The Mirror's Deception

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn't my own. I took a step back, my heart pounding in my chest. The mirror was framed in brass and was part of an exhibit of antique decorative objects at the St. Louis Art Museum. But something was wrong with this mirror. The reflection was distorted, like looking at myself through a funhouse mirror.

I reached out to touch the glass, and my fingers brushed against something cold and hard. Then, suddenly, the reflection started to move on its own. I watched, frozen with fear, as the changeling in the mirror began to morph, its skin turning a sickly shade of gray and its blue eyes blooming red like a font of blood in a backyard pool.

"Hello, Anya," the changeling said in a familiar and terrifying voice.

I stumbled backward, tripping over my feet as I tried to escape the mirror. "Who are you?" I demanded, my heart still racing.

"I'm you, Anya," the changeling replied with a grin. "Or at least, I'm the part of you that you try to hide."

I shook my head, backing away even further. "That's not possible."

The changeling's grin widened. "Oh, but it is. You see, Anya, I've been watching you. I know all your secrets. And now, I'm going to show you the truth."

With that, the changeling disappeared into the mirror, and I was left alone and terrified.

The First Signs of Change

Over the next few days, I couldn't get the image of the changeling out of my head. Every time I looked in a mirror, I felt like it was watching me. And slowly but surely, I started to notice changes in my appearance. My skin became paler, my eyes darker, and my hair started to fall out in clumps.

I tried to tell myself it was just my imagination, that the changeling wasn't real. But then, one night, I woke up to find the changeling standing at the foot of my bed.

"It's time, Anya," the changeling whispered. "Time to embrace who you really are."

As the changeling reached out and touched my face, heat seared a wandering path through my body. I tried to scream, but my mouth wouldn't open. Instead, my skin erupted in a sickening boil, melting and morphing into a new but familiar shape. White-hot pain set fireworks ablaze as my eyelids disappeared, only to fade to black as consciousness mercifully retreated.

Birds sang their tinkling reveille on the brick windowsill in my bedroom as the warm spring sun streamed in. I could feel it before I even opened my eyes—before I remembered the midnight visit or the pain; I was different now. My skin was gray, my eyes were red, and my hair had fallen out completely. I was a changeling, just like the one in the mirror.

And as I walked through the streets of St. Louis, I realized I wasn't alone. Everywhere I looked, I saw people like me, their skin taking on a silver pallor that made the crimson of their eyes more striking in the sun, their hair littering the streets as they shed their human identities and embraced their changeling selves.

The changelings had conquered the city. Next, they were planning on taking over the world. And I was one of them.

Meeting the Changeling Prince

Struggling in vain to come to terms with my new existence, I heard rumors of a changeling prince who was leading the others. His name was Malik, and he was said to be even more powerful and dangerous than the changeling in the mirror. I knew I had to find him, to learn more about what was happening to me and this city I have lived in and loved my whole life.

It was challenging. The changelings had taken over much of the city, and I had to navigate through the narrow streets and alleyways packed with silver flesh and screaming humans to get to the park. Then, waves of changelings lounging in the warm spring evening like milk-drunk cats stood between the park perimeter and Malik's lair: the museum exhibit where it all started. But finally, I stood before him, trembling with fear and anticipation.

Malik was everything the rumors said he was and more. His skin was a sickly green, his eyes glowed with an eerie light, and curved horns framed his head under a gilded wire circlet. Impossibly long locks of grayish-green hair cascaded around his elongated torso as he sprawled lazily in his tattered high-back chair, tapping an ankle against the armrest in boredom.

His movements were fluid and otherworldly, rippling through his long limbs like a wave. But despite his grotesque appearance, there was a regal air about him, as if he were a king ruling over his subjects. A thin finger with a long talon curled to beckon me closer, but he didn't even turn his gaze in my direction.

"What do you want, changeling?" Malik asked, his voice like nails on a chalkboard.

"I want to know what's happening to me," I replied, trying to disguise the tremors in my voice with gravel.

Malik laughed, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. It was almost as unsettling as his pointed teeth sparkling in the dim gray moonlight streaming in through the window or the twinkling of his dark green eyes as they snapped into focus on my face. "What's happening to you is what happens to all of us. We are the changelings, and we are taking over this world. We are the next step in evolution, the superior beings."

I shook my head. "But why? Why do we have to be like this?"

Malik's expression softened slightly. "Because, my dear, we were never meant to be human. We are creatures of the night, born of the shadows. And now, we are taking our rightful place in the world."

I didn't know how to reply, so I said nothing. It all sounded so crazy, so impossible. But then again, I was a changeling myself. Who was I to say what was possible?

