The inside of the tower was not dark. It was blindingly bright. The walls were made of polished mirrors.
"I thought this was the Shadow Tower," Rix squinted, shielding her eyes.
"Shadows need light to exist," Kaelen noted.
They walked down the hallway. Suddenly, Rix stopped. "Kaelen... look at the mirrors."
Kaelen looked. His reflection was walking beside him. But the reflection wasn't holding the Black Box. It was holding a Knife.
And the reflection was smiling.
"Move!" Kaelen shoved Rix.
Kaelen's reflection stepped out of the mirror. It was a perfect copy, made of solid shadow. Rix's reflection stepped out too. It had a mechanical arm made of shadow-metal.
[Enemy: Doppelganger.]
The Shadow-Kaelen lunged. Real-Kaelen dodged.
"They copy our stats!" Rix shouted, firing at her double. The double dodged with perfect precision.
Kaelen fought his shadow. It was like fighting himself. Every punch he threw, the shadow parried. Every kick was blocked. The Shadow-Kaelen used Fluidity. Its arm turned into a spear. Real-Kaelen barely deflected it with his Hardened Skin.
"We can't beat them!" Rix yelled. "They know our moves!"
"They know what we are," Kaelen realized. "But they don't know what we have."
Kaelen reached into his inventory. He pulled out a Flashbang Grenade Rix had given him earlier. The Shadow didn't have an inventory. It couldn't copy items.
"Close your eyes!" Kaelen shouted.
He dropped the grenade. BANG.
Brilliant white light flooded the hall. Shadows cannot exist in absolute light. They need an object to cast them. When the light is everywhere, the shadow vanishes.
The Doppelgangers shrieked and dissolved.
"Run!" Kaelen grabbed Rix. They sprinted down the hall before the light faded. They found a staircase and scrambled up.