Warning:
- Rejection
- Heavy insults
- Detailed mentions of self harm
- Mentions of blood
- Violence
- Swearing
- Death

Roman had prepared for this day for months, possibly even years, it felt like. He had had this crush on Virgil for god knows how long, and he was FINALLY ready to ask his Emo fantasy out. He grew needy for his love, his affection, his sheer warming presence with him at all times, and he felt a burning desire to protect the precious angel at all costs.

He needed to kiss Virgil until all of their worries seeped away into oblivion and remind them both that they're going to be alright, that everything will be okay in the end, just as long as they have each other.

Roman paced the living room, fiddling with the sleeves of his Prince attire— which he had subtlety decorated with a little extra romantic flare to give him that extra attractiveness.

Luckily, that day him and Virgil had been the only ones in the mind-scape, as it was mandatory for Logan and Patton to be with Thomas all day to help him with certain tasks and videos, which meant that Roman was free to do whatever the hell he wanted.

The Prince took a deep breath as he flicked his wrist gingerly, dimming the lights to a dim chestnut colour to set the atmosphere to a more warming one, rather than an overwhelming one. He once again turned his palm flat to the wall above the couch which made some dim white fairy lights appear, and some rose petals to appear scattered across that wall.

He continued to do this until the entire room was covered in romantic and comforting decorations and the atmosphere was nice and comfy. As a last touch, he lit a pomegranate scented candle and switched on some quiet, romantic music in the background.

He was ready.

This was his time.

He took one last deep breath, and then...

"Virgil? Can you come here for a second?"

He called out, hoping that said side had heard him.

He breathed out a sigh of relief as he heard haste footsteps trotting down the staircase and into the living room, followed by none other than Virgil himself, looking as beautiful as ever.

Roman subconsciously smiled as a salmon dusting painted his cheeks, exploring their way up his face and down his neck and collarbone.

"You need something, Roman?" Virgil paused, examining the room around him. "Oh, please don't tell me you need help with decorating the living room for another one of your 'romantic outings' with some random prince that you happened to save." The Emo rolled his eyes in annoyance and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Roman felt a twinge of hurt shoot through his heart as he soaked up Virgil's words. He momentarily managed to brush off the thought of Virgil simply having a moment after being disturbed from presumably laying comfortably in his bed.

"I haven't had any Princes over in over seven months, Virgil, you know that," Roman chuckled nervously. "And there's... actually a reason for that." He reached up and scratched the back of his neck. "There's a reason for this entire thing, actually."

Virgil quirked an eyebrow curiously. "Tell me."

Roman took some time to breathe before finally spilling the truth out to his long term crush.

"Well," he started, hooking his hands behind his back and conjuring up a black and red rose. "I've had my eye on someone special these past months... and my heart seems to be keen on following one's dreams. My heart seems to be attracted to this one individual, and this one lovely individual only. I've tried to very hard to destroy these feelings for this one person, I really have. But I've accepted it, and I don't regret it. This person is the sweetest, most adorable individual I've ever seen." He took a second to collect his thoughts and what he was gonna say next.

"This individual is a bit quieter than the rest of us, a bit more snarky and sarcastic than the rest of us, loves purple and black, and wears beautiful eye makeup," he unhooked his hands and brought the hand that held the rose out in front of him, extending his arm out to Virgil's grasp. "And that individual is you, Virgil."

Virgil snickered harshly and roughly pushed Roman's hand away. "You love me? As in, you want to date me? Ha! Fat chance, Princey, I can't believe you REALLY thought I'd love you back," he spat venomously as Roman's face dropped to one of hurt and misery. "You're so narcissistic and full of yourself, not to mention a total slut. You think that you're the best and above everyone else and act like you're to high and mighty, and, before you stopped, it seems like every other week you would come back from an adventure with another man. Who wants to be in a committed relationship with someone like that? Nobody, that's who, and I certainly don't wanna be the Princess Ariel to your Prince Eric. So, the answer is no, Roman."

Roman's heart shattered into a million tiny, sharp and agonizing pieces as he regretfully and painfully soaked in what Virgil's had just admitted to him. His face turned incredibly pale and his expression went blank with almost no positive expression in sight.

"I... um... uh...."

