The canteen was full of conversation, drinks, and the smell of food. Vivienne took another spoonful. The world around her faded into the background. Surprisingly, she had slept well for the past three days. So well, in fact, that Mikasa had thrown her out of bed because Sasha had begged her to. Not even the staff at her house, nor her own mother, had ever woken her so rudely.

Her bed. It was the first thing that came to mind when she thought of home.

But perhaps the girl with the short, dark hair just couldn't help herself. In all her years here, Vivienne couldn't help but feel a little envious of Mikasa. How had she managed to become so strong?

Vivienne had gathered more experience in physical combat now and would probably be able to defend herself, at least somewhat, in a real fight. But she was still far from the level of Annie, Mikasa, Reiner, Connie, and the others. She hadn't even won a single training round against Connie yet. As she was about to shove another spoonful into her mouth, her eyes suddenly widened.

"Why do I have two pieces of bread in my bowl?"

Sasha, her mouth full, turned her head to her direction and shrugged. Then she turned back to her food. Vivienne continued to watch her, then a small smile formed on her lips as she stared down at the bread. Over the years, there had been a few people here she had grown fond of. The potato girl was one of them.

She pushed the thought away and focused instead on the moment. The future was coming, whether she was ready or not.

Guilt gnawed at her. None of them said it outright, but she knew that Armin, Sasha, and Connie cared about her. The three of them always noticed when her mind was elsewhere, or when she simply zoned out. Each of them assumed it was nerves over graduation. And they weren't entirely wrong.

In the four years she had lived here, she had been trained to be a soldier—someone meant to fight monsters.

Was she ready for that?

Her decision had not changed. Her uncle's warm smile still haunted her dreams. The questions remained, and her resolve was as clear as ever.

They never even found his body.

When he first joined the Survey Corps, people laughed at him. A noble playing soldier. But she had never believed it was that simple. He wouldn't have given up his title, his safety, for nothing. And the commander of the survey corps had asked her, once—how far would she go to find the truth?

Far enough.

But would she live long enough to get the answers she was looking for? She didn't know.

Lately, though, something else had been bothering her. Armin would probably join the Survey Corps because of Eren and Mikasa, but the thought that their nights playing cards together would soon come to an end stung a little. She couldn't blame Connie and Sasha—both of them wanted to be safe. They often talked about joining the Military Police. Vivienne stayed out of those conversations. Even after spending over three years with her comrades, it felt wrong to lecture others when she had spent her whole life in comfort.

Just because she had chosen to give up her security, she couldn't blame others for longing for it.

A sentimental feeling crept in. As Vivienne chewed her bread, she couldn't help but wonder if she would spend her whole life saying goodbye to people.

Today, the only voices in her head were her own.

In the end, 218 students had made it through to graduation. Vivienne was one of them.

"Dedicate your hearts!"

The bright moon shone down on them as dark clouds of uncertainty drifted across the night sky. They all stood in perfect rows, raising their hands in the military salute.

"Today, you graduates have three choices. You may join the Garrison, protecting the cities and fortifying the Walls. Or the Survey Corps, who risk their lives beyond the Walls in Titan territory. Or the Military Police, who serve the King, guide the people, and maintain internal order. Of course, only the top ten students, whose names have just been announced, may join the Military Police."

Vivienne's name had not been called. Despite her best efforts, she had only come eleventh. Still, she felt a certain pride. The only thing—the only person—keeping her out of the top ten, ahead of Sasha and Connie, who placed ninth and eighth respectively, was Krista.

She had trained, studied, suffered, and tinkered with her ODM gear to get better.

She was still a little jealous.

Armin, standing next to her, gave her a warm smile. She smiled back. Most of them hadn't expected her to last a year.

"You'll probably make history with your ODM modifications one day," Armin mused.

Vivienne huffed a quiet laugh. "I doubt it. My ancestors already did that. I'm just trying to keep up."

He shook his head. "You're improving the design. That counts for something."

Her smile broadened a little. He always gave her the confidence to continue.

In the end, they all drank a toast. At last, they were out of the wooden barracks and in a more comfortable room in the middle of the city of Trost.

"I'm going to join the Military Police!"

"Finally, we won't have to starve anymore!"

