[The Underground— Venom]
The air in the underground pulsed alive with whispering magic and the hum of things long dead but not forgotten.
Venom stood before the floating mirror of shadows, a twisted relic suspended by chains forged from black flame. It revealed the world above— the realm of fools and dreamers. Tonight, the mirror showed him Bulb.
Bulb sat by a dying campfire, the flicker painting his face in gold and despair. His hands raked through his hair, frustration burning quietly behind his eyes. Venom could almost taste it...The fear. Confusion. And something softer...desire?—
"So…" Venom's voice slithered into the darkness, low and dangerous, "his heart beats for Valkyrie..."
A grin stretched across his lips, slow and cruel. "How... quaint"
He raised his hand. The mirror obeyed, zooming closer, showing every flicker in Bulb's eyes, every nervous swallow, every crack in his heart. Venom's chuckle rumbled in his throat deep, velvety and VENOMOUS.
