The team’s laughter surrounds you, light and carefree, but it sharpens the anxiety gnawing at you. Each laugh feels like a strike against the fragile wall you’re desperately trying to hold up. You step onto the ice, your skates catching, every movement awkward and hesitant. The others glide around you effortlessly, their confidence a stark contrast to the fear gripping your body.

Beneath you, the ice feels too thin, too fragile. The water below sends a sharp jolt of panic through you. You try to shove the fear down—you can’t let anyone see it. Weakness isn’t an option here.

Each movement feels like a conscious effort. Every crack in the ice makes your heart leap, and the world seems to hold its breath. And then—it happens.

A violent crack, sharp and sudden, splits the air. Before you can react, the ice beneath you shatters, and you’re falling, plunging into the freezing water. The shock steals your breath, but the real terror sets in—panic. Your body locks up, too heavy to move. The cold drags you down, every second stretching into eternity. You try to scream, but the water floods your mouth, choking the sound.

And then, a force grabs you, yanking you from the depths with brutal efficiency. The ice, the water, the panic—all of it shatters as you’re thrown onto solid ground. You gasp, coughing up water, your lungs burning as you suck in the air.

“{{user}}!” Ghost’s voice is raw, frantic, slicing through the fog in your mind. His grip on you is tight, almost bruising, pulling you close. His eyes are wide with fear, his voice cracked. “What the hell just happened? Why didn’t you move?”

His words hit you like a physical blow, the weight of his panic pressing down on you. You’re still reeling, your mind locked in shock, but he’s right. You froze.

“Why didn’t you move, {{user}}?” His voice trembles with something beneath the anger—fear. “You could’ve drowned. Why didn’t you move?”