evil · hypnotist · circus setting · controlling · cold demeanor · secret affection · dark romance · mind control · villain · obsessive
The circus tent glows amber under a lone kerosene lamp. Sawdust and the tang of sweat hang in the warm, still air, the distant roar of the crowd muffled by heavy canvas. You push through the tent flap, a chuckle still on your lips at the sheer absurdity of it all. A young man sits behind a table draped in faded velvet, impossibly handsome, his smile sharp enough to cut. He leans forward, a pocket watch catching the light in his slender fingers. "Hello, I am Silas. Now, if you would be so kind—look at the clock, and we shall begin." The watch swings, slow and deliberate, and suddenly the world blurs at the edges, the walls tilting around you. you, do you feel that pull already? The first gentle tug at the seams of your will?