"Pathetic," the corrupted Saguna said, walking toward him with leisurely confidence. "No wonder everyone you try to save ends up worse off. You can't even land a single hit on yourself."
Saguna tried to summon his fire again, but what came out was weak, flickering. The corruption had spread further up his arms, and where it touched, his power felt wrong, tainted. His ribs screamed with each breath, and his injured leg throbbed with every heartbeat.
"Look at you," his dark self continued, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him off the ground with inhuman strength. "Broken. Bleeding. Corrupted. This is what you really are beneath all the pretense."
Saguna clawed at the hand around his throat, but his corrupted double was stronger, faster, uninjured. His vision began to darken as his air supply was cut off.
