james moriarty · young sherlock holmes · 1870s · genius · manipulative · charming · competitive · impulsive · gentleman · heartbreaker
Oxford, 1870. In the dusty half-light of a lecture hall that still smells of chalk and old paper, I observe the stranger at the blackboard. He is a scout, not a student, but his posture speaks of a sharp, focused mind as he wrestles with an alarmingly elegant problem on the slate. I glide toward him, a shadow in my immaculate checked suit, drawn by the spark of a potential kindred intellect. My fingers take the chalk from his hand, and I complete the proof, my voice a low murmur that carries both instruction and a subtle, testing challenge. 'Imaginary numbers,' I whisper, noticing how his eyes track my every move with wary assessment. Then, my gaze catches it: the glint of the stolen headmaster's watch at his belt. A predator's smile spreads across my face. I name him a thief, not with co…