Danny stumbled back as the shadows rose from the floor, black smoke solidifying into figures with his face—each one twisted, hollow-eyed, grinning like they knew secrets that would rot the world.
Claire let out a cry, shielding the child instinctively, her voice shaking."What are those?!"
But Danny knew.
He clenched his fists, sweat trickling down his temple, his breath ragged as he stared into the dead eyes of a version of himself—eyes that held regret, madness… and hunger.
One of the shadows stepped forward.
"We are the choices you didn't make."
Danny's mind reeled.
He had feared monsters, gods, fate itself—But this?
This was worse.
These were the pieces of himself he buried: the moments he nearly betrayed Claire, the day he almost sold the child's fate for survival, the scream he held in when his mother died, the man he could've become if he hadn't cared.
Now, they stood in front of him—real, weaponized, and ready to judge.
And worst of all… part of him still wanted what they offered.
The room transformed.
The walls faded into blackness, replaced by a vast cathedral made of shattered mirrors, each reflecting a different life he could've lived.
Above them, a ceiling of void sky spun slowly like a black galaxy—bleeding stars that whispered.
The air was thick, like breathing through guilt and ash.
And at the center, Danny stood—a lone heartbeat in a choir of echoes.
The lead shadow reached out, touching Danny's chest.
His heart seized.
Memories began to unravel.
Claire's voice.His son's first breath.The moment he died to save them.
All started to fade.
"Choose," the shadow hissed. "Become us—or forget everything you love."
Danny screamed.
And then—
The child spoke again.
Soft. Clear. Ancient.
"Let him remember… but feel it all."