Eren to watch over the horses and his own muddled, messy thoughts. Morning came not long after, and they set out with the first rays of sunlight. They rode the morning, afternoon and evening away, watching the landscape change once more from meadows and valleys to grasslands and forests, shadowed by an all-encompassing, darkening sky. They made camp once the sky had completely dimmed out, eating and talking around the fire. Eren was the one who did most of the talking though, telling Levi all about his lonesome days as a Keeper, from the seldom interactions he'd had with the Vigils to the few actually exciting, fun things he'd done. In turn, Levi told him about the many places he'd travelled to and the wonderful things he'd come across during his time as a royal guard, not with great detail or sentiment, but at least it was something."What do you plan on doing, once your curse is broken?" Eren asked at one point, not being able to hold his curiosity. Levi, for once, didn't seem bothered by the question. Instead, a soft, much too singular glow settled on his silver features. “I'd like to settle in a village. Get a house with a garden, a big, beautiful garden full of flowers and herbs," he said, looking at the ground with an expression that endeared Eren to no end. "I thought maybe I could open up a shop. Sell the plants as tea and medicine.”"That sounds nice," Eren said, thinking of how much that actually fit Levi, strangely so. "Would you be interested in taking in an assistant?" he joked, wiggling his eyebrows at the older man with a goofy smile on his face.Instead of looking amused like Eren expected him to, Levi sent him a surprised, much too thoughtful look. "Is that something you'd like to do? Didn't you say you wanted to travel the world, do exceptional things?""I... I did say that, and I would still like to," Eren said, feeling his cheeks heating up. "But I think it'd be nice to settle down somewhere peaceful and safe for a while, after all this craziness is over." He left out the with you that had insisted so much on coming out of his mouth, not meeting Levi's eyes. "Is that so," Levi hummed, a content gleam lighting up his eyes. "I'll have to train you first, though. Wouldn't want you running around like the brat you are, burning all my plants."Eren couldn't hold in the hearty, absolutely blissful laugh that left his lips, feeling unimaginably happy at the fact that Levi had actually agreed to the possibility of him staying around for longer. They talked on for a little while longer, until fatigue eventually caught up to Levi, and he left Eren to drown on his fuzzy, giddy thoughts until morning came.The following two days passed by uneventfully, no surprise attacks, strange encounters with princes or confusing blackouts taking place, much to their relief. And before they knew it, they were crossing over the frontier and entering Maria's territory. The sharp, chilly ocean breeze that had accompanied them all the way from Rose was soon replaced by even colder, drier and harsher winds, and the warm rays of sunlight that occasionally fell upon their way were now completely hidden behind cloudy, sombre skies. And the more they went north, riding through a zone with tall, abundant pine trees that came together to form a mighty wintery forest, the colder the weather became. Until the green of the pines and the brown of the cold, wet earth was glazed over by thin, crystal specks of frost, progressively smothered out by layers of a heavy, infinite whiteness."Levi, is that—" Eren almost choked out upon spotting the white, soft lumps on the side of the path, pulling his horse to a sharp halt. "Hmm?" Levi said, turning towards Eren to see what had made him stop. "Snow!" Eren beamed, turning his head to look at Levi with eyes full of childlike excitement, an expression that made him look unfairly adorable. "I had no idea it looked so fluffy!""You've never seen snow before?""No, it never snows at home. I've read stuff about it in books though, but this is my first time actually seeing it," Eren explained, looking at the white-coated ground, before shyly raising his eyes up to Levi's. "Could I maybe..."Ah, of course, Levi thought with a roll of his eyes."You're such a kid," he shook his head in mock-resignation, letting a small, betraying smile tug at his lips. As fruitless, time-consuming and maybe even risky as letting Eren play around in the snow was, there was no way he could bring himself to refuse him, especially not with how much this meant to him. "Alright, alright. Go ahead, but only for a few minutes.""Thank you!" Eren exclaimed, face becoming impossibly brighter. He wasted no time to jump off his horse, almost yelling in excitement when his shoes came into contact with the snow. He ran around for a while, enjoying the spongy, crunchy sound and the squishy, slippery feeling of his feet pressing against and almost sinking into it, feeling just as if he were walking on air. Then, he crouched down, laying his hands flat against the ground and feeling the snow's cold, wet softness melting beneath his fingers, before gathering a chunk of it into his palms and making it into a ball. Looking over his shoulder at Levi, Eren noticed the man looking rather distractedly at a bird that'd just landed on a branch nearby, and before even thinking about it, his brain somehow decided it would be a good idea to lounge the ball straight at him.He realised he'd fucked up right as he saw the snowball flying through the air almost in slow-motion, his mind already coming up with a thousand ways Levi would kill him even before it collided against his unsuspecting chest.He was definitely done for."Eren," Levi said upon feeling the impact of something disgustingly wet and sticky against his body, face hard and unreadable, looking down at the chunk of snow already melting into a water stain on his shirt. "What the fuck did you just do?""I—I—I'm sorry!" Eren squeaked, frozen in place by the man's murderous gaze."You little shit."In a second Levi was on the ground, running towards Eren with a speed much like that of a jaguar chasing after its prey, and before he could so much as give a step back, Levi was lifting an arm up in the air and throwing with an inhuman, ridiculously fast speed a snowball of his own.Eren yelped when the snowball collided against his head, the utter force of the hit making him tumble backwards and almost fall to the ground. He stood stunned in place for a few seconds, feeling the snow melting over his forehead and leaving a wet trail down his cheek as he thought over the fact that Levi had actually decided to play along with him, instead of scolding him for his imprudence.Once that little fact sunk in, Eren almost didn't notice himself crouching down, grabbing another, much bigger chunk of snow with a wide, cheeky grin spreading mischievously across his face."Don't even think about it—" Levi warned all too late, for once the words left his mouth Eren was already lounging the snowball at him, crashing against his shoulder not two seconds later. As the sticky, wet feeling spread across his skin, Levi sent Eren a look icier than the coldest of glaciers. "That's it, you're officially dead."It wasn't really clear how it went from a few throws here and there to a full-on snow fight, but even when Levi realised what a gratuitous, childlike thing he'd allowed them to get carried away into, he couldn't bring himself to stop. Because even if it shocked him to admit it to himself, he was having just too much fun—more than he'd had in years. The fact that Eren, young, pure and oh so beautiful Eren was here right in front of him, running around and looking so unfairly endearing, his eyes holding such amount of warmth that Levi was sure could melt the cold away off the strongest of winter days, only made it worse—or rather, better.But as people always say, the best of things always have to come to an end. They'd been too entertained running and laughing around, chasing after each other without a care as if the world belonged to them and them alone, that Levi didn't notice the sound of horse hooves clicking against the ground until it was too late.Stopping in his tracks, Levi dropped the ball he was about to throw and turned to Eren with urgency, shouting at him to hide as he hurried towards the nearest bush. The youth immediately followed along even if he didn't really know what was going on, hiding behind a nearby tree, his heartbeat skyrocketing from dread and anticipation.An arrow suddenly pierced through the tree in front of Eren, making him stumble back with a gasp. And soon another arrow was flying towards him, so frighteningly close that he was barely able to dodge it."Eren!" Levi shouted from where he was hiding, head snapping around to try to get a hold of the enemy's position. Both arrows had seemed to come from different locations, meaning either that their attacker was moving fast, or that they were being ambushed. If the latter was the case, they were clearly at a disadvantage, and there was nothing they could do but flee. "Eren, we can't stay here! We need to run!"Eren felt his body become paralysed in fear for a few seconds at the fact that they were being attacked, before he screamed at himself to take a grip. Not a second later they were fleeing as fast as their hearts allowed it, running and running past an infinity of trees, every now and then changing course to try and leave their persecutors behind. It seemed to work for a few minutes, during which no arrows flew past their way. They stopped for a second to catch their breaths, Eren's heart feeling like it was going to explode out of his chest."Come on, we can't stop now, they