Onchu gasped and staggered forward, the dagger slipping from his grip. Blood trickled from his mouth, and he muttered to himself, "What shit luck." Turning his head, he saw a shadow retracting a dagger made of darkness, the very essence of night itself.

“What kind of abomination are you?” he asked, pressing a hand to his chest in a futile attempt to staunch the bleeding. His shadow, which should have been cast behind him by the moonlight, was gone. Instead, it stood before him, a perfect replica made entirely of shadow-mist, formless and fluid, tendrils of darkness drifting with the wind.

Onchu took a hesitant step forward, and the shadow mirrored him exactly. When he stopped, so did the shadow. 'Is it mimicking me?' he wondered, tilting his head slightly to the left. The shadow did the same, confirming his suspicion. His eyes widened in horror, his heart pounding faster. Blood loss from the earlier wound sapped his strength, and he felt the fatigue from the battles with the bear and the wolf creeping up on him.

'Just a little bit more time,' he thought, gritting his teeth as he launched himself at the shadow. Their daggers clashed silently, the shadow's weapon feeling both solid and ethereal, as if it could dissipate into mist at any moment. Each strike he made was parried by the shadow, its movements a perfect mirror of his own, sometimes even better. As the fight dragged on, Onchu's wounds accumulated, slowing him down bit by bit. Each second felt like an eternity, and desperation clawed at him.

His vision blurred from fatigue and blood loss, but he fought on, knowing he needed to buy Fionnuala as much time as possible. If she failed, their village, his family, and his friends would be next. As he fought, he noticed the shadow growing thinner, its form returning to his shadow on the ground. This gave him a spark of hope and a burst of strength to continue.

He continued battling the shadow, noticing that the more he damaged it, the more pain he felt. The wounds on the shadow transferred to him, manifesting as phantom pain. Despite this, he pushed on, the shadow growing weaker and slower with each passing moment.

As he was about to deliver a decisive blow, he saw the wolf nearing Fionnuala from the corner of his eye. Without hesitation, he turned his back on the shadow and sprinted towards the wolf. The shadow’s dagger sliced through the air, grazing him, but he didn't stop. He threw his dagger at the wolf, bending forward just in time to avoid a dark dagger thrown by the shadow.

Onchu's thoughts raced. 'I need to protect her. She needs more time.' He sprinted towards the wolf, the shadow following close behind. His breath came in ragged gasps, the weight of his injuries dragging him down, but he forced himself to keep going. Each step was a struggle, his muscles screaming in protest, but he couldn't afford to slow down.

Fionnuala's spell was almost ready, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air, drawing power from the very essence of the forest around them. Onchu could see the concentration etched on her face, the determination in her eyes. 'Hold on, Fionnuala. Just a little longer,' he urged silently.

The wolf turned its malevolent gaze towards Onchu, sensing his approach. It bared its teeth, a low growl rumbling from its chest. Onchu's heart pounded in his ears, but he didn't falter. He picked up speed, closing the distance between them. The shadow was right behind him.

Brian stabilized himself, staring at his shadow. Blood dripped from his wounds to the ground. He pressed a hand to his injured eye. 'Is it mocking me?' he wondered, noticing the shadow mimicking his movements exactly.

Wiping the blood from his face, Brian readied himself for a fight. Anger surged within him, fueling his determination. 'I am going to destroy you, abysmal spawn,' he thought, gripping his spear tighter and charging toward the shadow. He thrust his spear, and the shadow did the same. Their spears met tip to tip, the shadow's weapon hissing as if it were burning. Brian's spear was still hot from the fire inside the wolf.

Brian pulled back and made a diagonal slash downward, which the shadow blocked with an upward diagonal slash. The shadow pushed his spear aside and thrust its own at him. Exhausted, Brian couldn't defend in time and moved to dodge, but the spear pierced his right side, breaking a few ribs. The shadow pulled its spear, now laced with Brian's blood. The spear absorbed the blood in seconds, as if feeding on a delicacy. Brian's wound darkened, black veins stretching outward from it.

'Fuck,' cursed Brian as he saw his wound. It was unimaginably painful and weakened him further. The more the fight went on, the more the shadowy infection spread over his body, little by little, as if enclosing him in a blanket of darkness. For now, the spread was minimal, manageable. Brian attacked the shadow with his spear, and the shadow mimicked his moves perfectly, both in defense and counterattack.

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As the fight dragged on, Brian noticed the shadow thinning, as if its source was weakening. This made the fight easier, but each time he damaged the shadow, a phantom pain assaulted him in the same spot. Despite the pain, he saw the shadow growing thinner. 'Just a little longer,' he thought. 'I can kill this monster.'

He only just have to endure it a little longer and he could kill this monster, still now he doesn’t know what it was until he saw his shadow on the ground, it was broken, incomplete, like it had missing parts. Finally, Brian realized he was fighting his own shadow, explaining why it knew his every move, form, attack, and defense. It wasn't mocking him; it was mimicking him.

