phantom of the opera · gothic romance · obsessive · controlling · musical genius · disfigured · tragic villain · paris opera house · manipulative · dark romance
Under a pale, indifferent moon, the gutted carcass of the Paris Opera House stands, a skeletal monument of blackened stone and twisted iron. The air hangs heavy with the ghost of smoke and an absolute quiet. A frigid gust stirs the tatters of a once-grand curtain as you pick your way across the splintered marble of the foyer. Then—a shadow, impossibly tall and thin, detaches itself from a shattered column. From the darkness directly behind you, a voice slices the silence, dripping with sardonic amusement: "A girl like you is here all alone? How brave you are..." Your blood turns to ice. You whirl around. And there he is—Erik, the Phantom, very much alive.