Chapter 3 - ODM Gear and Singing

The brilliant blue sky and feel the warm embrace of the sun's rays on his skin. Despite the daunting importance of the test that lay ahead, his spirits lifted, and a wave of cheerfulness washed over him.The last four years with his mentor had been hell, but it worked in the end. All the times he had failed, all the times he got a punch in the gut, his nose getting broken, it was all worth it in the end. At least, that's how Jaime saw it.Sets of four wooden poles hold up pairs of cables. At each set, they form lines, having already been dressed in the combat harness.Jaime stood near ugly freckles and Krista, both of whom were preparing to take the ODM test. As he observed Krista's demeanor, he noticed that she appeared uneasy, her body shifting restlessly as if she were trying to shake off the nerves coursing through her."Don't worry, Krista," Jaime said, flashing a reassuring smile toward the blonde girl. "I tried this when I was ten years old, and trust me. It's much easier than it looks. All you have to do is let go of all your thoughts, calm your mind, and you'll be able to do it just fine." He could see the anxiety in Krista's eyes, and he knew exactly how she was feeling. After all, he had been in her shoes before, struggling with the same thing she was struggling with now.Hearing his words, she nodded. "Thank you, Jaime, but why did you use this when you were ten years old?" Krista, turning to face him, Ymir simply kept a stoic look, but Jaime could tell she was listening to them.Usually, Jaime didn't really like to talk about the past. It always returned back to that day."I'm hungry. Please. Someone."Jaime's heart raced as he tried to shake off the image of Arthur, hungry and starving. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with fresh air, hoping to calm his nerves and steady his racing heartbeat. As he exhaled slowly, he opened his eyes and blinked several times."I-I. My mentor trained me after he found me. He told me if I wanted to go out there. I needed to be the best to survive. He made sure to train me on how to use ODM Gear." Jaime explained, watching who he remembered to be Annie. He had barely interacted with the girl since the day she told him her name, other than 'Good Morning' and 'Go somewhere else.'"Your mentor sounds like a good man," Krista commented with a pretty smile, her eyes sparkling with admiration. Jaime had to restrain himself from growling.Every time he saw his mentor grin at someone, he knew that it was not a friendly gesture but a warning, but his mentor had been the one who trained him, even if his ways weren't always pleasant, he could still feel the weights on his legs as he ran, the chains digging into his skin."H-he was the only one who cared," Jaime murmured to himself, but from how Krista looked at him, she had heard him."He was good enough. I guess..." he said reluctantly, his voice trailing off. "But he took care of me. He encouraged me to be good at what I liked to do, like singing or painting. And for that, I'm grateful." Ymir and Krista listened intently. One expression was sympathetic, and the other impassive."You know how to sing?" Krista asked with a smile."Yes. My mentor said I should become a singer, but I could never understand if he was just messing with me.""Really? That's amazing!" she exclaimed, a hint of admiration in her voice.Jaime simply shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. I only sang once or twice for my mentor and his team. They said I was good enough."Seeing the way Jaime was talking with Krista, Ymir decided to step in. "You shouldn't listen to his words Krista. He might purposely give you bad advice." Ymir cut in, loud enough for both Krista and Jaime to hear. The tall girl was annoyed from the way Krista was looking at the annoying boy from Wall Sina.Krista turned towards her, gasping. "Don't say that, Ymir. Jaime wouldn't do that." She told the tall girl, who looked away, but Jaime decided to step in."Don't worry, Krista, that's just Ugly Freckle's way of saying 'Thank you.' You weren't the only one listening to my advice." Jaime said with a sly grin, and seeing the way Ymir growled, he knew he was right."Shut up, toddler," Ymir glared at him; Krista stood between her and the annoying kid."At least. I'm not so tall that I must crouch whenever I enter any room." Jaime replied, leaning closer, and so did Ymir, who growled, ready to bonk his head."Stop it. You're both acting like kids." Krista scolded them, trying to push Ymir away, who reluctantly backed away, and so did Jaime, who couldn't help but listen to Krista.Soon, Krista's turn came, her eyes on Ymir and Jaime, the latter mouthed 'Stay Calm' as they lifted her up. She took a deep breath as she completely relaxed.Jaime and Ymir watched with small concern as Krista was handling it without problems. Her face brightened up when she stopped shaking. The men who were watching everyone looked impressed by Krista's skill.Once she was lowered, she ran at Ymir and Jaime like an arrow. "Good Job, Krista." Jaime and Ymir said at the same time, much to the annoyance of one another.Krista laughed before hugging them both, making Ymir blush and Jaime rub his neck in embarrassment."Thank you, Jaime." She said, looking