To love a sword

Chapter 36: Approaching Shadow Part 1

Beta read by Shigiya, Paragon of Awesomeness and FabledLife

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It was dark. 

A kind of darkness so absolute that not even the faintest glimmer of light could slip through it, making even the simple act of glancing down at her own body feel like staring into the abyss. Yami couldn’t even see the clothes she always wore. The girl could not remember how she had ended up in this place. There was no memory, no trail of thought, no signs, no sound, nothing at all. Just an oppressive, ink-black void that seemed intent on swallowing not just her surroundings but her very sense of self.

Despite having faced countless dangerous targets across the stars, abominations of all sorts, aliens who held the power to destroy cities, and even an absurdly powerful human mage whom, to this day, she still could not understand. Yet despite all of that, in this moment, Yami felt a chill that made her tense. Not fear exactly, but unease. The kind that dug into the back of your mind when something was not right.

"Is someone there?" she asked aloud, or at least she thought she did. No sound came from her lips. The silence was suffocating, so thick it drowned out her own voice, leaving only a faint whisper she could barely hear inside her own head.

Time passed, but how long was impossible to say. Seconds may have been minutes, but those minutes turned into hours until the passing of time itself felt meaningless. The longer she stood there, the more the unease within her heart began to twist into something deeper, into dread. It was not because of the dark, not because of the void, or even the solitude. She had lived with those for far too long to be shaken by them.

No. This was different.

It was the feeling that she wasn’t alone. That someone, or something, had been watching her all this time.

"Come out," she warned them, not backing down from the possibility of this ending up in a fight.

And then it appeared.

Without a sound or flash of light, a figure stood before her. Strands of blonde hair, much like hers, long and soft, shimmered faintly against the blackness. Red eyes, jewel-like in their clarity, stared back at her. The body was that of a young girl, identical to her in both size and shape. It was like looking into a mirror that had been warped.

"You are… me?" Yami whispered, her voice finally escaping in the barest breath.

But this version of herself wasn’t right. The claw-like hands, horns curled subtly from the sides of her head, and a smile that did not belong on her face… both foreign and unsettling. Her heart skipped a beat. Something was off; she did not like this. 

The sight of this twisted reflection sent a ripple of revulsion up her spine.

Then the reflection raised one hand, which transformed in an instant. The appendage pulsed with dark energy, and in that instant, Yami realized her body wasn’t responding. Her hair did not shift. Her arms refused to move. She couldn’t even raise a finger to protect herself.

"No. Go away," she managed to whisper, her voice trembling. The dread inside her now surged with intensity. Her mirror image stepped forward, step by step, closing the distance.

The blade caught what little light existed. It was raised overhead.

Then it fell.

"—!”

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Eyes snapped open as the young blonde girl shot upright from the bed, her body drenched in sweat. Her heart pounded violently in her chest, beating like a war drum.