Antem felt the weight of the past pressing down on him from all sides. The shadow stood opposite, cold and unmoving, while the scene from his old life flickered in the darkness like a ghost.
— You cannot escape from me, — said the doppelgänger. His voice was quiet, yet it echoed in the space, causing others to look around nervously.
— I am your fear. Your doubt. And as long as you do not accept me, you will remain here.
— What does it mean to accept you? — asked Antem, keeping his gaze fixed on the doppelgänger.
The shadow took a step forward, and the darkness around began to change again. Now Antem saw fragments of his own past, moments he had tried to forget: failures, fears, losses.
— Look at yourself, — the shadow said. — You are not a hero. You are a coward who has fled from the truth.
Antem felt anger rising within him.
— I could have stayed in the lie, — he replied. — But I chose to move forward.
— Chose? — the shadow laughed. — Do you think you made a choice? You are just running away from yourself.
The Truth in the Darkness
Antem stopped. The shadows of his past, which danced around him, no longer seemed so frightening. He saw his childhood, his mistakes, the loss of loved ones. All of this was part of him.
— You are right, — he said. — I am not a hero. I am afraid. I doubt. But that does not mean I should remain in the past.
He took a step toward his doppelgänger.
The shadow darkened but did not retreat.
— You will always be a part of me, — Antem continued. — But you are not all that I am.
Light began to penetrate the darkness. The shadows of the past lost their power, and the scenes dissolved. The doppelgänger began to fade, but before he disappeared completely, he said:
— By accepting me, you have become stronger. But remember: I am always nearby.
Antem was left alone in the light that gradually enveloped the entire canyon.
A New Path
The group that had been standing aside, observing everything, moved closer.
— What was that? — asked the young woman.
— That was me, — Antem replied, looking at her. — We all carry shadows that haunt us. But only by accepting them can we move forward.
Karen stepped up and placed a hand on his shoulder.
— It wasn’t easy, but you proved that you are worthy of this path.
— We all are worthy, — said Antem.
The darkness of the canyon finally dissipated, revealing a path forward. On the horizon appeared a new structure—a tall tower made of gleaming metal that looked both familiar and unfathomable.
— We are going there, — said Antem.
And without looking back, he took the first step toward the tower, leading those who chose to continue their journey into this new, unknown world.