Keiser's mind split open under the weight of panic and pain.
His body twitched against the suffocating sludge, his hand clawing at the ground as if by instinct, searching for something... anything... to anchor him. His thoughts spiraled, grasping for a way out, a trick, a memory, a spell, even a lie he could wield like a blade.
Memories rushed in, unbidden, slamming through him as though his skull had been split. Gideon's laughter, Aisha's soft chiding... faces blurred between warmth and regret. Their voices mingled with the bitter sting of betrayal, the gut-deep wound of trust broken by those he once called brother, comrade, family.
And then the other memories.
Manufactured smiles.
Carefully crafted illusions.
Comforts fed to him like meat to a starving dog... happiness that had never been his, but something molded, controlled, manipulated. He could see it now, the cracks behind every tender word, every fleeting embrace.
