Floating in the darkness, Jack's gaze wandered around. His eyes ventured into the darkness, but the darkness of the abyss had fully engulfed him.

  The abyss glowed, emitting a blue light.

  Jack saw a slender line formed and joined into his body. The same blue light came over him, forcing the unknown energy to surge through him.

  His instincts rushed in and started struggling against the line and the abyss. He would not let something unknown do as it pleased him.

  He gritted his teeth and ripped every line that connected, each rip sending a shockwave through his body, but he did not give up.

  As the final line snapped off, his body trembled violently and the energy that was flowing through him was interrupted.

  “Enough!” a voice echoed in the abyss.

  Jack collapsed to the floor upon hearing the voice. There was an instant chill in his spine from the authoritative tone.

  He tried to restore his bearing, but the abyss shambles. A plethora of pillars emerge from the shadows.

  The room was lined with rows of shelves holding a huge number of books and potions. The number of amulets hanging on the throne makes it more eerie than elegant. The room was more suitable for a wizard than a king.

  “Is this necessary?” Jack muttered, his tone flat, completely uninterested in the thing he saw. Crossing his arms, he stood with a face of boredom and defiance.

  A blue light morphed in the centre of the room, twisting and swirling; it turned into a silhouette of a person sitting in the grand chair.

  “Come forth," the figure commanded with a deep, authoritative voice.

  “Or what?” Jack answered in defiance. But before he could react, an unknown force yanked him forward, throwing him like a rag doll to his feet. Crashing to the ground, Jack grunted as he forced himself up, refusing to submit.

  “Good. Now tell me, why are you rejecting me?!" The figure question.

  Jack's eyes flared with anger as he stood up. “First of all, who the hell are you? Second, I’m not letting some unknown person do a thing to my body as he pleases, and finally, what does all of this have to do with me?” His voice rose, his irritation morphing into rage.

  The figure tilted its head; a slow, unsettling smile drew from its lips.

  “You don’t know, do you?"

  The figure glowed. It glowed ever so brightly that Jack was forced to cover his eyes with his hand, but to no avail. The light is so bright that Jack’s hand seems to be transparent.

  When the light dimmed, Jack lowered his arm, his vision clearing. What he saw in front of him left him speechless.

  The figure had transformed. It now stood in front of him, in a body that was identical to him, except for the glowing blue eyes and a faint, icy blue streak running through the ends of its hair.

  “Like what you see? I must admit, even after years of misuse, you still take care of your body.

  Jack stared in silence, his mind filled with anger and confusion. His face, his own body, has been cloned with ease.

  “But I must say,” the creature continued, inspecting its ‘new’ form with a sense of dissatisfaction. “Your body is not fully ready for what will happen. I guess you can improve it in the long run."

  The figure turned to Jack. “To answer your question, I need you to trust me,” it said with a gentler tone.

  Jack crossed his arms, refusing to cooperate. “And why should I trust you? To me, you are just an anomaly. A figment with a suspicious agenda.”

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  The figure took a deep breath. Calming his temper once more. “First, you need to understand something. You and I are the same. I am the embodiment of your magic, the one that has been dormant for so long. Your refusal to use your magic has created me. Now, my task is to re-channel the magic back to you, to make us whole again."

  The revelation took him by surprise. To learn that his refusal was the root of the issue. It has unravelled something deep inside him. Pushing into a thick layer of mental armour.

  For so long, he had tried to conceal his emotions. For so long, he had locked his pain in a tight chest, buried it all in the mountain of masked emotion, hoping to forget and move on. But no matter how hard he tried, the memory haunted him, leaking out through the crack at his most vulnerable moment.

