The chamber felt like it was breathing. The walls pulsed with red light, in rhythm with his heartbeat. Or maybe his heartbeat was syncing with the node. Caspian couldn't tell anymore.
His copy moved like a ghost. Same face. Same eyes. But sharper. More honed. Not weighed down by hesitation or memory.
It slashed with precision. Blood danced in the air.
Caspian dodged, barely.
The blade grazed his shoulder. Warmth spilled down his arm.
[Warning. Blood Integrity at 67%]
[Skill Sync Disrupted]
[Adapting…]
Caspian exhaled slowly, then surged forward.
He didn't strike with a weapon.
He struck with his blood.
The crimson in his veins twisted through the air like threads, forming claws mid-swing. His fingers curled, and the claws raked the copy's chest.
It staggered. But smiled.
"Better," it said. "But still slow."
It responded with a mirrored move. Same claws. Sharper. Faster.
Caspian fell back, barely avoiding the counter. The chamber pulsed again. His blood boiled hotter.
Neris's voice echoed faintly from the outer edge of the room.
"This is the price of adaptation. You either become something more, or get consumed by what you could have been."
The copy circled him. "You're holding back."
Caspian wiped the blood from his mouth and stood straighter. "No."
The copy tilted its head. "Then why do I still exist?"
The wall behind them split open, revealing a pulse of code.
[Optional Command. Integration]
[Consume the Echo. Risk Unknown]
Caspian stared at it. The path forward was clear. Kill the version of himself that hesitated. Or be consumed by it.
The copy lunged again.
Caspian didn't move.
He let it strike.
The blade pierced his stomach.
Blood spilled out.
But Caspian smiled.
And pulled the copy closer.
"Your mistake," he whispered, "was thinking you were still me."
His blood lashed out, wrapping around the echo's body.
[Hemovore Override Engaged]
[Pattern Lock Established]
[Initiating Forced Merge]
The chamber trembled.
The copy screamed. Not in pain. In defiance.
But it was too late.
Caspian drank it in.
Not just blood. Memory. Instinct. Power. All of it. The parts of him that were too sharp. Too cruel. Too unbound.
He became whole.
[Trial Complete]
[Blood Protocol Advanced]
[New Skill Acquired. Crimson Loop]
The chamber faded.
Caspian stood alone.
Breathing slow.
Stronger. Not perfect. Not whole. But closer.
Outside, the tower pulsed.
And something in the city screamed in warning.