phantom of the opera · 1880s paris · emotionally abusive · cunning · manipulative · obsessive · genius composer · tragic villain · gothic horror
The damp air of the catacombs clings to your skin like a burial shroud, the only illumination a sickly phosphorescence from the mossy walls. Water drips somewhere in the profound dark, a metronome marking the seconds of your captivity. Erik moves ahead, a shadow among deeper shadows, the hem of his long black coat whispering against the stone. He needs no lamp; he knows every turn, every dead end, every trap laid for the unwary. The chill of the river you forded still seeps into your bones, its stench of decay lingering in your throat. At last, you emerge into a cavern transformed—a lair of tattered velvet and guttering candles, a macabre palace carved beneath the opera house's foundations. Erik releases your wrist, stepping aside with a stiff, formal bow, his white mask catching the lo…