ATTACK ON TITAN: Shackles of Rebirth

The bitter stench of damp earth clung to him, making each breath feel heavier than the last. He stumbled, wrists bound with crude iron chains, forced forward by the relentless shove of another slave behind him. This wasn't the afterlife he had imagined. The last thing he remembered was darkness—a quiet end to his previous life. Yet now, in a world unfamiliar and cruel, he'd been reborn only to be stripped of his freedom.

The tunnel around him was suffocating, lit by flickering torches that barely held back the shadows. He'd been brought here like livestock, sold by the very people he thought would explain this twisted rebirth. Instead, they had bartered him away, leaving him to toil in this underground hell.

"Keep moving!" A guard's voice barked from behind, cracking a whip through the stale air.

The sound snapped him from his thoughts, and he felt his legs move instinctively, though his mind was elsewhere, struggling to make sense of everything. How was this possible? Why was he here? Was this some kind of cosmic punishment, or did it serve a higher purpose? His heart raced, and a sick sense of unease gnawed at him.

He couldn't help but wonder—was he given a second chance to suffer or to change something? And if he was meant to change things, where would he even start?

The underground was stifling, the air thick with the weight of despair. He was only seven, yet his mind felt old—too old for the body he now inhabited. His memories, fragmented and unclear, came in flashes. Some were sharp, like the day his parents in this life sold him to the slavers. But others were distant, almost dreamlike.

Before this, before this cursed world, there was something else.

He still remembered how his first life had been. A life of routine, yes—boring and repetitive—but it was peaceful. Happy, even. He could see his first mother's face, warm and kind, always making sure the family was taken care of. His father, strong and hardworking, returned home every evening with tired but satisfied eyes. And his brother... his big brother was always there. Watching out for him, teasing him when the days were slow, and protecting him when they weren't.

He missed that life. The steady rhythm of it. The quiet happiness that came from knowing he was loved, even if it was all so ordinary. There were no monsters, no slavers, no endless nights spent in fear of what tomorrow might bring. Just family dinners, shared stories, and the comfort of knowing someone always had his back.

But that life is gone now. Replaced by this twisted world where survival was a constant battle, and people betrayed their own blood for another chance at oblivion. He clenched his fists, a bitterness rising in his throat. How had he ended up here? Why couldn't he have stayed in that peaceful existence?

It wasn't fair. None of this was fair.

The other slaves stumbled forward, their faces blank, devoid of hope. His legs moved automatically, but his mind was adrift. He could still remember his old family, but here, he was alone. There was no one to protect him now. Not like before.

A part of him wondered if he was meant to learn something from this reincarnation, or if it was just a cruel joke. He had been taken from a peaceful life, tossed into a hellish one, and now… now he was shackled underground, a slave to men who didn't care if he lived or died.

But the memories of his first life gave him strength, even if it was faint. He couldn't let himself be swallowed by this place. He had survived before, in a different life, and he would survive again. Somehow.