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Levi both hears and feels that agonizingly slow c r u n c h and, within a few moments, he descends
into
glorious
darkness.
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A little while later (or was it a century?), his eyes open with a startling jolt. There's nothing but pure, blinding white around him, above him, below him. The silence is uncomfortable, stifling, toosilent,toocompressed,andhecanhardlybreatheuntil
He shakes his head. This is just a dream, and he can't afford to sleep on the battlefield. Maybe if he calls out, someone outside will respond and wake him up. So he does.
"Hanji!" he shouts, except there's nothing but e c h o e s.
"Hanji!"
"Hanji!"
he tries again. But each of his
cries
cries
is
is
just
just
echoed
echoed
back.
What the hell is going on?
He grasps at his blades, instinctively searching for a way to defend himself. But there's nothing at his sides. In fact…there's nothing to grasp with. There is just…empty space. Levi is n o t h i n g.
…oh. That's right. He's gone. And yet...he's here.
It's a confusing matter, this thing called death. What is he even doing here? Will he just float in this void forever?
Or is he waiting for someone?
There's nothing else he can do. So he waits. And waits.
And waits.
He sighs and closes his eyes, hoping that something will happen while he's asleep (if it can even really be called that at this point). And the moment he closes his eyes, he sees them. Gunter, Erd, Auruo, Petra. They're all smiling, reaching out towards him for an embrace, and he realizes. All he needed to do was close his eyes; all he needed to do was
l e t
g o.
And as their fingers touch him, he can feel himself being redefined, shoulders, arms, torso, slowly forming and glimmering, like tiny shards of stained glass, pieces falling back into place and he suddenly feels that curious itch upon his back.
His squad suddenly steps back and glistening tears fall from their eyes, scattering around Levi like clear, shining marbles, and reflected in every one of them is a memory. He's not sure whose they are, but they all seem so familiar…
The itch is driving him nearly insane and he's just about to open his mouth and demand an explanation of what's going on when his squad suddenly salutes him, fists above their hearts.
He finally hears a sound, a strange, unfurling sound behind him, and it's almost deafening in the extended silence. He spins around, anticipating the jaws of a titan, but instead he leaves cascading feathers in his wake.
Feathers?
Levi's eyes slowly travel over his shoulder and he sees them.
The w i n g s of f r e e d o m , in their true form and glory. The thought has not yet registered in his mind when there's a comforting, familiar scent in the air. The sensation is so powerful and overwhelming that Levi chokes in surprise and he doesn't even know why the tears are falling from his eyes. He struggles to keep himself composed -- but he notices that his tears aren't dropping into the empty space. They seem to be following a t
r
a
i
l,
finally forming a c i r c l e around…oh.
The tall figure walks towards Levi, the teardrops still slowly whirling around him, and each step is accompanied by the distant sounds of church bells and splashes of water drops. The blinding white is slowly peeled away, replaced with a shimmering, translucent kaleidoscope of seas of sand, meadows of ice, walls of luscious green fronds.
Levi's hand reaches out tentatively, as if everything is an i l l u s i o n. But his fingers are quickly met with those of the other man's, intertwining, forging
perfect
unity.
A sudden w a r m t h spreads through his fingertips and each fragile shard of his body seems to pulsate. The final bell tolls and the last water drop settles into the center of the images of the outside world. A strange tremor runs along Levi's spine, across his chest, and to his palms. He finally lets out a shaky sigh. The hand grips Levi a bit more tightly, as if to steady him.
Levi closes his eyes, waiting. And there's no mistake.
"Finally," Erwin murmurs with a faint smile, pressing his forehead to Levi's, "we're free."