Your Wings - Reader X Levi Ackerman

Chapter 29: Transformation

The chill of the stone floor seeps through your knees, each second adding a new layer of discomfort. Your legs ache, but you've grown almost numb to the pain, consumed instead by the emptiness clawing at your stomach and the dry ache in your throat. It feels as though days have passed without food or water, leaving you weak and disoriented. But above all, your mind is fixated on those visions-those impossible, surreal flashes of people and places you've never known yet feel deeply connected to. And that woman... why did she feel so strangely familiar?

The rumbling in your stomach snaps you back to the present. You close your eyes, trying to steady your breathing, but the vision of her face still lingers in your mind, filling you with more questions than answers. Just as your frustration swells, a soft, almost inaudible sound catches your attention. Footsteps-light and measured, drawing closer. You lift your head, your gaze drifting upward.

There she is again, moving with a quietness that seems deliberate, as though she fears even the smallest noise might draw unwanted attention. Her expression is unreadable, yet there's a trace of something softer, more guarded, in her eyes as she stops in front of you and kneels. You watch her, both wary and exhausted, but she offers no explanation. Instead, she slowly brings a bowl into view. Your eyes fall on the contents-a thin soup, the steam faintly wafting up. She raises a spoonful of it and brings it toward your lips.

You hesitate, meeting her gaze. There's no malice in her face, but you can't shake your distrust. Her eyes stay on you, unwavering, and after a moment she speaks in the barest whisper. "Please... eat." Her tone, barely more than a breath, holds a strange gentleness. You don't want to trust her, yet the need for sustenance overcomes your wariness, and you part your lips.

She feeds you slowly, each spoonful warming you just enough to ease the ache in your stomach. Throughout the entire process, she watches you with an intensity that's almost unsettling, as if she's memorizing every movement, every expression. She says nothing, only repeating the process until the bowl is empty, and you're left feeling a small measure of relief, despite the unanswered questions swirling in your mind.

When she finally sets the bowl aside, a silence stretches between you. She shifts slightly, as if preparing to leave, but you can't let her slip away without answers. "Wait," you murmur, your voice raw. She pauses, turning her gaze back to you, eyes flickering with an unreadable emotion.

"Who... who are you?" you ask, your voice trembling with the weight of your confusion. "What's going on? Where am I?"

For a long moment, she doesn't respond, and you worry she might remain silent. But then, in that same quiet tone, she finally speaks. "Alice. My name is Alice," she says, her voice barely louder than before. "And... I live here."

The simplicity of her answer is chilling. "Live here?" you repeat, disbelieving. The emptiness in her eyes speaks volumes, and it sends a shiver down your spine.

You swallow hard, determined to press forward. "Earlier, when you touched me... I saw visions. My parents... I think. How...how did that happen?" you ask, trying to make sense of the fragmented memories that still linger in your mind.

For a moment, she simply looks at you, her expression wavering. "They're... our shared memories," she finally says, her voice barely more than a murmur. Her answer only deepens the confusion gripping you.

"Our memories?" you echo, each word feeling heavier than the last. "Did you... see them too? My parents?"

Her gaze softens, just barely, and for the first time, you notice a shadow of pain in her expression. "I... miss them," she admits, her voice so quiet you almost miss it. The rawness in her tone strikes something deep within you, stirring a painful sense of loss you don't entirely understand.