The creature stepped forward, formed from the mirror's shards and Nkosana's own reflection. Its voice was his—twisted, deeper, mocking.
"I am your potential, unchained. The raw chaos you keep denying."
Nkosana's breath slowed. Thandi took a step back, sensing the spiritual weight thickening the air. The temple's floor groaned, reacting to the energy between the two.
"I didn't survive the curse just to become it," Nkosana said.
The demon smirked. "You don't get to choose. You *are* me."
With a roar, the creature lunged. Nkosana met the blow, their fists colliding with an eruption of energy that sent stone shards flying. Light clashed against dark—his restraint against his fury. Every strike from the demon was familiar, like fighting his own memory.
"You hold back," the demon hissed. "Why protect her?" It pointed at Thandi. "She'll only slow us down."
"She's my anchor," Nkosana growled, summoning flame to his palm. "Without her, I'm *you*."
He blasted the creature, but it vanished into shadows, reappearing behind him. A slash across his back dropped him to one knee.
Thandi rushed forward, grabbing a fallen relic—a blade etched with ancient protection runes.
"Nkosana! Catch!" He spun, catching the blade mid-air and slashing upward in one clean arc. The demon screamed as the runes burned into its form.
"You think this ends me?" it growled, fading into smoke.
"No," Nkosana said. "But I know how to *contain* you."
He stabbed the blade into the temple floor, channeling the last of his spiritual fire. The ground lit up, binding circles locking the demon's essence beneath the ruins.
Breathing hard, Nkosana collapsed. Thandi knelt beside him.
"That thing… it was you."
"Not anymore," he whispered. "Now I know what I'm capable of."
As the temple crumbled around them, they emerged into the night—scarred, bonded, and one step closer to unlocking the truth of the Demon Seed.