Chapter One: "Oh Well" — Kannon's POV
"Oi!" I grabbed my bag and chased after Commander Erwin. He stopped before entering the room ahead and turned to look at me.
"Yes, Kannon?" he replied with a stern look.
"I want to know what this is about!" I said, trying to refrain from shouting at my superior. "Things have been so strange lately, and all that you and Lance Corporal Levi have been doing is keeping us in the dark. I've been hearing odd things... Humans that can turn into ti—"
"Keep your voice down!" Erwin cut me off. "Listen Kannon, I promise that you won't be in the dark for much longer. Just let us handle things for now, everything will be explained in due time. For now I just need you to keep to your duties."
I looked down and sighed. At this point there wasn't much I could do other than agree and walk away. It's so frustrating being left out of the loop, especially when I know that something important is happening.
As I look back on my previous time spent as a member of the Survey Corps, I began to realize that this was the first time that I was truly worried in a very long time. After the first year or so, you become so desensitized to the horror that waits outside the walls that you stop worrying. As that overwhelming sense began to fill my chest, I realized I was truly scared. Not for myself, and definitely not for my comrades, but for humanity as a whole. Humans that can turn into titans? The whole idea is just so far-fetched… But the look that Erwin gave me when I tried to ask him about it, not to mention the way he cut me off, leads me to believe that there is more to the rumors than I originally thought. Oh well.
I walked through the corridor and out into the sunlit courtyard of the Survey Corps' "secret base". In reality, it was an abandoned castle the Survey Corps used once in a blue moon. The reason for us to be stationed in such an inconvenient location was still unknown to me. As I rounded the corner of the building, I suddenly came face-to-face with a handful of new recruits.
I was surprised. I knew that the 104th class of the military academy had just graduated, but the same class also had the misfortune of being stationed in Trost when the titans had broken through the wall. I heard that many of the graduating class had been devoured, and figured that anyone that lived through such an ordeal wouldn't be stupid enough to join the Survey Corps now.
"Oh, it's you Kannon," Ness said, looking startled. It appeared that I had interrupted him mid-lecture.
"Hey Ness," I replied, apathy dripping from my voice, "New recruits?"
"Indeed!" he smiled. I could feel the eyes of the new recruits on me. I looked around at the unfamiliar faces. How boring.
"Well, let me know if you need any help with the training. Or not." I smirked and turned around. I was about to walk away, when I suddenly felt Ness's hand on my shoulder.
"Wait Kannon, there actually is something you can help with!" he said, giving me pleading look.
"Well, damn."