"Th-this Queen permits it…" Krista muttered softly, her face flushed red.
"As you command, Your Majesty." Chen Si suddenly stood at attention.
"Krista, once the melee begins, you must protect yourself. You are not allowed to put yourself in danger again. Your life is more precious than anyone else's, understand?" The playful look on Chen Si's face suddenly turned serious.
"I know already," Krista replied.
"I'm asking you as the top graduate of the 104th Training Corps—can you do it?" Chen Si said solemnly.
"Yes!" Krista answered just as seriously.
"If you run into danger, stay near me at all times. There isn't much time left—we should depart." Chen Si checked his wires and blades.
Krista hesitated for a long moment. Then she suddenly stepped in front of him, rose onto her tiptoes, and quickly kissed him on the cheek.
"Chen Si… be careful," she said, face red, before activating her ODM gear and flying off.
A faint smile curved Chen Si's lips. He pulled the trigger; his wires shot forward, and he followed after her.
He touched his cheek, recalling the softness of her lips.
His thoughts drifted back to a night the previous year…
Winter, Year 849 — Snowy Mountain Forest
The trainees of the Training Corps were carrying out their final exercise of the year: snow mountain survival training.
All trainees had to cross the mountain and return safely to camp within one day and one night, using only limited supplies. It was considered one of the more dangerous exercises.
"I'm freezing to death! Damn it, why is it so cold?" Connie said, rubbing his hands while bundled in his winter coat.
"There's still a long way to the finish… Are we going to make it back alive?" Sasha asked tiredly, her eyes wide and blank.
"Damn it, my legs are almost frozen stiff," Jean complained.
Sasha, Connie, and Jean huddled together beneath a tree where the snow was slightly thinner, trying to keep warm.
Just then, five more figures appeared: Chen Si, Mikasa, Eren, Armin, and Marco.
"Oh, you guys already met up," Eren greeted them, waving.
"You all look pretty miserable. Let's wake you up a bit," Chen Si said, picking up a snowball and throwing it at Jean's forehead.
"Hey! You bastard! I'm about to freeze solid here!" Jean growled. Even though his legs were stiff, he struggled to his feet and threw a snowball back at Chen Si to save face.
"Huh? Why does it suddenly feel warmer?" Jean rubbed his hands in confusion.
It worked! Chen Si was pleasantly surprised. What Jean didn't know was that Chen Si had attached a tiny arc of electricity to the snowball. The moment it hit Jean, it dissipated into heat.
No wonder Mikasa still felt the cold while he didn't feel chilled at all.
Realizing this, Chen Si immediately took Mikasa's hand. Tiny arcs of electricity flickered in his palm.
Mikasa froze for a moment as she felt her body temperature gradually rise. She noticed a faint spark flash across her hand and blinked in confusion at Chen Si.
Chen Si blinked back and made a "shh" gesture.
Mikasa blinked once more and nodded. She had long known that Chen Si would occasionally release small sparks of electricity. She didn't mind—as long as Chen Si was still Chen Si. She just hadn't expected it to work like this.
Eren walked over carrying two pieces of wood and set them down.
"I found these. Maybe we can start a fire?" he suggested.
"With what? No matches, no flint. Rubbing sticks together would take forever. We'd be better off just pushing on to camp," Jean scoffed.
"Yeah… you're right," Eren sighed.
Seeing this, Chen Si slung an arm around Eren's shoulders and gently turned him aside. Then he extended his hand toward the wood.
Eren looked puzzled—but what happened next made his jaw drop.
A small arc of electricity leapt from Chen Si's hand onto the wood. Sparks flared, and it gradually ignited.
Eren stared at him in shock. Chen Si blinked and said nothing.
Understanding dawned on Eren. He kept silent and glanced at Armin, whose face was pale from the cold, as if realizing something important.
"Chen Si, I'll keep your secret," Eren said earnestly. He was afraid his friend might be captured and dissected if anyone found out.
Chen Si smiled faintly.
The others gathered around as Chen Si and Eren each set down a burning log.
"Wow, you started a fire that fast! Chen Si, was it that method you used before—the one that instantly roasted chestnuts?" Sasha exclaimed excitedly.
What a loudmouth, Chen Si thought helplessly.
"Uh—well—Eren and I started it together by friction. Chen Si's stronger, so it was easier," Eren hurriedly covered for him.
Mikasa quietly let out a breath of relief.
Chen Si actually trusted these people. One day, when Eren became a Titan, they would find out anyway. His own ability would likely be revealed sooner or later as well. It was better to lay some groundwork now so everyone could accept it more easily in the future.
As time passed, Armin's complexion improved considerably.
"Thank you, Chen Si," Armin said gratefully. From Eren's reaction, he sensed Chen Si might have exposed an important secret just to keep him warm.
"It's nothing," Chen Si replied with a smile.
After warming up, they continued on and finally reached camp. By then, night had fallen.
They collapsed beside the campfire.
"I thought we were done for. I didn't expect snow mountain training to be this brutal," Eren said.
"Damn it, I can't feel my legs at all," Jean complained.
"When are they going to let us inside?" Connie groaned.
"They're probably still preparing the feast," Sasha said dreamily.
Just as Chen Si was about to sit down, he suddenly froze.
Damn it. Krista.
He remembered that Ymir wasn't here. What about Krista?
"Historia's missing!" Reiner came running over urgently.
"She mentioned earlier that Daz wasn't in good condition. They were probably together," Mikasa said, then glanced at Chen Si, noticing the troubled look on his face.
"Daz is missing too," Reiner added.
"Let's wait for the last squad," Marco suggested.
"The leader of the final squad, Thomas, already arrived. He said he didn't see either of them."
"What?" Everyone was shocked.
"They… couldn't have gotten lost, right?" Armin said.
"In this blizzard, getting lost would mean certain death," Connie said grimly.
Without another word, Chen Si turned and sprinted back into the forest.
"Brother!" Mikasa called out and chased after him.
"Mikasa, don't worry! I'll be right back. Be good—don't follow. It's too dangerous. I'll bring them back safely!" Chen Si's voice drifted back as he ran.
"It's too dangerous for him to go alone," Eren said.
"Eren, don't go. I'll go by myself," Mikasa replied.
"I'll go too!" Marco said.
"All of you, inside!" the instructor's voice rang out.
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