The shadow stepped closer.

  For the first time—

  Samye saw him clearly.

  Not distorted.

  Not flickering.

  Clear.

  Same scars.

  Same eyes.

  Same face.

  But sharper.

  Controlled.

  Unapologetic.

  “Oh,” Samye said quietly. “It’s you.”

  “What do you want now?”

  The other version of him smiled faintly.

  “You’re not dead yet,” he replied calmly. “But you can be.”

  He tilted his head slightly.

  “The answer depends entirely on what you decide.”

  Samye frowned.

  “What I decide?”

  The figure began walking slowly around him.

  “In this world,” he said, “people chase power.”

  “Some call it fictional. Some call it divine. Some call it evil.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  He raised a hand.

  “The power to command five hundred soldiers.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “The power to kill five hundred men.”

  “The power to steal. To influence. To shape futures.”

  He stopped in front of Samye.

  “In the end, only one thing matters.”

  “Are you strong enough to wield it?”

  Samye looked at him, confused but listening.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  The inner self’s expression hardened slightly.

  “In your case,” he said quietly,

  “the power was always inside you.”

  “You just lacked the courage to accept it.”

  He placed a hand over his own chest.

  “I am not a demon.”

  “I am not a curse.”

  “I am your will.”

  The air around them darkened subtly.

  “I am the part of you that refused to die.”

  “The part that didn’t care about rules when survival demanded cruelty.”

  “The part that would burn the world before losing someone again.”

  Samye’s breathing slowed.

  “You show the world gratitude,” the inner self continued.

  “You smile. You help. You try to be gentle.”

  “But deep down…”

  His voice lowered.

  “You don’t care for this world the way you pretend to.”

  “You’ve lost too much.”

  “And somewhere inside…”

  “You stopped believing in fairness.”

  Silence.

  Samye didn’t deny it.

  His moral compass had blurred long ago.

  The inner self stepped closer.

  “So tell me.”

  “Why are you living?”

  “Why did you come this far?”

  Samye’s eyes flickered.

  For a moment, he didn’t know.

  Then—

  A memory surfaced.

  His father’s voice.

  “Son… if you ever lose your way…”

  “Calm your mind.”

  “Look at the stars.”

  “They will guide you.”

  The white space above them darkened into a night sky.

  Stars appeared.

  Bright.

  Endless.

  Samye looked up.

  His breathing steadied.

  “…I don’t know everything,” he said slowly.

  “I don’t know why I’m still alive.”

  “But I know this.”

  He looked back at his other self.

  “I won’t die without finding the answer.”

  The inner self watched him carefully.

  “I’ll reach for the stars,” Samye continued, voice gaining strength.

  “I’ll find out why I’m still here.”

  “And if I have power inside me—”

  He stepped forward.

  “Then I’ll use it.”

  “But not to destroy blindly.”

  His eyes sharpened.

  “To protect.”

  The inner self’s smile widened slightly.

  “Good.”

  He extended his hand.

  “This time… I’ll give you everything.”

  “But remember…”

  His tone lowered.

  “I’ll always be watching.”

  “If you hesitate…”

  “I will take over.”

  Lightning flickered across the sky of stars.

  Samye grabbed his hand.

  And the space shattered.

  In the real world—

  Rain continued to fall.

  Samye’s body lay motionless in the mud.

  Then—

  His fingers twitched.

  A pulse of energy rippled outward.

  The air distorted.

  And somewhere nearby—

  The enemy felt it.