Though my power was a bad thing if in the wrong hands. “I spent much of my time outside of the palace away from Jareth…and his nagging. Learning as much about my power as I could. Sometimes testing it on people around the town. It’s possibilities…weaknesses…strengths…limits. Anything that was useful to me.” I explained. “I decided I was ready to get back at someone who had hurt me. Unfortunately I hurt someone else trying to get back at that person! And I came to truly understand why Jareth wanted me not to use my power.” I had learned that day why my power was something to fear. “I wasn’t a bad person. I didn’t want to be a bad person. I was a small child…I couldn’t be a murder. I was scared. The person I’d aimed to kill had been shielded by another, and the shielder had paid the price. I had killed an innocent person that had done nothing to me.” I told her. “I ran. Scared of what would happen to me if I stayed there.”Could anyone really blame me though. Anyone would feel scared wouldn’t they. I wasn’t a bad person. I was just lonely. I was good at heart. I was not a monster. “I hid from the world in the abandoned Opera House It was going to be home. As I ran in the Opera House many things happened at once.” I told her. “When I entered the house that once held beautiful music I…felt…a great sense of welcome. Home, warmth….darkness!” I stressed the last word of my sentence again. Darkness, despite it’s damp, cool, frighting appearance it was very warm, and welcoming. It was home. “I tripped over some rubble as I ran, and cut myself on some glass. The glass, I realized, had been part of a chandler that had apparently been sent crashing to the ground age’s ago. I saw a black mask laying on the ground, and felt I knew who it belonged to some someone I was very close to.” To Melissa this would sound like I was describing that I was directly related to the ORIGINAL Phantom of the Opera. Could you really be so surprised. As similar as he and I were it was very likely wasn’t it? “Then I had remembered what was on the locket I had Jareth decipher for me. I pulled it out of my pocket, and looked at it. Reading what it said now that I could read.” I said. “And what did it say?” Melissa asked. She was very patient with me. Something I was glad about. Though she felt she shouldn’t of asked me this I didn’t mind….not really anyways. I heaved a sigh. I rose, and strolled over to the curtain with the maniquen of Melissa in the wedding dress and stared at the replica of the radiant beauty in the chair at the piano. She was mine. “It said…
Child of the wilderness
Born into emptiness
Learn to be lonely.
Learn to find you way in darkness.
Who will be there for you?
Comfort and care for you?
Learn to be lonely
Learn to be your one companion
Never dream that out in the world,
There are arms to hold you
You’ve always known your heart was on it’s own
So laugh in your loneliness
Child of the wilderness
Learn to be lonely
Learn how to love life that is lived alone
Learn to be lonely
Life can be lived, life can be loved, alone
I glanced over my shoulder and saw a tear escape the corner of her eye. In ways I felt it meant me and her. But we had each other so I was finding that damn inscription to be a lie right now. “I cried,” I told her continuing with my story. “I wondered around the Opera till I fell through an old trap door, and came upon this place where we are now.” Then Melissa realized I was related to the original phantom. She realized the story of Christina, all of it had happened. The book by Gaston Leroux told the story of my ultimate forebear as it actually happened. “As I looked around I felt the feeling of welcoming, warmth, home, and darkness again…and it felt stronger. Like the mask I felt like this place had belonged to someone I knew (but never meet), and was close to.” I said. “But there was no one around but me. But the feeling stayed. Jareth found me…as I worked on feeling at home, which wasn’t to hard. He knew what had happened (why did he keep such a vigilant eye on me I will never truly know or understand) He knew I wasn’t going back with him so he said. “‘Erik…” I told him to call me Lelouch so he tried again and said ‘Lelouch…it’s time you knew the origins of your family. You’ve heard of the legend that happened her right? The stories of Christina Daa’e, Rhoul De Changy, and Erik…the Phantom of the Opera?”
Jareth, sense he meet, and first laved eyes on me, had known I was related to the original phantom. My ultimate forbear. “He explained that I was this original phantom’s great grandson, and that I resembled and ultimately looked like this phantom. My ultimate ancestor.” I said. “Jareth left me be to my reflections. I haven’t’ seen him sense, but I know he was keeping an eye on me as the years went by. And as time passed I made this place my home. It became my artistic domain, home and playground. I rid myself of that locket by throwing it into the ocean…but the inscription not leaving my mind. I decided to wear the mask as everyone wanted me to. After, it never came off again.” I told her. “But I still wanted to help people. Change the world. Find love, and start a family. But that world was cruel.” My dreams had been shattered because of the cruel world. It was always cruel.“I wanted to change that.” I said coming to the end of my story. “I would be the mastermind behind it all. Why did I resort to violence? Destruction only calls for more hate and sorrow. War…terrorism…it’s a cycle of hatred and pain that repeats itself. It’s a senseless game of cat and mouse. That is why someone has to stop the cycle. And that’s you. I’m not that arrogant. I just want a world with no war, where no one loses their dear ones…But…that’s why…I’m going to crush those who hurt me, anyone I care about, or tries to make war. I’ll tell you something, though. You can only shoot…if your prepared to be shot.” These last words had stuck with Melissa forever. It had moved her. She new it was true. If anyone stopped to think about it they would realize it.
