The greenhouse reeked of copper.
Kyle stood in the middle of the shattered floor, chest heaving, the taste of iron in his mouth. Across from him, the blood-forged doppelgänger—his perfect reflection in weaponry and instinct—stalked forward with unnatural precision. Every movement it made felt like looking into a darker version of himself, one that didn't tire, didn't hesitate, didn't care.
His own crimson daggers dripped in his hands.
"This is a waste of time," he muttered, forcing his breathing to steady. "You can copy me all you want. You're still just a shadow."
The creature tilted its head, its liquid form rippling. When it spoke, its voice was layered—half his own, half the deeper, venomous whisper of the shadow.
"A shadow… that knows every weakness you've ever had."
Then it lunged.
The Duel
Steel met steel—or at least, blood hardened to steel. Every clash sent a shock up Kyle's arms. The creature didn't just mirror his attacks; it predicted them, moving a fraction faster each time. It was like fighting an opponent who had already fought this battle a thousand times in their head.
He ducked a slash, rolled across the wet tiles, and slashed upward. The doppelgänger blocked with his own stance, spun, and clipped Kyle's shoulder with the flat of its blade.
Pain flared white-hot.
Kyle gritted his teeth. "You hit harder than I do."
"I am you," the shadow hissed through the copy's mouth.
The pressure was relentless. He was being driven back, step by step, toward the collapsed wall. One wrong move and he'd be cornered.
Felix and Gia Outside
Meanwhile, outside the greenhouse, Felix pulled Gia through the overgrowth, his grip firm but not rough. His eyes kept darting back toward the building.
"You sure he can handle that thing alone?" Gia asked, voice tight.
Felix gave a small, humorless smirk. "Kyle? He's too stubborn to die. But that doesn't mean I trust him not to bleed out before we get back."
Gia's pace faltered. "We're going back?"
"Of course we are," Felix said simply, glancing over at her. "I'm not leaving him. And I'm not leaving you anywhere near here alone."
She looked away quickly, but not before Felix caught the flicker of surprise in her eyes. The sight made something stir in him—a dangerous warmth.
Back to Kyle
A blade grazed Kyle's cheek, slicing a shallow line. Blood dripped down his jaw.
The doppelgänger reacted instantly. It absorbed the drop into its own form, growing denser, faster.
Kyle's stomach sank. It's feeding off me.
The shadow's voice slid into his mind again:
"Every drop you spill makes me stronger. Every cut you take brings you closer to becoming mine."
Kyle's pulse spiked, but he forced himself to focus. His weapons dissolved back into liquid. The copy hesitated, its head tilting.
"Not gonna fight?" the voice mocked.
"Oh, I'm fighting," Kyle said, a faint grin curling at the corner of his mouth. "Just not the way you want me to."
The blood at his feet shifted—not toward the copy, but into a spreading pool around both of them. It lapped at the creature's boots.
Before it could react, Kyle clenched his fist. The pool erupted upward into dozens of jagged spikes, piercing through the copy's form.
The shadow howled, its voice fracturing into something inhuman.
The Price
The victory was short-lived. The spikes dissolved back into liquid, but instead of reabsorbing into Kyle, they slid into the cracks in the greenhouse floor—vanishing into the earth.
Kyle stumbled, suddenly dizzy. Too much blood. Too much power used at once.
He barely noticed Felix and Gia rushing back in until Felix caught him before he could collapse.
"Damn, you look like hell," Felix muttered.
"Thanks," Kyle rasped, managing a weak smirk. His eyes found Gia. "You okay?"
She nodded, but her gaze lingered on him—something unspoken in her expression.
Outside, the mist was thicker now, curling unnaturally. The shadow wasn't gone. It was just… watching.
"Soon," it whispered on the wind.
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