The river was calm.
Too calm.
Kael crouched by the edge, dunking the clothes into the water, scrubbing them against the stone with slow, irritated movements. The rings made it harder than it should have been, his grip slipping, his fingers cramping as he tried to maintain control.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered. "This isn't training. I'm just making your life easier while mine gets worse."
He scrubbed harder, frustration bleeding into his movements.
"I'm basically a slave at this point. No pay, no breaks, just… A slave under some god damn demon with a human shape… hell with that size if he is really human I'd eat my own fist."
Something hit his back.
The world vanished.
The cold was immediate, absolute.
Water swallowed him whole, the weight on his limbs dragging him down before he could react properly. Panic surged through him, his body moving on instinct, arms flailing, legs kicking uselessly as he tried to reach the surface.
The air left him too quickly.
