The sun was setting. Another day spent trying to memorise the plan for the upcoming mission.

  “Hey, Mikasa! Armin!”

  The group halted. Most of them would recognise that voice anywhere.

  Eren.

  “Feels like it’s been ages,” he said to his two childhood friends. As Vivienne had expected, Mikasa gave him a concerned look, her eyes scanning him from head to toe. She immediately began firing off question after question.

  “Yo, Eren!”

  “It’s been a while!”

  Most of the group greeted him with smiles, clearly glad to see him again. Vivienne couldn’t quite share their joy.

  “So, you’ve all joined the Survey Corps? Only Jean, Annie, and Marco joined the Military Police?” Eren asked, glancing around. “Looks like Vivienne left as well…”

  He trailed off.

  Jean stepped forward, Vivienne silently standing at his side. Eren turned towards them and stared at Jean in disbelief — as if he couldn't quite fathom that he of all people had joined the Survey Corps. To be fair, none of them had seen it coming either.

  “Marco is dead,” Jean said flatly.

  “What… what was that?” Eren asked, as if he’d misheard. “Did you say Marco’s dead?”

  Jean’s gaze darkened. “Seems not everyone gets a dramatic death,” he said, staring at the ground. “I don’t even know how it happened.”

  The memories returned — fragmented, jarring.

  Vivienne remembered standing in the street.

  A Titan, just a few metres away.

  Marco, on a rooftop. And then—

  Her hand began to tremble. She clenched it tightly with the other. Why…? Why had everything suddenly turned to grey? Why couldn’t she remember anything beyond that?

  Why did it feel like if she tried to remember more, she might break?

  “He died without anyone knowing. No one saw it happen,” Jean said. Vivienne kept her eyes on the floor, her expression clouded with quiet misery.

  “Hey! You new ones — over here!” Ness’s voice cut through the air. The squad turned to face him. “Your uniforms are ready!”

  Vivienne stepped forward.

  The crest stared back at her — the symbol that had haunted her ever since her uncle’s death.

  The Wings of Freedom.

  The emblem of the Survey Corps.

  She swung the cloak around her shoulders and fastened it at the front. And she couldn’t help wondering: Had her uncle once stood exactly where she was now?

  Later, the flickering torches lit up the supply room. Vivienne leaned against a wooden crate, next to where Connie was perched. They’d run into Eren again in this very room. He still seemed half in disbelief that the rookies were really part of the next mission. And she couldn't blame him. Because she hardly believed it herself sometimes.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  But that was the Survey Corps — for better or worse. Once you joined, you were a part of it. There was no going back.

  "Hey, Eren," Jean said, and all eyes turned to him. "I heard that when you turned into a Titan, you tried to kill Mikasa. What’s that supposed to mean?"

  Vivienne’s eyes widened — she hadn’t expected him to come out with it so bluntly. Judging by everyone else’s expression, she wasn’t the only one caught off guard. Naturally, Mikasa tried to deny it. But Jean cut her off. “I wasn’t asking you.”

  There was another beat of stunned silence. "Mikasa, that cut on your cheek — it looks pretty bad. When did you get it?"

  Eren looked down, his voice quiet. “I heard it’s true. When I turned into a Titan… I tried to kill Mikasa.”

  Jean didn’t flinch. “So you heard it, but you don’t remember it? That means you had no idea this power was even inside you. And you still don’t know how to control it.”

  The tension in the room deepened. Everyone stared ahead, uneasy. Vivienne hadn’t thought she’d ever say it — but she agreed with Jean.

  Eren gave a reluctant nod.

  Jean turned to the group. “You heard him. That’s where we’re at. Humanity’s survival, our lives — all of it’s riding on this. And we’ll probably end up dead, just like Marco. And Eren won’t even realise it’s happened.”

  “Jean, what’s the point of dragging this up now?” Mikasa demanded.

  “Listen, Mikasa… Not everyone’s like you — ready to throw their life away for Eren, without even a second thought.”

  “Jean’s right,” Vivienne said, and heads turned towards her. She stepped forward from where she’d been leaning on a wooden crate.

  “This power… how do we even know it’s safe? Eren didn’t even know he had it. What’s to stop him from turning into just another Titan if he uses it too often?”

  The atmosphere grew heavier with each word.

  “What if it’s different?” Armin said softly. “What if we can change everything… through Eren?”

  “And if not?” Vivienne asked, her tone sharp. Her hand curled into a fist as she stared at him.

  “We all had our reasons for joining the Survey Corps. I joined to give humanity a fighting chance — not to follow a monster.”

  Mikasa stepped forward, clearly furious. “You’re going too far, Vivienne.”

  Most people would’ve backed down. But all Vivienne could think of was that Titan — the one whose eyes she’d seen through, the one who had killed that little girl, the one who had destroyed a city with a single step.

  She didn’t flinch.

  “No, Mikasa. It’s like Jean said — not all of us are obsessed with him. I won’t throw my life away for a reckless experiment that can’t control itself.”

  Her gaze snapped to Eren. “That’s why you need to learn to control the monster inside you. Because if you don’t — I won’t hesitate.”

  Without waiting for a response, she turned and ran. Every eye followed her as she left. Sasha, Connie, and Armin watched with particular concern. They probably didn’t understand what had just happened.

  But Vivienne hadn’t expected them to. She couldn’t explain it — not out loud.

  Because even now, they were there.

  Watch him.

  And somehow, she knew they’d never leave her alone again.

  The bells rang out. Some of the horses whinnied. It was almost time.

  “We’ve cleared the area of Titans. Thirty seconds until the gate opens!” an officer shouted.

  Vivienne swallowed hard. She held the reins of her horse tightly, gently stroking Braunholz’s flank. Inside, it still didn’t feel real — the day of her first mission, even if it was only a test run, had finally arrived.

  “It’s time!” the officer called again. “Humanity is about to take another step forward. Show me what you’re made of!”

  Vivienne took a deep breath and glanced up at the sky. She didn’t know if God existed — if heaven or hell were real — but if they were, she hoped her uncle and all the innocent souls were up there, watching over her.

  "Show me what you can do!"

  Blades were drawn. Voices rang out. The members of the Survey Corps faced the mission with courage.

  “Open the gate!”

  The doors began to creak open, the outside world spilling in. A breeze stirred Vivienne’s blonde hair.

  “ADVANCE!”

  Erwin rode ahead on his white horse — and they followed.

  “We now begin the 57th expedition beyond the walls! Forward!”

  Today's chapter was a bit shorter than usual — I'm saving up for a longer one next time! I still hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought, and as always, thanks so much for reading!

  P.S. I've been thinking about starting a Jujutsu Kaisen fanfic too — would that be something you'd want to read? Let me know in the comments if you're interested!