Blood on the Asphalt biker
The sheer weight of the Open World, the fourteen-day doomsday clock, and the terrifying prospect of sinking into the blackest abyss on the planet was finally catching up to me.
"I've never been underwater, Dax," I admitted, my voice dropping to a whisper. "I grew up in the slums of Coldwater. I've hacked mainframes and I've built engines. But the ocean... it's just so heavy. If I make a mistake down there, there's no reset button."
Dax didn't offer empty platitudes. He didn't tell me it would be easy.
He reached out, his calloused, scarred hand wrapping around my trembling fingers. The warmth of his skin instantly grounded me, pulling me back from the edge of the panic.