The assembly was over and the number of soldiers in the courtyard had visibly halved. The Commander on the podium nodded, before booming, "Alright, all of you cadets have chosen this path. Thank you for dedicating your lives to the fight against those cruel monsters beyond thesed walls. I commend you all for your bravery and from this moment on, you are all officially part of the Survey Corps."

.

"Feli-chan? Are you okay? What are you thinking about?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing much. I just thought I'd finally get to see my older brother here…" He mumbled rather inaudibly, as he mindlessly fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist. "I really wonder what he's like, you know. Whether he's fearless and strong, whether he is an outstanding soldier… But then again, if he is an outstanding soldier, I'd probably see him by now." He wrapped his arms around his knees as he brought them closer to his chest, hugging tightly. He had always dream of seeing his brother again. He heard that his brother was a soldier, but he did not know which regiment he is in. His grandfather had mention that no one in the family, other than himself, has made it to the top ten, and he too, chose to enter the Survey Corps. This meant that no one in the family has made it into the Military Police, so that option was out.

"Maybe you'll see him soon? After all, we only saw the Chief Commander and Assistant Commander today. Maybe your brother is one of the Captains who would be taking a squad?"

"Hmm, then in that case, I hope to be in my brother's squad!" The sudden outburst made Kiku jump a little, but he was still nonetheless, happy to see Feliciano smiling brightly again.

"Can I come in?" A voice interrupted, following a knock. Kiku and Feliciano nodded, and Ludwig walked into the dimly lit room, closing the door behind him.

"It's about time to sleep, we're going to have a long day tomorrow."

"Hai, we were just about to." Kiku turned to face Feliciano and smiled gently. "You're going to need all the energy you can get if you want to impress your brother tomorrow."

.

Cadets were supposed to gather early in the morning in the courtyard, to be divided into their groups and then dispatched out to their headquarters located in the Trost District.

Feliciano excitedly skipped towards their courtyard, ahead of Kiku and Ludwig.

"Hurry up, guys! We don't wanna be late!" He yelled towards them, before turning around to skip towards the courtyard, only to bump into someone.

"Woah, hey there, lil' dude. Don't need to get so excited." His voice was rather high, and he sounded young and brave. Feliciano looked up to a guy who was taller than him, who has shady blonde hair and cowlick sticking out. Feliciano recognised him. He was that American soldier that got second place. What is he doing here? Did he give up his chance to live safely within Wall Sina?

"O-Oh, yes… Um, I'm sorry. Just uh, um…" He was stuttering of course. He was usually okay with talking to people he do not know, but this guy just sent some chills down his spine. He was almost as strong as Ludwig…

"Hah, no worries, lil' dude! Say, you nervous about today too? Don't worry. I heard that the leaders and captains are all pretty nice, except maybe a few-"

"Feliciano! Are you alright?" Ludwig's voice interrupted from behind, as the two of them ran up to him.

"Hey! It's you, the number one cadet! And you too," He said, turning to look at Kiku. "You were on the podium that day too! I'm surprised to see you here. I thought all of you would've joined the Military Police or something."

"I'd ask you the same thing too, Alfred, is it?" Ludwig responded rather monotonously, unsure of how to be feeling around this American. "So why are you here?"

"Well, mainly because I want to get in on some of the action 'round here. I mean, we were trained to kill titans and stuff, and they don't do that a lot in the MP. So what's the point then, right? And if I'm in the top ten, it just means that I am competent enough, so why not put my skills to good use and help the Survey Corps out, right?" Surprisingly to Ludwig, Alfred did not sound cocky when he said that. He said it with conviction and passion, like he really wanted to lend a helping hand, like he did not mind risking his life to help others, to help the human race.

"You're truly admirable, Alfred-san." Kiku bowed slightly, also impressed by what he has said.

"Well, I just want to do what's right, y'know? Anyway, we should get going. They're gonna announce our groups soon!" He instinctively grabbed Feliciano's wrist and started pulling him excitedly towards the courtyard. Kiku and Ludwig looked and just followed behind.

.

"Wow, I didn't know we'd make it into the same group! Awesome!"

"Sacré bleu, Alfred. You don't have to be so loud!" A tall man with long, wavy blonde hair was covering his ears as he walked over.

"Sorry, dude. I was just too excited! Look, I met these dudes before the assembly and now we're in the same group!" His smile then faded slightly as he turned towards the trio. "That's right, I forgot to get your names! And we haven't done a proper introduction yet! I'm Alfred F. Jones, and this guy here is Francis."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He gave a polite bow, before stretching out his hand for a handshake. The three of them took turns to return the handshake and to introduce themselves. Almost immediately, another guy with blonde hair ran towards them.

"Gee, Artie, where ya been?"

"It's Arthur, Alfred. Don't call me that." He spoke through pants, using his hands to rest his bodyweight onto his knees. "Sorry, was caught up back there for a while."

"Ciao! We're your teammates! My name is Feliciano Vargas! This is Ludwig and this is Kiku. Nice to meet you!" Feliciano chirped, holding out a hand to shake.

"My name's Arthur. Arthur Kirkland. Nice to meet you." He smiled as he shook his hand, before turning to look at the other two. "My, our team is such a power house. We've got Kiku here, Alfred and the number one cadet." Arthur smiled and extended his hands out as he greeted Kiku and Ludwig.

"I remember you, Arthur-san. You're in tenth position, aren't you?" Arthur's hand jerked upon hearing the question, accidentally squeezing Kiku's hand a little.

"A-Ah, sorry. Well, yes, but nobody really cares about the tenth seed anyway, so it isn't that important." He chuckled and blushed a little, obviously contented by the supposed compliment.

"Alright, cadets!" A loud voice boomed behind them, interrupting their small talk. "We are all set and it is time to move out. Saddle up, get into your groups and wait for further instructions."

They got onto their horses and lined up, and they were dispatched out for Trost District.

.

Trost District

The journey was shorter than Feliciano had expected. He was afraid at first, because they were travelling through a dark forest surrounded by tall and gloomy looking trees. However, Arthur and Francis started bickering along the way, and it was really entertaining for the whole team, and it took Feliciano's mind off the dark and scary forest.

Upon reaching the headquarters, all the cadets were made to keep, feed and clean their horses before going to clean out their rooms. Each team gets a room to themselves, and after cleaning up, cadets would report to the cafeteria to have their lunch before they will be off for their basic briefing and some training.

Feliciano looked up to the clouds as he left the horse stable, thinking to himself.

This may just be the start of a very interesting journey.