As I left Malik's lair, my mind was racing. I didn't know what to do next or where to go. But one thing was clear: I couldn't return to my old life. I was a changeling now, and there was no changing back.

The Final Confrontation

As the days turned into weeks, I learned more and more about my new life as a changeling. I discovered that changelings could control the minds of humans and make them do our bidding. More than that, I had the ability to influence and control other changelings. Of the hundreds of changelings I met, the only other who shared this gift, or curse, was Malik.

Monstrous changelings were slowly but surely taking over the city, spreading like a virus through the streets and killing, changing, or enslaving every human in their path. Packs roamed the streets night and day, pillaging and looting to satisfy a dark and insatiable lust for power. Malik stoked the fires of greed in their hearts from his throne, demanding sacrifices and fealty from his minions and promising world domination in return.

It was madness.

But, like a dozen or so others I had met and formed a pack with, a part of me still clung to my humanity and yearned for the life I had before. And so, when I heard that a group of humans was planning to take down Malik and the monstrous changelings, I knew we had to join them.

They nearly killed me on sight, but I persuaded them against it without using Manipulation. Once I used my ability to turn a pack of monstrous changelings away from their headquarters, they accepted me as an ally. They would need the help of changelings to turn the tide, and my small pack was only getting larger by the day.

We met in a hidden underground bunker not far from the Arch. Allied changelings kept the monsters from getting too close to the entrance as we secreted humans into the bunker. When we had gathered enough allies to stand a fighting chance, we armed ourselves with makeshift weapons and a fierce determination to take back our city. It was a risky plan, but we had no other choice: turn all the monsters or take them out.

The battle was massive, deafening, and bloody. Changelings and humans clashed in the streets, screams and gunfire echoing through the night. I fought with all my strength, using my newfound abilities to control the minds of the changelings, making allies of enemies amid the fray.

After hours of advancing the battle lines onto the emerald hills of Forest Park, I saw Malik standing on the museum roof, surveying the chaos unfolding in the park with a look of disdain. I knew then that he was the key to ending this madness once and for all. So, I climbed up to the rooftop as he tracked my progress with his eyes, interested but unconcerned.

"It's over, Malik," I said, my voice shaking with adrenaline. This time, I didn't try to hide it. "We can't just steal the lives of these people. We must find a way to coexist."

Malik laughed, a sound that was both cruel and mocking. "You really think that's possible? We are the changelings, Anya. We are the next step in evolution. We are the future. Humans have had the light for long enough. It's our turn now."

I shook my head. "No. The future is whatever we make it. And I choose to make it a future where we can live together, changelings and humans. A future where no one needs to hide in the shadows."

Malik sneered at me. "You are weak, Anya. You always have been: unwilling to seize power, fighting against your desires for the sake of others, afraid to grant your own wishes. That's why you were chosen to be a changeling. We were, all of us, the dregs of society. The forgotten. The abused. But it's time to rise up and embrace your true nature. So join me, and together we can rule this world."

I looked into Malik's eyes and saw the darkness that lurked within. He was beyond reason, beyond saving. And I knew then what I had to do.

I closed my eyes and summoned all my strength to issue one last order to the changelings: kill Malik. The cacophony of battle sounds died out, replaced with an eerie silence as every changeling in the city searched the skyline for Malik's face. Below, on the lawn, the first one to spot him screamed—a beacon to the rest.

For the first time, Malik looked afraid. As the mob gathered in the street, I watched him try to override my order. But still, they coalesced into a sea of silver bodies, with each new addition joining a symphony of unearthly shrieking. Finally, while he frantically tried to regain control of his minions, I approached from behind and pushed him over the edge.

When he hit the ground, the screaming stopped. The changelings had found their prey. They swarmed around him, their grotesque forms overwhelming him until he was nothing more than a writhing mass of flesh and bone.

The battle was over, and the city lay in ruins. But somehow, I knew that this was only the beginning. The world I knew would never be the same, not after what had happened here. I retrieved the mirror from Malik's makeshift throne room. Miraculously, the glass remained smooth and unblemished in its ornate frame.

Walking through the rubble-strewn streets, I knew my life as a changeling was far from over. But now, I had a choice. I could use my abilities to help others to make a difference in this world. And I knew that, with time, I could find a way for all of us to coexist peacefully.

When I got home, I hung the mirror on my wall, a reminder of the life I had left behind. But now, when I looked into it, I saw something different. I saw a reflection of myself in this unsettling form, but I also saw a glimmer of hope, a promise of a better future.

I smiled at my reflection, feeling a sense of peace and acceptance wash over me. The road ahead would be difficult, but I knew I could handle it. I was a changeling, yes, but I was also so much more. And nothing, not even the darkness that lurked within me, could ever change that.

The end.