Unfamiliar shade of white
Prologue: Paths Destined to Cross
Summary: After weeks of training the newest Survey Corps recruits, Captain Olivia is summoned by Erwin Smith for a mission unlike any other. Tasked with accompanying him into the Underground to locate a notorious criminal skilled with ODM gear, she reluctantly agrees, placing her trust once again in Erwin’s seemingly impossible plans. As they descend into the lawless city beneath the capital, neither of them realizes they’re about to cross paths with three people who will change the future of the Survey Corps forever.
“Well considering no one got hugged by a tree or got slashed open by the gear’s retreating wire yet; I would say my training actually paid off” said the figure
“Indeed, the improvement is quite remarkable for only a week” suddenly a taller blonde man with piercing intelligent blue eyes appeared between the two people who were watching the recruits. “Even a blind man could see the contribution you do to thoso soldiers even when it’s most dangerous for you, Captain Olivia”
“Thank you truly, but i only do what the job requires me to do, Captain Smith”
“Ever the humble” said Erwin smiling a bit at his hooded friend
“Okay! Enough flirting you two! Now it’s time to–“
“Sorry Hanji i think i am retiring for the day the heat is kinda getting to me and i think i am starting to see dancing trees again”
“Awwwwwee! But i wanted to tell you about my plans to capture a titan–“
“I know I know later hanji…”
“Actually Olivia i was hoping to speak with you privately about something”Erwin said looking putting his hand on her shoulder
“Is it important? I really could use a cold shower…”Olivia whined absolutely exhausted from training and monitoring the recruits all day in the heat and her mask is starting to get wet with her sweat.
A soldier slammed into a tree
Erwin didn’t answer he just led her away from the sun into the building and right into his office
Olivia too off her mask and hood finally able to breathe again and plopped down on the couch letting out a dramatic sigh
“So… what is it that was so important it couldn’t wiat for my precious midday shower? You better have a good one cause you know i ain’t playing ‘bout those mate” said Olivia with a mock accent
Erwin just leaned forward on his chair interlocking his fingers together looking at her pinkish–purple eyes.
“I am going to the underground soon and i need you with me…”
The word Underground always brought a sharp, iron taste to Olivia’s tongue, but looking at Erwin’s steady gaze, the initial wave of reluctance quickly subsided.
Her mind drifted back to the early days of their acquaintance to a time before she knew the true depth of the mind behind those calm blue eyes.
It was during one of her first major expeditions outside the Wall.
A sudden mist had rolled in over the plains, obliterating visibility and scattering the formations. Panic had begun to ripple through the lower ranks. Any ordinary commander would have ordered a full retreat toward the treeline, banking on defense and defensive positioning.
Instead, Erwin had issued an order that sounded outright suicidal: Maintain speed, spread thin, and draw the Titans into a tight bottle-neck along an uncharted ravine.
Olivia had thought he’d lost his mind. He has been her friend since she can remember since they were kids but to run blindly through fog toward an unmapped drop with giant, mindless predators on their tails felt less like strategy and more like an elaborate suicide pact.
She had even yelled at him through the whistling wind, demanding to know if he was trying to get them all eaten before sunset.
Erwin hadn’t raised his voice. He hadn't panicked. He had simply looked at her over his shoulder, his composure unshakeable, and said: “Trust the vector, Olivia. Chaos is only lethal if you let it dictate your path.”
Against every survival instinct she possessed, she followed his lead. And against all reasonable odds, it worked. Erwin had calculated the terrain from scout maps drafted a decade prior, accurately predicting the natural bottleneck that trapped the horde, allowing the Corps to eliminate them with minimal casualties. That was the day Olivia learned a crucial rule: Erwin Smith’s plans might sound unhinged, dangerous, or outright insane on the surface, but underneath lay a precise, calculating mind that was almost never wrong.
The birds chirping outside the window in Erwin’s office pulled her back to the present.
Olivia leaned back against the cushions, staring up at the wooden beams of the ceiling for a second before meeting his eyes again. The faint trace of humor left her face, replaced by a quiet, grounded focus.
“The Underground, huh?” she said softly, wiping a trace of sweat from her brow. “You really know how to pick the romantic getaway spots, Smith.”
“It’s not a leisure trip,” Erwin replied smoothly, resting his elbows on his desk.
“There’s someone down there I need to locate. A bandit who’s proven... uniquely adept with ODM gear. If we can secure him, he could be an invaluable asset to the Corps.”
“And if he decides to slit our throats instead?”
“Then I trust you’ll cover my back before he gets the chance.” Erwin’s voice was dry, but the underlying confidence in her abilities was unmistakable.
Olivia let out a long, slow breath, standing up from the couch. “Alright. Give me ten minutes for that cold shower and a fresh set of clothes. If I’m going back into the damp and dark, I’d at least like to start off dry.”
A few hours later, the scorching glare of the midday sun was replaced by the heavy, suffocating gloom of the descent.
The air grew thick with the stench of stagnant water, coal smoke, and cheap oil as the lift creaked its way down into the subterranean city. The cavernous ceiling stretched high above them, stalactites looming like crooked teeth above a city forgotten by the sun.
Olivia pulled her cloak tight around her shoulders, the deep hood casting a shadow over her face as she adjusted her mask.
Beside her, Erwin stood tall, his cloak drawn close to obscure his uniform, his posture relaxed despite the hostile environment around them.
The lower they went, the louder the ambient hum of the Underground became ;shouting merchants, distant brawls, and the rhythmic drip of moisture echoing through the stone corridors.
“Keep your hand close to your blades,” Erwin murmured under his breath as the lift ground to a heavy halt against the stone platform.
“People down here don't take kindly to surface dwellers, especially those with official business.”
“Relax, Cap” Olivia muttered back through her mask, her pinkish-purple eyes scanning the blurry dimly lit alleyways ahead. “Just lead the way. I’ve trusted your crazy ideas this far, I’m not stopping now.”
