"They're here!" A voice screamed in the distance, echoing in the streets.
Suddenly, thunderous footsteps followed, intense bursts of winds following each step. Levi looked up, his moderately short black hair being blown away by the wind.
"Not again, tomorrow is my 21st birthday." He took to his heels, running as far away as he could from the source.
It looked like a giant, tall and huge. No, it was a titan — a species much larger than usual giants, more deadly, but fortunately, a bit slower.
"I can do this. Just one more day and I'll finally be a full adult and turn 21." He tripped on a few stones, the roads destroyed and turned into nothing but remains of its former self.
It was a desolate area ravaged by magical beasts but Levi and a few other thrill seekers revisited it just for fun. They called the feeling of adrenaline 'addictive' and tried their best to push themselves to the edge of life.
Out of this small group, Levi was their head, his thirst for fun far surpassing theirs.
As he ran with all his strength, a hint of fear could be noticed. His heart raced faster than he could run, his eyes were slowly closing as he was filled with fear, and his breaths sped up.
"Oh I've done it now. Why do I have to be this stupid all the time," he said, catching up with the few others he brought with him.
They managed to escape the titan behind but unluckily, a tiny creature appeared before them with a body of a bird and wings incredibly larger than it's body.
"Hey Carl! Use your shield magic. You can right!" Levi screamed, perceiving the danger the small creature posed.
"Yeah but just for a few seconds or a minute at best." Carl extended his arms, a blue rectangle appeared before them and a box suddenly appeared, enveloping all them.
Levi breathed heavily, his body slowly collapsing due to all the anxiety. Levi looked at the creature and then the sun, noticing the dark red color of the sun, something that had become a usual occurrence.
The bird-like creature started expanding, it's wings growing muscular, and it's body larger than the arm of an average human before it climaxed at an intense explosion.
They couldn't feel the wind from the explosion but their surroundings were proof of its destructive power. The roads around the shield had disintegrated, leaving a massive hole around them.
"I'll fly you guys out of here. I have some juice left in me," a fellow thrill seeker voiced out. The shield dissipated into the air and wings, glowing in a vibrant green color appeared at their backs.
'I wish I could use magic just like them. Maybe a spell book would work,' Levi thought as he lowered himself already being flown away from the scene.
He looked back at the Titans, as they slowly went out of sight. He felt releaved but the thought of him being abandoned bothered him.
"I know what you're thinking Levi. We're like family, you always think we'll leave you behind but trust me," Carl struck his chest, a warm smile surfaced. "We will never, even if it meant our lives."
The others nodded in affirmation, lifting everyone's moods.
"Now can we all agree we'll never come back here?" Val curiously asked and everyone immediately agreed.
As the team flew away from the city and back to their safe homes underground, a black flash caught their attention. The wings disappeared and they fell to the ground but cushioned by another member's magic.
"I don't think I'm out of juice yet, what happened?"
Everyone looked around, their faces worn out from all the stress. Their skins tightened, with goosebumps all over as an eerie chill surrounded them. Suddenly, a black rod struck through Carl and Val.
"No. Move everyone!" Levi screamed, trying to save them.
But nothing could be helped.
Before Levi could get to their bodies, debating in his mind whether to run away and get them later or save them right there, another rod struck his chest.
"Wha, what is this? I can't feel... any pain," Levi muttered as the fear of being killed caused him to loose consciousness faster than the rod's strike.
As his eyes closed, memories rushed to his head; memories of a creature clothed in white from head to toe. It looked like a baby, and Levi was sure it was one.
He blacked out and fell to the ground as a sharp ache filled his head.
"Stand up boy," a childish voice spoke.
His eyes slowly opened and he lifted himself from the floor slowly, questioning the voice he had just heard. He looked up and his gaze locked on a nearby titan, reaching out to the lifeless bodies of his friends.
"Let me in!" The voice intruded once more, this time more persuasive than before.
"I don't know what you mean by that, but if it's to save them I guess you can do whatever you want even though this is a reckless decision."
He gave in to the voice within him, and his vision suddenly got dark. The last things he could hear were sounds of Titans and clashing weapons before he completely became unconscious.
He opened his eyes after what felt like days and he found himself on a hospital bed. He looked around him and was both surprised and releaved to see his friends all alive and well, regardless of how sick they looked.
"No more thrill seeking until you're well rested," a female doctors spoke to the others especially Carl and Val who suffered fatal wounds on their heads.
"Oh you're awake, your injuries are the least critical. Just a few bruises here and there, nothing to be scared of," the doctor said, reassuring Levi with a warm smile.
"Yeah, but how'd I get here?" Levi asked.
She looked back at him, her face showing a mix of confusion and fear as her lips quivered. With a raised eyebrow and a fake smile, she joked about it.
"Don't act like you weren't the one who brought them here. You weren't scathed that much and used your last strength to bring them here, right?"
Levi was confused, unable to recall anything beyond the point after he lost consciousness. He was confused just as much as she was.
"No, no I wasn't unscathed and neither do I remember bringing myself or them here."