Determined.

Vivienne took a deep breath, her hands gripping the ODM controls tightly. She leaned forward slightly. Time seemed to slow before she braced her foot and leapt. The hooks locked into another tree trunk, and she soared through the air, gaze focused.

She pressed the triggers again—nothing happened.

Her eyes widened. She pressed them again. And again. Nothing.

The wind whipped her hair back, and realisation hit. The controls weren’t working.

“Damn!” she muttered, bracing herself just before she crashed into the nearest tree trunk.

She winced, rubbing her shoulder, and stared at the ODM controls. Her finger tapped the trigger absently. It was easier to press now, but something in the adjustment had thrown off the mechanism.

“So… that wasn’t it either,” she muttered under her breath.

“Vivienne! Are you all right?”

A voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Armin standing on a higher branch, concern written in his sharp blue eyes.

Before she could answer, another voice chimed in.

“Huh? Armin? What’s going on?” Connie had just arrived, glancing between them.

Vivienne looked back at her ODM controls.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” She pressed down hard, releasing her hooks, and dropped to the ground. Dust kicked up around her boots as she landed. She didn’t bother looking back before walking away.

Connie scratched his head. “What’s her deal? Nobles sure are weird.”

Armin didn’t respond, his gaze still following her retreating form, lips pressed together.

As training ended, the usual noise of recruits filled the air—laughing, chatting, groups forming for the evening.

Vivienne sat alone, fiddling with the handles of her gear. She knew there had to be a way to fix this. She just wasn’t sure how.

She sighed, resting her chin in her hand. Maybe she understood ODM mechanics better than most, but unlike her father, she wasn’t an expert.

The sun dipped lower, shadows stretching across the ground. The air was still thick with the day’s heat, clinging to her skin.

“You’re always alone, aren’t you?”

Eren’s voice startled her. She hadn’t even noticed him approaching until his shadow fell over her.

Vivienne blinked, looking up. He wasn’t his usual fiery self—there was something… quieter about him tonight.

“I’m just thinking,” she said, turning her gaze back to the horizon.

Eren took a few steps closer, his expression unreadable. “So, you’re still planning to join the Survey Corps, huh?”

She hesitated. No wonder people laughed at her. Just days ago, she’d told Jean off, declaring her intention to join the Scouts. Yet here she was—doubting herself.

Then something shifted inside her.

“Why else would I be here?” she said simply.

Eren studied her for a moment.

“So you really want to go out there, knowing what’s waiting for you? Knowing that… you could end up like everyone else?”

Vivienne’s fingers tightened around her ODM controls.

The thought of dying out there, of vanishing without a trace, terrified her.

All she had left of her uncle was the cloth crest Erwin had given her. There had been no body. Nothing to bury.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Just memories.

Was she willing to become one?

“…Death is part of it,” she said finally, voice quieter than before. “We can’t change that. But if we don’t fight, then what’s the point of living in this world? What are we even here for?”

Eren met her gaze. For a brief moment, something flickered in his expression—like he was seeing beyond her. Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

“I understand that,” he said. “But sometimes I wonder if I’m doing this for the right reasons… or if I’m just chasing some stupid dream.”

Vivienne frowned slightly, confused “What do you mean?”

Eren looked away, his jaw tightening. “I’ve always wanted to kill the Titans. To wipe them out. To take revenge for what they’ve done. To see the world beyond the Walls.” His fists clenched slightly. “But lately, it feels like something else is driving me. Like there’s something I should be doing—but I don’t know what it is.”

Vivienne studied him, her chest tightening. His words carried a strange, almost desperate energy. It reminded her of something she couldn’t quite place—a pull she didn’t understand.

"You don’t have to figure it out right now," she said quietly, unsure why her voice had softened. "None of us have all the answers. We’re all beginning to question ourselves. But we’re all here, in this together. That’s what matters." She was struggling with doubt herself, wondering if she had made the right decision. Eren nodded slowly, but there was still a storm behind his eyes.

"Yeah... but sometimes I think maybe I’m not like the rest of you."

Vivienne tilted her head, frowning. She wanted to ask him more, but she hesitated.

Eren let out a breath, shaking his head. “Forget it.”

Vivienne raised an eyebrow. “You’re kinda weird, you know that?”

Eren gave a half-hearted laugh. “You’re not the first to say that.”

She smirked. “Maybe I’m starting to understand why.”

A comfortable silence settled between them.

Eren spoke again. “I don’t know why, but I feel like you understand.”

Vivienne blinked. “If you mean I understand what it’s like to look like an idiot in front of everyone here, then yeah, I get it.”

Eren actually chuckled. A real one this time.

Then his eyes fell on the ODM controller in her hands. “What are you doing?”

Vivienne glanced down. “Oh, this?” She hesitated before explaining how she was adjusting the trigger pressure to make it easier to press.

“You think you can actually do that?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

“I have to,” she said, more serious now.

Eren didn’t need an explanation. Her expression said enough. He nodded.

“If you want to sit with Armin, Mikasa, and me at meals, it’s no problem.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Vivienne sat there, watching him go, surprised.

A small smile played on her lips.

The wind blew her hair into her face, snapping her back to reality. She tucked it behind her ear with an annoyed huff.

“…Really should’ve brought a hair tie.”

Then her eyes widened slightly.

Maybe…

Maybe there was a way to make her adjustments work after all.

The next day came faster than expected.

Vivienne yawned slightly, standing beside Armin, Connie, and Jean. Two of them were anything but pleased that Shadis had put them in the same group.

“Great. Why do we have to be stuck with Princess Mitras? Might as well let the other team win,” Jean muttered, shooting her an unimpressed look.

Armin shot him a look, about to object—

“GO!” Shadis bellowed.

Vivienne barely hesitated. She launched herself forward, pressing the trigger. The hooks shot out, anchoring into the trees. A second press, and she propelled herself forward.

Her teammates stared after her.

“Oy!? When did Vivienne get so fast?” Connie blurted, struggling to keep up.

Armin, swinging through the air, narrowed his eyes. Just yesterday, she had slammed into a tree. Now she was leading the charge.

Could it really be…?

Vivienne neared the Titan dummy. She spotted Bertholdt on the opposing squad, already closing in.

Her eyes sharpened.

One more shot—

She twisted, slashing clean through the dummy’s nape.

The whistle blew.

“Group 1 has won this round!”

Jean, Connie, and Armin landed nearby, staring at Vivienne in disbelief.

She had taken down the dummy—by herself.

“What the hell just happened?” Jean demanded, still trying to wrap his head around her sudden transformation.

“So she was successful,” Eren muttered.

Armin turned to him, frowning slightly. Did Eren know something the rest of them didn’t?

But Eren’s gaze stayed on Vivienne. She stood below, catching her breath—then smiling.

A small smile tugged at Armins lips.

Well, whatever it was, it didn’t really matter right now.

It was just nice to see her smile for once.