Luis was sitting alone in a room. Well, not alone; Thorn was there too, but she was asleep. She'd passed out as soon as he'd laid her down on the bed. What was making his whole body tense wasn't just the fact that she was drained, but that her hand as still holding his. The princess had been gripping it as he'd helped her to her room, and now that she'd fallen asleep, it still held it. Luis didn't dare move, despite the feeling setting his cheeks ablaze with a blush.

He tensed as Thorn sat up, blinking as she woke up. "Thorn!" the  prince gasped. She looked at him in surprise as he flushed. "Are you feeling better?"

"Y-Yeah," she said, voice a little unsteady as she was still waking up. "How's Roman? Is he alright?"

Luis tried not to let her immediate questioning of Roman's wellbeing get to him. It was normal for people to worry for others. "He's fine, your healing did wonders," he said, offering a smile as he pulled his hand away reluctantly. "You scared me though..."

Her eyes widened a little, and she opened her mouth to say something, but there was a sudden knock on the door. The door opened, the two kings and a prince entering. "Princess Thorn, you're awake," King Patton said with a smile as he approached her. "I hope you're feeling better."

"Yes, thank you, your Majesty," she replied, earning a small laugh from the king.

"No need for formalities," he said reassuringly. "I know how much many of you princes and princesses hate them. I've never truly gotten used to them either.

The group shared a small laugh while Roman fidgeted anxiously. He just wanted to go back out here. "Can we please go down and discuss the search party arrangements?" he asked impatiently.

"If you two are feeling well enough," King Logan said, gesturing to him and the princess who both nodded quickly. "Then yes, we can."

Roman mumbled a thank you under his breath as he hurried out of the room. The rest of them followed suit, heading to the large banquet hall full of bickering royals. The prince tried to keep his temper under control as he heard Virgil being referred to by nasty names.

"Guests," King Patton said, voice raised and authoritative to get their attention. "Prince Roman, Prince Luis, and Princess Thorn have all returned. All three are in good health with small news of what is occurring outside."

"Do they know where that monster is?" one king snarled, a few mumbles in agreement echoing through the room.

Roman clenched his fists tightly, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from confronting him. "Watch your tongue, King Fuath," Patton said, allowing for some of his distaste for him slip into his tone. "He is my son, and most certainly not a monster. If anyone here is, you are."

There was a ripple of murmurs as the king's words sank in. King Fuath looked furious as he glared at him. The Prince of Cliste beside Patton smirked, glad to see him standing up for Virgil. "Moving on, Prince Roman, Prince Luis, and Princess Thorn report that there is a castle deep in the woods that appears to have been hidden. There's also creatures that are guardians of it, which take the form of a massive, two-headed bear-dog hybrid-like animals."

The royals didn't seem pleased to hear this, but King Logan ignored them as he took over. "We are going to organize a search party to bring Prince Virgil home," he said, voice just as confident as Patton's. "If you are interested in assisting with this, please come talk to us. The search party will be leaving as soon as possible."

Roman, Luis, and Thorn exchanged glances as the royals talked among themselves. Several of them came over, offering their help without a second thought. Their eyes widened as King Fuath approached with several officers of his and other kingdoms. 

"These men offer their assistance to bring the prince home," he said through clenched teeth. It was clear he was trying to refrain from referring to Virgil as a monster. 

Though Roman was practically bristling at the thought of men from his kingdom in their search party, Prince Luis stepped in. "We appreciate the assistance," he said politely. 

Virgil opened his eyes, feeling a strange sense of tranquility as he realized he was back in the space between reality and his mind. The figure circled him, looking him up and down. "You've much to learn about your abilities," he said. He stopped directly behind him and placed his hands on the sides of his face. The dark prince flinched ever so slightly. "You need to relax, and trust me."

He nodded, not fighting the strange feeling that was emanating from the figure's hands on his face. His eyes glossed over, turning pale purple. Virgil felt like he left his body, seeing images of what he assumed was the past. Mages bending darkness, lightning crackling from their finger tips. There were creatures, all strange, hybrid-like animals, being played with, or trained to do tricks. The dark prince was in awe at he looked around at the strange, lost culture. It all reminded him of the mages he knew when they trained, but they were like him. He smiled before looking up in awe at a massive, dragon-like creature towering over them. It seemed to watch them, like it was a guardian or mentor.

"What is that?" Virgil asked breathlessly as the figure appeared next to him.

"That is the guardian and teacher of black magic," he said."He may look like a dragon, or an animal, but he's actually one of the most powerful dark mages to have existed."

The dark prince couldn't tear his gaze away from him, as if he was calling to him. "What happened to him?"

"The same thing that will happen to you if you don't listen to me," the figure said ominously. "Without him, dark mages were hunted and shoved into the corners of living if they weren't killed. This will happen to you."

Virgil looked at the figure, his eyes still glazed over and purple as he smiled. "What do I need to do?"