Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The last thing she remembered was a large rock hitting her.

It was supposed to be a short trip home after working 15 hours of overtime. Her project had moved to a remote area in a countryside near the foothills of a mountain. She had to endure a full four-hour commute back and forth from her home in the middle of the city to the project site.

Maybe if she had declined the invitation from one of the locals to eat at their place—it was meant as a thank you, they said—she might have left earlier and avoided getting caught in the rain during the drive back. Fortunately, she had a car that, although not luxurious or expensive (she got it because a man, pushed by his wife to reduce his car collection, ended up selling it to her at a ridiculously low price, fearing his wife's wrath if she found the car still in their garage—typical rich guy), was good enough for her personal transportation. At least she didn’t have to trouble the kind locals further. Besides, she needed to get home and rest in the comfort of her own house in what little time she had left.

And then it happened. As she drove down the road, there must have been a landslide. A rock large enough to crush her car, followed by the pain she felt. Her mind was filled with curses because, damn it, she had to be involved in an accident like this.

She hoped that when she woke up, she would be in a hospital, feeling pain all over her body. The thought of potential disability also crossed her mind. then darkness.

The first thing she saw was light. She finally regained consciousness. She tried to reach for it, and it happened. Her vision was blurry, but she realized she was crying. Why was she crying? She wasn’t a baby anymore, she thought. But she felt like crying at that moment, so she did. Her first cry in decades.

For days after crying—though she was embarrassed to admit it—she felt like her body couldn’t move according to her will. Her vision hadn’t fully returned either. In fact, she felt like all her senses were dulled; she couldn’t see, smell, taste, or hear clearly. She also felt the presence of someone, maybe a nurse, visiting her often, but she was always so sleepy that she would drift off unconsciously. She thought she was truly disabled, and the frustration was unbearable.

Three months later (or so she guessed), her vision returned. But what she saw wasn’t the bright white ceiling of a hospital. It was the ceiling of a house—not her house, of course.

A few days later, she felt her senses gradually coming back. Her hearing picked up faint noises. Her sense of smell returned too, and she didn’t smell the antiseptic scent typical of hospitals. Of course, seeing her surroundings weren’t a hospital was disappointing. But then she caught the scent of food. The idea of being cared for in someone else’s home made her uneasy.

She heard the creak of a door opening and closing, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

A man appeared and stared at her. Perhaps because her face didn’t show any reaction, he didn’t seem old but not young either. If she had to guess, he looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s. His hair was light brown, and he had a thin mustache under his nose. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her, as if he didn’t like what he was seeing. He spoke in a language she didn’t understand, but she was sure from his expression that he wasn’t saying anything pleasant about her. What the hell.

She felt drowsy again and fell asleep, accompanied by the man’s chatter. She prayed silently to recover quickly, as the thought of being a burden to her rescuer made her extremely uncomfortable.

Maybe hours later, she woke up and felt someone touching her. It was a woman. Her hair was dark brown, and she could see wrinkles on her face, suggesting she was in her 40s. The woman smiled at her as she lifted her—

eh

Wait, wait. Why was the woman lifting her. why did she feel so small when touched?

For the first time, she felt her sense of touch returning. Thoughts about what might have happened to her started to form, and when the woman placed a bottle of milk in her mouth, reality hit her all at once.

She had become a baby.

The woman said something in a language she still didn’t understand, but perhaps noticing her shock, she began cradling her as if she truly were a baby. Physically, yes, but—

Uh.

She felt like crying, but the damn bottle held her back.

~÷×÷~

Two years had passed. Since her rebirth, she had tried to accept her fate as someone who retained the memories of her previous life. She worked on adapting to this new world. She had already learned a lot, most notably reading and speaking, though her speech was still lisped and clumsy—understandable, as she was still a young child with a short tongue.

She had discovered some important things, such as her new name. Here, she was called Violet Briar.

Violet Briar, a beautiful name.

It seemed her family was quite wealthy. Her father, Liam Briar, worked closely with the king, while her mother, Reva Briar, was a military police.

Impressive, right?

Actually, no.

Two years were more than enough for Violet to understand her parents true nature. Through her observations, she had realized that her mother and father didn’t act like a real married couple. Not at all. At home, they rarely spoke to each other, and even when they did, it was so infrequent it could be counted on one hand. They slept in separate rooms and handled their own matters independently. In short, they were like strangers living together. Completely indifferent to one another. Well, it wasn’t surprising, considering their relationship was the result of an arranged marriage.

No, their love story wasn’t like those cheap romance novels where they would eventually fall for each other. It was shattered.

Somehow, Violet had come to terms with the fact that she was literally a child born not out of love. She was born out of a mistake—at least to her parents—and the pressure from both their families.

