Alright, listen up!"

You folded your hands behind your back in suspense, awaiting the next booming words of your superior.

"Unfortunately for you╴I, Keith Shadis, will be your superior for the next three years. I want you all to be aware that I am not here to give you a warm welcome. As of now, the very moment that we speak, you are all simply titan food. But what will you be three years from now? Will you still be titan food, or something humanity has never seen before?"

Your superior was a tall man going by the name of Keith Shadis. From what you've heard, he was the previous Commander of the Survey Corps.

This tall man was walking around the cadets as he spoke, scanning them up and down with his eyes as if to frighten them. However, when they came to Eren, Mikasa and Armin, they lingered for a second longer than they should have.

And you immediately understood why.

A quick glance at the trio was enough for even an idiot to understand the sheer amount of willpower behind their eyes. A small smile tugged at the corner of your chapped, yet plump lips.

The wind carried your hair for a second before it rested and let your hair down again. It felt like a fresh new start had begun for you.

Shadis took step after step after step, almost dancing around and amongst the already-terrified cadets. A few cadets were lucky enough to get the distasteful names that fell from his lips, almost like a threat.

"Fuckface.", "Shithead.", "Fucking ballerina-looking boy."

You picked up on the fact that his gaze had something hidden behind it for every seventh or eighth cadet that he looked upon.

It was no coincidence nor mistake. You noticed it.

Although he may have been sneaky and subtle, Keith Shadis made one tiny mistake when his eyes met Mikasa's.

He nodded.

He only did this to the survivors of the Wall Maria chaos. Shadis knew. He saw the hopelessness in the eyes of those children who belonged to Wall Maria.

The scent of grass and forest invaded your senses, which, in a way, was quite refreshing for you. You had only maintained inside the city when you had arrived, so this was the first time that the scents had once again greeted you.

It's been a year, you sighed. A year since Wall Maria fell.

Your eyes freely roamed the training fields as Keith Shadis took his sweet time roaring at a cadet for giving up his ribs and not his heart as he saluted. Poor bald boy.

Suddenly, you got eye-contact with someone.

From inside a small house, through the open doors, a man got eye-contact with you.

And you held it.

It suddenly became a staring contest as you stared at each other. You could in no way see what the eye color of the person was, but you did know that they were looking directly at you, which did spark a tiny bit of interest in your stomach.

The man's eyes╴although it might have been your imagination╴widened, and suddenly he turned around and walked away deeper into the house, away from your curious eyes.

And as he walked away, you almost choked on the air that you inhaled sharply.

There, right in front of your eyes, albeit at least a few meters away, was white and blue painted on top of each other on a green choice of clothing.

You couldn't believe your own eyes as your gaze lingered on the wings that you promised yourself to achieve as soon as you were done with training.

The Wings of Freedom.