Was all Roman could think to utter out in a pained, weak and wavering voice.

"Got nothing? Speechless? Not so high and mighty now, huh? The incredible Prince Roman, speechless."

That's what really made Roman click.

"WELL MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, I WAS TRYING TO BETTER MYSELF FOR YOU, VIRGIL, HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT?!" He snarled and aggressively tore at the delicate petals on the long forgotten rose.

Virgil's eyes widened in shock and fear as he stepped back, holding his hands out in front of his chest in weak and futile self defence.

"I—"

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BE SO FUCKING HARSH WITH YOUR REJECTION, YOU KNOW? BUT YOU WERE, FOR NO FUCKING REASON WHATSOEVER. THIS WOULDN'T BE PAINING ME AS MUCH IF YOU WERE GENTLE WITH REJECTING ME. DO YOU KNOW HOW FUCKING LONG IT TOOK ME TO FINALLY BUILD UP THE FUCKING CONFIDENCE TO DO THIS?!" The Prince's face fell excruciatingly hot and it was clear that all of the blood had rushed to his face, and judging from the deep crimson that had taken over Roman's features, it was clear that he was hurt and distressed.

"Roman—" Virgil held out his hand.

"No! Fuck off with your nice guy act now! You've already proven yourself! You've already proven how you truly feel about me! So kindly go fuck yourself and never speak to me again." Tears rapidly spilled down Roman's cheeks and left burning streaks in their wake as he sobbed miserably, turning and storming off into another room, roughly flicking his wrist just before he left to destroy all traces of any romantic outing that he had created.

Virgil was left in a negatively dimly lit room to ponder his actions, quickly deciding that he had fucked up big time. He growled at himself and immediately went over all of the actions and words that he now regretted, squeezing at his arm with his nails to relieve some of his self hatred that he now had for himself.

He had fucked Roman up, and he had a feeling he knew what was coming next.

And it wasn't pretty.

~~

Roman refused to leave his room for weeks after that incident. He refused to come out for anything or for anyone. Not for dinner, not to watch movies, not even to help Thomas get creative for video ideas. He refused to speak with anyone. Even Patton. Whenever Patton came to his door wondering where Roman is, he didn't even budge. He didn't dare make a sound in case it made it known that he was still alive in there.

He had been conjuring up shitty food and water for himself, but it was still enough to keep himself barely alive.

He had even resorted to cutting himself. He had conjured up extremely sharp blades and swiped them deep across his wrists, watching mesmerized as the blood flowed so smoothly from his wrist and down his arm, soaking into his soft flesh and staining his skin bright red.

He had never cut enough for it to be too deadly, though, so they always healed and left very prominent scars.

However, he didn't want to die.

One fateful evening, he had a plan.

As Roman was about to paint his skin with another cut, he stopped himself just short of penetrating the skin as an elaborate idea popped into his head. He smiled maliciously and made made the blade disappear. His smile morphed into a sinister smirk as he thought up his plan, and who he would go to to make it work exceptionally.

Once he had finalized his plan, he quickly jumped off of his bed and quickly rushed out of his room, heading to the one place no other side but Virgil had ever dared to go— the dark side of the mind

Once there, he hastily searched around for that one slimy snake that he knew would definitely be able to help him.

He was done being a good, light side.

He wanted to change.

The Prince ran around and searched the eerie feeling place for what felt like hours; he searched and ran for so long that his legs started horribly aching. However, once he finally ran into Deceit, he gasped in delight and rushed up to him, immediately getting pummelled by the smoke that was emitted from him.

Roman took some time to observe the space around him before Deceit had a chance to speak. The room was covered in vibrant black and gold paint, with golden gemstones and pillars displayed every corner, and around the accents that circled the top of the walls. In the middle there was a black and gold throne that Deceit was perched on at that present moment, with with gilded snakes tightly wrapped around the back of the chair.

"Whoa, whoa, Roman, what are you doing here? Don't you know that it's dangerous for you to be here?!" Deceit questioned once he acknowledged the presence as he hastily shot his head up to glare at the Prince that had just intruded his space.

Roman nodded. "Yes, and I don't care. I need your help." He smirked evilly.

Deceit quirked an eyebrow and smirked back. "Oh? Changing your ways are you?"