In short, Violet Briar was not the product of love between Liam Briar and Reva Briar.

Violet was no stranger to the feeling of being unwanted.

That was fine.

At the very least, her parents had been generous enough to let her live comfortably for these two years. Her mother occasionally checked on Violet when she remembered to, though not often, and when she did, it was just a glance—she never spoke to or interacted with her. Violet never tried to approach her mother either; she didn’t want to be a bother or disrupt their cold relationship.

As for her father, well, he was rather harsh. Not physically, but he often threw hateful glares as clear as day whenever Violet was around and occasionally made rude comments about whatever a two-year-old child was doing.

~÷×÷~

It took Violet another year to learn how her new world worked.

Recently, she began to understand her appearance. Violet had bright yellow hair, deep purple eyes (the origin of her name), and a beautiful face—so beautiful, in fact, that she felt it was too much. All of it came from her mother. From her father, she only inherited a stone-cold expression. A beautiful but emotionless face wasn’t bad, and Violet thought there was no need to show her emotions.

In truth, the nannies are a little worried about the lack of emotion that the little girl showed. The last time she cried was when she was a baby. When angry, she stayed silent. When sad, she didn’t show it. When happy, she just said thank you. When regretful, she apologized. She acted more than she expressed.

“I’ll only show emotions on my face when it’s necessary,” she said.

Such strange words for a child so young.

That morning, at the age of three, her nannies—a woman in her forties named Lyn, the first person Violet saw as a baby—decided to take her outside for the first time

For three years, Violet had been confined to the house. This wasn’t a bad thing for Violet, honestly. She was still a little scared. Scared of the fact that she wasn’t on Earth anymore and frightened of what might be outside.

Besides, she felt comfortable and safe inside the house. The people around her never discussed anything about their world. They only talked about what to cook or other trivial things like whether chores had been done.

Strangely, they never gossiped about anything significant happening around them. Not that they thought Violet would understand anyway. But sometimes, Violet was simply curious.

Occasionally, the maids or nannies in the house talked about her family. her mother’s past, her father’s, her grandparents. They would tell good stories, though Violet knew some were lies. For what purpose, she didn’t know, perhaps they wanted her to think highly of her family, as children were supposed to.

“Would you like to come with me?” Lyn asked the child, who was quietly reading a book on the corner of the sofa.

“Where to?” Violet asked without looking up.

“Shopping.” Lyn thought Violet would refuse, so she was ready to tempt her with sweet treats she planned to buy at the market.

“Okay.”

Her response sounded indifferent, but knowing Violet agreed without any persuasion made Lyn unconsciously sigh in relief.

The reason Lyn took her out was that the other maids were busy with their tasks, leaving no one to watch the child. Even though Violet wasn’t a troublemaker—unlike most kids her age, who were noisy, mischievous, and active—she was the opposite: calm, smart, and mature kid. Perhaps it was all the books she read. Honestly, Lyn found that looking after such a quiet child eased her burden.

Still, taking a child outside for the first time was risky. Removing her from everything familiar might make her cry—though, of course, she would never cry again. But leaving her unsupervised was even riskier. Lyn was still worried.

On the other hand, Violet felt strangely excited. The thought of being in a fantasy world with magical elements thrilled her—her books were all fantasy, the only genre given to her caretaker. Though her excitement didn’t show on her stoic face.

During the little trip, Violet asked countless questions about everything she saw for the first time. Lyn began to sense her faint enthusiasm. Then Violet asked about the towering walls surrounding them.

Violet had a feeling about what they were.

“These walls protect humanity from danger. It’s very dangerous out there,” Lyn explained.

“What kind of danger?”

Please don’t say it.

“Things called Titans. Titans are huge, terrifying monsters. I’ll explain more about them when we get home.”

After that, the child in her arms fell silent, staring at the wall as if trying to see beyond it. Watching her, Lyn noticed Violet’s brows starting to furrow. What could this little girl be thinking about so intensely?

When they got home, Violet immediately asked for a book about Titans. Lyn offered to read it with her, but Violet refused and insisted on reading it herself. Lyn handed her a book carefully stored and hidden in a cupboard—no wonder Violet had never seen any books other than fantasy stories. Violet grabbed the book and ran to her room, only to bump into someone’s leg around the corner. Her small body was weak, and she fell hard onto her backside, hearing Lyn gasp behind her.

“Uh, sorry,” she mumbled, quickly getting up and rushing to her room without looking at who she’d bumped into.

Behind her, she heard faint chatter between her caretaker and her mother. mother is home?

“Why was she running like that?”

“She just got a new book. Maybe she’s excited to read it.”