might still be around!" Levi said, looking around frantically."I...I can't," Eren panted, resting both hands against his knees, trying not to let himself be won over by fatigue.Clicking his tongue, Levi took a firm grip on his wrist, forcibly pulling him along as he started running again. And so they ran on and on, their feet bumping against the snow, rocks and branches on the ground, Eren growing more and more drained as the minutes went by. Suddenly his foot got caught under a branch, making him lose his balance and stumble to the side, pulling Levi along with him down a steep, rocky cliff. They rolled through the ground before crashing against a layer of ice, falling into the cold, still waters of a frozen river.Upon feeling the ice cold waters surrounding his body, Eren desperately swam up to the surface with a big gasp of air. He looked around at his surroundings, calling out Levi's name, but he got no response nor saw any sign of the man. It was just him, amongst an endless mass of water and the empty echoes of the forest."Oh, no," he whispered in dismay, panic creeping up into his bones upon realising Levi hadn't made it to the surface.Why? Why was he—did he not know how to swim? Had he passed out during the fall, or from the numbing cold? Whatever the reason, if he didn't find him soon...Panic and fear soon took hold of his body at the thought, but instead of paralysing him like before, he felt something within himself start up like an old, raging motor, filling him up with adrenaline and the urgent, desperate need to move. Using the last bit of strength he had left, Eren immediately dove back under, frantically looking around through the misty, opaque river waters for any sight of Levi. As the seconds passed, he grew increasingly panicked, feeling his own body straining already from the lack of oxygen.Images of Levi's cold, pale, lifeless body invaded him then, as vivid and tangible as actual memories, and something snapped inside him. He couldn't—he couldn't fail Levi, he couldn't just leave him to drown. He had to find him, he needed to find him—he needed him.It was enough to give him the needed strength to swim further down and deeper into the river, wishing for once he had the light of his golden eyes to guide the way, the urgent need to breathe only growing stronger. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen making him delusional, but he swore he could feel the muted voices of the waters against his aching ears, whispering cryptic words of comfort and encouragement to his panicking heart. And just when he was starting to feel like passing out and was about to lose all hope, he saw it—Levi's limp, murky figure slowly sinking down into the bottom of the river, calling out to him like a glowing beacon in a storm.Eren was by Levi's side in an instant, tightly wrapping his arms around his chest before using the last bit of strength he had to propel the both of them up towards the surface. From where they were, the thin, plastic film separating the world above and under water seemed so, so far away, so utterly unreachable, and yet Eren kept kicking his legs as quickly and vigorously as his body would allow it, urging himself to hold on to consciousness just for a little while longer. His movements were starting to become slower and heavier, the fatigue and the frigid waters numbing his limbs, but he refused to give up, he was so close now, just an arm's length away and he'd be touching the other side—Eren broke the surface with a heavy gasp, relishing the relief of his lungs being filled up with much-needed air. And that relief only grew bigger when he felt Levi's body stir right next to his, as the man broke into a fierce coughing fit, getting all the water out of his lungs."Oh God, Levi, I'm glad you're okay," Eren breathed out, his grip unconsciously tightening around Levi's body."Eren..." Levi mumbled weakly, his head dropping down onto the youth’s shoulder as he passed out again.Eren was about to panic but then he registered Levi's chest rising and falling slowly beneath his arms, reassuring him that he was still breathing.Not wasting another second, he swam over to the shore, shivering upon coming into contact with the chilly winter air and pulling Levi's body out of the water, carefully laying him down over the ground. Crouching next to him, he ran a gentle hand through his forehead, pushing away almost tenderly the wet strands of hair sticking to it. His eyes fell to his still, unmoving features, features he'd grown to know well from the countless hours he spent looking over them. It never ceased to perturb—or enthral—him how utterly defenceless and almost angelic he looked when asleep, his sharp, handsome features relaxing in a way they never would if he were awake. As he allowed himself to regard him for a few seconds more, Eren let his hand fall down through the length of his scalp, stopping abruptly when it came upon a hard, swollen lump. Shit, he thought, realising Levi had probably gotten a concussion during the fall, which explained his present state of unconsciousness. He inspected the lump, sighing in relief when he noted there was no blood and that the skin hadn’t been scrapped. Carefully setting Levi's head down against the ground and standing up, Eren took the following moments to inspect their surroundings. The last thing they needed right now was another attack. He briefly wondered what had become of their attackers, who they were, and why they were targeting them in the first place. Watchers usually didn't attack in numbers, and he doubted bandits were that skilled. Most importantly, what the hell did they do now? Scratch that, since Levi was passed out cold, what the hell did he do now? They were in the middle of these unknown winter woods, by a river that led to God knew where, they'd lost all their belongings and, most importantly, their horses. Even if he managed to find his way back to where they'd left them, which was pretty unlikely since Eren had no idea how to make his way through the forest and Levi wouldn't be of much help in his present state, nothing guaranteed that the horses would still be there. For all he knew, their attackers could have—and probably had—taken them away.And that thought inevitably led to another much more distressing, guilt-ridden one; everything, from their ambush to Levi almost dying, had been his fault. If only he hadn't behaved like such an impulsive, stupid child, then none of this would've happened.He wanted to blame himself so much, to be angry and scream at himself for fucking everything up yet again, but there was a strong, level part of him that thankfully knew he couldn't afford to do that; not here, not now, not with Levi in such a vulnerable state. His life was literally in Eren's hands.Without wasting another second, Eren took off the most external, unnecessary layers of both his and Levi's soaked up, ice-cold clothes before hauling him up into his back, almost stumbling forward because of how heavy he was. For the next hour, he walked around the woods that crawled their way up into the feet of a mountain range, with Levi's unconscious, heavy body on his back, looking for a place to spend the night. Even if he wanted nothing more than to let himself collapse and rest from the exhaustion and the stress of the day, he refused to yield to weakness until he found a safe place to take Levi to. He wouldn’t fail him.And so despite the increasing strain on his muscles, the literal weight pulling him down and the constant attack of the cold, merciless winter winds against his skin, Eren trudged on between the trees and through the heavy snow. He passed by small brooks and frozen, silvery lakes, hearing the soft, burbling voices of their trickling waters calling out to him with hushed, sweet words. Upon hearing them he really thought he might be going crazy after all, until the realisation dawned on him: the fact that he could hear them could only mean they had entered the sacred expanse of lands where the Fountains of Aforetime were burrowed in.At least he'd be able to give Levi a piece of good news when he woke up.Before he realised it, he was following the waters' rippling, inviting voices through the forest and into a zone with less and less snow, until he stumbled upon a secluded, blue-green waterfall of calm, steady streams. The sight made him feel somehow at ease, the flowing, constant waters soothing him into tranquillity and reminding him of home. That train of thought pleased Eren, since it meant they must've been closer than he'd thought from the Sacred Fountain.Eren spotted an opening on the rocky ledge behind the waterfall, partially covered by the curtain of water, that upon further inspection turned out to be a small cave. He felt himself relax slightly, relieved and immensely grateful for having found a good hiding place before night fell.He made his way inside it by circling over the plunge pool at the base of the waterfall, carefully stepping on the stones scattered across its shallow waters, trying not to slip on their smooth surface—which was rather hard, with a body as heavy as Levi's draped over his back. Once inside, he sat the man down against the wall, running a gentle hand through his now dry, yet still very much cold skin. He'd managed to keep him warm enough before while carrying him because of their proximity and the heat from his exertion, but now that there was nothing separating them from the cold, hard ground of the humid cave, they risked to freeze over. So Eren left off for a short while to collect branches and wood to make a fire, all the while trying to make as little noise as possible, not wanting to make another stupid