Chains of Destiny | Attack on Titan x OC

34

"尺乇丨几乇尺, 卂几几丨乇, 乃乇尺ㄒ卄ㄖㄥᗪㄒ. ㄚㄖㄩ 山丨ㄥㄥ 千ㄖ尺Ꮆ乇ㄒ 卂ㄥㄥ ㄒ卄乇 丨几千ㄖ尺爪卂ㄒ丨ㄖ几 ㄚㄖㄩ 卄卂ᐯ乇 卂乃ㄖㄩㄒ ㄒ卄乇 卩卂尺ᐯ丨丂 尺ㄖㄚ卂ㄥ 千卂爪丨ㄥㄚ ㄖ千 乇ㄥᗪㄖ尺丨卂. ㄚㄖㄩ ᗪㄖ 几ㄖㄒ Ҝ几ㄖ山 卂几ㄚㄖ几乇 几卂爪乇ᗪ 卂ᗪ尺卂丂ㄒ乇丨卂 卩卂尺ᐯ丨丂, 山卄卂ㄒ 丂卄乇 ㄥㄖㄖҜ乇ᗪ ㄥ丨Ҝ乇, 山卄乇尺乇 丂卄乇 匚卂爪乇 千尺ㄖ爪, ㄖ尺 山卄ㄖ 丂卄乇 丨丂"

"Reiner, Annie, Bertholdt. You will forget all the information you have about the Parvis Royal Family of Eldoria. You do not know anyone named Adrasteia Parvis, what she looked like, where she came from, or who she is"

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"If you were told to die, could you do it?" Commander Erwin said, his voice firm as he stood before the remaining twenty-two trainees.

"I don't want to die!" one soldier shouted, the fear in his voice betraying the bravery he tried to muster. 

Erwin nodded slightly, acknowledging the honesty. "I see. Twenty-two members of the 104th Survey Corps have given the salute. You have withstood your fear well. . . you're all brave soldiers. You have my heartfelt respect."

Among the group stood Adrasteia, her sigh barely audible over the quiet shuffling of nervous feet. How many times had she heard this speech? Seen these faces, each one trying to mask their terror? 

After the chaos of Trost, so many fresh recruits had perished. Those who remained carried the weight of that loss, their fear of the titans etched deeply into their eyes.

As Commander Erwin's gaze swept over the group, his eyes lingered on her. While the others stood with determination—or at least made an effort to—there was something different about her. She, about 5'6", stood slightly apart from the others. Her hair was braided neatly at the back, but it was her golden eyes that caught his attention.

It was an uncommon feature, rare enough to stand out among the people of the island. Even her fellow cadets had found it peculiar at first, remarking on the unusual hue. Still, they had never assigned much meaning to it, dismissing it as a trait from some long-forgotten or extinct clan. Whatever curiosity her appearance had sparked initially had faded, replaced by a quiet acceptance.

She wasn't focused on him or the speech. Instead, they were fixed on the night sky above.

Following her gaze, Erwin saw a raven circling high above, its wings cutting through the dark.

Adrasteia didn't flinch under Erwin's scrutiny, her face calm as Orion, her ever-loyal raven, swooped lower before rising again. He'd been with her since the day she arrived in Paradis, a silent, watchful companion who never left her side for long.

On the sidelines, Captain Levi clicked his tongue in irritation as his sharp eyes followed Erwin's gaze. "Tsk, seems like one of our new recruits has their head in the clouds. Literally."

Beside him, Hange stifled a chuckle, nudging Levi lightly. "Oh, don't be like that, shorty. We should be happy that we've added more recruits to the ranks! It's not every day someone has the guts to sign up after Trost, you know."

Levi shot them a sidelong glance. "Guts won't mean much if they can't focus when it matters."

Hange shrugged, their ever-present smile unwavering. "Maybe, but look at her. She's not panicking, not fidgeting, not even flinching under Erwin's stare. That's something."