"I don't know how you intend to pass the physical test but I'll let you off for now," the officer stated.
Levi calmed down, his breath slowing down as he walked away. He felt the arms of the officer on his bag, abruptly stopping him in his steps.
"You didn't even put the book in well," the officer joked.
The two laughed over it and Levi walked home. Revisiting his usual broken down home, he found himself deep in thought.
How would he make it past the physical tests? He hadn't gotten any progress and the voice hadn't spoken in a long while.
'Even if it speaks, can it hold an actual conversation?' He jumped on his couch, throwing his bag on the floor, at the same time exhaling heavily.
As he settled on his half-broken couch, something caught his attention. A white piece of paper slipped from his bag as the zip opened after he threw it.
"What's this?" He approached the piece of paper, recognizing it was a short letter to him.
[Meet me once you see this. I'll be at the main office, the biggest one.]
Immediately, Levi stormed out the house, banging the door behind him. He had decided to meet up with the officer and possibly gain some information from him.
"He probably put this in when he closed my bag at the hall," he stated while holding the letter in his right hand.
"What does he want from me though?" He questioned himself, slowly reaching the Attack Division's base.
The tall buildings towered just beyond the roofs of the smaller buildings in front of him. His legs grew tired, but fortunately, the officer stood at the gate, his eyes half-opened.
"Sir! I'm here," Levi greeted, awaiting the officer's reply.
"You sure took your precious time. I was about to leave. Now follow me," he opened the gate and directed Levi into a small building, almost completely hidden.
Levi looked both shocked and excited as he sighted some training equipment. A small smirk slowly spread across his face, turning into an uncontrollable smile.
"Hmm?" The officer looked back at Levi, immediately noticing his awkward smile. He opened the door to the building and shut the windows.
"Do you really think I brought you here to train you?" He walked to a light switch and turned it on before relaxing on a small bed at the edge of the room.
"Why would you bring me to a building with all these equipments without the intention of training me?" Levi asked, hesitating to take a seat.
He was still reluctant, his instincts hindering him from trusting the officer, especially as he knows his little secret.
"I didn't say that either. Just sit down and listen to me," the officer replied.
Levi took one of the numerous seats stored in a separate room and sat directly before him. He suddenly felt a strange sensation surge through his head.
His eyes grew dull, and started closing on their own. His heart rate slowed down and he soon found himself on the floor.
"Why? Why are you trying to cause me harm," Levi muttered as his head fell in the floor.
"No no, don't misread the situation. I know everything about your secret state and the magical creature within you. The doctor and your friends weren't able to sense it, but I definitely can."
He stood up and approached Levi, raising his lifeless head off the ground.
"Thanks to the researcher from RD who visited you that time, I got my hands on a drug that will stimulate that creature. So, you should be switching places right now if I'm correct."
Levi could hear his twisted yet reasonable words but he couldn't make sense out of most of it. The officer was right about one thing — the voice had started resurfacing.
"Let me in!" It screamed, as if in agony. Levi didn't hesitate and switched places as he saw it as his only attempt to escape.
As he raised his upper body from the ground, possessed by the creature within him, a strong puch met his face, knocking him out.
Suddenly, Levi fell into complete darkness and in an instant, everywhere turned white. He looked around, confused about where he was.
He took each step cautiously, walking towards what felt like a center. The more he walked, the farther the center felt, but a faint figure caught his attention, clothed in white from head to toe.
It was as pale as milk, its body the size of a toddler. It stood on its too feet, directly facing Levi. Levi's heart began to race upon seeing the creature and he desperately tried running away from it but was only drawn even nearer.
"Welcome my friend. I knew this would happen one day but I didn't expect it to be this soon," the creature spoke in it's unusually childish voice.
It disappeared and reappeared just a few steps away from Levi before he could even react. The creature offered him a deal, extending his arm for a handshake as the seal of the deal.
"What deal? I can't agree till you tell me," Levi responded, his legs trembling in fear.
"Yes, how could I have forgotten to enlighten you. Simply provide me with the bodies of other magical creatures, and I will lend you my powers anytime you wish."
"But what do you gain from assimilating those bodies?" Levi asked.
"Assimilation for me is equivalent to your eating. I believe that answers your question," the creature responded.
Levi extended his arm and they both shook each other as a seal of their agreement. Levi had no real reason to reject the offer and gaining magical powers was his only real way out of his sad boring life.
The creature slowly faded away and everywhere suddenly turned pitch black and as his eyes slowly opened, the voice echoed, "I am Astrael."
"I'm not a vessel expert so how did it go?" The officer asked, a cup of cold water in his arms directly over Levi's face.
Levi looked around himself with his tired eyes, noticing the bed he was placed on.
"Vessel? Is that what I am?"