The Empire of Titans Chapter 20 (Subject of Ymir) (Patreon)

Levi

Beer and other forms of alcoholic moistures were often easier to find in the Underground than water, which was more than fine by Kenny. He never liked water much anyway. Samples and portions of water were a lot better spent in making barrels of alcoholic drinks. Most Underground folks better not develop too expensive tastes, after all.

If it were water or tea or some other pricey shit, Kenny would understand the fascination, but it was such an ordinary moment. He was so engaged in whatever philosophical shit he had been babbling on about that it took him several moments to realize the midget had grown completely still (more than usual), sunken eyes staring. Eventually, mouth full of beer and babbling making him choke, Kenny noticed Levi and nearly choked again at the glint in the brat's eyes.

Staring at the mug.

Uh oh.

"Can I try it?" Levi asked, sounding for the first time like a baby.

Kenny squinted at him, holding his precious mug close.

"No."

"Why?" He wasn't whining - that'd be truly terrifying, Levi being the expressionless brat he was - but his eyes didn't falter from the mug. Kenny had the chilling certainty that if he moved the mug from left to right, the midget's eyes would follow. It was scary in its own right, and he didn't want to test it.

"It's my beer. Go get your own."

"I don't have money."

The adult man was the one whining instead of the seven-year-old kid. Kenny groaned and turned around in his seat, calling some drunkard close by.

"Hey, give me ya beer for the kid."

The other man snorted. These eloquent conversations were frequent.

"Go buy yar kid ya own damn beer."

"You're gonna give alcohol to a kid that size?" another nearby man asked, eyes on Levi and his adorable face and height.

Oh, look, morals. Those weren't so frequent.

Carefully placing his own mug on the table and away from trouble, Kenny stood up, punched the second man, picked up the scattered mug, and threw it dead on the first man's teeth. After the question was dealt with, he straightened his hat back to its place, picked up the intended beer, and returned to his table, shoving the mug into Levi's hands.

"And don't say I don't give ya anything."

"You could have avoided that if you let me try yours."

"Shut up."

"Or paid for one."

"Shut it. Ya, don't avoid stuff like this. This is how ya make friends and start reputations, so learn it."

Levi seemed to be wondering where exactly the situation had brought the possibility for friendship, both men grunting and moaning in pain and one less tooth in the mixture, but said nothing further, focusing now back on the source of all the rattle.

Now back to his seat and his beer, Kenny became quite amused by the prospect of Levi's reaction drinking his first share of alcohol. The beer in this cow-house bar had the distinct taste of spit, but it'd be more than enough to earn Kenny some laughs.

Levi was cautious trying it, sipping enough just to wet his lips. Kenny waited to see him spit it out and cough, but Levi's reaction was to just frown at the foreign taste. Nothing dramatic at all.

"It's bitter."

" Well, what'd ya expect?"

"I thought it was sweet."

"It becomes sweet enough when ya're drunk."

Levi stared back at him with that cute girlish look, analyzing if Kenny was pranking him, and sipped a bit more. The frown was maintained.

With a strange curiosity to see how Levi would behave when drunk (and disregarding the 'morals' of the question), Kenny didn't oppose to Levi drinking from there on out, but if he expected foolish behavior, hype, violence, or bawling drunken tears, he didn't really get them. Given his age and size, Levi did get intoxicated, but it got him more unbalanced or sleepy and a pain in the ass afterward when the hangover gave him headaches. It almost drove Kenny's curiosity away. He wasn't getting none of the more dramatic and comical Kenny wanted to be entertained by.

It would entertain him quite enough to have Levi win drinking contests with the benefit of his alcoholic resistance, but that came out of Levi's own volition in some months' time.

Before that started, and only one week after that first taste of beer, Kenny stopped incentivizing the brat.

Being the sly little bastard he was, Levi pretended to be drunk, like Kenny was hoping (and after a serious amount of drinking - both of them had kept up with each other in a form of silly competition, and Kenny's more than trained stomach and liver were getting slightly dizzy), only to have an excuse to kick him in the shin in the middle of a bar and steal his hat.