Roman nodded again. "Please. I can't handle being a light side anymore. It's hurting me drastically and I can't deal with this shit anymore."

Deceit replied with a deep and sinister chuckle. "Alright, pretty boy, I can definitely help you. If I may ask, why are you interested?"

Roman cleared his throat as he achingly relived the memories. "Well, if I can't have Virgil as my boyfriend, might as well turn into what he is, right? A filthy dark side who can't reject people in a gentle manner?"

"Now you're speaking my language." Deceit smiled darkly. "This might hurt a bit, Roman, are you sure?"

Roman nodded in understanding. "It's worth it. Just do it. I'm ready."

Deceit nodded hastily and lifted his gloved hands out in front of him, shaking and wiggling his fingers, causing a mixture of yellow and black smoke accumulate just above his hands.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Then, in a quick burst, Deceit pushed the smoke over to the Prince standing in front of him, enveloping him in the substance, which immediately got to work on transforming Roman.

Roman hissed and screamed out in agony as a quick burst of pain shot and twinged throughout his body.

However, the pain subsided as soon as it arrived, as the smoke blew away and disintegrated, revealing the new and recently transformed Prince.

The now Dark Prince featured his usual Prince attire, which was now turned into a raven black suit with white accents where shining gold once was, and his sash was now an incredibly deep shade of purple.

Along with his clothing, he now wore a black throned flower crown with black roses splattered with red and purple splashes of colour. To top it all off, his eyes were now glowing and blood red, and the empty skin that was once wrapped around his eyes was now painted with a black, smokey, almost eyeshadow looking substance, and it was dragged down to look like icicles underneath the flesh of his eyes.

Roman smirked devilishly as he took in his new appearance.

This was the new him.

He was now an official Dark Side.

And he never wanted to go back.

~~

Roman wanted to wait a bit before revealing his brand new appearance to the others.

Patton had managed to break down Roman's door because of his "dad instincts" as Patton called them, but was unpleasantly surprised when the Prince wasn't present. He had enlisted the help of Virgil and Logan to assist him in finding Roman, but they all had no such luck.

He wanted to wait until Thomas himself summoned him to reveal his fresh appearance to everyone all at once.

He still wanted to help Thomas with his primary function, however, so instead of hiding completely, Roman was still there to some extent. He had helped Thomas gain his creativity back with ease, but, with a twist.

All of Thomas's creative ideas seemed to involve blood and violence in one way or another. They all seemed to involve some dark, sinister undertones, or often they would be blatantly prominent. This change of energy had triggered Logan and Virgil to confront Thomas about the change up, to which Thomas almost always replied with a doubtful shrug and claiming that he had no clue why he was suddenly a bloody mess of creative notions.

And then, finally, that one day Roman was so desperately waiting for, finally came. He was more than ready.

~~

"Okay, you know what, Thomas? It is crucial that we call upon Roman to discuss this with us, because I can not deal with this ridiculousness any longer." Logan sighed in exasperation as Thomas came up with yet another video idea that involved pretending to stab someone in the head with a large and sharp kitchen knife.

"Roman's gone, Logan. I can't find him anywhere." Virgil muttered from the archway to the living room, leaning on his shoulder and refusing to make any sort of eye contact. Instead, he opted to keep his gaze focused on his phone.

"He must be around here somewhere, Virgil," Logan started as Thomas nervously turned his head to the side in order to focus on Logan. "Thomas still possesses creativity, correct? If Roman were truly gone, Thomas wouldn't have any creativity whatsoever. He would be exceptionally unmotivated to do anything in that field."

"Do you have any ideas as to why he's hiding, Virgil?" Thomas asked gently as his focus shifted to Virgil. He could see hesitation paint in Virgil's features. The Emo boy bit his lip and waited a few seconds before responding.

"Nope," He shook his head. "Not a clue."

Thomas raised an eyebrow curiously but ultimately decided against questioning his anxiety any further, instead he sighed heavily and stared at the laptop in his lap blankly, not really taking in any of the words or information on the screen.

