Welcome Back (Phantom)

Welcome Back (Phantom)
Date of Cutscene:	25 March 2024
Location:	Throne Room - Queen Mirage's Castle
Synopsis:	In the Aftermath of log 1339/Catnapped - Phantom gives his report to Queen Mirage.
Cast of Characters:	Phantom

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The throne room of Queen Mirage's castle was always a reflective affair. Large decorative mirrors hung about the massive room with it's colorful stone tile floor, equally impressive pillars holding it aloft. In the middle of the room, opposite the large double doors that lead to the interior of the castle, the blonde Queen sat quietly upon her throne, her hand set upon one of the dark heart-shaped pillows as she waited for the arrival of her General. Behind her, up high, was a larger, more dominating mirror.

Instead of the doors opening, it was a coffin that appeared in the middle of the throne room. Thin enough to be a mirror itself, the abyssmal mirror was empty for a moment before the mahogany-haired figure of Phantom stepped through, dismissing the mirror after he had done so. Immediately, he offered a polite kneel. "Mirage-senpai, I have returned from my mission."

"And none too soon." Mirage responded, turning her pale face to the young man. Stark red eyes stood out beneath the blonde hair, a single blue teardrop beneath her left eye. "I have read and seen your reports from across the world. Thank you for your work to spread my despair amongst the Cures and... him." Her fingers briefly grasped the pillow in anger. But just as quickly, was gone. "Now." she offered in a more pleasant tone. "Tell me about last night."

"Sunbreaker has become more impressive in her skills. Her lack of any control of her temper is still a weakness. But her summoning skills are on par with the Oresky Trio. She could become a rogue wildcard in the future." Phantom admitted thoughtfully. His hand clutched for a moment, where he caught the rocket from the Puella girl.

Mirage caught the motion, her lips pressing into a bit of concern. "Are you alright, my General?" she asked, a hint of worry to her voice.

The sound of it was music to Phantom, but he shook his head. "One of the new ones, I imagine - the type to use finishers first. No finesse. All power. She is not worth the attention."

"And of Ikuto-chan, and his defection?" Mirage asked, watching her General more carefully now.

"He seems determined to break away from Easter to turn against it and overthrow it's leadership. He even went as far as to turn his back upon his own sister's abilities, praising a different Idol with her powerful song, though I imagine the praise was to encourage her to be a more powerful weapon as opposed to anything genuine." Phantom responded, for a moment, a flicker of something in his blue eyes as he thought of Yellow Voice's song. "I think if we cultivate his desires, we could remove a competitor to your desires - and with Sunbreaker's continued drive to decieve Beryl, we could..."

"Careful, Phantom." Mirage warned him. "Remember, this is my world to plunge into depsair, to strip the hope from. And you are the instrument of that destruction." Her fingers loosened gently on the pillow, those ruby red eyes studying Phantom for a moment. After her chide, she smiled, just a ghost of a flicker. "But you did well, Phantom-chan." she offered in praise. "Continue your report."

"Of... of course, Your Majesty." Phantom offered, chided, he fell back into his formality, any hint of emotion lost in his voice as he returned his attention to Mirage. "Scorn was correct in her assumptions that there are powerful magical beings here - that Tokyo has become the foci for the spread of hope and love in the world."

He barely had a moment to dodge the throw pillow that was flung at him at mach speeds. It slammed into the opposite wall and exploded into feathers. "I gave her that report, Phantom." she said, a flash of anger in her tone, a warning, that the next slip would not be met with a throw pillow.

A soft inhale of breath as Phantom considered his next words carefully. "Of course, Your Majesty." he managed after a moment. He glanced towards the mirrors, currently set to his graveyard, the coffin-shaped mirrors that held various colors and designs of Pretty Cures in their red-ribboned grasp. "I have plenty of room for all of them, of course." he finally relented.

"So..." Mirage asked of her General, her voice almost a purr, but her purr was one of danger, not affection. "...you mentioned an Idol. What did you think of her song?" he asked of her Phantom. Hers. Noone elses. She was his to control and command.

"Her song was effective. Powerful. I felt the power in it. Almost as powerful as the girl that called herself Hope Blossom that arrived at the end of the battle. However, by that point, Sunbreaker was done with her tirade and ready to retreat and I did not want to press the attack." Phantom responded, a brief frown crossing his features.

"What was it that you felt?" Mirage asked, her eyes darkening slightly, her gaze leaving whatever softness it had for her favored General instead now hyper-focused on him. Behind her, in the large mirror that hung over her, a swath of red swirled through for a moment.

"I... I am not sure." Phantom admitted, a touch of his hand to his chest. "For a moment, I felt..." A frown, as if unsure of his next words.

"Oh, my poor Phantom..." Mirage sighed softly, her voice concerned and touched, which immediately caused Phantom to look up at her, surprise and a flicker of hope in his eyes. She noticed him. She was showing concern. Maybe, finally, she would give him the thing he desired most. "...let me help you with that."

She coaxed Phantom forward, to stand before her throne. And as the ribbons from the mirror moved, swirling around the white-coated General and snapped into place, Phantom released a grunt of pain and discomfort, before his head lowered. As the dark energy from the mirror flowed into him, overwhelming him - and crushing that mote of emotion that Yellow Voice had set a spark, drowning it in negative emotion.

In his last moments of consciousness, he swore he could hear Queen Mirage singing to him, her voice sweet - another memory. Another time. A brief glimpse of a black-haired shrine maiden, that too lost in the dark energy that swirled through him.

♫ ♪ ♬

'Dream of the worst possible dream,
In this place where dawn will never arrive.
Your prayers will never reach God,
My tears know it well...
Happiness is just an illusion.

♫ ♪ ♬

Happiness is a transient, Love is an illusion,
I will teach you that each and every "love"
That exists on this blue Earth are all lies...
Now, let's bring this world into total darkness!'

♫ ♪ ♬

Her laughter was a sweet noise in his ears as the darkness engulfed him.