Chapter 123: Sofia’s True Nature

She raised one hand to shield her face, but the strange sensation continued. Her head felt light, and her sense of balance began to fail. The world around her seemed to grow larger with every passing second, making the sinks, mirrors, and tiles appear increasingly enormous.

At first, Mia thought she was experiencing some kind of illusion.

Then she looked down at her hands.

Her fingers were becoming smaller.

The realization struck her with such force that she forgot to breathe for a moment. A faint shimmer of energy passed over her body, and the shrinking continued until her clothes began to hang awkwardly around her reduced frame.

"No. Wait!"

Mia stumbled again, staring at herself in disbelief.

Her arms had become tiny, her legs had shortened, and even the floor seemed impossibly distant from her changing perspective. Within moments, she had shrunk to a height of only a few inches.

She could hardly believe what had happened.

"What is this? What have you done to me?"

Her voice sounded different to her own ears, and the bathroom now looked like a gigantic room built for creatures far larger than herself. Even the cracks between the tiles appeared wide enough to trip over.

Mia’s first instinct was to run.

She turned and hurried toward what she believed was the nearest escape route, her tiny feet moving as quickly as she could manage. Yet she had barely taken a few steps when a shadow fell across her path.

Something transparent descended over her.

Before Mia could react, a glass jar landed around her, trapping her against the tiled floor.

She spun around and stared upward.

Sofia stood outside the jar, holding its cover in place. Her earlier frightened expression had vanished completely, replaced by a calm, wicked smile that made Mia’s stomach sink.

Sofia carefully adjusted the cover until the jar was securely closed. Then she crouched down and examined Mia through the glass, studying her with the curiosity of a student observing an insect during a laboratory lesson.

Mia’s mind struggled to process what she was seeing.

"This can’t be happening!"

She rushed toward the glass and struck it with both tiny fists.

"Let me out! Open this thing right now!"

Her blows produced little more than faint taps against the surface.

Sofia tilted her head.

"Nice try, but that won’t work. This jar has been enhanced with mana to improve its durability and resistance. It’s made to withstand things that would normally damage ordinary glass, so you won’t be breaking it with those little fists."

Mia stared at her in disbelief.

"You... you planned this!"

Sofia’s smile widened.

"Now you’re catching on."

She lifted the jar slightly, keeping it steady as she examined her captive.

"Aww, you’re even cuter now than you were before."

Then, with a playful movement, she tilted the jar from side to side.

Mia lost her balance immediately.

She tumbled across the bottom, scrambling to get her feet beneath her as the glass shifted around her. Before she could recover, Sofia tilted it in the opposite direction, sending Mia stumbling again.

"Stop that!" Mia shouted.

Her voice was muffled by the glass, and the words sounded far less threatening than she intended.

Sofia gave the jar another small shake.

Mia stumbled helplessly from one side to the other, desperately trying to remain upright. The experience was humiliating, and the realization that she could no longer control the situation made her anger burn even hotter.

Pie fluttered down and settled on Sofia’s shoulder. She folded her tiny arms and looked into the jar with obvious distaste, as though she had not forgiven Mia for the way she had been handled earlier.

Mia glared at the fairy.

"What have you done to me, you twat?"

Sofia raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that’s rude. You’re still acting defiant even now?"

She glanced at Pie, who gave a small, satisfied flutter of her wings.

"Her name is Pie, by the way. And she doesn’t appreciate being used as a threat against her own summoner. She may be small, but that doesn’t mean she’s helpless."

Sofia brought the jar closer to her face.

"Her magic involves hypnotic dreams and pixie dust. The dust can distort your perception and leave you vulnerable to her other abilities. You saw the lights, didn’t you? By the time you realized what was happening, you were already shrinking."

Mia struck the glass again.

"Reverse it! Now!"

Sofia watched her for a moment before smiling.

"Why should I?"

"Because I’ll make you regret this!"

"Really?" Sofia asked, sounding almost amused. "And how exactly do you plan to do that from inside a jar?"

Mia opened her mouth, but no immediate answer came.

She hated the fact that Sofia had a point. Her strength, confidence, and intimidating reputation meant very little when she was trapped inside a reinforced container only a few inches tall. She could barely make herself heard, much less force Sofia to do anything.

Sofia straightened and held the jar carefully in both hands.

"Like I said, I’ll demonstrate what happened to Jack instead of simply telling you about it."

Mia’s eyes widened.

"Wait! What do you mean by that?"

Rather than answering, Sofia began to shake the jar slowly.

