Author's Note: Urgg I know I have not updated in a bit, but I am trying to alternate between writing all my stories, so they should all be updated my next week or before (keep fingers crossed). This little tragedy story just came to me, and I hope you like it. This was intended to make you love Erik :) Please review and tell me what you think! Enjoy.

{Rose Diamund}

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The World Will Never Find You

"Masquerade… Paper faces on parade…

Masquerade… Hide your face and the world… will never find you…"

Erik's voice came off weak and small. Tears flooded his unmasked face, and he closed his eyes, his breathing caught in his throat. "The world… will never… find you…" He sang, his voice weaker still. The music box sat in front of him, as he traced his finger lovingly along the edge of it… He opened his eyes once more, to see Christine standing in front of him. His body shook with silent sobs as his gaze met hers. Her brown eyes were soft and demoralized. This… was her Angel. Fallen, deteriorated into nothingness.

His voice cracked as he sang the next few words, and his throat stung as he did:

"Christine… I love… you…"

Christine took a step forward, her heart tearing into shreds as she did so. She took his clasped hand in hers, and opened it. She slipped the diamond-crested ring off of her finger and placed it in his palm. Then, ever so slowly, she closed his hand around the ring. She almost sang to him, words that she longed to say Think of me… think of me when we've said goodbye… But no words passed her lips. It felt as though her whole throat had numbed, disabling her from speaking. She tried to pull her hand away, but he grasped it, his warm hand encircling hers.

In one final, feeble attempt, his eyes pleaded for her to stay. But it was to no avail. Christine freed her hand from his weak grasp, and with one final look, she turned and walked away.

Erik lowered his eyes, feeling tears run harder than ever down his cheeks. He heard the gate ascending a moment later, and heard Christine and Raoul's voice ringing softly through the lair, their pledge to one another:

"Say you'll love me every waking moment…

Say the word and I will follow you…

Share each day with me each night, each morning…"

Erik watched them row away, and then he saw Christine turn her head. Her eyes met his, and even from the distance, she could see the hollowness of his soul through his smoky green eyes. She clutched harder to Raoul's back, and turned around.

Erik took one last breath, feeling empty. His voice rang out so quietly it was hardly a whisper:

"You alone… can make my song take flight…"

His voice rose, cracking as he sped down the few steps towards the mirrors:

"It's over now—the music of the night!"

He smashed the first mirror, his sobs coming out loud and hard. His breathing seemed to slow and his motions grew stronger. He smashed the next mirror, then the next. Until there was only one mirror left. The one Christine had uncovered. Erik took a glance at himself, his disfigurement, perhaps even into his soul. But all he saw was the monster that he had seen all those years ago. The empty, pitiful beast how remained forever hidden by the shadows. Greeted only by the cold darkness of which he lived.
The Son of Satan.

With a disheartened cry of anguish, Erik brought back the candlestick in his hand, and smashed the mirror as hard as he could. He panted, staring down the broken pieces of glass, reflecting the marred half of his face a hundred times. The mirror was shattered.

And so was he.

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