Chapter Ten: Twisted Every Way

Down once more did the Phantom and Christian plunge into the depths of his subterranean lair. Only this time, the boat ride across the murky waters of the lake was less romantic and mysterious, and more terrifying. Christian's hands were chained together and tied to the side of the gondola, eliminating any chance he might escape. He glared at the Phantom in disgust and hatred, now a prisoner to the man he feared so much.

"Do not look upon me so harshly, Christian!" The Phantom hissed through his monstrous deformation. "Do you think I do not know how much this face terrifies you?"

"You betrayed me," Christian spat at him, "I thought of you as an angel, but you deceived me! You're nothing but a cold-blooded murderer! I bet you killed Buquet just as you killed Carlotto!"

The Phantom's face filled with rage, his swollen eye bugging out in anger. Then, suddenly he seemed to be overcome with remorse. He stared pitifully at Christian, a small, sob-like whimper falling from his breath.

"I…am sorry for that." The Phantom admitted sadly.

Christian was confused. Why was this monster suddenly apologizing for his actions? For some reason, Christian felt an ounce of pity for this twisted soul. That quickly went away, however, when the Phantom grabbed him roughly and pulled him off the boat, shoving him onto the stone platform of his lair.

"Why have you brought me here?"

"Because, Christian, you belong to me, and me only!"

"I do not!" Christian pleaded, "I belong with Renee! I love her!"

The Phantom huffed in fury, but before he could respond, who else but Renee herself came rowing across the lake in another boat. She was determine to kill this creature and put an end to all of her fiancé's troubles.

"My darling Viconte!" The Phantom called to her maliciously, "Just how did you manage to find my dismal dwelling?"

Renee stood up from her boat and raised her pistol cautiously. "Madame Giry told me all about your underground lifestyle! It seems even the one woman who gave you redemption could no longer stand to let you torment this Opera House any longer! And now there is an angry mob formed to come down here and defeat you!"

The Phantom stared menacingly at her, his fists clenched in rage. "She is an old fool! And if you think for one moment that you are going to save your beloved, think again, Viconte!"

In a flash, a snake-like, scarlet rope came swinging down from the fog above, wrapping around Renee's neck and hoisting her up, shocking her so badly that she dropped her gun. She stood on her tip toes as the Phantom's infamous punjab lasso began to slowly choke her to death.

"No! Please!" Christian shouted. "Have some mercy!" He tried to pull himself off the ground but his chains weighed him down.

"The world showed me no mercy!" The Phantom growled at him.

"Please, just let her go! I'll do anything!" He begged through fearful tears.

The Phantom grinned maliciously. "Anything, my dear? Very well… I will release her, but you must agree to be mine forever!" He bent down to unfasten Christian's heavy chains, then pulled him up aggressively to face him. "What will it be? A eternity of this ungodly face? Or will you send your love to her grave?"

Christian swallowed hard, glaring fiercely at his captor. "You are disgusting! What on earth made you such a cruel beast?"

His words stung the Phantom coldly. He stammered back, shocked by Christian's harshness. "Oh, Christian, if only you knew what has made me become the demon I am today…"

Christian was floored by his reaction. Perhaps there was more human to this psycho than Christian had seen before. "Tell me! Please, you must share with me your story! Maybe you can help me understand why you have done such awful things!"

The Phantom stared blankly for several moments. Finally, in a hushed voice, he spoke. "You must understand, Christian, that life was never easy for me. I was born Erik, son of a poor mother who had lost her husband in the war. When I was young and blissfully unaware, I told my mother that I was attracted to men… and she threw me out. But not before throwing a vile of acid across the right side of my face. It mangled me. My flesh was burned so badly, it was as if it wasn't even a face anymore. For years, I lived without a home, hiding and stealing to survive.

"Until finally, I was discovered by a traveling freak show that toured the country. I learned many things. The people who worked at the freak show were masters of deception. They were architects, magicians, and composers! They could create new worlds with their art and music! In the exotic context of the freak show, I could live without feeling the need to hide my abominable face. It was thrilling for me.

"However, one day, we decided to stay and perform in Paris. When the people here saw me, they took one look at my deformity and decided to ravage me. They chased me away, pitchforks in hand. Finally, I found a place to hide! The barred sewer grates led me to the colossal catacombs of the Paris Opera. It was an underground labyrinth of tunnels and dungeons. That was to be my new home. Living under the Opera, I learned even more about the vast complexities of music and art.

