Surprises upon surprises seemed to collect for Erik as one afternoon he found himself awakening from a nap to not be where he was before. At first a sense of panic came over him; a part of his mind was convinced by some dark belief that he'd been dreaming for a long time and was only coming out of it now, that the Library, Tsuki, Nel, it all was truly just that. The peace, the serenity, the confusion and awe and uncertainty in equal parts, all just a lie cooked up by a mind that was entirely too lonely. In that moment his heart broke only to heal once he realized that the room he awoke to was not any from his old home, that he did not recognize it in the least, and that he could still feel the soft texture of Tsuki's hoodie on his skin. Something smelled of lavender nearby and he sat up to try to get his bearings.
It appeared in all ways to be an office of sorts; he sat upon a couch, in no ways fancy or remarkable in it's design save for the fact it was obviously long enough to allow someone of Erik's height to lay upon it comfortably enough. The lights were dim, giving the faintest glow to the room around him, but used as he was to darkness and shadows his eyes were sharp enough to pick up details nevertheless. Pictures on the walls contained faces he did not recognize, paintings of landscapes and creatures that could only spawn from dream were scattered here and there. The furniture denoted simplicity yet his mind could not help but tug on the sense that something did not feel quite right; it took him a moment to find the source of the smell but a smoldering incense held by what seemed to be the statue of a dragon reasonably was the culprit to him. In some ways the office reminded him of the manager's one at the Opera Populaire, a place he'd been so many times he need only close his eyes to pull up it's image once again. Then again on thinking on it that place was far more grand and far more lit; this one on the other hand felt deliberate in it's dimness and plain sense. The only piece of furniture of any true interest he decided was the desk, a large piece made of dark wood that seemed to swallow all light that came near it; papers were scattered upon it and as he stood and approached, reaching out to take one to examine it better, he found the handwriting to be incredibly neat but written in a language he had no understanding of. A frown found his face and he set it down quickly, examining the rest of the things there: a phone that looked like it belonged in his time, a small lamp that was currently off, a paperweight shaped like a cat, a jar of ink with a quill, bound file folders and a book without a title. His curiosity settled upon the book.
"Ah I see you're awake." Yet before his hand could make contact from behind he heard two things: the soft creak of the door as it opened and a deep warm voice that made him immediately stop.
Erik turned around to face the speaker, his expression like a child being caught being naughty. Light from the other side of the door flooded in, hurting his eyes in the change and making it hard to quite make out who it was. A soft noise he recognized as a chuckle came next and the figure in the doorway touched something on the wall, causing the lights in the room to brighten; he could now both make out the dark patterns on the walls and the one who had startled him and he suspected brought him here to this unfamiliar place.
A man of indeterminable age, the figure stood about as tall as Erik give or take an inch or two. Dark hair that was a touch too long framed an almost handsome face; it was hard to pinpoint what made it feel off though Erik would put his money on it being the far too sharp look in the man's deep brown eyes. Or maybe it was the slightly crooked angle of his smile; whatever it was, it was not a physical deformity like his and by instinct he found himself pulling on his hood to make sure it was still there and covering his face. The man wore a white shirt under a dark blue vest, formal but not overly so, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strange tattoos that littered his tan skin, designs that Erik could only partially see and certainly not make out to any reasonable degree. The man was putting on an appearance of amusement and geniality but something in the phantom's mind could not shake a sense more of being watched by a predator, some beast from the darkness of the forest that was still deciding whether to strike or not, based on whatever it's prey, Erik, did or said next.
"I apologize, you must be so confused," said the man with another light chuckle as he stepped forward, moving further into the room.
Erik never let his eyes leave him, as if by some primal instinct that he not let the man leave his sight lest he do something terrible, but all he saw was the man cross the room, pass by him and go to stand on the other side of the desk. A faint aroma of roses followed him, tickling Erik's nose and he nearly sneezed as the man spoke again. "How about you sit down and I can explain to you why you're here?"
"As well as where here is I hope," Erik stated finding himself instead of obeying crossing his arms over his chest, still watching the man carefully; a stubbornness grew within him and he was not about to bow now, "And of course who you are, good sir."
The man's smile grew slightly despite Erik still standing. "Of course. You may call me Darius, I hope that will be sufficient for your needs."
It was not but Erik was reminded of the incident not long ago with the god Thoth and Tsuki's words about giving out names when magic was involved. He supposed then it would have to do.
"I am the head of an organization called Elysium; I assume you have not been told anything about it," Darius continued, his words coming out plainly enough but the word he spoke confused Erik and it obviously showed upon his face for the man chuckled once more, "I thought not."