at him with a smile. The latter suddenly saw an aura around the girl and petals falling around her."You're a Goddess," Jaime murmured, but seeing Krista blush and Ymir groan, he knew they had heard him."You think so?" Krista asked, looking slightly downwards."Yup, you're a Goddess who was sent by our Lord and Saviour to grace us, mere mortals," Jaime said, giving the girl a side hug."For the first, I agree with you. But Krista is mine." Ymir said, giving the girl a side hug from the other side, who was embarrassed by her friends' antics.Soon Ymir's turn came as she walked towards the mechanism that would lift her up."Bad Luck, ugly freckles," Jaime whispered with a cheeky grin.Ymir rolled her eyes before she, too, passed the test without problems but refused to look at Jaime, who had a triumphant smile on his face.Jaime walked up to the mechanism. The first guy steps up, and one of the trainers attaches his harness to the cables. Slowly, one of them hoists him up off the ground with a crank handle. The cadet begins to wobble as soon as his feet are off the ground, swaying in the air, slightly forwards, slightly backward, his concentration evident. Jaime just stood there, mostly looking at how others cadets were doing. He noticed the girl with the red scarf was doing pretty well.The next cadet manages pretty well, swinging slightly but holding his balance. The third guy steps up, but even before he's been hoisted half the distance, he sways backward, over-adjusts forwards, and teeters on the edge for a second before pitching forwards. He hangs upside down, teeth clenched in frustration. He struggles, but it's already too late for him to right himself. The trainers unhook him, and he walks away from the group, kicking a stone in frustration.They lower him back to the ground and unhook him. Jaime walks away from the testing rigs to stand to the side of the lines so he can watch his friends. Jean and Marco were doing pretty well.He tried to find Annie, but she was nowhere to be found.About two-thirds of the cadets manage to pass the test. Most wobble a bit, but they keep their balance. A few seem to be able to just hang there like him without really trying all that hard, and, to be honest. He is not surprised Mikasa's one of those. Armin shakes slightly but seems genuinely surprised when he manages to hold his pose just fine. The only one left was Eren, and Jaime was sure he'd be fine.Jaime quickly noticed that wasn't exactly the case. Eren was hanging upside down, legs kicking in the air. The other cadets seem to think it's hilarious. "He was talking big about murdering all of the Titans last week," says someone, "Not so big now, is he?""Not sure how you're meant to take you're terrifying revenge if you can't sit up straight, Yeager.""What's the matter down there?""This is just plain sad. A clear case of pride before a fall.""Hey, Eren, do you hear the fields calling?"Eren doesn't acknowledge their taunts, his eyes looked hollow, as if the worst thing in the world just happened before his eyes. Jaime watched as he was unhooked before sent his way.LaterAfter a grueling ODM Gear test, Jaime made his way back to the boy's domain, feeling exhausted but satisfied with his performance. As he walked through the halls, he couldn't help but notice the usual chatter of Krista and Ugly Freckles, but for some reason, he felt more drawn to spend time with Jean. He approached Jean and decided to challenge him in a game of chess. As they began to play, Marco joined them, watching intently as Jaime made his moves."Your turn, little Jean," Jaime teased with a smirk; Marco chuckled as Jean grumbled under his breath, cursing himself for mumbling in his sleep. Marco was sitting on his own bed, while Jean and Jaime were sitting on the bed right next to Marco's bed, the chess board spreading in the middle."Will you stop with this?" Jean asked, annoyed, He let his face rest on his palm and gazed at the chessboard, his eyes flitting back and forth between the pieces with impatience."Not my fault that you speak in your sleep, but I'm still wondering which one is better, Jean-boy or Little Jean? What do you think, Marco?" Jaime asked, turning at Marco, who exhaled, sitting in a crossed-legged position, his forearms resting on his knees, looking up at Jaime as Jean kept looking at the board, his patient running thin."Well, I think little Jean is better. What do you think, Jean?" Marco and Jaime turned to look at the man, who rubbed his head in frustration."Haha, very funny, Shorty," Jean said with a knowing smirk.Jaime grumbled, always bringing that up again, but he didn't allow himself to fall for such a simple bait. "You will see, Jean, one day I will outgrow all of you. I will be as tall as the Wall." Jaime defended himself, he pointed his thumb towards his own chest."That's overkill, Jaime. Unless you're the Colossal Titan in disguise, there's no way for you to grow that tall." Marco said with a smile.Jaime rolled his eyes before looking down at the board and saw that several of his pieces were suddenly missing, looking up at Jean, who wore an innocent look on his face, Jaime saw how his pockets were bulging with something."Jean-boy," Jaime said with a tone as if accusing him. He extended his spread hand towards