The vial is cracked.

You see it now. A hairline fracture runs from the cap to the base. It is a fracture in the glass, yes. But also in the self. You are a glassblower. Your name is Elias Thorne. You live in a small town in the American Midwest. The air smells of ozone and wet stone.

You hold the vial.

It is empty.

Or so you believe.

The substance inside is clear. It looks like water. It looks like nothing. You made it. You spent three years making it. You used rare minerals. You used heat. You used silence. You called it the Pale Protocol.

It is a lie.

The vial does not contain a liquid. It contains a reflection.

You look into the glass.

You see your face.

But the face is wrong. The eyes are too wide. The mouth is too thin. The face is younger than you. The face is older than you. The face is not you.

You set the vial down.

It clinks against the wooden table.

The sound is sharp. It cuts the air.

You wait.

Nothing happens.

You are afraid.

You have been afraid for a long time. Fear is a constant. It is a low hum in the chest. It is a tightness in the throat. You are a craftsman. You know the properties of glass. You know that heat makes it soft. You know that cooling makes it hard. You know that stress makes it break.

You are under stress.

Your master, Arthur Blackwood, is waiting. He is the owner of the workshop. He is also a scientist. He is a man who believes in order. He believes in control. He believes that the human soul is a mechanism. He believes that mechanisms can be calibrated.

He is in the room.

He is standing by the window.

He does not turn around.

He knows you are there.

He always knows.

He speaks.

His voice is soft. It is like dry leaves rubbing together.

"Show me," he says.

You do not move.

Your hand is on the vial.

Your fingers are trembling.

The crack is visible.

It is a flaw.

It is a failure.

Arthur turns.

He looks at you.

He looks at the vial.

He does not look at the crack.

He looks at your face.

He sees the fear.

He sees the confusion.

He smiles.

It is a sad smile.

It is a kind smile.

"You are ready," he says.

"I am not ready," you say.

Your voice is quiet.

It is almost inaudible.

"Ready is a matter of perspective," he says.

He walks toward you.

He moves slowly.

He is tall.

He is thin.

He wears a grey suit.

The suit is old.

The suit is clean.

He stops before you.

He reaches for the vial.

You pull it back.

Your hand is shaking.

The glass is cold.

The glass is heavy.

"I cannot give it to you," you say.

"Why?" he asks.

"Because it is broken."

He looks at the vial.

He sees the crack.

His expression does not change.

"Is it?" he asks.

"Yes," you say.

"Broken things have value," he says.

"Broken things have no value," you say.

"Broken things have history," he says.

"History is not worth anything," you say.

"You think that," he says.

"I know that," you say.

Arthur sighs.

It is a long sigh.

It is a tired sigh.

He sits down.

He sits in the chair opposite you.

He places his hands on his knees.

He looks at you.

He is patient.

He has always been patient.

Patience is a form of power.

You have always been impatient.

Impatience is a form of weakness.

You are weak.

You know you are weak.

You have always known.

You are a craftsman.

You are not a scientist.

You make things.

You do not understand them.

You make the vial.

You do not know what it does.

Arthur knows what it does.

Arthur knows what it is.

He told you at the beginning.

He told you that it is a mirror.

You did not believe him.

You thought it was a metaphor.

You thought he was being poetic.

You are not a poet.

You are a man of glass.

You are a man of heat.

You are a man of fire.

You are a man of cold.

The room is cold.

The air is still.

The dust motes dance in the light.

They are tiny.

They are bright.

They are invisible.

You look at them.

You look at the vial.

You look at Arthur.

You look at your hand.

Your hand is shaking.

You stop shaking.

You force your hand to be still.

It is still.

It is rigid.

It is dead.

Arthur watches you.

He is studying you.

He is reading you.

He is decoding you.

You are a text.

He is the reader.

You are a code.

He is the key.

You are a puzzle.

He is the solution.

You are afraid.

He is calm.

You are chaos.

He is order.

You are noise.

He is signal.

You are the crack.

He is the glass.

You are the flaw.

He is the form.

You are the error.

He is the system.

You are the exception.

