The sun had not yet risen when Sarah quietly opened the door to her room.
This time, there was no distraction in her eyes—no fracture, no quiet collapse.
She had been awake since dawn, as if sleep no longer suited a woman who had chosen to awaken differently.
She washed, arranged her hair, and traced a faint line of kohl—barely visible, yet deeply felt.
Then she slipped into a soft golden dress, as though she were meeting the light itself, not the people.
It was not a dress of vanity, but a gentle armor—one worn by a soul that had tasted something close to healing.
She stood before the mirror for a moment, studying her reflection as if seeing herself for the first time.
Sarah…
from Marley,
from pain,
from regret—
but now also from quiet laughter with Jean,
from twilight conversations with Armin,
and from one unforgettable moment—
when Levi had caught her hand before she fell.
She tied her hat carefully and placed small earrings in her ears—ones her mother had once given her.
Everything about her appearance was simple…
yet it carried one clear message:
"I am leaving, yes…
but I will not leave as I arrived."
The Dining Hall
When Sarah entered the dining hall, it felt unusually alive.
The scent of freshly baked bread and warm soup filled the space, voices weaving gently above the long wooden table.
Everyone was there.
Sasha laughed with Connie.
Jean debated with Armin about what gifts Hange might bring to Queen Historia.
Mikasa quietly folded cloth, preparing wrapping for the presents.
The moment Sarah stepped in, eyes turned.
Not because she was merely present—
but because the room itself seemed to have been waiting for her without knowing it.
Jean raised an eyebrow.
"Finally… the star arrives."
Sasha waved her spoon.
"You missed last night! The soup you made with Eren was the best thing I've eaten all week!"
Connie laughed.
"The worst part? They made us clean every speck of dust because Hange is coming!"
Mikasa looked at Sarah calmly.
"Are you alright?"
Sarah smiled warmly as she took a seat.
"I'm fine. I just needed some silence."
Armin observed her gently.
"You seem calm… but your eyes say otherwise."
She knew they noticed.
The change.
The closeness.
That invisible thread that binds hearts despite short time.
Sasha suddenly asked,
"Will you write to us from the capital?"
Sarah laughed softly.
"I can't promise. But I'll think of you often."
Jean smirked.
"Just don't come back as a hidden spy."
Sarah grinned.
"If I am… you'll be the first I start with."
Unspoken Glances
The door opened.
Levi entered.
And nothing about this moment was ordinary.
Silence fell over the table like snow against a window.
Spoons froze midair.
Eyes stilled.
Levi stood at the doorway, his gaze moving across the room—
yet avoiding one face entirely.
Sarah's.
Behind his composed expression, something burned restlessly.
After a brief hesitation, he spoke, tension tightly restrained:
"At what hour… will you depart for the capital?"
He did not lift his eyes.
He did not name anyone.
But everyone knew.
Hange set her cup down gently.
"Ten sharp. We have matters with Queen Historia. Two days at most."
Then she glanced at him sideways, smirking.
"I promise we'll bring her back—unless we change our minds."
Some laughed.
The tension remained.
Sarah stared into her tea, waiting for something… that never came.
Hange rose and pulled Sarah into a warm embrace.
"Where were you last night, you elusive scientist? That dish you made with Eren was incredible."
Sarah hugged her back, whispering—without looking away from Levi, who had turned his face slightly, as if disturbed by the sight:
"Sometimes… when we're full of things that can't be digested, we don't need food."
Hange raised an amused brow and whispered,
"And do those indigestible things start with the letter L?"
Sarah laughed softly, then said aloud,
"Some minds need more time to digest. One dish simply isn't enough."
Laughter broke out.
Levi frowned—and walked toward the table without a word.
Something inside him felt… pierced.
Departure
It wasn't an ordinary morning.
Even the sunlight hesitated as it slipped through the windows.
The hall buzzed—laughter, footsteps, clinking cups, closing bags.
Yet beneath it all lived a silent moment, carried only by those who held it in their hearts.
Sarah sat quietly, watching them speak of the capital, Queen Historia, a journey meant to be short.
But nothing inside her felt short.
Since her arrival, she had been an outsider.
Then a stranger.
Then accused.
Then… something else.
And now, preparing to leave, she felt she was leaving behind far more than she brought.
Her gaze lingered on familiar faces—
Armin, hiding worry behind logic.
Sasha, laughing less, watching more.
Mikasa, no longer a silent blade but a thoughtful heart.
Connie, who no longer saw an enemy, but hope.
But her eyes rested on only one.
Levi.
Standing by the doorway.
Unsettled.
His chest seemed tighter than usual.
He asked again, softly,
"At what hour will you depart?"
It wasn't a question.
It was an unfinished confession.
Hange answered lightly,
"Ten in the morning. Two days only. Nothing changes in two days… right?"
But some things change in a heartbeat.
Sarah stood.
At the threshold, their eyes met.
For the last time—perhaps.
There was something in his gaze she had never seen before.
Hesitation.
Regret.
He closed his eyes quickly—as if afraid of being seen.
Sarah didn't smile.
Didn't speak.
Something inside her melted—
like snow realizing winter had ended.
Goodbyes
Outside the hall, she held her small bag, pretending departure was only a step—not a wound.
Connie approached first.
"I don't know what awaits you there… but I believe you'll find a way. My mother… still waits for you. Even in dreams."
Mikasa followed, rare warmth in her eyes.
"When you see Historia… give her my regards. And don't worry—Levi trusts you, even if he doesn't say it."
Sasha cried and laughed at once.
"These days with you… were the calmest I've had since joining the Scouts."
Jean added quietly,
"With you… nothing happened. We just lived."
Eren stepped forward.
"I'm sorry… for your first days here. I wasn't fair. And thank you… for teaching me how to cook soup without starting a war."
Sarah smiled sincerely.
Jean
Then—without warning—Jean wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground.
Laughing loudly.
Too loudly.
"Don't leave like this, as if you never passed through here! The HQ will miss you—your laughter, your annoying conversations… they filled this place with life."
Sarah gasped.
Her eyes drifted—
To Levi.
Watching.
Burning.
She whispered,
"Jean… please. Put me down."
He understood.
When her feet touched the ground, her heart remained suspended.
"You could have stopped me… if you had only said: stay."
The Words That Were Not Said
At the carriage, she paused beside Levi.
"Aren't you going to say anything…?"
He met her eyes.
"Two days only."
Then, detached:
"I've lost too much. One learns to walk forward, not stop at every goodbye."
She nodded.
"I understand."
As she turned, she saw his eyes close—for just a second.
Like a door locking something away.
Afterward
In his room, Levi sat alone.
Her voice echoed.
"Two days only."
Now, it sounded hollow.
"I don't care," he told himself.
Then whispered,
"Or maybe… I don't want to."
Silence did not believe him.
Flashback — "Regret Makes No Sound"
That night, memories returned.
A woman calming a wild horse with a whisper.
Isabel.
And now—Sarah.
"If she hides her past… I hide a regret I can't forgive."
He wished he could apologize.
But Levi Ackerman never learned how.
Only how to fight.
And how to remain silent.
Questions
Should Levi have stopped Sarah and confessed?
Was Jean a sincere friend—or did he cross a line?
Will the capital be the beginning of love… or of downfall?
Because sometimes, a life changes in a single moment.
In a word never spoken.
In a trembling farewell.
And the deepest wars… are the ones never spoken aloud.
If this chapter moved you…
If you felt the silence heavier than words,
or found yourself wishing someone had spoken sooner—
✨ Leave a comment.
⭐ Support the story with a vote.
Your thoughts matter more than you think,
and every word you share keeps this story a