"What is this 'Elysium' you speak of then?" He knew of the place in Greek mythology, the fields of those blessed after death, but he did not feel dead at the moment nor did he find he hoped to be for once. Not while he had the goddess and the librarian waiting for him he was sure.
"Elysium in simple terms is a group dedicated to the regulation and protection of magic within the city of New York City. We live in an age still where magic and the supernatural is the stuff of stories, both good and bad, and though the witch trials ended centuries ago there are still dangers that exist to harm those of us who wish only to live our lives without fear of being murdered or worse. Groups that would exploit our powers. Individuals who would have us hunted down and killed for being born. Mortals do not understand magic and thus they both fear and are obsessed with it; to protect and guide those who live here in this grand city Elysium thus exists."
There was pride in Darius' eyes and yet something still predatory in his smile. Erik did feel a sort of kinship to the idea of being exploited and hunted, of being feared for a quirk of birth, and thus the surface felt like something he could appreciate. His mind though, looking deeper, for more meaning, more explanation, could not help but feel unsettled by something: the man's tone? The smile? The choice of words? Something else, something deeper, something primordial that tugged at his mind and told him that there was more to this story than just protection and guidance.
"And what does that have to do with me pray tell?" he asked sounding more confident than he truly felt in this moment.
"It has come to my attention that you had appeared without much warning within a building here in New York, one that Elysium keeps a very close eye on nevertheless," Darius said and Erik narrowed his eyes at him, "As well as that you have had contact with not only persons of interest to my organization but an elder god as well."
Thoth. Though admittedly for Erik the fact they knew about that birdbrain and him meeting didn't worry him as much as the fact that he was certain he knew who those persons of interest were and did not like it.
Darius continued. "All of those things are rather unusual in and of themselves but the truth of who you are is perhaps the most unusual, Monsieur Fantôme de l'Opéra."
Erik did not know for certain where it came from but he had one of his red lassos in his hands fairly quick and had only taken a step forward when he was aware of some force pushing him back. His mind racing and his panic raising though the force seemed to disappate and a look of surprise and confusion crossed Darius' face as the disfigured man made his move to attack, the same force that had once tried pushing him back seeming now to sending things flying in all directions. Darius tried to speak but Erik's angry eyes seemed to glow from under his hood.
"Did you bring me here to taunt me, kill me, take me from my place of peace to torment me anew?" Erik asked his voice low and dangerous as he brought the noose around Darius' neck, "For I warn you, though I may be but a lowly creature of hell, I will not stand for such things again."
"Incredible" was the answer he got the other man, breathed with such awe and surprise that Erik was almost taken aback by the utterance. But his true identity had been spoken and fear of exposure, least of all to those two who helped him so and were so kind to him, filled him instead with the need to bloody his hands once more to prevent it.
"Incredible you say; I wonder what you will say to save your life," Erik stated and pulled tighter,
Darius winced but continued to smile. "I did not bring you here for any of that; I honestly just wished to talk and give you an offer."
"An offer? And what would you be able to offer me?"
"Freedom from the Library." In that Erik's grip did loosen some but a deep laugh left him, dark and less amused as it was incredulous.
"You think I find my sanctuary a prison? That place of learning and awe where I found myself after wandering in darkness. I walked to my death, good monsieur, I prepared myself for such; instead though I was given a chance for salvation by a goddess and an angel, given clothes, a place to stay, food and care. Freedom from the Library you say but to me the Library is freedom, from the darkness and cruelty of my past."
"Yet you have only ever left once, when you went with them to get clothes. It may not be a prison in a traditional sense but you are trapped there whether by the will of others or your own." Those words were truthful and dug deep. Erik narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip, causing Darius to wince some as he continued, "I should warn you that if you do not stop then I cannot guarantee the safety of Tsuki Kokuryuu."
This man was smart. A threat to Erik would have been like nothing to him, yet another to add to the pile from a lifetime of hatred and revilement for the simple sin of being born the way he was. But Nel and Tsuki were a different story entirely; they had shown him kindness and while Nel was a goddess, powerful as she was, capable as she was, Tsuki did seem to be human and so delicate. The scene in the rain played again in his mind and he immediately removed himself, pulling back and staring at Darius with wide eyes.
The other man rubbed his neck. "Yes I thought that might get through to you though threatening her is not something I revel in. Her current existence, that Library of hers and her abilities are of use to us but you, you sir are too rare and intriguing of a find to pass up."
