Run

Dolph used his last bit of energy and strength, putting everything into his sprint, only seeing forward. To him, he was the only person on this earth. Nothing could stop him from moving forward. He made it, collapsing on the boundary. As he came to his senses, tears rolled down his face. He saw several others. Nanaba made it. As he looked back, expecting to see dead bodies, he only saw the other recruits. They were unharmed, except for Anna, who rode on the front of the Drill Sergeant's horse.

No one was killed.

"Maggots, I give you permission to speak freely. Tell me what just happened. And state your names for the record." He was taking notes.

"Felix Katze. You tricked us. We thought we were going to die." Felix said. He was still exhausted.

"Magnus Klein. You terrorized us for no reason. You could have told us to run."

"A necessary test, and not only about fitness. At any moment you could be asked to risk your life. I'll ask again for you to tell me how you all reacted."

"Dirk Nikov. I panicked. I nearly stopped until she yelled at me to keep moving forward. I still didn't make it." Dirk was on the chubbier side, with a black bowlcut.

"Most of you panicked. That's why most of you would have died."

"Klaus Tabour. I ran. I made it"

"Talia Meyer. I was the first to make it."

"Bernard Schwartz. I made it, but nearly used up all of my energy sprinting at the start. She saved me." He pointed to Nanaba.

"This is also a lesson. When discipline breaks down, your training, experience, and strength is what will save you. Never take your training for granted."

"Nanaba Gelb. I stayed calm. I tried to help the others."

"Dolph Lund. I tried to help Anna. I'm sorry. I should have went back to her. I tried to save my own life." Tears ran down Dolph's face. He felt even more choked up, as the other recruits saw him like this.

"Anna Seraphina. I made you let go. You would have saved my life, and I returned the favour. Nanaba and you saved my life." Her voice was quiet.

"Nanaba, you displayed excellent leadership skills. Anna has told me that you offered to carry her. This kind of selfless and calm practice under stress is what you all need to maintain." He was very methodical and calm in how he spoke.

"Dolph, you are not a coward. You tried to rescue your comrade, a valiant effort. But there are moments when we cannot save each other. In that case, it's best to limit the deaths to one instead of two." He spoke with pain in his voice.

"Anna. You chose to sacrifice yourself. This is not usually something that is decided by you, but for you. Titans do not discriminate, as long as you are a human you are their prey. Any one of you here may someday be in Anna's position."

"Angela Davide. Was this test to break us down or to build us up?"

"This test was to teach you about yourselves, and to teach you that the military is not a game. You will be asked to risk your life and kill for the good of our country. You will follow these commands, or you will die." There was anger in his tone, but he tried to rein it in.

"With that, you are dismissed."