The storm of snow and wind raged around me, blinding and cold, but the pearl against my chest burned hotter than any fire. Its warmth spread through my veins, pulsing with a rhythm that seemed to synchronize with my heartbeat. The shadow before me, my own reflection twisted into something terrifying yet familiar, crouched like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"You're ready to fight," it whispered, voice layered with echoes that made it impossible to distinguish reality from memory. "But can you endure what you buried?"
I gritted my teeth, feeling fear clawing at me, but beneath it, a strange courage surged. "I… I have to," I said, lifting the pearl like a shield. "I will not let you—me—control me anymore."
For a heartbeat, nothing moved. Then, the shadow lunged. It was impossibly fast, moving like liquid darkness, its golden eyes locked on mine. The air seemed to vibrate with its energy, and my chest tightened as I braced myself. The pearl flared suddenly, and a beam of golden light erupted from it, striking the shadow like a lance.
The figure staggered, but not for long. It laughed—a sound that split the snowstorm, echoing in every direction. "Clever, but naïve," it hissed, its form rippling like black water. "You cannot defeat yourself with light alone."
The ground beneath me trembled. The snow shifted violently, forming jagged shapes that glinted like shards of glass. My boots sank deeper, struggling against the storm, but I forced myself forward. Each step toward the shadow felt like moving through molasses, yet the pearl's warmth guided me, urging me to confront rather than flee.
"You… you're a part of me," I shouted, voice cracking, "and I… I won't let fear rule me anymore!"
The shadow paused, tilting its head as though curious. Then, it struck again—but this time, not with claws or fists. Its form split into dozens of flickering reflections, each one moving independently, each one a twisted echo of me. I staggered backward, overwhelmed, my vision fractured by the multiple golden eyes staring from every angle.
"Your mind… your fear… your regrets," the shadow whispered from everywhere at once, "they make me strong. They make you weak. Choose—embrace them, or be consumed."
I fell to my knees, clutching the pearl, my fingers burning from its heat. Memories flashed before me: the midnight rain, the city lights, the stranger who brought me to safety, the feeling of helplessness at the bus stop, the endless snow. Each memory twisted into another, a flood of fear and shame. I wanted to collapse, to let the shadow consume me, but then a thought pierced the chaos: I am not helpless. I am still me. EG is with me.
The pearl's glow intensified, engulfing my entire body in golden light. I screamed—not in fear, but in determination—and surged upward. The reflections faltered, recoiling from the heat of the pearl. One by one, the copies shattered like glass, leaving only the original shadow, eyes blazing gold, standing before me.
"I remember everything," I shouted, voice echoing through the storm. "I won't run. I won't hide. I… I am stronger than my fear!"
For a moment, silence. The snow froze midair, the wind stilling, the shadows holding their breath. The golden light from the pearl flared again, enveloping the shadow in warmth. Slowly, its form began to solidify—not into something threatening, but into something… familiar.
The shadow spoke one last time, voice low, almost gentle: "Then… prove it."
And with that, the snowstorm shifted. The endless white began to break apart, revealing the first faint glimmers of color—hints of the city, hints of warmth, hints of the world I had been trying to return to.
I had won the first battle—but I knew this was only the beginning.