Dan was already walking through the river, his figure small against the stretch of blue. The instant Liz dropped to the ground, his head snapped toward her. His steps quickened into a run, water rippling beneath him as his boots struck against the surface.

  His mind flashed sharp. Not good. She’s breaking down again. His jaw tightened, his eyes narrowed against the wind as he pushed himself faster. I didn’t think it would happen here.. not after she used the compressor before we came.

  This wasn’t new. It had happened before, more times than he wanted to recall. In the fruit of narrative they came from, and the result... Wasn't pleasing to the eye or anything around.

  That was why he ran. He had to reach her before it slipped out of control, before the fragments consume her again.

  But just as his boots struck another ripple, Dan froze mid-step, his eyes widening at the sight before him.

  Liz was still clutching her head, her entire body trembling. Yet in the blur of pain, a new sensation spread... warm, calm, washing away the chaos. Slowly, the fragments receded, the screams falling silent.

  Her lashes lifted faintly, her vision blurry. The first thing she saw was light.

  A soft green glow poured over her, like motes of fireflies drifting gently in the air. They gathered above her head, coalescing around a slender, pale hand.

  Emma was kneeling beside her.. Her unique white eyes glowed faintly, focused, as streams of healing magic particles drifted from her hand and fell softly across Liz’s head. The magic hummed with a serene rhythm, steady, patient.

  Emma’s eyes softened the moment she noticed Liz already staring at her. The girl’s emerald gaze was getting steady now, except only carrying traces of unease because of the memory incident just now..

  Seeing this, Emma smiled as her fingers glowed faintly light green, the soft shimmer of healing magic pooling over Liz’s temple.

  “Sorry… if this doesn’t work well,” Emma spoke gently, her voice low enough to blend with the rustling of the snow-laden wind. “I couldn’t think of any ability that could help with what you were passing through.”

  Her words lingered in the frozen air, but her mind was not at rest. Emma’s brows furrowed faintly as her hands continued their careful work, her healing light weaving through strands of Liz’s rough buns.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  What really is going on inside her head? She thought, lips pressing tightly for a moment. Those visions… I don’t fully understand them. But it felt like her past, something still holding onto her..

  The moment Liz had clutched her head earlier, Emma had glimpsed flashes of what was playing inside her mind. Images, broken and fleeting, yet heavy. Emma could have pressed further, she was capable of doing it, but she had chosen to stop. She disliked prying. Secrets belonged to their owners, and she knew well enough that carrying someone else’s burden could weigh one down far too easily...

  So instead, she had simply rushed to Liz’s side, reacting in the only way she could, treating it like a sharp, sudden pain and channeling her healing magic. Whether it would help or not, she hadn’t known. But to her surprise, the throbbing in Liz’s head had dulled, and the tightness in her face had eased.

  The silence between them stretched on, broken only by the faint hiss of wind brushing through their coats. Liz’s breaths grew slower, her clenched shoulders loosening. At last, Emma drew back her hands and let the magic fade like smoke. Rising to her feet, she brushed her coat down with both palms before opening her mouth.

  “I think… I’m done,” Emma said softly.

  Liz’s emerald eyes lifted to her. For a brief moment, she only stared, calm, unreadable. Then she rose as well, brushing stray flakes of snow from her long coat, and bowed her head ever so slightly.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, the words carrying a quiet weight.

  Emma smiled faintly, shaking her head. “No problem.”

  She was about to ask what Liz planned to do about the river when Liz suddenly broke the silence herself.

  “Well… let’s get going,” she said, her tone sharper than before, almost brimming with a confidence that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Without waiting, she turned, boots crunching into the snow as she walked toward the stretch of deep blue water that gleamed against the pale white land.

  Emma blinked, surprised. That shift.. it was sudden. Just moments ago, Liz had seemed vulnerable, her fear of the sea, raw and pressing. Now, she carried herself with a boldness that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Emma didn’t know it, but Liz’s heart was knotted with shame. She hated that her fear of water had shown itself, hated even more that some forgotten flash of memory had cracked her in front of others.

  So to claw back her pride, to prove to herself she wasn’t weak, Liz had decided, she would walk across this water.

  Her steps carried her right to the edge. The river was not calm; waves rippled lightly, glossy blue mixing with reflections of the gray sky above. The icy wind pushed against her cheeks, reddening them further. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and raised her foot.

  The moment her boot touched the surface, it was as though the water had hardened beneath her, supporting her step. For an instant, hope swelled in her chest. She placed her other foot forward,

  And then it began to fail.

  Her mind started racing, thoughts flooding in too fast, doubts unraveling the fragile boldness she had forced upon herself. The surface beneath her quivered, her weight sinking slightly.

  What if I fall? What if I drown?

  Her heart thudded painfully against her ribs, the cold biting sharper at her skin. The moment her thoughts spiraled, the water rejected her. Slowly, her boot sank deeper, ripples spreading out.

  “Eeeek!!” She cried out, a sharp sound ripped from her throat as she flinched backward, stumbling back onto the snow-laden ground. Her hands clutched her coat tightly, breath quick and uneven, cheeks burning in embarrassment...