The Devil In Me -

That night, the "Devil" introduced himself. Not with horns or brimstone, but with an extra shadow. Elias stood in his bathroom, toothbrush in hand, and noticed his reflection was three seconds behind. While Elias looked tired, the man in the mirror looked electric . He was grinning a predatory, wide-toothed grin that Elias hadn't used in a decade.

"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

The first time Elias touched the gears, a spark jumped. It wasn't static; it felt like a cold needle stitching itself into his thumb. That night, the "Devil" introduced himself

Elias felt his vision split. He saw his own hand reach out—not to hand over the clock, but to grip Sterling’s wrist. He felt the strength of ten men coiled in his muscles. His reflection in the glass of the clock wasn't his own face; it was a void with burning, amber eyes. While Elias looked tired, the man in the

Elias sat in the silence, his hands bleeding from the shards. He looked back at the mirror. His reflection was perfectly synced again. He looked tired. He looked old. He looked human.

Should we delve deeper into to keep the door shut, or

Just as the shadows touched Sterling's throat, Elias caught a glimpse of himself in a polished silver tray. He looked monstrous—not because of any physical change, but because of the pure, unadulterated joy on his face as he prepared to do something terrible.