Inside the lake, Monster X’s body sunk down to the depths until he hit the bottom. Knocked limp by the blast wave and unable to swim, he could do nothing but crash down in slow motion amongst a cloud of silt. Upon his neck, Aria’s necklace began to crackle and pulse dimly. Unseeing eyes blankly stared up at the surface far above. He saw not the broken ice sheets on the surface, he felt not the icy cold of the water or extensive pain of his injuries. The only sensory input X could feel was his