Chapter One

The sky was clear, the sun forgiving, and it was a perfect day to be out by the nearest pond and sit in the lush green grass while feeling the wind move across your face.

And yet here she was, chest heaving, legs burning, and for the umpteenth time in the short year that she had been in the Survey Corps, trying her hardest to not let her tears spill over.

Slim, petite, and barely reaching 5 feet, it amazed and pained all who watched Fina Abanato circle the dusty training grounds.

"How long has she been running?" whispered a boy with a shaved head.

"Since dinner last night," replied a girl with dark red hair pulled back into a ponytail.

The boy let out a low whistle. "Damn. So she's been running for about 14 hours now?"

The girl nodded.

"That's even longer than how much you ran on first day of training, Sasha," said the boy with a teasing smile.

"Oh shut up, Connie," snapped Sasha. "Poor Fina. She looks like a breeze could blow her away even when she's just standing there. I want to go rescue her. My poor Finaaaa," wailed Sasha.

Connie nodded in agreement. He remembered the days of training where for a full month, the other trainees had thought Fina was a lost child who had accidentally wandered into the training camp. With her petite build and her sweet, timid personality, Fina had immediately garnered a massive group of people that ferociously protected her as if she actually was a small child. Even Connie felt an urge to go to her at that moment with water or something to shade her with.

As much as everyone adored her, no one had expected Fina to last more than a week in training. They could barely find a uniform that wouldn't engulf her and they had to cut her 3DMG straps to make sure the remaining length wouldn't fly around everywhere when she used the 3DMG.

And yet here she was in the Survey Corps, having graduated nearly in the top ten. Everyone knew that Fina would have easily made the top ten, had she not received zero points in hand to hand combat.

She had always been reluctant to participate in it as she didn't like the idea of hurting her peers, even in training. Even so, the officers had forced her to do the basics. But one day, she had used a move that sent the tall, muscular Reiner sprawling and the moment he hit the ground, she had burst into tears, apologizing profusely.

Reiner was the object of everyone's hatred for several days afterwards for making Fina cry. Even though he assured her that he was fine and that she hadn't caused a single scratch on him, Fina had refused to take part in any combat from that point on.

She might have been kicked out or have failed to graduate had she not destroyed everyone during 3DMG training. When the first day to actually use the 3DMG came, everyone had teased her, since the gear seemed to be larger than her body. Many people weren't sure if she could handle the recoil in the gear or even carry it around. But when it was her turn to enter the training forest, the entire squadron became silent and the only sounds that could be heard were the hissing and zipping noises of her 3DMG.

She flew.

There were no other words to describe her. It seemed as if the maneuver gear was just another part of her body that she would use on a daily basis. Almost as if she had been using the 3DMG since she was born, Fina's movements were so precise and intricate, even the instructors couldn't help but stare at her in awe. The speeds she reached on her gear was said to have rivaled that of the great Corporal Levi's. Her nearly unseeable speeds and her delicate body frame had quickly earned her the nickname "Hummingbird" after that first day of gear training.

Though many times, Connie feared for her safety in the harsh environment that was the Survey Corps, Fina also possessed an unnatural amount of stubbornness and determination that had helped push herself out of other people's worries or expectations.

"Fina!"

Connie was jolted out of his thoughts by Sasha's cry. She dashed past him and when Connie's gaze followed her to the sight of Fina's frail body collapsed onto the ground, he let out a strangled gasp as well and ran towards her.