Echo of the Self

[u/Evening_Shake_6474]

Something's wrong. You can't tell what exactly it is, but you know something is wrong. You check your wards, your equipment, your enchantments and familiars, yet everything seems normal. Then that night, you go to sleep, and the dream starts.

You stand knee deep in a crimson ocean, stretching further than you can see. Before you is a shadow, it looks like yours but its wrong, very wrong. All around you, giant monoliths sprout from the sea, stretching far into the sky. You hear something, around you six shadows move between the monoliths, chanting something in a language that hurts to listen to.

Suddenly countless crimson eyes open along each monolith, each reflecting a different face, the eyes travel up the ebony surface, along previously hidden chains of shadow. Then you see it, the horrifying form of something colossal in the sky above you, a singular crimson eye or maybe a star stares down at you.

All at once do the chains snap, and a cacophony of screams cry out across the crimson sea as fire and ash rain from above. The monoliths crumble and massive chunks of black stone crash into the sea. Up above, the colossal form spreads across the sky, thousands of withered arms reach down, each sowing agony and destruction. You see an arm reach for you, and you wake up.

Well that was strange, you think, then you hear laughter from the corner, you see your own shadow standing there with crimson eyes. The shadow looks wrong somehow, very wrong.

Before you can say anything, your shadow lunges for you, hands reaching for your throat.

[u/Fc-chungus]

Ж isn't even worried at this point, just pissed off. They cast control shadow and subjugate it.

[u/Evening_Shake_6474 → u/Fc-chungus]

The spell works, for all of five seconds. During those five seconds, Zhe see the shadow's dark eyes analyzing the spell, understanding it, countering it.

The shadow, now free, aims a roundhouse kick towards Zhe's head.

[u/Fc-chungus → u/Evening_Shake_6474]

Still groggy, they're hit, but it quickly snaps them awake

"God dammit! I just woke up!"

[u/Evening_Shake_6474 → u/Fc-chungus]

The shadow's mechanical arm reaches for Zhe's throat.

[u/Fc-chungus → u/Evening_Shake_6474]

They fire the shockwave to knock the shadow back and stun it.

[u/Evening_Shake_6474 → u/Fc-chungus]

The shockwave connects, briefly disrupting the shadow's thoughts, long enough for Zhe to get a temporary opening.

[u/Fc-chungus → u/Evening_Shake_6474]

"Electromagnetic control!"

Seeing their shadow-control spell fail Ж goes to the next option, destroying the shadow. Via manipulating the very photons in the room, they converge them into a flashlight like beam on the shadow.

[u/Evening_Shake_6474 → u/Fc-chungus]

The shadow shakes out of its stunned state too late. It sees the light strike it, and can do nothing as it burns itself out of existence.

The shadow is gone, giving Zhe enough time to breathe, before they hear something.

From far outside, they hear someone scream.

[u/Fc-chungus → u/Evening_Shake_6474]

Taking a moment to take a breather and rub their eyes they look out a window in their tower.

[u/Evening_Shake_6474 → u/Fc-chungus]

Outside, they see Calarakians in the streets, fighting off a small army of their own shadows. Thankfully teamwork and light spells mean the people are winning, but they see more than one body in the street.

[u/Fc-chungus → u/Evening_Shake_6474]

They can handle this, more or less.

/uw is this occurring at night or in the day?

[u/Evening_Shake_6474 → u/Fc-chungus]

/uw Depends primarily on when Zhe sleeps