"The tears I might have shed

For your dark fate . . .

Turn cold, and

Turn to tears of hate!" –Track Down This Murderer

Chapter 19: The Birth of Daevas

I ran through the streets, tearing my skirt as I stepped on the ends. I knew that my wails echoed through Paris and some passing people glanced at me. I didn't care . . . not when so much of my world had come crashing down upon me.

Erik . . .why? WHY?

I tripped on my skirt, sprawling on the sidewalk and cutting open a gash on my knee. Searing pain shot through my leg and crimson blood began to dribble from my flesh. Stumbling to my feet, I lurched forward and ran again.

Run little Fire Rose . . . yes . . . run from the only life you will ever have. You will become a love slave now . . . what choice do you have?

Once the Opera Populaire had vanished from sight, I collapsed on the sidewalk, racked with painful sobs that echoed the torment of my heart. The Seine rushed before me, and I looked at the body of water, panting as I wept. I was in such a state that no one even dared approach me. I solemnly rested my head on the cool stones and tried to regain my breath. My head swam with visions of Erik's twisted face, Jean's look of utter disgust, the noises of terror that had followed my wig being removed.

Thunder boomed in the sky and I looked up in time to be pelted with rainfall. Defeated, I collapsed again, my makeup running in black streaks down my face. I beat at the stone, wailing in shame and torment.

"You damned bastard! Why would you do that to me?" I bellowed into the rain, expecting an answer from the weeping clouds.

Utterly broken, I looked at my reflection in a gathering puddle, noticing mournfully the muddy, tattered remains of my once prized costume. Its ends were frayed, the pure white stained with darkness . . . just like me.

Who are you trying to impress, Fire Rose? Some one willing to pay you for sexual services? My dark conscience taunted me, manifesting in my great despair and rejoicing in my grief.

Screeching in ire, I tore the skirt, ripping the expensive garment, mad with rage.

I will never become a love slave. I would rather starve to death with my dignity than live with such shame!

When my skirt lay in a frayed mess, I tore one of the straps off my top, leaving myself in soaked rags in the middle of the street. I breathed in heavy sighs as my broken heart pounded hard against my ribcage.

The rain was cold . . . so cold . . . and I began to feel faint. I felt as though I would die in the middle of the street . . . fall and never get up again. What a welcome act of grace it would be . . . No one should have to live with such degradation and shame.

Abandoning all defenses, I looked up at the sky, letting the rain wash away my pain. I smiled as I surrendered to the rain and sighed, spreading her arms wide in welcoming.

"Nasrin!" a voice in the biting wind called. I turned around to face to torrential downpour, blinking as rain clung to my lashes. Out of the darkness I spotted Madame Giry hurrying to my side, trying to hold up her skirt to prevent mud from splashing on it.

"Are you all right?" Giry asked, placing a comforting hand on my bare shoulder.

Do I look all right to you? Your perception isn't that impaired, is it Madame Giry?

I shook my head. "No! He betrayed me and humiliated me. My Erik would never do that. He understood my pain, and I his. He is mad, Madame. And now what do I have? All has been taken from me. Jean ran from me, Madame! HE FLED FROM HIS FIANCEE ON OUR WEDDING NIGHT!"

I motioned around me at the strips of cloth that lay strewn on the street. "I have been reduced to nothing. Absolutely nothing. I could fall into oblivion and no one would bat an eyelash at it."

Madame Giry wrapped her arms around me, pressing my head against her shoulder. She was a great deal warmer and a lot drier than I had become. "Now, my dear. What Erik did was terrible, no denying it. But Christine has returned to him; he would be consumed by her anyway."

There now, Fire Rose, the voice of despair taunted, You have been pushed over the brink of madness. Welcome to the inner torment that is your own dark insanity.

I let out a wail like a wounded animal. "What makes her so special? She doesn't love Erik the way I do! She can't! She doesn't deserve to be his angel!" I thrashed from Giry's arms and stood, my eyes wild with madness. "For my humiliation and my loss, she will be the one to pay, and Erik will be forced to watch as I kill her myself!" I clenched my fists and growled.

