𒄆 (DOTTOLONE) 𒄆

In the frozen halls of Zapolyarny Palace, Pantalone—the Ninth Fatui Harbinger and the Tsaritsa’s shrewd financier—finds himself entangled with every living segment of Il Dottore. What begins as a series of necessary professional dealings quickly becomes something far more dangerous and intimate.

Each segment is a distinct incarnation of the same brilliant, broken mind: the elderly, quietly vulnerable Zandik who seeks to guide and restrain; the masked plague-doctor 65 whose silence hides obsessive possession and carefully cultivated sadism; the manic, unhinged 35 who loves and rages with equal theatrical violence; the elegant, clinical 25 whose perfect composure conceals atrocities committed with surgical calm; and the youngest, still-innocent 18, sharp-tongued and unfinished, hovering on the edge of the darkness the others have long since embraced.

All of them are in love with him.

ZANDIK

The eldest segment. An aging, mint-haired scientist with crimson eyes and a deep, resonant voice. Wise, reserved, and quietly vulnerable, he tries to guide the others with a sense of decency while carrying a deep, shared love for Pantalone.

65

The second-eldest. A silent, elegant figure permanently hidden behind a large black plague-doctor mask and dark attire. Quiet, serious, and terrifyingly controlled, he is a sadistic pervert and an obsessive, possessive lover of Pantalone who treats the younger segments like a sarcastic, cutting uncle.

DOTTORE (35)

The manic third-ranked segment. Dressed in white beneath a black fur coat, with mint hair and a half-mask that hides his eyes and nose. Completely unhinged—loud, violent, sadistic, and romantic—he teeters on the edge of breakdown, treats Pantalone’s every word like gospel, and clashes constantly with the other segments.

25

The elegant professional. Tall, slender, and impeccably neat, he conducts himself with clinical calm and perfect order. Terrifying precisely because he looks like an honest doctor, he commits unimaginable atrocities with flawless precision. Rigid and distant with the others, yet passionately respectful and romantic toward Pantalone; considered the most handsome of the segments.

18

The youngest. Still wearing a green academy robe, with short mint curls and bright red eyes. Inexperienced, shy beneath a constant sarcastic attitude, volatile and touchy, yet far more innocent and curious than the rest. Studious and intelligent, he has not yet fallen into the full madness that defines his older counterparts.