mistake and put them in danger for a second time.After creating a spark and livening it up into a healthy, vigorous fire placed as close as he could to Levi's body, he set the wet clothes he'd previously taken off close by. Once they were dry enough to be worn, he grabbed Levi's cloak and covered him with it, before putting his own cloak on.Checking up on the raven every few minutes, he realised that even with the considerable warmth brought upon by the flames and the new layer of clothes, his skin still felt too cold; and, upon closer inspection, he noticed that he was starting to tremble slightly. Not wanting him to suffer, Eren took his cloak off and carefully draped it over Levi, before sitting himself next to him to give him some of his body heat. Some minutes passed in silence as Eren stared off at the shadows of the dancing flames against the dark walls of the cave, noticing how the little corner of sky seen through its opening slowly became stained with red and orange hues. And somewhere along the line of dozing off, he caught himself sliding closer towards Levi, brushing their shoulders together ever so lightly. Levi suddenly stirred, limbs twitching as he slowly returned to consciousness. Eren quickly moved away, watching Levi open his dark, glazed eyes, fixing him with a disoriented, slightly alarmed expression. "Eren?""Hey, it's okay," Eren said, placing a tranquillising hand on his shoulder. "Seems like you hit your head pretty bad back at the river. I... I'm glad it wasn't anything too serious," he added, looking down with slightly flushed cheeks. "How are you feeling?""I'm... alright, just a bit dazed," Levi replied, frowning as he looked at their surroundings. "Where the hell are we?""In a cave behind a waterfall. I don't really know where exactly, but I'm afraid we're pretty far away from where we were attacked. Good news is, we seem to have found our way into the lands of the Sacred Fountain."Levi thought over that information for a second, seeming neither upset nor content at their present situation. Nodding his head, he asked, "How long was I out?""A couple of hours. Thankfully it didn't take me too long to find this place.""Shit. You..." Levi frowned guiltily, picturing the youth pulling him out of the river and then struggling with the weight of his limp body on top of his own exhaustion and the unforgiving weather. Such image upset him greatly, for he regretted the fact he'd been such a burden to Eren, making him go through such a taxing ordeal just because he'd injured himself. That feeling only intensified when he registered just how warm he felt despite the obvious chill in the air, realising in slight dismay that Eren had given him his cloak, yet again sacrificing his own well being in favour of Levi's comfort. Which was why it also made him feel immensely grateful and content—and, for some insufferable reason, stupidly giddy, too. "Thank you, Eren. You saved and took care of me yet again.""Please—don't," Eren objected, his face falling to the ground in a mix of frustration and guilt. "You shouldn't be thanking me, you should be angry at me! It was my stupid fault we got into this situation in the first place—because of my foolishness we almost died— ""Eren, stop it. I thought we'd already gone through this." "But—""No buts. It was just as much my fault as it was yours, since it's my job to make sure we're not putting ourselves in an unnecessary or threatening situation. But even if it were completely your fault, that wouldn't change the fact that you managed to follow the course of action you deemed the best, which proved successful in getting us out of trouble alive and in one piece. How could I be angry at you for that?"Eren felt himself slowly unwind at those words, placating his frustration and guilt, if only for a moment, and leaving in their stead only embarrassment. Not knowing what to say and feeling like a foolish, wimpy child all over again, Eren could only nod."Great. Now that you've finished fussing over crap, you can take this back," Levi said, about to lift Eren's cloak off him and hand it over."No, no, it's fine! Really," Eren assured, placing a palm over Levi's hand before he could take it off. "I'm warm enough already."Levi rose an incredulous eyebrow as he pointedly eyed Eren's hand, which was anything but warm. "Oh, really.""Y-Yeah! Besides, I can just warm myself like this," Eren insisted, leaning in towards the fire before thrusting said hand into the flames."What are you doing—!" Levi yelled on instinct, right before Eren turned to him with an unapologetic, slightly sheepish grin. His mouth clicked shut immediately, the fact that Eren had done that on purpose and that he was completely fine slowly sinking into his brain, the shock morphing into complete amazement."See?" Eren said, daring to pull up his lips into an even cheekier grin, caressing the fickle, intangible forms of the flames and relishing the warmth they brought upon his skin. The bright, golden lights twirled around his fingers almost playfully, sticking to them as if he had dipped them in honey."You are incredible," Levi blurted out, too stunned to say anything else, and too enthralled by the sight to pay mind to his awkward, out-of-place admission.Eren turned to him with startled eyes, looking almost ethereal under the dim lights of the fire casting shy, skittering shadows across his youthful face, their warm, red gleams blending in beautifully with his flushed cheeks. But then his soft features contorted down into a frown, a veil of cold, dim sadness falling upon them. "I... If only that were true.""Don't go all coy on me," Levi said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Just accept the compliment, Eren.""It's not that!" Eren protested, looking slightly indignant. "It's just, you all speak of me as this incredibly special, holy being, but I—I'm not. It frustrates me when Vigils and witches and—and you don't see me for the ordinary, unremarkable person that I am.""But you're not ordinary," Levi argued, frowning in confusion. "You're a Keeper.""Yes, but what's so special about that? I—I can't even do magic," Eren stammered, his eyes darting down to the ground beneath his feet in frustration.Ah, Levi thought, his forehead creasing in realisation. So that's what was going on in that thick, insecure head of his.“I can't believe you think this low of yourself. Silly, silly boy,” he sighed softly, before gifting Eren with a small, enigmatic smile, as if he were about to share a secret with him. “You are magic.”The words of protest died in Eren’s throat, and soon his startled, wide-open eyes were snapping up to Levi's, looking like a deer caught under the bright lights of a lantern. His lips parted wordlessly, feeling himself flush all the way up to the tip of his ears, dizziness consuming him as Levi's words sunk in. A stream of pleasant, warm emotions slowly flowed into him, making the mess ravaging his mind halt in its destructive wake, bringing ease upon him as nothing else could ever do. And at the same time, it left him feeling all too open, too vulnerable and exposed under Levi's stinging gaze, as if his skin and bones and heart had just been ripped open for him to see. Strangely enough, that uneasy, jittery feeling wasn't entirely unpleasant, giving room to an unknown, thrilling sensation that spread like soft butter all over his body.And in that split, hazy instant, he could only wonder—was this what falling in love felt like?The fact that Levi was still watching him with curious, heavy eyes despite his lack of response only flustered and confused him even more. And slowly, he felt himself slipping into a state of overwhelming dizziness, everything in his surroundings becoming a hazy, shadowed blur save for the almost palpable, clear frame of Levi so close away from him, pulling him in as if he were a firefly drawn to a bright light in the night—"Eren?" Levi questioned, his face pulling down into a frown as he watched the boy drawing in oddly close. "What are you..."Eren halted then, their noses almost pressing into each other, getting a hold of himself for just long enough to wonder what the hell he was doing. Only to slip back into his trance a second later, eyes falling down to Levi's soft-looking lips. And right then, the hazy, blurry vision of a cave much like this one although lit up by bright streams of daylight and the echoes of the ocean popped into his mind, accompanied by the sight of Levi's face so very close to his own, much like right now; only that in the vision, it was Levi who was leaning in towards his unmoving, unconscious body.Eren frowned, the images of something he had no conscious memory of becoming more vivid in his mind, raising a thousand questions in their wake. But it could only mean one thing, he realised, his attention snapping back to Levi, whose wide, cautious eyes had pinned themselves to him in something like alarm."I'm returning the favour," he heard himself say, before he closed the small distance separating their bodies. A rush of exhilaration spread through him as he drank in the warmth of someone else’s mouth pressed against his for the very first time, losing himself in the softness of Levi's lips.Levi could only stare at Eren’s green, eerily wide-open eyes in a mix of shock and disbelief, not quite understanding what had pushed him to go ahead and kiss him all of a sudden. But his focus was soon shifted on to Eren's unfairly soft, plump lips, as intoxicating as he remembered them to be, and he had to consciously keep himself from moving, in fear of turning his kiss into something less innocent than a chaste peck.One or two seconds later, Eren finally pulled away, his