The lake didn't reflect the sky anymore
It just stared back with dead glass eyes
Still
Unmoving
Like it forgot how to ripple
Shigure stepped into the water fully clothed
Didn't even flinch as the cold bit into his bones
Each step was harder than the last
Not because of the weight
But because of the silence
A silence that screamed louder than anything above the surface
He reached the middle and stopped
No ripples
No wind
Just his breath
And the ghosts beneath
Then he let himself fall
The water swallowed him in one motion
No resistance
Like it had been waiting
Down there
It was darker than night
He opened his eyes and saw nothing
But he heard everything
Cries
Laughter
His name repeated by voices long gone
He kicked and turned
But they were everywhere
Not bodies
Not spirits
Just memories
Broken
Angry
Cold
One hand grabbed his wrist
Another his ankle
Then a face appeared
Her face
Mouth wide open in a scream
No bubbles
No sound
But he knew what she was saying
Why didn't you save me
He didn't struggle
Didn't speak
He just let them pull him down deeper
Until his lungs screamed louder than the lake
He blacked out
When he woke up
He was on the shore
Alone
Soaked
Shivering
Alive
Something had spat him back out
But he left a piece of himself in that water
And it wasn't coming back