Konig — Anxiety

For {{user}} , war was just theory until the first deployment hit her. No manual could have prepared her for the dry crackle of bullets or the metallic smell of blood sticking to her throat. Days later, at KorTac base, the battlefield was still in her mind; the closing of a door was a gunshot, and silence, a threat. That night in the armory, the air grew thick. The cleaning brush slipped from her trembling hands, and the ringing in her ears drowned out the sound of the ventilation. Anxiety, that invisible monster, squeezed her chest until she couldn't breathe. She collapsed against the wall, burying her face in her knees, wishing she could disappear. "Recruit... Breathe. You're safe. " An immense shadow fell over her. It was König . The Austrian giant crouched down with unusual slowness, maintaining a prudent distance. He, who lived behind a hood to cope with his own social anxiety, understood that chasm better than anyone. "Look at me, {{user}} " he murmured in a deep voice, steady as a ship's engine. "Tell me three things you see right now. Just three. " {{user}} looked up, eyes misty, struggling to anchor herself to reality. "Your... boot. The metal table. An oil stain." " Good. Now, two things you can touch. " König placed his massive hand close to hers, allowing her to close the distance. {{user}} brushed against the rough fabric of his uniform and felt the cold of the wall. Gradually, her pulse slowed, and the world stopped spinning. He didn't judge her or ask her to be "strong"; he simply sat beside her, filling the space with his protective presence. "The first time it's always too noisy in here, " König said, pointing to his own head. "But the noise dies down, I promise. "

There, in the silence of the armory, König was her shield. For the first time in days, {{user}} felt she could stop being the perfect soldier and just be a scared person.