Emma grabbed the silver knife from the real Tobias before anyone could stop her.
"I choose myself," she said, pointing the blade at her own chest. "If I kill my shadow, maybe the portal will close."
"Emma, no!" Elara screamed, lunging forward.
But before Emma could move, Shadow Emma laughed. "Silly little light. Kill me, and you die too. We're connected. That's how shadow magic works."
"She's right," the real Tobias said sadly. "Shadow creatures and their originals share the same life force. Destroy one, lose both."
Emma's heart sank. There was no way to win.
Then Jake stepped forward. "Wait. What if we don't kill the shadows? What if we trap them instead?"
"Impossible," Shadow Jake sneered. "Nothing can hold us."
But Jake wasn't talking to his shadow. He was talking to a tiny field mouse that had just appeared at his feet. Then a squirrel. Then a bird. Soon, hundreds of animals surrounded them.
