AOT ~ The Lash Out of the Yeagers

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... NIGHT OF THE GRADUATION CEREMONY...

~ 850, two years after joining the cadets ~

Armin's P.O.V.

- Pick up the pace, you, leg heel lagers! I hear the Commandant yelling at all the cadets, including me. We're all in the woods, running as fast as we can with a heavy bag on our backs. Commandant Keith Shadis is on his horse, galloping next to us while yelling at how slow we are. That's easy for him to say, he's on a horse... The rain is pouring hard which makes it difficult to see what's in front of us and to keep going. The dry earth has become slippery mud, the bark of soaked trees turns a darker color and the green moss on the roots is soaked with water. The leaves are not big, thick and resistant enough to stop the rain from falling on us... Boost waterlogged, Dumbass! I hear the Commandant yelling at us all again. This is so hard... Way harder than when we trained for the 3DMG. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I didn't think it would have been that hard. The whole group of cadets are few feet ahead of me. All of them seem to have find enough of their strength for this work. Either it is determination or they are really talented. Maybe both for two or three of them... But for me... Even my three best friends are doing better than me... Oh, Arlert! I hear the Commandant asking me while he slows down so his horse is trotting next to me. Is this too heavy for you, son? He questions to me with his gravelly voice. I don't answer and keep stepping forward. I'm breathless, my legs are burning like they are actually set on fire and my muscles feel like a huge piece of hard rock. Then, drop it! Leave everything behind! He tells me seriously, yelling at his usual. Again, I don't answer and stay concentrate on this work. I can't give up. I can't fail this. What will I do if I fail? What will happen to my friends? In a real situation, you would have already been eaten by a Titan, Maggots! He yells at me before making his horse galloping away from me. Damn it! Why am I so slow? Why can't I keep up like everyone else in front of me?

- Seriously?! I hear the familiar voice of Reiner. He sounded with disbelief and a slight bother. The tall guy comes up to me and grabs my bag from my shoulder. What...? Here, he says, now having the two bags over his back. Focus on staying upright. We are being graded on this, you know? He reminds me with his serious tone, glancing at me with his usual light frown. I know... That's the thing! And still, I can't... Ugh!

- Thanks, but, huh... Won't they depart you for helping, I demand him with a breathless voice, looking up at him with a slight guilty look. Reiner looks down at me.

- Yeah, if they find out. Just make the cut and we're even, all right? He replies seriously, making a deal with me. Make the cut... Right, it's not something impossible to do. If they can do it and lots of soldiers did it before us, then so can I! I just need to boost myself and find that strength!

Commandant Keith Shadis' P.O.V.

Riding on my horse, I look and examine all of those Maggots running with their bag on their backs. Like every years, I can tell from day one who will reach the top ten at the end of those three years. But sometimes, my judgment isn't all perfect and I admit that some were just not made for this intense training. However, it's not because you start from the very bottom that you cannot progress. I glance discretely back at Arlert, that kid dragging his feet on the ground. Oh... Reiner Braun... The mind and constitution of a grass-fedox. Strong, both physically and mentally. Respected by his comrades... Suddenly, as I was looking at all the cadets to see who was in the lead on this tested exercise, I see Arlert overtaking many of his colleagues. It's as if a surge of energy had just awakened in him... Armin Arlert... Although he is very much underneath physically, he shows an uncommon way of thinking...