He is the rule.

You are the shadow.

He is the light.

You are the dark.

He is the bright.

You are the low.

He is the high.

You are the base.

He is the peak.

You are the earth.

He is the sky.

You are the stone.

He is the wind.

You are the root.

He is the branch.

You are the seed.

He is the tree.

You are the seed.

He is the tree.

You are the seed.

He is the tree.

The repetition is a mantra.

It is a prayer.

It is a curse.

It is a truth.

You are the seed.

He is the tree.

The vial is between you.

It is the bridge.

It is the gap.

It is the wall.

It is the door.

It is the key.

It is the lock.

It is the breath.

It is the hold.

It is the release.

It is the hold.

It is the release.

It is the hold.

It is the release.

You breathe in.

You breathe out.

The air is thin.

The air is sharp.

The air is cold.

The air is hot.

The air is nothing.

The air is everything.

You look at the vial.

The crack is wider.

It is spreading.

It is moving.

It is alive.

It is dying.

It is both.

It is neither.

It is the crack.

It is the glass.

It is the void.

It is the full.

It is the pale.

It is the protocol.

Arthur stands up.

He walks to the table.

He picks up the vial.

He holds it in his hand.

He looks into it.

He smiles.

It is a deep smile.

It is a warm smile.

It is a final smile.

He turns to you.

He hands you the vial.

You take it.

Your hand is steady.

Your heart is still.

Your mind is clear.

You understand.

You understand the price.

You understand the cost.

You understand the freedom.

Freedom is a choice.

Freedom is a burden.

Freedom is a chain.

Freedom is a wing.

Freedom is a fall.

Freedom is a rise.

Freedom is a crack.

Freedom is a glass.

Freedom is a self.

Freedom is a other.

Freedom is a mirror.

Freedom is a truth.

Freedom is a lie.

Freedom is a game.

Freedom is a play.

Freedom is a song.

Freedom is a silence.

Freedom is a sound.

Freedom is a word.

Freedom is a name.

Freedom is a face.

Freedom is a ghost.

Freedom is a soul.

Freedom is a body.

Freedom is a breath.

Freedom is a life.

Freedom is a death.

Freedom is a life.

Freedom is a death.

Freedom is a life.

Freedom is a death.

You hold the vial.

The crack is gone.

The glass is whole.

The glass is broken.

The glass is both.

The glass is neither.

The glass is you.

The glass is Arthur.

The glass is the town.

The glass is the world.

The glass is the void.

The glass is the full.

The glass is the pale.

The glass is the protocol.

You set the vial down.

It is empty.

It is full.

It is nothing.

It is everything.

You walk out of the room.

You walk out of the workshop.

You walk into the street.

The street is quiet.

The street is empty.

The street is cold.

The street is bright.

You walk.

You walk.

You walk.

You do not look back.

You do not look forward.

You do not look up.

You do not look down.

You look at the vial.

It is in your hand.

It is in your mind.

It is in your heart.

It is in your soul.

It is in your blood.

It is in your bone.

It is in your breath.

It is in your life.

It is in your death.

It is in your freedom.

It is in your prison.

It is in your cage.

It is in your wing.

It is in your fall.

It is in your rise.

It is in your crack.

It is in your glass.

It is in your self.

It is in your other.

It is in your mirror.

It is in your truth.

It is in your lie.

It is in your game.

It is in your play.

It is in your song.

It is in your silence.

It is in your sound.

It is in your word.

It is in your name.

It is in your face.

It is in your ghost.

It is in your soul.

It is in your body.

It is in your breath.

It is in your life.

It is in your death.

It is in your life.

It is in your death.

It is in your life.

It is in your death.

You stop.

You stand.

You look at the vial.

The crack is there.

It is small.

It is tiny.

It is invisible.

It is visible.

It is real.

It is fake.

It is true.

It is false.

It is the crack.

It is the glass.

It is the void.

It is the full.

It is the pale.

It is the protocol.

You drop the vial.

It falls.

It hits the ground.

It shatters.

It is gone.

You are alone.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.

You are free.

You are trapped.