Me vs Me

Long ago, in a quiet village near the edge of a dark forest, there lived a boy named Arin. He was just like other children, but deep inside him lived something different. Arin carried two selves inside him. One was kind, gentle, and full of dreams. The other was dark, angry, and full of fear.

Most people never saw this fight. To others, Arin was a quiet boy who liked to sit near the river and draw pictures on stones. But when he was alone, the two versions of him would speak, argue, and sometimes even fight.

One evening, when the sun turned red and the forest seemed alive with whispers, Arin walked near the river. Suddenly, he saw a strange light on the water. The light grew brighter and formed into a mirror. But this was not an ordinary mirror. When Arin looked into it, he did not see only himself. He saw two different reflections.

On the left side of the mirror was a boy with bright eyes, smiling, holding a book and a flower. On the right side was a boy with shadowy eyes, a crooked smile, and a sword in his hand.

The mirror spoke in a deep voice:
“Arin, today you must face yourself. Only one will win.”

Arin’s heart raced. Before he could run, the mirror pulled him inside. Suddenly, he was standing in a strange land. The ground was half covered with green grass and half covered with burning black soil. The sky was divided too—one side blue with soft clouds, the other side dark with red fire.

In front of him stood the two versions of himself.

The bright Arin said, “I am your hope, your kindness, your courage.”
The dark Arin hissed, “I am your fear, your anger, your doubt. Without me, you are weak.”

Arin shook his head. “But you are both… me.”

The dark Arin lifted his sword. “Yes, but only one can rule.”

And so, the battle began.

The dark Arin swung his sword, and the ground shook. Flames rose behind him. The bright Arin raised his hands, and light formed into a shield, blocking the strike. The air filled with sparks as light and shadow clashed.

Arin, the real one, stood frozen. He realized he was not fighting someone else. He was fighting himself. Every angry thought, every fear, every sadness he had ever kept inside had turned into this dark version.

“Why do you fight me?” Arin shouted.
The dark self laughed. “Because you try to hide me! You pretend I do not exist. But I am real, and I am strong.”

The bright self turned to Arin. “He is right. You cannot destroy him. But you can choose which side will guide you.”

Arin thought hard. All his life, he had tried to push away his fears and anger. But they always returned, stronger each time. Now he understood. He could not erase his dark side. He could only control it.

He stepped between the two selves. “Stop! Both of you are me. But I will decide who leads.”

The dark self raised his sword again, but Arin grabbed it with his bare hand. The fire burned, but he held on. Then he looked at the bright self and took the shield. With the sword in one hand and the shield in the other, Arin stood tall.

“I am not only light. I am not only dark. I am both. But I will rule myself.”

The land began to change. The fire cooled, the grass spread across the ground, and the sky turned golden. The two selves began to fade, and the mirror appeared again.

“You have learned,” the mirror said. “To win against yourself, you do not destroy. You accept.”

Arin stepped out of the mirror and found himself back at the river. The sun had set, and the stars shone above. He felt tired but also stronger. He knew the fight inside him would never fully end. But now he understood the truth:

The greatest battle is not with the world.
The greatest battle is with ourselves.

And that night, Arin whispered to the stars,
“I am me. Both sides. And I will walk forward.”!!!!