During the formation, the recruits watched Shadis as he gave them a welcome speech. The former commander of the Survey Corps had changed a lot over the years—mainly because he had gone bald, which, to Den, made him look even more terrifying.

Den had probably gone through the two worst years of his life. In an instant, he had become just another orphan wandering the streets of Trost during its worst crisis. Although he had survived all the hell he had to endure, he was clearly not the same person he had been before. The scar on his hand was proof of that.

Aside from the fact that Shadis was now an instructor, Den had another unexpected surprise—Armin, Eren, and Mikasa were also part of the recruit corps. Though, he was sure they hadn't seen him yet.

"I've already introduced myself. Now it's your turn,"

Shadis said to the recruits as he approached a slim blond boy who seemed to tremble when the instructor stood in front of him.

"TELL ME WHO YOU ARE, RECRUIT!"

The instructor shouted.

"I'm Armin Arlert, from Shiganshina, sir,"

Armin said, taking a military stance.

"YOU HAVE A STUPID NAME! Did your parents give it to you?"

Shadis roared at Armin. The blond boy trembled for a moment.

"No, sir. It was my grandfather, sir."

Shadis had intimidated several recruits, especially those who looked visibly nervous. But when he saw that particular recruit, it could be said that his tough, fearsome instructor facade almost cracked.

Unbelievably, the son of Will—the boy to whom he had once given that necklace—was now one of his recruits. However, that wasn't the most striking thing. The most notable detail was that the boy looked like a mess. Not only that, but he no longer had that innocent face. Now, he looked much more aggressive.

Shadis hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should approach him, but in the end, he simply walked past him without saying a word.

"Incredibly, potato girl is still running."

Connie said as he watched Sasha Blouse keep going.

"I'm surprised she's still here after what she did."

Elden added, standing next to the shaved-headed boy.

"Still, running for so many hours is a harsh punishment, though she seemed more worried when she heard she wouldn't get to eat today."

Connie added. Elden let out a small chuckle, remembering how strict the instructors had been with him in Marley. If someone had done what Sasha did, it would have been unforgivable in his case.

"By the way, your name is Elden, right?"

Connie asked.

"Elden Hofen, nice to meet you."

Elden said, extending his hand in greeting, which Connie accepted. He had decided to hide his last name out of fear that some high-ranking officer might know something about the Tyburs. Even though it was highly unlikely, it was a small precaution he had chosen to take.

"I'm Connie Springer."

The shaved-headed boy said.

"What's your goal here, Connie?"

Den asked, trying to keep the conversation going. After all, gaining the enemy's trust wouldn't be a bad move.

"Well, to be honest, I want to join the Military Police and have a great life."

Connie said, putting his arms behind his head.

"And you?"

The question didn't catch Elden off guard—he had been expecting it from the start.

"I'll be honest, I don't have a clear goal, but the Survey Corps interests me."

Elden answered.

"That's interesting, though it's basically gambling your life for nothing."

Connie remarked.

"Not at all. If you have the will to fight against the Titans, you should do it. After all, those bastards have caused us a lot of pain."

Eren Yeager said.

The comment caught Elden a bit off guard. He still had to deal with the idea that these people were supposed to be demons. But when he saw them suffer that day, he had to admit that things weren't as simple as he once thought...

"Do you really think you have the strength to defeat them?"

Elden asked, his face showing a fake look of surprise.

"Of course I do. That's why I decided to join. Once I master the ODM gear, those Titans will be nothing more than a game. After I take them down, I'll return home to Shiganshina."

Eren said with great confidence. Elden looked at him and wondered if the guy in front of him was an idiot. Did he really think he could defeat them so easily?

"So you're from the city that was attacked by the Titans?"

Connie asked, his face filled with surprise—an expression shared by some of the nearby recruits.

That night, in the mess hall, Eren Yeager was surrounded by many people asking him about the Titans. The boy didn't seem uncomfortable at all; in fact, he clearly enjoyed the attention.

Den, on the other hand, was simply eating at a table with a few people talking among themselves. He chose to ignore their conversation—it was just meaningless chatter about who was the prettiest girl in the recruits or where they all came from.

Suddenly, his calm was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. When he turned around, he saw a blonde boy he recognized immediately—it was Armin.

"Den?"

Armin asked, searching for any sign that the boy in front of him was still the friend he once knew.

"Armin."

Den responded, nodding slightly. Armin gave a big smile, happy to see his old friend again.

"I never thought I'd see you again... not since that day."

Armin said. Den looked at him in silence for a few seconds.

"Me neither."

Armin felt uneasy. The way Den said it made it sound like he didn't want to talk. It was clear that he wasn't the same person he had been years ago. But if Armin thought about it, maybe Den was just as uncomfortable as he was.

"You've changed a lot... How have you been these past years? And your mother?"

Armin asked, trying to keep the conversation alive. Den simply stared at the spoon in his hand, and as memories flooded his mind, his face slowly shifted to a sorrowful expression.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I really am."

Armin said, bowing his head apologetically.

"Don't worry about it. These past years haven't been good… and my mother, well… I think she's dead. I don't really know what happened."

Den said as he recomposed himself and picked up his spoon.

"I'm sorry..."

Armin said, looking at him sadly.

"And you? How have you been?"

Den asked.

Armin gave a very small smile upon seeing that Den wasn't angry.

"Well, you know... everything's been complicated since the day Wall Maria fell."

Armin said, letting his small smile fade away.

"Yeah... those were some rough years."

Den added.

"You're here for the Survey Corps, right?"

Armin asked, trying to steer the conversation away from an event that seemed to have traumatized Den.

The brown-haired boy shook his head.

"I'm here for the Military Police. Do you still remember those silly childhood promises I made?"

Den said, his gaze lost in thought as he recalled past moments.

"I don't think that dream was silly at all. You were just a little more curious about the world, hehe."

Armin added, feeling somewhat drawn to this new side of Den as he looked at him with curiosity.

Author's Note: Hello everyone, I hope you're doing well. As you can see, this chapter is very short and came out a day later than planned. That's because I've been dealing with some health issues, but I'm feeling a bit better today. I'll be working on a longer Chapter 7. Thank you so much for reading this, and greetings from Yojiandre.