"Now, Madame Fire Rose-"

Call me that again, and I'LL KILL YOU!

"No! From now on, call me . . . Daevas. I am no longer a confidant, a lover of the Phantom of the Opera. I am his nemesis, his bane." I smiled sadistically. "I will be his undoing. For all he has taken from me, I will take from him."

"Nasrin I beg you, don't do this," Giry pleaded. I could see that she was weak at the thought of two twisted humans ravaging the opera house.

"I'm not doing it! He has already begun the war! This is just a continuation! My ammunition is nothing but my own grief! Tell him that when you caught up to me, you found that I had died somehow . . . that I had been struck down by a carriage and thrown in the Seine. I want him to live with the thought that he murdered me with his tactless assault. Take this." I grabbed a strip of tattered cloth and splashed it in the mud, darkening its purity. I drew a hairpin from my hair and ruthlessly stabbed it into my hand.

Giry screamed and clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh!"

I smiled as blood spouted from my palm. I dipped the cloth into the puddle forming in my hand and handed it to Giry. "Make sure that you put the scent of horses on it, Madame. Erik is no fool. However, he was moronic enough to decimate the last shreds of my sanity." I chuckled and Giry shifted uncomfortably. "Pity . . . I rather liked my sanity." I broke into a fit of dark laughter, smearing the blood on my hand over my shoulders, neck and face and darkening the fake diamonds that still clung to my skin. Rain began its frantic assault in attempt to cleanse me.

Such a waste of water, for more blood will be on me before my time here is up.

I turned from Giry and walked away, disappearing into the rain and leaving nothing but torn shreds of my tattered outfit behind.

Revenge runs thick in my veins . . .

xXxXx

Madame Giry's POV:

Once Erik had removed Nasrin's wig in front of everyone, I knew he had gone too far, over stepped the boundary of trust that I knew held them together. The look on Nasrin's face was far more disturbing than her distortion itself. I have never seen such torment coupled with such ferocity. Erik might have sealed his fate in front of everyone; I didn't know. But I did see the look on her face when Jean fled from her, looking sickly pale; it was the sick torment that sent a fragile heart careening into darkness.

The poor girl . . .

I had never expected such tactless action from Erik in all my time. Always, as long as I have known him, he has used an unsurpassable amount of tact and finesse in every one of his affairs.

After Nasrin had fled in a fit of horrible tears, he had simply looked at me, and I was furious. The only kept me from storming up and giving him a good telling to was the inescapable fact that no one knew that I was Erik's confidant in any way.

I had followed her outside, fighting to catch up to her. She could run; indeed, the Fire Rose sprinted into darkness and I lost sight of her within moments. However, her wails echoed in my ears for hours afterwards.

I had caught up with her, unable to console her, make her see reason. She had been brutally shoved past the point of distinguishing sorrow and madness and shook with fury that rivaled Erik's on select occasions. I had embraced her, trying to console and pacify her, though all efforts to reach her were in vain.

She was cold against me; her heart seemed to beat icy blood.

When she had left me for good, she had left for me a dangerous plot of deceit that could very well further worsen the relationship between Nasrin and Erik. I knew that Nasrin still loved Erik; she was helpless not to. She was aware, and so was I.

"Daevas you will be, Madame Fire Rose." I had said, looking down at the grotesque piece of cloth she had given me. "But perhaps you do not know the full extent of with whom you trifle."

The howling wind was my only answer. It seemed to mock me, whisper of Daevas's presence but fail to manifest her. I sighed, resorted to speaking to no one but the wind.

"I will bring this to him and tell him of your demise. But do not fail Daevas, for what horrors will wait for me if he finds out that I have deceived him. From now on, the Fire Rose is dead, and Daevas rose from her ashes. Now, the battle between love and obsession can begin."

Lightning flashed through the black sky, and I could swear that in the face of the clouds, Nasrin's face was etched, frozen for eternity in wicked laughter, eyes wide with insanity.