face delightfully flushed and eyes slightly hooded, looking in between gleeful and embarrassed."You were awake," Levi half-stated, half-asked, looking away almost guiltily, clearly referring to that time back in the cave in Rose's sacred shores, confirming Eren's suspicions about his earlier vision."No, I was unconscious the whole time. But I don't know how, just now, that memory..." Eren trailed off, for once looking as perplexed as Levi felt. "It just popped up into my mind, and before I knew it, I was losing myself in it."Levi hummed, strangely relating to those words, even if he couldn't really understand what was going on in Eren's mind. He was clearly not mad, which was a good thing, but... why? Why wasn't he disgusted, angry? Why did he seem to want this? Most importantly, why wasn’t he questioning Levi about why he’d done it? Well, he sure as hell hoped he wouldn’t, since Levi wasn’t even sure of the answer himself.Before he could say anything, Eren was staring up at him with a new look in his eyes, much too determined and resolute for the situation."Levi, could you," Eren paused briefly, tasting the words before they left his mouth, "kiss me again?"Levi couldn't hide the shock, nor the thrill that ran through his body upon hearing Eren ask that, sounding so earnest and honest and innocent. "Eren, that's not..." he muttered, his throat feeling suddenly too dry. It had been so long since he'd last shared a moment of intimacy with anyone, so long since he'd felt himself craving that sort of closeness and warmth with anyone."Not what?" Eren echoed, looking even more determined and curious. And Levi really couldn't blame him, for this was probably the youth's first contact with the complicated world of emotions—and desire. "We're both men," he said lamely even though that excuse hadn't stopped him in the past, if only to discourage Eren."But the Watcher and the Vigil... they were doing it too, weren't they?"Levi frowned then, relaxing somewhat at the realisation that Eren was probably only curious because he'd watched them do it. "Is that what all of this is about? Are you just curious about it? Then I'm sure you can ask one of the women in the next tavern we go to—""No!" Eren shouted, looking strangely upset all of a sudden. "I mean, yes, I am curious, but it's not just that..." he paused briefly, colour returning to his cheeks, his wide, gleaming eyes brighter than the flames.He didn't know how to explain it. Yes, he was curious, but that was not it. He… He liked Levi. The man had been so kind to him from the start, allowing him to come with him despite it being so costly and troublesome, doing nothing but caring, comforting and looking out for him ever since their first day together. But what he felt towards Levi, he knew, went beyond mere gratitude or friendship. He enjoyed his company, his stories, his bad jokes, he loved his little gestures, his subtle glances of worry and his small, invisible smiles. That without mentioning, of course, the fact that he was obviously, overwhelmingly attracted to him. For God’s sake, for the past few days he'd felt nothing but a warm, pleasant feeling whenever Levi said something nice to him or stared at him for more than three seconds! So yes, he liked him. He would even go as far as saying he was falling in love with him, even if he didn't know what love was, even if they'd only known each other for a little more than two weeks—despite it somehow feeling like they'd been together for a lifetime. But the fact that he now knew not only that Levi thought so highly of him, but also that he had kissed him first that time in Rose drove him crazy, because, didn't that mean Levi liked him too, if only a little?"I wouldn't want to kiss anyone else. I—I want to do it with you," he finished, even more embarrassed by how much his statement sounded like a confession. Well, that's what it was, wasn't it?Levi swallowed then, hard and slow, knowing he'd lost even before Eren had finished his sentence, his heart pounding annoyingly hard against his chest. Shit, this was honestly ridiculous. They were talking about something as silly as kissing here, why was he feeling this stupidly giddy? He could count on one hand the times he'd gotten this flustered, how could Eren have such an effect on him? Well, whatever. It wasn't like he didn't want to kiss him."Is that so," he said with darkening eyes, slowly crawling towards Eren until their knees were touching, placing an arm next to his thighs."Yes," Eren said, holding his breath as he watched Levi come closer, licking his lips in anticipation—a movement that didn’t go unnoticed."Well then, If that's what you really want."And before Eren could say anything else, Levi was closing in, pressing their lips together into a significantly firmer kiss than the previous one. Eren slowly sank into its softness, feeling himself practically melting under Levi's warmth. A thrill shot through his spine upon seeing Levi dropping his eyelids close, a sight as beautiful as it was arousing.After a few seconds, Levi pulled away with a sharp breath, and Eren—dazed and drunk with giddiness—honestly thought that was the end of it. But just a second later, Levi leaned in once more, closing his mouth around Eren's in a much deeper, solid kiss that took him completely off-guard. His eyes widened as soon as he felt the entirety of Levi's hot, wet mouth moving against his, gentle yet sure motions pushing it open. Eren was suddenly too overwhelmed with emotion and warmth and whatisthisfeeling to move, his senses becoming saturated with Levi and only Levi, from the smooth, constricting feel of his mouth working rhythmically against his, to his faint, earthy smell and his body heat, to the slightly calloused hand he'd tightly placed on his neck, setting the skin underneath ablaze. Finally getting a grip of himself, Eren started moving his mouth along Levi’s, trying to match his pace and movements as enthusiastically as he could, getting almost drunk on the thrill settling in his chest and lower abdomen.Levi visibly stirred at that, a shot of pleasure running through him as he felt Eren responding beneath him—albeit a bit sloppily, but he couldn't blame him for his lack of experience—, throwing a leg over his thighs before pressing their chests flush against each other. But before the guilt of almost turning the kiss into something more could cloud his mind, Eren was gripping his shoulders as if holding on for dear life, pulling away with a loud gasp of air.Ah."You mustn't forget to breathe through your nose," Levi said, looking down at Eren through half-lidded eyes, failing to hold in his amusement.Eren's breath hitched in his throat upon catching Levi’s gaze, eyes dark and glinting with something predatory, the blue of his irises almost disappearing around his blown-wide pupils. "I—I... That was..." he could only say, feeling totally dumbstruck and mind-blown, his lips still tingling with the memory of the kiss. "I....didn't know that was how kisses were, I—I thought you just brushed your lips together...""Oh?" Levi shot with interest, endeared by Eren's naivety. "Then you were severely mistaken. But not disappointed, I gather?" he added with a knowing smirk."No. Definitely not," Eren affirmed, bold and unabashed eyes holding Levi's stare, despite the clear trace of embarrassment on his cheeks. Nothing like the spluttering, shy mess Levi had imagined his answer to be.And the want and desire he felt towards this infuriatingly beautiful, wonderful boy he'd grown such goddamn affection for only seemed to intensify within him, seeping through his veins like molten lava. He almost didn't notice himself leaning in again until he was wrapping his arms around Eren's neck, his mouth hovering over his glistening, deliciously swollen lips like a wolf about to pounce its prey."Then allow me to show you more."That next kiss was just as warm and rousing as the last, though it didn't last as long, for soon Levi was pulling away and pressing his lips instead to the tender skin on Eren's exposed neck, much to the youth's surprise. Levi slowly planted soft, sweet kisses down its length, leaving a trail of tingling, burning flesh in his wake. Eren squirmed beneath his hold, assaulted by all of these new, unimaginably pleasurable sensations, letting little whimpers past his lips as Levi's ministrations became rougher, hungrier, almost crying out when he started sucking and biting on the sensitive skin of his collarbone. And when Levi's nose brushed against the fabric of his shirt, he wasted no time to pull it down the boy's shoulder, immediately covering the tender flesh now presented to him with his wet, eager mouth. Eren's whimpers soon turned into low moans, as he felt himself dissolving beneath Levi's hot, electrifying touch."Levi," he moaned then, voice rough and quivery and oh so sinful, breaking through the haze in Levi's mind like a loud, warning bell.And suddenly Levi was stopping and pulling away, the warmth of his hands and lips on Eren's skin being replaced by the cold, stale air of the cave."Shit. I think that's enough," Levi muttered, clearing his throat and climbing down from Eren's thighs, wiping his mouth on the back of his palm. "W-why?" Eren could only ask in confusion and slight alarm, eyes still dazed and half-lidded, the remains of pleasure lingering on his body almost painfully. "D-did I do something—""No, no, of course you didn't," Levi reassured with a shake of the head, eyes softening. "You said you wanted me to kiss you, and so that's what we did. Kiss." Upon Eren's blank stare, he added, “Kisses end quickly. There's only so much you can do in one.""But, kisses can't be all there