“Oh… By the way, about dinner—”

The rest faded as Violet closed her door.

She stared at the book. Please, don’t tell me—

She flipped through the pages, scanning the words.

This can’t be real.

Reality hit her again, as it had so many times before.

She had been reincarnated into a world with Titans outside the walls.

~÷×÷~

Time flew by quickly. Violet Briar was now 13 years old, and three years ago, news of Wall Maria’s fall spread rapidly. Just as quickly, it was buried.

ten years ago, she had to accept that she’d been born into a fictional world. She’d been sulky about it, especially since it was this world.

Violet wasn’t a huge anime fan but was familiar with reincarnation and isekai concepts. She had watched several fantasy-themed anime when she was younger and had more free time.

Someone online had once recommended Attack on Titan, and she had watched it to completion. It was a great anime. She understood why people praised it so much. But honestly, she found it traumatizing—

Attack on Titan was bloody and tragic.

At the time, she thought, Thank goodness my world isn’t like that. It was just fiction, after all.

But now…

Now, she was in that fictional world, as a character who had never appeared or even been mentioned by name.

So Violet thought, If they don’t know me, then fine. She was probably just a minor side character who's, like, fickle, destined to die. But since she lived in the innermost wall (thankfully), death might come a little later. Maybe during the Annie and Eren, when they fought inside Wall Sina and mentioned many casualties. She hoped her family—especially her parents—wouldn’t be on the death list. because if they die who's going to pay for her leisure life later. haha.

And since her name wasn’t mentioned, maybe she could avoid death entirely. No matter how horrible this world was, she wanted to survive. It would be such a waste to die after being born into a wealthy family.

Therfore, Violet Briar devised a simple plan. Lucky to live in the safest inner wall, she decided to stay out of everything and let the world unfold according to the original story. She would silently apologize to the main characters, those destined to lose their lives along the way, even though she deeply regretted it. She didn’t want to get involved.

Her resolve was firm. Violet would not get involved.

“I’ve signed you up for military training. You’ll graduate top of your class and join the Military Police like your mother. Start packing,” her father said yesterday.

And now, Violet found herself unable to refuse. She stood in formation among the 104th Training Corps cadets.

Her carefully planned peaceful life was ruined.

How had this happened? Violet would cry internally.

Chapter Text

The sun was scorching this morning. The field was packed with new cadets ready to undergo training.

Shadis was yelling a lot, and Violet suddenly realized that she wasn't used to this kind of atmosphere. Back home, it was always quiet and serene, so the constant noise here was giving her a headache.

And the sun—she wasn’t accustomed to its direct, searing rays either.

Shadis’s shouts echoed again, this time directed at the blond protagonist with the bob haircut.

“Armin Arlert from Shiganshina, sir.”

Violet was already bored with this orientation. She had seen enough named characters being yelled at by Shadis. She could relax, knowing she wasn’t one of them. All she had to do was stand there until the introductions ended.

At least, that was the plan. Fate had other ideas because as soon as Shadis walked down her row, he stopped right in front of her. Violet was caught off guard—he wasn’t supposed to notice her.

“Your face looks bored, cadet,” Shadis declared, his gaze like he was staring at a Titan’s vomit he wouldn’t dare touch. eww. But Violet’s attention was on his height—damn, he was tall—and how he conveniently blocked the harsh sunlight from her view.

She saluted. “Sir, my face has been like this since birth.”

Why did people always comment on her face. fact is she rarely showed expressions, but if you looked closely, her face was sharp and defined. She never intended to look bored with life—okay, maybe her face naturally looked that way, but she wasn’t about to admit it.

“What’s your name, cadet?”

“Violet Briar, sir.”

“And where are you from?”

Violet froze for a second, debating whether to answer truthfully or make something up. As far as she knew, it was rare for someone from the innermost wall to be sent to military training outside the wall.

“Wall Sina, sir.”

Several cadets gasped at her response, and Violet regretted answering honestly.

“Oh, the innermost wall, huh? What’s your reason for joining, cadet?”

“Yes, sir. I was sent here to undergo training and become a better person,” she replied vaguely. Honestly, she didn’t even know why her father sent her to Wall Rose for cadet training when there was training available in Wall Sina. Shadis might’ve been curious too.

She wasn’t about to state her primary goal—her father’s goal—of joining the Military Police. She didn’t want judgmental looks from the brown-haired mc like the one he gave to horse-face guy earlier.

“Well, then—”

Before Shadis could finish, a chewing sound interrupted, making him and all the cadets turn to its source.

Oh, Sasha, you’re a lifesaver. Violet would thank her later. For now, Shadis’s attention had shifted, and he walked away.