"If you harm a hair upon that angel's head..." The threat hung heavy and Erik thought of Tsuki's smile, her gentleness in leading him from his hiding place in the cellar, the thousand and one little kindnesses. No doubt to him Nel, that goddess who seemed to care so for the mortal Tsuki, would bring upon fire and brimstone, perhaps Thoth too with his strange obsession, if anything ever did happen to her but he did not wish to be the cause of it nevertheless. For a wretched creature of hell, her warmth was more precious than any stone or gold in the world.
"Then perhaps you would be willing to listen to my proposition now," Darius said and that strange slightly crooked smile returned; Erik decided upon himself that nothing could ever make him trust or like this man.
Darius gestured with the unspoken command to sit once more; this time the phantom did comply, though his posture as he sat upon the couch he'd awoken upon was stiff and ill at ease. His eyes stayed upon the other man who though obviously aware of the displeasure simply nodded and spoke once more, "As I was saying before, I offer you freedom from the little world you seem so content to entrap yourself in and a way to make use of those legendary skills of you. I have heard the stories about you of course, the grotesquely deformed man of pain and talent who hid himself away from the world under the Opera Populaire, who let his obsessions and cruelty get the better of him and thus caused the downfall of not only that place but the woman he professed to love. A man it is said who once had acted as assassin to the Shah as well as architect and genius composer and thus possesses a great talent for murder."
Erik felt like sinking into the couch. Not a word Darius spoke was incorrect but he felt himself become not only uncomfortable but sick with each of them. He did not wish though to let this man see him falter and wither though and thought of him as he did Raoul, Andre and Firmin, Bouqet, pretty much all of those idiots he had had to deal with once before. An idiot, a fool, who was an obstacle in his world.
"Elysium as I said before is an organization for the protection of the magical communities of New York City, a way to give them peace of mind in a world which would harm and take advantage of them," Darius spoke fingers templed as he leaned over his desk, "We go about this in many ways but unfortunately circumstances sometimes require us to employ more...aggressive methods. On occasion those possessed of power decide to make use of it in ways that draw too much attention to them and we must intervene to intercept them and try to impart upon them the importance of secrecy; many take our warnings to heart and cease," something told Erik that those warnings were likely quite similar to the one he had been given, "but others prove more stubborn or in some cases more malicious in their actions. For those individuals we sometimes must unfortunately make sure they are eliminated as swiftly and quietly as possible to keep the rest of us safe."
"Murder you mean," Erik spoke and saw Darius' eyes sharpen in response; used as he was to such looks the phantom did not falter and continued, "Those you deem unwilling to cooperate are to be killed, for the safety of others."
"We give them many chances," Darius countered, "Attempt to get them to see the error of their ways. Such measures are not taken without much thought and only if it is deemed absolutely necessary for the protection of those with magic in this city. Not all of us have the privilege of having a god protecting us after all."
"You call those without magic mortal yes? The way I see it, mortal or witch, nothing is different; I was tasked to kill for the grace of my masters before, you wish to make me do it again with threat upon one of the few people to show me kindness in this strange world and time. Because you deem those you wish killed unworthy of life."
"There are monsters in the shadows, ones like you who have killed innocents and others for the pettiest of reasons," Darius said with a frown and again with that strange force that tried to bare down upon Erik, making it hard to breathe, "Using powers they were blessed with to do so and thus threatening us all with exposure if they are not contained. If they will not stop on their own and they will not leave New York willingly, then the only other option is their death."
What of imprisonment, thought Erik. Or surely some way to restrain their powers. It seemed to him, layman as he was to the ways of magic, that there surely were other ways, other avenues to follow and partake in. But Darius seemed uninterested in them and the questions themselves stayed within his head instead of spoken aloud. He knew men like this one before, gods in their own eyes. Indulging them was a dangerous game and questioning them was not something that ever led anywhere good. Erik knew what it was to be singleminded to all other options, which made it all the easier for him to recognize it in someone else.
In a perfect world then he would deny this, walk away and be done with him. But the threat against Tsuki hung above his head like the sword of Damocles and he could not move for fear that thread would snap. He did not wish to be anyone's weapon ever again, to be at another's beck and call as such, to be someone else's monster; his hands clenched the lasso tight and he remembered the escape from Persia to France, and he wondered how long it would be, how bloodied his hands again, before this self-important monster decided as well that he was better off killing the bound phantom rather than let him truly be free. This was no offer of freedom and they both knew it; the Library was that but he was already trapped and he saw he had no choice if he wanted to protect his gentle, warm little world of kindness he had found.
"I don't care for your justifications and lies, Darius," Erik said his voice formed of coldness and cruelty that resembled the Phantom but not Erik; for a moment he was the Opera Ghost again, confident in his disgust of a human being, "I will accept your offer only because I will not allow any harm to come to the one who has shown me nothing but generosity since the moment we met, know that now."
