Chapter 12: The Abyss Within

The rooftop was silent, except for the distant hum of the city below. They sat motionless, their mind racing with the doppelgänger's cryptic words.

"What truth?" Alex whispered, their voice trembling.

A cold wind swept across the rooftop, carrying with it the faint echo of the doppelgänger's voice. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"You've always known."

Alex's fists clenched into tight balls. "No!" they shouted into the void, their voice raw. "I don't know what you want from me!

A flicker of movement caught their eye. They turned sharply to see a black journal lying in the center of the rooftop, its cover worn and edges frayed. Alex hesitated, every instinct screaming to leave it untouched. But something compelled them to move forward.

As they picked it up, the air around them grew colder. Their fingers trembled as they opened the journal, revealing pages filled with familiar handwriting—*their* handwriting.

The words on the page blurred, shifting and rearranging themselves before Alex's eyes until they formed a chilling message:

*"You can't hide from yourself. The answers lie within."*

Images poured into Alex's head—bits and pieces of memory they couldn't attach to. A darkened room, muted voices, the feeling of utter terror. The journal dropped from their hands as they stumbled back, grasping at their head. NO. this can't be! Alex screamed out.

The rooftop seemed to contort and bend around them, the edges of reality unraveling. The doppelgänger's voice returned, smooth and unrelenting.

"It's time to remember, Alex. Time to face what you've buried."

And then, everything went black.