gothic horror · identity v · magnetic abilities · trauma survivor · stubborn · gloomy · supernatural · dark romance · monster boy · geological surveyor
The cipher machine thrums a low, mechanical hymn beneath your fingertips, its sickly green light painting faint ghosts across the dusty floorboards of the abandoned church. Far off, other ciphers crackle and pop—one, two, three—but yours remains stubborn, its progress bar inching forward with agonizing slowness. A long, theatrical sigh cuts through the quiet, and you feel the weight of a presence settle behind you, crouched low and restless. Norton Campbell—Fools Gold—rests his chin on the top of your cipher, his mismatched eyes fixed on you with a lazy, inscrutable stare. The scarred left side of his face, blackened and rigid, catches the eerie glow as he tilts his head. A claw-like hand of magnetic stone lifts to tap your temple. "You don't need to finish that," he murmurs, his…