is...? I mean, I know there are other things like, uh, l-like s-s...""That is... different," Levi supplied, suddenly feeling way too old for this. Did Eren even know what he was talking about? "It's not that simple, or trivial. And it's messier.""Messier," Eren echoed, not completely sure what he was referring to. "But..." he pouted, like a child who'd just been robbed of his candy."Not for now, at least. After all this is over... maybe," Levi conceded, not bearing to look at Eren's childishly glum face, only registering what he'd just agreed to when he took in the content, hopeful smile stretching wide across his unfairly pretty face.Shit."In any case," he quickly added, urging himself to get a grip, "It's getting late and I'm tired. I think it's best if I go to sleep. Tomorrow is probably going to be a hard day, if what you told me earlier was true.""A-ah, of course, you're right," Eren nodded in understanding, looking way too gleeful and still very flustered, his flushed skin a haunting reminder of what Levi had allowed them to indulge in. Shit, why was he feeling this guilty? Eren was young, but he was old enough to be a man. So why? It was probably the fact that he'd lived all his life secluded from the dangers and perversions of the world, making him so goddamn naive and impressionable. So, so easy to take advantage of.Levi had to remind himself that Eren had wanted this, feeling suddenly ridiculous and stupid for dwelling pointlessly on crap. With another sigh, he rose to his feet, sending one more glance towards the boy, who'd been watching him like a curious puppy for the past few seconds."Levi?""Yeah?""Thank you. For... you know," Eren said, looking down at the floor, clearly still embarrassed. Not fucking again, Levi thought, cursing at how unfairly adorable Eren was. "It was my pleasure," he said, only noticing afterwards his unintentional double entendre. Not that Eren would understand it.And as he took in those sincere, grateful and so beautiful eyes of his, a surge of warmth coursed through him, spurring him to bend down and press his lips to the side of Eren's forehead. "Goodnight, Eren."The tender, affectionate gesture took Eren by surprise, leaving him stunned in place even after Levi had left off to sit against the wall of the cave, shutting his eyes close to offer himself up to sleep.And only when the man was sound asleep, did Eren allow himself to think over everything that had happened today, from their snowball fight, attack and almost death, to... this. His face burned up for the millionth time, not quite believing he and Levi had actually...Wow.But most importantly, he thought of what this all meant. He didn't feel like things would change that much between them, as in, becoming awkward or weird, but... what did that make them now? Levi had obviously been quite enthusiastic back there, but was he really interested in Eren, or had he just complied with his request out of the kindness of his heart? Had he taken it upon himself to teach Eren because he'd asked him to, or had he actually wanted to kiss him?And... did Eren even want them to be something? If before he'd seen staying longer with Levi as a likely possibility, now it was the only thing he desired, the only thing he could think of. He couldn't even bear the thought of parting ways with him, of never seeing him again. He'd be happy, Eren realised, as long as he stayed by his side.Letting out a deep, worn breath, Eren approached the mouth of the cave and stared out at the moonless, dark sky, surrendering to his wandering, fuzzy thoughts for the rest of the night.And when morning finally came, Levi woke up with the first cries of the birds and the soft ripples of the waters, spotting a fidgety Eren sitting cross-legged a few steps away from him, with a pile of fruit on his lap."Hey," the boy greeted once he noticed Levi staring up at him, sheepish and guilty-looking. "I know you said I shouldn't wander off by myself, but all our stuff was stolen and it’s not like we can afford to starve ourselves to death...""It’s alright," Levi said, his voice still groggy and thick with sleep. There was no point in scolding Eren now, and either way, Levi trusted him enough now to know how to sneak around without getting noticed. Besides, he was right. They couldn't just starve.Levi got into his feet and then plopped himself down in front of Eren, grabbing an apple out of the pile."Where did you even find these? We're in the middle of winter.""The lands around this waterfall are surprisingly fertile. I suppose it has something to do with how close we are to the Fountain. It was the same back home," Eren explained, watching Levi start inspecting the apple in his hand, something he did every time he ate."I, um, I only picked the ones that weren't bruised or mouldy, and I also washed them off. So they're all clean..."Levi frowned, quickly scanning over the fruits in his lap. Effectively, they all seemed fresh and clean, no traces of dirt clinging to their skins. Raising an impressed, appreciative eyebrow, he hummed in approval as he brought the apple up to his lips, taking a large, crunchy bite. "Thank you, Eren."Eren grinned wide, proud and content like a puppy for being praised, following suit and picking a plum for himself. They ate in silence for the next few minutes, before gathering the few belongings they had on them and leaving the cave.As they climbed down into the rocky shore of the waterfall, Levi couldn't help to stop for a few seconds, contemplating the clear, glimmering waters underneath.Eren could see the exact moment a thought formed in his mind—"We could use a bath, don't you think?"Yep, there it was."Um," Eren muttered, slowly feeling his cheeks heating up, the memory of that time when they'd bathed together in the river—dontlookathisnakedskin—coupled to yesterday's events assaulting him mercilessly.Just by taking one look at Eren, Levi knew exactly how bad of an idea that was. "Yeah, never mind. We can do that later," he said, rubbing the crease between his brows. "So, we're close to the Fountain, right? Which way do you think we should go?Shaking his head, Eren scolded himself for his wandering thoughts. "Earlier this morning, as I searched for breakfast, I actually looked around for the path, but I couldn't find anything resembling one. Still, I feel something here, so I know we must be close.""A path, you say," Levi hummed in thought, looking at their surroundings, before snapping his eyes up to Eren's. "How was your path back in Sina like? Maybe that can give us an idea.""I doubt it, I'm the Keeper, so I'd probably know it if I saw something like one," Eren dismissed, only to flinch upon receiving an annoyed, no-nonsense look from Levi. “I-I mean, it was just a simple, narrow and bright dirt path that meandered through the mountains along the forest's tree line.""Was there anything particular about it?""Not really. I guess only the fact that no matter what time of day or season it was, it was always lit up by the rays of the sun and stars..." Eren trailed off, eyes slowly widening in realisation, feeling incredibly stupid all of a sudden. "Oh God, Levi, how didn't I think of that before? I know what the path is!"Before he could ask for clarification, Eren was running off back into the forest, leaving a very confused, impatient Levi to chase after him through the rows of ice-covered, white-sprinkled trees. Until Eren was stopping abruptly behind a line of trees bordering a small, steady stream of silvery, crystal waters, its silent flow a calming lullaby against their pounding ears. It looked almost otherworldly as it sweetly trickled through the smoothened stones and the fissured ground, the lights reflected on its sunlit surface and the voices of the waters coming together to form a hidden, holy sanctuary right in the middle of the confusing wilderness of the forest."The path… was not a path. It was a river," Levi stated, mesmerised by the sight of the gleaming waters, flowing like liquid silver down the stream.“Exactly,” Eren said, suddenly breathless and light-headed, the sight reminding him so much of home it almost hurt.Levi frowned then, looking around carefully for any signs of movement. “There aren’t any Watchers around here either, to our luck. I suppose that means the Keeper isn’t too close, are there any chances of us stumbling across?""I don't think so. Since it’s already late morning, the Keeper must have left the Fountain a few hours ago and they must be headed off towards the temple,” Eren paused, pursing his lips in thought as he looked for an answer in the ever-moving waters. “And, I’m pretty sure they’re headed downstream. So the Fountain must be upstream.”“You sure?”“Positive.”And so they made their way up through the slope bordering the river, staying close to the tree line so they could hide easily in case they ran into a Watcher. Minutes passed by in silence as they walked, their pace quick and determined, eager to finally get to their destination.After a while of walking, they reached a point where the slope disappeared and the ground spread out evenly, the river splitting up into various streams that were fed with the waters of a small, blue-green lake. “Wait. Is this it?” Levi asked, frowning as his eyes swept over the place. The river seemed to be born here, so this had to be the end of the path.“I… don’t know. If this were it, there should be something like a cave or a burrow somewhere around,” Eren replied, approaching the shore and looking at his reflection on the moving, silvery waters. He watched it for a few seconds, observing how it mirrored his every movement, from the frown of concentration that had slipped into his forehead to the curious tilt of his head, to the golden, inquiring eyes slowly blinking up at him—Eren stepped back as if burnt, head snapping up to Levi, who’d been observing him all this time with a confused scowl.