Violet watched the legendary scene unfold before her eyes—the one where Sasha offered Shadis a potato.

While Violet observed this iconic moment, she felt a few lingering stares directed at her. At first, she thought it was just curious cadets, but throughout the “legendary scene,” there was one gaze that didn’t waver.

She turned around. Blue met violet.

For the love of Titans within the walls, Violet wanted to ask why Annie was staring at her like she was scrutinizing her very soul. Violet felt slightly panicked. Could Annie sense that her soul was decades older than everyone here? Impossible—this world wasn’t that genre. What a ridiculous thought.

Annie averted her gaze as the cadets resumed their lines. Sasha had started running, and Shadis moved on to the next row. Violet sighed in relief.

A few hours later, the cadets were dismissed and headed to their cabins to rest.

Violet grabbed her bag, which she had carelessly tossed aside before the lineup. She felt suffocated in her uniform. Hopefully, the steward had stored something looser for her to wear—anything but the tight shirt she was in. She suddenly missed her home, her room, and her precious books.

Damn, she sounded spoiled now. Then again, thirteen years of living with a caretaker and having maids around had made her accustomed to it. Life up until yesterday had been much easier compared to her previous life on Earth.

If her life here had been easy, her previous life had been the complete opposite.

Only God knew how much she had struggled to survive. Her family was poor, her father an alcoholic who constantly abused her and her mother.

Speaking of her mother, she missed her just a little, even though she hadn’t been a good one. Her mother had left when she was seven, abandoning her to endure her father’s abuse alone. That was when she started hating her.

But now, the hatred had faded, thanks to her aristocratic life.

Her mind wandered as she walked, distracted until she failed to notice a door opening in front of her. Someone stepping out collided with her, sending her to the ground.

She was about to get up when a pair of hands lifted her. Briefly confused, she realized she was standing again.

“Sorry.”

That voice.

Violet looked up to see a raven-haired woman standing before her.

Mikasa.

“Uh, do you know me?” the raven-haired girl asked, confused.

Damn. Violet had accidentally spoken her thoughts out loud.

“Ah—uh. Not really. I just heard your friends calling your name earlier,” she lied. She had no idea if Eren or Armin had ever shouted her name. She just hoped Mikasa wouldn’t notice her initial stammer.

“If that’s the case, sorry for bumping into you, and thanks for helping me. I’ll be going now.” Violet left before Mikasa could respond.

Sigh.

After a long walk, Violet finally reached her cabin. By the way, her cabin was at the very end among all the cadet cabins. The cramped room brought back dark memories. She quickly shoved them aside.

She saw four bunk beds, each with a small wardrobe for clothes and belongings. Some were already occupied, judging by the items placed on them.

“Oh, you’re the one from Sina, right?”

A voice broke the silence of the room.

“Yeah,” Violet replied without looking. She assumed the question was directed at her—who else from Sina could be here? She was about to start unpacking when an arm suddenly draped around her shoulders.

“Ohhh, so cold… hahaha.”

Violet turned to face the person. A tall woman, slightly taller than her, with short brown hair and a pretty freckled face.

Don’t tell me—

“I’m Ymir, your top-bunk buddy for the next three years. Hope you don’t miss your Mommy and Daddy too much.” A smirk completed the sentence.

Great sarcasm, Ymir.

The last thing Violet wanted was to interact with one of the main characters. Mikasa had already been an unexpected surprise.

~÷×÷~

That night, Violet found herself being dragged by Ymir to cafetaria.

“Attention, attention, the noble lady has arrived. Please make way!” Ymir announced loudly, drawing unwanted attention from everyone in the cafeteria. Violet felt embarrassed and annoyed at the same time.

"Stop it, Ymir, you're going to get me in trouble," she said, pushing Ymir, who, by the way, had been clinging to her the whole time.

Ymir had been holding onto her so tightly throughout the walk that Violet felt her shoulders and neck might bruise from how firm the grip was. She was being dragged quite literally.

“It’s fine. Your daddy will get you out of trouble,” Ymir replied, making Violet realize just how annoying her existence truly was. She swore to avoid her in the future for the sake of her peace of mind.

Violet walked off to grab her food tray. She noticed a few eyes still on her, and Ymir followed close behind.

“Oh, come on, don’t be so cold to me. We’re stuck together for three years,” Ymir finally said after a few minutes of silence. She sat across from Violet with her food.

“I’m not cold. This is just how I am.”

In her thirteen years of life in this world, eating while chatting had never been a concept for her. And yet, here she was with Ymir, who hadn’t left her alone for hours.

Someone placed a tray beside her. A red scarf came into her peripheral vision. They sat close—almost too close—to her vacant side.

