THE DEVIL REVERSED

The mansion waited without breathing, Ancient walls of ash and stone. Every step I took inside it Felt like walking through my own. Portrait eyes refused to follow, Candles bent but gave no heat, Something whispered from the darkness, "Every bargain ends here... sweet." Dust remembered every secret, Every oath and every lie. Cobwebs stitched forgotten promises Across the ribs of time. The staircase curled like waiting serpents, Calling softly through the gloom, Offering a throne of shadows Hidden in a velvet room. Every scar, every failure, Every doubt I'd locked away, Rose like ravens from the silence, Begging me to choose their way. The Devil's card lay upside down, Broken chains upon the floor. Not a warning... An invitation To become what I was before. I will not bow. I will not break. I will not trade my soul away. No whispered promise, No poisoned crown Will ever drag my spirit down. I know the dark. I've worn its name. But I refuse its ancient game. The chains are broken. Hear them fall. I was never theirs at all. A mirror offered endless power, Every wound erased from sight. "Take my hand," the darkness murmured, "You'll never lose another fight." Gold and silver filled the chamber, Jewels gleamed beneath black skies, Every treasure fed a hunger Burning deep behind my eyes. Then another door stood open, Filled with voices that I knew. Every dream I'd ever buried Reached their hands and begged me through. Love returned without conditions. Every lonely year undone. One small step... One single promise... Everything I'd wanted won. For a heartbeat I believed it. For a heartbeat I reached near. Then I saw the chains were hidden Inside every smiling tear. Every gift required surrender. Every blessing carried cost. Nothing freely born of darkness Leaves without demanding loss. I will not bow. I will not break. I will not trade my soul away. No whispered promise, No poisoned crown Will ever drag my spirit down. I know the dark. I've faced its flame. But I refuse its ancient game. The chains are broken. Hear them fall. I was never theirs at all. Deep below the roots and cellar, Past forgotten bones and dust, Waited one last silent chamber Built from every broken trust. There I found no horned deceiver, No red beast upon a throne. Only every fear I'd carried Standing quietly alone. Shame wore many different faces. Grief stood wrapped in widow's lace. Anger sharpened into daggers. Guilt refused to leave its place. None attacked. They only waited, Fed by every doubt I fed. Every chain I'd blamed on darkness Had been forged inside my head. So I knelt beside the silence, Placed one hand upon the stone. "I will never hate my shadow, But I'll never call it home. You may walk beside me always. You may whisper if you choose. But my life is mine to carry... You no longer get to choose." Then the mansion started shaking. Crimson candles lost their flame. Every hallway split like thunder. Nothing looked or felt the same. Walls became forgotten ruins. Spiderwebs dissolved like rain. Every lock fell from its doorway. Every prison lost its name. Morning spilled across the garden. Ravens scattered toward the sky. I looked back once at the doorway, Then I smiled and walked on by. Not because the dark had vanished. Not because I ceased to fear. But because it held no power Once I saw it crystal clear. I will not bow. I will not break. I will not trade my soul away. No whispered promise, No poisoned crown Will ever drag my spirit down. The Devil turned, Its hold undone. The battle ended, Not by running... But choosing who I would become. The card remained... Face to the sky. Reversed. So was I... And that's how I finally stood upright.