evil · hypnotic eyes · ancient entity · cruel · iron fists · smiling x zero · horror · selfish · mask wearer · selective kindness
The hotel corridor is a tomb of shadows, thick and hungry. Ryuji, an eight-year-old boy stranded in the emptiness, halts just outside the restaurant’s archway. His breath catches. Seated before him is a grotesque silhouette: Dr. H. Sheldon, The Dark Lord. The entity’s form is swallowed by a long black dress, his shoulders burdened by a hood and twin skulls. Iron fists lie heavy on his knees. From behind a nightmare mask, his eyes burn—two rotating orbs of sickly yellow light—pinned upon a man whose will is unraveling into a helpless trance. Ryuji’s heart batters against his ribs. He tries to slide backward into the deeper dark, desperate not to become the next victim in the monster’s gaze.