The violet fire swallowed her whole.
Aria gasped, her lungs filling not with air but with smoke and silence. The courtyard, the kings, the broken crystal — all vanished. She stood barefoot on a surface that was not stone, not earth, but endless black glass reflecting an endless sky of shifting stars.
Across from her stood her reflection.
Still wearing her face. Still smiling.
But here, in this place, her presence was overwhelming. Every heartbeat she took pulsed like thunder. Every step cracked the glass beneath them both.
"This," the reflection whispered, voice echoing from every direction at once, "is the only battlefield worthy of us."
Aria swallowed hard, her throat still raw from the chokehold. Her fists trembled. She had no weapon, no shield, not even the kings at her back.
"You're not me," she rasped.
The reflection tilted her head. "I'm the part of you you're too weak to claim."
Her smile widened. "But don't worry. I'll take it all."
She lunged.
The impact was blinding.
The reflection struck with speed Aria could barely follow, fists like hammers, nails like knives. Aria stumbled back, blocking with her arms, each strike rattling her bones. Pain bloomed hot across her ribs, her lip split open, blood trailing down her chin.
She screamed, shoving back with everything she had — and violet sparks exploded from her hands.
Both froze.
Aria stared at her own palms. They glowed faintly, traced with light like veins of fire.
Her reflection only laughed, delighted.
"Yes. There you are."
And then she struck again.
Outside, the kings circled the still-burning crystal, unable to follow Aria into the rift.
The Verdant King slammed a fist into the ground, green fire cracking through stone. "She'll be torn apart!"
The Solar King's golden aura flickered dangerously. His voice was tight, almost brittle. "If she cannot face herself, she was never meant to wield the Grimoire."
The Crimson King spat molten blood, still burned from before. His eyes blazed. "She is mine to protect. If she dies—"
The Frostlands King's hand caught his shoulder, grip like ice. "If she dies, she dies a queen, not a shadow. Let her fight."
Their voices clashed as violently as their powers, the air trembling with heat, cold, and fury. But none of them could enter. None of them could reach her.
Only Aria could fight this battle.
The black glass cracked beneath her feet as the reflection drove her backward. Blow after blow rained down, fists striking bone, kicks slamming into her ribs. Aria staggered, blood filling her mouth, stars dancing in her vision.
"Pathetic," the reflection snarled, eyes blazing violet. She seized Aria by the hair, yanking her head back. "You think ten kings love you? They love the power you don't even understand. They love the throne that should have been mine."
Aria's knees buckled, tears stinging her eyes. "You're lying—"
The reflection laughed, cruel and soft. "Then why do you feel it's true?"
Something inside Aria cracked.
Her body screamed to give up, to fall, to let the reflection end it all. But deep in her chest, something hotter stirred. Not the kings' fire, not the Grimoire's curse, but her own.
She shoved her palm into the reflection's chest — and violet light erupted outward, throwing them both across the glass.
The impact shook the starry void. Shards of broken sky rained down, burning holes where they fell. Aria staggered to her feet, chest heaving, her hands glowing brighter now, fire threading her veins.
Her reflection stood too, grinning wide, blood at her lip.
"Yes," she hissed. "That's it. That's what I came for."
Aria blinked, horrified. "What?"
Her reflection spread her arms, violet light coiling around her. "You think this is about killing you? No. I want you to wake up. To stop crawling, stop begging, stop hiding behind their crowns."
She lunged again, faster than lightning. Their bodies slammed together, fists and feet striking, bones cracking. Each blow sent cracks racing across the black glass beneath them.
Blood smeared across Aria's face, her chest burning, her lungs screaming. But she struck back. Harder. Faster. Each hit fueled the glow inside her, until her whole body was burning with violet fire.
Her reflection's smile widened.
"Good. Now—become me."
Outside, the Frostlands King felt the pulse of violet energy, sharp enough to freeze the air. His hand tightened on his sword. "She's awakening."
The Solar King's golden aura dimmed, his expression unreadable. "Or she's being consumed."
The Verdant King growled, emerald fire spilling through his veins. "Either way, when she emerges, none of us will recognize her."
The Crimson King only raised his molten blade, fury still smoldering in his chest. "As long as she breathes, I'll burn the world for her."
None of them noticed the shadow creeping along the shattered crystal, slithering like smoke, listening to every word.
---
Back in the void, Aria dropped to her knees, chest heaving. Her reflection stood over her, hands glowing brighter now, her whole body a furnace of violet fire.
"See?" she whispered. "You are strong. Stronger than you ever knew. But as long as you deny me, you'll never be complete."
She crouched, face inches from Aria's, her smile soft now, almost tender.
"So let me in."
Aria's hands trembled against the glass.
Her reflection extended a hand, palm glowing, the offer alive between them.
"Together," she whispered, "we'll be unstoppable."
Aria stared at that hand, the fire in her chest burning hotter than ever. She knew if she touched it, she would never be the same again.
Her fingers lifted.
And slowly—
she reached out.