**Chapter 25: The Mirror of Fate**

**Chapter 25: The Mirror of Fate**

Jack's breath came in short, sharp bursts as he pushed himself upright, his muscles screaming from the battle. His mind struggled to comprehend what stood before him. **Himself.**

The figure mirrored his every movement. Same white hair. Same sharp eyes. But there was something different—something **wrong**. The doppelgänger's gaze burned with an eerie glow, flickering like the void itself. Jack swallowed hard, gripping his sword tighter.

Shadow bristled beside him, a low growl rumbling from deep in his throat. The other Jack—**the Other**—tilted its head slightly, almost curiously. Then, it spoke.

**"You are not supposed to be here."**

Jack's stomach twisted. He had heard those words before—**from the Guardian.**

He forced himself to stand tall. "Yeah? Well, neither are you."

The Other chuckled—a dry, hollow sound that sent a shiver down Jack's spine. **"I have always been here."** It gestured to the chamber around them, its walls lined with pulsing symbols of both fire and shadow, ancient and shifting. **"And so have you."**

Jack narrowed his eyes. "What are you?"

The Other took a slow step forward. **"I am the choice you refuse to acknowledge."**

A chill ran through Jack. "What the hell does that mean?"

Instead of answering, the Other extended a hand. Dark tendrils curled from its fingertips, swirling with the same energy that had once tried to consume Eldrin. But within the void was something else—**fire.** Golden embers burned within the darkness, an unsettling mix of power and destruction.

Jack's fingers twitched against his sword hilt. The Guardian's words echoed in his mind. **"Balance. Only then can you face what is coming."**

The Other must have seen the hesitation because it smiled. **"You are afraid of what you do not understand."**

Jack exhaled sharply. "No. I'm afraid of making the wrong choice."

The Other's expression darkened. **"And yet, you have already chosen."**

Without warning, it lunged.

Jack barely had time to react. Their blades met with a deafening **clang**, the impact sending out a shockwave that cracked the chamber floor beneath them. The Other moved with terrifying speed—faster than Jack had ever faced. It was like fighting a reflection of himself, one that knew every move before he even made it.

Jack ducked under a sweeping strike, countering with a burst of fire from his gauntlet. The flames roared toward the Other, but instead of recoiling, it absorbed them, twisting the fire into its own form and throwing it back.

Jack barely managed to throw up his gauntlet in time. The impact sent him skidding backward, his boots scraping against the stone. **It was feeding off of him.**

Shadow lunged, snapping at the Other's legs, but it moved too fluidly, sidestepping with eerie precision. It turned to the wolf-dog, and for the first time, its voice held something close to curiosity.

**"Loyal. Even when he does not understand."**

Jack's pulse thundered in his ears. "Leave him out of this."

The Other smirked. **"Then stop holding back."**

Jack clenched his jaw. He knew what it meant. The balance. Fire and shadow. He had spent so long resisting the darkness, fearing what it meant if he let it in.

But maybe that was the mistake.

The moment Jack made peace with that thought, **something clicked.**

He didn't reject the darkness this time. Instead, he embraced it—**not as an enemy, but as part of himself.** The fire in his gauntlet dimmed slightly, shifting—**blending**—with the shadows that had always been there. The power surged, not chaotic, but **controlled.**

The Other's smirk faltered.

Jack met its gaze. "I get it now."

This time, when Jack moved, **he was faster.** He didn't just attack—he wove between light and dark, his movements unpredictable. He struck from angles that the Other couldn't anticipate. Fire became shadow, shadow became fire—**balanced.**

The Other struggled to keep up. For the first time, it **wasn't in control.**

Jack saw his opening.

He drove forward, his blade igniting with both forces, and **plunged it straight into the Other's chest.**

The impact sent a ripple through the chamber. The Other gasped, its form flickering violently. **Not in pain. In disbelief.**

Jack held his ground, his breath steady. "You were never my enemy," he said, voice calm. "You were my fear. My doubt. The part of me I refused to face."

The Other staggered back, the shadows in its form unraveling. It looked at Jack, and for a fleeting moment, **it almost looked relieved.**

**"Then you are ready."**

With those final words, the Other collapsed into a swirl of light and shadow, dissipating into the chamber's walls. The pulsing runes faded, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Jack stood there, heart pounding. The weight of what had just happened settled over him.

Shadow whined, pressing against his leg. Jack exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, buddy. I think we just won."

But as he turned toward the exit, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning.

**To be continued...**