  “I don’t understand,” Jack said, looking down, his voice cracked. "If you say you were a part of me, surely you understand why I rejected this power in the first place.” He gazes into his right arm. The room was filled with children laughing before quickly turning to a scream of terror. “The thing that I did years ago... I killed all of them... I destroyed the town I swore to protect... I burnt it to the ground.” His voice faltered with guilt. “I was surprised when I was freed from all charges just because I was 'possessed'. But in reality, I was the one who came looking for it… Now, four years later, I can suddenly use magic. Of course, I am suspicious.” He raised his face, his eyes burnt red with barely a restraint of emotion. “So tell me, other me. What is this all about?" He was on the verge of tears, the weight of his past guilt pressed heavily on his mind.

  The figure moved closer to him, trying to give him some wordless support, but Jack's mind was too lost in the mountain of emotion.

  The figures stayed silent before rushing forward, wrapping him in a warm hug.

  Caught by the unexpected kindness, he froze. Then, as if a dam had broken, tears spilled from both of them.

  For the first time, Jack allowed himself to fully feel the pain he had been hiding. The burden that he has carried, the sins that he has committed—it all runs down with tears on his cheek.

  "You need to understand,” the figure whispered through Jack's ears, rubbing his head and calming him down. “What happened in Leaves Wood was not your fault. You have been tricked by the demons. Their manipulation knows no boundaries." It gently placed both of his arms on his shoulder. Raising his face to meet its gaze. “I'm sure you are looking for a way to undo the damage.” A deep breath followed before it continued. “I know why you want to become a professor. You want to find a way to return Leaves Wood to its former glory. Maybe this gift is a blessing for you.”

  Jack remained silent. He knew he couldn’t lie to himself anymore, no matter how much he wanted to. There was no other path forward, no escape from his fate, even when reality was not to his liking.

  As the figure let him go, the tears still shimmered in their eyes. But now Jack is worried. What will happen to his other self?

  "Wait...what will happen to you when we finally merge?" His voice was hesitant.

  “Then my job is done. I will cease to exist, as I am only a magical part of you. After that, it is up to you to search for your destiny."

  Jack reassesses the recent event in silence. His life was already a mess, even before his magic manifested. But now, after his so-called reawakening, many more people began paying attention to his movement, as if a spotlight had been put on his head, exposing him to the gaze of the world. To make matters more confusing, many of those eyes belonged to a powerful figure.

  “Fine then, do what you must,” he finally whispered, his voice carrying both acceptance and defeat. “But you should know that I will not use it willingly." He paused for a moment. “Not until I know the origin of this power.”

  “Very well,” The figure’s face softened. “I knew you would do that. Just open your arms, and everything will be done in no time.”

  Jack hesitated for a bit before he stretched his arm wide, opening himself fully to the process. The thing he once fought against, something that he feared but now has fully accepted.

  A strong gust of wind swirled around the figure, its hand glowed with a pulsating light. Energy radiated from the figure; it grew more intense with each passing second. “Don’t fight it, it only makes it worse."

  Without warning, the figure thrust its glowing hand into Jack’s chest.

  Jack gasped, but he wasn’t in pain, it was something else entirely, something that can’t be described. It felt like the dam inside him had shattered, releasing a torrent of energy been locked away.

  The energy coursed through him, flowing like a river carving itself through the canal. Creating a new riverbed in the process.

  But as it reached its destination, it calmed down. The wild current met with the existing river, it finally became steady and natural.

  It has returned home.

  Opening his eyes, Jack was surprised. He could feel that his body had changed.

  “What is this?” Jack question. Looking at his arm, he can see an aura flowing to his fingertips. “It felt weird but calming at the same time."

  The figure smiled, now nearly translucent. “We have become one, Jack. The void has been filled."

  Before the figure faded, it gave one piece of advice. “Just a friendly reminder. Your power is heavily influenced by your emotions. So please keep it under control."

  The last remnants of the figure dissolved into the thin air, leaving Jack alone in the abyss. But now, the darkness that had once surrounded him began to light up. Replacing its cold exterior with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

  Jack looked down at his arm once again, the aura still danced around his fingers. He knew that his situation was far from over, and things would be more complicated from here on.