𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ||【 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕚 𝕏 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕏 𝔼𝕣𝕨𝕚𝕟】

|7| Isabel ✔️

"Is there really a reason for this?" I panted, hunched over with my hands on my knees.

My hair was pulled back tight, sweat trailing down my neck and soaking through my shirt. My entire body was drenched and trembling from exhaustion.

Erwin stood in front of me in the darkness, his chest rising and falling—less ragged than mine, but still working.

It was past 8 PM. The sun had long since disappeared, leaving only the faint glow of its torchlight across the camp.

He had me running laps. Again. Like the hand-to-hand sparring earlier today with him, Mike, and—of course—fucking Levi wasn't enough.

Yeah, I lost. Every time. And? That was kind of inevitable.

"To build endurance," Erwin said, voice calm like he wasn't trying to murder me with cardio.

"You'll need it when you're using the gear."

I groaned, standing up slowly as the night air grazed my sweat-slick skin. My legs trembled under me like newborn deer.

We both wore sweatpants and worn-out t-shirts, soaked and clinging to us like second skins. I rubbed at my thighs, feeling the ache deep in the muscle.

Erwin noticed. He let out a small huff. "We're done for today. Pick it back up tomorrow."

My head dropped. "If you insist," I muttered, limping forward. Pain sparked up my calf, and I winced. Great. I'd be dead by morning.

"You and Mike pull your punches. Levi doesn't give a damn," I grumbled, rubbing my tailbone as we walked side by side.

It had been two weeks since Levi, Farlan, and Isabel joined. Four weeks total since I'd arrived.

And honestly? It wasn't terrible—unless you count Erwin's idea of "training," which felt more like torture disguised as mentorship.

Flagon was in charge of Levi and Farlan. I got lucky. I ended up with Erwin.

Captain Erwin, who somehow blasted through his paperwork in record time just to keep tormenting me. My only breaks were breakfast, dinner, and the sweet release of sleep.

We walked across the empty training grounds in silence, our footsteps crunching over the dirt.

"I think I'm turning in," I yawned. "Getting my ass beat is exhausting."

"You sure you don't want to eat?" he asked.

"I'll eat in the morning," I replied with a shrug.

He didn't argue, just quietly walked me toward the women's barracks. I groaned climbing the steps, wood creaking under my weight.

"It's not that bad," Erwin said, rolling his eyes like he hadn't just run me into the ground.

"You have no idea," I shot back, watching that small, rare smile twitch at the corner of his lips.

He really didn't smile much—not from what I'd seen.

"You should smile more," I said, reaching into my pocket for my mask.

Before I could put it on, his hand closed around my wrist, stopping me.

"And you should show your face more," he said, head tilted slightly, his eyes flicking down to the mask and back up to mine.

I bit my lip and gently pulled my hand free, slipping the mask over my face anyway.

"Once you start smiling more," I teased, giving him a wink and slipping into the barracks.