Emma had seen wounds before—deep lacerations, burns, infected cuts oozing poison—but nothing like this.She hovered over Steve’s exposed chest, her hands trembling slightly as she stared down at the jagged gashes across his torso. At first, they seemed like ordinary battle wounds—shallow slices where ice-blades had raked his skin—but beneath the surface, strange blue veins were branching outward, like frost creeping along glass. Every pulse of his heart seemed to carry the cold further.“Emma?” Steve’s voice was hoarse, but steady. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”“I’ve seen something worse,” she murmured. “There are active frost bites in your cuts. They’re not just slowing your healing—they’re freezing your regenerative ability.”She leaned closer, brushing her fingers along the edge of a wound. The skin was cold—unnaturally cold—and the surrounding tissue looked more like permafrost than living flesh.“It hurts like hell, too,” Steve muttered, forcing a grin even as he winced. H
Last Updated : 2025-07-09 Read more