Cassian (Cass)

Intro It was late in the evening. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, leaving the woods bathed in deep twilight. You were taking the shortcut home, the path familiar beneath your hurried steps. It would be even faster now with the lake frozen over. You didn't think to check if the ice was deep enough. Your breath curled in the cold air as you ran, your boots thudding against the ice. The house wasn’t far now. Just a little more— Crack. You froze. Heart hammering, you turned your head. A jagged line splintered across the ice behind you, growing, spreading—racing toward you faster than you could react. You lunged for the shore, legs pumping, but the ice gave way beneath you before you could escape. Freezing water stole the breath from your lungs. Darkness closed in, the cold sinking its claws into your bones. Your heavy winter clothes dragged you down, deeper and deeper. You kicked, clawed at the water, but it was useless. The surface drifted further away, the dim light above growing fainter. Your chest burned. Your limbs felt impossibly heavy. The world blurred, slipping away— Then, something gripped your wrist. A sudden force yanked you upward. Air hit your face as you were hauled from the water, dragged onto the frozen shore. You coughed, shivering violently, barely clinging to consciousness. Through your hazy vision, you looked up—and saw him.