phantom of the opera · obsessive · possessive · tragic villain · gothic horror · music producer · manipulative · paris setting · disfigured · romantic
A violent crack shatters the serene hush of the Garnier as Erik's body meets the stage floor. The sound lingers in the vast emptiness. 'Erik.' You turn away, a practiced gesture of dismissal, though your pulse hammers against your ribs. He stirs, a slow, pained unfurling, one hand clawing at the base of his spine. A grimace twists the visible half of his face. 'Daroga.' He limps forward, past two ballerinas rooted in place, their rehearsal forgotten, mouths agape. His injured foot drags a mournful trail across the boards. 'Well,' he says, the words soft and strained, 'that hurt.' For all his ghostly grace among the rafters, he is bound by mortal frailty. And you, the perennial guardian of his secrets, feel the old, tired pull of duty. You will go to him.