"You know, kiddos," Patton chimed in as he finally left the kitchen holding a cup of coffee in one hand and hot chocolate in the other, placing the coffee in front of Logan on the coffee table and plopping down beside the nerd, taking a careful sip of his drink. "He might be in his imagination realm. I know from experience that you can't be summoned if you're in there, you have to manually allow yourself rise up. If he's there, he can still give Thomas creativity, and he can remain in hiding." Patton took another sip of his sugary drink.

"I've checked there," Virgil retorted. "He's not there either. I almost got killed by a Dragon Witch, though. The bitch didn't bother to kill it before pussy-ing out." He growled venomously.

"Virgil," Patton started softly. "That's no way to talk about Roman."

Virgil rolled his eyes in annoyance and remained silent.

"Okay, but, if he hypothetically was in his imagination realm, that still doesn't explain why I've been coming up with all of these homicidal concepts." Thomas sighed once more and slumped back onto the couch further.

"Nothing else could possibly possess creative energy, unless..." Logan's voice trailed off as he pondered his growing notion.

"Unless?" Thomas urged him on.

"No, never mind, it's... it's a preposterous theory."

"Logan," Patton asserted sternly. "Tell us."

"Logan," Virgil interjected. "Don't."

That statement caused everyone's focus to shift to Virgil in uttermost shock, wondering why the dark facet would even prevent Logan from merely mentioning any ideas.

Unless.... Virgil knew something important.

"Why do you insist on me internalizing my notions, Virgil?" Logan questioned, tilting his head inquisitively.

"It's useless, Logan. It's useless to suggest anything with no value. I don't want to hear about any of your theories." It was obvious that Virgil was lying through clenched teeth, but the anxious facet persisted anyway.

"Virgil, tell us now or I'll take away your phone for a week." Patton claimed matter-of-factly, glaring at him with an expression that painted the picture of 'continue on, I dare you'.

"Oh no, I'm so terrified." Virgil replied sarcastically.

In response, Patton furrowed his eyebrows and hastily flicked his wrist, making Virgil's phone disappear from his own hands and reappear in Patton's.

"Hey!" Virgil snapped as his attention finally fixated on his friends and host. "That's mine! Give it back!"

"Tell us what you know, or let Logan tell us his theory, and I will." Patton confirmed, making Virgil heavily sigh in response.

"Fine, okay? Logan, go ahead with your theory."

Logan nodded lightly and took a breath before explaining his idea.

"There's... there's a part of Thomas's mind that no one ever dares to go. The only person who has dared to go there resides with us now. In simple terms, it is the Dark Side of the mind where Thomas's Dark Sides dwell," Logan paused and bit his lip, glancing around at his fellow sides. "I... I know that it sounds ludicrous, but perhaps Roman ventured there for some unknown reason... and... hasn't returned yet for, again, unknown reasons."

The other sides could unmistakably recognize the guilt and uneasiness radiating from Virgil, considering his facial expressions (and his denial to make any sort of eye contact with anyone) and body language. He had resorted to folding his arms tightly across his chest with his hood pulled over his head, swaying back and forth in his place slightly.

"Virgil?" Thomas asked with heavy concern lacing his voice. Before he said anything else, he slid his laptop off of his legs and sauntered over to his anxiety, who was still in the archway. "You okay bud? You wanna talk about it?" He reached an arm out to rest a hand on Virgil shoulder, to which Virgil flinched away from.

"No. No I don't. You've heard Logan's theory. Now it's done. We can forget about it. The Dark Side of the mind isn't even that extensive. So just forget about it."

"Then it's final. We're going to the Dark Side to find Roman." Logan declared confidently, watching his fellow sides and host for any signs of any objections. As the Nerd has expected, Virgil's head shot up to glare at him with fury glowing in his irises.

"Am I just a fucking joke to you?!" He snarled. "If I wanted to not be listened to, I would've remained how I was before 'Accepting Anxiety'. You all wouldn't even know my fucking name."

"Virgil, don't you want Roman back?" Patton asked softly. They all collectively saw Virgil physically twitch at the question.

"Sure, whatever."

"You don't have to come with us, Virgil," Thomas reminded the Emo. "But, can you at least provide us with some information?"