Notes:

I believe Daevas is Persian for Devil, that's what I want it to mean. If I'm wrong, forgive me.

A/N: Thanks to all 20 of my reviewers! WOW! That's a record for me! Thank you! All of you are so amazing! Each one of your reviews brightened my day!

xxXGoddessXofXdeadXloveXxx: I know, what Erik did was mean, very mean. I wanted to hit him for it. Now, let the war between love and obsession begin! Thanks for the review and here is your update!

DragonheartRAB: LOL, I know, Nasrin just had the worst night ever. Poor thing. Keep in mind, this thing took place before Don Juan, but it definitely influences it, if you know what I mean. (wink) You can huggle Nasrin all you want, but keep in mind, she won't be too much of a happy little thing for a little while, lol. Thanks for the review and here is your update!

harem98: I know, I know, a lot of people are in shock. But he doesn't take rejection lightly; I doubt he would get cold feet. He had pretty much set his mind into doing it, unfortunately. (revives) Can't have you dying on me! I don't want to be sued! Thanks for the review and here is your update!

BringMeLife: (gives tissues) I'm sorry. Be prepared for many tears, for a rose cannot thrive without moisture. Mwahaha. Yes, Erik was a bit of an ass hole in the last chapter. Well, Daevas has some plans for our little phantom! Thanks for the review and here is your update!

tink8812: Well, she was both, and you can't expect her not to sob her heart out. I mean, the love of her life divorced her, then she got re-engaged right before he was gonna take her back. Then he takes revenge on her and humiliates her in front of everyone, and her fiancé runs away in disgust. Wow, bad few nights if I do say so myself, lol. The graveyard scene? I don't think so, at that time Daevas is doing her own thing. Yes, not too many people use Leroux Christine . . . even though she was the original. (and yes you spelled it right, lol.) Anyway, thanks for the review and here is your update!

Ali: Hello again, I know, in disbelief. If you read all the reviews I've gotten for this chapter, they all say like, "Wow!" or "I can't believe he did that!" or "that bastard!" Yeh, so I did get the message across that he can be a jealous ass sometimes. WOHOO! Well, you know Erik, he did what he set out to do . . . would some one like him regret it? Maybe later . . . Anyway, thanks for the review and here is your update!

VictorianDream: No, I would never make Nasrin suicidal. She said it before, it was the cowards way out in her view. She prefers the more 'nothing tastes sweeter than justified revenge' type of action. (gives infinite boxes of tissues) As I said to BringMeLife, be prepared for many tears, for a rose cannot thrive without moisture. You shall see as the story unfolds. Thanks for the review and here is your update!

Bananas in Pajamas: (gives tissues) there you go . . . Jean out of the way? Hm, is he? Or will he return? Oh, I have plans for the Comte, let me assure you, lol. (maniacal laughter) Well you shall see. Anyway, perhaps he never had a guise so much as the broken part of him never manifested. Thanks for the review and here is your update!

LadyOfLegends: SUNBEAM! (glomp) Don't hate Erik, he's a lonely social recluse, even though he kinda just humiliated Nasrin. And Nasrin loves you too.

Nasrin: I love no one.

Shade: You love my reviewers! Because they as well as I love you dearly and want your story to be happy!

Nasrin: Oh . . . um . . . I love you all too.

Shade: GOOD! And yes, Jean is a stupid fop. And mean . . . oh yes, very mean. (gives another box of tissues) And it's Angel of Legends honey! (snaps) Don't know where u've been! (jk, I heart you!) Thanks for your review and here is your update!

