A throbbing ache fills my head. I stand up from the ground I am lying down on, yet I do not feel the twigs that were poking my back before.

It is nearly pitch black except for a dim light in the corner of the area I am in.

Wait... Where am I?

I feel around the cold stone walls in my surroundings in search of a light switch. I unfortunately do not find one, but instead feel tiny legs crawling up my arm after my hand touches what feels like very thin and sticky lines of thread. Realizing what it was, I shake my hand in order to rid myself of the spider.

"Hello?!" I shout in order to attract the attention of anyone nearby.

I hear a voice that I know all too well.

"Elliana?"

I gasp upon hearing him.

"PAPA!"

I move over to where I hear my father's voice, but it wasn't very long until I realize that I am locked in a dungeon.

I bang my fists against the bars.

"LET ME OUT! FATHER HELP! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Almost immediately after, the sound of a door opening filled the room.

The echoes of metallic machinery surrounded me as an android with strikingly realistic human features and height similar to mine quickly approaches my cell. It's illuminated pale face and cold lifeless eyes stare straight at me.

After a moment, the robot jerks it's hand up and closes all but one finger. It puts the index finger to the makeshift mouth on it's face and makes a hissing sound like air releasing from a tire; a noise that is supposed to resemble the expression 'shhhhh'.

"Don't tell me to be quiet! You have my father and I held captive in here and I will request help until I receive it."

I begin to scream some more.

"No! Do not do that! You will wake up the others." It scolds in an artificially generated voice.

That stupid machine does not realize that it is my goal to disturb whoever else is in this place in order for them to release me from this chamber.

The door swings open yet again and in enter three people; each shorter than the next.

The way they are dressed is fairly odd-- one has an eyepatch and an opaque plastic bag wrapped around his arm, another has what seems like five layers of pants over only one leg and the second leg is covered by just one layer and the third person wears something similar to a wet suit-- which concerns me. But I shouldn't be one to judge.

Maybe the temperature bothers them. Speaking of which, it's freezing in here! No wonder papa is like ice when he comes home.

I wrap the cloak, that got torn sometime when I was knocked out, around myself to act as a blanket and keep warmth insulated.

"Why do you crazy people have me locked up in here?!" I inquire confidently.

"Yes, Philippe. Why is this girl locked up in the dungeon?"The man with the eyepatch says.

"Well that is quite a long story to tell..." Philippe trails off.

"Then go ahead and start talking." The one in a wetsuit says.

"No. Especially not with that miscreant listening."

I roll my eyes.

"I have done nothing wrong! But you guys are breaking the law by kidnapping me. As a matter of fact, I am going to march straight to the police as soon as I escape from here!"

"Hah, good luck with that." I think I hear one of them mumble.

I sigh. "Can you please let me out now? It's cold and dark. The only reason I can see anything is because that robot dude's face is glowing."

The man with a wetsuit on leaves for a minute and then comes back with a single lit candle. He hands it to me through the metal bars.

"That should solve two of your problems." He says.

I mutter a 'thanks'.

"So what do you expect me to do now? Lie on the floor and rot like that skeleton over there?" I point to the corner that contains a decayed body.

"Sure why not." The robot says.

I glare at Philippe for his unnecessary response.

"How about we get acquainted? I am Annette." The lady with unusually layered pants informs me. "This man," She gestures to the one with an eyepatch "is Leon. You already know Phillipe. The last on is Cortez."

Silence.

Leon clears his throat. "And your name, Madame?"

"Oh! Sorry. I'm Elliana Montgomery."

The three of them bow, not including Philippe, and Cortez says "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Elliana."

Then the correlation between me and Lorenzo becomes apparent in their minds.

"Wait... Did you say Montgomery? As in the daughter of Lorenzo Montgomery?"

"No! She didn't! I don't even have a daughter!"My father shouts from his cell.

"Oh papa, don't be silly!" I say, completely oblivious and unaware of what he was trying to protect me from."

"Yes, indeed, they are related. I saw her following him here in the woods."

"So you were the one that knocked me out."

"Sorry, but it needed to be done." His robot shoulders raise up and down in a simulated shrug. "Anyways, let us discuss the official way that you would like to be executed."

"WHAT?!" I scream, backing away into the furthest corner in my cell in an attempt to get as far from Philippe as possible.

He continues speaking as if I hadn't reacted in any way.

"You may go for the traditional hanging, or perhaps we could bring out the old guillotine. It's a bit worn down, but it should be sufficient enough to cut through."

"I CHOOSE NONE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"I yell in horror. I was so frightened that I curled up into a ball telling myself "this is all a dream" over and over again.

