Attack on Titan: Secrets of Marley (SNK x OC)

Chapter 1: The Weight of Inheritance

The only sounds he could hear were those of his comrades. There were six of them in addition to him. Seven people for just five titans. He was perfectly aware of this, and he knew that every one of them was. Whatever the outcome, it would cause tension in the group.

He was extremely stressed, feeling the various flushes of heat burning his face at the moment, giving him the impossible urge to rip off his clothes. His head was aching and he could feel his lungs struggling to breathe. He'd been trying for a long quarter of an hour to calm down, but nothing was working.

He couldn't fail. He had to get a primordial titan. He had to, for his family's honour and to guarantee them a safe and healthy life, far from the internment camps. It was his responsibility. As an Eldian, he had a duty to protect his people.

He was sure that his comrades were also under stress. Hearing only their breaths, given the ban on talking in the corridor, he could hear that their breaths were cut off too.

He had fought so hard over the last few years to get a Titan. He'd worked so hard to finally get into the physical condition he needed to enter the programme.

In fact, his old physical condition would certainly not have allowed him to get a Titan or even to be part of the Aspiring Warrior programme.

With short, slightly dishevelled brown hair, he weighed around thirty kg that day. He was small for his age, measuring one metre twenty-eight at the age of eight. According to training statistics, he had lost twenty kilos in the space of a year, going from fifty to thirty. One of the conditions for taking part in the Aspirants programme was that he had to be athletic, which he wasn't at all.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced at his comrades, lined up against the wall, just like him. Annie Leonhart, a blonde girl with her hair tied back in a ponytail, was staring straight ahead, her cold blue eyes staring at the wall.

Next to her, Reiner Braun, a child Gray never thought would be part of the programme, stared intently at the floor. His short blond hair falling against his forehead, he looked worried all the same.

Against the wall, looking quite relaxed, stood Marcel Galliard. Short brown hair, almost shaven, he was unbearable. Gray had to admit that he didn't like him very much. He was so egocentric that he told everyone that he'd get a Titan with his fingers up his nose. Gray wasn't so sure about this information.

To Marcel's right stood Porco, his brother. The same sort of person, he was extremely impulsive and had already thrown Gray into a pit and had already stuck his head in a toilet bowl for the simple reason that he "wanted to take away from Gray the idea of having the opportunity to get a Titan". He had the same haircut as his stupid brother, only it was blond. Gray would never dare admit it, but he would be extremely happy if the two of them didn't get any Primordial Titans and were forced to live in internment camps for the rest of their lives.

Standing next to the two brothers was Pieck Finger. A girl with long, shoulder-length black hair. Gray had to admit that he liked her a lot. She was rather nice to all the members of the programme, but she was one of the only ones who cared about him. He had to admit that he'd never had much contact with girls, but he thought Pieck was great.

Last in the queue was Bertolt Hoover. He was the tallest person in their group, measuring in at around five feet and approaching sixty. Gray had to admit, he didn't think Bertolt would be chosen to inherit a Titan. He was far too shy to lead a mass operation. What's more, he was still with Reiner, whom Gray didn't like very much, so he didn't know Bertolt all that well.

Having finished looking, Gray stared intently at the wall, thinking about what might happen. For the seven of them, only five titans would be available, not by choice but given the holdings of Marley's military forces.