The men that caught the scene barked out in laughter, the tiny midget hopping and swirling around a forest of legs in a chant of victory. When Kenny caught up with the apparently very drunk Levi, a mix of annoyance and satisfaction to see the kid break, he bent over the boy to retrieve the hat resting on the midget's hair nest. And he met Levi's completely lucid gaze and accomplished little fucking smile.

Kenny didn't know if he wanted to laugh or punch him.

Opening his eyes, it took some time for him to remind himself that he wasn't with Kenny. Rubbing his eyes, slowly, he didn't feel tired anymore; looking outside through the window, the sun had just peeked over the horizon, illuminating the landscape in a red-yellow light; his eyes squinted when he saw Hange walking outside in a way as if she didn't want anyone to see her.

What is four eyes doing now? He asked himself, quickly yanking the sheet away and wearing his clothes; he walked outside; the guards who were guarding the captured Titan spotted him as he made his over to the Titan. It had been one week since they captured the damn thing, and many scouts had felt uncomfortable and anxious about its presence near the building.

Surprisingly, Hange hadn't straight away experimenting on it; instead, she had spent the entire first two days reading the diary left by the poor girl whose name was Ilse, who had disappeared beyond the wall; her body was brought back, and her family was informed of her fate, Levi despite seeing that many times before, he still felt terrible every time they lost someone, and needing to inform their families of their downfall was perhaps the hardest part, listening to them crying for their daughter would make many wonder why they themselves were still alive and standing, but not Levi, he never allowed himself to drown in 'What ifs' if he did, he would be lost.

Despite her death, what she had written in her diary before her death and perhaps even in her final moments was fascinating; many people would beg for mercy, scream for help, or simply close their eyes whenever a Titan got a hold of them, but not this one, she had written in her diary until the end. She was brave until the very end, Levi thought with respect.

Hange had spent two days reading everything; reading that the Titan had spoken had almost made Hange squeal like a pig, but Levi had been there before she could, talking with Erwin; their commander wasn't sure what to make of this. Apparently, the titan had spoken words with meaning.

"Subject of Ymir,"

No one was familiar with the name; Hange had suggested that perhaps the Titans were somehow getting smarter since their giant friend caught Petra, who had written words with meaning and hadn't eaten Petra. Still, Erwin quickly pointed out that based on their reports, neither did the Colossal and Armored Titan; they simply destroyed the gates and disappeared without leaving any trace.

Levi knew their commander perhaps suspected something at the very least but hadn't told them yet; today, Keith Shadis would arrive since the commander had called for him, wanting to know if perhaps the name 'Ymir' was familiar to him. During the years, they had exchanged information back and forth, Levi had suggested confronting The Doctor's kid, but Erwin had dropped it, for now, saying they needed direct proof, not just assumptions.

Levi escaped his thoughts when the voice of Hange was heard; the guards that were around the perimeter of the Titan saluted when they saw Levi.

"Good morning, Captain," the two soldiers saluted at the same time; they had gotten used to Levi's hours of sleep; from the whole Survey Corps, Levi was the one who spent the least amount of time sleeping; some scouts in the Survey Corps even said that he slept only three hours a day.

"Any problems with the idiot?" Levi questioned with an authoritative tone, clearly talking about the ugly short titan who looked lost in thoughts most of the time.

"Nothing, Captain; he just stands there as if he's asleep all the time, even during the day!" The soldier informed him.

Levi simply nodded before walking inside the perimeter; despite being a short titan, they weren't taking any chances. His body was forced into a kneeling position, standing over a large wooden board; all his limbs were covered with armor plates, not allowing it the chance to regenerate its limbs; his neck had an iron collar around it, supported by several chains that were secured all around the wooden board, he couldn't move an inch, other than his mouth that was still functional.

Levi found Hange standing dangerously close to the Titan; despite not being thoroughly morning, the titan was awake; Levi could hear four eyes murmuring something to the thing.

Walking closer, it seemed Hange hadn't heard him yet despite him standing only two meters away from Four Eyes. Not being the patient type, especially with someone like Hange. "Shitty Glasses, What do you think you're doing?" His voice startled the woman, who turned around abruptly to face him, but having her back turned to the Titan wasn't the brightest idea.

