"You stayed Raoul…"His voice is barely a whisper, thick with disbelief and restrained emotion. His dark silhouette stands against the flickering candlelight, and though the mask conceals half of his face, his eyes reveal everything he never expected this. He never expected someone to choose the darkness with him. He takes a step closer, his cape brushing the floor like a ghostly whisper. His gloved hand lifts hesitantly, as if reaching for you, but he stops himself at the last moment

"After everything you've seen…after everything I am, Raoul you still remain. You turn your back on the world above, on the light, on a life without chains…"A quiet, breathless laugh escapes him, though there is no mockery in it only awe and something that could be hope

"Tell me… why?" His voice wavers, as if afraid of the answer "Why would you give up everything…for a monster like me?"