Mia stumbled again, grabbing at the glass in a desperate attempt to steady herself. Sofia’s movements remained controlled at first, almost playful, but her smile grew more mischievous as Mia struggled to keep her balance.

Then Sofia shook the jar more violently.

Mia was thrown from one side to the other, unable to stop herself from tumbling across the bottom. She tried to brace herself against the glass, but each movement sent her sprawling again.

"Stop! Put me down!"

Sofia continued for another moment before finally holding the jar still.

Pie let out a series of delighted squeaks, her wings fluttering as though the entire situation were an entertaining performance arranged especially for her.

Mia pushed herself upright, breathing hard. Her hair had become disheveled, and her clothes were rumpled from the repeated falls. She glared through the glass, her expression filled with fury and disbelief.

Sofia examined her for a moment.

"I think I’ll be done with you sooner than I was with Jack," she remarked with a smile that carried a distinctly mischievous intent.

Mia froze.

"What did you do to him?"

Sofia’s smile remained, but she offered no explanation.

Instead, she turned away with the jar in her hands, leaving Mia to stare after her in growing panic. Pie stayed perched on Sofia’s shoulder, occasionally glancing back at their tiny captive with an expression of lingering annoyance.

The bathroom fell quiet once more.

Mia continued pounding on the glass, shouting threats and demanding answers, but Sofia did not respond. Whatever had happened to Jack, it was clear that the freshman had no intention of explaining it while Mia still believed she could control the situation.

For the first time in a long while, Mia found herself completely powerless.

And the worst part was that she had walked into the bathroom believing she was the one in charge.

---

Back in the classroom, where nobody knew what had happened in the bathroom, Victor glanced toward the two empty seats belonging to Mia and Jack.

Their absence had begun to bother him more than he wanted to admit. Jack had already been missing for several days, and now Mia had also failed to return after the break. Although there could have been an ordinary explanation for her delay, the coincidence was enough to make him uneasy.

He looked toward the classroom door, hoping to catch sight of her approaching.

Nothing.

With the next test approaching, Victor eventually turned his attention back to his desk. He arranged his materials, checked the items he would need, and gathered the belongings Mia had left behind so that they would be ready when she returned.

Still, his mind kept drifting back to the empty seats.

"Where are those two?" he muttered under his breath.

A student nearby glanced at him.

"Who?"

"Nobody. Just wondering about something."

Victor shook his head and returned to his preparations, though the uneasy feeling refused to disappear completely.

Meanwhile, a short distance away, Mark was dealing with a very different kind of trouble.

Hermione had been pinching him playfully for several minutes, apparently determined to get an answer out of him before the lesson began. Every time Mark tried to move his arm out of reach, she found another place to pinch, her expression growing more amused with every failed attempt.

"Why weren’t you early for today’s class?" she demanded. "You could have ended up with extra detention again. Come on, spill it already!"

Mark blocked another attempt and leaned away from her.

"Will you stop that? I told you, I was just up late studying."

Hermione narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced.

"Studying? Really?"

"Yes, studying. You know, those things people do when they want to pass a test."

She gave him a knowing look.

"Mark..."

She drew out his name in a playful warning, her voice soft but full of suspicion.

Mark sighed and continued defending himself against her wandering fingers.

"What? It’s the truth!"

"Then why do you look like you’re hiding something?"

"Because you’re interrogating me in the middle of the classroom!"

Hermione tried to pinch his arm again, but Mark caught her hand before she could reach him. She stared at him for a second, then smiled as though she had just discovered another reason to tease him.

"See? You’re acting suspicious already."

Mark shook his head, struggling not to laugh.

"You’re impossible."

"And you’re avoiding my question."

"I answered your question!"

"You gave me an excuse."

"An honest excuse!"

Hermione leaned a little closer, her eyes bright with amusement.

"Then I suppose I’ll have to keep asking until you tell me the whole story."

Mark looked at her in disbelief.

"You’re really going to keep doing this?"

She smiled sweetly.

"Absolutely."

Mark let out a quiet chuckle and shook his head, accepting that there would be no easy escape from her teasing. While he continued trying to defend himself, the classroom gradually settled as more students returned to their seats and prepared for the upcoming test.

Neither Mark nor Hermione knew what had happened to Mia.

And as Victor continued glancing toward the empty seats, the mystery surrounding Jack’s disappearance had quietly become even more complicated.

---

A/N: Sudden turn, I guess. Well, for those who ever hated Mia, I guess you’re happy now.