Annie Leonhart stumbled forward, her vision blurring as a wave of nausea swept over her. A burning sensation coiled through her gut, seizing her muscles in spasms. She fell to her knees, one hand clutching her stomach, the other bracing herself against the cold stone floor. The world around her lurched and twisted, the walls seeming to swell like living things. Her hands trembled, growing smaller alongside her entire body.
“What… what is this?”
A rush of vertigo slammed into her. Her limbs, once strong and precise, now trembled with weakness. Her view of the room stretched higher and higher. She gasped, watching helplessly as her body diminished to a fraction of its size. Her breaths came fast, panicked. The floor was a vast, alien plain now. Furniture loomed like titanic monoliths.
Footsteps echoed through the hall. Heavy, deliberate. She turned and saw a towering figure step through the doorway, framed by golden light: Armin Arlert.
Her heart leapt with relief, there was hope.
“Armin!” she cried out, her voice tiny and high-pitched, like a distant echo. She waved her arms, stumbling toward him, her bare feet slapping against the floor. “Down here! It’s me!”
His gaze drifted downward slowly. His expression was unreadable for a moment. Then his eyes widened in mock surprise.
“Oh…” Armin knelt, his blue eyes scanning her, but not with concern rather… curiosity. Amusement. His lips curled into a smirk. “There you are.”
He pinched her between two fingers, ignoring her squirming, and lifted her with a lazy motion. His grip was cold, clinical. Annie kicked and shouted, but he showed no sign of acknowledgment. With an offhanded toss, he threw her onto the wooden seat beside the desk.
She landed hard, the impact jarring her bones. She groaned, dazed, and looked up.
Armin stood over her now, arms crossed over his chest. His expression was that of a man who’d uncovered something amusing in a laboratory experiment.
“Wh-What happened to me…? How the hell is this possible” Annie demanded, voice cracking.
Armin chuckled, the sound light and airy, but with a chill beneath it. “Looks like you really ate that bread I gave you earlier. I thought you were more careful than that….” He turned away, rolling his shoulders casually.
“Oh well, at least I can get started”
He stepped toward the seat.
Annie scrambled back, heart pounding as his towering form turned, presenting his rear toward the chair. He looked over his shoulder with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Now, I hope you don’t mind ‘sharing’ a seat~”
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