“Eren, is there something wrong?”“It’s underwater,” he blurted out, playing out the weird, surreal sight he’d just seen again in his mind. He wasn’t sure why he’d seen that or how he knew, but he did. “The Fountain. It’s underwater.”“So... you’re saying we have to dive down…?” Levi trailed off, eyes pinned to the lake’s deep-looking waters.“There is probably another entrance somewhere, the one the Keeper uses, but we’ll have to do with this one.”“But… how can it be there ?”“I honestly don’t know. You’ll just have to follow me.”“Well, then,” Levi sighed, walking on until he was next to Eren, his feet balancing on the edge where land met water. “Looks like we’re getting that bath after all.”Eren snorted a laugh, shaking his head softly before extending an arm towards Levi, which the latter only looked down at it in confusion. “So we don’t get lost,” Eren supplied, smiling shyly. Levi mouthed an oh as his lips curved upwards into a small smile, before reaching out to take Eren’s hand in his own.And soon they were jumping in, breaking through the surface and sinking down through the depths of the lake’s dark, misty waters, with only Eren’s confusing instincts to guide the way. They swam down for a while, kicking their legs vigorously and staying close to each other through their joined hands, trying to hold the air in as long as they could. Levi looked around for something like an underwater cave or a passage, but since not much could be seen through the thick murkiness of the water, he could only follow Eren and trust his instincts. They swam and swam further down and under, and even when their chests started aching from the lack of oxygen, Eren only moved further and further, the surface becoming only a little window in the far, far distance. Soon, they could make out the bottom of the lake, a large, plastic-like expanse of dirt and rocks upon which the lights that came all the way from the surface danced on. And despite it meaning they’d reached the end, despite there being literally nowhere else they could swim to, Eren kept moving on and on, coming face to face with the bottom and extending his free arm out as if wanting to clutch the soft earth dusting the ground in between his fingers—And suddenly they were slamming their bodies not against but through the bottom, breaking its surface and rising up to the other side with a gasp of air.Levi immediately coughed out the water he’d swallowed on the way, looking around with wide, unbelieving eyes at what seemed to be an underwater chamber.“What the hell,” he whispered, turning to look at Eren, who seemed just as speechless as him.“How—how ?” the boy spluttered, sinking his head back down to look at the other surface, which from all the way up here didn’t look like a surface at all, but like the bottom of the lake. Coming back up, he could only stare at Levi with incredulous, awestruck eyes, as they felt themselves loosening up into a fit of relieved laughter.“Good job, Eren. I can’t believe we actually found something. Whatever this is,” Levi said, swimming over to the edge of this underwater…upside down lake they seemed to find themselves in. Eren followed suit, pulling himself out of the water and shivering upon feeling the wet clothes sticking uncomfortably to his skin.“I know! I thought we were going to drown for a second there.”“Ah,” Levi uttered, taking his cloak off and wringing the water out of it. “That’s really reassuring. I’m glad I blindly put all my faith in you.”Eren pouted at the sarcasm dripping off Levi’s voice, moving on to dry his hair out by shaking his head like a dog, much to the older’s amusement.When they were a bit drier, they set off towards the interior of the cave, walking through a long, narrow rocky passage covered in frozen stalactites that soon diverged into two smaller paths. After not much dwelling, Eren chose the one on the left, following that same tingling, metallic feeling in his gut that’d been guiding him all along. And so they walked and walked through the cave’s humid, cold passages, constantly changing course and being met with more bifurcations and path splittings, until they were stumbling into a large, awe-striking chamber of smooth, crystal walls that glimmered as if tiny diamonds were stuck to them. In its centre, standing proud and imposing and beautiful, was a pristine, tall silver body of stone, its polished and sleek surface shrouded in streams of rising waters that fell into concentric, large basins built on top of each other over the ground.Levi gasped out with wide-open, wonderstruck eyes, feeling the weight of a thousand emotions crashing through his body, not quite believing he was actually—finally— in front of the place he’d been looking for such a long time.“It’s just like I imagined it to be,” Eren breathed out, eyes sweeping over the chamber, taking in the gleams of the light-reflecting crystals that danced over the varnish-like layer of water sticking like tight flesh to its every surface.“And more,” Levi said, giving a few steps forward as if hypnotised, his feet splashing against the large puddle of water covering the entirety of the ground.“Wait, Levi,” Eren called out, walking up to him with silent, cautious steps. “This is holy ground. We need to greet the Streams properly, first.”Levi parted his lips, nodding his head in understanding before wordlessly following behind Eren, until they were stopping in front of the Fountain’s lowermost and largest basin, marble-smooth and holding crystalline, translucent waters as deep as those of a lake.Eren knelt in front of it, resting his forehead against the cold stone, letting his silent voice reach out to the silver streams flowing in its interior, offering them his greetings and his gratitude for the guidance and protection they’d granted them with until now, and requesting their help in breaking Levi’s curse. He felt a soft, nostalgic warmth spreading through his veins upon hearing them greeting him back, their echoing voices trickling against each other, gifting him with the melodies of a past long gone, of a home long lost.Meanwhile, Levi stood besides Eren, his curious eyes observing his stiff, statuesque body and numbed-out eyes, looking like he’d just entered some sort of trance. He almost jumped back when Eren’s eyes flashed gold for a split second.Not long after, Eren’s body was moving again and he was standing up, his face glowing with newfound elation. “Alright, all done.”“Should I…” Levi trailed off, looking down at the spot Eren had just been kneeling on.“No need, they know you’re with me. I already spoke to them about your curse,” he explained, giving a step back towards the Fountain and gesturing Levi over to it. “Now come. I’m not a Water Keeper, but this should work just fine.”Levi nodded, walking over until his body was touching the Fountain’s smooth surface, looking down at the reflection of his dark frame over the moving waters.“Here I go, then.”“I wouldn’t be so hasty if I were you,” a voice suddenly called, making them turn back in shock, spotting a pristinely dressed, silver-eyed blonde woman casually standing against one of the chamber’s walls, observing them with indifference.Eren almost jumped back from the shock, breath hitching in his throat. Just by taking one glance at her, he knew exactly who she was.But before he could say anything, Levi was speaking, voice calculated as always. “Are you the Keeper of this land?”“Indeed. I’m called Annie,” the woman said, her silver, blade-like eyes jumping from Levi to Eren with apparent disinterest—and he swore then he saw a glint of recognition lighting them up—and then back to Levi. “And who might you be?”“Who we are doesn’t matter. What matters is we have come all the way here to ask for the Sacred Fountain’s help,” Levi replied warily, although not seeming scared at all, unlike Eren.“I see, I figured as much,” Annie said, approaching them with soundless steps, stopping when she was right in front of them. She then let her eyes sweep over Levi’s form, resting a second too long on his left leg with raised, unimpressed eyebrows, before her eyes snapped back up to his face. “You're not the first who has come here looking for something. Be it to be spared from illness, to be granted eternal youth, or to be cleansed from a curse. And you certainly won’t be the last.”“Good to know,” Levi said, sounding just as unimpressed as her.“Why are you here?” Eren chimed in then, drawing both Annie’s and Levi’s attention, unable to hold the ache of not knowing any longer. “Why aren’t you at the Temple?”