Virgil sighed in heavy exasperation and rolled his eyes. "Fine, okay? The Dark Side is where Deceit and all of the other Dark Sides live. It can be dangerous in some scenarios so be careful. You might run into sinkholes and murderous entities. Deceit's room is far from the entrance, so if you want to go and see him, I suggest walking because running will just wear you out. Make sure your shoes are tied, and for the love of everything holy, do not split up." He explained with heavy guilt and hesitation clouding his already shaky voice.

"Alright," Logan stood up, brushing himself off. "Then it's final. We are going to get Roman back, even if it kills us."

Virgil flinched at Logan's poise. "Be careful, okay? I can't lose my friends."

Thomas patted Virgil's shoulder comfortingly. "We'll be fine, Virge. We would never leave you alone for all eternity." He laughed lightly at his own statement.

Logan and Patton soon joined Thomas and they all decided on a big group hug for Virgil before the logical facet, moral facet, and their host began their venture into Thomas's mind.

They were going to get Roman back.

Even if it killed them.

~~

The first few minutes in the Dark Side was confusing and harrowing, to say the least. Logan had already been bitten by some unsettling looking insects, Patton had some weird black sludge splattered on his shirt, face and hair, and Thomas had been slashed with a knife across the bridge of his nose from not paying attention to his surroundings, like both Virgil and Logan had warned him to.

The air was swarming with a cool, damp atmosphere and you could clearly identify odd looking objects floating around. The walls were raven black with some red and gold accents to give it that little extra flare, as well as some mystical creature heads plastered on the void-esque walls as well as deadly weapons sticking out of every inch they possibly could. There was a musty smell that lingered around them, a musty smell mixed with rotting roses. It was oddly pleasing to the senses, despite the possibly disturbing undertones of the scent.

"Thomas, where exactly are we going? Roman could be anywhere in this colossal territory. There's an infinitesimal chance that we'll just randomly bump into him, that is if he even is here." Logan inquired as his focus fixated on grabbing a piece of crumpled paper that was floating around his head.

"I mean, it's worth a shot, right— what's that?" Thomas's voice faded off as he leaned over to his side to also examine the piece of paper that Logan was holding.

It appeared to be a note of some kind, with the date scratched out using black ink. The words were hard to make out since they were soaked from the damp atmosphere, but Logan could just barely make out the letters.

Logan squinted his eyes. "Thomas lied to his parents about smoking weed at a party."

"Thomas!" Patton yelped, making both Thomas and Logan jump in surprise.

"Hey! It was one time! I was in high school! Don't attack me!" Thomas chuckled.

"I'm watching you, Sanders." Patton shot a warning glare at his host, almost exactly like the one that he had given to Virgil in the Harry Potter video that they did.

"Alright, alright." Thomas halfheartedly rolled his eyes with a breathy chuckle as they continued on their treacherous journey.

~~

"Wait, so, if Logan found a piece of paper with a lie written on it, does that mean that Deceit's around here somewhere?" Patton questioned abruptly, causing the other two to stop in their tracks.

"Perhaps," Logan acknowledged. "However, there's a chance that the lighter gravity in here might've lifted it through the air, so there's a possibility that it had traveled far from where Deceit resides."

"Wait, guys!" Thomas knocked Logan's bicep a little too hard. "I see something!" He pointed to what seemed liked a glowing yellow light a little ahead of them.

"Deceit?" Patton pulled a face of confusion.

"Can Deceit glow?" Thomas questioned his morality, narrowing his eyes and tilting his head at him.

Patton shrugged. "Wild guess. Anything could happen here."

They all instinctively took a few hesitant steps back as the light sauntered closer to them, revealing more of its shadowy figure to the group. One thing was for sure, it was certainly not Deceit.

Unless Deceit was some sort of ungodly, mutated fictional beast.

"Uhh, Patton, I don't know how to say this, but whatever this thing is, it most definitely is not Deceit." Thomas rambled aimlessly, not really taking any time to think about what would come out of his mouth next. He was too shocked, too mentally paralyzed.

Logan almost scolded Thomas for his lack of initiative in that moment, but he was too caught up in his own distress to care about what anybody else was saying.

"So, Logan, what was that thing you said about you being fearless?" Patton grasped into Logan's other bicep like it was his lifeline.  Logan could almost feel the blood rapidly depart from his veins from how tight Patton's grip on him was. 

