Chapter Sixty-Five

The air within the Shadowlands was thick with hostility that leaked into their very bones. The ground beneath their feet was now, not strong but a moving, throbbing mass that debilitated to swallow them entirely in case they waited for long. Ethan kept his hold tight on Clara's hand, drawing strength from the connection that had kept him grounded through incalculable trials. But presently, with his dull reflection standing before him, that connection felt shaky, like a rope fraying at the edges.

His doppelgänger smiled, the expression so unnervingly familiar that it sent a chill down Ethan's spine. "Did you truly think you could escape me?" the shadow-Ethan insulted. "You and I are one, bound by the abyss that created us. You can't run from yourself."

Ethan ventured forward, attempting to keep his voice consistent. "I'm not running," he said. "But I won't let you nor this darkness consume me."

The doppelgänger tilted its head, a twisted mirror of Ethan's movements. "Brave words, but