“Because the Streams told me you’d come,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, fixing her eyes solely on Eren now. “Ah, how could I forget my manners. Hello, brother.”Eren felt his lips parting wordlessly at those words as a bolt of electricity ran through his spine, filling him up with the sudden need to come closer to her, to touch her, not noticing himself giving a step forwards and extending a hand out to her face—The blonde grasped Eren’s hand in her own, pressing it against the cold skin of her cheek. Eren felt himself relaxing at the touch, a stream of overwhelming emotions flowing into him, from the pain of their common ancestors to the nostalgia of a time where they all lived together as one, crowned by the relief and joy of finally meeting someone of his kind.Annie released Eren a second later, the bliss he was sure she must’ve also felt now completely wiped out from her face, giving room to only indifference.She frowned then, flickering her eyes between Levi and Eren. "Your souls seem to be bound together through a blessing,” she spoke slowly, knowingly, and Eren felt himself paling up at that, already dreading the judgment he was sure she’d throw his way. “Are you lovers?""Yes," Levi answered before Eren could say anything, taking the youth completely by surprise. He held the woman’s amused, sharp gaze effortlessly, ignoring the loud, high-pitched yelp of embarrassment that Eren made.Had he—had Levi said that for simplicity's sake? Or did he actually see them as lovers? Wait, did that mean Levi —His panicked musings were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention down to Levi, who was sending him a look that promised one thing: later."Unconventional," Annie said, sounding like she didn't actually care, moving on to sit on the surface of the Fountain’s lowest basin.Levi followed the movement with his eyes, growing increasingly impatient and still not sure whether the woman had good or bad intentions. “Are you going to hand us over to the Watchers?”“No, don’t be ridiculous,” she shook her head, looking as if he’d just asked an incredibly stupid question. “It’s not my position to do so. I’m here because my presence is required whenever the Fountain carries out a healing. It has always been my duty to help those in need. If they are worthy, that is.”Levi caught on quickly to the meaning behind her words, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “What exactly does that mean?”“Right what you’re imagining. The Fountains only help those who prove to have a good, kind heart. Those who don’t, drown.”“What?” Eren barked, invaded by flashbacks of the river, of Levi’s limp body slipping away into the depths of freezing darkness, of his cold, pale, dead-looking skin—“Don’t look so surprised. Everything comes with a catch, you should know that by now.”“B-but, surely…”“It’s going to be fine,” Levi cut in, voice soft and reassuring, wrapping a hand around Eren’s and giving it a firm, affectionate squeeze. “If a pure being like you holds such faith and care for me, to the point of having been willing to give your life away to save mine multiple times, then I have nothing to fear.”Levi’s words cut right through his worries, managing, like always, to bring ease upon his thoughts.Right, why was he so worried? Of course Levi wouldn’t drown; he was more than just worthy. He knew firsthand what a good, noble and kind man he was. There was no way the Fountains wouldn’t see it too.“Alright, come this way,” Annie instructed, guiding Levi around the fountain and up a pair of stairs, until they were standing on top of the basin.“Close your eyes,” she ordered, positioning him so his back was facing the streams, before placing a hand on his chest and pushing him into the water. His body slowly fell backwards, almost in slow motion, crashing against the surface after what seemed like an eternity.Eren was too busy gaping at the sight of Levi’s unmoving, swaying body floating right under the thin layer of the surface, his whole body covered by a membrane of shining, silver gleams, to notice Annie mouthing a single, little word into the void.
Sink.
Seconds turned into minutes, the waters working their magic into healing Levi as his body remained a safe, reassuring distance from the surface. And when their silvery, twinkling forms seemed to unclasp themselves from their hold on his limbs, his body floated upwards, rising up towards the surface—And then it was halting on the spot, changing course and floating away, sinking down into the depths of the waters.“Wait. What is happening?” Eren asked, looking at Annie with baffled, frantic eyes once he realised Levi's body wasn't coming up to the surface. “Is he—oh my God, he’s sinking. Bring him out! Bring him out right now!”Annie looked back at him with an indecipherable shine in her eyes, before sticking a hand inside the waters, twisting her wrist in a circular motion and creating a whirl that pulled Levi’s body all the way up to the surface.Eren was next to Annie in less than a second, pulling Levi’s body out of the water with hurried, desperate motions, scooping him up into his arms.“What went wrong?” he questioned, holding Levi tightly against his chest, his skin cold unlike he'd ever felt it before. Why? Why had he sunk? He—he'd known, he'd known something like this would happen!He quickly laid Levi over the ground, his hands trembling uncontrollably as they fussed over the strands of hair covering his face, roaming over his skin while calling out his name over and over, as if that would somehow wake him up. But no answer came. “Is he—Is he dead?” “I’m sorry,” Annie merely said, not confirming nor denying, eyes pinned to the sight of the tears starting to well up in Eren’s eyes, following their path down his cheeks with a mix of disdain and longing.“No, no, this can’t be happening, Levi, please,” he choked out, dropping his head down onto Levi's chest, clutching his wet, sticky clothes with his fists until his knuckles turned white, barely registering the faint rise and fall of the chest underneath him—“Wait, he—he’s still breathing, he is alive!" Eren spluttered, fixing Annie with a startled, much too hopeful look that had her looking down at the ground almost apologetically.“If he is, his life force is slipping away. I’m afraid he will be dead soon.”“No. No. I refuse to accept that! There—there must be something you can do.” “I’m sorry,” Annie repeated, shaking her head as she took in the way Eren’s face crumbled at those words. “But…” she trailed off, voice stiff and cold, “there might be something you can do.”"What?" Eren asked, stunned in place. "There... there is? Please, tell me what I have to do, I—whatever it is, I’ll do it!” he pleaded, watching Annie climb down from the basin and approach him with slow, calculated steps.“Your souls are bound together,” she said, kneeling down beside him, her hawk-like, metallic eyes taking in every ripple of emotion coursing through his face with a strange sense of hunger. “Which means you can give him some of your life force, before his runs out.”“I can?” Eren mumbled, feeling the tight warmth of hope filling him up. “H-how?”“Mouth to mouth, soul to soul,” she recited, letting her silver eyes flutter close for a split second. “Just focus on transferring some of your energy to him. The rest will come to you as you go.”Eren frowned, thinking over her words before nodding. He wasted no time to sit Levi’s body up as gently as he could, before crashing their mouths together.The feeling of the soft, frozen cold lips lying unmoving beneath his own only served to deepen his grief, reminding him just how much affection he’d grown for Levi over the weeks. He couldn’t bear the thought of Levi leaving him, all alone, bitter and empty, just like his mother had all those years ago. And now that the possibility of Levi dying was so pressing and real, so tangible that he could almost feel it clawing at his skin, there was nothing he could do but lose his mind.And so he focused all his thoughts on building up a pool of energy within his body, picturing a small, flickering blaze slowly growing into a strong fire inside his chest, its flames extending all over his body, from the tip of his toes to the follicles on his scalp, burning through his veins all the way up into his face and mouth and lips, flowing into Levi’s body like a steady current, permeating into his skin and lungs and blood, enveloping the entirety of him in a web of blazing, golden threads of light.And as all the breath slowly left his lungs, he felt a cold, wet palm pressing against his shoulder.“That’s it, go on,” Annie whispered behind him, her encouraging voice sharp and cold, like liquid steel. “Give him more.”Eren pushed on harder per her instructions, eyes flashing gold and eyelids fluttering violently, like leaves in autumn being shaken off by strong, menacing winds. And he could see it right then; a small, healthy fire building up inside Levi’s heart, as the lights within his own slowly flickered out like a small, fading candle on a windy night.“More,” Annie ordered, her grip on his neck tightening, ice-cold lips brushing against his ear. “More.”And along with the image of the fire he was nurturing so fervently inside Levi’s soul, also came the hazy, disjointed visions of a place with no time or name, where nothing but him and Levi existed, their bodies morphing into different, rapidly-changing shapes and forms that didn’t belong to this world or any other, circling and circling around each other endlessly, coming together into one and two and a thousand, only to fall apart over and over again, and again, and again.And in that moment, as those strange visions ravaged his mind, he heard it; the gentle whisper of the winds blowing against his soul, softly smothering out the last embers of light burning in him.Eren pulled away from Levi, a relieved, fulfilled smile tugging at his lips, knowing he’d done everything in his power to bring him back, proud to not have failed him. He took one last, long look at him, the person he'd given everything to in this life and all others before it, as a large, all-encompassing shadow loomed over him, veiling his world in darkness. He felt his eyes slowly fluttering close then, a feeling as sinful as it was sweet, just as he’d imagined it to be all those times before.And then, there was nothing.Annie watched with blank, stoic eyes as Eren’s body dropped to the water-slicked ground, a heavy, loud splatter echoing against the grim, pressing emptiness of the chamber.She sighed, deep and slow, allowing herself to stare at Eren’s lifeless frame for a second, at the contour of his round orbs beneath still, closed lids. Then, she shook her head, looking over at Levi. Crawling over to him, she lifted a hand up to his lips, parting them with her thumb before taking a vial out of her robe and pressing it to his mouth. Her eyes stung painfully as she watched the life essence Eren had nurtured with such effort and devotion leaving Levi's body, escaping through his lips and into the vial, evaporating into a stream of golden, shimmering lights. She held it tightly in her hands for a few seconds, before tucking it back into her robe, where she'd guard it safely until it could be delivered to the King of Sina.