Chapter 13: The Echo of Doubt
Rohan tried to look away from the crystal walls, but the reflection of his own self kept shouting silently, "Turn back!" The Sky-Skipper's light began to flicker. It was feeding on Rohan's courage, and right now, his courage was fading.
"Pip, the boat is slowing down!" Rohan cried out.
"It's because you're doubting yourself, Rohan!" Pip yelled, jumping onto the steering wheel. "The Labyrinth doesn't want you to find the exit. It wants you to believe you aren't good enough to be the Guardian."
Suddenly, a dark, oily shadow began to seep out from the crystals. It didn't look like a monster; it looked like a copy of Rohan, but with empty, black eyes. The Shadow-Rohan stepped onto the deck of the boat.
"You're just a boy from a small village," the Shadow-Rohan said in a hollow voice. "You can't even speak the language of Aetheria. You failed your exams, you're scared of the dark, and you think a silver key makes you a hero? You're a lie."
Rohan felt the silver key in his pocket grow freezing cold—so cold it felt like it was burning his skin. He realized that the shadow was right about one thing: he was scared. But then he remembered his grandfather's voice from the attic: "Fear is not your enemy, Rohan. It is the fuel for your bravery."
Rohan looked the shadow in the eye. "I am scared," he admitted loudly. "And I don't know if I can save Aetheria. But I'm here, and I'm not leaving Pip behind."
As soon as he spoke his truth, the Shadow-Rohan shattered like glass. The silver key flared with a heat so intense that the dark crystals around them turned into pure, shining diamonds.