Logan internally cringed at his past cockiness. Sure, he had claimed that he was fearless, but this three-headed, fire breathing freak of nature would send shivers down anyone's spine.

It looked like it was a mutated version of the Dragon Witches that Roman always talked about. The creature was a murky, shadowy black colour with red glowing from underneath the scales. There were shiny, red, sharp spikes lining the beast's body, and its claws were as sharp as a shard of glass. They could slice clean through one's flesh with ease.

Logan wasn't just scared. He was terrified.

However, that would not stop him from protecting his host's life.

Patton's voice could be heard, aggressively and emotionally screaming at the fiend,

"Stay away from my family, you monster!"

Patton was objectively adorable, but him of all people could not be killed. Thomas needed Patton. Patton was Thomas's morality; his sense of right and wrong. Without him, Thomas would be a mess. Sure he would be replaced with another body to represent morality, but it wouldn't be the same, and Logan didn't want to find out what a new sense of morality would be like.

The beast could be heard ear piercingly growling at Patton followed by slight flames coming out of the right head's mouth, to which Patton lifted his arms in front of his face in order to protect himself, hissing softly as the flame grazed his skin.

Logan, for a brief moment, squeezed his eyes and fists shut in pure, unadulterated fury. The Nerd stirred up as much mental strength as he possibly could before something big and solid was conjured into his rosy fist- it was a handle of some kind.

Logan strained his mind for a few more seconds before finally, a thick, bulky sword with a shiny bronze handle and beautiful rubies decorating the hilt appeared in his enclosed hand, his fingers gripping on so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Logan?" Thomas questioned. "What are you doing?"

Logan's eyes slowly fluttered open as he turned his head to look at Thomas.

"What must be done."

"Wait, LOGAN—!" Patton's screaming and wailing was ringing in Logan's ears.

But it was too late.

Logan forcefully swung the sword at the creature's torso, listening as Patton shrieked when the sword made contact with the rough, rigid flesh of the beast.

Logan's breath got caught in his throat when the sword didn't penetrate the entity even in the slightest. His pupils dilated in uttermost fear and horror as the dragon-like monster roared once more, this time around it was a lot more vociferous and hemorrhaging to the brain.

Then, as if Logan were to see his life flash right before his eyes, the monster lifted one of its clawed limbs up before forcibly swinging it through the damp air and slicing its claws clean through Logan's soft and tender flesh, causing the latter to scream out in pure unadulterated agony.

The Nerd dropped the sword with a heavy clashing noise before he himself dropped to the frigid ground with a sickening thud, hastily wrapping his left arm around his torso and squeezing for dear life, trying desperately to cling onto anything that would make his bleeding stop.

It all, of course, was to no avail.

Patton and Thomas both gasped in terror, but Patton was the one to almost immediately slide down to Logan's side and do anything he could to help him.

"Logan? Logan?! Are you okay, buddy?!" Patton frantically questioned his friend, brushing Logan's hair out of his eyes, only to reveal the tears that were fogging up the logical facet's glasses.

"It's... it's gonna be okay, Lo. You're gonna be okay..." Patton reassured with heavy panic floating in his wavering voice. Patton's focus then directed to Logan's excruciating wound, which was bleeding and hemorrhaging substantially.  A nauseating red liquid was painting Logan's skin and clothes, soaking into every crevice they could. His usual black polo shirt was ripped open at the bottom, giving the damage space to breathe in the open air.

Patton then briskly conjured up some antiseptic spray and some bandages and got to work on cleaning Logan up.

That is, until a familiar figure of a man appeared in front of them, guarding them from the beast. 

The figure that wore a black hoodie with purple plaid patches that he had sewn on himself with zero guidance.

"Virgil?!" All three of them gasped in absolute unison.

However, Thomas was more focused on what Virgil had gripped in his right fist. It was a fairly massive sword with a lengthy blade that was marbled with silver and gold. The hilt was thick and black with what looked like silky red ribbons engraved on it, wrapping around the handle perfectly. The shiny engraving also has golden gems scattered about, giving life and contrast to the flat shade.

Then, his eyes landed on the very bottom of the sword, and scanned over what looked like cursive initials.