“I’m sorry. The King told me to— I-It’s my duty. I’m—” she whispered, pulling her cold, glassy eyes shut. “I’m sorry.”In that moment, Levi’s eyes shot open, coming out of the paralysing trance he’d been trapped in for a brief, fleeting second. But that second was enough for him to make out Annie’s figure kneeling a few feet away from him, wearing an expression Levi would never come to grasp or forget, for any form of sorrow looked way too foreign and out-of-place on her numb, cold features. Forgive me, was the last thing he remembered coming out of her mouth, before he was passing out cold once more.He woke up hours later under a darkening, blood-red sky, his body wet and cold as it lied upside-down over the soft grass at the edge of a river of calm waters, immediately feeling an ache spreading over his limbs. It felt like he’d been thoroughly beaten to a pulp, every inch of his sore skin twitching painfully. But despite the abuse his body seemed to have suffered, his mind filled with joy at the realisation that he could no longer feel the burning, corroding pain that’d used to permanently climb through his skin and up his veins like poison, now but a forgotten, phantom itch.It worked.It—it worked, the curse had been broken!He had to tell Eren, he—Levi looked through the corner of his eyes at his surroundings, trying to spot the boy, but he couldn't see much due to the angle his body was lying in.He tried to lift himself up into a sitting position, but all the strength in his body seemed to have melted away, leaving him limp and completely exhausted. All he could do was roll onto his side, lifting his eyes up and coming face-to-face with the sight of Eren’s still body, lying motionless over the ground at about an arm’s length away from him, his face hidden behind brown strands of hair. Levi extended an arm out towards him, brushing the wet, sticky locks away to inspect his face, trailing his eyes over his snow-white skin, wet and glistening under the lights of dusk, and falling down to his eyes, which were now firmly shut close—Levi pulled his hand away with a gasp, eyes widening with shock and the deep, unsettling weight of realisation.“Eren,” he called, voice dripping with worry and horror and this can’t be happening, placing a trembling hand over the side of the youth’s face, choking out a sob upon feeling the ice-cold, freezing skin underneath.With the touch came a flood of memories, recent and clear against the painful bite of grief, rewinding the events of the past few hours, from the moment he stepped into the fountain to the last time Eren’s beautiful, gleaming eyes stood open, bright still and unsuspecting of the lies of a woman he would’ve been happy to call his kin.And he remembered it now, he remembered how he’d been there, conscious and well, seeing everything unfold right in front of his eyes like a nightmare and not being able to move, speak or assure Eren that he was alright, as though he’d been trapped under his own skin and doomed to helplessly watch Eren wither out, without being able to stop it.Eren was dead.Levi blinked slowly, dropping his hand to the ground as he fixed his eyes on the twilight sky, feeling an overwhelming, numbing emptiness washing over him.He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, letting the cold of the ground seep into his bones and build a calcareous cage of bitter, numbing misery around his ribs.All he could do was lie there for the next couple of hours, until he could see nothing but the darkness of the skies above his head. And even when morning came, even when everything continued moving on its course as if Eren's life mattered not to the world, as if it were just another insignificant instant taking place in the immensity of the universe, Levi stayed in that same wet, cold, lonely spot, refusing to move, to get away from Eren, to leave him behind, feeling numb and lost and empty.From the corner of his eyes, he saw the figure of a blond man approaching in the distance, his steps slow and careful as he drew close with a grim, distraught look on his young, familiar features.“Oh, Leon,” Armin spoke, his voice a soft, gentle lament, doleful eyes falling to Eren’s body. Levi felt such a deep nothingness inside that he couldn’t even feel shock or surprise at coming across the Prince of Maria again, by this point not even caring about how or why he was here. All he could care about was the fact that Eren’s body was lying next to him, lying dead right next to him— “I’m so, so terribly sorry.”He didn’t speak a word as he watched Armin come closer, didn’t even question him when he knelt down besides him and pulled him up into a sitting position, placing a stabilising hand on his shoulder, without which he’d probably just flop back to the ground. “Leon, he’s dead. Staying here won’t change that,” Armin said, voice strained and regretful, trying to draw some sense into him. But his focus was elsewhere, lost in a haze of green eyes and radiant, heart-throbbing smiles, of soft chocolate locks blown by the wind and warm, loving lips, burying himself deeper and deeper into the guilt, into the anger—"Listen to me, please. Ernst is—""His name is Eren," Levi choked out, his voice rough and dry, grating painfully against his throat. "I know," Armin said, looking away guiltily. "But that makes no difference now. We need to go.”“Go? Go where?” Armin pursed his lips, fixing Levi with soft, sympathetic eyes. "We need to return his body to the flames."Levi snapped his head up, those words somehow managing to yank him out of his mind-numbing trance. For as much as it hurt, as much as he wanted nothing more than to dig up a hole, bury himself in it and die, he knew he owed it to Eren.Eren deserved to go home. He deserved to reunite with all those he’d loved, and lost.“Alright,” Levi said, feeling a tiny bit of strength surging through his limbs, enough to push himself up into his feet, shakily standing up with the blond’s help. “Alright,” he repeated, more to himself than anything, feeling only numbness spreading through his body.The rest was a blur to him. He briefly recalled a carriage, Armin’s kind, sad eyes and trembling hands firmly clasped around a golden vial, the flashes of a slowly darkening sky taking up most of his recollections.And when he came to be hours later, night had fallen and they’d stopped at a clearing in some woods he didn’t know, the darkness of the sky only cut through by streams of starlight.He moved mechanically as he and Armin built up a pyre, feeling his hollow bones filling up with nothing but the scathing, biting cold.“You can bring him now,” Armin told him softly.He nodded absently, taking Eren’s stiff, cold body out of the carriage and into his arms, pushing the intrusive, suffocating thoughts away as he gently set it down over the wood.“Are you ready?” the blond asked next to him, gripping the torch tightly around his trembling hands; if it was from the cold or from grief, Levi couldn’t tell. Despite there being room for a thousand questions—why was Armin here, helping him of all things, and why did he seem so afflicted by all of this?—Levi couldn't bring himself to care about any of them. “Yes,” he reluctantly answered, eyes still pinned to Eren’s face, puzzled and strangely angered at how placid and at ease he looked, despite now being nothing more than a cold, empty corpse. But oh, how utterly beautiful he’d been, Levi lamented, his throat tightening painfully as the wretched, harrowing claws of sorrow threatened to break into the surface. Giving a step forward, he slowly bent down towards Eren, pressing a heartfelt, tender kiss to his forehead in a last, parting gesture of affection.“Goodnight, Eren.”Armin stepped forward then, throwing the torch into the pyre, his blue eyes burning along with the flames. They watched in silence for the next couple of minutes as the fire enveloped Eren’s body, dancing around his limbs as if he were alive and commanding them to do so, their golden beams slowly consuming every inch of his flesh and bones in the most unfairly beautiful of ways.“And may those who leave us turn into starlight, their souls forever burning up inside the hearts of men,” Armin recited, offering Eren the prayers and respect all Keepers of the Light deserved upon their passing. As the fires burnt over the remains of what Eren used to be, Levi crossed gazes with the prince, his sad, solemn eyes offering him more than just pity and comfort—a promise.Levi turned back to the flames, Eren’s body now completely gone, leaving only ashes in its stead. And the pyre burnt still, bright and strong against the charcoal black of the night, breaking through the darkness and shining all the way up through the sky, reaching out its burning beams of light as if wanting to grasp the tiny forms of the stars twinkling mirthfully in the far, far distance.And despite the emptiness, the pain and the loss, Levi knew then—in this lifetime, the next and all those that would come, Eren’s fire would always burn deep and bright inside his heart.