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Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same
- Emily Brontë
CHAPTER 1: RESONANCE
Levi Ackerman sat by the windowsill, scanning the classifieds in today’s newspaper. He highlighted anything that looked halfway decent.
He’d recently enrolled at Trost University to study Forensic Technology. A course that matched his compulsive need for order. But night school wasn’t cheap. For three months, he’d been applying anywhere that would take him, but the moment employers heard “Ackerman” or saw his resemblance to Kenny, the calls stopped coming.
He was losing hope, but he’d made his choice. Going back to the filth Kenny ran wasn’t an option. Not anymore.
The kettle’s shrill whistle snapped Levi out of his thoughts. He shut off the stove, letting the quiet reclaim the room.
He was about to pour the boiling water into the brew he prepared when his phone suddenly rang causing him to jolt and pour some boiling water on his left hand.
“Tch. Fuck it.” He muttered as he hurriedly grabbed his phone.
It was an unknown caller. Levi felt hope surge through him. This must be one of the establishments he had sent his application to.
“Hello? This is Levi Ackerman speaking.” He said trying to sound more formal than his usual stoic tone.
“Good morning! This is Keith Shadis, Principal of Stohess High School. Your application has been referred to me by a friend of yours, Erwin Smith, is this right?”
The son of a bitch really did help me after all, Levi thought.
“Yeah.”
“There’s a custodian position open. If you’re not afraid of hard work, I suggest you take it,” Keith Shadis said gruffly, his voice firm and matter-of-fact. Like he just offered him a CEO position and only an idiot would pass it up.
Levi weighed his situation before he answered.
Being a janitor would really require a lot of stamina, can he still perform well during his night classes? However, he really needed the money to stay enrolled so he has no choice but to grab the opportunity given to him by this Keith Shadis. Beggars can’t be choosers, right?
“Yea, fine by me. I’m good with cleaning anyway.”
“Come by tomorrow after school hours. Ask for Principal Shadis, someone’ll bring you to my office. Don’t keep me waiting. That’s all. See you then.”
Keith Shadis then hung up abruptly.
Levi felt relief because for the first time in three months, he finally had a chance, however, before he could celebrate further, the burning sensation on his hand registered in his brain once more causing pain to course through him. Blisters had now formed on the burnt area. Good thing he knew a thing or two about cleaning wounds and bandaging so that’s what he did.
After tending to his wounds, he went back to the kitchen to continue preparing his tea - his only solace in the chaos surrounding him.
Once he finished his tea, he washed the dishes and wiped down the countertop, clearing away the mess from earlier. Then he returned to the windowsill, scanning more job postings, just in case the name Ackerman ruin tomorrow’s chance again.
“Okay, that settles it. You start on Monday.” Principal Shadis stood up and offered his hand for Levi to shake.
Hesitant but forced to conform to such pleasantries just to have a job, Levi reached for Shadis’ hand and tried to shake it firmly.
At least I don’t have to drop any subjects … He said to himself.
Outside the grounds of Stohess High, he tried to decide whether to buy himself dinner or just go to sleep with an empty stomach. When he reached for his wallet and found that he barely had money, he decided on the latter.
The railway crossing was filled with a throng of people striding fast, in a hurry to get home. 6:00 p.m. was the worst time to pass through because of the crowd, but he had no choice but to deal with it. As he was walking to reach the other side, a song he wasn’t too fond of started playing, so he looked down at his MP3 player to reshuffle his playlist.
When he looked up again, his eyes landed on a woman walking in the opposite direction.
For a moment, Levi’s world stopped.
His first instinct was to look away. To move, walk faster, pretend nothing had shifted. But his body didn’t listen. Something primal held him in place, like gravity had quietly rerouted its pull.
It made no sense. She was a stranger. And yet... everything in him felt like it already knew her.
The woman, sensing someone’s stare, slowly looked up from her phone and met his gaze.
Her first instinct was to rationalize it. A jolt in her chest, heightened senses...adrenaline, maybe. But her body already believed something else.
