HELLBORNE

I

                                                                                                                      Behind The Scenes
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The bustling streets were alive with energy as the sun dipped low on the horizon, shining on the cobblestone.
"Excuse me, are you Madame Adéline?"

The woman addressed startled, a delicate hand flying to her throat.
Her dark hair, pulled back in a messy bun, threatened to escape its confines, and her eyes, the color of rich, dark chocolate, widened slightly.

"Yes, is it Louise?" She asked before walking closer, observing him.

Louise nodded his head, gently shaking Adéline hand before pulling away, "I have my letter, just a moment." He murmured while searching in his bag.

Adéline watched him as he pulled the white, neatly styled envelope out of his bangs, handing it to her.
Adéline observed the letter before handing it back.

Louise only placed his letter back and smiled gently, "Now, Lady Charlotte had suggested I see you, she asked if you may show me around this opera." His arm reached out and gestured towards the opera.

The building loomed like a monument to centuries of elegance, its façade a sweep of carved stone and gleaming marble.

Adéline looked uncertain as she scratched her face with a finger, "Ah, I'm not quite sure I may." She murmured
Louise frowned slightly before clasping his hands, "Please if you could, it would be lovely, Lady Charlotte wants to know about her father's.." The male trailed off.

Adéline only sighed before nodding her head, "I'm aware, alright, I'll show you."
She began walking away towards the opera house.

They stepped through the grand doors, and a hush seemed to fall over the world behind them. Inside, the air was cooler, tinged with the scent of aged velvet, polished wood, and something else-something faintly metallic, like old blood behind the curtains.

Adéline's heels echoed softly as she led him through the foyer, her posture growing stiffer with each step. The chandeliers overhead flickered slightly, though there was no draft.

"This way," she murmured, avoiding his eyes.

Louise followed, glancing around at the painted ceilings and gilded balconies. The place felt less like a theater and more like a shrine-frozen in time, untouched by the chaos outside.

"How long have you worked here?" he asked gently.

Adéline glanced over her shoulder. "Long enough to know what not to ask about."

That wasn't comforting.

Adéline walked a few paces ahead of him, her heels echoing softly on the marble floor. "This wing was renovated last year," she said, gesturing vaguely to the high arched ceiling and faded murals. "Though most of it still feels... old."

Louise followed, hands tucked into his coat pockets, eyes scanning everything. The opera didn't just feel old-it felt preserved. Like something hiding behind velvet curtains and gold leaf.

Louise stepped past the marble threshold, boots clicking against the checkered floor. He paused beneath the chandelier, eyes sweeping the space with quiet calculation. Velvet drapes lined the walls. Gilded frames held fading posters of past performances, the names barely legible beneath cracked glass.

Everything was beautiful.

Everything felt wrong.

He adjusted the strap of his bag, glancing toward the upper balconies. His fingers drifted to the old pocket watch tucked in his coat-a nervous habit. The dial stayed silent. Still ticking. Still present.

He sighed through his nose. "Lady Charlotte better be right about this place."

He heard footsteps nearby-soft, quick, retreating.
Louise paid no mind and spoke up, "say, did Lady Charlotte's father perform here? "

Adéline hesitated. "Well, He didn't just perform. He funded half of it. Some say he still walks these halls." She smirked, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Louise was about to press her further when-

A scream ripped through the air.

Adéline froze mid-step. "Stage left," she whispered, voice tight.

Louise was already moving, sprinting past set pieces and costume racks. The hallway twisted toward the backstage area, and the air turned thick, like it was holding its breath.

He turned the corner-and stopped.

A girl lay slumped near the rigging ropes, blood already seeping across the stage floor.

She was still breathing.

Barely.

Adéline caught up behind him, hand over her mouth. "That's-she's-she was just here this morning-"

Louise knelt beside her, carefully. Her breathing was shallow.

"Still alive," he murmured.

Someone behind him whispered, "That's the second one this week..."

Adéline appeared, gasping. "I'll call someone-should we move her?"

"No." Louise shook his head. "Don't move her. I'll get a medic."

Adéline nodded and stepped back, panic still etched in her face.

Louise stood and turned toward the exit-but as soon as he was out of her sight, he slipped into the shadows behind a curtain. His hand reached inside his coat.

The pocket watch was already ticking in reverse.

He clicked it open.

Time stilled.
The world froze mid-breath. Light became soundless. Even dust halted mid-fall.

Louise adjusted the dial.

The watch clicked.

And everything reversed.