KAEL'S POV
The figure was a perfect copy of me.
Same scar bisecting the left brow. Same long hair, damp with sweat and blood. Same eyes—except he glowed with the abyss's fire instead of Ayla's gold.
He stood barefoot on the black stone, arms loose at his sides, like a man at ease. He even tilted his head the way I did when I sized up an opponent.
But the smile ruined everything.
It was too slow. Too sharp. Too sure of itself.
I tightened my grip on the sword in my hand, the hilt slick with sweat. "You're not real," I muttered. "You're just another trick. Another nightmare the abyss built to break me."
The shadow-me chuckled. The sound rolled out like oil, slick and heavy. "You're still lying to yourself, brother. I'm as real as the rage inside your veins. The part you hide from her. The part that will always want blood."