It felt like recognition. She was certain she had seen those steel-blue eyes before… but where?
The noise of the crowd seemed to dull around them. As if the world had paused—just slightly—so they could see each other clearly. It didn’t last. But it was enough to make them both wonder if they’d imagined it.
Neither of them moved until the train bell snapped the world back into motion.
As the train passed between them, they lingered on opposite platforms, as if hoping for one last glimpse. But before she could indulge the moment, the woman turned and disappeared into the crowd on the other side.
When the train finally cleared, Levi looked again, but the woman with the hazel eyes and brunette hair was gone.
“What the hell just happened? ” Levi muttered under his breath.
He didn’t know her name, but somehow, losing sight of her felt like something slipping away. His legs almost moved on their own. Idiotic . He had no reason to chase after a stranger.
His right hand drifted to the bandaged one, gripping it lightly.
Tch, he muttered, annoyed with the sudden pain that shot from his burned hand. Maybe it was just the cold. Still, he figured he should stop by a pharmacy for more bandages. He didn’t want it getting infected.
He shoved his hands into his pockets to shield it from the breeze he and kept walking, vanishing into the crowd like he’d never stopped at all.
The room was bustling, filled with people and the soft sound of laughter shared between tables.
Miche and Nanaba Zacharias were animatedly talking about their time at the university when they noticed that Hange was spaced out, lost in thought. Her right hand hovered over her left, a subtle frown on her face.
“You're unusually quiet, Hange. That’s new. Is that what age does to you?”
Upon hearing her name, Hange snapped back into reality.
“Not really. It’s just…my scar won’t stop hurting. It started acting up while I was on my way here. Kinda weird, actually.”
Nanaba looked confused. “That the same scar you got during our little Christmas incident at the lab?”
Hange looked fondly at the memory. Yeah, that one! What’s weird is it hasn’t hurt in ages, but now it feels like the hydrochloric acid’s burning through my skin all over again.”
Miche scrunched his nose “Disgusting. I still remember the stench of burning skin mixed with hydrochloric acid.”
Hange laughed. She remembered how Miche couldn’t tell if his nausea was from the tequila or the smell of her burning flesh.
The Christmas shenanigans that Nanaba was talking about happened four Christmases ago.
In their senior year, Hange, Nanaba and Miche (who were just ‘friends’ back then, but Hange knew better) sneaked into the university’s lab, drunk from a party they attended at Trost. In their drunken stupidity, they decided to create the world’s most effective cleaning agent that would be able to exterminate 100% of germs instead of just 99.9%. The idea they conjured after six rounds of tequila shots.
Their laughter was hushed, but their drunken antics were anything but quiet, chaotic in the way only silent drunk people could be. Nanaba broke a glass pipette, Miche was spouting nonsense jokes, and Hange, barely holding it together, was in charge of preparing the chemicals. She was on the verge of hyperventilating from laughing so hard. Then Miche cracked a joke so ridiculous that Nanaba slapped Hange’s shoulder, making her hand slip. Spilling hydrochloric acid onto her left hand.
“Aw!” Hange yelped in pain as she felt the acid burning through her skin.
The panic snapped the three of them back to sobriety, and they quickly performed the chemical burn first aid they had learned during their freshman year.
That accident caused their night to end early. Nanaba kept apologizing to Hange throughout the cab ride, and Hange kept saying it was fine.
The scar had faded over the years, a pale reminder of a chaotic Christmas, but tonight it ached again.
Sharp and sudden, like the acid was fresh.
Her thoughts were once again interrupted when the Cafe’s staff, together with Miche and Nanaba started singing happy birthday.
“Make a wish, Hange!” Nanaba exclaimed excitedly.
Wish? She had nothing in mind. Nothing she truly wanted, anyway.
Then, without warning, the image of the man’s steel-blue eyes flashed in her mind. So vivid she felt lightheaded. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ease the wave of nausea creeping in.
“Hange? Are you okay?! Miche, call 911! She might be having a stroke.”
Miche immediately took out his phone.