“Mikasa?” Violet asked no one in particular, her focus on the unappealing mush she was eating.

“Yes, it’s me. Am I bothering you?” Mikasa’s voice sounded hesitant but didn’t move away.

“No. Just sit wherever you want” Violet replied. Three bites in, and she realized the food, while odd in texture, was at least edible. Though, the taste was… strange.

“Thats it! You say you’re not cold, but what kind of response is that?” Ymir shouted.

“What’s wrong with my response?” Violet asked, still eating.

“You sound indifferent and uncaring,” Ymir replied bluntly, pointing her spoon at Violet’s face.

“Really?” Violet frowned. If her response earlier sounded indifferent, then this question was genuine confusion.

"I think so too. I thought you were the kind of person who doesn't care," Mikasa, who had been silently observing all this time, added her opinion.

Violet stared at Mikasa for a moment.

“I—I think that description fits you better, Mikasa.”

“Me? Why?”

“Because you and Violet are so alike, obviously,” Ymir answered.

The two began chatting, but Violet wasn’t paying attention. Her meal was finished, and her focus shifted to a short blonde girl sneaking glances around the room. The girl carefully grabbed bread and slipped it into a small pouch in her other hand.

Could it be…

Ymir… She was supposed to be the one catching her stealing bread right now, then following her and helping the potato girl who would soon faint.

Violet quietly slipped away, leaving the two of them unaware. She immediately followed when she saw the short blonde running outside.

Once outside, she tried to track the blonde’s path but instead found herself lost.

Who would’ve thought the training grounds were much larger than they seemed in the anime? It was truly as vast as a football stadium, surrounded by buildings that served as offices and dorms.

Violet wandered through the complex for what felt like fifteen minutes, ending up in the same spot multiple times before giving up and heading back to her cabin. Wandering around had made her tired and dizzy.

That’s when something very strange happened. Whether from dizziness or fatigue, she wasn’t sure, but as she walked back, someone suddenly appeared in front of her.

She nearly bumped into them but quickly stepped aside.

She swore she had been alone in this long, empty hallway. There was no way she wouldn’t have heard footsteps, and it was impossible for the other person not to notice her heavy steps.

The person, who was actually two men, seemed just as startled as she was by her sudden dodge. Violet couldn’t believe her eyes.

The first man, tall with shoulder-length brown hair, and the second, older with a blond beard, stood in the dimly lit corridor.

She almost mistook them for instructors like Shadis until she recognized their faces—faces she could never forget.

For the love of Queen Historia in the future, Violet thought, their faces are way too similar to their anime counterparts.

“Why are you—” She began but was interrupted by the bearded blond.

“You can see us?” His expression was one of confusion and disbelief, clear even in the dim light.

“Why can I see you?” Violet questioned, just as baffled as they were.

And just like that, as quickly as they appeared, they vanished when she blinked. The two men were gone, leaving no trace in the long, empty hallway.

Violet frantically looked around for them but found nothing. They had disappeared as though they had never been there.

She was shocked and didn't believe it. have mixed feelings. Her legs gave out, and she reached for something to support herself.

Her mind raced with questions. Was she hallucinating from exhaustion or poison?

She decided she’d visit the infirmary later to get checked. For now, she needed rest because her body felt utterly drained of energy.

The ground and the gravel beneath it felt cold, and Violet failed to see the horror on the long-haired brunette's face earlier.

Chapter Text

The incident earlier left her dazed. She managed to reach her cabin by midnight and found everyone, including Ymir, already fast asleep.

Medical room forgotten, Violet felt that all she needed was the sleep her body craved, as she was utterly exhausted.

But contrary to her body's desire, she found herself wide awake all night.

Perhaps it was the new environment or the unexpected encounter earlier that made her reluctant to close her eyes. Even though she was clearly tired.

The musty smell of her hard, itchy mattress didn’t help either. She found no comfort in this place.

She finally drifted off, still lost in her thoughts, just two hours before the training began. She became someone sleep-deprived on her very first day in this Isekai world.

~÷×÷~

Violet has been attending military training for a week, and during that time, she was lucky enough not to interact with the main character except for Ymir. It turns out that the beautiful short blonde, the future queen of the wall, was also in the same room as her.

It’s not that strange to know how many cadets are here. In the anime, it might look like there are only a hundred cadets, but in reality, there are more than 300 cadets here.

Perhaps the temptation of a comfortable and secure life as a military police officer is too strong.

Violet shudders imagining what will happen in the future when Trost is breached and how many cadets will survive from the initial number.

