Erik Dupont

== Biography ==
Erik was born to Breton Dupont and Jasmin Moulin on October 31, 1870. He was conceived outside of wedlock, and his mother had hidden her pregnancy from everyone apart from his father. His father is the owner of the Opera Garnier, and his mother is the prima donna of said opera house.
Since he was a breech birth, his mother was not aware of his deformity until after she noticed that the midwife had fainted due to the sight. Disgusted by Erik's appearance, Jasmin ordered for her maid, Orianne Bonnay, to abandon the infant in the catacombs beneath the opera. 
However, Orianne was unable to do such a thing because of Erik's cries, which she likened to a siren. She struck up a deal with Breton, who agreed to give her money in order for her to raise Erik in the catacombs. 
Erik was raised in a house that was built in his early childhood. Erik can recall a time when he simply slept on a blanket in the catacombs. Once the house was built, Orianne used most of the money to furnish it properly. Due to Erik's increasing interest in music, she made sure to include a piano in the drawing room. 
Orianne acted as a stern force in Erik's life. Since he did not possess a handsome face, Orianne decided that she was going to act like a gentleman. While he was young, he would oftentimes rebel against his adoptive mother's teachings. These teachings ranged between the use of formal language and eating properly at the dining table. 
While he was growing up, Orianne led him to believe that she was his biological mother and that his father had died while he was away at sea. Upon learning that she had lied to him, Erik felt slightly betrayed. 
Along with this, she told him that he had an otherworldly beauty, something that must be hidden behind a mask. In reality, Orianne found his deformity to be disgusting. However, she never had the heart to tell her adoptive son this. When Erik confronted her about his reflection in the lake in the catacombs, Orianne devised a tale about how the lake was magical and only wanted to show him the direct opposite of what he actually looked like. 
During the winter of 1881, Orianne fell dealthy ill. Due to this, she could not care for both herself and Erik. Upon being contacted, Breton set up arrangements for Erik to be welcomed into the house of his sister, Cornelia, and her husband, Paschal. 
Cornelia and Paschal had dealt with fertility issues, so they had plans on choosing Erik as their heir. However, this plan devolved when they realized that the boy had a deformity. Erik was kept in the attic, and his food was delivered by a manservant. Cornelia was extremely upset at Erik's prescense, so Paschal beat and yelled at him whenever he left his bedroom. 
In 1882, Cornelia and Paschal adopted a four-year-old boy named Gauthier Beax, whose parents had died from a sweating fever. Gauthier held a certain fondness toward Erik, who regarded him with a air of coldness. He referred to Erik as his big brother, which only upset Cornelia further. 
In 1883, Erik was put under permanent confinement in his attic bedroom. The boy could only content himself with singing, which he used to keep himself from losing his sanity. 
In 1884, Erik was sold to the circus by his foster parents. While in the circus, Erik was subjected to many degrees of torture. He was forced to live in squalor, and his mask was replaced with a dirty bag. Erik would have to remove his facial covering to be ogled at by the crowd. If he did not do it, he would receive a fierce lashing and an entire day without food. 
His master, Javert, was quite sadistic and found the act of abusing Erik amusing. Sometime in 1887, Javert forced himself on Erik and attempted to rape the boy. However, Erik fought back and managed to kill the man. 
He escaped from this circus and moved to another one. This time, he received food and a nice place to stay in return for showing off his deformity. At this point in time, Erik began to put together the veneer of a gentlemen in his eyes. 
In 1891, Erik was approached by Breton and learned that Orianne had managed to recover in 1885 and wanted to see him again. Erik met Orianne once again that year and found that she was a married woman with three small daughters. Since Erik was told that Orianne had abandoned him, he greeted her with an air of coldness. He would hold her at arms length for the next two years until he learnt the truth behind her giving him up.