“Eh? No!” Hange stopped him before things escalated.
“It’s just that something…” she hesitated. She didn’t want to say more. It would sound stupid. Or even crazy. So she forced a grin and leaned toward the cake.
She closed her eyes and made a silent wish.
I want to experience something new, maybe even something that defies logic.
Then she blew out the candles.
“So what did an old lady like you wished for your birthday?”
Hange smirked. “Nothing interesting.”
Hey, I start today. Meet you after working hours.
Erwin was just about to leave his homeroom when he received this text from his friend from a different time of his life, Levi Ackerman.
He and Levi went way back. Childhood friends who remained close through high school. Erwin had continued his studies while Levi took on the family business, which caused them to lose touch for almost six years. Levi was the one who reached out to Erwin again, looking for a job.
At first, he was surprised to hear that Levi was looking for a different job, but he didn’t press. He knew Levi well enough to understand. If he was choosing to leave Mr. Kenny, then he must have his reasons. Levi wasn’t the type to ask for anything unless it was absolutely necessary.
He always operated on his own terms.
Erwin figured that Levi’s last name probably had something to do with it. Ackermans weren’t the kind of people you messed with. One wrong move and you might end up dead. That kind of reputation tended to follow a person. Maybe that’s why Levi was having such a hard time finding a job.
Erwin understood his predicament. So when he saw Levi’s message, he knew what to do. Good thing Shadis trusted his recommendation. At least he was able to help a friend in need.
As he walked back to the faculty room, he saw one of his co-teachers, Hange Zoë, in the hallway.
”Hange! Belated happy birthday, sorry I forgot to prepare something for you.”
“No worries! So, Erwin, how’s freshman history?”
Erwin smiled. “Same old, same old. Kids are still snoring when I get to the Titan Invasion of Marley.”
“How could kids sleep through that? That’s the best part of history!” she said animatedly.
“You could act as a proxy for me next time.”
“Careful, I just might take your job!” With that, Hange laughed and walked away.
When the clock struck 5:30 pm, Erwin started packing his things. He wasn’t really the one to leave work this early, but he promised to meet with Levi today, to catch up.
After organizing his things into his briefcase, he locked the faculty room and stood by the doorway to wait for Levi.
After a few moments, Levi showed up. Already in his casual clothes.
“Hey, Ackerman. Where’s your uniform?” Erwin teased, tone light but needling, hoping to get a rise out of him.
“Tch. I’m not showing up to night class smelling like filth. Nice outfit, though. You look like someone who’s never taken a shit in his life.”
Both of them felt a quiet relief. Nothing had really changed. They were still the same, just in a different part of their lives.
“Let me introduce you to someone, I know you and her will make a good pair.”
Levi rolled his eyes. “This better be worth my time.”
“If history’s anything to go by, you’ll get along just fine with Hange Zoe.”
Levi grunted as he followed Erwin down the quiet hallway. They turned right into a dim corridor, lit by a warm glow coming from the room at the end. The lab door was already open, so Erwin didn’t bother knocking. He walked right in, and Levi trailed after him.
The room was full of science equipment and materials needed to study the basics of the different branches of science. Most of the instruments, however, were for chemistry. Ones Levi was familiar with, as they were the same tools used in their Advanced Chemistry class, one of his major subjects.
At the farthest corner stood a figure in a lab coat, adjusting the knobs of a microscope. Levi quietly observed the woman, noting how focused she looked. What could be so interesting in that specimen that she didn’t hear two people entering the room.
“Hange, I see you’re still pursuing that elusive formula for 100% bacterial protection.” Erwin
The woman, was apparently named Hange, Levi made a mental note of that.
“Very funny, Erwin. Tell that joke to your students, it might actually keep them awake,” she said, glancing up from her microscope. “Anyway, someone’s got to finish what the disinfectant industry cowardly left at 99.9%.”
Erwin chuckled. “I’m not alone, by the way. I brought Levi with me. The prodigal friend I lost a few years back.” He gestured at the man beside him.