"Philippe! We are not going to kill the girl. You two, move Elliana to her father's cell."Annette orders.

Leon unlocks the door to my cell and both him and Cortez walk inside. I was too lost in my thoughts to hear what Annette said, so I assume that the two men are going to bring me to my doom.

They pick me up, one holding up my back and the other holding up my legs.

"NO! LET ME GO! HELP!" I shriek, punching Leon in the face and kicking Cortez in the chest. But instead of injuring them, it hurt me.

"Owww. Why did that hurt me? It was supposed to hurt the both of you!"

"You'll find out soon enough."
What he said puzzles me. But before I get a chance to think about it, they gently place me on the floor of my dad's cell.

Afterwards, the four of them exit the dungeon.

I waste no time in crawling towards my father and hugging him as tightly as I can, not knowing when I will get to see him again once we separate.

He softly positions his hands on either side of my face in order to make sure I am paying attention to what he will say next.

"Elliana, we must find a way for you to escape! You cannot be here!"

"But papa, you're slaving away for these degenerates! I can't just leave you here! Speaking of which, why didn't you proclaim this information to me?"

"Because I knew you would interfere! This is not something you should be meddling with, Elliana."

He informs in a loud whisper.

"I am not going to let you sell your soul just to earn money in order to pay off some stupid house that you no longer live in!"I snap, now standing up. "I guess this is your home now, right?!"

"No! It's not like that Elliana. I just wanted you to be happy in our true home; the one we've lived in for ages!" His voice raises slightly.

"I would've been equally as congenial even at a new house, just as long as I stay with you."

He sighs. "I don't know what came over me dear. Ever since your mother passed, I've needed you to keep me sane." He chuckles humorlessly. "Now I'm simply creating a larger void between us."

Silence took it's turn for a moment.

Then I take his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.

"Let's get out of here."

Papa's mouth opens to say something but I cut him off.

"No excuses."

I pull his arm to help him stand up as he balances himself against the close concrete walls.

After letting go of his hand, I reach into the back of my ponytail and pull out a bronze colored bobby pin; the few strands of hair that it held fell in front of my face. I twist it in an odd shape to resemble a key and search for the keyhole on the door in this nearly pitch black room.

When I find it, I look around to make sure the coast is clear. Then, I begin to soundlessly pick the lock.

I have practiced this technique many times since I've always feared the possibility that someone, presumptively Antoine, would kidnap me and keep me captive in a locked room.

Practice pays off in the long run because in a duration of about a minute, I hear a click indicating that I have succeeded.

I creak open the door, trying to make as little noise as possible.

There were a few sounds of metal scratching against the floor but not enough to attract the attention of someone outside the dungeon.

I tiptoe over to the only exit, my father following behind.

Stopping at the door, I carefully press my ear against it in order to hear any people surrounding the door on the other side.

I hear nothing so I take my chances and open the door which, to my surprise, was unlocked. I step onto the blood red velvet carpet, feeling the soft texture beneath my bare feet.

My eyes hurt from the newly found light that it hasn't seen for over an hour. At the same time the cozy warm temperature overtakes me.

I peek around the corner to find any way out of this elegant place, but it's like a giant maze

Before I could move on, there are suddenly loud stomps echoing throughout the halls.

"M-master there is n-no-one else in the dungeon. Just that fool Lorenzo, blabbering about nonsense like he always does." A voice who I recognize as Cortez's says from not too far.

Father seems slightly offended by his comment.

"That does not sound like an inane old man! You are keeping someone else locked in the castle dungeon without informing me about it, and there is definitely a reason behind it!" An indignant voice growls.

Whoever it is, they are quickly approaching this area. Father and I mustn't be caught out of our cell. I am clearly in trepidation as well as indecisive on whether or not to take this chance to escape now that those people have left what sounded like the main room downstairs.

Papa, of course, doesn't want to imperil me anymore so he decides for me and drags me back to the dungeon where I dreaded being yet knew that it was the only place I'd be safe.

We shut the cell door after we entered, unable to lock it from the inside.

The door to the dungeon burst open.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" The callous voice from before bellows.

Even without anyone answering, the giant silhouette of a creature slowly makes it's way over to my cell-- one of the closest ones-- and closes the exit door behind him. The one short glimpse I received of him is all I have seen.

It's piercing blue-red eyes seem to illuminate in the dark as they stare straight at me.

Without having to elucidate anything in my mind, an epiphany occurred.

All the stories and rumors were true.

The person, or thing, that stood before me was none other than...

Le Maître.