Every passage in The Shaper's chaotic, nightmare domain bends back on itself, and the walls glimmer with warped reflections of their own faces as Arin and Cassiel enter. Dark, hideous echoes of themselves—each a tortured echo from failed histories where they faltered, fell, or gave up—confront them in this broken world of mirrors. These deranged doppelgängers are constant reminders of all the times they have failed to defend the Earth or one another, embodying every weakness and fear they have ever had.
The conflict turns into a vicious psychological attack as it starts. Each doppelgänger taunts them, speaking in their own voices but in a depressing and hopeless way. Arin's doppelgänger makes fun of their insecurities and worries that they will never be enough. Cassiel's warped doppelganger ridicules their resolve, calling them conceited and for entangling Arin in a futile endeavor.
Each strike reverberates with the anguish of their previous failures, making the conflict emotionally and physically taxing. Arin's time fragments come to life, displaying fleeting glimpses of every timeline they have lost and endured. The weight of The Shaper's influence is made more evident with each vision; it has been planning every doomed reality and using each of its terrible results as fuel to get stronger.
Arin's Time Fragments flash with a fresh vision, a potential future where they succeed—a single, bright sight of Earth restored, with blue sky and warm sunshine shedding light over a happy world—as the tide of the battle appears to be turning against them. There, standing, are Arin and Cassiel, beside one another in a world they jointly created. They have a strong sense of hope at this point, which makes them more determined to persevere.
The Time Fragments then disclose a terrifying reality: just one of them can make it through the last encounter with The Shaper in this triumphant vision. With their heart broken, Arin falters under the weight of the discovery. They understand that one of them must give their life in order to vanquish The Shaper and ensure Earth's future. Cassiel immediately recognizes the truth in Arin's eyes, but he rejects it. With angry and determined gaze, they hold Arin's hand.
"We fight together no matter what," Cassiel declares in a voice full of unwavering confidence. This is too far gone for us to abandon the globe to despair. They promise to face this obstacle together, no matter what the future brings, for their love has grown stronger with each conflict and adversity.
They are propelled into the final battle against The Shaper by their combined strength, which is fueled by love, hope, and the unwavering resolve to protect a planet worth fighting for, even if it means that one of them may not live to see it.