When you finally opened your eyes again, the world seemed...different somehow. The thick and roaring air that had accompanied you throughout your ascent so far had gone strangely silent, and instead, a hushed stillness enveloped your surroundings as the once-familiar landscape of the memorial rock you once laid by was now gone, replaced by an expanse of the ancient cities ruins, cloaked in a haunting stillness completely lost in time.

"Where...am I?" you murmured, bewilderment threading through your voice.

Blinking away the remnants of slumber, you slowly rose to your feet, feelings of disorientation instantly settling into your mind like a heavy fog. How did you get here? You had passed the city already...right? The chill of uncertainty seeped into your bones as the ruins beckoned, their silent alleys and crumbling facades whispering tales of ages past. With cautious steps, you ventured forth, boots crunching on the frost-kissed stones. The air was thick with an otherworldly stillness, broken only by the soft echo of your own footsteps.

"What is this place?" you wondered aloud, your voice swallowed by the oppressive silence.

As you wandered deeper into the heart of the ancient city, shadows danced and flickered, cast by the weak light filtering through broken archways and collapsed structures. The city seemed to hold its breath as if suspended in a perpetual moment of time. Amidst the ruins, though, a peculiar sight caught your eye: a mirror, untouched by the ravages of time, its surface pristine amid the surrounding decay. Drawn by curiosity mingled with trepidation, you approached the mirror cautiously.

Your reflection stared back at you, growing larger and larger and clearer and clearer as you drew near until suddenly...it began to change. Your reflection convulsed and contorted, seemingly twisted and pulled apart by forces beyond its control. A shiver ripped down your spine as it began to morph, color draining from its very form, leaving nothing but a husk staring into you with its now crimson-red eyes.

"What the fu-" You tried to finish before instantly being cut off as the mirror cracked and shattered, shards of glass exploding all around you as the figure stepped forth...as you stepped forth.

"Hello, Y/N," it hissed, its voice dripping with malice, and your eyes instantly shot wide as you recognized the voice, but not as your own. Panicking, you took a step back, but the dark doppelgänger advanced, its movements fluid and haunting.

"This...this can't be real," you stammered, heart pounding in your chest. "Who...what are you?"

"What kind of question is that? Isn't that obvious? I'm you." The dark reflection sneered, a twisted smile curling on its lips.

"T-That's bullshit!" You fired back, desperately trying to sound brave. "You may look like me but...but you sound just like-"

"Like him. Is that what you were going to say, Y/N? We both know why that's the case, even if you don't want to admit it to yourself, at least I do."

"No, this isn't happening. You're just a figment of my imagination! Of this fucked up mountain! You're not real!" Panic surged through you even as you yelled, to which the other you simply rolled its eyes.

"Denial won't change anything..." the dark figure taunted, stepping closer. "...And you have no idea how long I've waited to finally get out of that head of yours".

"What...What do you want?" you asked, voice trembling.

"To set you straight."

Before you could react, the dark doppelgänger lunged at you, its hand wrapping around your throat with a vice-like grip. Gasping for air, you struggled, feeling the weight of your insecurities and fears pressing down on you. The world around you began to warp, the ruins twisting and contorting as if reflecting the chaos within your mind.

"What are we doing here, Y/N? I mean, really?" it hissed, tightening its grip. "We're many things, buddy, but mountain climbers is not one of them. Nothing good is gonna come out of any of this. We won't change. We'll never change. You're not strong, You're nothing special, you're no one special. You're. Just. You."

"No," you choked out, clawing at its hand. "Shut the hell up!"

With a surge of determination, you managed to break free, stumbling back and taking a deep breath. The dark figure sneered but didn't advance immediately, watching you with those unnerving crimson eyes.

"You think you can escape me?" it taunted. "I'm a part of you, always have been, always will be. Every doubt you've had, every fear you've felt, every failure you've experienced. I. AM. YOU!"

"Maybe...but you're not all of me," you replied, finding strength in your defiance. The world around you continued to warp, the dreamscape unraveling as you stood your ground. The dark doppelgänger's form flickered, its grip on your mind weakening.

"You can't get rid of me. If you could, you would have already," it growled, letting out a howl of rage as its form dissolved into a swirl of shadows. The ruins around you instantly began to collapse, their very foundation crumbling away, and as the last remnants shattered, you found yourself back at the mountain's checkpoint, the memorial rock once again solid and real beside you. Relief washed over you as reality settled back into place.

"I'm back...I'm back."

But as you caught your breath, a jarring sound cut through the silence, a ringing payphone nestled by the rock, incongruous against the mountain backdrop. Cautiously, you approached the phone, its shrill ring echoing in your ears. With trembling hands, you answered, the receiver cold against your ear.

"Hello?" Your voice wavered, uncertain.

A voice responded from the other end, achingly familiar yet tinged with an elusive nostalgia, a voice from your past.

"Y/N...are you calling from a payphone right now?"

The voice on the other end was hauntingly familiar yet distorted by the crackle of the line. Your heart skipped a beat. You knew this voice...this warmth.

"Is it really you?" you asked, trembling with hope and disbelief.

"Of course it's me," the voice replied, a blend of warmth and uncertainty. "Who else would it be?"

"But...how?" you stammered. "This doesn't make any sense. You can't be here."

"Why not?" the voice asked softly. "Maybe I've always been here, just waiting for you to reach out."

"I...I don't understand what's going on anymore."

"Shh, it's alright. Everything's gonna be okay now," they whispered gently. Their voices suddenly cleared even through the phone. You're here now, and so am I. Right?"

You hesitated, struggling to process the surreal conversation. "I...I don't know. Everything's so confusing. One minute, I'm climbing the mountain. The next, I'm in some ancient city fighting for my life, and now this, I...I'm still dreaming...aren't I?

"Y/N. Of course, you're dreaming. I haven't spoken to you in months, and I'm happier now. Why would I be calling you? Her words stung, piercing through the fog of your confusion. "...Then why are you here now?"

"Maybe it's because you needed to hear this. You've been carrying so much for so long. It's time to let go." She replied gently, but before you could respond, the dark reflection materialized before you once more, its eyes burning with malevolent intensity. In a heartbeat, it seized you by the throat, crushing the illusion like fragile glass. Pain surged through you, a jolt of awakening as reality tore through the veil of dreams. Gasping for air, you jolted upright, the memorial rock beside you.

Heart racing, you clutched at the remnants of the dream, the echoes of the voice fading into the wind.

"It was all...a dream," you whispered, disbelief mingling with relief. But as you steadied your breathing, a chilling certainty settled over you, and the dark reflection lingered, an ever-present reminder of the struggles that awaited beyond the mountain's ascent until suddenly, a familiar voice broke through the silence. "Hey, you okay, Y/N?"

You turned to see Eric approaching with a concerned look on his. You smiled softly and opened your mouth to speak about everything that had just happened, but you couldn't...you simply nodded and muttered three short words.

"Yeah...I'm okay."