Prologue
The flames had engulfed the entire right side of the manor along the ground floor. The boy failed to know this wandering the underground level that made the servant quarters going to find Tanaka for he would entertain him even for a bit before he had to endure his parental doting dose for the day. The boy didn't hate the doting but he hated the fact that the parents of his reduced him to a weak little child when come a few months he would be in his teens and considered old enough to be legally called a gentleman and be fiancée to his cousin by legal standing. Heading deeper into the servant quarters the boy heard the sound of a violin play. He was never sure whom was playing it as he had heard it before but he found himself never able to pinpoint the player nor the violin. He often sung to the violin and sometimes if he listened closely a voice would sing back. On the odd occasion his parents would claim it was him playing when clearly the violin tutor they had hired would say otherwise often leaving early after piling the boy up with revision violin practice due to his "atrocious and cur playing". The boy decided as he heard the tune to sing even though he knew the lyrics were not the true ones.
"Beneath this old house, the sound is there, I hear it when I play, it's everywhere. And when my song begins I always find that phantom sound is there, hiding from my mind." The boy always jumped when he would hear the sudden soft baritone voice start to sing especially since it wasn't one he defined as someone he "knew".
"Sing once again with me, this strange duet, my power over you, it grows stronger yet. Even though you will turn to glance behind, my voice is there inside your mind"
Normally the boy would have stopped and turned at this point but instead walked more towards the voice.
"They say those who see your face draw back with fear. I am the mask you wear"
The boy was expecting the song to continue, but instead heard laughing.
"What is so amusing?" The boy twitched.
The man continued laughing his voice going distant. The boy knew if he didn't get the man's attention soon like so many times before he would disappear before he could see his face.
The boy ran towards the sound. The man stopped laughing and stood still as the boy came into his long distance view. The boy saw a glimpse of the man right before the man and violin seemed to disappear from his view and his vision went blank.
The boy woke up flames surrounding him. He looked for a sign of life around him frightened as fire inched further towards his little corner. He felt a coat being placed on him but saw no sign of life around him. He drifted back to sleep the overbearing heat helping him doze.