The corridor held its breath.
shadow-flames curled from the twin black blades across from her. The air tasted of ash and old stone. Seraphina's own reflections watched from the obsidian walls, thin and pale, waiting to see which one stepped forward.
"You keep testing," she said. "So listen."
Her voice did not shake.
"The world isn't fair."
Silence took the words and pressed them flat. The Shadow paced at measure, eyes level, blades low and ready.
"Us being here isn't fair."
Her right cheek bled along the thin line the Shadow had written. The cold that had nested in her forearm hummed under the skin. She did not hide it.
"Ace saving me wasn't fair either."
The Shadow tilted their head. A small nod that asked her to finish.
"I will be selfish," she said. "I will not care if it offends fate. I will live, and I will smile."
Her grip settled. Not tighter. Truer.
The Shadow's answer came soft and even.
"Say it to yourself."
Live.
Smile.