The words made Vivienne grin slightly, but at the same time, her heart tightened. Perhaps it was for the best. She would rather see the two people who treated her as normal—like she was just anyone—live long and happy lives, instead of fighting Titans and living in constant fear for survival.

At the same time, those words reminded her of the harsh reality outside Wall Sina.

She had never had to hunt for her own food. She had never gone to bed hungry, counting the days until the next ration arrived. She had never watched a loved one waste away because medicine was too expensive.

But she had lost people, too.

She turned away from them and sat down at an empty table. She would miss this. All of it. The card games. Connie's ridiculous jokes about her. Sasha's food stealing and her absolute devotion to eating. And Armin's excitement whenever she told him about the latest tweaks to her ODM gear.

When Vivienne looked up, she realised the person sitting across from her was none other than Jean. They both stared at each other in surprise before he clicked his tongue and took a sip of his drink.

"Tch."

Vivienne grinned a little. "Well, I suppose I should congratulate you. You've made it into the top ten."

Jean looked up at her, one eyebrow raised. He couldn't tell if she was genuinely congratulating him or just mocking him again.

"You didn't do too badly yourself, Princess. I thought you'd be long gone by now. But I suppose I'm not as bad as you thought I'd be."

She rolled her eyes at his words and took a sip of her drink. He had placed sixth. Their relationship hadn't really improved over the years they'd been here. Vivienne still didn't like him much. But when she glanced up again, she noticed he was resting his head on his hand, staring at her.

"I suppose your dream has finally come true, then. You can join the Military Police."

He didn't answer straight away. Then, a slight grin appeared on his lips. "And what about you? Are you going back behind the Walls of the capital now that you've proved to everyone you're not a complete idiot? Telling your story at noble parties?"

Her hands clenched into fists, expression darkening. She really hated him. Of course he had to say something stupid. But before she could snap back, their attention was pulled to another conversation.

"You're not joining the Military Police, Eren?" Thomas asked, disbelief in his voice. "You made the top ten!"

Vivienne wasn't surprised when Eren stood firm. He had never wavered in four years.

"I made up my mind when I started."

Those words rang in her ears.

She understood them too well.

Vivienne's decision had been made long before she ever set foot in the academy. Doubt had crept in now and then, but she had never changed her mind.

Eren hadn't trained to be a Military Police officer.

Neither had she.

They had trained to survive.

They had trained to fight Titans.

And soon, they would.

"You'll never beat them!" Thomas shouted, and all eyes turned to the conversation between the two boys.

The laughter. The conversations. The atmosphere.

Everything fell silent.

Then Thomas tried to explain. Over twenty percent of the population had been lost to the Titans.

Vivienne's grip on her drink tightened, her eyes fixed on the surface of the table.

Her uncle had been one of them.

"Humans cannot defeat Titans!"

The words rang bitterly in her ears.

"So?"

Eren asked if they truly believed victory was impossible—should they just give up? One of the reasons they had lost so many people was because they knew nothing about their enemy. Fighting an opponent without tactics or knowledge was futile.

People were dying, yes.

But everything they knew about Titans had been learned from those sacrifices.

Could they really just stand by and wait for their bitter end?

Don't listen to the people who walk blindly within our Walls.

Vivienne's hand clenched into a fist, her face tightening.

Uncle Étienne.

Together, they had dreamt of adventure beyond the Walls. Most people refused to look past their own safety. Most refused to think about the future.

But she came from a family of engineers. Looking ahead, pushing the boundaries—that was in her blood.

Like her uncle, she had never stopped dreaming. She wanted to face the world with her eyes open. To find the truth.

She was still convinced that her uncle had joined the Survey Corps for a reason.

She didn't know what it was, but she was almost certain that he had discovered something—something that had led him to that decision.

His last words to her echoed in her mind.

"I know you can see through them. I know you can see through everything."

Vivienne wasn't sure she could.

But she would rather die than not try.

"This is my dream... Humanity isn't finished yet!"

With those words, Eren stormed out of the room.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The dim light of the barracks flickered, casting long shadows across the walls as the weight of their choices settled over the cadets like a thick fog. The chatter had died down after Eren's outburst, his decision to join the Survey Corps still hanging in the air like a challenge no one wanted to face.

"What an idiot," someone muttered. "How can you make the top ten and then volunteer for the Survey Corps of all things?"