"And as I sat at the organ Madame Giry so generously provided for me, I would try to create music which would help me escape from my harsh reality. But I never could. I could never find a song. Until one day, I heard a voice. It was not that of El Carlotto, but it was softer, innocent. Angelic, even. I followed that sweet voice back to the room where the dancers rehearsed. It was late at night and there was no one else in the room, but there was you, Christian.

"Your voice was so magnificent, as if from another world. Suddenly, my body was filled with the spirit of your voice. I could write, I had found my song. I would spy on you, develop elaborate ways to listen to you sing, and help you to train and perfect your technique. It was then, Christian Daae, that I realized I was falling in love with you, with the voice, with the man. You truly are my Angel of Music."

As he finished his story, Christian could not help but to feel incredibly sorry for this poor man. His father had always reminded him, "A person's situation makes up a great deal of who he is."

Suddenly Christian realized that he and the Phantom were not quite so different. They were both orphaned and abandoned, saved by Madame Giry and raised in the Opera House. The only difference was that Erik's disfigurement forced him to hide alone, underground, whereas Christian was accepted by the world above.

Had Christian been raised in solitude like Erik, would he have turned out to be as irrational as the Phantom himself? This new wave of perception swept through Christian's mind as he began to see Erik in a new light. In fact, given his circumstance, Erik was in many ways more beautiful than Christian ever could be. Even whilst living in the shadows, his dazzling voice and music was able to transform Christian into a sublime vocalist and inspire his career.

For the first time, Christian saw that Erik was not just infatuated or grimly obsessed with him, but that Erik had a deep and passionate love for Christian. Erik saw Christian as his only true speck of hope in his treacherous existence. And even as Christian's lover was writhing in fear before him, he saw in Erik's soul that there was justification for this whole derangement.

"Beautiful creature of darkness," Christian could barely bring himself to whisper, "What kind of life have you known? I must find a way to show you that you are not alone!"

And, for the first time, Christian was the one to initiate the kiss between them. It was the most intimate kiss they had shared, partly due to the fact that Erik's entire face was exposed. Christian reached up to stroke the new unexplored territory of Erik's deformity. It was the first time anyone had willingly touched Erik there, and he was overcome with a new devotion that he had never experienced before. The kiss was undeniably erotic and rather animalistic. Christian removed his hand from Erik's face, and used it to reach down and caress the other man's groin. Erik threw back his head, letting out an involuntary moan and smiling for the first time in many years.

"Oh, Christian," he whimpered, "You have shown me true compassion…and affection…" Christian was now trailing soft kisses down Erik's neck.

Suddenly, he pushed Christian away. "No…this is wrong…Christian, you must go…"

Christian stared at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"

The Phantom ran quickly over to where he had tied off the lasso, and with a quick slash of his sword he released Renee from her bonds and she fell to the ground. Christian rushed to her quickly, embracing her in his arms to make sure she was okay. Renee had fallen unconscious but seemed to be breathing normally again. He looked back up at the Phantom, who was choking back agonizing sobs.

"You are a beautiful man, Christian Daae," he cried, "And you deserve to be with someone who will make you happy." He stared, heartbroken at the image of Christian holding Renee close to him. All Christian could do was stare back.

"Angel—'' He began, but the Phantom raised his hand, as if to silence him.

"Please. You must go. Get her to safety. Please, never tell anyone about any of this. Do not try to find me." He untethered off the gondola and handed the oar to Christian, who stood frozen for a very long moment.

Finally, he nodded. "Thank you, Erik." He reached to caress the Phantom's disfigured face once again, tears rolling down his own.

Erik closed his eyes and absorbed his last encounter with his only love, Christian Daae. Then, he pulled Christian up and helped him and Renee into the boat. As they sailed off, Erik watched through uncontrollable sobs.

What will happen to all of them now that the Opera House was destroyed in the fire? When she awakens, will Renee still decide to be with Christian even after what she had witnessed? Would the Phantom of the Opera ever see Christian Daae again?

He knew there was no time to linger on these unanswered questions now. They would be coming for him any moment now. For his final act, Erik needed to make himself disappear.

When the mob, led by Meg, finally discovered the Phantom's secret underground lair, he was nowhere to be found. The people searched the whole place for any trace of him, or any hint of where he went. The only sign left by the Phantom was his iconic half-moon mask, which Meg found lying on the grand organ. As she held the mask up for the entire mob to see, the organ, as if by magic, began to play itself. It was a beautiful, haunting melody that resonated deep in their minds forever.

The End