The world shifted in an instant, the blinding light of the orb enveloping Jason, washing away the shadows that had clung to him for so long. Time itself seemed to fracture, pieces of it breaking apart like fragile glass, scattering into the ether.
Jason's body tensed, the pressure from the orb's power surging through him, filling every fiber of his being. It was as though the truth itself had become a living thing, alive and thrashing within him. Memories that he had long buried resurfaced, each one an echo of his past, of choices he had made, of mistakes he had tried to forget.
The figure—the shadow that had claimed to be his reflection—was gone. But the words it had spoken lingered in the air, reverberating through Jason's mind. "You're still the same," it had said. "The same weaknesses, the same fears." Had he truly changed? Or had he simply been running from himself all this time?
Jason opened his eyes, and for a moment, the world seemed still. The sand, the shadows, the chaos—they were gone. He stood alone in a vast expanse of nothingness, a space that felt both alien and oddly familiar. It was as if the very fabric of reality had been torn away, leaving only him behind.
"Where am I?" Jason whispered, his voice swallowed by the emptiness.
Finn's voice broke through the silence, sharp and insistent. "You're here. And you're not alone. The answers are within you, Jason. Always have been."
Jason turned, searching for Finn, but there was no sign of him. Just the vast, silent void stretching endlessly in every direction.
Then, a sound—a soft whisper, as if carried on the wind. It was a voice, one he knew too well.
"Jason..."
The voice echoed through the void, and Jason's heart skipped a beat. It was her. The woman from his past, the one whose face had appeared in the shadows. He had thought he'd left her behind, thought he had buried that part of his life.
But now, it seemed as though she was calling him back.
"Jason..." The voice was closer now, almost as if she were standing right behind him.
He spun around, his pulse racing, but there was no one there. Just the empty, dark void stretching before him.
"Stop running, Jason," the voice said again, this time filled with sorrow. "Face it. Face me."
The air grew thick with tension, and Jason felt a chill settle over him. His mind raced as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Was this a trick? Another part of the game? Or was this truly the voice of the past, the one he had tried to forget?
"I've already faced you," Jason muttered, his voice harsh. "I've faced everything. I've come this far."
A laugh, soft and sad, echoed around him. "You think you've come far? You've barely scratched the surface. The past isn't something you can outrun. It follows you, Jason. It always has."
Jason clenched his fists, feeling the weight of those words settle in his chest. Was this true? Had he been running all this time, trying to escape the things he had done, the person he had once been?
The voice spoke again, its tone gentle now. "You don't have to keep running. You never did."
Jason took a deep breath, the tension in his body slowly ebbing away. He had always thought he was escaping his past, moving forward, trying to outrun the mistakes he had made. But now, as the voice of his past whispered to him, he realized something he hadn't before.
It wasn't about running.
It was about confronting what he had left behind.
And in that moment, Jason understood. The truth wasn't just in the orb, or in the battle with the shadows. It was within him. His past, his regrets, his choices—they were part of who he was. And he didn't have to let them control him any longer.
He had a choice.
Jason's hand moved to his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath his fingertips. He had come so far, had fought so hard, but now, in this place, in the heart of the storm, he could finally face what he had buried.
The voice faded into the distance, its words lingering in the air like a soft echo. "You can choose, Jason. Choose to move forward, not run away."
With a steady breath, Jason nodded to himself. He was ready. Ready to face the truth, no matter how painful, no matter how much it hurt.
It was time to stop running.
The void around him began to shift, the darkness receding, revealing the faintest glimmer of light. The orb's glow intensified once more, calling to him, urging him forward.
He stepped toward it, the weight of the past no longer a burden, but a guide. The truth had been revealed, and now, Jason could face it—fully, without fear.
He reached out, his fingers brushing the orb, and with it, the world around him began to change. The threads of time had been unraveled, and with them, the path ahead was finally clear.
Jason took a deep breath, ready to step into the unknown.