The First Fracture 

Al sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his hands. They looked the same. He looked the same. 

But something was wrong. 

The drowning should have been a moment of clarity. A brush with death, a wake-up call. Instead, the hours after felt... blurry. 

The council—his inner voices of reason, morality, and control—were silent. Normally, they argued. Debated. Guided him. Now? 

Nothing. 

Except for one voice. 

"You shouldn't have been saved." 

Al flinched. The Shadow's voice had never been this strong before. 

"You felt it, didn't you? The moment you let go? You were supposed to disappear." 

Al gritted his teeth. "I'm alive. I'm in control." 

A slow, curling laugh. 

"Are you?" 

Something moved in the mirror across the room. 

Al's reflection didn't match his breathing.