𝖊𝖘𝖈𝖗𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖆 - 𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝟜: 𝖚𝖓𝖙𝖔𝖑𝖉 𝖒𝖞𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘

𝕻𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝟜: 𝖚𝖓𝖙𝖔𝖑𝖉 𝖒𝖞𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘 - Chapter Seven

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A shadow of a person emerges from the depths of the crystal as plumes of white smoke swirl and form within the ball. It is me.

The shadow of myself. The doppelganger. The mirror version.

She is a mess; with crazed hair dulled into shades of morbid gray, her eyes sunken into her skull, the skin around them worn and drawn. Her dress is torn and faded to a stone gray, barely hiding her lissome frame, and her nose, no longer a delicate thing, is instead snagged and crooked, the result of all the years spent in the throes of addiction. Her wrinkled lips mouth words I cannot hear. Her eyes, once so full of life, are now filled with deep, hollow darkness, devoid of any emotion.

She is an apparition of despair, the manifestation of a broken spirit. I am overcome with fear, my heart pounding in my chest as I stare into my own eyes, filled with dread. Her arms, thin and bony, are tattooed with the names of lost loves, the words of forgotten songs, and the memories of a life that is now gone.

Her teeth, now yellowed fangs, are bared in a menacing snarl, as if she envies my life and the freedom I take for granted, as if she wants to claw her way out of the crystal ball and exchange lives. Her feet, bare and calloused, are splayed in the dirt, her toes digging deep into the earth as if to anchor herself to the ground, resisting the urge.

What is this...?

I am frozen in place, can't move, can't speak, can't breathe, watching her in a state of horror and disbelief. The night air feels frigid, the darkness smothering the light from the stars above. I can feel her hatred, her anguish, her rage radiating from her in waves, piercing my soul and leaving me trembling.

For a moment, her black eyes change, and I see a glimmer of pain beneath the surface. I know, in that moment, that she is hurting, that she is lost and alone in a way I can never understand. I take a step back, slowly, and I turn away, not wanting to witness her torment any longer.

Sensing my retreat, her mouth pulls back in a snarl, and the moment is gone, replaced by the same anger and hatred that was there before. Suddenly, she grabs my arm, her fingers like iron claws, and her eyes boring into mine. And she screams, her voice full of anger and frustration. She screams at me, demanding to know why I am running away, why I am leaving her in her pain.

I can feel her sharp claws digging into my flesh, and I try to pull back, but she only holds me tighter, her voice rising to a crescendo before fading away into hot, angry tears. Finally, her grip relaxes, and her eyes fade away from mine as she turns away, her body shaking with sobs. She sinks to her knees, her shoulders slumped in defeat as she wraps her arms around herself. I want to reach out and comfort her, to tell her everything will be okay, but I know it won't. I cannot do it. I stand there in silence, watching her broken form, until she looks up at me again.

"You left me," she whispers in a hoarse and grating manner, her swollen eyes pleading for a different answer, and the last of her strength dwindles from her body before she collapses onto the ground.

My mirror self fades away like smoke, until all that is left is a single, silent tear running down her cheek. I watch it fall, as her body crumples away into nothing.

Perhaps it is for the best.

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