Why Have You Brought Me Here?

Chapter 13: All I Ask of You

Chapter 13: All I Ask of You

Phantom's POV:

If you loved someone, wouldn't you do everything in your power to keep them? Juniper was mine, but my hold on her began to vanish almost as soon as it began. After the fire that consumed everything, her spirit was broken; she was forced to live a life of solitude and distortion. Crying in the makeshift room I built, she ate alone, if she ate anything at all, kept her thoughts to herself, and seldom looked up at me when I tried to speak with her.

She was dead. I had killed her spirit.

Not only did I feel tremendous guilt for doing so, but I harvested guilt for lying to her.

The fire had never reached her face. It had never burnt her skin, her dress, or her neck.

She was still perfect and beautiful, and I was wretched and ugly inside.

If you loved someone, wouldn't you do everything in your power to keep them with you? I did everything I could to ensure that she wouldn't flee to Meg. If she had known my past and what I had planned for our future, she would flee in terror and would never return. I did this for us.

Us. It was always about us, but never her. Never once did I think that all of this chaos would spread to her mind and transform her into this lifeless spirit. Never once did I consider that the love of my life, because I did love her in terrible, frightening ways, would also be my daughter.

On the night that Meg had tried to set my room on fire, I, being the magician that I am, let my spirit crawl deep into the taverns of Juniper's mind, unleashing all of her nightmares at once.

As she awoke the next morning, I handed her a small mirror so she could see her beautiful face. It would not seem beautiful to her, though.

Trick mirrors often lie, don't they?

Her eyes widened and transfixed themselves on the ugly image hiding in the mirror. Even at that moment, I could not tell her the truth. I could not tell her that it was all a trick and that I did it only so she would promise to stay with me. Scarred, she locked herself in her room and hid her terribly gorgeous face beneath the covers of her bed. She didn't want to sing, dance, or even socialize with me.

I set all of these motions in action, all leading to her death; for she was slowly dying in front of me with each passing day.

I knew what had to be done.

I had to let her go.

I had to take back everything I had ever done to this child.

She would be unmarked by my presence, beautiful, healthy, and ready to live life. This is what it meant to love someone.

Obviously, I couldn't relinquish her now and send her back up to the surface. Her life would be filled with paranoia and sorrow.

I went back to my newly decorated room and brought myself to my knees in one final plea.

"Demon, angel, whoever you are. Whoever I sold my soul to, listen, for I have one last bargain to make. Hear my plea, and obey my final wish..."

As I spoke, the lights flickered and a strange breath was residing next to my ear.

"I am here. Now, what do you desire, Erik?"