Chapter 3 – Eren Jaeger (Arc 2)
As Eren began his training, he made his way onto Drillmaster Shadis' radar as he had a burning desire that he'd never seen before; but it was sloppy. Animalistic. unrefined. And frankly, dangerous. When he was in the training ring, he often found himself being locked in the memories of his past, his brain forcing his body to react with apt aggression. He was pulled up and ordered to control his anger or leave the military. The thought of being sent back, the thought of not being good enough, the thought of being discharged made him physically wretch.
Desperate to stay in training to be a soldier, he asked Mikasa to help him in refining his technique so that he'd have something to focus on when he was fighting. She eventually agreed, even if it meant that a chance that he would be safe at home would be lost. But, she supposed, this was his dream, and she couldn't hold him back from it. Deciding to take a gentler approach, she quietly asked Armin to help him with controlling himself and his thoughts, asking him to show Eren the meditation that she always saw the blond doing after training and in the mornings when he woke up, who then agreed to help.
He was sure to be gentle when it came to introducing it to Eren, starting slowly with small breathing practices and then growing until he could show Eren proper meditation. Eren had always thought it was like praying to the Gods but Armin explained that it was different, more about finding the fate of oneself in oneself.
After training with Mikasa and Armin for a few months, he had been taken off of watch by Shadis, having shown that he had gotten control of himself; But Eren still felt like he was lacking in a more aggressive instructor so he decided to get the aid of one of the higher ranked cadets (Apart from Mikasa) who wouldn't mind being more brutal; in their training. So when he saw Armin talking to that Leonhardt girl, he asked Armin to check with her and when he told Eren that she had agreed, his heart and determination leapt in joy; His muscles and bones, soon to be covered in bruises and tears, would say otherwise.
After many beatings in the combat hall and arena, and many more weeks of learning to control himself in and out of the battlefield, he began to excel at hand to hand combat quickly rising to the second in his class, maintaining the traditional dual axes, becoming quite proficient and in the few times when he was knocked down, he was always dragging himself back onto his feet asking for round two. Whilst his strength of will was admirable, it definitely did cause him to be somewhat arrogant and reckless, getting into fights and arguments, as can be attested by one Jean Kirstein, who was currently sat in the healing bay for a bruise to the face which he had gotten in response from Eren to a comment he had made about his dreams.
In his second year, on the first day of Dragon Fire gear training, he had ended up in a somewhat embarrassing situation, he thought, as his hair brushed against the dusty floor as he hung from the suspension rig in the training fields. Feeling the judging eyes of the cadets all around him, he felt his face redden in embarrassment as he wrapped his hands around the cords to pull himself up, before feeling two calloused hands grip his abdomen,
Oh no, he thought, she seriously can't be doing thi-
Mikasa had grabbed the boy and pulled him upright, his face growing redder and redder by the second, before bursting into anger, yelling at her as her face contorted into confusion in response. Seeing her in confusion, Jean stepped up to Eren, throwing his fist into the other boy's face, shouting at him, causing Eren to once more lose his balance; moments before he hit the ground, Mikasa grabbed him once more, saving him from a concussion, and as she pulled him upright, anticipating Eren's anger once more, she quickly turned to him, chilling her stare and putting a finger to her lips. Turning on her heel to her 'Viking in shining armour', she saw the boy's eyes light up in excitement before narrowing in fear as her fist went into her face, leading to the boy going into the healing centre once more.
As Mikasa was escorted to the punishment field, where she would be forced to work for hours on end, Eren was gripped by the shoulder and when he turned he saw none other than Drillmaster Shadis, who's eyes scoured over the boy like a hawk; Moments before he grabbed the boy's harness, staring at the latch. Tsking at the sight, he then ordered another solider, Wagner to swap harnesses with the recruit.
As the new, unfamiliar leather, coarsely rubbed against his sin through his tunic, stepping up into the suspension rig once more. As the wires lifted him, his feet leaving solid ground, all of his core muscles tensed, causing his mind to panic at the unfamiliar sensation and retreat back into itself before remembering his first meditation session with Armin; The emerald trees fluttering in the strong wind as the vibrant sun fell down on them through the sapphire sky. Looking out over the shimmering water, and then into the same coloured eyes of the boy next to him before feeling an odd sense of calmness enter him.
Returning to his current situation, he accepted the sensations that rippled through his body, allowing his body and his mind to work together with the machinery; He realised that he was finally balanced. Looking up, he saw Shadis staring disapprovingly at the ground, in the direction of the now understandably broken harness.
Feeling a boost of confidence, he began to improve with the gear, eventually being able to pass both of his certifications, now reaching the final stage; Dragon Riding Academy.