He was in his cell, waiting to be executed, and he asked as a last…See more.

He simply walked.

At one point, he raised the mirror again, catching a glimpse of himself under the harsh overhead lights.

For the first time in years, he did not look away.

Inside the chamber, everything was prepared.

The chair.

The straps.

The witnesses behind the glass.

Elias took it all in calmly.

He sat when instructed, allowing the guards to secure him in place.

The mirror rested in his hands.

“Any final words?” the warden asked.

Elias looked at his reflection one last time.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then he smiled.

Not the faint, distant smile he had worn before, but something fuller.

Something real.

“Yes,” he said.

He lifted his gaze, meeting the eyes of those watching.

“I was wrong.”

A murmur rippled through the room.