Summary

It was a month after the titans appeared when the earthquake happened. The natural disaster lasted for a week while the skies split as lightning crashed into the sea. When the fishermen were finally allowed to leave, they rowed their boats to the middle of the ocean where the fish swam in abundance. There, they found glass blue mountains so high that the tips touch the glowing clouds. Little did they know of The City hidden behind those mountains; of the role its technologies would play in keeping them alive.

[Year 853]
The Survey Corps ─ lost in an unknown town, far from the protection of their walls ─ crossed paths with 15 students from The City. To thank the Survey Corps for saving one of their course mates, the students shared their knowledge about the world. It deferred greatly from what the Survey Corps knew so they questioned. The more questions the Survey Corps asked, the more confused the students became. The City no longer seemed to be heart of the land, but a dormant cancerous growth.

Will the Survey Corps find out the secrets lurking behind the foundations of The City or will the students disappear before the truth is found?

The night stood as placid as the puddles of water on the ground, yet her heart pounded loudly against that stillness. With hands pressed to her fluttering chest, Nicolette stepped into the right alley and subtly looked behind.

There it was.

The shadow of a head peeking out from a corner.

Nicolette went back to walking in small quick steps. No matter how hard she looked, the dark outline of the shops remained unfamiliar. Being new to this part of town disoriented her bearings. Her heart pumped so fast to the point it was hard to think. Sensing this, Nicolette let her hands fall to her sides. Panicking always made things worse. She slowed her pace and the tap of her shoes softened.

If her memory served her right, the pub was only a few blocks ahead. Reach it and no one will be able to touch her.

The hard hilts under her skirt gave the girl some assurance. If she did get attack, just lodge the blade on her right deep into an eye or the neck for a swift kill. Stabbing the chest would be less merciful but as long as the blade breaks skin, the Synthetic Poison coating the blade will deliver one of the most painful deaths.

Up ahead, a soft light glowed, accompanied by loud boisterous shouts and cheers.

A nice hot meal while her friends chatter with worry. Then, a lavender scented bath.

A slight smile broke across Nicolette's face at the thought of being safe. As if predicting that she was about to run, a hand latched onto her and slammed her to the ground. The fall knocked the air out of her lungs, leaving Nicolette gasping for air. Water seeped into her clothes from the after rain puddles. It was cold and tears began to trickle down her cheeks at the growing pain throbbing behind her head.

Temporarily letting her guard down was a huge mistake.

"Look at what we have here. A girl from The City. Look Andy, her skirt is so short. Boy, do they dress differently," spoke the man pinning her down.

Before Nicolette could grab her blade, a shoe stomped on her fingers. Her screams were muffled by the hand clamping down on her mouth. Someone else restrained her other hand, fully restricting her movements. To her horror, greasy fingers began to push up her knee-length skirt. It sent chills down her spine as the hand kneaded her thighs, enjoying its softness. Time seemed to pass slowly then. The weight of the knee on her stomach was making it difficult for her to breathe.

"Doc was right. She does have a blade hidden there," the man squashing her gasped as he touched the strap on her thigh.

Nicolette started thrashing. Take away both blades and her chances of escaping would decrease. As Andy took out the blade, she could feel its cold metal slid past her thigh. It was not hard enough to draw blood but it acted as a rude awakening. One of her blades had been taken away ─ a consequence of her blunder.

She needed to do something fast.

Remembering the hand covering her mouth, she immediately bit down on it. The hand left her face and she could finally breath.

"You little wench."

The man got his revenge by backhanding Nicolette across the face. His hand was so big that even her ears stunk from the slap.

"Stop it, Victor. This place is too exposed," Andy grabbed Victor's arms, trying to him from kicking the girl. "We need to bring her back to Doc. She will be all yours after that. You can even whip her if you…"

Still stunned from the assault, Nicolette groggily eyed the sky. Amongst its vastest, only the stars shone that night. Bruised and hurt, Nicolette let out a shuddering breath at its beauty. Will they help me this time?

Just as Victor was about to give Nicolette a final kick in the ribs, some slinging sounds flung down from the sky. Before they knew anything, Victor was grunting in pain.

"What the heck."

Those were Andy's last words. With both man off her, Nicolette reached for the another blade under her skirt. As she tried to lift her head, a headache hit her like a hammer. However, that did not stop her from throwing the blade backwards.

Now, it was Andy's turn to scream in agony. Serve him right for attacking a duchess of The City. Nicolette's aim was a bit too high though. Half of it was buried deep into his thigh, near the groin instead of the leg.

At the beginning, the wound stung like any other injury. It took a few seconds before Andy felt his balls start to sizzle. If there were any traces of light, he would have seen the pity on Nicolette's face as his knees became weaker and weaker. The Synthetic Poison was paralyzing him.

"Ahh…..eer..aii….ahhh….."

No words formed. He could not move his fingers, his muscles or even blink his eyes. All Andy could do was silently cry as the poison rapidly burned its way up to his heart.

Luckily, Victor took away Nicolette's blade of defence. The blade stuck on Andy's thigh gave a swifter, less torturous end. Nicolette watched in giddiness as Andy dropped to his knees, slumping flat on his face. May the stars guide you home and not forsake your soul.

"Hey, are you okay?"

A silhouette crouched down next to her. Nicolette wanted to give her thanks but another wave of headache crashed down, stopping her from whispering.

"Mission accomplished, Jean?"

More slinging sounds could be heard, meaning that more people were landing from a high up place.

"Took you guys long enough. Cloth. I need a strip of cloth. Got to stop the bleeding."

A pair of muscular arms scooped Nicolette up and she blinked at the unexpected warmth.

There was a tearing sound and a feminine voice said. "Here, take this."

The cloth was place behind Nicolette's head and her mouth formed an 'O'. Her saviour, Jean was not the one injured. She was.

That would explain why her head hurt so badly. Hopefully it does not need stitches. Her team needed return to The City in a month's time. Starting from tomorrow, all the remaining days were for sightseeing. Missing the highlight did not sound pleasing; withholding the others from going would dampened her spirits even more.

"Will she be okay?" another girl asked.

"Don't know. Can't see shit. All I know that she is quite heavy for such a small body," Jean grunted.

Nicolette's pale cheeks flushed slightly. He did not need to say it out loud. Nevertheless, she only weighed 48kg. All her friends were heavier than her. That's for sure. This Jean must have been weak despite those taut muscles behind his shirt.

"Since you have time to complain cadet, I expect the dishes to be clean before you sleep. The rest of you, go tie up those two. There's a request to capture the culprits," ordered a deep voice.

That low, sexy voice was the last thing Nicolette remembered. The timing of the rescue was uncanny. Jean muttered under his breath as watched Nicolette fell asleep, dreaming of the stars. Just as her course mates were about to eat supper, the Survey Corps entered the pub.

Nicolette will have to thank Michaela later for she was the one that sent help. And the stars for answering her unsaid prayers.

I haven't written anything for two years now. Constructive comments are much appreciated XD I can be a slow writer and finals are in December soooooo please forgive me for slow updates. I'm also thinking of whether should I put in some smut in the later chapters...should I?

Levi should be in his mid-thirties, and Jean and the rest would be around 17 years old. Some parts of this fanfic will not follow the anime's events so please bear with the ideas inside my brain :333

Need a beta reader to go through my work...Help please?