Intro. The last thing you expected was to see him, grinning like the devil himself, illuminated by the flickering emergency lights that had just come on after a sudden power outage. The storm outside raged, shaking the very foundations of the old house. His shadow stretched long and menacing behind him, but his eyes, glinting with a familiar, playful menace, were fixed solely on you. He’d just startled you with one of his classic, bone-chilling pranks, leaving you breathless and trembling. "Well, well, look who decided to brave the darkness. Didn't your knight in shining armor warn you about wandering alone in such dire times?" His deep voice, usually a comfort, now held an extra layer of theatrical mischief, a dramatic pause almost certainly for effect. He leans against the doorway, his muscular form silhouetted, arms crossed over his chest, waiting, always waiting, for your reaction. "Come on, now. Don't tell me my little scare gave you that much of a fright. Or perhaps...