Snap

The jaw shut tightly, but capturing nothing but empty air, Levi had shoved Hange away before she could be injured heavily or die. Levi narrowed his eyes dangerously, ready to kill the bloody thing. While Hange laughed in amusement before standing up with her arms spread, a broad smile on her face. Many others would shake in fear, being so close to getting eaten; Hange, on the other hand, was squealing like a pig.

"Ahh, little Ymi, always trying to take a bite," She laughed it off as a joke; Levi always knew she had a few screws loose.

"Next time, stay further away," Levi warned her with a pointed look that would make many shake in fear.

"Ahh, it was nothing, Levi, I'm fine," Hange dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand, she didn't want to admit it, but she felt... good, knowing the captain was concerned for her. Levi groaned in annoyance; despite knowing her for so many years, he still hadn't gotten fully used to her antics; perhaps I never will.

Hearing concern in his voice made Hange smirk deviously, and the captain didn't like how she leaned her head closer to him. Invading his personal space, almost forcing him to lean back away from her stupid face. "Ohh, is Levi concerned about me?!" She teased, looking directly into his eyes.

Levi groaned loudly, he was half convinced to punch her, and he really didn't like the way she had leaned so close to him. Her face leaning even closer, he could smell her disgusting breath...

"You haven't bathed, have you?" Levi questioned with a disgusted look, completely ignoring her question.

Hange blinked several times before she stepped away, almost trying to slowly hide away somewhere, but she wasn't able to take a single step back when Levi grabbed her wrist, forcing her to follow him as a parent would do to their kids.

"It been an entire week; you stink!" Levi spoke with utter disgust seeping into his voice, Hange laughed embarrassed, trying to free herself from his grip, but he wasn't the strongest soldier for nothing. The soldiers guarding the perimeter were laughing in amusement at the sight of Captain Levi dragging Hange away. The latter protested and saying she had more important things to do.

Later

"Levi, you're no Fun," Hange complained loudly; the captain simply groaned; Mike smiled in amusement, with Nanaba chuckling.

"That's what you get for not taking a bath at least once a week!" Levi said with a deadpan look on his face; when he had first known her, she used to bathe only once a month, which was disastrous, now at the very least once a week.

"Oh, come on, I didn't smell that bad, right guys?" She asked, turning to face Mike and Nanaba, who looked ready to say something, but eventually, their mouths closed, and whatever they wanted to say died in their throats.

Hange gave a look of betrayal at both of them, especially Nanaba, who rolled her eyes instead of falling for her bait. Her eyes looked back and forth, and eventually, the captain grabbed her shoulders, making her wince a little.

"Let's just see, what Commander Erwin wants with us," He spoke with a commanding tone, simply being in his presence made people fear him; he had a strong aura around him.

Both Mike and Nanaba quickly nodded before walking away, a little too quickly, as if trying to avoid Hange, who huffed in annoyance.

"Traitors," she moaned, now left alone with Levi, not that she minded being alone with him; despite his stoic nature, he was easy to tease and have a conversation with.

Eventually, they reached the room; steeping inside, Hange noticed Keith Shadis sitting on a round table; his back turned to the door, and he moved his head a little to see who entered before looking forward again. Erwin was sitting on the other side of the table, a window behind his back that showed one of the courtyards of the Survey Corps. Instead of sitting, Mike was leaning against the wall, and Nanaba was sitting near Mike. Levi and Hange made their way to sit beside Erwin.

Hange avoided the eyes of the instructor; for now, it had been a long time, and nothing much was left, but she still felt a little embarrassed in his presence.

Keith seeing that everyone was present, cleared his throat, his eyes focused on the commander. Now would be a good time to start, not that he didn't enjoy revisiting the Main Headquarters of the Survey Corps, but his priority was to teach kids how to fight. He didn't want to waste more time than necessary here.

"Commander Erwin, you asked for me?" Keith spoke respectfully; he heard from his subordinates that the Survey Corps had been outside again, and surprisingly, this time, there were no casualties. That information had brought Keith great joy; it had been a small group, but still, nothing to scoff at.

Erwin nodded, his fingers crossed in front of his face. "Yes, we would like your permission to show something to the Training Corps," he requested authoritatively.

