Embrace the darkness

Jin-Won clenched his fists, his breath heavy as he faced his shadowy replica. It stood motionless, smirking as if it already knew the outcome. Around him, Hori, Lyria, and Yun-Su struggled against their own dark counterparts. Every attack they launched was met with an identical counter.

"We can't win like this," Jin-Won muttered, dodging a slash from his double. "They anticipate everything we do."

Lyria's shadow unleashed another spell, forcing her to retreat. "Then what's the answer?! We can't just stop fighting!"

The Guardian's voice echoed in the ruins. "To defeat oneself… one must first understand."

Jin-Won's eyes widened. "Understand…?"

He took a deep breath and stepped back, lowering his sword. His shadow mirrored him but with a hint of hesitation.

"If you are truly me…" Jin-Won said, "then you share my fears, my doubts, my regrets."

His shadow flinched.

That was it.

"They are stronger because they are unburdened," Yun-Su realized. "But they lack what makes us human—our will to change."

Jin-Won closed his eyes for a brief moment, then reopened them with clarity. He stepped toward his shadow—not to fight, but to accept it.

The darkness wavered. The shadow hesitated, its form flickering. Then, without warning, it lunged at Jin-Won—only for him to embrace it.

A surge of energy rushed through him as memories flooded his mind—his failures, his fears, his anger. But instead of rejecting them, he accepted them.

And just like that, his shadow dissolved into light, merging into him.

One by one, the others followed his lead. Hori roared as he accepted his reckless nature, Lyria steadied herself as she acknowledged her own doubts, and Yun-Su finally let go of his past regrets.

The trial was over.

The Guardian's voice resonated once more. "You have passed."

A new path opened before them, bathed in a mysterious silver light.

Their journey was far from over—but now, they were stronger than ever.

To be continued…