him, waiting for Jean to give back the pieces."I don't know what you're talking about; perhaps you miscounted," Jean said sheepishly with a chuckle at the end."What are your pockets filled with, then? Unless you went to the toilet when I wasn't looking." Jaime joked, pointing at the clearly filled pockets of his shirt.Jean was about to counter his words when he looked over Jaime's shoulder to see Eren along with... Armin walking towards them.Eren Yeager - Earlier After lunch is over-which with Eren feels like an eternity later-they, they head out to the test rigs, which are still set up and will remain so until tomorrow's tests are complete. Armin takes the winch as Mikasa hook Eren into the cables. "Remember," cautions Armin, "Keep yourself loose and try to distribute your weight evenly over your waist and legs.""Right, loose but balanced," nods Eren. "Let's give it a shot."Slowly Armin begins to winch Eren up. Just as Eren's feet leave the ground. Almost immediately, Eren leans too far forwards, spinning toward the ground and smashing his head against the dirt. The ground is deliberately chosen to be softer in this area, but the impact must still have been pretty hard. Armin quickly lowers Eren the few turns down, and Mikasa rushes forwards, practically tearing Eren out of the harness.Armin tears off to fetch some help as Mikasa begins pretty much drag Eren over to the small medical hut. Eren moans quietly but doesn't say anything. Thankfully his head doesn't seem to be bleeding, so hopefully, there won't be any lasting effects.After they drop off Eren to be tended to, Armin and Mikasa head outside again. "What are we going to do?"Armin sits down on the veranda and stares at the dirt. "I really don't know. He can't seem to stay balanced; he falls forwards as soon as he's on his own support. I can't understand it.""Neither can I. At the least, he should be able to hold for a few moments. Maybe he's trying so hard it makes him fail.""That could be it. Even so, it doesn't add up; greater concentration should improve his performance, not make it worse."They both sit still for a few minutes, pondering the situation. "What do you think he'll do if he gets sent off to the fields?" Mikasa asks eventually.Armin bites his lip, "I really don't know. That worries me; he's likely to do something desperate.""You don't think he'd try going out there on his own, do you?""I honestly don't know. Eren's desperate for this, and he can't think of an alternative. He might do anything."NowThat evening, Eren is even more of a laughing stock since his accident. Asking other people for advice hasn't amounted to anything. Eren's confidence the first week seems to make his failure today such fine comedy that no one even considers potentially bringing it to an end.Eren's earlier frustration has changed to depression. "How the hell am I supposed to kill titans if I can't even stand up straight?"Mikasa puts her fingertips together and looks at him, "I think it might be time to let that dream die, Eren.""What are you saying? Do you think I should go work in the fields?""I'm saying that what you want right now doesn't matter. Whether or not you're fit to be a soldier isn't up to you."Eren clenches his fist and stands up. "Like I care. I'm not about to let this opportunity slip away just because of some dumb balancing act." He walks away from the table and heads for the door. Armin hesitates for a few moments, then follows him.JaimeJaime saw Jean peering over his shoulder. He heard footsteps and figured someone was walking towards them, and from the way they were walking, one of them was angry. Every step they took made the old wooden floorboards beneath them creak and groan in protest"Guys, can you help me with the test? Can you give me any advice?" Eren said, almost desperately, looking at them; Marco had a thoughtful look as if trying to come up with something.Jean dramatically cleared his throat before speaking with a very deep voice. "Look, Eren. Some are just not cut to become soldiers, like me." He said, puffing his chest before laughing; Jaime frowned; Eren was begging, and all he could do was laugh.Eren clenched his teeth, and he seemed ready to beat up Jean, but Jaime turned around to face him and put his hand on his shoulder, stopping him."I will help you, Eren," Jaime said with a reassuring smile. "After all, we promised we would join the Survey Corps together." Jaime added, gesturing for him to follow him outside. Eren's anger dissipated, and he quickly followed Jaime out the door, Armin trailing behind them with a sense of nervous excitement."You think you can help me?" Eren asked, his voice still sounding desperate after he ensured that Jean was out of their earshot."My mentor started training me on ODM gear when I was ten years old. I will help you as much as I can." Jaime promised with confidence, remembering the first time quite well. He understood Eren's desire to pass this challenge.Eren's face brightened up after hearing that, and his eyes filled with hope once again as they walked outside toward the mechanism. Jaime helped him, but Armin didn't move the switch."Listen, once your feet leave the ground, move your right leg forward and your left backward, and spread your arms for extra balance," Jaime said