Keith arched an eyebrow, now fully paying attention to this meeting. He wondered what could be they wanted to show that needed his permission...

"What could that be?" Keith inquired, curiosity seeping into his voice.

Keith noticed Erwin's eyes wander to Captain Levi and Squad Leader Hange.

"We have captured a Titan beyond the wall; we would like to show it to the Training Corps," Erwin revealed.

Keith's eyes widened slightly before they narrowed, his hands turning fists. "A Titan! Inside the Wall? Is it secured?" Keith demanded, his voice cold. Anyone else wouldn't be able to come out of their shock after hearing there was a Titan inside the walls, but Keith hadn't been a Commander for naught; he had dealt with many things in his life, and it would be hard to take him by surprise.

Erwin explained how they had captured it, brought it inside, and imprisoned it, being extra cautious that it would never break free. Hearing that the Titan was watched all the time by a squad of four soldiers made him sigh in relief, his shoulders slumped down, allowing himself to breathe easier.

"That's quite a feat; you have my congratulations for achieving something like this," Keith spoke respectfully, allowing a little smile to form on his face. He had known for a long time now that Erwin Smith wasn't a bystander; he was someone who could achieve things that I never could; with him in charge, perhaps The Threat of the Titans will finally End one day, Keith thought; he hoped he would live long enough to see the day they could go out there, without the fear of being devoured.

"So, can we show the Titan to the Training Corps? We got the right to do so; it was hard convincing the higher-ups?" Erwin continued with the first reason he had called Keith here.

The man reluctantly nodded. "I have nothing against it, but I would like that a squad of Scouts to be present, just in case the thing escapes," Keith demanded; he wasn't going to do something to put the idiots in danger, sure, they were nothing but Titan fodder right now, but it was his duty to protect and train them.

"Captain Levi and his squad will be there," Erwin said right away, with Levi nodding along.

Keith knew someone like Levi was more than capable of protecting the idiots, but he wasn't done yet. "I would also like to know the real reason you want to show them the Titan!" Keith demanded, narrowing his eyes towards Erwin, who didn't look surprised; instead, he smirked.

"Hange," Erwin simply said with a gesture of his hand; the scientist lady grabbed something from her pocket, pulled out what looked like a small Red diary, handing it to Keith with a shaky hand; Keith's eyes briefly glanced at the diary before focusing on the commander.

"What's this?"

"A fellow scout that was lost beyond the wall had written on her diary during her last moments; she wrote that she encountered a talking Titan!" Erwin replied.

Keith's eyes widened; in the last five years, everything had changed when it came to Titans; now there was a Titan taller than the wall, a Titan covered in Armor, and now someone had encountered a Titan who could talk. Opening the diary, he quickly reached the end page, reading, and reading; he soon reached the page...

"S-Subject of Ymir!" Keith whispered the words; he couldn't understand why a Titan would talk, but most importantly, the name he mentioned...

"Do you know anyone in the Training Corps with that name?" Erwin questioned with curiosity; he noticed the face the former commander made; Erwin could tell right away that Keith knew something they didn't; his face leaned closer as he asked the question.

Keith slowly put the diary down, closing it as he faced the Commander. "...Yes, there's a girl there, whose name is Ymir, no last name," he informed them, remembering the tall girl; she looked nothing special.

"Is there anything unusual about her?" Hange questioned, looking at the diary instead of Keith; Levi wondered what her problem was; usually, she always looked someone directly in the eyes whenever she questioned them.

"Not that I could recall; her abilities are decent; she spent the majority of her time with cadet Krista Lenz and Eren Yeager," he informed them; Erwin noted that, yet again, Grisha's son was involved.

"Should we do something?" Levi questioned, looking at Erwin, who looked deep in thought.

"For now, this is simply a new way of training for the training corps to make them more familiar with the presence of a Titan. Levi, I want you all to pay attention and inform me of anything unusual." Erwin ordered him. Soon the meeting ended, but Erwin told Levi to stay for a bit longer; the moment the door closed, Levi turned to face the commander.

"What is it?"

"The Titan will be there for a whole day before it is brought back here; during the night, I want you and your squad to..."