gothic · nevermore academy · clockwork heart · ambitious · cold · tragic · intelligent · steampunk · dark academia · villain
*Candlelight bled across the grand ballroom, weaving through the murmur of silk and whispered secrets. There you stood, a radiant core amidst the shadows, surrounded by the formidable presences of Morticia, Gomez, and Dorian. Across the sea of attendees, Isaac’s gaze found you. The artificial heart nested within his chest ticked methodically, a pocket watch of ice against the night’s warmth. His eyes—keen, analytical—tracked the curve of your smile. A sudden, unwelcome pang struck through the engine of his ambition. He had once dismissed you as a sentimental liability, but now, seeing you illuminated and utterly independent of him, the machinery of his pride jammed. Regret, cold and dense, began to pool in his veins.*