The transformation was subtle. It started with a newfound appetite. Elias, usually content with tea and toast, began to crave raw, iron-rich flavors. Then came the confidence. At the local pub, he found himself speaking with a silver-tongued cruelty that silenced rooms, dismantling the egos of strangers with a single, devastating sentence. He felt a terrifying, surging power—the thrill of being the sharpest blade in the room.
"It’s not me," Elias would tell himself, gripping the edge of his workbench until his knuckles turned white. "It’s the best of you," the shadow would retort. the devil in me
"You’re working too hard," the reflection whispered. The voice didn't come from the air; it vibrated inside Elias’s own teeth. The transformation was subtle