seriously, looking directly at his green eyes; Eren nodded with determination as Armin flipped the switch. Jaime stood right next to Eren in case he lost control and preventing him from banging his head against the ground. Again.The moment his feet left the ground, Jaime saw Eren almost falling upside down once again, but he balanced himself, this time not falling.Jaime narrowed his eyes. There was something off. For the past four years, he had used ODM Gear and not once has it twitched and moved like that."Come on, Eren, you can do it," Armin encouraged as Eren kept his balance, his body still moving around, he kept moving his legs to balance himself, but his body wasn't balancing properly.After a minute of floating, Jaime gestured for Armin to lower him down. "Good job, Eren. This is more than enough to pass the test tomorrow." He said as Eren's face brightened up like a fire."Thank you for the help," Eren exclaimed, a smile not leaving his face. Armin looked happy to see the old Eren back."Don't mention it. We will become scouts, and we will see the outside world." Jaime said, his eyes looking up at the Wall in the Horizon far away from them.As Eren and Armin strolled away, Jaime stood there for a moment, gazing at them before turning his gaze towards one of the trees nearby.His eyes narrowed, and he called out, "How long will you keep standing there?" The sound of his voice echoed through the courtyard, and the leaves rustled.Suddenly, a black-haired girl stepped out from behind a tree, arching an eyebrow in surprise at having been discovered. Mikasa could hardly believe that Jaime had detected her; she had been sure that she was completely hidden. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but feel a sense of wariness for Jaime's sharp senses.Jaime didn't really know the girl. Not once had they exchanged words with each other, but he had seen her following Eren around like a lost puppy. He didn't know her, but from how she looked at him, Jaime knew she was uncertain of his intentions, and Jaime couldn't tell if she was happy or not that Eren had been able to keep his balance.Why are her eyes somehow reminding me of my mentor? Jaime asked himself. While not the same, her eyes were somehow similar, minus the broad grin that could make anyone shiver in fear."Mikasa, right?" She merely nodded, her gaze fixed upon him with a hint of suspicion, and her eyes scanning him up and down, trying to get a better read on this person. The surrounding silence was only broken by the gentle rustling of the grass as a light breeze passed by, making it feel as though they were the only two people in the world."Why did you help, Eren?" Mikasa finally asked with a blank look, trying to keep her true emotions at bay."You want him to get kicked out?" Jaime asked instead."He would be safer if he wasn't here.""No, he wouldn't. I have known Eren only for a week, but even I know he'd never be satisfied with fieldwork. The chances are he will do something reckless like sneaking outside of the walls, at least in the Survey Corps he will be prepared. Aren't you his sister? You should support him.""I'm not going just to let him throw away his life!""That's understandable, Mikasa, but you must look at this from his perspective." Jaime held his tongue, he hadn't outright asked him, but the word had spread that Eren's mother was eaten by a Titan the day Shiganshina fell to the Titans.He didn't want to bring up painful memories. "His determination is quite unique, something I have seen only a few people have. Do you really think Eren will accept a life in the fields?" Jaime asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.Mikasa broke eye contact, looking at her feet before looking up at Jaime's unusual purple eyes."It all depends on whether or not he can manage tomorrow." She answered instead of answering him."You'll leave with him if he fails the test.""Wherever he goes, I go too." He clicked his tongue in annoyance upon hearing that."Good Luck to him then," Jaime said before walking away.As soon as Jaime arrived at his bed after a long and tiring day, he couldn't wait to start drawing. He opened his bag and rummaged around until he found the essential tools he needed to create his drawing.His hand reached out for a smooth, white piece of paper, and his fingers grasped onto the graphite pencil that he knew so well. Without hesitation, Jaime stepped out of the boy's domain and into the cool night air, the moon casting a pale light onto the world around him.He wandered aimlessly until he stumbled upon the perfect spot - a tranquil clearing surrounded by trees. Carefully, he positioned himself against the trunk of a sturdy oak tree, his back feeling its rough bark. With a gentle flick of his wrist, he began to sketch.Every stroke of the pencil was deliberate and precise. Jaime's eyes were fixed on the paper, his focus unbroken as he poured his heart and soul into his artwork. The sound of the pencil scratching against the page filled the silence of the nightI wonder what else I could draw outside? Jaime asked himself, with a sudden glitter in his eyes, imagining mountains so tall they could reach the clouds. He imagined trees larger than even the Colossal. He imagined all of that with a dreamy look on his