The Eye of the Beholder [Stefano Valentini]

The Final Portrait: The Unlucky Girl

Once upon a time, there was an Unlucky Girl that was followed by death.

Her parents were killed on accident, her foster family was burned alive, and there have been so many victims brought to an end for her passion for the macabre and art. 

Death was her constant companion, never too far away to take what she held dear.

But then, she met an artist who shared her passion; he took her under his wing, and made her into his living canvas. She finally felt like herself, and learned how to bring her visions to life under his tutelage. Even when she was taken away from him and she lost her memories, his phantom would constantly appear before her eyes as if he was calling out to her. Together, they created a kingdom of art and corpses with the power of the world's Core; beautiful and distorted.

Then, a stranger came into their world and the Unlucky Girl found herself fascinated. The visitor, the Despaired Father, was looking for the Core; his own flesh and blood. The Unlucky Girl found that he knew far too much about her and became frightened by his words, biting at him when he offered her a way to escape. But she refused, and ran back to her God.

She believed that her God would kill the Despaired Father, and that they would live happily ever after, so she left his side as he commanded. She met with an old friend who helped her learn the greatest lesson of all, and then the Core itself. She scared the Core into doing what she wanted: to return to her God.

And in the place where a bullet and a camera flash met...

... The Unlucky Girl had appeared.

---

There was a smile on her face when she realized that she was facing Stefano Valentini, and she was going to call out his name. But instead, her voice and life were stolen when the bullet entered the back of her neck and left through the scar that Stefano had left on her so long ago. But she did not die because that option was stolen from her as well. Stefano's camera captured the moment that the bullet exited her body, leaving her in a state between life and death. His living masterpiece had become his final creation; he had kept his promise but only partially.

It wasn't until she was trapped that he realized that she should not have been killed.

Stefano's red eyes looked upon her smile, his breathing ragged from all of his injuries and the heavy weight on his chest at the realization that Rhea, his living masterpiece, had been killed before he was finished with her. There was so much left to create, so much left to teach, so many things that he had not fulfilled and all involved her. He would not admit that he had feelings for her as a human; Stefano is incapable of such things after all. But he cannot deny that she was his favorite out of all of his masterpieces. She was the first to understand and accept his work; the only one that did not reject his vision. She absorb all of his words like a sponge, living up to his expectations and much more. She did not question his methods, but rather took some details and created her own way of creating art. Her innocent and sadistic vision was a breath of fresh air; he had been in the presence of philistines and the uncultured masses for far too long. She was the perfect tool, and the perfect creation; his masterpiece until the very end. 

But that was not the end that they had agreed on...

Sebastian holstered his gun immediately and ran into the blue box, which shattered like glass; Stefano wasn't going to live long so it would make sense that he was losing power. He caught Rhea in his arms, her blood spewing forth for the last time and drenching his arms. She was choking on her own blood, her body falling into shock. "I-I'm so sorry..." Sebastian apologized, his voice breaking as he looked at the tear-filled eyes of the Unlucky Girl. She only gurgled, crimson paint falling from her lips as she looked to Stefano. Even then, as her tears began to cascade down her cheeks, she smiled so lovingly and her eyes held so much joy that Sebastian could not help but look away from her. She reached her hand out to Stefano, who simply stared at her with a horrified expression. Sebastian watched as Rhea's eyes became empty and her smile vanished, her body becoming limp in his embrace. Her head fell forward and landed on Sebastian's shoulder, blood continuing to trickle down from her lips as she faded away from this world. He could have saved her. He could have brought her out of Union safely if she had just cooperated. But Sebastian knew better: Rhea would never leave Stefano's side. He may not have understood her completely, but he wasn't stupid; she was fully dedicated to the killer and overly dependent on him. If Sebastian took her out of Union, there was little chance that she would know how to live without Stefano. She wouldn't be able to function, and she would deteriorate over time if she didn't take her own life. But Sebastian looked to her corpse, his heart breaking slowly as he remembered her smile... She loved Stefano, and she never got to say it. He couldn't imagine not telling his missing wife he loved her one last time; the thought of never saying the words that mean so much is terrifying and soul crushing.