Hange took off her protective glasses, shrugged off her lab coat, and sprayed alcohol on her hands before walking over to them.
Levi was momentarily distracted by a preserved cat carcass in a jar when he noticed a hand outstretched toward him. He glanced at the woman’s face—and froze.
Her hand recoiled instinctively.
It was him.
Levi, equally stunned, stood like he’d seen a ghost.
Who are you? Levi thought to himself .
But then he saw Hange’s widened eyes. Like she, too, had just seen something impossible.
“Have you two met?” Erwin asked confused.
Hange was the first to recover. “I… I’m not sure. I feel like I’ve seen him before. So, uh…Levi, right? Have we met?”
Levi tried to maintain his cool, suppressing the whiplash inside him. He looked at her eyes without letting emotion slip. “And you’re Hange Zoe. Not really. I haven’t seen you before.”
Lies.
He remembered her from the train crossing. From the second he saw her, he knew he’d never forget her face. Even in a crowd, he’d find her.
There was something... he couldn’t explain.
He reached out his hand this time. “The name’s Levi Ackerman.”
Though hesitant, Hange took his hand with her right one.
The second their skin touched, a sharp burn flared across the scars on their left hands. They both winced, instinctively, but neither said a word.
Each of them tried to hide it, unsure if the other felt it too.
Time faltered for both of them.
It wasn’t just a moment. It was everything at once.
A rush of relief. A quiet ache. As if something had died and been reborn in that instant.
Their eyes met. Hers, hazel and bright even in darkness; His, like the ocean, still and deep, hiding storms beneath.
For Levi, it was sorrow without origin. A weight in his chest that didn’t belong to him, yet lived there all the same.
For Hange, it was the kind of relief that filled the space between breaths. A silent answer to a prayer she hadn’t realized she’d been whispering.
Then, without meaning to, Levi pulled his hand away too quickly. Hange flinched, trying to play it off like nothing had happened.
“So, Hange,” Erwin said, “Levi and I were planning to grab dinner before his night class. You’re welcome to come too. Right, Levi?”
Before Hange could respond, Levi was already heading for the door.
“Just remembered I’ve got an assignment to finish,” he said without turning around.
“Catch you two some other time.”
Without looking back, Levi stepped out, leaving Erwin and Hange behind in the hum of the lab’s silence.
That’s odd,” Erwin said, brows slightly drawn as he looked toward the door Levi had just exited. “He was the one who wanted to catch up.”
Hange didn’t respond right away, her gaze still fixed on the space Levi had left behind.
“Erwin… have you ever felt a deep longing for something you’ve lost?”
He glanced at her, thoughtful. “You mean desiderium ?”
“Maybe.” She tilted her head. “But what if I don’t even know what it is I’ve lost?”
Erwin had an answer, one that bent the edges of logic, something Hange normally insisted on grounding herself in. So he kept it to himself.
Hange crossed her arms, her voice dry but edged with something heavy. “I’m emotionally compromised, Erwin. Feed me.”
Erwin gave a small nod, already turning toward the hallway. “Come on. Let’s get some soba before you start quoting metaphysics again.”
Hange followed with a tired huff of a laugh. “No promises.”
They left the lab together, their footsteps fading into the quiet corridor.
Levi still had one hour before his next class, but he needed to get out of that room.
He needed air. Space. Quiet. Something steady to hold onto while the ground under him shifted.
He didn’t do well with things he couldn’t explain.
And this—whatever the hell it was. Is slipping through the cracks in his logic.
He kept replaying the moment. Her hand in his. The heat. The weight. The ache that didn’t feel like it belonged to the present.
Was it just him?
Did she feel it too?
When their eyes met, something had opened in his chest.
Not pain exactly. More like the shape of it.
Like the echo of grief, but stripped of context. Emptiness with no name. It sat heavy in him, like a memory that hadn’t happened yet but still demanded to be mourned.
And that unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.
This was messing with his head. And he didn’t like not understanding.
One way or another, he was going to get to the bottom of this.
Whatever this was.