[Facial Expression + Action]I froze.
The moment he stepped from the swirling darkness, the ground beneath us cracked with each of his slow, deliberate footsteps.
He raised his head—and I saw it.
My face.
Exactly.
But colder.
Devoid of emotion.
A mirror without a soul.
His lips curled into a smirk that was too familiar.
"So… this is the Final Heir?"
His voice was like ash soaked in venom—low, sharp, laced with mockery.
I clenched my fists until my bones creaked. The veins on my arms glowed faintly with the pulse of awakened blood.
"Who are you?" I growled.
He tilted his head, smiling. "You. But perfected."
[Psychological Insight]My heart wasn't racing—it was drowning.
This wasn't just an enemy. This was the echo of every version of me I'd refused to become.
The ruthless one.The one who never hesitated.The one who had no Queen to protect.
Was he my suppressed instinct? A failed clone? A rejected fate made flesh?
The bloodline within me surged, louder than my thoughts. I felt it tearing at my chest, roaring for dominance.
But beneath that… was the fear.
The truth.
We couldn't both exist.
[Vivid Metaphor]His aura bled outward like a collapsing night sky.
The shadows around him weren't just darkness—they were gravity, pulling all light inward, suffocating reality itself.
My own power surged in rebellion, like wildfire breaking through ice. My shadowflame wings unfurled, cracking the air with every beat.
His shadow morphed into a black dragon, coiling around him like a crown of nightmares.
The earth between us shattered, forming a canyon from the pressure alone.
It was like the world itself was bracing for what was about to happen.
[Cliffhanger Hook]Then I heard it—
"Liam…"
Her voice.
Barely a whisper.
I turned.
The Queen was on her knees, her armor cracked, blood blooming across her chest.
Her eyes dimmed. Her mark flickered.
"Her bloodline is fading," my shadow said coolly.
He stepped forward and raised a single finger, pointing at her like a judge issuing a sentence.
"Give her to me, Liam. And I'll teach you how to win this war."
My whole body went still.
A choice.One life.One realm.
And only one crown.
To Be Continued…