A figure stood before him, himself. But this version was different. His eyes were hollow, his expression carved from stone. The weight of countless failures clung to him like a shadow.
"You cannot save them," his own voice whispered. "You never could."
Jude clenched his fists, his body trembling. "This isn't real."
His doppelgänger tilted its head. "Isn't it?"
The illusion twisted, the broken island shifting. Now he saw the faces of those he had fought to protect, Mira, Eamon, Eldara, Nefertari, each one fading into the void, their voices lost to the wind.
The ground cracked beneath his feet, the abyss yawning wide. The voice of his double was cold, final. "You are alone."
Jude's breath came fast, panic threatening to take hold. But then, through the chaos, a single thought cut through the fear.
No.
