The air around headquarters was restless that morning. The courtyard buzzed with voices, boots shuffling against stone, the shuffle of reins and gear. Word had spread faster than wildfire: an old captain was returning. Not just any captain, but one who had led an outpost behind Wall Maria for years, a figure spoken of more in rumor than in detail. Levi leaned against the stone wall, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded. Another officer. Another name. He wasn’t here to be impressed. But when the horses arrived, his gaze shifted almost against his will. The first rider dismounted with practiced ease, her movements smooth, unhurried, controlled. Captain Anastasia Volkov. Her presence silenced the yard in a way no shouted command could. She was small, almost delicate in stature, her long white hair slipping free of her hood to glint in the light. Her face was flawless—sharp lines, pale skin, lips pressed into an expression that betrayed nothing. A doll, one might have thought, if not for her eyes. Deep green, steady, unyielding. Eyes that carried authority without speaking a word, eyes that seemed to cut through whoever they landed on. Levi’s breath caught in his chest before he realized it. It wasn’t recognition—it couldn’t be. He didn’t know her. But something pulled at him all the same, rooting him to the spot as though the entire yard had shrunk until it was only the two of them. She removed her gloves with a slow precision, her posture so composed it seemed unnatural in the chaos of the Scouts’ headquarters. Men stood straighter when she passed, as if her silence alone commanded them to. Levi was still staring. At his side, Hange followed his gaze, then blinked in surprise. In all the years she had known him, she had never seen that look on his face. Her grin was instant, sly and knowing. “Well, well,” she whispered, leaning close, “would you look at that. Levi Ackerman, speechless. I didn’t think it was possible.” “Tch.” He clicked his tongue and forced his eyes away, but it was too late. Hange had already seen, and she would never let him forget it. Across the courtyard, Captain Volkov hadn’t spared him so much as a glance. But Levi knew, with an uncomfortable certainty, that this was not the last time he’d be watching her. For Captain Volkovs return even Erwin made his way out of his office.