Shingeki no Kyojin - Jiyuu no Tsubasa -

Chapter 1

"Aura! Aura! Wake up!" The voice of her roommate woke her up from her sleep, "Come on! Demon Keith will hunt us down if we are late!"

Aura got up from her bed and yawned widely. She was not a morning person. Sleepily, she went to change into a V-neck long sleeve and pants. Washed her face, tied her shoulder-length black hair up into a messy ponytail, leaving bangs at both sides of her face with fringe and put on the belts for 3DMG and her trainee brown jacket. She headed out of the room with her best friend, Ellie Barret, towards the training ground.

Year 845 A.D. Aura had joined the military 3 years ago and today was the day for the final test to determine who would be in the top 10 rank for 99th Trainee Squad for their graduation tomorrow.

She was formerly from Wall Sina and was one of the nobles. Life was not exactly easy for her there due to some circumstances with her relatives who were mostly Church supporters. After her father died, her family moved to Shiganshina. Her mother opened a small clinic specialized in herb treatment and it was never short of customers. Plus, Aura's little sister, Anna, helped out. She was a gentle and shy little girl. Meanwhile, her older brother completed his military training a few years back. He did not manage to get in top 10 ranks and settle for Garrison instead. He was stationed in Shiganshina and often came home for meals.

Aura made a few friends. One of them was Ellie. There were several kids in the area that always came by the clinic since they always gotten into fights. Hannes-san, a member of Garrison, often visited for tea too. He was her mother's old friend, it seemed.

When she joined the military, her mother did not object her decision. She just silently say, "Be careful." Her mother knew that there was no stopping her. She wanted to continue her father's legacy and she was the type of person that cannot be tied down by another.

"Damn. I'm nervous." Ellie voiced out when Aura yawned once again on their way to the dining hall. Aura was the cool-beauty type. She hardly talked unless it was necessary. She did not show much of her emotions either. Both guys and girls admired her.

"You will do fine, Ellie." She said while rubbing her sleepy eyes.

Her best friend sighed at her, "You better keep awake or else Keith will target you again."

Aura already made a scene when it was just their first day in military. Keith shouted at her so loudly that it made her irritated.

Year 842 A.D.

"YOU! WHAT THE SHIT IS YOUR NAME?!" He shouted.

"Aura Noir, sir." She answered at normal volume calmly without reacting to the loud voice. Everyone looked at her in awe, "For your information, sir, I can hear you just fine. There is no need to shout." She added nonchalantly.

Everyone was now dumbfounded. She has done it. Keith would not let her off easily.

"You will get your punishment later, Cadet Noir. FOR WHAT FUCKING PURPOSE ARE YOU HERE?!" He continued in his loud voice again. It was making Aura irritated every second.

"To attain freedom for mankind, sir, and to continue my father's legacy." Aura said simply. She hated long explanation.

"... Who is your father?" He asked out of curiosity.

"... Former Vice-Commander of the Scouting Legion, Albert Noir, sir." Aura answered proudly.

 

"... Which afterwards earned you a 5-hour running around the training ground… You really are something, Aura." Ellie said after reminiscing their first day during their breakfast.

"Oh, shut it. I don't want to remember the sore pain of that day." Aura answered while eating her tasteless soup and stale bread. It was always the same meal. Aura wondered whether if she added some herbs on it, will the taste be better? But she never had the chance to try.

"... It's time." Ellie said and got up from her seat. After settling their trays of leftover food, they went with the rest of the trainees to the training ground. Keith was there with a few other people. They were from the Garrison, Military Police and Scouting Legion, based on the emblem on their jackets. It seemed that Keith was pointing at Aura as she approached the ground to get into position. He was talking to someone from the Scouting Legion. It was a guy with short blonde hair and blue eyes. Those eyes met with her golden eyes. He just grinned when he saw Aura. She was forced to put this matter aside as Keith shouted at top of his lungs as usual.

"PREPARE YOUR 3DMG! THE TEST WILL START IN 10 MINUTES!! ALL OF YOU DUMBASS WILL MEET ME AT THE FOREST CLEARING!"

"Yes, sir!" everyone answered and saluted. Then proceed to put on their gears. When Aura was going to get hers, the blonde man approached her, "Aura Noir?"

"Yes, sir." She saluted and faced the man.

"I am Erwin Smith, Commander of Scouting Legion. Well, just promoted though." he extended his hand to Aura.

"Nice to meet you, sir." Aura shook his hand, "What can I do for you?" She said politely.

"I just wanted to pass you something before your test. I’m sure you would like it. Hanji." He gestured to the spectacle woman which had her hair up in ponytail to come over with a luggage.

"Ohhh... This is his daughter. So cute!" She said as she approached, "Nice to meet you, I'm Hanji Zoe!" She too, shook her hand with Aura, "Here." She passed the big luggage to her, which made her slightly confused.

"This is?" Aura asked both of them. They only smiled and said, "Open it."

The moment Aura opened it, she knew what it was all about. A 3DMG was packed nicely inside. The scratches, the coloring, the parts were all still the same. This 3DMG belonged to her father. She always maintained it with her father when she was young. She remembered every single parts of this 3DMG. She returned it to the Scouting Legion when her father died of incurable disease and fatigue from expedition at her young age.

“… But why?” Aura asked again, looking up to her superiors now.

“It is specially kept for you if you ever decide to join military.” Hanji said, smiling, “It was in your father’s will.” She patted her head, “Use it well.”

“I expect good performance from this, Aura.” Erwin grinned as he and Hanji left her in shock. She could not believe this. The Scouting Legion actually kept this for her as part of her father’s will. As she put it on, she recalled her precious memories with her father.

“Aura, are you done?” Ellie called out to her. She had put on her full gears, ready for the test, “Hm? That’s not your usual 3DMG, isn’t it?”

“… It was my Dad’s.” Aura replied, “Apparently, Scouting Legion kept it for me. My Dad’s will.”

Ellie was as surprised as when Aura first received the 3DMG. Although she wanted to ask further, she had to put that on hold as Keith’s loud voice was roaring once again, calling for all trainees to hurry their asses up.

First test was running across the training ground for unknown timing while carrying supplies on their backs. It was to test the stamina and perseverance of the trainees. Aura and Ellie ran ahead of others, due to their agility and small builds. Nobody was talking during the run. Aura, who had had her punishment of running 5 hours straight, did not find this challenging. As she ran, she could feel the 3DMG on her and a memory suddenly flashed across her mind.

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Shorei's Message:

Cannot resist not to write this story after watching Kyojin. Please rate and comment! Let me know your opinions so that I can decide whether I should continue this story or not. Thanks!