"I suppose that is as good as anything," Darius said and again with that strange uneven smile; the force disappeared again and Erik stood up, Darius doing the same, "I will give you your first assignment soon; I do look forward to working with you."
A hand offered in handshake, as if they were friends, as if this was anything less than an absolutely abhorrent situation. Erik had been taken from his sanctuary to meet a man he did not like, had his friend threatened, his secret exposed, and now to be made into an assassin once again. He would have much preferred reading or listening to more stories of the gods from Nel, anything but this, and he surely would prefer anything to actually touching Darius. Surely refusing that would not put Tsuki in any danger. What felt like an eternity passed before it seemed to dawn to the other man that the phantom would not be shaking his hand; a sigh passed Darius' lips and he lowered the hand before speaking again.
"All agents of Elysium go by a codename, to protect their identities," Darius said and Erik did his best to hold back a laugh, "We will need to think of one for you, one that does not involve your precious alias'."
"That is fine by me," Erik said; though the titles of the OG, the Opera Ghost, the Phantom of the Opera were so ingrained in his existence and story, they were ultimately just more metaphysical masks for him to wear. To be called the Angel of Music had been the closest to something precious to him but that now too was tainted by memories and actions that had ultimately been his own fault. A new appellation would mean no more or less than any of the others, including his own name.
Except Nel and Tsuki called him Erik and it sounded so sweet. Not monster, not the living dead, not grotesque or abomination. They called him by name and that alone made it precious enough to need to be protected.
"I wish to go home, you can figure out that codename by yourself, monseiur," Erik said waving it off.
"I cannot nor will I return you to the Opera Populaire." For a moment Erik was frozen, unsure what he meant until he realized the man was serious.
He frowned. "I meant the Library."
Darius blinked, seeming surprised by that, genuinely surprised. But he nodded and waved his hand towards the door. "Right. Well then simply go through that door then; you will find yourself outside the Library once you do. Unfortunately because of certain magics upon the place I cannot simply transport you back inside, it was hard enough getting you out without alerting the shadows or Nel, but I assume you will be fine to get inside on your own."
Erik did not care to ask more questions though they did come up from that comment. He simply wanted to go home, needed to go home, and without a second glance at Darius he headed to the door, stepping through without hesitation. He had no doubts the man watched with a crooked smile.
It was cold and raining and he was standing in the same backalley that Nel, Tsuki and he had used when they went to Henry's. Behind him was a blank wall though he had walked through a door to get there; in front of him was the door to Tsuki's home. A thousand questions bore down on him, alone as he finally was, and the full realization of agreeing to kill for a man he did not like or trust tried to crush him. Erik was sure Tsuki and Nel would never approve, least of all if they knew why he'd agreed; perhaps instead he should have called the man's bluff, could anyone actually touch Tsuki with Nel around? Why hadn't he thought of that before?
Because of panic. Erik was terrified to lose his safety and to lose this peace he had managed to find; hearing it be threatened frightened him and he had acted and spoken without thinking it all through first. And now he was bound by word to a man with a crooked smile and too sharp of eyes; this could not possibly end well.
"Erik? What are you doing out here?" Tsuki's voice broke through his thoughts and he turned to see her standing only a few feet away, umbrella in one hand and a bag hanging off the other arm. Her expression was soft and confused, to be expected when he was not the type to leave without being made to.
He watched her as she approached, examining her as she examined him; he could not and would not tell her the truth. Instead he smiled weakly and shrugged, "I simply wished to step outside for a moment, I am fine."
"It's raining and all you're wearing is that hoodie, you'll get soaked like that," she said in response, sounding more confused than convinced.
Her hand reached out to him and suddenly the world before him juxtaposed with the past. Her gentle voice, gentle then, gentle now, her long thin fingers, and a deep, dark loneliness that strangled his heart; she'd almost died back then, he wasn't sure how he knew that but he did as surely as he knew that he had made a mistake once more. Darius' implied threat had rattled him and like him returned him to that night, reminded him of the monster he was and the weaknesses he indulged in. But to agree to be another's assassin once more, how would she react? This pure angel, this kind soul, so afraid was he to call her friend; surely not well. The idea of it shook him more and he startled as she touched his face, warm despite the cold rain.
"We should get inside, I'd be devastated if you got sick," Tsuki told him.
Erik could only think to nod. What else was there to do? He couldn't tell her what happened, he couldn't admit to the newest mistake he'd made. Her smile usually made him feel warm, like smiling as well for once in his cursed horrid existence; seeing it now just made his heart sink more and he let her take his hand, leading him back inside.
He just hoped Darius never did call upon him to act.