Darkness.
Not the absence of light—but a heavy, breathing presence. It curled around Rizz like a living mist, thick with forgotten memories and unspoken fears. He could no longer feel the cathedral, the mirror, or his friends.
Only the sound of his own heartbeat echoed… and then stopped.
Then, a whisper.
> "You fear what you do not control."
Rizz opened his eyes.
He stood in a vast hall of mirrors—each one cracked, distorted, and humming with a strange resonance. The floor beneath him was polished obsidian, reflecting not just his body, but fragments of his soul: laughter from his childhood, Safa's teachings, the light of his father's hand… and the burning pain of his mother's fading voice.
He turned—and saw himself.
But older.
Eyes darkened, expression cold. Clad in robes of black flame and silver armor, a jagged crown of light rested above his brow. This version of Rizz didn't just look powerful—he looked hollow.
"Who are you?" Rizz asked.
The other Rizz smirked. "I am what you would become… if you rejected mercy. If you sought justice over love. If you embraced the wrath in your blood and burned the heavens to remake them."
Rizz's fists clenched. "I would never become that."
The hollow Rizz stepped forward, mirrors cracking beneath his steps. "You already have. Every time you suppress your power. Every time you flinch from the Soul Seal's call. You're letting the storm grow without mastering it."
A surge of divine energy pulsed in the air—light and shadow colliding, forming a glowing barrier between them.
"You sealed yourself," the doppelgänger continued, circling Rizz. "To protect others. To limit what you are. But the truth? You're afraid. You fear being chosen. Being loved. Being powerful enough to destroy everything—even the ones you cherish."
The words cut deep.
Because they were true.
"I want to protect," Rizz whispered. "Not become a monster."
"But protection without strength is a lie," the hollow version said, voice rising. "Look at Urethien. Look at your enemies. Do you think mercy stopped them? Do you think restraint will save your friends?"
The mirrors around them lit up, flashing visions: Safa kneeling, bleeding; Aethra screaming into darkness; Isaac torn between timelines; Raze and Elena—his parents—fading into light.
Rizz's eyes widened. "Stop—!"
"You can't stop fate unless you claim your place in it!" the dark Rizz roared. "Accept your full inheritance! The Divine and the Abyssal! Become the Soul Sovereign you were meant to be!"
Rizz dropped to his knees as the world cracked. His Soul Seal burned across his chest, glowing with violent intensity. His heart thundered like drums of war.
Then, a voice cut through it all.
> "Rizz... breathe."
Safa's voice.
> "You are more than power. You are purpose."
And then—another voice.
Elena.
> "My son… mercy is not weakness. It is divine choice."
Light surged from within him. Not from the seal. From his will.
Rizz stood.
And when he did, the mirrors began to shift. Instead of showing battles or failures, they began to show memories of love—his parents training him in secret, Safa placing her forehead against his during meditation, Aethra laughing in the temple courtyard, Isaac's eyes lighting up with respect.
"You are a part of me," Rizz said, staring down his darker self. "But you're not all of me. I will not reject you… but I will not let you rule me."
The dark Rizz paused.
And then smiled.
For the first time, his expression softened.
"Then you're ready."
The Soul Seal pulsed.
The mirror world shattered into shards of gold.
—
When Rizz awoke, he was back in the cathedral.
Aethra was at his side, holding his hand tightly, her eyes red from tears. Isaac stood nearby, his right eye glowing, his left filled with awe.
"You're… glowing," Isaac said quietly.
Rizz sat up. Golden flame and shadow rippled around him, no longer in conflict. A gentle storm, quiet but immense.
"I found it," Rizz said, his voice calm.
"Found what?" Aethra asked.
He looked at both of them.
"My center."
The mirror behind the altar was gone. Only light remained.
And beyond that light—a new path opened. Leading deeper beneath Urethien.
Into the ancient core where the first Soul Seal was born.
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