Obscurity [Armin x Reader] Armin Arlert

Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 𝟿

Episode Four

Training was hard and brutal, from the classes which sucked the life out of Y/n's usually joking personality to the physical hardships Shadis forced her through. Even climbing mountains during the worst blizzard Y/n had seen in her fourteen years of life. As the only thing keeping her from unraveling was the almost suicidal thirst to become a Scout.

Y/n needed to take revenge for her parents and assist humanity in any way she could. She repeated her dreams as she ran through rainy woods with survival packs, which felt as though Shadis cruelly packed them with steel.

Y/n hiked her bag further onto her back, despite the painful pressure of her limbs feeling like they'd snap off at any given moment. She huffed slotting her thumbs between her shoulders and backpack straps, trying to relieve the numbing ache which surged through her body.

"Get a move on maggots!!" Y/n winced, wanting nothing more than to drown out the sound of Shadis's motivational taunting, each yell echoing against her pounding skull, dangerously drawing her focus from the muddy water splashing beneath her feet.

Shadis like a looming dictator atop his mighty steed sunk his teeth into poor, struggling Armin "Boots waterlogged, Arlert!" His voice was terrifyingly controlled with every gruff raise sounding like clapping thunder against Armin's ears. "Let's see some hustle!"

Y/n kept her ears tuned to the scene unfolding, while her gaze was fixed into the ground. Fully aware of Shadis and his harsh grading system, terrified of the unredeemable amount of points that'll be docked off her score if she managed to trip on a protruding root or slip on mud, especially after the stunts she pulled just to spite the evil man.

"Gear too heavy for you, son? Hell, drop it! Leave it in the mud!" Shadis's sunken eyes analyzed Armin's ragged breaths and sweat mixing with rain beading down his forehead. In moments like these the renowned sergeant often wondered if his cadets would've been better off with a gentler tactic, or his brutal regimes that's sure to break someone's soul?

However, these thoughts were quickly suppressed. He'd rather his cadets souls and personality's break under his strik thumb, he'd much rather they'd grow to despise his guts and pray he'll drop come morning than have these lives be taken because he failed to prepare them properly.

Shadis would gladly play the villain if it meant Armin and everyone in the 104th will survive. "The Titans'll have easier work digesting you. Without all the excess baggage!" Finally he broke away from Armin, riding towards the front of the Cadets.

Once the coast was clear Y/n purposely lagged behind to match Armin's painfully slow pace, the last she saw of him. Armin's eyes were clouded over with a hazy film like he'd succumb to his exhaustion tempting him into a deep slumber.