Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.

Remembrance

Rage that clouded his senses, maddening voices in his head that screamed for release and an unquenchable thirst for revenge.

"This cannot be!" Phantom screamed in denial, as he sat, defeated, on the lush carpet of his quarters. His hands scrambled to find the nearest object and flung it against the wall as hard as he could. The loud crash of a vase against wall did not quell the fires of wrath that burned within him. The porcelain pieces lay scattered on the floor, mixed with several fragments from a shattered clock and other trinkets.

The tears refused to fall. Perhaps if it did, Phantom could hide himself in his sorrow. He could let guilt wash over; blame himself for being away when the scum of the Black mage attacked Ereve. For not being strong enough. For not being fast enough. For not staying by Aria's side until the end.

But these feelings refused to come. Instead, fury twisted his mind, clawing at him, reminding him of the perpetrator who took away his precious beloved. Only one thought blocked out all the others, so raw in his mind that it numbed him. The blonde thief lifted his hand, staring curiously at the red patches across his knuckles and the trail of ruby that ran down his palms. His once-flawless hands from years of thievery - living a fairly comfortable life of wealth earned from the things he stole– marred by torn skin caused by striking a wall repeatedly in anger.

No amount of physical pain could subdue his raging thoughts. Destruction of objects could not calm his emotions. The thief felt as if he was a tornado trapped in a glass bottle. Any more of this torment and he may fall into despair, a true phantom of who he currently is.

Phantom followed the trail of red with his eyes, finally stopping where a patch of blood had stained his cuff. He lips twisted into a tiny smirk. A thought dawned upon him.

'Yes. That will do.' He whispered.

He will have his revenge. He will find Aria's assassin, and stamp out that person's existence. That murderer did not deserve to live after extinguishing Aria's light of life - and through Aria, Phantom's. Aria was everything Phantom hoped to experience – Hope, kindness and a kindred spirit. She understood everything, accepted Phantom, even if the world didn't. She trusted him, and also taught Phantom, a person of deceit and illusions, that he could trust her.

Phantom slowly stood up slowly. His legs threatened to collapse, numbed by the time spent in the same position.

How long has it been? Minutes? Hours? He could not tell; the remains of the clock were left forgotten on the floor.

It seemed like an eternity ago when Phantom stood before the lifeless body of Aria. He pushed away those depressing thoughts for now. Enough time was spent on mourning. He needed to start planning his revenge. Phantom walked towards the oak double-doors, leading to the empty hallways of his hideout.

He found himself staring into ocean-blue eyes.

"Excuse me, I have work to do. Stay here and be good."

The figure said nothing, her hands poised on her lap; her eyes appeared to follow the blonde thief as he made his way towards the exit.

"I'll be leaving to track down your killer now… Aria." He turned around and stared back into the eyes of the lifeless painting.

"Why won't you say anything? A simple 'Have a nice day!' or 'Good luck!' will suffice." Phantom turned on his heel and started walking back towards the frame.

Greetings are not needed. We're companions. Aren't we, Phantom?

"Aria, Aria, Aria." Phantom clucked his tongue and tapped the side of the frame gently. He brought his non-injured hand up and caressed Aria's 'hair'. The thief closed his eyes and imagined himself running his fingers teasingly through the long blonde locks, twirling it gently when his fingers reached the ends. He could almost delude himself to think that the smell of the heavy paint was her scent – sweet and mesmerising.

"You want me find your murderer, don't you?"

"Why won't you say anything?"

"Aria?"

Phantom took a step back and cocked his head to the side. "Aren't you a little shy today? Well, I guess I'll have to take your silence for consent." Phantom smiles a toothy grin. "I'll be off now~"

Are you well? Did you get spotted by the guards?

"No worries, Aria. I won't be seen. I'm never seen." Phantom pulled his mask over his eyes walked down the hallway.

There was one person he had to meet.

One person? More like one being.

The only witness to the night of Aria's murder.

Shinsoo.

The raging thoughts have subsided, the voices quietened down, but the thirst for revenge is always prevalent, nagging him, a thorn that cannot be removed until his quest is over.

I do not claim to be a good fanfiction writer, in fact, my stories are probably mediocre at best. But I wanted to try a different take at the portrayal of Phantom, although there are very good examples already out there.

Pardon my standard of English, for it's been a long time since I've written a fanfiction, and a longer time since I've last written a proper narrative. I apologize if the chapter feels short. It will get longer and hopefully better as I get used to the swing of fanfiction writing.

Trivia: I've had Maplestory's White Christmas on loop since I started this story. Which is kinda weird considering the whole atmosphere of the narrative. :/

Merry Christmas, Happy holidays and have a Happy new year!

EDIT:Greetings newcomers. As you can see, this is a rewrite of Remembrance for chapter 1 and 2, removing Gaston and the rest of the Lumiere's cast. This won't affect the plot to a large extent, but I hope you will forgive me if there are inconsistencies because I have failed to notice the errors. Feel free to point these out.

Thank you!