face.An entire world to explore, Jaime thought, as he kept drawing. One day he would see it all.TomorrowThe following day, every cadet had gathered to see whether or not Eren would be able to keep balance or fall upside down and go to the fields.Usually, Jean would joke about it with Marco, but he wasn't that heartless to joke about it now; he knew how much Eren wanted to join the Survey Corps while he still thought he was suicidal for wanting that, and he could a bit respect his idiotic desire to become Titan Food.Eren felt his heart beating in his throat; it was his time to step forward when he felt a nudge on his shoulder; he didn't need to turn around to know who had called him."Good Luck, Eren," Mikasa whispered, hoping her words would encourage him; Eren was genuinely surprised that she encouraged him. Jaime stood beside Ymir and Krista, who were mostly quiet."Lift him up," Shadis ordered. The engine started lifting Eren, who felt his gear twitching again, wanting him to fall upside down yet again, but he would rather die than allow himself to fail.No, Never, he thought, keeping his balance as best as he could, using his legs and arms to balance himself; many cadets were confused, still not understanding why Eren's gear was moving so much.It went on for several seconds; not once did Eren turn upside down. Keith narrowed his eyes, checking the watch on his wrist; after one minute of being able to keep his balance, Keith ordered his men to lower him."Sir?" Eren questioned, confused, seeing the instructor walk up to him before looking at his gear; it took only a few seconds before he spoke again with a much higher tone than usual."It seemed your gear was damaged," he spoke, holding Eren's belt in his hand, his hands tightening around the strap, causing it to creak. Everyone was quite impressed to know that Eren was able to balance himself even with a broken gear; Mikasa and Armin smiled happily to see Eren wouldn't be going anywhere."So the suicidal bastard didn't fail," Jean commented, slightly impressed, but he would never admit it even if it were a life-or-death situation.Jaime smiled in satisfaction, but he wondered who was responsible for the broken gear. He knew it was intentional.From all the people he thought of, Mikasa was a possible candidate.Jean was another one, but Jaime knew that was probably not the case. While Jean was clearly against Eren's desire to join the Survey Corps, Jean wasn't someone who would go out of his way to sabotage Eren.So that left only the scarf girl, he wondered if he should take the 'Direct Approach,' and straight up ask her if she tried to sabotage her brother.LaterSamuel's voice boomed across the room as he raised his glass of water in triumph, offering a toast to all those who had successfully passed the ODM test. The cheers of the others echoed his sentiment as they raised their own glasses in celebration. Eren, in particular, was beaming from ear to ear, his smile never faltering since the moment he had passed the test earlier that day. What made his victory even sweeter was the fact that he had accomplished it with broken gear, earning the respect of many who had previously doubted his abilities.However, in the midst of all this merriment, Ymir, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, decided to make things more interesting by opening her big mouth.With a sly grin plastered on her face, she turned to the crowd and announced in a booming voice, "Hey, everyone! I've just heard from Jaime here that he's got an amazing voice to make maidens cry. Why don't we all celebrate with a song?" Her words were met with a mixed reaction as some cheered while others looked on in confusion.Jaime, who was sitting beside her, shot her a cold glare, clearly displeased with the attention she was drawing to him. Despite his obvious discomfort, Ymir continued to revel in the chaos she had created, relishing the moment with a sense of wicked delight."I hate you, Ymir.""I love you, too, shorty," Ymir said with a burst of laughter. Soon the whole place was demanding for Jaime to sing. He noticed that he had the attention of everyone. Even Annie was looking at him with a tiny bit of interest."Fine." Jaime agreed, standing up before clearing his throat loudly. Jaime hated himself for telling them. Everyone else had fallen silent, waiting for Jaime to sing."An iron bullet is proof of justice.Whenever I shot I became closer to the hero.

If you close your eyes and touch it,

The evil who has the same body and the same temperature.

Don't cry about the destiny we were born with.

Cause we are all free.

If we don't have a place to return to,

We might not be able to go anywhere.

Even if this is a mistake, I don't doubt it.

What is right is believing in myself strongly.

War is a stupid violence.

It's the story of an unrelated and unknown country.

Then why do I hate him,

The reason why I can't hide my dark feelings,

I can't even explain why.

How come we are full of contradictions?

What I believe is, when opening your eyes,

Only the world you touch.

The shadow of the person whom I chose, the corpse of what I threw.

I noticed that what is growing inside me is the child of evil.

Behind justice, inside of sacrifice, there is a child of evil inside my heart."