“Chapter VI: The Mirror and the Mask”
He stood before the mirror, the mask in his hand — two reflections, one truth.
The man he saw in the glass was quiet, worn, and carrying the ghosts of every battle he survived. The mask beside him was unbroken, unbothered, unscarred. It did not flinch. It did not doubt.
And that was the difference.
The world demanded certainty, so he forged a face that could not tremble. A symbol, not a man.
Not to hide who he was — but to protect who he was becoming.
In the mirror, he saw the weight he carried.
In the mask, he saw the weight he chose.
A question lingered in the silence:
Which one is the real him?
He understood now — both.
The mirror showed his humanity.
The mask showed his purpose.
And the man who walks between the two is the one the world will remember.
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