Trained To Kill

Chapter 1: 104 Cadets

It's been 2 years... 2 painful, yet relieving years after Wall Maria fell. After that day, the Titan that saved my mother was never seen again, deemed to have disappeared suddenly and without a single trace. Till this day, no one knew where it had gone, whether it was killed off or simply roamed the outskirts of Wall Maria was anyone's guess. Armin, Mikasa, and I all ventured into Wall Rose with my rescued mother, the woman being confined to a wheelchair as a diagnosis stated that she will never be able to walk again after the events of Shiganshina's fall. That alone fueled my flooding anger for vengeance, and despite a very heated argument on what was to come in the future regarding the military, I still wanted to join the scouts. It was in my blood to, even if she didn't want me to. Truth be told, she wanted me to be a part of the Garrison or even the Military Police, but the latter was the coward's way out and the second was middle of the road. There's only ONE path to humanity's ultimate victory, and I was gonna spearhead it.

'And so, here I stand, among the rows of the new recruits.'

The Commandant stepped out in front of the barracks, facing us with an enraged look of focus. Mikasa stood in the row ahead of me, and Armin behind.

"You are now officially members of the training unit #104! Unfortunately for you, I, Keith Shadis, will be in charge!"
He looked around at all of us.

"I'm not here to give you a warm welcome! All of you are now merely livestock, waiting to be eaten by the Titans! You're even worse than livestock! For the next three years, I'll train you useless shits! I'll teach you how to fight the Titans! When you face a Titan in three years, will you still be just food?! Or will you become a glorious wall to protect these walls?! Or a mighty champion of mankind who will destroy the Titans?! The choice lies in your hands!"

I narrowed my eyes as he stepped down from the elevated land that held the barracks cabins, a mental lightning bolt seizing through my brain.

'Yeah, don't worry... I will kill every last one of them.'

Keith walked through the first row, looking and grilling at the soldiers who looked as if they weren't worth their salt. Mikasa was obviously looked over, having a look of concentration to the bitter end. He went through my row after yelling at the last one, walking by me and taking his words to another. Soon, unsurprisingly, those words ensnared Armin in the row behind me, which I had turned around to after my row was flipped.

"Hey, kid!"
"Sir!"
Armin saluted him as Keith leaned forward, getting in his face.

"Who the hell are you?!"
"I'm Armin Arlert from Shiganshine, sir!"
"That so? A name fit for a retard! Your parents named you that?!"
"It was my grandfather, sir!"
"Arlert, why are you here?!"
"To contribute to humanity's victory, sir!"
"... How very admirable! You should make first-rate Titan feed! Third squad! Turn around!"

And on he went again, grilling more and more people within the rows after Armin, including a guy named Thomas and a girl named Mina. He soon came upon someone that interested me. He had emerald eyes, just like me, but his hair was a solid dark chocolate, glowing a lighter shade in the sun. Below his military jacket, he wore a red and black vest over a black T, an odd design choice for clothing, but one that wasn't abolished in the military. More pockets meant more places to keep supplies.

"You! Who the hell are you?!"
He saluted Shadis, giving off a perfect booming tone that surprised the Cadet Commandant.

"Sir! My name is Raymond Seraph! I come from a home outside of Wall Maria!"

"Oh? Is that so? So you've been living in the midst of danger since the moment you were born."
"Yes, sir!"
"So then, why are you here in my beloved corps!?"
"I intend to dedicate my experience in the arts of survival and maneuverability to master the military's weaponry and equipment, and utilize it to eliminate every last Titan I see, sir!"