Chapter Text
The air smells like something is burnt, that is one thing I noted from the first time i set my foot on this place. The sky is far more blue and clearer than in my own universe, and the weather welcomes me with sunlight and something awful that lingered in the back of my mind. Or maybe it was just my hunch that something terrible had happened here five seconds or five years ago, who knows?
I closed the Portal of Multiverse behind me before I continued on walking further. Judging by the look of the ruins, it looked like something had fallen onto the bricks and structure of the building here; there was no tall building in sight and the bricks area scattered everywhere, covering the cobblestone roads. There is no tall trees either, and the the existing trees is there was too slim and barren, like it was born yesterday. A light breeze blew the hem of my dress for a second, and again I smelt the terrible odor of scorched something.
Before I reached a rusty streetlight, my wristwatch glows in soft, radiant golden light before an egg-shaped artificial intelligent hologram popped out. "Greetings, Agent Hestera. WONTON is here. Congratulations on successfully completing your multiversal jump. You are safe and intact, but I requesting permission to initiate a rapid scan of your physical condition and surrounding environment." WONTON cheerfully greeted me. "Sure, go ahead," I answered.
WONTON flew two meters above my head and did a quick scan like it said, before it stayed there for another five minutes to scan my surroundings. While WONTON did it scanning, I walked into a ruin of a house. Well, it is not a house anymore - mold and fungus had gnawed on the existing walls, there is a broken mirror on the floor and the rest of furniture looked charred badly. I walked back to where WONTON is and found that it had finished scanning. "Read me the report," I demanded. WONTON responded almost immediately, "I have completed the scan and will now provide the report. Your current location is Universe 989. The time is 13:27. The environment is classified as safe, with an average oxygen concentration of 22%, ensuring proper breathing conditions. Your health status is optimal, Agent Hestera. However, it is recommended that you consume mineral water within the next two hours to prevent dehydration. Additionally, you should find shelter before darkness falls in the upcoming hours."
"Thanks," I said.
"Don't mention it, it's my job," WONTON smiled before it returned inside my wristwatch again.
I sighed and thinking about how this is going to be a long day. "Now it's time to-"
Suddenly a voice broke the silence, but I did not know what language it is. It was a male voice, though. I have to activated my translation ability - witches like me does it by touching our ears and mouth at the same time, synchronizing it to find registered language ever exist - before I decided to yell back a response. Seconds later I identified it as a language called Eldian. Turns out I didn't have to yell back to asked to repeat what he said. I turned my back around and saw someone. I presumed it is the speaker, so I stepped closer slowly. The closer I got, I got more visible vision on who I am talking to. The guy looked like he is sitting on a wheelchair, and he yelled again. This time I am able to understand what he said. "What's that?!" He asked in Eldian. "Who are you?"
We were only three meters apart. Now, I got to see what he's like clearly; he is a one eyed and one legged man. A cold breeze swayed his black hair, which revealed his cold, dull gray eye, and his lips grimaced, telling me that he is putting on his guard up. His white shirt looked almost a little too big on him. But my eyes focusing on a dagger he pointed at me.
"Greetings, and be not afraid. I mean no harm. Please do identify yourself," I asked in formal tone, following a standard operational procedure on every witch on duty when we are interacting with natives from each universes.
The man raised an eyebrow at my demand, but he did not lower his guard. "I'm Captain Levi Ackerman," he said in a low voice ."Survey Corps. And what about you?"
"I did not know what it supposed to mean," I smiled, "but the name's Hestera." again, I followed the procedure on every witch for not revealing our real name and using our code name instead. "Where am I?"
Now the man - Captain Levi Ackerman - frowned. He looked like he is thrown off by my lack of knowledge. "You are in Paradis," he said bluntly. "The last bastion of humanity in the world. How do you not know that?"
So this is the less developed universe, I thought, because he does not acknowledge what universe he is in, let alone naming it. "What was the light I saw earlier? And what the hell are you wearing?" he glanced down on my outfit - a regular maroon dress with a cloak. Classic witch outfit, actually, but it does look stood out.
"You saw a lot," I commented. "Pardon me. All I can tell you that I am a witch from Universe 9000. I was doing a routine Multiversal Jump," I stopped myself before I revealed too much for my own good.
Captain Levi's gripped his dagger even more tighter, and his eyes widened in surprise at my revelation. But whatever he felt right now, he did a good job at keeping his expression neutral, not wanting to show his incredulity. "A witch, huh?" he said gruffly. "And you stumbled upon this universe, you say? How did that happen?"
"As for how I got here, it is none of your concern right now," I said. Captain Levi bristled at my dismissive tone, and his hand clenching around his dagger. "It is my concern when you are loitering in nearby ruins in the middle of a town overrun by refugees," he snapped. "You are telling me you just find yourself in a world that you know nothing about? Seems a bit too coincidental, don't you think?"
"Refugees?" I frowned. "What happened here?"
"You really don't know? You just said you're from a different universe. But even then, didn't you see the state of things around you?" Captain Levi's voice was tinged with disbelief. "Of course I do, but I do not understand whatever happened here," I answered.
He gestured to the ruined buildings and debris scattered around the alley. "This place was devastated almost a year ago, even worse everywhere outside the walls. We are all that's left," he continued, his voice taking on a bitter edge. Most of the world outside the walls was destroyed. The few civilians that somehow did not die are scattered here, in this town. This is one of the few places left with any order, and now you've stumbled in here, claiming to be some kind of witch from a different universe," he said, his eye narrowing at me again. "I don't buy it. What's your true purpose here?"
As expected, the natives never trust me most of the time, for their understandable reasons. I got this a lot of the time. "I am here to inspect and help your civilization, when it comes down to it," I told him.
"What are you, a God?" he scoffed. "Even if there is a God, they have to beg for mercy on us here. Look at what He did on us, on me."
He looked away, but his grip on his dagger never flinched. He looked down to readjust his position on his wheelchair uncomfortably. I could say that he wasn't born this way.
"You look like you took the worst injuries," I said.
Captain Levi bristled once more and I can feel his defensiveness about his injuries. "What's it to you?" he snapped, although the pain in his eye gave away how much his physical state bothered him. But with him on wheelchair, half blind and his scars on his face... he definitely fought for war.
"I'm sorry. I didn't try to be mean," I corrected. "I have no idea what you and your universe went through."
However, his expression softened very slightly as he heard my words. Maybe he was used to people pitying him for his injuries, and I genuinely didn't know the extent of what he went through, and wasn't just trying to placate him. "Yeah, well," he looked away, "It doesn't matter. Injuries are a part of being a soldier. I've seen worse."
Now the silence wasn't even deafening, it feels awkward. Took half a minute for me to build up bravery and speak again, "As for what I am, I am not a God," I told him. "You can say that I am God's watchdog, who is a hundred-percent human with preternatural abilities. I make things happened as it meant to be. I make sure everything is in order, by foreseeing potential universes worth saving everywhere, all at once."
His eyebrows shot up further at my explanation. "A witch with preternatural... foreseeing universes everywhere, all at once..." he repeated the words skeptically. "Sounds like a lot bullshit to me."
I laughed. That was straight up bitterness and distrust jab. Captain Levi's expression darkened at my laughter and he looked like he was about to snap at me, but he didn't. Maybe he did not see offense in my honest reaction and realized that I was not mocking him.
"Well, while we're at it," I said, "you might as well show me around?"
Captain Levi looked at me with his judging eye, but eventually saw no ill will in my request. He sighed and nodded grudgingly. "Fine. But don't get in my way, and don't do anything stupid."