Elara's breath caught in her throat as she stared into the eyes of her dark reflection. The figure before her was unnervingly familiar, its features a perfect mirror of her own—yet there was a coldness, an emptiness, in its gaze that sent a chill deep into her bones. This was no simple illusion crafted by the Veil; it was a manifestation of the fear she had carried with her since the Abyss first touched her soul.
Kael and Morgana stood frozen beside her, the weight of the moment pressing down on all of them. The air between Elara and her doppelgänger seemed to crackle with tension, as if the very essence of the Veil was watching, waiting to see how she would respond.
"You are not me," Elara said, her voice steadier than she felt.