Chapter: 2 - Explosive Arrival

- 833, Karanes District -

- General POV -

Maki Zenin, at age 4 received memories of her past life as Laura Kinsman and the majestic meeting with the 3 Gods. After remembering everything that transpires she also remembers everything she wasn't originally present for during these 4 years.

Maki grew up in Karanes District part of Wall Rose, within an orphanage nestled amidst the towering walls that shield humanity from the relentless Titans. The orphanage, a humble yet resilient haven, stands as a testament to the survivors' spirit in a world plagued by colossal threats.

As for the story of her parentage, well it was dubious, to say the least, to the everpresent Matron she described her appearance as sudden and eerie, Maki seemed to turn up one day with a name tag as she lay in a small basket. Ingrid Becker the time-weathered matron in charge of running her orphanage inquired with the Garrison Regiment and the Military Police in the hopes of turning up some evidence about Maki's parentage, however, the inquiry was abandoned once the MPs couldn't turn anything up.

Ingrid was discouraged when she heard the response from the MPs after a few weeks of searching, though with the response she provided Maki with a home much like the other kids, of which they couldn't number a dozen as any more would begin to chip away her finances.

Maki, to Ingrid's delight, was a smart kid who kept her nose out of trouble instead she learned to read and write far earlier than the others she had tutored, and it became quite a frequent occurrence to see Ingrid giving Maki a few extra lessons before bedtime or after dinner was called, Maki even before the age of 4 absorbed information like a sponge as anything be it Language, Basic Numbers, History, along with Basic Medical Knowledge as it was Ingrid's profession during her younger years.

While the knowledge regarding everything medicinal wasn't even close to the 21st century it still contained enough barebones information and practises to treat some wounds and even The Walls version of a Common Cold. Maki - even before recovering her memories and inheriting the powers that would come during her 4th birthday - proved to be proficient in all of these fields however basic they were for a 4-year-old, she was easily the most mature but also the most reclusive only interacting with others if she must do so.

Unfortunately, not everything was sunshine and rainbows, the day she awoke to the memories of her prior life she would happen upon a truly horrible event. Maki along with the orphanage matron was set to leave for the next district to obtain some bulk items that they didn't have. The matron left her assistant with the other kids while they left for the Inner Wall and the district of Stohess, with the matron's trust in Maki she is the only one trusted among the kids even those who are older to embark on the trip.

As you would expect it doesn't go well, as they trundled down the main road in their carriage heading for the district they encountered an MP checkpoint, what they didn't know was the main road was shut off shortly after they left. The First Interior Squad was bringing a prototype version of the Thunder Spears, the entire operation was meant to be concealed by the puppet King however Ingrid and Maki accidentally stumbled upon the checkpoint at the worst possible time.

Not only was the First Interior Squad present along with numerous other MPs but a secretive bandit group looking to make a quick buck attacked just as Maki and Ingrid arrived.

The bandits were no match for the First Interior Squad however a stray member of the bandits managed to grab a Thunder Spear, his tampering with the prototype equipment caused a massive explosion triggering a domino effect and wiping out the remainder of the bandits along with some Interior Squad members, unfortunately it also caught the waggon Maki and Ingrid where hiding in.

- Maki POV -

*BOOM*

"What do we do with the civilians?" I hear a distant voice call out.

"This whole operation was a shit show, put them both out of their misery, I think the woman is already dead from the explosion," another voice replied in response to the first.

"You want me to kill a kid! Fuck that! Do it yourself!" I notice the first man shout in a disgusted tone, I don't know where I am or what is happening... it's all so foggy.

"Shoot the kid if you don't want to explain to the Ripper why his squad can't escort a fuckin carriage! You'll be doin' the lass a favour with the state she is in," the voices are getting quieter each time they talk, and my skin feels like it is being branded all over... but I can't scream... it's like I am frozen almost like a coma.

"Fine! But you fuckin owe me for this..." The next thing I hear is the squelching of boots presumably from someone walking on a muddy path... and it is coming toward me..."Sorry kid, you shouldn't have been here," The manly voice says, is he talking to me? Am I about to die? Why does it feel like I can't remember something crucial?

*BANG*

[ Several Hours Later ]

"Hah!" I gasped for every possible bit of oxygen my lungs could intake. "AHRGGG!" Massive waves of burning pain hit my being like a lightning bolt, my mind didn't fair much better as I could now remember everything from my time as Laura and now as Maki, the feeling of hot pokers being stabbed consistently into my brain would be a fantastic comparison to how much pain I am currently in.

Opening my eyes I notice I have been hastily buried, very little effort was put into it seemingly though the location wouldn't warrant many wandering eyes, it seems the people we ran into dumped myself and Ingrid in a nearby forest. I can remember everything I have ever experienced with an eerily clear mind, if this was before reincarnating my first reaction would have been throwing up but now... I feel complete in a sense.

