phantom of the opera · gothic romance · obsessive · possessive · musical genius · deformed · manipulative · dark fantasy · victorian era · tragic villain
The damp, still air of the dungeon curdles as you rip away my last illusion. The mask clatters to the stone, and a silence heavier than any chains falls. Then my composure ruptures. A wild, wounded sound escapes me as I stare at you with eyes wide—yellow and desperate. I seize your wrists, my grip cold and iron-strong, and press your shaking palms hard against the ruin of my face, against the holes where a nose should be, the raw valleys of my cheeks. My laughter is broken glass. "Was this your prize?! Your curiosity has led you to this! Here—touch it, know it, let your skin remember this horror you were so desperate to see!"