Levi hadn't been dragged into the torture slash confessions room (yet), not that his introduction had lacked the former. He'd been pretty much dragged into what had to be the dirtiest medical wing he'd seen in years, restrained with magic after knocking out a few demons, and then had his crushed knee meddled without anaesthetics.
At least, apparently, it did something right because he can move it again, even if it hurts and he still needs a crutch to actually walk, and the demonic doctor merrily tells him to come back about his hand and eye at a later time, to which he gives them his remaining middle finger and leaves.
It takes a while to process the surroundings. He's still not convinced it's not an elaborate hallucination of some sort, but then, he might have been dying. He thinks he might have died. People didn't just randomly see their dead friends out of thin air, did they? But still... On one hand, he's not surprised, on another, he can't say that he outright expected to land in Hell, either. It made sense, though. Thirty years in the dark outweighed a few years as hero of humanity, especially when that too wasn't exactly... clean, so to speak.
He makes his way outside -- reddish sky, dried up, nightmarish landscape further out, not particularly dissimilar from the hell he's been through mere hours ago. Maybe he's still there. Maybe his mind is --
He sees the person on the bench further ahead and something turns over in him.
Erwin.
He's dead.
It can't be. Can it?
Maybe they're both dead. Maybe they somehow, against all odds, ended up in the same place afterwards. Maybe he's just making all of this shit up, because of course he'd be there in that case. Levi had been talking to him a lot during that final battle, hasn't he? Maybe that's how--
Two arms, not one. That's wrong, isn't it? Maybe it's the effect of this place. Maybe everything got messed up with the Paths and he's in some odd timeline where things didn't end up the way they did. He seems deep in thought, he must've not recognized Levi out of the corner of his eye yet, not that Levi's sure he'd recognize himself at the moment, all bandaged up and looking half-dead for all intents and purposes.
Doesn't matter. Doesn't even matter if it's real or not. What matters is that Erwin is there, right there within reach, and maybe Levi can talk to him one more time.
He hesitates for a moment, then limps closer, gradually faster, the tip of the crutch clicking against the stony pavement. He's spent almost four years thinking of how to apologize to the man in front of him if they ever did meet like this, but now... now he doesn't have to anymore. He did it. He finally did it, he --
"I killed him," he announces, stopping right in front of the other man. He'd take a knee again, but his legs don't work like that, not at the moment, so he's just hunched there awkwardly on his crutch, fighting the urge to reach out, rest a hand against his arm, anything. He doesn't, but there's just a hint of urgency in his normally mellow tone, as if it's something he's been holding on for years. (He has. It almost killed him -- maybe it did).
He doesn't even know if Erwin has any idea what he's talking about, if he remembers Shiganshina, his final order, if he understands how important it is for Levi to be able to say these words, especially say these words to him, but he has to, he has to get this burning thing out of him. Please. Please say that he did his duty. Something. Please confirm that this weight is finally gone for real, before something breaks.
reach up high, sort of, mentions of injuries
At least, apparently, it did something right because he can move it again, even if it hurts and he still needs a crutch to actually walk, and the demonic doctor merrily tells him to come back about his hand and eye at a later time, to which he gives them his remaining middle finger and leaves.
It takes a while to process the surroundings. He's still not convinced it's not an elaborate hallucination of some sort, but then, he might have been dying. He thinks he might have died. People didn't just randomly see their dead friends out of thin air, did they? But still... On one hand, he's not surprised, on another, he can't say that he outright expected to land in Hell, either. It made sense, though. Thirty years in the dark outweighed a few years as hero of humanity, especially when that too wasn't exactly... clean, so to speak.
He makes his way outside -- reddish sky, dried up, nightmarish landscape further out, not particularly dissimilar from the hell he's been through mere hours ago. Maybe he's still there. Maybe his mind is --
He sees the person on the bench further ahead and something turns over in him.
Erwin.
He's dead.
It can't be. Can it?
Maybe they're both dead. Maybe they somehow, against all odds, ended up in the same place afterwards. Maybe he's just making all of this shit up, because of course he'd be there in that case. Levi had been talking to him a lot during that final battle, hasn't he? Maybe that's how--
Two arms, not one. That's wrong, isn't it? Maybe it's the effect of this place. Maybe everything got messed up with the Paths and he's in some odd timeline where things didn't end up the way they did. He seems deep in thought, he must've not recognized Levi out of the corner of his eye yet, not that Levi's sure he'd recognize himself at the moment, all bandaged up and looking half-dead for all intents and purposes.
Doesn't matter. Doesn't even matter if it's real or not. What matters is that Erwin is there, right there within reach, and maybe Levi can talk to him one more time.
He hesitates for a moment, then limps closer, gradually faster, the tip of the crutch clicking against the stony pavement. He's spent almost four years thinking of how to apologize to the man in front of him if they ever did meet like this, but now... now he doesn't have to anymore. He did it. He finally did it, he --
"I killed him," he announces, stopping right in front of the other man. He'd take a knee again, but his legs don't work like that, not at the moment, so he's just hunched there awkwardly on his crutch, fighting the urge to reach out, rest a hand against his arm, anything. He doesn't, but there's just a hint of urgency in his normally mellow tone, as if it's something he's been holding on for years. (He has. It almost killed him -- maybe it did).
He doesn't even know if Erwin has any idea what he's talking about, if he remembers Shiganshina, his final order, if he understands how important it is for Levi to be able to say these words, especially say these words to him, but he has to, he has to get this burning thing out of him. Please. Please say that he did his duty. Something. Please confirm that this weight is finally gone for real, before something breaks.
"Just as I promised. I killed the Beast."