---
Location: Tower Floor 66 – Abyssal Mirror Domain
The floor was dark. Not just in light, but in memory. It was here, years ago, that Rael left a part of himself behind—a clone born from desperation and madness. It had no name. No identity. Only a single purpose: survive.
Rael stepped into the abyss, the ground reflecting not his current self, but his broken past.
Selene followed, her brows furrowed. "This place… it feels like grief."
"It's where I lost control," Rael said. "Where I left him."
---
Flashback – Three Years Before Death
Rael knelt in a blood-soaked chamber, surrounded by Executioners. His body broken. His team missing.
He tore out a fragment of his soul and poured it into a reflection. "Survive. Grow. If I fall… come back for me."
And the mirror shimmered.
---
Present
The ground cracked.
A boy stepped out of the shadows—shackled, bruised, his eyes like voids. He was Rael… and not. Wiser in cruelty. Stronger in raw instinct.
> [Soul Fragment Detected: Clone ID – "Echo Rael"] [Stability: 42% – Identity Corruption Critical]
The clone growled. "You left me."
"I had to," Rael said quietly.
"Then why come back?"
Rael reached out a hand. "Because we're not finished. Not yet."
---
The clone lunged.
Fists clashed. Power trembled. Selene was thrown back by the sheer force of the collision.
This wasn't just a fight.
It was penance.
> [System Alert: Dual Consciousness Merging Attempted] [Warning: Fatal backlash possible]
Rael grit his teeth. "I didn't survive just to abandon you again!"
The clone paused—just for a moment.
And in that heartbeat, Rael embraced him.
---
System Message:
> [Fragment Reclaimed] [Skill Unlocked: Shadowheart Core] [Effect: Access memories and skills of all previous lives and clones. Soul synchronization complete.]
---
The boy vanished.
Rael opened his eyes—now containing a third ring of light.
Selene stepped beside him, stunned. "Was that… you?"
"One of me," he said, voice deeper. "And now, we're whole."
---
Meanwhile – Tower Sky Realm
The High Seraphs stirred.
"He's found the last piece," one whispered.
The others drew weapons.
"Then we end him before he learns the truth."
---