Stuck in an Island with Twelve Beautiful Women

The other him tilted his head. "Then you must learn to control it. To wield it, without letting it define you."

Jude exhaled, his mind spinning. "And if I fail?"

The other him was silent for a moment, then said, "Then you become something else."

Jude frowned. "Something else?"

The other him held out a hand. "Come. See for yourself."

Jude hesitated, but deep down, he knew there was no turning back. He stepped forward, reaching out. The moment their hands met, the world around him shattered.

A rush of images flooded his mind, visions of fire, of battle, of moments he had not yet lived but felt as if they were already written in stone. He saw himself standing amidst ruins, the flame burning bright in his hands. He saw a choice, a fork in the path, one leading to salvation, the other to destruction. He saw himself standing alone, and yet surrounded by countless echoes of himself, each one a different possibility, a different outcome.

And then, just as suddenly, he was back.

Standing once more in the chamber, the fragment still in his grasp, its golden light flickering softly.

Lyara was staring at him, eyes wide. "Jude?"

He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The warmth inside him was stronger now, but it no longer felt like it was fighting against him. It was a part of him. A force, yes, but one he could control.

He looked up, meeting her gaze. And for the first time in a long time, he felt certain.

"I know what I have to do."

Jude stood in the quiet aftermath of his revelation, his body still humming with the remnants of the energy that had coursed through him. The chamber felt different now, as if the very air had shifted, acknowledging something unspoken. He glanced down at the fragment in his hand, the golden light within it still pulsing in steady rhythm, as if mirroring the beat of his own heart.

Lyara watched him carefully, her expression unreadable, but he could see the tension in the set of her shoulders. She had always been the more grounded one, always assessing, always questioning. And yet, there was something in her eyes now, something that wavered between concern and something deeper.

"So?" she finally asked. "What now?"

Jude exhaled slowly, steadying himself. The images that had flooded his mind still lingered at the edges of his thoughts, whispering possibilities, paths he had yet to walk. But the choice had been made.

"We move forward," he said.

Lyara arched an eyebrow. "That's it?"

Jude managed a small smirk. "That's it."

The hooded figure standing near the archway watched in silence before stepping forward, the faint rustling of fabric the only sound in the chamber. "You have taken the first step," the figure said. "But the path ahead will not be so simple."

Jude glanced at the archway behind them, its runes now dim once more. "Was it ever supposed to be?"

The figure did not answer. Instead, they turned and began moving toward another passage at the far end of the chamber. Jude and Lyara exchanged glances before following.

The corridor beyond was different from the ones before it. The air was heavier, the walls lined with carvings that seemed to glow faintly as they passed. The symbols were unfamiliar to Jude, but he could feel something beneath them, a presence, an echo of something ancient.

Lyara reached out, trailing her fingers along one of the carvings. "These are old," she murmured. "Really old."

Jude nodded. "Feels like they're watching."

She shot him a look. "That's not creepy at all."

Despite himself, he chuckled. The tension in the air was thick, but moments like this reminded him that they weren't just walking into the unknown, they were walking into it together.

The passage eventually opened into another chamber, this one smaller, more enclosed. At its center stood a pedestal, and upon it, another fragment, its light dim, flickering.

The hooded figure stepped aside. "The next piece of the flame waits for you."

Jude hesitated. The first fragment had already changed him, had already shown him things he wasn't sure he was ready to face. But there was no turning back now.

He stepped forward, reaching out.

The moment his fingers brushed the surface of the fragment, the world around him shifted once more.

Darkness.

Not the kind that swallowed everything whole, but the kind that existed just before the dawn. The kind that held whispers of light hidden within it.

Jude found himself standing in an open field, the sky above painted with hues of deep blue and violet. It was a place he didn't recognize, and yet, it felt familiar. The air was still, the silence stretching endlessly.

And then, a voice.

"You're late."

Jude turned sharply, his heart hammering.

A figure stood at the edge of the field, their back turned to him. They were tall, clad in dark robes that seemed to shift with the wind, though no breeze moved the grass beneath them.

Jude swallowed. "Who are you?"

The figure turned slightly, just enough for Jude to see the faintest hint of a smile. "You already know."

Something in his chest tightened. This was different from the vision before. This wasn't just another version of himself. This was something else entirely.

The figure stepped forward, and with each step, the world seemed to ripple around them. "The flame has chosen you," they said. "But choice is only the beginning."

Jude frowned. "What does that mean?"

The figure tilted their head. "It means power does not come without cost."

Jude clenched his fists. "And what exactly is the cost?"

The figure's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "You'll find out soon enough."

The air around them shifted, and before Jude could react, the ground beneath him gave way.

He fell.

But he did not land.

Instead, the darkness around him shattered like glass, and he was standing in the chamber once more, the fragment still clutched in his hand.