That night, when she met the adult versions of Zeke and Eren, she quickly forgot about them–well, not really. Actually, she would think about them all day if her life was more relaxed. But the training always keeps her body and mind busy enough to think about other things, so inevitably, she’ll think about those important matters later.

Her thoughts were interrupted when someone patted her shoulder.

"Hey Vi, do you have any chocolate left?"

"Sasha? didn’t I give you three yesterday?"

It was Sasha who brought her out of her thoughts.

"It’s all gone." She grinned as if she was innocent.

Ever since Violet gave her snacks to thank her for saving her from Shadis scolding during orientation, Sasha never missed a day asking for them after that. Violet hesitantly shared it.

And a friendship–though not exactly beautiful, because it was only Sasha who asked Violet for food every day–was formed. she even gave Violet a nickname that Violet secretly liked.

"Sasha, you're disturbing her breakfast."

Mikasa arrived like a savior. she carrying her own food tray in her hands.

Sometimes, she would approach Violet just to chat.

Violet felt that Mikasa wasn’t as expressionless as she was portrayed in the anime. In reality, Mikasa was quite expressive. She greeted other cadets, smiled when making eye contact, and even initiated conversations between them. Violet realized that Mikasa talked a lot. She was actually quite sociable.

Seeing Sasha continuously bother Violet seemed to irritate Mikasa as well. She placed her food tray on the table with a loud thud. The sound made Violet flinch for a moment.

Mikasa sat across from Violet, who glanced at her briefly without realizing it. Her focus remained on the brown haired girl with a messy ponytail, still trying to coax the blonde into sharing her food.

"Not eating with your friends, Mikasa?" Violet asked.

"Sometimes I feel like Eren is fed up with me," she replied before starting to eat.

Violet looked at her in disbelief. Another fact about Mikasa apparently, she wasn’t as fixated on Eren as she was in the anime.

"You mean that brown haired friend of yours?"

"Yeah."

"I don’t think that look means he’s fed up with you."

Violet glanced back and forth between Mikasa and the main character, who was staring sharply in their direction.

"His face is just like that," Mikasa replied casually.

"He looks like he could split this table in half with his gaze," Violet muttered under her breath. "By the way, I see you’re close with him and that bob haired guy. How did that happen?" she asked like she didn't already know.

"Yeah, the three of us are from Shiganshina. Eren and the bob haired name is Armin, were already friends before I joined them. Eren saved me back then." She cut her explanation short.

Violet didn’t ask further, knowing the last thing she wanted was to remind the raven-haired girl of painful memories.

Their quick breakfast had ended, and today’s training session was ODM gear practice.

Violet recalled that, in her previous life, someone had mentioned how ODM gear would be impossible in the real world. The moment the cables pulled the user's waist, the force would be so intense that it could break their bones. In short, no matter how logically it was designed, ODM gear simply couldn’t work in reality.

She even remembered her second day of training during the balance test, she had nearly failed. When she was lifted, she swung upside down, feeling utterly humiliated as the other cadets attention fell on her. She vaguely heard whispers.

"Look, the spoiled brat failed."

"That’s what happens when you rely too much on a luxurious life."

Then, muffled giggles followed.

Shadis scolded her, just as he had scolded Eren.

As she was being lowered, one of the cables connected to her waist harness snapped, sending her plummeting to the ground. Fortunately, the fall wasn’t from a dangerous height, so she wasn’t injured.

Shadis then ordered someone to lend her their gear and made her try again. To her surprise, it was much easier to manage. She simply had to stay still and focus on balancing herself with the cables on either side until Shadis lowered her.

And just like that, she passed.

This training session was their first time gliding with ODM gear, and Violet felt extremely nervous. What if she failed during practice, What if she fell and got injured, especially on her beautiful face.

Hey, don’t get her wrong, getting hurt during training wasn’t the worst thing. Unless, of course, the injury left a permanent scar that would be difficult to erase. Especially on the face she had worked so hard to obtain, after all she had endured in her miserable first life. At the very least, the price she had paid had been worth it.

Even though she had watched countless scenes in the anime showing how ODM gear worked and had even entertained the thought of trying it herself, she never imagined she would actually get the chance. And now that it was real, it was terrifying.

Shadis stood before the cadets, explaining how the equipment functioned.

One by one, the cadets were called up to demonstrate what they had learned. When her turn came, Violet was visibly tense.

She walked forward with heavy steps because.. wow, just now she realize just how heavy the gas canisters strapped to her waist were. Every step felt like she was carrying extra weight. The strap who wrapped around her body only added to the discomfort.

'How do these straps even work?'

She caught the recognition in Shadis expression.

It seemed she had left an impression on him.

"Glad you passed, Cadet," he said, though his words didn’t match his displeased expression.

"Thanks to you, sir."