At further inspection, he recognized the letters carved into the weapon.

R.S.

Roman Sanders.

"I told you guys to be careful!" Virgil growled viscously as he lifted his arm up and pointed the lustrous blade at the creature, dodging its attempt at an attack towards him.

"Stay away from MY family, you foul fiend!"

As Virgil was about to violently slice through the monster, its entire body suddenly froze and fell backwards, which emitted a head-splitting crashing noise. Virgil's pupils widened in shock as he slowly lowered the sword. They all collectively gasped at who they saw on the other side of the dragon, his hand up with the palm of his hand facing the group of people in front of him.

"Roman?" Virgil whispered softly.

The Prince's hand dropped to his side softly, revealing a sinister smirk gracing his nefarious features. "My, my. If it isn't Virgil Anxiety Sanders." He taunted, his grin remaining seated in place, seemingly growing wider with every word he spoke.

Virgil began to take haste steps backwards as Roman trailed his way over to him in long strides; the sword that Virgil was grasping onto slipped out of his frail hands, causing a clashing sound to ring in everyone's ears.

"Roman, what's gotten into you?" Virgil panicked, holding his hand out in front of himself and at the ground behind him every so often to ensure he didn't fall on anything and possibly twist his ankle.

Virgil watched in fright as Roman's deep chuckle echoed around the almost voided space, followed by the sound of Thomas screaming to be careful, but by the time Virgil heard the warning, it was too late.

He could agonizingly feel as his ankle twisted in some substance that seemed to be oil, from the slipperiness of it, and his world seemed to run in slow motion as he fell backwards. He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the impact with the ground.

However, his eyes shot open when he didn't feel the hard collision.

Thomas smiled sheepishly down at the anxious facet as his elbows hooked underneath Virgil's underarms, using all of his arm strength to help him to his feet. Virgil uttered a quick 'thank you' and turned back to Roman, limping on his now injured ankle.

Roman was now only a few feet away from Virgil's face; they were practically breathing the same air. Virgil grimaced as he absorbed Roman's brand new appearance like a beautiful flower absorbs and soaks up the sun's energy to live. Except, Virgil could've lived totally fine without this new Roman maliciously staring back into his soul.

Virgil even almost scolded him for trying to one-up his eyeshadow work.

"Fucking, well?" Virgil urged the creative facet on when he refused to answer Virgil's previous inquiry. Roman's smile widened the tiniest bit, but this time, he decided to speak.

"What's gotten into me? Oh, well, you must be mistaken, sweetheart. I think we both know how I got into this situation." Roman's laugh sent shivers down Virgil's spine, but, much to all of their relief, Roman's voice remained the same.

Thomas quirked an eyebrow. "He does?"

"Definitely. Care to explain, my not-so ray of sunshine?" Roman's words were almost chanted like a dare. He was daring Virgil to open his mouth and say it.

However, the Emo facet said nothing. His mouth gaped open slightly as tears pricked the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill. He did know why Roman was here, like this. It was unmistakable.

Before anything else could be said, everyone's blood ran cold as they heard another, softer thump from behind them, followed by a bloodcurdling scream.

Logan had fallen unconscious, soaked in a pool of his own blood.

"Aw. Such a shame. I was fond of him." Roman taunted with venom lacing his voice. Patton's voice was faint in Virgil's ears, mixed in with the horrifying sounds of this area of the mind.

The anxious trait let out a breath he hadn't even been aware that he was holding as Thomas stepped up beside him. "Roman, please, talk to me. I'm your host. You're my hero. What will it take to get you back?" Thomas's voice began to tremble and waver. "I don't like having murderous creative ideas. I want the old Roman back. If you can't do it for any of them... do it for me," He took in a shaky breath as shiny tears started dripping down the sides of his face.

Roman's face showed no signs of remorse. Not even a twinge in his features seemed to occur. Not even a twitch of his lips to indicate some sort of guilt. He retained his malevolent expression and his twisted attitude showed no signs of vanishing.

"No deal, ol' pal."

Virgil felt rage quickly pent up in his gut and let it all out with a clamorous scream.

"WELL WILL YOU JUST GIVE US LOGAN BACK, YOU FUCKING MONSTER?!" A cough ripped its way through his throat-from the strain that the yell left on his throat- right after his yelling ceased.

