Emiren took the first step, and the world around him changed.
He found himself in a narrow corridor, its walls made of mirrors. But they did not reflect him as ordinary mirrors would—instead, they showed different versions of himself: younger, older, wounded in battle, eyeless, with burning hands, dressed as an emperor, in exile.
With each step, the reflections shifted, as if the mirrors were trying to show him all the possible paths he could take.
— Is this an illusion? — he whispered.
— This is the truth you refuse to see, — a voice echoed from everywhere.
Emiren turned, but no one was there.
He kept walking forward.
The Shadow Behind Him
With every step, the mirrors darkened. The reflections became less clear, as if shadows were flooding them.
Then he noticed something strange—one of the figures in the mirror was not mirroring his movements.
His reflection stood still.
Emiren stopped.
— Who are you?
The figure in the mirror slowly tilted its head.
— You know who I am.
Suddenly, the mirror cracked, and the shadow broke free.
A Duel with Himself
The figure looked just like him—the same stance, the same features—but its eyes were black, and its body was covered in thin cracks, from which dark light seeped.
— You cannot shape time without understanding it, — it spoke. — And to understand it, you must accept all your possible selves.
The shadow lunged forward.
Emiren barely managed to dodge. He felt its hand brush past his face—and the space around him shuddered, as if reality itself had been touched.
He stepped back, searching for an escape, but the mirrored corridor stretched into infinity.
— You cannot run, — the shadow hissed. — You must accept me… or be lost here forever.
Emiren clenched his fists.
— If you are a part of me, then I will learn to control you.
The shadow smiled.
— Try.
A Battle for Control
The fight unfolded among the mirrors, which distorted every movement.
The shadow was faster. It knew every move he would make before he even acted. It shifted form, turning ghostly, then suddenly materializing in unexpected places.
Emiren tried to strike, but his hand passed through empty air. In return, the shadow touched his shoulder—and he felt something inside him tremble.
Time around him shattered.
He saw hundreds of versions of himself—those he could have become, those he never would be.
And he understood that he was not just fighting a shadow.
He was fighting himself.
The Key to Escape
The shadow attacked again.
But this time, Emiren did not dodge.
He stepped forward and opened his arms, allowing the darkness to touch him.
— I will not fear you, — he said. — I accept you.
The shadow stopped.
The world trembled. The mirrors crumbled into dust, and the corridor vanished.
They stood together—one being, one essence.
Emiren felt a new strength awaken inside him.
Before him, a door appeared.
He had passed the trial.