"Good. The route is straightforward, you’ll reach the forest’s edge. Best of luck this time, Cadet."

She took a deep breath, aimed, and pressed the trigger shaped somewhat like a bicycle brake. A sharp metallic sound rang out as the wire shot forward, the hook at the end latching securely onto a distant tree trunk. She pressed another button on the handle, and suddenly, the cables reeled her body forward.

The force of the sudden pull and the burst of gas propelling her forward nearly made her lose focus.

Flying through the air wasn’t so bad. Still terrifying, but oddly thrilling. The hardest part was maintaining her rhythm and adjusting the direction of the trigger so the hooks latched onto the right trees at the right height.

'Maybe this is what Spider-Man feels like with his webs.'

She laughed inwardly at her own monologue.

The more she swung, the better she controlled it.

A bright light appeared ahead, the forest’s edge was near, and her nerves spiked again.

"Wait, how do I land again?" she muttered in panic.

She tried slowing her momentum, lowering herself as much as possible. It worked, but her landing was far from graceful. She nearly crashed face first into the ground until someone caught her.

A strong arm wrapped tightly around her waist to stopping her fall.

Violet gasped for breath but managed to steady herself. She turned to see who had saved her from the minor accident.

Beside her stood a woman, about shoulder height to Violet. Her platinum blonde hair was tied into a ponytail, her bangs sticking to her forehead with sweat. violet could see it from how close they were.

"You almost fell," the woman said, still holding Violet’s waist before slowly letting go.

Blue eyes met hers, and suddenly, Violet felt nervous. Her heart pounded, whether from leftover adrenaline or the way those eyes stared at her, as if drawing her in, just like the first time they locked gazes.

"Thank you," Violet managed to say.

Annie gave a slight nod, then averted her emotionless gaze from Violet’s face. She quickly left as soon as she saw Ymir approaching them.

"Violet!!! I saw you almost fall earlier. You okay?"

Ymir’s question sounded concerned, but it completely contradicted the way she was currently squeezing Violet in a tight embrace, just like she had done when they first met. And only recently did Violet realize that every time they were together, Ymir always found an excuse to drape herself over her, as if Violet were some kind of lifeline or emotional support.

Violet had automatically failed her mission during the first week; to avoid getting involved with Ymir because she was insufferable. Yet, for some reason, Ymir was like a magnet, constantly pulling her in at every opportunity. And unfortunately, Violet was the iron that had no choice but to be attracted.

"Get off Ymir, you're choking me."

Hearing the blonde's annoyed protest, Ymir finally released her hold.

"She’s actually pretty nice," Ymir commented, jerking her chin toward Annie, who was walking away from them.

"She is," Violet agreed.

"What’s the next training session?" she asked, eager to change the subject.

"Looks like theory," Ymir replied. "We'll be in the classroom." Her tone was cheerful, clearly relieved that they wouldn’t have to endure the scorching sun anymore. Violet silently agreed.

"Where’s Krista?" Violet asked absentmindedly, finding it odd that Ymir wasn’t with her usual companion.

"Maybe she’s not here yet? It’s not like you to look for someone," Ymir noted, sounding genuinely puzzled.

"I’m not. Just curious since I always see you two together."

Violet’s answer only deepened Ymir’s confusion. She never really thought of herself as always being with Krista. But thinking back, ever since the first day when she had originally been looking for Violet and accidentally helped Krista carry a passed out Potato Girl, Krista had been sticking around her ever since.

~÷×÷~

"Hey vi, to be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this situation," Ymir stated.

Right now, they were having dinner in the cafeteria, as usual. And the situation Ymir referred to was the way the other cadets kept staring at the blonde with purple eyes like she was some kind of alien.

Btw, Violet wasn’t even sure if the concept of aliens existed in this world.

She had noticed the unwanted attention ever since her first day. At first, she thought it was just because she was one of the few noble born cadets from the innermost walls a rare sight among recruits. But it had been almost three months, and they still hadn’t gotten bored of staring at her.

Violet even thinks if she was just being paranoid or narcissistic. But the fact is they really stares when she was alone. It was creepy.

Maybe her pretty face would become a problem in the future.

"I feel the same way. It’s really awkward, like we’re being watched," Krista added.

"Just ignore it," Violet suggested, even though she herself wasn’t exactly comfortable.

From the corner of her eye, she caught Ymir and Krista exchanging looks.

"It’s weird, but not surprising when it comes to you," Ymir said. "That attention you’re getting it of course."

"What do you mean?" Violet asked.

"You have a different aura. I don’t know what to call it, but you always stand out the most among us. It’s easy to spot you in a crowd, Vi," the taller girl replied.