Silence followed. A few cadets exchanged uneasy glances, but no one spoke.

Some agreed with him.

Others simply didn't want to discuss it.

Then, a voice broke the silence.

"Eren is right."

Vivienne leaned forward in her seat, her hands clasped on the table. Her usually calm expression was firm and unwavering.

"Eren is right. We can't just sit here and do nothing. We can't keep hiding and hoping the Titans will eventually disappear."

Her voice was soft but steady.

A sneer broke the silence.

"Oh, here we go," a cadet scoffed. "The noble girl wants to play the heroine."

A few chuckles rippled through the room.

Vivienne didn't flinch. Connie and Sasha, on the other hand, shot sharp looks at the offenders. Even Jean didn't seem particularly amused by the comment. But Vivienne had expected it. No matter what she did—no matter how hard she trained—some of them would always see her as the privileged girl who didn't belong here.

It was a truth that still annoyed and frustrated her, but she had learned to accept it.

"I'm not playing the hero," she said coolly. "I just refuse to walk through these Walls with my eyes closed."

That silenced them.

For a moment, the only sound was the low crackle of the oil lamp. Some of the cadets shifted uneasily in their seats. Others looked away. But her friends' eyes remained fixed on her.

"You think the Survey Corps is only for suicidal maniacs?" she continued, her voice unwavering. "You laugh at Eren, but at least he's willing to fight for something. And you know what? The people on the other side of the Walls—the ones who died for us—were somebody's family too."

Her gaze hardened.

"And maybe some of them had reasons that no one wanted to understand."

The memories were still fresh.

The laughter.

The taunts.

The mockery.

Her uncle's decision had been treated the same way as Eren's—with loud laughter and shaking heads. It didn't matter what social class you came from. In that sense, all people were the same.

They were all blind.

The words hung in the air, weighty and unshakable.

The cadet who had mocked her opened his mouth as if to argue but thought better of it.

Vivienne pushed back her chair, stood up, and took her drink. She didn't look for their approval. Her decision had already been made.

Then she turned to the door and left the room in silence.

The streets of Trost were quiet, save for the occasional murmur of distant conversation and the wind whispering through the alleys. The moon cast pale light over the worn cobblestones, stretching their shadows long and thin.

Vivienne sat on the edge of an old well, fingers absently twisting the cloth emblem in her hands—the Wings of Freedom, embroidered onto worn fabric. She traced the edges of the cloth, lips pressed together. It was all she had left of her uncle.

She was seven the first time her uncle hoisted her onto his shoulders, pointing toward the towering walls of the city.

"Someday, Vivi," he had said, his voice warm with conviction, "Someone will go behind the walls and will have real adventures that will bring the future. Maybe it'll be you."

She had laughed then, swinging her legs as she clung to his hand. "Me? I'm too small!"

He had only grinned, tapping the tip of her nose. "For now."

But years later, it wasn't his voice she remembered most—it was the silence that followed his last mission. The empty seat at the table. The whispers that followed when they walked past people. The hidden conversations between her parents

Yet, to Vivienne, he had never been "just another soldier." He had been the reason she dreamed of something bigger. The reason she couldn't ignore the call to step beyond the safety of the walls, no matter how terrifying it was.

She barely heard the footsteps approaching.

"Well, that was quite a speech. Are you trying to give Eren some kind of stupid competition?"

Vivienne looked up, startled, meeting Jean Kirschtein's unimpressed gaze. His arms were crossed, a casual slouch in his posture, but there was something unreadable in his expression.

"Jean...?" she blinked. "What are you doing here?"

He scoffed. "You do know this is my hometown, don't you?"

Right. She had forgotten. Jean had mentioned it years ago. Still, she hadn't expected to see him out here, away from the warmth of the barracks, away from the loud celebrations.

Vivienne exhaled and looked back down at the insignia in her hands. The soft fabric was slightly worn from how often she had held it.

"My uncle joined the Survey Corps," she said suddenly.

The words had escaped her before she even realised she wanted to say them.

Jean blinked, visibly caught off guard. "Wait... what?"

She swallowed, gripping the cloth tighter. "Everyone laughed at him. They said he was a noble with no purpose, just a fool playing soldier. A joke."

Jean studied her, his earlier sarcasm fading.

