Beyond The Walls (AOT x OC Fanfic)

Instincts Awakened

The sound of heavy, persistent banging filled the small dorm room, jolting Jeiden awake from a deep sleep. The first thing she noticed was the still-dark sky outside her window, the faintest hint of dawn just beginning to color the horizon. The second thing she noticed was the voice coming from the other side of her door.

"Get up! We don't have all day."

It was Levi.

Jeiden groaned, pulling the blanket over her head in an attempt to block out the noise. She had no idea what time it was, but it was definitely too early. *Who gets up this early?* Her body was still sore from the previous days, the muscles in her arms and legs protesting at the mere thought of movement. The warmth of her bed felt far too inviting, and for a split second, she considered telling Levi to "fuck off" and letting herself drift back into the comforting darkness of sleep.

But then, as her brain fully woke up, reality slammed into her.

Levi was banging on her door. *Corporal* Levi.

Panic shot through her, her senses clicking into gear as she realized that she was already on the verge of being late for the first day of her personal training. With a jolt, she flung the blanket off and leapt out of bed, her heart racing. There was no way she was going to make that mistake—telling Levi off would be the end of her training, and possibly worse.

"I'm coming!" she shouted, her voice still hoarse from sleep as she scrambled to pull on her borrowed Scout uniform.

She could hear Levi muttering something on the other side of the door, but she didn't dare open it until she was fully dressed. Her hands fumbled with the buckles on her jacket as she rushed to get ready, her mind spinning. Why had she been so slow to wake up? She had barely gotten out of the infirmary, and now, on the first day of training, she was already pushing her luck.

Once she was finally dressed, she yanked the door open to find Levi standing there, arms crossed, his expression as flat and unreadable as ever.

"You move slower than a Titan," Levi muttered, his grey eyes narrowing slightly.

Jeiden grimaced, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry. I'll be faster next time."

Levi gave her a pointed look, as if he doubted her ability to keep that promise. "You'll have to be. We start at dawn every day from now on. Be ready before I knock, or you'll regret it."

Jeiden swallowed hard and nodded. She had barely survived his glare; she didn't want to test his patience any further. Without another word, she followed Levi down the hallway and out into the early morning air. The cold bite of the wind against her skin helped to shake the last remnants of sleep from her mind.

They walked in silence toward the training grounds, the sky slowly lightening as the sun crept higher. The grounds were still empty, with only the faint sound of birds chirping in the distance to accompany them. The quiet felt heavy, like the calm before a storm. Jeiden's stomach twisted with nerves, unsure of what to expect from her first training session.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, Levi spoke.

"We'll start with hand-to-hand combat training," he said, his voice cool and matter-of-fact. "It's the foundation of everything else you'll learn. If you can't hold your own in a fight, you won't survive outside the walls. Not against Titans, not against other people."

Jeiden glanced at him, feeling a knot of anxiety tighten in her chest. "Hand-to-hand combat? I've never really—"

"Doesn't matter," Levi cut her off, not bothering to look at her as they approached the training grounds. "You'll learn. Everyone starts somewhere. Your job is to listen and apply what I teach you. If you don't, you'll be out of here faster than you can blink."