Jax watched in frozen horror as the ice blade descended toward his throat, its razor-sharp edge glinting under the dim, flickering lights. The air was thick with frost, each breath like needles in his lungs. His body was numb, unresponsive, a prisoner of the cold.
"No. Not now. Not like this."
His mind screamed, but his limbs refused to obey.
"I... I still have so much left to do…" His thoughts raced, frantic and desperate. "I haven't perfected my latest design. I haven't uncovered the full potential of my cybernetics. I haven't… I haven't even lived yet."
His breath hitched, a sudden wave of sorrow crashing over him.
"I still have an apprentice to mentor. A legacy to leave behind. A wife, perhaps, to marry…"
His fingers twitched weakly, the strain sending bolts of agony through his frozen nerves. He clenched his teeth, forcing the pain aside.
"Move, dammit!"
