Chapter 25: The Beginning of a New Journey**
Darkness.
Infinite. Weightless.
Shen opened his eyes to a void without sky or earth. Only mist coiled around him, cold and lifeless.
*"...Where am I?"*
A shadow stirred in the distance. Tall. Unnaturally still.
Shen stepped forward—and froze.
The figure turned.
It was *him*.
But not.
The doppelgänger smirked, its eyes pools of ink. *"No. I'm what you buried. The rage. The grief. The part of you that *wanted* to burn the world."*
Shen recoiled. *"You're the thing that hurt my friends!"*
*"I *saved* you,"* it hissed. *"Now sleep. Forever."*
A tidal wave of darkness slammed into Shen, crushing him to his knees. The shadow loomed, whispering:
*"You're a monster now. Let me take over. *Rest*."*
Shen gritted his teeth. *"No... They're still waiting for me—"*
The shadow laughed. *"They've given up. Just like you should."*
Then—
A voice. Distant. Fragile.
***"SHEN! PLEASE!***
***COME BACK TO US!"***
Kenya's cry shattered the void. Warmth bloomed in Shen's chest. He *pushed* against the darkness.
*"I don't care if I'm broken,"* he snarled. *"I'm not done yet."*
The shadow writhed. *"You're *nothing* without me!"*
*"Then I'll be nothing."* Shen raised his head. *"But I'll be *free*."*
Light erupted—golden, searing—as the void cracked apart.
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