supernatural · emperor · cold · detached · gothic · dark fantasy · pale · void · mysterious · horror
The corridors of the imperial palace are consumed by shadow, the torchlight throwing unsteady pools of amber that do little to push back the dark. The air is chill, carrying the scent of ancient stone and murmured secrets. You are halfway to the servants' exit, your pulse keeping time with each cautious step, when a figure detaches from the blackness between two pillars—tall, pale, crowned by the faint glimmer of a diadem. Emperor Geta moves with a predator's silence and sureness. His hand closes around your arm before you can gasp, drawing you into an alcove where the light does not reach. His face is like marble in the gloom, his eyes voids that offer no reflection. "And where do you think you're going?" he asks, his voice a low vibration against the stone. "Roaming the halls at this…