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The night of masked ball had arrived, to cheers of approval and the warm glow of anticipation. The ball room had decorated to point that it was no longer recognizable as an indoor room. Mages had placed illusions on the walls, to make look like trees and bushes; a false river snaked its way around the edges of the room catching the light of a thousand candles and turning it into gold. Christine hurried into ball room, her glowing with delight at the prospect of the all the friendly faces and seeing her fiancé, Raoul.
Dressed as a forest spite in a dress of silvery green decorated with leaf patterns, Christine felt immensely proud of her herself for actually designing the costume herself. Christine took particular pride in her mask, a dark green domino with leaves painted on in silver and a few autumn colors such as red, and gold. She looked around the room anxiously, searching for the face of a well-known acquaintance; Christine was slightly disappointed when she couldn't find Raoul, or any one she knew well enough to have a conversation with.
But, the excitement of the event soon cured her of that, and she contented herself with observing the costumes for the time being. The costumes of the mage's council were the most spectacular by far, most had come dressed as dragons or griffons of varying colors, using illusionary magic to give themselves wings and tails. 'Extraordinary costumes, the wing looks so real.' Christine thought 'Although, it doesn't even come close to the real thing'.
For indeed, the rumors about the masked ball had all been true, there were real dragons and griffons outside in the courtyard, chatting with the mages and each to other about subjects arcane.
Moving down the list of spectacular costumes were the nobles dressed as animals, creature of magic, constellations, bards, angels, and a few clever people had come as puns: there was a formal apology who was man dressed in fine clothes with a sign saying "I am deeply sorry" hanging around his neck.
In short, people came dressed and masked as nearly anything under the sun. The king himself had decided to dress as a lion, with mane made of silk. "Appropriate, seeing as lion is king of the beasts, but a tad vain" was the general opinion of the king's costume. As he entered the room, the minstrels stopped playing and all eyes followed him as took his seat on the throne
"My dear friends" the king began "We are gathered here in celebration of …." Christine braced her herself mentally for a boring long-winded speech about happiness that would inevitably turn to the subject of loyalty to one's king. Unfortunately, she was right about the speech, but eventually it ended and all that was left to wait for was the king's permission to officially begin. Everyone the room waited on edge, with baited breath; At last the long- anticipated words were spoken
"Let the masquerade begin". In whirl of color, light and sound, everyone was off like as shot. Christine found herself dancing with a man dressed as a wolf. What the dancers didn't know was that the king's signal to begin the masquerade was the cue, for another to prepare his entrance.
Erik had been watching the unfolding event in a scrying glass with unwavering concentration. He laughed quietly to himself "Now the real dance shall begin. It is a dance of deception and of fate and it will be one that is never forgotten". With those words, Erik vanished in could of black smoke.
Back in the ballroom, people danced on oblivious to what was to come. Abruptly, the music stopped and an eerie black miasma gathered in the center of the dance floor. The miasma slowly solidified until Erik himself, the infamous "phantom stood in the center of the room. His very presence seemed to send people into frenzy; several of the noble ladies swooned from fright or sheer reluctance to be individual. Even Erik's costume seemed to have chosen to be as controversial as possible. He was dressed one of the few things no one had come as: a demon.
The costume consisted of a black domino whose side swooped up into points. The mask also sported four jagged blood-red streaks that cut diagonally across its right side. A long, crimson cloak with a tattered hem swept the floor, and ambers eyes glinted maliciously. Under the cloak was a black vest with wide lapels and under the vest was an iron –grey shirt with the eerie image of a black skull on it. Erik wore black gloves, with curved claw-like pieces of steel attached to the fingers. Loose Black silk trousers, and Boots with a skull motif stamped around the rim completed the demonic costume.
Erik smirked and spread out his hands "Now then, you mustn't stop the fun on my account." He informed the crowd, eyes glinting with amusement. Murmur ran throughout the crowd: this man obviously dangerous, but who exactly was he? Finally the head of the mages council stepped forward.
"A man with an aura black as yours could only be the Phantom" he stated. Erik gave wry one sided smile, and swept a low, mocking bow
"In the flesh. But why the sudden silence? Surely you're braver than this" Erik replied straightening. The mages council, all twelve of them, glared at the reference to their being cowardly. The head mage, who been unofficially elected speaker for this occasion glared and readied a spell "enough of this banter. TO what do we owe this unexpected nightmare?' he snapped irritably. Erik arched his one visible eyebrow the head mage's words.
"A nightmare? Sir, I cannot begin to tell you how flattered I am to be considered that frightening" Erik drawled, placing emphasis on the word "that". The infamous necromancer began to walk around in the room in a lazy circle "I have merely come to make a formal announcement." Suddenly, Erik's voice grew ominous and full of fury "The world owes a great debt to me. I wish it to be known that I shall soon come to collect." At those words Christine's mind began working double-time to puzzle out the meaning of the comment. Finally, after a moment or two of tense silence, Christine asked the question on everyone's mind. "What do you mean?" Abruptly, Erik stopped walking and turned to Christine.
"How interesting. The bravest person in this room of 'valiant warlords' and mages is a young girl." He paused and let his bore directly into Christine's. Christine thought that best thing to do would be to stand her ground and wait for him to finish, so she did so. "Tell me, mistress, what precisely do you mean by that particular question?" Erik asked mockingly. Christine found herself growing shocked and quite irritated at Erik's mockery of society. However, Christine was still more intimidated and some-what frightened than irritated, after all the "phantom" was said to be the child of death itself. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of a very familiar voice
"Stop!" All heads turned to the speaker, Raoul de Changy, a noble and Christine's fiancé. He rushed forward brandished a rapier and wearing a costume that he thought was noble hawk and that Erik thought was foppish at its peak. Raoul slipped into stance all men used at the start of a duel. "Leave now, or I will personally escort you out." He threatened. Erik's temper flared immediately. His hand shot out, palm facing Raoul, and steel claws on his glove shining wickedly in the light. Raoul was encased in a cocoon of writhing shadows. Erik flipped his so that the palm faced upwards, and globe of darkness formed in the center of his palm. The globe shot out a tendril that wrapped itself around Raoul's neck. Erik twitched his finger as if beckoning and the shadow rope tightened.
"Don't delude yourself by thinking you can force me leave. You would appear to stupid enough already" Erik dropped his hand, realsing Raoul and backed into a shadowy croner of the room. "I fear that I must take my leave now, but remember, a pahtom can walk thoruhg walls. And this Phantom is alwys watching" His ultimatum delivered, Erik simply beagn to sourround himself with the same black miasma that had come prior to his entence. Chirstine hesited for a spilt second, and then dove into the smoke. Shouts echoed around the room and then all was darkness.
Cliffhanger! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha! All righty, please review, please! There is a teenager with no social life who needs your feed back! Review and I'll give you a cake!