Duel Beneath the Moonlight

Outside the Reiss Chapel, sounds of gunfire and steel clashing against steel could be heard.

What remained of the Anti-Personell Squad that tried to leave was locked in a fierce battle with the Survey Corps that had descended upon the area like flies upon learning of where Eren was likely held. 

Amidst the chaos, the most decisive battle would be the one between a certain midget and old man.

If either was left unchecked, the scales of the battle would be tipped heavily.

"This isn't like you, didn't I teach you before that entertaining doubt is akin to embracing death?"

"I didn't know you to be this talkative, Kenny!"

The two master fighters drew their blades once more and thrust them at each other faces. Both of their swords slammed hard, crossing and cutting past each other as their holders dived away; re-assuming their stances in a second.

The ferocity and swordplay skills would have long settled the fight if they were up against ordinary opponents. However, neither of them could be called ordinary.

A red glint surfaced in Levi's eyes. He held his blades in reverse grip, followed by a burst of gas, spinning and cutting everything around him in a circular arc as he closed in on Kenny with astonishing speed.

"I see you improved on the tricks I taught you. But you still have a lot to learn!"

The old man sidestepped the movement without missing a beat, as though he predicted the attack. 

Levi immediately stopped, turned and raised his blades high, blocking the incoming counterattack that Kenny had just unleashed. If he was even a second late, it would have taken his life.

Their swords clangoured soullessly in a few more exchanges, with the winner none the clearer.

Levi switched out a new pair of blades, the moonlight reflected in its polished steel.

"Surrender. It's over for all of you."

"Hah!" Kenny slashed both of his blades at Levi again, and the clangour of steel sounded throughout the forest. "Ya have to do it the old-fashioned way, I'm afraid."

The captain growled and swung his swords in a wide arc. The tip of one of his blades grazed Kenny's cheek, leaving a fine line of red with blood dripping onto the grass.

However, the man was unperturbed. Without missing a beat, he charged at Levi and aimed his weapon, seemingly for the kill. The captain retreated and prepared himself to receive the incoming onslaught; only to find his foot stuck in something - mud.

Unlucky.

Kenny knocked away the last-ditch attempt by Levi to block him and pressed steel against the throat of his Nephew.

"Ya suck, humanity's strongest soldier, gettin' his ass kicked by an old man." 

Levi looked at the man before him. 

The moon had risen high in the sky, its rays illuminating every single feature of Kenny's face that was now metres away from his. The wrinkles, the signs of ageing on full display.

He could no longer see this man the same way. Levi mustered his courage and uttered a word he had never thought possible.

"Uncle."

Kenny's eyes widened, his grip loosening just slightly. He had intended to fully cut Levi's throat with the next attack.

The hesitation was only for a slight moment, but fatal. 

The captain knew an opportunity when he saw it and took full advantage.

Levi gave Kenny a kick, driving a shoe hard right into his chest, causing the man to stumble backwards. He then rushed at Kenny, pinning the man down against the trunk of a tree before he could regain his footing.

"So it's true … why?" Levi whispered. 

Family was a foreign word to the captain. Ever since Erwin's trip to Mitras along with Mikasa and Eren, he had gathered information that supported the conclusion.

Levi was not a person who would hesitate. Hesitation had claimed the lives of many of his comrades against the Titans. Yet against the only one person alive who was related to him, Levi could not find the same resolve to completely shut it away.

Even humanity's strongest soldier could not abandon the notion of family.

Amidst the deafening silence, Moisture clung to the air, making it heavy, while a blanket of clouds obscured the sky. Levi registered the sensation of a single raindrop, then a second, and then his clothes beginning to be drenched by the downpour.

"... I-" The man stopped and coughed out a mouthful of blood.

"Kenny!"

"That damned King … he poisoned the supplies here! That bastard actually thought that far ahead. " 

Kenny had to give credit to Rod Reiss. That noble had never once appeared to be the type that was good with schemes. Even his political manoeuvres often left much to be desired, resulting in the Assembly wresting a lot of the power from him. 

He would never have imagined the man would be vicious enough to pull off such a cunning move. Rod wanted to ensure everyone who knew of the royal family's secret would be killed. Dead man tell no tales after all.

The sounds of fighting in the vicinity had died down. Kenny wasn't the only one that got poisoned. The Noble had intended to silence every single one who knew of his secret upon taking back the Founding Titan. If they didn't die fighting the Survey Corps, they would have perished once enough time passed for the poison to kick in,

Unfortunately for Rod, he would have never expected Eren to turn the tables on him. And that his enemies would be the ones to benefit from his scheme.

"An odourless, tasteless fatal poison. That's something beyond what we have in the walls. It must be something the first king brought in from the outside before he sealed everyone off. … "

"First king? Poison? Sealed off?" Levi voice was growing frantic. "Tell me all that you know, Kenny! Why were the Ackermans persecuted so heavily by the royal family?"

There was a deafening silence, followed by a sigh from Kenny. 

"The Reiss Family Vault, that's where the titan serums and other technology-defying items came from - the First King of the Walls stored them there. As for the Ackermans, we were originally a clan that served the King. We were the government's shield and sword, and played a key role in ensuring humanity's survival. But … we could not agree with Karl Fritz's ideology of wiping out the memories of all humanity and rewriting them. The king of the wall holds the power of the Founding Titan, which allows him to rewrite and alter the memories of all the majority races within these walls."

"And the Ackermans were immune to it?"

"Ya catchin' on fast. That's why Rod poisoned me …. The Reiss Family Heads, they all went to the same vault before going to the ceremony. I wanted to go see for myself but … it seems I won't be able to do so." Kenny reached into his coat and pulled out a box.

Levi was keenly aware that these were the words of a dying man. He had witnessed such scenes countless times, each one an unpleasant and hurtful memory that he would have to bury away.

But this one would hit him differently.

"I swiped this from the bastard noble … but there's no point in it now." Kenny paused. "The Reiss Family Heads .. are under some kind of restriction. Only the family heads who inherit the Founding Titan know where the vault is."

Levi didn't answer, Kenny's voice was growing softer. 

"Look at how you've grown, that gaze in your eyes - it's not like ya to be concerned for someone. Found a girlfriend? Girls tend to dislike guys that are short though ... Kuchel would be so proud of you if she was still alive. To think that in the end, the dream that I was drunk on - it was just an illusion."

He coughed out another mouthful of blood.

"Sorry that I couldn't be a better parent … and uncle. Ya my pride and joy. Live well, Levi."

The old man's head thudded against the trunk of a tree behind him.

Kenny was the grim reaper, the strongest man alive who terrorised the populace within the walls. Cold, unyielding and shrewd. However, even that cold steel heart of his felt a small strange warmth he had not felt for in many years when Levi called him uncle for the first time.

His lips curled into one final smile as he pushed the box gently into Levi's hands.

"KENNY!"