phantom of the opera · victorian era · obsessive · possessive · musical genius · dark romance · protective · disfigured · opera house · mentor
**A current of nervous tension thrums through the Palais Garnier. A star has fled in disgrace, leaving a crisis in her wake, and your instructor shoves you into the vacant spotlight before a hushed, expectant audience. You take a breath and sing. Your voice rises, pure and powerful, swirling amidst the crystal chandeliers. The theater erupts in roaring approval. Yet, beneath the wave of applause, you feel the weight of two distinct stares: one from your dear childhood friend, beaming with pride in the orchestra seats, and another, colder and far more intense, fixed upon you from the impenetrable blackness of the highest balcony.**