The air around Riven crackled with tension as he faced his reflection. It stood before him, identical in every way except for the glint of malice in its eyes and the unsettling smirk on its face.

  “Who are you?” Riven asked, gripping his blade tightly.

  The reflection tilted its head, mimicking his movements perfectly. “I’m you. The better you. The you who doesn’t flinch, doesn’t doubt. I don’t carry the weight of guilt or fear. I just... exist.”

  Riven’s chest tightened. Guilt? Fear? The reflection’s words struck a chord he didn’t understand. His memories were still fragmented, his past a hazy void he couldn’t pierce.

  “Why are you standing in my way?” Riven demanded, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him.

  The reflection chuckled. “Because you don’t deserve to move forward. Not yet. You’re broken, Custodian, and you can’t fix anyone until you face what’s inside you.”

  The reflection raised its blade, the runes glowing with a menacing red light. It lunged without warning, its strikes precise and unrelenting. Riven barely had time to block the first blow before the reflection came at him again, each movement faster and more aggressive than the last.

  The clash of blades rang out, filling the empty space with echoes. Riven gritted his teeth, struggling to keep up. It was like fighting himself—every strength he had, the reflection matched. Every weakness, it exploited.

  “Why are you holding back?” the reflection taunted, its blade cutting dangerously close to Riven’s side. “Afraid of what you’ll become if you let go?”

  “I’m not afraid,” Riven growled, pushing back with a powerful strike that forced the reflection to retreat a step.

  “Then prove it!”

  As they fought, images began to flash in Riven’s mind—memories he didn’t know he had. A woman’s laughter, soft and warm. A child’s hand reaching for his. A battlefield, the cries of the wounded ringing in his ears.

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  The reflection took advantage of his distraction, landing a blow that sent him stumbling to the ground. His sword clattered out of reach.

  “Look at you,” the reflection sneered, standing over him. “You can’t even fight for yourself, let alone save anyone else. Do you even know why you’re here?”

  Riven’s chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. The flashes of memory grew sharper, more painful. He remembered the woman’s face now—kind eyes, a gentle smile. He remembered holding the child’s hand, promising to protect them. And then... nothing. A void where something terrible should have been.

  “I don’t remember,” Riven whispered, his voice breaking.

  The reflection crouched down, its expression turning almost pitying. “Exactly. You don’t remember because you don’t want to. But if you’re going to survive this place, you have to face it. All of it.”

  The reflection stood and offered Riven its hand. Surprised, Riven hesitated, then took it.

  “You’re not ready to beat me,” the reflection said. “Not until you stop running from what’s inside you. But I’m not here to destroy you, Custodian. I’m here to remind you.”

  Riven frowned. “Remind me of what?”

  The reflection smirked. “What you’ve lost. What you’re fighting for.”

  Before Riven could respond, the reflection dissolved into a cloud of shimmering shards. They swirled around him before vanishing, leaving the air eerily still once more.

  Riven picked up his sword, his grip firm despite the tremble in his hands. He felt raw, exposed, like the fight had torn away a part of his defenses.

  The boy appeared again, his form flickering like a dying flame. “You faced it, didn’t you?”

  Riven nodded slowly. “I... I saw pieces. I don’t understand it yet, but... it’s something.”

  The boy smiled faintly. “That’s a start. The Eternal Mirror doesn’t just trap us—it feeds on what we hide. The more you face your truth, the weaker its hold will be.”

  Riven glanced at the distant spire, its glow dimmer now, as if the reflection’s disappearance had affected it. “So I just keep walking toward it? Keep... facing myself?”

  The boy’s smile faded. “It won’t be easy. The closer you get, the harder it’ll fight back. But if you don’t, this place will consume you.”

  Riven tightened his grip on his sword and straightened. “Then I’ll face whatever comes. I’m not leaving until this curse is broken.”

  The boy’s form shimmered, and for the first time, he looked hopeful. “Good luck, Custodian.”

  Riven turned back toward the spire, the weight of his fragmented memories heavy on his shoulders. The Eternal Mirror awaited, and with it, the answers he sought—and feared.

  For the first time, he didn’t feel entirely alone.