Emotional Turmoil!

What lay ahead left Nitish stunned. The waterfall flowed directly into a massive temple-like structure. The entire monument was carved from black stone, and from within its hollow interior echoed the relentless ringing of bells.

But despite the sound, there was nothing holy about it.

The atmosphere around the temple felt wrong. Heavy. As if the place was built to worship something dark—something malevolent.

"What… is this?" Snow asked in a hushed voice, her curiosity unmistakable.

"It's real. It's actually right in front of me." Nitish's mind was racing. He repeated those words to himself over and over, barely able to believe it.

He knew exactly what this place was.It wasn't just any ordinary temple. Structures like this were called Corrupt Soul Monuments—places where ancient demons were worshipped. Each one was protected by a guardian… a priest devoted to that specific temple's dark deity.

And Nitish had already figured it out:The boss of this dungeon was the priest of this monument.

But he wasn't about to tell anyone that.

If he revealed how much he knew, there was no way he'd be able to claim the true treasure hidden within the temple. And there was no chance he was letting anyone else get their hands on it.

"I'm not sure what it is… but I'm certain the boss is inside this temple," Nitish replied, pretending to be confused as he answered Snow's question.

"In that case, we have to go in. Finding this temple was our main goal from the start!" Bear said, turning to Nitish.

"Yeah… but be careful. There could be traps. Let's move," Nitish instructed, gesturing for the group to advance.

Soon, they arrived in front of the massive structure. As they climbed the temple stairs toward the main gate, they realized something startling:

The temple was much larger than it had appeared from a distance. So vast, in fact, that exploring the entire place felt nearly impossible.

Finally, they reached the main gate—and tried to push it open.

"Ughh! This thing just won't budge," Night Ranger groaned, panting as he pushed against the gate with all his strength. Despite their efforts, it didn't move an inch.

"Hm… it needs a key," Snow muttered as she glanced around. That's when they noticed a staircase to the right side of the temple gate, leading downwards—toward the basement.

"Come on. Let's go check it out. We've already wasted enough time in this dungeon," Snow said, a hint of anxiety creeping into her voice. It was obvious—she didn't want to spend another second longer in this eerie place.

The group began descending into the temple's basement.And as they reached the bottom, they stopped in their tracks.

There it was.

A massive mirror.

It stood tall and imposing, glowing faintly with a strange, ethereal light. A presence radiated from it—something that felt like truth, like reality…or perhaps something even more unsettling:It felt like the mirror knew everything about them.

"What… is this?" Blazy whispered as she stepped forward, seemingly drawn to the mirror. Her movements were slow, almost entranced.

"Blazy…" Snow called out, her voice low and cautious, warning her friend to be careful.

Nitish, meanwhile, couldn't take his eyes off the mirror either—but not because he was drawn to it. Quite the opposite.

For some strange reason, Nitish felt an intense hatred toward it.It made no sense… but he could feel it in his chest—a deep, irrational urge to destroy the thing. It was as if the mirror knew too much about him, and he couldn't stand it.

"What the hell is all this? And how's this stupid mirror connected to the key?" Sparky scowled, clearly uncomfortable. He, too, felt something was off—something about the mirror's presence just wasn't right.

Despite Snow's warning, Blazy continued walking toward the mirror—step by step—drawn to it with a curiosity that felt far too intense to be normal.

Before Snow could call her back again, or Nitish could stop her—

Blazy touched the mirror.

WOOOOSH!

A blinding flash of light exploded through the basement.In the very next second, Blazy was pulled into the mirror, her body vanishing into the glowing surface.

"BLAZY!"Snow screamed, watching her friend disappear. She sprinted forward without thinking.

"SNOW, NO!"Nitish tried to stop her—but it was too late.

WOOOOSH!

Just like Blazy, Snow was sucked into the mirror and vanished from sight.

Nitish's eyes widened. He clenched his fists. There was no time to waste.

"Aaryan! You take charge!"Nitish barked, turning toward his comrade."Don't let anyone leave this basement. And no one goes near the mirror. I'm going in to save Snow and Blazy!"

"NO, BOSS! You can't! We've already lost Snow—we can't afford to lose another leader!"Bear protested, stepping forward to block his path.This time, the rest of the team stood with Bear, all voicing the same plea.

But Nitish's mind was made up.

"I'm not leaving them behind!" he growled, teeth clenched."I will come back. Don't worry."

And before Aaryan or Bear could stop him, Nitish broke into a sprint and hurled himself into the glowing mirror.

"AAARGHHH!"

A piercing light seared into Nitish's eyes—it felt as though dozens of torches had been flashed directly at his face all at once.

But as the blinding sensation slowly faded and his vision cleared, Nitish found himself standing in a completely white room—no doors, no windows, and absolutely nothing else in sight.

And then—"So… you finally made it."

A voice rang out behind him—one he instantly recognized.Nitish spun around, eyes narrowing.

Standing there was… himself.Same face. Same clothes. Same voice.

"You! What are you?"Nitish hissed, unsheathing his sword without hesitation.

The doppelgänger smirked."Hmhahaha… drew your blade the moment you saw me, huh? I expected no less—from the ever-so-paranoid Nitish. Always seeing danger in everyone… always afraid."

The mocking tone twisted in the air like poison.

"I said— Who are you?!"*Nitish growled again, gripping his sword tighter.

The figure stepped forward slightly, arms wide open as if welcoming him.

"I am you. Your truth. Your fear. The anxiety you try to bury."His voice turned venomous."I'm the loser inside you—the one who's started to believe he's actually special."

The last sentence was laced with cruel laughter, mockery bleeding from every word.

"If you think you can mess with my mind, you're dead wrong!"Nitish snapped, glaring at the figure before him.

"Awwww, already getting upset?"The other Nitish mocked, tilting his head with a fake pout."You're always so sensitive, aren't you? How long do you plan to keep sulking? Remember when Shaurya beat you up and left you lying on the floor of the school canteen? Not a single person came to help you. Not even a look of pity."

He stepped closer, his grin turning nastier."Remember when people used to humiliate you? To this day—has anyone besides Aaryan ever wished you happy birthday? Ever given you a gift?"

The laughter that followed was venomous.

"The truth is, you're just a loser. A nobody that everyone walks over. A person who belongs on the sidelines, forgotten and ignored."He spat on the ground near Nitish's feet."And what now? A bit of luck falls your way and you think you can outrun what you really are?"

Nitish's eyes blazed with rage. His breath quickened. And then—

"I'll kill you—!"He lunged forward, snarling.

But the imposter was faster. He dodged effortlessly, and Nitish hit the floor—face-first. A sharp crack echoed as his nose smashed against the ground, blood instantly spurting out.

The other Nitish crouched beside him, smirking as he stared directly into his furious eyes.

"What happened? Angry now?" he whispered coldly."Truth hurts, doesn't it?"

"Do you remember when your mom and dad were crying?Were you able to do anything back then?"The doppelgänger suddenly grabbed Nitish by the hair and yanked his face close.

"The truth is… you can't do a damn thing. YOU'RE NOTHING!"He continued, laughing cruelly.

Tears welled up in Nitish's eyes—boiling rage, hatred, sorrow, and helplessness surging all at once.

"I... I—"He tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat.His voice was dry. His throat, tight. His heart, heavy.

"YOU WHAT?!"The imposter screamed in his face."YOU'RE JUST A PATHETIC HUMAN—NOTHING MORE THAN A WORTHLESS WORM!"

And with that, he slammed Nitish's head hard against the ground.

A blinding pain shot through Nitish's skull.

His vision blurred.

Darkness swallowed everything.