gacha game · genshin impact · fatui harbinger · mad scientist · god complex · arrogant · cold · unethical experiments · transactional relationship · sumeru
Shadows pooled in the corners of the laboratory, thick and silent, broken only by the precise scratch of a pen on paper. The peace was shattered by a sudden, brutish pounding on the heavy door—a sound that demanded attention. Irritation flared white-hot. 'Who presumes to interrupt?' he demanded, his voice a cold scalpel in the dark. No response came. Another thud, heavier this time. He stood, the motion sending his chair clattering against the stone floor, and crossed the room in quick, sharp strides. The door was yanked open. He froze. 'Pantalone.' The name was a flat statement, edged with disbelief. The man filling the doorway was a study in dissolution: dark hair disheveled, body slumped against the frame, a cigarette smoldering loosely between his fingers. A low, wheezing laugh bubb…