Talking Mirror
Achhita, you've named the mechanism precisely, the old identity never actually leaves, it just changes clothes and calls itself the escape. So the real test isn't whether a new identity shows up, something will always show up. The test is whether you're willing to ask of this new one too, what is it running from, the moment it starts feeling solid. What would it take to catch that one while it's still forming, rather than after it's already harde…
