Kane looked between the paths, heart hammering.
"This is bullshit," he said suddenly, his voice strengthening.
"Cyrus doesn't need saving—and he sure as hell wouldn't leave me behind."
The phantom's expression flickered with uncertainty.
"The real Cyrus is a pain in my ass, but he's honorable. He'd walk through fire before breaking a bond." Kane holstered his pistol and stepped closer to the phantom.
"And I know exactly what I am to him—not just an inconvenience."
Kane reached forward, his hand passing through the phantom's chest—directly where the karmic seal would be.
"I choose neither path," he declared.
The phantom Cyrus dissolved, the false paths crumbling away to reveal a single corridor ahead.
Kane exhaled shakily, pressing his hand to his own chest where the karmic seal pulsed warmly.
"Where are you, you scaly bastard?" he whispered. "I bet your trial is way easier than mine."
