Echoes from the Paths

Chapter 8

Eren and his friends were in the dining hall eating their stale bread and tasteless soup as those were the only two items of food Cadets were entitled to receive.

Upon consumption, those who had not eaten it prior would recoil in disgust over the tasteless food. Of course, since he had already spent his cadet days in his last timeline, he was used to it but that didn't mean he liked it either but the approximately dozen overly excited trainees surrounding him whilst functionally interrogating him were more concerning for him than thinking about the tasteless food.

"C'mon man! You gotta tell us how you did it!" Thomas eagerly questioned.

"I told you. I just maintained a sufficient sense of balance. It's not that difficult". Eren answered, obviously irritated by the barrage of questions coming his way. "Anyways, it's not like you were flipped upside down upon attaching yourself is it?" Eren questioned whilst raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah I know! But I actually had working equipment! You didn't!" Thomas stated in acknowledgement.

"Well I guess surviving in the underground did helped me to adapt better"Eren answered Thomas.

"But were you not from Shinganshina ,Eren?"Another trainee questioned, interrupting Eren's and Thomas' exchange.

"I came to Shinganshina after my father died. He was a great doctor who helped the people of the underground and taught me everything about medicine and how to treat a patient." Eren answered with the mix of truths and lies to make it sound believable.

Now the trainees who were surrounding Eren gasped in disbelief, "Wait, so you were originally from around the Underground city and you know medicine at such an young age?!"

"Hey Armin, is he exaggerating ? Because I can't believe it." Samuel asked Armin.

Armin looked over at Samuel and said, "Eren is telling the truth,ever since he came to Shinganshina at the age of 5 he was helping around the sick people in Shinganshina. He also had an apprentice with him after a year or two later , you probably know her, her name is Serana."

"No way!!!" Samuel and a few others once again gasped in disbelief. "That's one of the greatest new doctors in the walls . How did Eren become her mentor."

"Well I don't know how but he was always very smart and knew everything that his father taught him . He even tutored Mikasa and me and we would help him around the clinic."Armin answered truthfully while Mikasa nodded with him in confirmation.

After some time when everyone digested the information, Mina asked, "If you were such a good doctor in that age then why did you decide to join the Military, Eren?"

The surrounding trainees focussed their attention on Eren who sighed for a moment and answered , " It's because with the Titans breaching Wall Maria I feel that we are no longer safe inside these walls and soon Rose would be next . Therefore knowing it could happen again I want to join the survey corps to take back our home , to drive the titans away and knowing that the survey corps don't have enough medics when they go outside the walls I thought it would be good if I be there ."

Everyone were stunned by his reasonings .

Just then a self- righteous pompous voice spoke up from a couple tables over.

"Heh, you think you're so fucking cool don't you Yeager? You really are a suicidal maniac if you think of joining the scouts to charge at Titans." Jean mocked, envy apparent in his voice.

"I've no intention of starting a fight with you Jean. It won't end the way you think it will". Eren stated, unfazed by Jean's attempts at mockery.

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean Yeager!?" Jean angrily demanded, standing up from his seat.