"But they were wrong," she continued, her voice quieter now. "They still are."

The wind picked up slightly, rustling through the empty streets. Jean shifted his weight, his fingers drumming once against his arm before he let out a breath.

"So that's why you want to join?" His voice wasn't mocking. It wasn't indifferent, either.

Vivienne didn't answer right away. Instead, she lifted her gaze to him, emerald eyes searching his dark eyes.

"This wasn't your fault," Jean said, and for the first time, there was no smugness, no irritation—just something unexpectedly sincere.

She inhaled sharply.

"You can still leave," he continued, watching her carefully. "You can still go back to your old life. No one would blame you."

Vivienne stiffened.

No one would blame her.

The words should have been comforting. They weren't.

"It is my fault," she murmured, voice taut.

Jean's expression darkened. "That's bullshit, and you know it."

She clenched her fists. "Anyone who takes our lives for granted—anyone who refuses to act—is complicit." She swallowed hard, eyes burning. "I can't just sit around and pretend it didn't happen. I need answers."

Jean didn't look away.

He could have argued. He could have pointed out how insane it was to willingly throw herself into the mouth of death for a past she couldn't change. But he didn't.

Vivienne turned sharply, her boots scuffing against the cobblestones.

"Vivienne—"

She didn't stop.

She didn't look back.

She just ran.

Leaving Jean standing alone beneath the dim glow of the lanterns.

The streets of Trost buzzed with restless energy, a strange mix of admiration and fear rippling through the gathered crowd. Boots shuffled against the dirt roads, and the scent of steel, sweat, and horsehide filled the air. The people of Trost had come to watch, as they always did.

Vivienne stood among them, heart pounding.

"They're here! The main force of the Survey Corps!"

The words sent a ripple through the spectators, some gasping in awe, others whispering in hushed tones. The soldiers rode in tight formation, their green cloaks billowing behind them like wings. The Wings of Freedom.

At the front of the procession, Commander Erwin Smith sat tall in his saddle, his sharp blue eyes fixed ahead, unwavering. He rode with purpose, every movement measured, every step of his horse a testament to the weight of the cause he bore.

The cause they all bore.

Vivienne inhaled sharply, the weight of the moment settling deep in her chest.

"Look! It's Captain Levi!"

The voice cut through the crowd, and murmurs followed as people craned their necks to catch sight of humanity's strongest soldier. He was smaller than she had expected—lean and compact—but the way he sat atop his horse, the way his cold gaze swept the crowd, sent a chill through her.

She remembered his name from her uncle's letters.

Levi Ackerman.

A man with eyes like a blade's edge, sharp and unyielding. A man her uncle had spoken of with something bordering on respect—rare, for him.

Vivienne clenched her fists, her gaze flickering back to Erwin. It had been years since he had delivered the news of her uncle's death. He looked the same. Still unshaken. Still commanding. But she wondered—just for a moment—how many more soldiers he had sent to their deaths since then.

And yet he was someone who her uncle deeply respected.

The thunder of hooves echoed against the walls as the Survey Corps rode past, their expressions unreadable. Some were seasoned veterans, their eyes shadowed with the weight of experience. Others were young—too young—barely older than she was, their grips tight on the reins, their faces set with quiet determination.

How many of them would return?

Vivienne swallowed hard.

The crowd cheered.

It felt wrong.

They cheered as if these soldiers were heroes embarking on a grand adventure. As if this wasn't a funeral procession in disguise.

The green capes would return stained with blood.

Some would not return at all.

Vivienne's nails bit into her palm.

And soon, she would ride with them.

The realisation struck like a hammer to her ribs. She wasn't just watching anymore. She wasn't the noble girl staring out of her bedroom window, wondering what lay beyond the walls.

Soon, she would be the one in that saddle, riding towards the unknown.

A figure at her side shifted. "You're really doing this, huh?"

She turned her head to find Jean watching the procession, his usual cynicism absent. His jaw was set, eyes locked on the departing soldiers. For once, he wasn't making a snide remark.

For once, he looked afraid.

Vivienne exhaled, turning back to the Survey Corps as the last of them passed through the gates.

The heavy groan of metal echoed through the city as the great doors swung shut behind them.

The wind carried their dust away.

And just like that, they were gone.

