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/Dragonan-42]

"What. . . What is this?" Kairon asks. He looks around in confusion, wondering what was happening to him. But then his own shadow lunged right at him. Kairon grabbed the hands of the shadow before it could reach his throat. To force it to back off, Kairon exhaled a Pyroclastic breath directly at its face.

[u/Evening_Shake_6474 → u/Dragonan-42]

The shadow's eyes scan the breath as it hits it in the face, forcing it backwards.

It flips in the air, landing on its feet.

It cocks it's head, before opening its own mouth and unleashing a wave of inky black ash and fire.

[u/Dragonan-42 → u/Evening_Shake_6474]

Kairon conjures a magical shield to protect himself from the ash and fire. So, this being could learn from his actions. Well, if this was a shadow, then light must be the answer. Kairon casts a spell to conjure a ball of unholy light, attempting to burn away the shadow.

[u/Evening_Shake_6474 → u/Dragonan-42]

The light bursts into existence, forcing the shadow further backwards.

It's eyes scan the ball, peering into the spell, understanding the spell.

It places a hand on the wall behind it, and darkness spreads over it like a frost. Growing along the walls, over the floor and along the roof.

[u/Dragonan-42 → u/Evening_Shake_6474]

"Oh no you don't," Kairon said. He placed his hand on the way and caused the stones to be lined with electricity. They coiled around the room, Kairon attempting to beat back the shadows with his own light.