Silence.
No sound of wind, no time.
Just empty space like a black sea without edges, its smooth surface reflecting Harith's face... but the shadow moved on its own.
The shadow spoke softly, its tone calm but scary.
"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."
Harith breathed rapidly. "Who are you exactly?"
"I... the real you."
The shadow stepped forward, its feet leaving no trace.
With each step, the dark surface trembled and other human shadows appeared around them, like silent spectators.
"Do you think you can be a good person, Harith?"
"I just want to atone for my father's sins."
"Sins? How many human souls have you eaten?"
Harith fell silent.
The voice grew louder.
"Every time you fight me, you eat another soul. And you call yourself a savior?"
"Shut up!"
"You don't want to save anyone. You're just afraid of being me."
The shadow suddenly attacked.
Its body melted into mist, enveloping Harith.
Harith fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Voices echoed in his head, millions of whispers from all the shadows he had ever eaten.
"We are all in you… do you think we forgot?"
"You used us to live."
"Now it's your turn to give back."
Harith screamed, clutching his head, but from between his hands, white light began to come out, the symbol of the eclipse mark on his chest lit up again.
"I'm not you!"
"You can't push me away!"
The shadow punched Harith in the chest but this time Harith grabbed the shadow's hand.
"If I have to become dark to protect humans, I will become dark in my own way."
A burst of light occurred, separating the two worlds for a moment.
Harith's shadow stepped back, his eyes shining blood red.
"You don't understand… I am not an enemy. I hold everything you reject… fear, anger, revenge, loss. Without me… you are empty."
Harith bowed, black blood dripping from his nose.
He stared at the shadow and for the first time, he saw not an evil creature, but the version of himself he had been trying to kill.
"If you want me to accept you…"
Harith stood up slowly, his right hand placed on his chest.
"…then we breathe as one."
The shadow stopped, his face changed.
"You don't know the consequences. When we unite, the borders of the world will disappear."
"Maybe that's the price I have to pay."
He took a deep breath and without hesitation, Harith stepped forward, entering his own shadow.
---
ECLIPSE FUSION
In an instant, the world became silent.
When Harith opened his eyes again, his eyes were two colors… one glowing white, one red-black.
His skin was half human, half thick fog.
But his heart was still beating.
Rai appeared behind him, shocked.
"You… did you manage to live?"
Harith smiled thinly.
"I didn't eat the shadow this time. I accepted him."
Aina came from afar, her eyes still red from crying.
"Harith?"
She looked at Harith with fear and admiration.
"You… what have you become?"
"It's nothing… who. I'm in two worlds now and I can feel everything, every shadow that screams, every soul that's lost."
The sky began to shake again.
The eclipse grew bigger.
Rai bowed.
"If you keep living like this, you'll be destroyed. This world can't support two souls in one body."
Harith looked up at the sky.
"I know. But before that… I want to fix all this."
He held Aina's hand.
"Let's end this eclipse agreement from within the shadow world itself."