The night had a strange stillness to it as Raizen stood on the cliffside, gazing down at the churning sea below. The winds whipped through his silver hair, and his thoughts were as tumultuous as the waves crashing against the rocks.
The Crown of Shadows had granted him power, but it had also opened a door to darker questions. Was he becoming something he had sworn to destroy? A tyrant, a puppet of the Crown's will?
It was in this moment of self-doubt that a voice called out to him, soft yet unmistakable.
"Raizen," it said, echoing in the wind. "Is that truly who you are now?"
Raizen turned sharply, his eyes narrowing as a figure emerged from the shadows. The silhouette was tall, lean, and draped in a long, dark cloak — much like his own. The figure stepped into the dim light, revealing a face that Raizen knew all too well.
It was his own.
But it wasn't Raizen — not the Raizen he knew. The man standing before him had the same silver hair, the same piercing eyes, but there was something else. A coldness. A malice. The man's smile was twisted, the kind of smile Raizen had only seen on the faces of those who had long since sold their souls.
"Who are you?" Raizen demanded, stepping back, instinctively reaching for the power within him.
The man's lips curled into a sinister grin. "You don't recognize me? How disappointing. I suppose that's to be expected. After all, you've been too busy running from your past to see the truth."
Raizen's eyes narrowed further. "You... you're me."
The man laughed, the sound like a knife scraping across stone. "Not exactly. I'm who you could have been, had you chosen differently. I am what you would have become if you had embraced the power of the Crown fully — without hesitation."
Raizen's chest tightened. His heart pounded in his ears. "No. That's impossible. I'm not like you. I don't... I won't be like you."
The man's eyes glowed with an eerie light. "You already are. You think the power of the Crown doesn't change you? You think it's just a tool you can control? No, Raizen. The Crown is a parasite, and once it attaches itself to you, it feeds. It becomes a part of you, and you can never escape it."
Raizen clenched his fists. "I'm not like you. I'll never be like you."
The man tilted his head. "That's what you think now. But give it time. It's inevitable. The Crown will consume you. It always does."
The words hit Raizen harder than he wanted to admit. His stomach churned as memories of his brother, of Noctis, flooded back. Could the man be right? Was he already too far gone?
He shook his head violently. "No. I'll never be like you."
The man smirked, stepping closer, his presence radiating an oppressive, cold aura. "Then prove it. Fight me, Raizen. Show me you can control your destiny. Or... maybe you'll realize that you've already chosen the path of destruction."
The words hit like a challenge, a gauntlet thrown at his feet. Raizen felt the heat of his emotions rise, the Crown of Shadows whispering promises of unimaginable power. The temptation was overwhelming. But deep down, something in him knew this wasn't a simple confrontation. It was a test — a test of everything he stood for.
"Fine," Raizen growled, raising his hand. The shadows around him responded, coiling and writhing like living things. The power of the Crown surged through him, filling him with dark energy. "I'll prove to you that I'm not like you."
The battle began.
A Clash of Shadows
The two Raizens collided with terrifying speed. The sound of their strikes echoed across the cliffs, the air crackling with dark energy. Raizen's clone, the dark version of himself, moved with uncanny precision, matching Raizen's every attack with ease.
Raizen summoned shadows to form blades that cut through the air, while his doppelganger summoned his own army of shadow creatures, dark tendrils that lashed out at Raizen. Each blow felt like it struck at his very soul, and the power of the Crown coursed through him, urging him to give in to the darkness.
"Come on, Raizen," the dark version taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. "You've been wielding the Crown's power this whole time. You've already let it change you. You're nothing but a tool for the Crown's will now. You'll be just like me."
Raizen gritted his teeth, focusing on the fight. "I'm not like you!" he roared, summoning more power from within. His shadows clashed against the dark figure's, both forces equal in strength but wildly different in purpose. One was born of desperation; the other, of greed.
The fight raged on, but it was more than just a physical battle. Every strike, every move, felt like it was chipping away at Raizen's resolve. The darkness of the Crown was closing in on him, and with every shadow he summoned, it felt as if the Crown itself was pulling him deeper into its embrace.
"Do you feel it?" the dark Raizen asked, his voice like a whisper in Raizen's mind. "The power... the pleasure of it. Don't you want more? It's not too late, you know. Join me. We can rule this world together."
The voice of the Crown was in his ear now, urging him to give in, to embrace the power fully. For a brief moment, Raizen hesitated, the temptation almost too great to resist. The power was within his grasp — the chance to reshape the world, to get revenge on those who had wronged him. All he had to do was embrace the darkness, like his doppelganger had.
But then, a memory flashed in his mind — his brother's voice, whispering to him in the ashes of Noctis: "Don't become what they are. Don't lose yourself."
Raizen's eyes snapped open, and with a primal scream, he called upon the power of the Crown once more — but this time, he fought against it. The shadows around him recoiled as Raizen's resolve hardened. He refused to become the monster his clone represented.
The two Raizens clashed once more, but this time, Raizen's determination burned brighter than ever. He wasn't going to let the Crown consume him.
With a final, devastating blow, Raizen drove his shadow blade through his doppelganger's chest. The dark figure let out a final, mocking laugh before dissolving into shadows, his form scattering like smoke in the wind.
The Aftermath
Raizen fell to his knees, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The pain of the battle, both physical and mental, weighed heavily on him. The Crown pulsed within him, but now, it felt more like a curse than a blessing. The fight had revealed something he could no longer ignore: the Crown was not something he could control, no matter how hard he tried.
"Raizen..." Zhara's voice was soft but filled with concern as she approached him, her eyes scanning him for injuries. "Are you... okay?"
Raizen didn't answer at first. His eyes were distant, staring out at the sea. He had won, but at what cost? His heart was heavy, the weight of the Crown's influence pressing down on him.
"I don't know anymore," he muttered, his voice filled with uncertainty. "I thought I was strong enough to fight it. But now... I don't know who I'm becoming."
Zhara placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You're still you, Raizen. Don't let the darkness take that away from you."
Raizen didn't reply. He simply stared out at the horizon, wondering how much longer he could resist the pull of the Crown.
End of Chapter 6: The Mirror's Reflection