The Light in His Lonely Dark Heart [Phantom of the Opera Fanfic]

Ch. 23 You are not a demon, Erik

Lucille and Erik walked through the festival, enjoying all the games, food, and dances. The whole time, Erik couldn't take his eyes off Lucille. He admired the sunlight shining upon her, making her blonde hair seem like it glowed like a halo on an angel's head. Her bright blue eyes sparkled like sapphires, and they shined with excitement and awe whenever she looked at the things around her. She walked beside him with so much grace that it made him believe she was gliding because of the hidden angelic wings on her back.

" Erik! Look! Look! There's a circus. Can we check it out?" Lucille asked, grabbing Erik's attention.

Erik turned his gaze and froze, spotting a familiar Circus tent. His dark blue eyes dimmed as he began to remember voices telling him awful things about his deformity.

Two hands roughly pushed a ten-year-old Erik into a cage after buying him from an orphanage that didn't want him because of his deformity. The young male fell onto his knees, his hands tightly clutching the brown paper bag on his face because he didn't want people to see his face.

" The boss man wants you to take that awful thing off so people can see your face." An employee firmly speaks.

Erik slowly turned his head to stare at the employee. His dark blue eyes widened, filled with fear.

" I-I cannot!" Erik stuttered.

A whipping sound grabbed Erik and the employee's attention. They turned and saw the Ring Leader, James Gardner, slamming his whip on the muddy ground.

" I paid alot of my money so that people can see your hideous face. They must know that the son of the Devil is real!" James sneered.

Tears welled up in Erik's dark blue eyes. He begins to wonder if he is indeed the Devil's son. Tears fell from his eyes since he realized it must be why his biological mother gave him away to the orphanage when he was an infant.

" Now take off that bag, or I will hit you with this whip." James glared at Erik, holding the whip in his grasp.

Erik's hands shakily removed the brown paper bag, revealing thin black hair barely covering his head. The right side of his face was sunken, reddish, and deformed. His teeth were yellow and broken since he couldn't afford a toothbrush.

" Good," James smirked. " Open the curtain so people can see what they paid for." He nodded at his employee.

Erik heard a swooshing sound from behind him. He slowly turned around and froze when he saw various faces staring at him with mixed emotions. He winced when he started to hear people scream because of his deformity.

" Oh, God! That boy is hideous!" A masculine voice shouts.

" Abigail! Stay close to me." A feminine voice spoke, sounding scared while holding a little girl close to her.

" Demon!" Another masculine voice shouts, causing those around him to start chanting Demon at Erik.

Erik hugged himself, turning himself into a ball to keep himself safe. He winced when he felt something hit him. He lifts his head and cough when he briefly sees a tomato getting thrown at his face.

" Get yourself a tomato! A tomato! Throw it at the Devil's Son!" James shouts while selling tomatoes to the people so they can throw them at Erik.

" Please...Please stop..." Erik begged with tears falling from his dark blue eyes, causing some of the tomatoes to fall to the ground.

In the present, Erik fell to his knees, hugged himself, and breathed heavily. Tears fell from his dark blue eyes, feeling scared, thinking that his tormentors had returned to get him.

Lucille's bright blue eyes blinked when she heard a thumping sound coming from beside her. She turns her gaze to see Erik having a panic attack.

" Erik!" Lucille called out, looking worried. She knelt before him and glared at people who were eyeing them oddly.

" Erik! Erik! Can you hear me?" Lucille asked, sounding concerned when she heard Erik breathing heavily.

" Please...Please leave me alone." Erik muttered. " I-I am a demon." His hands tightened into fists. " I-I do not deserve to have an angel as pure as you by my side." He lifts his head to look at Lucille with tears falling from his dark blue eyes.

Lucille's heart breaks when she sees Erik looking helpless and hears him calling himself a demon.

Lucille slapped her dainty hands on Erik's face, causing his dark blue eyes to blink and stare at her. He froze when he saw tears appearing in her bright blue eyes.

" You are not a demon, Erik." Lucille firmly speaks, causing Erik to look at her with mixed emotions. " You are my Angel." She reminded him.

" You are my Angel," Lucille's voice echoed within Erik's head.

Lucille hugged Erik tightly, causing him to come back to his senses.

" Let's go home. I don't want to go to the circus anymore." Lucille whispered. She figured that being around the circus made Erik feel uncomfortable, which made her feel guilty since she initially thought about checking it out.

Erik wrapped his arms around Lucille. He stands up and holds her close to him.

" Forgive me for ruining your day," Erik whispered.

" You are far more important than this festival," Lucille murmured. " Can we hang out in your lair instead?" She softly asked while turning her head slightly to stare at him.

Erik's dark blue eyes intently stared at Lucille's bright blue eyes.

" Of course. Let's go home." Erik softly smiled. He turns around and begins to walk toward the Opera House with Lucille in his embrace.

Several minutes later, the two arrived at the Opera House and went into Erik's lair via the sewers. Erik gently puts Lucille down and walks towards the Swan-like bed since he feels drained after having his panic attack.

Lucille stood there, looking at Erik with a concerned gaze. She watched him take his mask off and set it on the nightstand. He fell onto the Swan-like bed and lay there with his arms draping over his face.

" Am I really an Angel?" Erik asked, mainly to himself, but Lucille heard him.

Lucille approached the Swan-like bed. She grabbed Erik's arms, causing him to look at her. Her bright blue eyes intently stared at his dark blue eyes.

" In my eyes, you are an Angel." Lucille warmly smiled.

Tears welled up in Erik's dark blue eyes. He cannot help but believe he is dreaming. Lucille is the first and only person to tell him that he is an Angel. He pulled his arms away and grabbed her hands with his, causing the two to stare at each other.

" Thank you for being in my life. I appreciate you so much. You do not know how much you mean to me." Erik speaks, causing Lucille to glow in happiness.

Lucille attacks Erik with a hug, causing her to fall on top of him on the Swan-like bed. She snuggled against him and smiled, happy to have him in her life.

" I care about you alot too, Erik! I cherish our friendship too much." Lucille whispered.

Erik's gaze softened. He nodded, holding Lucille close to him. He closed his dark blue eyes and relaxed with his little Angel in his grasp. A smile graced his lips, internally thanking God for bringing her into his life.

Even though the St. Valentine's Day Festival was flawed initially, they didn't care because Erik and Lucille would cherish this moment for the rest of their lives.