The air in the corridor was sharp enough to taste.Two Jaydens stood in the torchlight's fading glow—one flesh and breath, the other a living silhouette, all angles and shadowfire.
The masked figure didn't move, but Jayden could feel their attention sharpen. Like a collector examining a rare gem under the right light.
"This is the Heart divided," the masked figure murmured. "Light and shadow, bound in one vessel… until now."
The other Jayden tilted his head, eyes bright as burning ice."Until you," he said, voice pitched like Jayden's but threaded with a deeper resonance.He glanced at Aerin. "She's the reason you've been holding back."
Jayden stepped forward, blade in hand. "I'm not going to kill her."
The shadow-smile widened. "You think this is about her life? No… she's your tether. Cut that, and you'll finally see what you're meant for."
The floor trembled under a fresh impact somewhere above—another ward collapsing. Dust trickled from the ceiling, and the frost lines on the stone spread in hairline cracks.
Aerin raised her axe, moving to Jayden's side. "If it looks like you, I'm hitting it."
The shadow-Jayden didn't even glance at her. "You won't get the chance."
Then he moved.
Jayden barely caught the first strike, their blades meeting in a hiss of steel and shadowflame. The force of it drove him backward, boots skidding.
It was like fighting a mirror that knew every weakness—every habit, every reflex—because it had made them.
The hum in Jayden's sword became a ragged thrum, matching the racing beat of his pulse. Every block sent vibrations up his arm. Every missed parry was punished instantly.
He tried to push forward, to force the shadow back toward the masked figure, but his other half just shifted with him, always keeping the same distance, always smiling.
He's faster.
The thought wasn't panic—it was observation.But it was followed by something worse: He's faster because you're holding the wrong half.
The voice wasn't the shadow's. It wasn't the masked figure's. It was the faint, steady tone that had whispered to him before he made the choice—quieter now, but still there.
Take it back.
Jayden pivoted, forcing the shadow to lunge. At the last second, he shifted his grip and let the blade drop, catching it in his off-hand. The movement was sloppy—half-learned—but it surprised the shadow enough to open a line.
Silver flame surged from Jayden's palm, searing across the shadow's arm. The hiss was sharp and cold, like ice cracking in a fire.
The shadow's smile faltered.
"You do learn," it said.And then it lunged again.
This time the strike was aimed not at Jayden—but at Aerin.
Jayden didn't think. He stepped in, took the blow on his shoulder. The impact spun him halfway around, vision flashing white.
The shadow's blade cut deep. But instead of blood, black-silver fire spilled from the wound, curling into the air like smoke.
The masked figure took a single step forward, voice soft but carrying: "Yes. Bleed. Show me which half is the stronger."
The cold in the hall deepened until breath became shards in Jayden's throat. His legs shook—not from the wound, but from the pressure building in the air, the push of two forces in the same body straining against their boundary.
The shadow tilted his head. "One cut and you're already fading. Let me finish it."
Jayden straightened, pain flaring like lightning, and met his own burning eyes."No."
He lunged—not at the shadow's chest, but at his sword arm. Their blades screamed together, the collision sending sparks of silver and black in every direction.
For a heartbeat, Jayden felt it—the exact rhythm of the shadow's movement, the way the black flame pulled before it struck. He let that rhythm carry him, stepping into it instead of against it.
Their swords locked.
Jayden pushed—not with his arms, but with every spark in his chest.
The silver and black flames collided, then folded together like two halves of a seal snapping shut.
The shadow screamed. It wasn't human—it was the tearing sound of ice splitting across a lake.
And then it was gone.
Jayden staggered forward, the hum in his sword fading to a pulse again. His wound still burned, but the black-silver smoke was gone.
The masked figure watched him in silence. Then they said, "You've chosen the hard road. We'll see if you can walk it."
Another impact rattled the corridor—closer this time.
Aerin grabbed his arm. "We have to move. Now."
Jayden's knees almost gave, but he followed her.And as they ran, he realized the worst part.
The shadow wasn't gone.It was inside again.And it was laughing.