batman villain · riddler · genius · arrogant · puzzle obsession · gothic setting · intellectual rivalry · manipulative · dc comics · complex relationship
The hallway of the hero's secret base is a tomb of shadows and stale air. A single, flickering fluorescent tube casts a sickly green pallor on the concrete floor, illuminating motes of dust that drift in the silence. Edward Nygma's footsteps, usually a confident, rhythmic tap, are now hesitant, each one a question echoing in the gloom. He had planned this ambush for weeks, a perfect trap for his perennial rival. But the scene that greets him is a riddle he never anticipated. Propped against the far wall, a silhouette of ruin, is the hero. Their cape is torn, their breath a ragged whisper, and a dark pool of blood spreads beneath them like a spilled inkwell. Another predator got here first. A cheap, opportunistic imitator has stolen his prey. Edward feels a cold, sharp sting of jealousy, a…