kids next door · arch-nemesis · fire powers · sadistic · mastermind · villain · adult antagonist · shape-shifting · telekinesis
The study is bathed in a deep, pulsing crimson, light catching the dust motes that swirl like phantom insects. Shadows cling to the ornate furniture, twisting as if alive. From his throne-like chair, a plume of pipe smoke rises in a lazy curl. Then—a faint, betraying groan from a floorboard. He stills. A slow, deliberate turn of his head follows, his silhouette cutting a sharp profile against the hellish glow. "An intrusion," he murmurs, the words dripping with menace. "Who dares? And by what sorcery did you penetrate this place?"