Fragments of Existence (Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan Fanfic)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Next!" the man shouted in a strict manner.

I stepped forward and wearily stared into the man's bold pupils. The man gestured for the artist to sketch my face and he flipped to a new form, grunting.

"Name?" he asked, dipping his pen into the fresh, black ink.

"Damon, sir," I stated, watching him write down my name.

"Last name?" he inquired with a hint of curiosity, annoyance, and suspicion since I only mentioned my first name.

"I-I don't have one, sir," I replied.

"Are you an orphan?"

"No, I-I . . . um, I'm not from here. . . ." I whispered in a low voice, hoping he would understand. The man took a good stare at my face and realized who I was, breaking the silence with a hushed, "Oh, I see." He began to jot down something and waved for me to leave. That's right. . . . I used to be a titan so I barely remember anything about my past life before I turned into a mindless killer. It would be pointless to try to fill out any personal information and background in my case.

I sighed and walked to the training grounds, where all the people applying to become soldiers were going. I know that Ria was personally trained by Levi to save some time and keep the secrecy but in my case, I wasn't so lucky. They just decided to shove me along with the new recruits and learn the hard way but they figured if I remembered the 3D Maneuver Gear from my pieces of Ria's memory, I would be taken out of training early. It is fair that way though and if I think badly of this, I can always imagine this as a way to compensate for eating Ria. But do I really regret eating Ria? If I hadn't eaten Ria, I would've still been a titan with no control over my actions and Ria would still be alive. But . . . I started to enjoy this life. I enjoy being able to move, do what I want, make choices, and communicate. Is it selfish of me to think this way? Ria. . . if you are there, I am sorry. I thank you too for giving me this opportunity to live as a human. If you are there---

"YOU!" a voice screeched. I jumped back a little from the startling shout and blinked my eyes. What? It seems I arrived at the training camp while I was lost in thought and was now aimlessly wandering around. After scanning the area through the corners of my eyes, I saw that everyone lined up already and many seemed quite nervous. Then I decided to look up to see who was up close and breathing into my face. I can't way too much but at that moment, I knew I screwed up.

"U-um. . . . Who are you?" I nervously choked out, taking a step back. The man forcefully grabbed my arm to prevent my escape and kept on staring at me with intimidating eyes. While this was all happening, I could hear whispers and gasps.

"Oh my god, he did not just---"

"He did. What the fuck is he thinking? That's Head Instructor Shadis!"

"He's gonna die for sure."

Wait . . . head instructor? Did I hear that right? Perhaps my senses are dulled from being a titan for so long because if he really is the head instructor ---

"I am the head instructor. Head Instructor Shadis," he mouthed out slowly for me.

Shit. He is the head instructor. What have I gotten myself into? I avoided the head instructor's eyes and stared at the ground, muttering, "I'm sorry, I just---"

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? If you are sorry, then show it through your actions. But before that. . . YOU LITTLE SHIT, DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE?"