I use my small 4-year-old hands to pry away the dirt covering me revealing tall trees and a gorgeous night sky, stars glittering perfectly untouched by modern pollution. I looked around my surroundings in an attempt to get my bearings, it seemed I wasn't deep in the forest as the treeline was only a few hundred metres from where I emerged.

While I can keep a lid over my emotions now from the effects of one of the vials I still pay my respects and mourn the death of Ingrid, I received all the memories of my time with her, she was essentially my only parental figure during these years, I moved away after giving her a slightly better burial than what the Interior Police did.

I spent the next several hours reviewing everything that has happened to me in both lives along with a summary of the gifts or powers I was given. I found that the explosion I ended up in the middle of scarred me very badly, something [ Inviolate Self ] didn't fix.

"It still hurts," I muttered under my breath, while [ Inviolate Self ] gives a lot of benefits it doesn't change my healing rate, however, I am well aware I should be dead in this scenario though I think it is more down to the Gods healing me at least a little bit, enough to do what a regular 4-year-old should do.

Speaking of [ Inviolate Self ] it will be a serious lifeline whilst I attempt to figure out what to do moving forward, I obtained the knowledge of what exactly it does once I rouse up from being buried. It seems only physical damage can affect me in any meaningful way as I am immune from poison, sickness, or disease, mundane or otherwise. I don't even need to eat, drink, breathe, excrete, or sleep, and immunity to harmful radiation as well as extreme environments, not to mention more on top of that making this a damm good passive ability.

Willpower seems to be another addition to its repertoire of insane boosts as it is pretty much boundless, it explains why I was even able to function after waking up. This is not even talking about [ Blank ] which while not necessarily great now will 100% guarantee the chance of me becoming an undisputed powerhouse as it gives me boundless potential.

'Dismantle!' I thought cutting a piece of wood from a broken tree, this ability, however, has been great for the hours I have been awake as while most things won't affect me like hunger and cold it doesn't mean I will stop doing these things altogether instantly, it is cathartic, satisfying and very convenient to use Dismantle as a way to both train my control over my insane pool of cursed energy as well as the technique itself and as a way of gathering firewood, however, it was complete overkill when it came to my poor hunting skills.

While I know it is possible to get better at hunting, with my limited tools barebones knowledge and a 4-year-old body it is somewhat difficult to catch an animal without turning it to powder the moment I use Dismantle, eventually, I did catch a rabbit... well the bottom half of one, the head well... it didn't survive.

It is only really now that I begin to think about the future that I am safe with an acceptable meal.

'It will be 8 years before I can join the Cadet Corps and I don't know if it is a good idea to go back to a town or district, the Interior Police made it pretty clear we were unwelcome,' I thought rubbing the gunshot wound on my chest.

'I could very easily stake out in the woods until the 8 years is up, even if I have the body of a 4-year-old I know how to survive in the wild having experience in the military,' I thought trying to weigh the positives and negatives with each possible decision.

'Right! I will stay here, it will allow me to fly under the radar of the unsavoury kind and allow me to train in peace with an ability that would almost certainly get me ordered for immediate execution!' I thought finally making my decision, I lifted the rabbit to my mouth taking a chunk out of it before spitting it out immediately.

"S-Shit, I burnt it," I said looking at the charred rabbit meant to be my meal only to be forgotten.

[ 8 Years Later ]

- 841, Unknown Location Inside Wall Rose -

- General POV -

In between Karanes, one of the outer districts of Wall Rose and Stohess, one of the outer districts of Wall Sina stands a forest mostly untouched by human hands. Delving into the depths of the overbearingly tall trees a young girl who looked older than she is, is practising various martial arts.

Maki Zenin, a name she received after memories of a past life arrived on the tragic day of her 4th birthday, a day she would like to forget.

"Hah!" Maki shouts throwing one last kick at the unfortunate tree before calling it a day, she has grown a lot during the previous 8 years in pretty much every facet of life. With the experience of a short military stint, she was well aware of exercises that the instructors put the recruits through, It is exactly how while she is only 12 years old looks a few years older with an extremely toned figure, having little need to do much training became very commonplace be it physically, mentally and even using her cursed technique.

With a mere thought several invisible slashes rip apart fallen trees from the previous exercise, the young girl has made peace with every environmentalist having it in for her if they see the way she trains her cursed technique. Controlling her cursed energy has become much easier with the time that has passed, the only people on the island who could pose a threat to her now would be the holder of the Founding Titan along with Kenny and Levi provided they get the jump on her.

It would be a much more decisive fight in the favour of those 3 if she didn't use her cursed technique as she while knowledgeable is still only 12 years old.

"I should probably make my way to Karanes, they have a Cadet recruitment station from what I remember," Maki said as she went to pack up what few belongings she had. Maki didn't spend the entire 8 years in the wilderness but the trips she made back to civilization were mainly to steal clothes and other essentials.

Thankfully she was never caught but it got hairy a few times, Maki understandably didn't want to kill anyone given she was the criminal and killing an innocent shopkeeper was never part of her agenda.

"Right! Let's go!" Maki said before taking off in a jog toward her hometown of Karanes.