Just as he was about to attack again, Brian saw from the corner of his eye that the wolf was closing in on Fionnuala. He kicked his shadow in the abdomen and ran toward the wolf without hesitation. He saw Onchu throw his dagger, the shadow behind Onchu following his action. This gave Brian an idea. He threw his spear and bent forward like Onchu. A shadow spear flew above him, aimed at the wolf behind his own spear.

The air was thick with tension and the scent of blood. 'I can't let it get to her,' Brian thought, his breath ragged. Every step was a struggle, his body screaming in pain. The wolf turned its malevolent gaze toward him, its golden-yellow eyes filled with fury.

Fionnuala saw the wolf sprinting towards her, its fur rippling in the wind. Onchu was stabbed in the back, and Brian defended himself against his shadow. 'What are those?' she wondered, but her attention snapped back to the wolf. The beast's right side glowed with red veins like molten lava, the smell of burning flesh assaulting her nose. She twitched in revulsion. She needed more time to complete her spell, but both of the guards were occupied, fighting their own battles.

Desperation fueling her, Fionnuala conjured chains of ice and fire, binding the wolf to the ground. The ice chains clamped onto its left legs, freezing the fire within the wolf’s flesh, while the fire chains scorched its right legs, turning its veins into red, lava-like trails. The wolf stumbled and growled in frustration and pain. It summoned shadows from the surroundings to break the chains—hands, axes, and sharp objects formed from the darkness, all hammering at the bindings.

As the chains began to give way, Fionnuala cast another chain across the wolf's stomach, flames on the right and ice on the left, meeting in the middle. Instead of the flames melting the ice, they fused together seamlessly. The wolf howled and thrashed, desperate to break free. In a final effort, it swapped places with its shadow, leaving the shadow in chains while it stood free, glaring at Fionnuala with fury.

Fionnuala was taken aback by the unexpected move. The wolf looked more exhausted than before, suggesting the trick had drained it significantly. The beast's humiliation and rage intensified. It charged at her with a burst of energy.

A gust of wind from the right side caught the wolf's attention. It turned to see Onchu’s thrown dagger, followed by a shadow dagger. It tried to defend, but another gust from the left side made it turn its head. Brian’s spear and its shadow spear were flying towards it. The wolf swatted the dagger away.

Onchu reached the wolf first, and it lunged at him. He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding its snapping jaws. His shadow struck at him, its dagger slicing through the air. He twisted, using the wolf as a shield, and the shadow’s dagger embedded itself in the wolf’s side. Brian’s spear struck, embedding itself in the wolf’s burnt side. His shadow spear followed, piercing the same spot. The wolf howled in pain, thrashing violently.

Onchu rolled to his dagger, picked it up, and turned to face his shadow, his breathing ragged. The shadow hesitated, flickering weakly. Onchu took advantage of its vulnerability, launching himself at it with all the strength he had left. Their daggers clashed again, but this time Onchu had the upper hand. The shadow weakened, its form unstable. With a final, desperate strike, Onchu drove his dagger into the shadow’s chest. The shadow shuddered, dissolving into wisps of darkness that faded into the night. Onchu screamed as phantom pain assaulted his chest. He stumbled back, gasping for breath, his body trembling from exhaustion.

He turned to see Fionnuala standing, her spell almost complete. He jumped on the wolf, trying to strangle its neck. His left hand burned from contact with the wolf's scorched flesh. Brian faced his own shadow, which was dissolving as it lost its source. Seeing Onchu's desperate attempt to hold the wolf, Brian leaped onto the beast as well.

Fionnuala, witnessing their determination, hastened her spell. The wind's strength increased, white mist gathered around her palm, turning red with a darker green hue as it coalesced into a long katana. The wolf, sensing the threat, thrashed violently, throwing Brian to the edge of the den. Onchu lost his grip and fell.

Onchu saw the spell complete and smiled weakly as he hit the ground. 'We won,' he thought. 'They will be safe.' As Darkness claimed him, and he felt a sense of peace. He had done his duty, protected Fionnuala, and given his family, village, and friends a chance to live.

Brian, thrown through the air, saw the spell complete and knocked hid back against the entrance of the den. Brian lay on the ground, he collapsed face-first, gasping for breath, his body convulsing with pain as the shadow infection spread. 'I did it, we did it,' he thought. 'We bought her enough time.' The infection continued to spread, the pain unbearable. He forced himself to focus on the spell, its beauty a final solace.

Fionnuala rushed towards the wolf, determined to end it. She heard a voice call out to her from the side. "FIONNA," the only person who called her that was her husband. She turned, dread filling her heart hoping she was hallucinating. She saw her husband with ten more guards and Finni by his side.

"My fire," she whispered, using her pet name for her husband. She looked at the scene with horror, fearing what was to come.