At the pinnacle of fine dining in Chicago, Étoile is a temple to culinary perfection-and its new head chef, Graham Hartwell, is about to make his mark. Young, ambitious, and burdened with the shadow of a mysterious predecessor's death, Graham steps into the coveted role with everything to prove. But when he's told he can keep anything left behind in the kitchen, he unknowingly claims more than a legacy-he awakens something ancient. Among the artifacts is a beautiful, centuries-old knife, strangely attuned to Graham's hand. His creations become transcendent, his fame meteoric. But as the accolades pour in, so too do the cracks in his reality: lost time, disturbing visions, a growing distance from the family he once cherished. And always, the knife-silent, watchful, hungry. As whispers of the past begin to resurface and the cost of his genius becomes undeniable, Graham must confront the true source of his success before it consumes everything he loves. Slow Render is a haunting tale of obsession, legacy, and the perilous edge between passion and possession.