Roman was looking at the trees as the men of the search party gathered what they needed. He couldn't get Virgil out of his mind, especially as the clouds seemed to grow darker and started swirling.

"Roman, you alright?"

He flinched at the sudden voice, looking to see Luis stepping up next to him. The prince didn't respond, looking up at the sky. "What do you think that's about?"

"I honestly don't know," he replied, rubbing he back of his neck worriedly. "It usually starts raining when his mind's condition gets worse, but I've never seen them do that. I really hope he's alright."

Roman stared at the sky before speaking suddenly. "I talked to him," he murmured quietly, making the young prince look at him in shock. "In a dream... do you remember studying history of magic when you were still learning about your powers? How there was legends of mages being able to visit people in dreams?"

Luis nodded, his eyes widening. "He- He might have that power," he replied, thinking about it. "We've never really known the extent of what his powers were, and he was too scared to find out himself after what he did to me..."

"I strongly believe he does, because I had an actual conversation with him while I was out," the Prince of Cliste explained. "He seemed upset, and maybe a little scared, but I don't know what he was doing because I woke up before I could ask. I just don't know what's going on with him, and I hate not being able to help him now."

The younger prince nodded in understanding, but offered a reassuring smile. "Hey, it should take more than one day to get back to the castle," Luis said, tilting his head as he looked back at the foreboding sky. "Maybe you'll be able to talk to him again during one of the nights we rest?"

"It'll be hard for me to fall asleep knowing that there's something wrong."

They didn't say anything else as the men behind them finished gathering their supplies. They were strapping their bags to the saddles of clearly nervous horses. They were whinnying and shifting their weight as the men mounted them. Roman mounted the white stallion given to him by Thorn, looking back at the gathering search party behind him. He glared at the men he recognized as those who had called Virgil a monster, not trusting them. The prince looked at the others, appreciative that there were some citizens that didn't think badly of the dark prince. He nodded to the group and snapped the reigns to send the stallion into a gallop. 

King Patton watched them go from the window, having been forced to remain at the palace to oversee his kingdom. He sighed heavily, wanting to go out there himself. Virgil was his son after all. He knew that those men would try to hurt him, but he trusted Roman to keep him safe.

"Patton, are you alright?" 

He turned to see King Logan behind him with a soft and concerned expression. He didn't reply as he joined him at the window. As their knuckles brushed together, they moved to intertwine their fingers.

"I'm just worried," Patton finally said, looking down. "I'm worried that something terrible is going to happen... that I failed him, Logan."

The King of Cliste looked confused at his statement but kept quiet as he continued. "Maybe I haven't been the best father to him over the years," he said, his voice laced with guilt. "I never told him to hide his powers, but I didn't help him understand them either. It was only during celebrations that he truly hid them, but even when it was just us, he never tried to learn about them. Part of that is my fault whether I like it or not. I let my fear of him, Luis, or myself getting hurt stop me from helping him..."

"Patton..." Logan mumbled, pulling the other king into a tight embrace. "You can't dwell on the past. It can't be changed. You can learn from the past though, use mistakes or regrets to help with your decisions."

He sighed heavily, pulling away a little. "I know..." Patton murmured, still biting his lip and looking down guilty. Logan felt his chest tighten at his expression, which still held so much guilt and pain. He wanted to make him smile. 

"Hey..." he said, voice soft as the king looked up. Logan offered a smile before leaning in to gently press their lips together. It was the most gentle and loving kiss Patton had experienced in his life, smiling into it. When the King of Cliste pulled away, their eyes met. 

The other let out a nervous and flustered giggle as he looked down. "W-What was that for?" he asked with a smile. 

"To get you to smile, of course," Logan replied, reaching up to brush his cheek. "I know that I'm not here for you enough, and that intimacy is not my forte, but if there's anything I can do to make you smile, I'll do it."

Virgil felt as though he was watching from the outside. He could feel, see, and hear everything that he was doing, but he didn't know what any of it meant. The figure seemed to be whispering to him, telling him what he needed to do, and he had no choice but to listen. The dark prince watched himself use magic in ways he could never have imagined. Purple lightning crackled around his fingers and wrists as the figure told him to do something. Virgil couldn't hear it, the voice being muffled. 

He walked over to the balcony, looking up at the swirling black clouds. "What am I doing?" he asked himself quietly. Virgil glanced over at himself and the figure, mind hazy as he tried to think coherently. The dark prince's eyes were getting heavier as the figure looked at him. They fluttered shut as he felt himself fall completely into unconsciousness.