Zane gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his lips, his arms shaking as he held the monstrous red greatsword at bay. The Void screamed around them, shadows clawing at the fractured space.
The reflection's eyes narrowed. "What...?"
Zane's eyes began to glow—not black, not crimson, but a brilliant, defiant purple.
The reflection staggered back a step.
Zane clenched his fists and growled. The shadows around him churned wildly, twisting like a vortex, reacting to something deep within him. The darkness that once threatened to consume him now responded to his will.
He stood slowly, the air vibrating as the Void trembled at his awakening power.
The shadows spiraled around him, lashing out violently—and then converged at his sides.
Two shapes began to form.
Slender, curved, yet deadly. Crafted of pure shadow, the twin swords bled a deep purple hue that shimmered like oil. Runes—ancient and foreign—began to pulse across their surface, glowing brighter with each heartbeat, like veins filled with cosmic energy.
Zane gripped both hilts as if he'd held them a thousand times before.
A low hum vibrated through the voidspace as the swords solidified in his hands, the shadows retreating into their edges.
The reflection stared, his red eye twitching with something between amusement and approval.
"...Hmmmm," he said at last, his grin returning. "That's more like it."
Zane took a step forward, blades at his sides, posture still low like a predator ready to strike.
"I don't remember everything," Zane said, his voice steady and fierce, "but I know one thing..."
His purple eyes locked onto the reflection's red ones.
"I'm not going to run anymore."
The reflection laughed, a cold, wild sound. "Finally! There he is! The one I've been waiting for!"
Without warning, both moved.
A clash of shadows erupted between them.
Zane's dual blades met the reflection's chained greatsword with a screech of otherworldly metal. Sparks of Void energy shot in all directions, tearing at the fabric of the voidspace itself.
Zane spun low, one blade slicing for the legs, the other aiming high. The reflection deflected one and stepped back, but Zane didn't let up. He moved with a fluidity he didn't even know he had—instinct guiding him, memory clawing its way to the surface.
Each strike became faster.
The reflection grunted as Zane's blade grazed his shoulder, purple flames licking at the wound.
"Well, well," the reflection growled, a smirk on his bloodied lips. "The cub learns to bite."
Zane didn't respond. His expression was focused—furious. The runes on his blades glowed brighter with each swing, as if feeding off the battle, awakening something long dormant inside him.
Then Zane spun into a flurry of strikes, blades dancing in arcs of purple light. The reflection blocked with a snarl, but Zane's final strike knocked the greatsword from his hands, sending it skidding into the dark.
Zane stood over him, breathing heavy, swords crossed near the reflection's throat.
The reflection laughed. "Go on. Strike me down. Let's become one again."
Zane paused. His blades trembled.
He turned and stepped back, lowering his swords.
"I don't need to become you to win."
The reflection's grin faded. He slowly rose to his feet, retrieving his sword with a flick of his wrist.
"...You're getting stronger. Good," the reflection muttered, eyes gleaming. "But remember, Zane—every step you take, you walk closer to me."
Then the red runes around him flared, and the void began to collapse inward.
Zane shielded his eyes as shadows consumed everything—
—and when he opened them again, he was no longer in the void.
He was back in the endless white space.
And standing over him...
The mysterious woman in the silver robe, her long hair glowing with strands of starlight, her eyes ancient.
"You've taken your first step," she said softly. "The pieces will return as you grow stronger."
Zane sat up, breathless, the twin blades now embedded in his soul.
But something had changed.
He wasn't just Zane anymore.