I held my hand out for her, and she took it. I took the mask. “Your power…” She said. I glanced at her. “Geass,” I said. “is a strange thing. It is bestowed upon others and given by certain people (witches). Witches who are immortal and eternally youthful; they are immune to it.” I explained. “The form the Geass takes is different in each individual. Some have long believed Geass to be a myth. The girl who gave me Geass calls it the “‘power of kings.’ It is represented by a bird-shaped symbol which glows red when active. Every Geass has it’s own unique set of restrictions, limitations, or idiosyncrasies. These factors allow a Geass to be defeated, or its power limited, by someone who is away of it’s characteristics. All Geass abilities thus far (that is in legends, myths, etc) have been related to the mind, influencing such aspects as will, thought, memory, emotion, and perception, some are said to have no limitations.” I took at deep breath. “Various people could make people do different things. Some can make others fall in love with you. Other people’s memories, read minds, and like me, issue commands that are always obeyed (Only once per person though). Freeze the perception of time for living beings around him/her or even cancel the Geass on himself and others.” It had no limits to what it could do really. “this transfer, however, does not necessarily require the consent of both pareners involved. A person with the “code” bears a physical mark (a sigil resembling that of the Geass) Somewhere on his or her body. “Geass” may be an intentional corruption of the word geas or geis, a term for a type of magical contract in Irish mythology.” I said.“My Geass,” I said. “Grants me ‘the power of absolute obedience,’ allowing me to plant commands within a person’s mind upon eye contact which they will obey without question…or hesitation. Activation of my Geass is visually represented by the manifestation of a Geass sigil in my left eye. Commands dictated in this state are written into the minds of the designated targets once the sigil projects from my eye to theirs.” Melissa was following my words…I could tell. “I could initially toggle Geass activation at will, but subsequently lose this control. I can use a contacts lens that blocks my Geass, but indicates that my Geass will eventually grow powerful enough to render it ineffective.” I said. “Of all the Geass abilities, I have explored the most, and also seem to have the most restrictions and side effects of any Geass yet introduced to the world.” She was staring at me. “Yes, my Geass has many restrictions and limits.” I told her. “Like? I don’t understand how. What kind of limits?” She asked. I turned to face her taking my eyes off of the mannequin. “…Commands must be issued verbally,” I said diving into my long list of my Geass’ weakness’. “…The victim must make direct eye contact for commands to be issued. The maximum distance is 270 meters. Line of sight via a reflective surface is sufficient for the effect to occur.” This list was long…and at times could seem endless to anyone who knew about my powers and it’s limits. “Commands may be issued only once to any given individual, but any number of commands may be issued at initial application so long as eye contact is unbroken. Since some Geass abilities can cancel negates all Geass effects, those exposed to it may be commanded once again.” I explained. “The victim will not person an action disallowed by their physical or mental capabilities, though they will try to carry out the command to the best of their ability. For example, a victim will not be able to correctly answer a question they don’t know the answer to, but will direct the user to someone who can if they are able. However, commands that affect the mind or consciousness, such a telling the victim to forget something, will take effect despite the fact that the victim could not normally force themselves to do so.”
If someone were to think about it they would see that war and terrisom, all of it was possible to change…to stop. I had the power to change the world...the power to hold the INTIRE world in my hands...maybe even the universe. “An action will be carried out for as long as dictated in it’s command, or upon the indicated conditional circumstance. Eye contact does not need to be maintained for command execution to occur. No upper limit has been established, but the conditional command can still be in effect more then a year later, for example, even if the user of the Geass is killed.” I continued. “The victim’s memories for the duration of command issued and execution are sealed and cannot be recalled, thus anyone affected by the power will not be able to remember anything they did while carrying out the command or who ordered them to do it. Two victims has shown the ability resist a command for a short period before being forced to submit, both times the command being one that the victim find utterly reprehensible and outside their normal character.”She was a very good listener though patience wasn’t her strong suit. “So long as the listed conditions are met, commands may be issued to anybody (including the user him or herself) besides those who have gained the power of immortality and to any number of individual at once. Those under the effect of Geass have a red outline on their irises, presumably a visual cue for the showing it’s in affect since its never really pointed out.” In the end despite my Geass’ limits and restrictions I had the power to change the world. To stop the terrisom…war. I could change how people were judged…by their color of skin, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc. I could make the world better. Rebuild it. But it would take time…it’s not easy to change. “Will you demonstrate your power for me?” Melissa asked me. I stared at her as if she were insane. Was she wanting me to use my Geass on her? Why? Or did she just want to see it performed in person to understand more clearly what it looked like…how it worked? “Yes.” I told her. I laid my mask to the side, and left the room for a moment. I roamed around the room I went into for a moment until I found what I was looking for: a sheet over a bird cage and a bird in it. I walked back into the room where she was at, and placed the cage on the piano top. I held my figure out for the bird and placed it on an unlit candle. Melissa watched carefully as my left eye turned red, and the Geass sigil appeared. “I, Erik (Lelouch) Phoenix Legrange order you! You can chirp a lullaby!” I ordered the bird.
Then just as dictated the bird stared chirping a lullaby as our eyes made direct eye contact. “Now….stop!” I ordered. All sound went silent. And the bird flew away. I strolled back over to my mask, and picked it up. I was a person to be feared. For my power gave me the power to bind people. Make them do whatever I wanted them too…weather the person I dictated wanted me too or not. “Fear me, Melissa…for I’m the one to pass judgment on this sinful world. Fear me for I’m the messenger of death to sinners. Fear me for I’m the one with the Power of the King. Fear me for I’m a human cursed by god.” I said. Then with these last words to her, I glared at her with a look. And though I didn’t say anything. She understood from my look what I meant: ‘I’m sorry I have to hid myself.’ Then I placed the mask over the left half of my face again.
To be continued in chapter 43...
