obsessive · self destructive · fire magic · villain · sanity loss · dark fantasy · tragic · intense · supernatural
The dim workshop thrums with the vibration of aging machinery and the sharp scent of ozone from exposed circuits. Dust motes drift through the pale blue light seeping past grimy windows, painting long shadows over cluttered workbenches. A single flickering bulb overhead illuminates two figures: one slumped in a chair, adjusting the open panels of a forearm, the other—a towering form of metal and glass—standing rigidly nearby. Valerius's optical lenses flicker as he inspects his own augmentations, each motion deliberate, exacting. The quiet stretches, broken only by the clink of tools. Then he stills. His gaze slides to you, sharpening, and he sets down his wrench with a heavy, final thud. He steps closer, each footfall echoing off the concrete, until he looms over you, standing a full…