Elara stared at the reflection of herself, her sword drawn and ready. The doppelgänger's eyes gleamed with a dark, twisted malice, so unlike her own. For a moment, the two locked gazes, the silence stretching between them like a taut string ready to snap.
Then, the reflection spoke, her voice eerily calm but laced with venom. "You think you can stop me? You think you understand this place? You don't even know yourself."
The words cut deeper than Elara expected. She had been through battles, confronted horrors unimaginable, yet something about facing her own reflection—this dark mockery of herself—unsettled her deeply.
Seraphina moved to Elara's side, gripping the Celestial Pendant tightly in her hand. "This isn't real, Elara," she said quietly but urgently. "This is another trick. It's trying to break you. Don't listen to it."