Vivienne turned away. Together with Eren, Connie, and a few others, she had to prepare the cannons on the wall. But she hadn't expected to hear those words.

"You're joining the Survey Corps?!" Eren asked.

Her eyes widened, and she took a step closer. "Connie, are you serious? You're really going to join the Survey Corps? I thought you wanted to join the Military Police!"

Connie scrubbed at a rifle with a rag. "That's what I wanted..."

"Your speech pretty much convinced him yesterday," a girl with black hair said with a smile.

"Shut up!" Connie said loudly, turning to them with a flushed face. "It was my own decision! Besides..." he pointed at Vivienne, "she wouldn't be able to handle a real fight on her own. She can't even beat me in our training matches!"

Vivienne's eyes widened. But then her lips curved into a smile.

She felt a little guilty—because she wanted nothing more than for her friends to be safe. But at the same time, she was glad she wouldn't lose Connie as a comrade.

And he wasn't the only one who had made his choice. Thomas and a few others had also decided to join the Survey Corps.

Then, out of nowhere, Sasha stepped forward.

"I brought some meat from the officers' room."

Vivienne's eyes widened, and she shook her head. She should have been used to Sasha stealing food by now, but this—this—she hadn't expected.

"Idiots are terrifying..." Connie muttered, and Vivienne had no idea how they were going to get Sasha out of this without getting everyone into trouble.

Complaints filled the air, but before long, Sasha distracted them with the promise of delicious sandwiches. In the end, they decided to eat them.

Vivienne grinned at Eren. "It's not lunchtime yet. We should probably finish the cannons first."

She walked ahead, the smile still lingering on her lips.

Maybe the future wasn't as grey as she thought.

But something felt off.

A stillness settled over the group, heavier than the midday heat. The air felt thick, as though the world itself had paused. Vivienne glanced over her shoulder, but nothing seemed out of place. The others were still talking, laughing, unaware. Yet, her pulse quickened, an odd sense of something pressing in on her. A warning she couldn't ignore.

The wind shifted, suddenly sharp and cold, biting through the thin fabric of her uniform. Vivienne narrowed her eyes. It wasn't just the weather that felt wrong. It was... the quiet. The silence creeping in like a storm about to break.

And then it came.

A low, rhythmic sound pierced the air—a beeping, too familiar. It vibrated through her bones. Her heart skipped, and her skin prickled.

No. Not now.

Her breath hitched as the sounds of the world seemed to fade. Time dragged. The pounding in her chest was the only thing she could hear, echoing like a drumbeat, louder and louder. She tried to focus, tried to steady herself. But the voices—the voices—they crept in, whispering under her skin.

Tears.

Anger.

Pity.

Cruelty.

It was the same feeling, the same foreboding, like the calm before a storm.

Her body went rigid, every muscle taut as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It was here. That feeling, that horrible presence. She didn't have to look, didn't have to see. She knew. They all knew.

A bright yellow beam of light flared to her side. Too close. Too sudden.

Vivienne's heart slammed against her ribs. She froze, her eyes darting upward, dread flooding her chest.

And then, it appeared.

A shadow, too large to ignore, bloomed over them. A Titan. A massive, looming figure, its grotesque form blocking out the sky.

They all stopped. Even Sasha's mouth, halfway open to say something, hung still. No one moved. No one dared.

It was the feeling that would forever haunt them—the moment of first contact with a Titan.

Time bent. Slowed.

The wind howled with fury, hot and fierce, as though the world itself was exhaling a deadly breath. It struck with such force that it sent them stumbling, knocking them off the wall. Vivienne's heart pounded in her ears, the world spinning as she struggled to maintain her footing.

Her fingers instinctively grasped the handles of her ODM gear, the harness pulling tight as she braced against the stone, trying to stop her fall.

But before she could regain her balance, the world tilted again.

A scream. The whiplash of the wind. A body. Samuel.

She barely had time to react, her eyes catching the flash of movement below her. Sasha? In a heartbeat, the girl had already reached Samuel, her gear snapping him out of the air like a lifeline.

Vivienne's breath caught in her throat, but her gaze was already shifting downward. She had to look. She had to know.

The wall.

It was broken. Cracked.

Her stomach dropped as the reality of the situation hit her.

Broken.