Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the many adaptations of Phantom of the Opera. The only characters I own are the original characters found in this story.
Prologue:
He slowly made his way from the shadows towards the ruin that was once the Opera Populaire. The crowds of people that engulfed the square had long ago dispersed, having retreated to the safety and security of their homes. Home. Home was something he no longer had, he thought to himself as he stood watching the sun rise over the smoldering ruins. He destroyed everything in the vain attempt to gain the love of a woman. His Christine. No, not his Christine, not any longer. She was never was his. He realized this when she placed that fateful kiss upon his lips. There was no love behind that kiss only a desperation so strong it stunned him. He was so blinded by his obsession for Christine, for that was all that it was. It was not love but obsession with what he wanted to be love. He did not realize the consequences of his actions until it was too late. Everything was now destroyed. Not just for him but for everyone that had called the Opera House home. How many lives had he destroyed to obtain that which was beyond his reach? So lost in his own thoughts, he failed to hear the footsteps approach behind him until the owner of those footsteps spoke.
"It is not safe here, Erik." Erik turned sharply to see the figure of his old friend Nadir.
"What do you want old man. Have you come to see me utterly humiliated." Erik said sharply.
"No my friend. Now is not the time. Come, we must be away from here before the police arrive to investigate." Nadir stepped forward as Erik turned back to look at his former home.
"I have nothing left Nadir. My home, my life's work, my music, everything is gone."
Nadir looked at the man that he saw as a friend despite the many differences between the two men. It was clear to Nadir that a dark melancholy threatened to overtake his friend. And that was not acceptable to Nadir. Erik could offer so much to this world, his genius was something Nadir sought to protect ever since their time in Persia.
It was a few minutes before Nadir spoke again. "No Erik. Everything is not gone. You still have something."
"And what is that, Daroga."
"A chance to start over."