CHAPTER 331: LIGHT VS DARK

A war within. Most would think that it just meant the person was conflicted. But in Leo’s case it was actual conflict.

The chains that bound him to the ground strained and creaked as he tried to break free but it was to no avail.

He could only watch as the Light and Dark versions of himself began to clash with increasing fervor and power.

Each traded blow left an aching pain in Leo’s chest. It was almost as if they were tearing him apart from within.

"Enough of.this! Even if you succeedeed in taking our body, the chances of your survival are slim at best!"

The Light Leo’s attempt at reasoning fell upon deaf ears as Dark Leo scoffed in response.

"It’s a dog eat dog world out there. The strong devour the weak. If I die, that just means I wasn’t strong enough!"

Dark Leo lunged forward again, his fists cloaked in a swirling mass of shadow. Light Leo met him head-on, their punches colliding with a thunderous crack that echoed through the void.

Leo winced as another jolt of pain surged through his chest. It felt like his soul was being ripped in two, each version clawing for dominance over the body they shared.

"You’re not even thinking this through!" Light Leo shouted, blocking a savage kick. "If you win like this, you’ll be alone. There’ll be nothing left but ashes and regret."

Dark Leo laughed, low and bitter.

"Regret is for the weak. I was born from our failure. Our hesitation. You want peace? Then lay down and die. I’ll handle the rest."

Leo thrashed against the chains again, his voice rising above the chaos.

"Stop it! Both of you! You’re killing me!"

But neither of them listened. Light Leo surged forward with a blast of radiant energy, trying to restrain his counterpart. Dark Leo twisted, dodging, retaliating with a slash of pure shadow that carved across the air like a blade.

The stars around their battle began to tremble as various animal cries and roars could be heard.

Light Leo dodged the slash with minimal movement before he charged back in with a blade of light forming along the edge of his hand.

The moment it made contact with Dark Leo’s shadow-cloaked forearm, a shockwave burst outward, causing the chains binding the real Leo to rattle violently.

Leo clenched his jaw, eyes darting between the two battling figures as he tried to steady his breathing. The pain was unbearable, but worse than that was the helplessness. He couldn’t keep watching this. He had to do something. Anything.

Just as Dark Leo disarmed Light Leo with a vicious spin kick and raised a spear of compressed shadow above his head, an adorable voice rang out. It was soft and slightly high-pitched like that of a little girl’s but it was brimming with indignation.

"No one hurts my Leo! Ever!"

A burst of stardust shimmered into being, and with it came a transparent, starry shield that slammed down between the two Leos. The moment the spear made contact, it shattered into harmless particles, the recoil sending Dark Leo skidding backwards.

Light Leo gasped, barely regaining his footing.

Leo’s eyes widened in shock.

Astra?"

Before he could question it, a low chuckle echoed through the void. Deep, rumbling, and full of mischief.

"My Leo always did know how to cheat when he’s cornered," Mors said, his voice curling around the battlefield like a serpent in smoke.

Dark Leo snapped his head around, searching. "Coward! Show yourself!"

But Mors didn’t reveal himself. Only his voice lingered, like a whisper just out of reach.

"Because of you, our dear mother is probably going to scold me for not doing my job!" Mors snarled. "You’ve made quite a mess."

"Go to hell!" Dark Leo barked back, his eyes darting in every direction, but he saw nothing. Only the ever-shifting void and that damn shimmering shield still holding strong.

Astra’s presence shimmered faintly above the shield, her translucent form floating like a little star sprite. Her tiny fists were clenched, eyes narrowed in determination.

"You’re not allowed to break him," she said firmly. "He’s mine. Ours."

Dark Leo snarled and raised his hand again, shadows swirling like a vortex. "You think a child’s trick can stop me?"

Before the vortex could fully form, something sharp and silent pierced the void.

Schlik.

A black spear slammed into Dark Leo’s back, followed by a second, then a third. Each one struck with precise force that caused Dark Leo’s expression to twist in agony.

The shadows around Dark Leo didn’t explode or lash out in retaliation. They recoiled, flickering and trembling as the spears began to siphon the power within him.

"What... what is this?" Dark Leo gasped, turning to look but finding only the void behind him.

More spears embedded themselves into his arms, legs, spine. Unlike physical pain, this was worse. He could feel himself being peeled away. Bit by bit, fragment by fragment, his power was being pulled out of him and funneled into something else.

First a faint outline, smoke-like and pulsing with power. Then came detail. Warm, tanned skin. Jet black hair. Crimson eyes that glowed like hot coals. Clothes formed next, rough and jagged like they had been stitched together from scraps of the night sky itself.

The figure was no taller than Astra. A child in size, but not in presence.

He stood barefoot, head tilted slightly to one side, watching the battlefield with curiosity. Where Astra was bright and soft, this boy was sharp and still.

Leo stared at him, eyes wide.

"You’re... Mors?"

The boy turned toward him, expression unreadable. Then a smile curled across his lips.

"In the flesh," he flashed a cheeky grin as he began to stretch his newly manifested body.

Behind him, the final spear faded into particles. The last of Dark Leo’s power had been drawn out. What remained was a weakened shell, trembling, unable to speak.

Mors glanced at him once, then looked back to Leo.

He took a slow step forward. Then another.

Each movement sent tiny pulses through the void like ripples across water.

"At the next milestone. You must pay closer attention. Otherwise you will fall out of balance again. Next time, my sister and I may not be able to help you."

Leo stared at Astra, then at Mors, then at what remained of his dark self. There were too many questions forming in his mind. Where was this place? What had just happened? Why were they even able to appear like that?

He opened his mouth to speak.

"What is—"

Before he could finish the thought, the light around him blinked out like a candle snuffed by wind.

Everything went dark.