Chapter 815 - 817
Not an exact mirror, not a perfect reflection, but a twisted, distorted version of himself. Its face was almost right, its features nearly identical, but wrong in ways that sent a chill down his spine. The eyes were too hollow, the expression too empty. It was not just a copy, it was a mockery.
The other figures around it shifted, their forms aligning into the shapes of people he had known. Some were familiar, some were strangers, but all of them were wrong. Twisted versions of the past, the present, and perhaps even the future.
Jude clenched his jaw. He would not let this shake him. He had faced worse.
The mockery of himself tilted its head, as if studying him. Then, it moved.
It was fast, faster than the creature before. Jude barely had time to react before it was on him, its own dagger flashing in the dim light. He blocked, metal meeting metal with a sharp clang, the force of the impact sending vibrations up his arm. The thing was strong, stronger than it should have been.
Jude gritted his teeth, pushing back. The thing did not speak, did not make a sound, but its empty eyes bore into him with an intensity that made his skin crawl. It was not simply fighting him. It was testing him.
The other figures moved as well, circling, waiting. They would not interfere yet. Not until they were certain of his weakness.
Jude would not give them the satisfaction.
He twisted, using the momentum to break the deadlock, striking out with precision. His dagger found its mark, sinking into the side of the mockery’s ribs. But there was no resistance, no true impact. The blade passed through as if through mist, and the figure merely shifted , its form rippling like a disturbed reflection.