🥋 Chapter Twenty-Three: The Strong Are Free
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The yard was loud with the sound of grunts, thuds, and the occasional yelp of pain.
Commander Keith Shadis stood watching, arms crossed, as the cadets paired off for hand-to-hand combat drills.
"No swords today!" he barked. "No Titan fantasies. This is about surviving humans."
Kaelen squared off with Armin, a wooden practice knife in his hand, twirling it around to get a measure for its weight.
"You're still dropping your elbow," Kaelen said casually, as he pointed out his flaw.
Armin, panting, reset his stance. "You make this look easy."
"It is."
Kaelen lunged—Armin stepped to the side, barely dodging. Kaelen waited a moment for Armin to recover, but went with another half-hearted slash that Armin narrowly dodged. "How nice of you..." Armin said, more and more aware of his need for physical fitness.
They reset.
As they moved through the next routine, Kaelen asked, "Do you think I'm a bad person?"
Armin didn't miss a beat.
"Oh, 100%, that's not even a question."
Kaelen gave a calm smile, "Wow. Brutal."
Armin wiped his forehead. "You're manipulative, cold, suspiciously evasive… and you don't ever seem to relax."
"Yet here you are training with me."
Armin shrugged. "No one here's a saint. Eren's dream is basically mass genocide. But at least you're on our side."
Kaelen raised an eyebrow, What an odd thought.
"That's a lot of optimism, Armin. Who said I was on your side?"
"You're not," Armin said softly. "You're on Eren's side."
Kaelen blinked.
Then laughed quietly, but deeply. The kind of laugh that felt like it wasn't meant to be heard aloud.
"You and I," he said, "need to talk more often."
Armin smirked. "We will. Right after I disarm you at least once."
Kaelen dropped into a ready stance. "Now that is optimism."
...
Nearby, Eren faced off with Reiner.
A clean disarm.Quick. Tactical. Efficient.
Reiner hit the ground with a grunt, "Good effort, Yeager."
They switched roles.
"I don't see the point in this," Eren said, resetting his stance. "Bare-handed combat against someone armed is pointless."
He paused, his brain deciding to screw him over again.
A flash.
A blurry memory.
Blood.
A broom handle.
A man. Eren is standing above him, very young and with another child next to him, it's a she, and she looks like-
He shook his head.
"What the hell was that…"
"Situations happen," Reiner replied, serious now. "You're not always fighting Titans. Sometimes you're cornered. You fight or die. That's a soldier's job."
Eren grunted.
"Sure. Still feels like a waste."
...
Reiner looked across the yard.
Annie Leonhart stood alone, avoiding drills.
He smirked. "Let's see how she does."
He waved her over.
"You. Spar with Eren."
Annie sighed.
"No."
Reiner insisted. "C'mon. One quick match."
Eren shrugged. "Alright."
He lunged.
She stepped.
Kicked his leg out from under him.
He hit the ground.
Hard.
She turned to leave.
"Wait," Reiner said. "You didn't get the knife."
Eren, grumbling, got up.
Annie approached again.
Two seconds later, Eren was on the ground.
Again.
Reiner grabbed the knife.
"Your turn."
Eren stood, rubbing his neck. "You can't back down now."
Reiner exhaled. "Yeah, yeah."
He lunged.
She pivoted.
He dropped.
Just as fast.
...
Annie turned to leave again.
But then stopped.
"Eren."
He looked up.
"Why are the top ten cadets sent to the Military Police, to stand around like statues, protecting nobility that doesn't even care about them?"
She folded her arms.
"They're the best. Shouldn't the best be out fighting?"
Eren looked at her.
His voice was low.
Measured.
"Because the nobility are strong."
"They get to choose."
He turned.
"And the strong are free."
Annie blinked.
Genuinely surprised.
"Didn't think you had a real answer for that."
Eren shrugged.
"You asked."
She gave a faint nod.
"…That's why I'm not trying my best. I don't want to end up in the top ten."
She walked away.
Eren watched her go.
He didn't say it aloud—but something about her words left a mark.
Kaelen sat on a barrel, watching the whole scene unfold.
Armin stood beside him, wiping sweat from his brow.
"She's really good."
Kaelen nodded.
"Like Mikasa?"
"Almost."
Kaelen tilted his head, glancing between Eren, Annie, and Reiner.
"So many good pieces on the board," he muttered.
Armin looked sideways at him.
"You're doing it again."
Kaelen smiled.
"Doing what?"
"Referring to people as pieces."
Kaelen shrugged.
"Maybe I see the board clearer than most."
Armin looked toward Eren.
"Maybe. But you're still part of it."
Kaelen's smile slipped for half a second.
Then came back.
"Sure, I am."
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[Auther: No matter how pawns make it to the end, there can only be one king. Hi, guys! This chapter was uploaded late because I'm currently getting cooked IRL.]