"I get it, Violet's presence always draws attention," Krista chimed in, seemingly unaware of her own appearance that always stood out. 

"I guess it's just because I'm with the two of you," Violet said, glancing at Krista. "You have to realize how good looking you are, Krista." She noticed the blush on the short blonde's face. "And also, I probably look like I'm being bullied every time Ymir drags me around, right? Maybe they're just worried about the two of us." She made a joke to downplay the situation.

"You little—"

She heard Ymir mutter a quiet curse beside her.

"But I swear, it’s like you have a glow around you," Krista added again, the blush on her face was still faintly visible.

"I think so too," Ymir agreed. "Or maybe it’s just because her skin is too smooth and pale, so it reflects sunlight. That’s why she looks like she’s glowing."

The two of them burst into laughter at the last comment, while Violet just stared at them.

when both of them finished laughing, she heard someone calling her name from somewhere.

“…Briar! Is there a cadet named Violet Briar here?!”

The entire cafeteria turned toward the source of the voice. A trainer, whose name she didn’t know, stood at the cafeteria doorway, scanning the room and looking from one cadet to another, hoping to find the person he was searching for.

Ymir and Krista exchanged puzzled looks with Violet, who returned their confusion.

Violet raised her hand to announce her presence.

"I am Violet Briar, sir."

"Good, cadet. Follow me."

Still unsure of what was happening, Violet finally got up and followed the trainer out of the cafeteria.

Silence filled the entire walk. The trainer gave no explanation, and Violet didn’t ask. She simply followed him until they arrived at a room.

Inside was an office. In the corner stood a desk stacked with piles of papers, positioned beside a large window. In the center of the room, a table and chairs sat, with a candle placed on top. It reminded her of a principal’s office from her previous life—except for the candle.

She was left alone as the trainer who had escorted her promptly exited.

Sitting down, her mind raced with questions and anxiety. There was no way she was being punished, right? She hadn’t done anything wrong.

Before more thoughts could surface, the door opened, and Shadis walked in like a detective about to interrogate a prime suspect.

Behind him, a woman followed. She wasn’t much shorter than Violet and looked as if she fit the role of an assistant perfectly. Violet, however, was more surprised by her presence.

There was no way this situation was bigger than she had initially thought.

Shadis gestured for the woman to sit across from Violet.

The two women locked eyes, neither noticing as the bald trainer left the room, only to return moments later carrying a tray with a teapot and cups.

Shadis set the tray down on the table with a firm thud, drawing both of their attention back to him.

"Thank you, sir," the woman across from Violet said.

Shadis paused at the doorway, glancing at them one last time before giving a nod and shutting the door behind him. This time, he didn’t return.

Now, it was just the two of them.

The woman took the teapot and poured its contents into the plain white cups before them.

A soft clinking sound echoed through the room as ceramic met wood when she set the cups down.

Violet couldn’t help but wonder what her purpose was here.

The woman who sitting across from her was her mother, the last person she expected to see in a place like this.

“How have you been?” her mother spoke first. Her voice sounded awkward. 

It was understandable, given the situation and how rarely they actually spoke to each other.

There was a long pause before Violet responded, caught off guard by the simple question.

“Good.”

Silence fell once again.

The room felt more and more spacious. Violet could clearly hear the ticking of the clock and the faint footsteps of people walking past the closed door.

She glanced at the woman in front of her, whose face was lowered, perhaps because of how awkward the situation was. Her hands were wrapped around the teacup, rubbing its surface as if seeking comfort.

“I didn’t know you were undergoing military training,” her mother stated, still not looking up.

Violet was surprised by the comment.

“Father and mother too. They were furious when they couldn’t find you during their visit,” she continued, as if her previous statement hadn’t already caught Violet off guard.

If even her doting grandparents had been upset, then it was obvious. her father had sent her here without informing anyone.

Perhaps, if they hadn’t come looking for her, her mother wouldn’t have even known that she was no longer at home.

Violet didn’t know how to react to that, so she simply took a sip of her tea to moisten her suddenly dry throat.

The tea was almost cold.

“What is your purpose for coming here?”

Her formal choice of words made the distance between them even clearer.

For Violet, the unfamiliarity was so strong that she didn’t even know how to properly address her own mother. So, she let the words come out however they did.

Besides, the military training grounds were incredibly far from home, about a twelve hour journey by horse drawn carriage and her mother’s visit was completely unexpected thing. She wasn’t prepared for this encounter at all.

And the truth was, Violet didn’t fully understand her mother the way she understood her father and their strained relationship. That fact couldn’t be ignored.

The candlelight flickered, casting shadows on the two figures mother and daughter separated by distance yet sitting face to face.