Maska: (takes a deep breath) OK, lemme lay it down for ya. No, Erik wouldn't like it if she did that, but he knows she wouldn't, which makes his action a billion times worse. Yes, it is yay that Nasrin isn't going to marry Jean, but at what cost? OK, Nasrin is happy that Christine is engaged to Raoul. She is happy about that. She isn't happy that Erik still loves her and hates her for that, because if you think about it, Christine is the reason Nasrin's heart was broken in the first place. I guess her hatred towards Raoul is just because he is indeed a fop. But yes, she is glad Christine is no longer within Erik's reach, she just still hates her. (shrugs) I would too if I was about to have sex with Erik and have him call me her. I'd slap him! Anyway, thanks for the review and here is your update!

Jen Lennon: Thank you very much. (bows modestly) Reconcile? Well, I think Nasrin wants nothing of the sort at the moment. Let her fire of hatred burn before it turns into a heat of passion. (wink) Thanks for the review and here is your update!

fantasyelf: Welcome to my reviewing family! (bows) (becomes somber) (pats) I know, it's sad. Poor Nasrin indeed. (gives tissues) Do not fear! The story is already written and completed so I'm just posting it in intervals. Thanks for your review and here is your update!

Mademoiselle Justicia: Don't worry, Nasrin will torture him in very lovely ways. I can assure you. (To quote you) Moo. Ha. Ha. Nasrin doesn't like pity but she needs it now, doesn't she? Poor thing! LOL, well I don't know what number I'm at, but let me say, whoa. The 200th might be coming sooner than anticipated. As always, thanks for your entertaining review and here is your update!

brittanypiercey: Welcome to my reviewing family! I'm sorry, lol. I don't mean to be cruel. I will warn you: there is an evil, EVIL cliffhanger in a few chapters. That's all I will say, but we'll get through it, I promise. Well, you can exhale now, so thank you for your review and here is your update! (sorry if this chapter has kind of a cliffhanger too)

littledarkone: I know, I know. (pats) Perhaps in a few chapters, your review will be the same, only the names will switch . . . perhaps . . . Anyway, thanks for the review and here is you update!

xAngelxOfxMusicx: Welcome to my reviewing family! Thank you very much! (bows) I'm so glad you're enjoying it. Well, I won't keep you in suspense. Thanks for the review and here is your update!

phantominhell: Hello again! I haven't heard from you in a while. Thank you very much (bows) I am not fond of stories where Erik is always so compassionate completely towards an OC, so I felt like even though what he did was terrible, it was what he would do. I'm so happy everyone seems to agree. Thank you so much for the review and here is your update!

Corpse x Bride: Welcome to my reviewing family! I love your name, so cool! (gives tissues) You will need these, I guarantee it. I'm glad these types of phics are your favorite. Be prepared for much more of it. Thanks for the review and here is your update!

GerrysISUChick04: Hello! Welcome to my reviewing family! Thank you very much. Wow, my reviewers flatter me! (flushes) I know, the wig part to me was hard to write . . . but you'll see why it had to be. You'll see Jean's whole spin on the incident in the next chapter, and then the story will really heat up in more ways than one. Really? You think this is one of the best? (flushes again) Wow, thank you so much! (bows) Yes, I don't very much care for Christine, except I know she isn't a bitch, so I don't portray her catty, you know? I just think she's kinda stupid. (nervous laughter) sorry Christine lovers, but if she chose a fop over the sexy beast that is Erik . . . she's nuts. And of course Erik can give you a hug! That's what I bring him into the reviews for! COME ERIK! ANOTHER REVIEWER!

Erik: (walks over) Are you serious? Am I that popular?

Shade: Of course, darling! Now, give my very flattering reviewer a great big hug!

Erik: Fine. (hugs tightly)

Shade: Good! Very good Erik! (claps)

Erik: Like I said, you're selling me off as a slave.

Shade: But you're just so hot! I can't help it! Even though you're not supposed to be!

Erik: (exasperated sigh) (walks away)

Shade: (nervous laughter) probably not the best word choice. Anyway, thanks for your review and here is your update! Huzzah!

Dragon-mage16: Yes indeed, it was sad. The bloody approach? This chapter answers it. Mwahaha! OH! Fear Factor gone wrong! YES YES! (maniacal laughter) I like it! LOL! Thanks for the review and here is your update!