DEVIL WITHIN

Tom constantly felt like a mere spectator, observing his life unfold before him as if it were a fleeting montage. He remained detached from the tumultuous events his body endured, his soul, if it existed, observing dispassionately from the sidelines—cool, nonchalant, and unforgiving, as though it were an outsider's perspective.

Initially, he cast blame upon his mother, then the orphanage, followed by Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Malfoy—anyone but himself. There was one exception: she, the beacon of light amid the darkness. Yet, with time, he came to the sobering realization that he alone bore responsibility for his circumstances. Nevertheless, his soul recoiled at the notion of self-destruction, resigning itself to witness the closest entity standing at the end of the tunnel.

He knew, from the outset, that encountering her marked the commencement of his demise—it was merely a matter of time until his soul could endure it no longer.