The mess hall smelled like boiled potatoes, dry bread, and tension.
Wooden benches creaked under the weight of hungry cadets as they wolfed down their bland dinner. Sasha had already tried stealing two extra bread rolls—both from Jean—and now sported a bruised forehead courtesy of a tray.
I kept to myself, seated near the window. Not because I was shy, but because half the room was already whispering about me.
They thought I couldn't hear them.
"He didn't even flinch when he dropped from the tower…"
"He moved like a ghost. Did you see how fast he was during sparring?"
"I bet he's some secret weapon from the Military Police."
"Idiot, the MPs don't train guys like that."
They were right to be suspicious. I was different. The Sharingan made sure of that. Even now, as I munched on stale bread, I could see their heartbeats—slow, jittery, afraid.
Except one.
"You're not that impressive."
The voice dropped like a hammer on the table.
Eren Yeager stood over me, arms crossed, jaw tight. His eyes, green and furious, locked on mine.
I swallowed the bite and looked up calmly.
"Oh?" I said, "You disagree?"
"You've been coasting through training like this is a joke," he growled. "You don't even try."
"I don't need to."
Wrong answer.
A vein pulsed in Eren's forehead. "People die out there. Titans don't care how special you think you are."
"And I don't care about Titans," I replied, flicking my gaze toward him. "I care about winning."
Gasps fluttered across the room like moths to flame.
Mikasa was suddenly standing, eyes alert.
Armin looked like he wanted to melt into his chair.
Eren's voice was ice. "You think this is a game?"
"No," I said, pushing my tray aside and rising to my feet. "But it's my game now."
We stood eye to eye. My calm against his fury. The whole room went dead silent.
"Prove it," he snarled. "Outside. Now."
---
Training Field – Thirty Minutes Later
The moon hung low and red like a bleeding eye. The training field was lit by torches and lined with cadets who had gathered for the showdown.
Instructor Shadis was nowhere to be found—thank the gods.
Mikasa tried to stop him. "Eren, this is stupid."
"I need to know," he said. "I need to know if we can trust him. If he's human."
I stood at the center of the field, arms folded.
I didn't need to fight him. But something about this moment felt important.
Eren came at me first—no words, just movement. Fast, clumsy, angry. His punch was wild, untrained. But there was heart in it. Fire.
I sidestepped easily, grabbed his wrist, and flipped him over my shoulder. He landed hard in the dirt.
He was up again instantly.
Left jab. Right hook. Knee.
All predictable.
I blocked everything without activating my Sharingan. It wasn't a fair fight. It never was.
"You're holding back!" Eren growled, panting. "Fight me for real! Stop pretending you're a god!"
A shadow flickered in my eyes. You want to see a god?
I activated the Sharingan.
Three tomoe.
Gasps again from the watching cadets. Mikasa tensed. Jean cursed under his breath.
Eren hesitated.
Too late.
I moved.
One second, I was standing still. The next, I was behind him, fingers hovering just above his neck. No strike, just a whisper of death.
"I win," I said quietly.
Eren fell to one knee, sweat dripping down his face.
"Damn it…"
I sighed and knelt beside him.
"You have fire, Eren," I said. "But fire without control just burns everything down."
He looked up at me, angry and defeated.
"Then teach me."
That surprised me.
"You're not scared?"
"I don't care how strong you are," he said. "If you're here to fight Titans… then we're on the same side. I want to kill them all. Every last one."
That look in his eyes—burning rage, unbroken will—I understood it now. It wasn't just hate. It was grief.
The crowd slowly dispersed as Eren sat in the dirt, chest heaving, staring at the stars. Mikasa stood by him silently, a shadow of loyalty. Armin approached and gave me a hesitant nod.
"You could've humiliated him," he said. "You didn't."
"I don't need to prove anything," I replied. "Not yet."
---
That Night – In the Shadows of the Barracks
I sat on the rooftop, watching the moon as clouds drifted lazily past. The wind was sharp. The night, too quiet.
Then I felt it.
A presence. Subtle, but strange. Like chakra—if this world even had such a thing.
I turned my Sharingan toward the forest outside the training grounds.
Something was watching.
A flicker of movement.
Gone.
But I saw it. Just for a second—something with eyes not meant for men. Hunger. Intelligence. Something far worse than Titans.
I narrowed my gaze and whispered into the dark.
"…So, I'm not the only anomaly in this world after all."