[ It's broken, and it hurts Levi's heart. Just another thing he couldn't protect them from, another failure that lead to tragedy. He did his best, he really did, trying to shoulder as much of the pain as he could himself, but in the end, there was only so much he could do. It was their turn, then. He was just a relic from an era past. ]

[ But still, those words stir something like anger in him. He understands where Armin is coming from, he empathizes, but he can't just listen to this. Nothing? Everyone's dreams, everyone's hearts were worth nothing? ]

[ Miss him with the bullshit. ]

[ He turns slightly, contemplating between a slap and a kick for a moment, and chooses the latter, aiming for a painful spot on the teen's shin. Eat shit, Armin. ]

Oi, oi. You're angry. I get that. I'm angry, too. Everything about what happened is shitty. But don't you ever dare say everybody died for nothing. We've ended the Titans. That's what Survey Corps has always been about.

[ That's right. Many more people have died, and as much as Levi understands focusing on someone the most dear to you, he can't allow a Scout -- a Commander -- to go down the path of ignoring all the other sacrifices. ]

[ Imagine if Levi would have thrown a tantrum and given up when Erwin had died. But the cause had always been bigger than any one person, than any of them. He had to carry on for those who no longer could, to reach what all of them had dreamed of. Eren's dream may have gotten twisted, aimed at eradicating the entire hell of their world rather than just the monsters as he'd claimed before the truth weighed him down and broke him. But nonetheless, he'd managed to achieve that untainted version of it that he'd spoken first when he joined the Survey Corps. Surely, Armin could find solace in that. ]

[ He's been known to whip sense back into doubt-ridden Commanders before; he can do it again. ]