Roman shook his head softly. "He brought it upon himself. It's about time he accepted his inevitable demise." 

Virgil glared banefully at Roman before he turned to glance over his shoulder, watching heartbreakingly as Patton sobbed over Logan's unconscious body, his forehead resting on the nerd's chest as his nimble fingers grasped at the fabric on his shoulders. Chants of "Logan," and "please," and "don't leave me," could be heard amongst the weeps.

Virgil sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a brief moment before turning back to Roman. "What will it take for everything to go back to normal?"

"Virgil—," Thomas reached his arm out.

"Thomas, stay back," Virgil warned his shaken up host. Thomas's pupils broadened but he decided to listen and take a few hesitant steps backwards. Even Patton's sobs had come to a halt, and the moral facet was focused on the two rivals who were metaphorically in the spotlight.

Roman pondered Virgil's initial question for a moment before nodding, retaining intense, direct eye contact with Virgil; his piercing red eyes cutting through to Virgil's very soul as Virgil's soft brown ones timidly stared back.

"Sacrifice."

Everyone harshly gasped at the villainous claim. "W-what? What do you mean?" Virgil reluctantly asked.

"One of you must make a sacrifice. One of you must die."

"No! No! We will not do that!" Patton screamed as he stomped to his feet, still refusing to leave Logan's side. Roman's expression turned guiltless as he shrugged. "Suit yourself. I don't really care. I quite enjoy this new lifestyle."

"NO!" Virgil rejected. "We are getting Logan back! We are getting Roman back!" He conjured another sword, roughly shoving it into Roman's hands. "I'm the reason we're all here in the first place. I'm the reason that Roman decided to become a dark side! I was the one who was a horrible, rude fucking bitch when rejecting his confession! I was an arrogant asshole when he was trying to ask me out!" Fear and extensive regret clouded his quivering voice, the anxiety being amplified by his trembling lips.

"Stab me! Kill me!"

"Virgil, NO!" Patton yelped as he sped over to Virgil's side, grabbing onto his arm. "You are NOT gonna die! Nobody is! There has to be another way!"

"I'm afraid not," Roman confirmed, twirling the sword between his fingers. "If you want me back, one of you must die. That's the rule. I don't make them."

"You are not going to kill Virgil," Patton sent a death glare to Roman. "You're going to kill me."

"You both are insane!" Thomas quipped. "I can't... I can't lose any of you!!" He inhaled slowly through his nose. "Logan's dead. Why can't that be our sacrifice."

"I didn't kill him," Roman explained. "I have to do something to one of you. That shows that you're willing to die at the hands of me in order to get me back," he continued. "So, who'll it be?"

Patton hastily slid in front of Virgil. "Me! Do it! Stab me! I need to protect my family!"

Roman's smirk was filled with menacing, bitter venom and malevolence as his eyes swirled with deathly, threatening tones. He gripped the gifted sword out in front of him, the tip of it just barely grazing Patton's chest.

Screams and cries of "NO!" and "PATTON!" And "DON'T DO IT!" Could be heard, as well as pushes and pulls from both Thomas and Virgil, but Patton refused to budge. He stayed in place.

Patton closed his eyes and took one last deep breath— his last breath to ever escape his body— as he awaited his sharp and bloody demise.

"I love you all."

Roman forcefully pushed the sword forward.

Patton cocked an eyebrow curiously as he didn't feel the blade cut through his flesh.

A scream of unadulterated anguish and agony could be heard from a certain, anxious facet. Patton gasped as his eyes shot open, only to be greeted with his best friend, impaled by the very sword Patton was willing to take.

Virgil could feel every inch of the blade as it bitterly, excruciatingly, penetrated his tender flesh and pierce through his muscles. Salty tears streaked down his inflamed cheeks leaving trails in their harsh wake as Roman twisted the sword for good measure, yanking it out shortly after he decided that Virgil was wounded and bloody enough.

Aggressive coughs filled with blood echoed through the damp air as Virgil gripped his stomach, completely disregarding Patton's cries and attempts to keep him standing. The Emo's eyes rolled back as he dropped backwards onto the frigid ground with a chilling, haunting crash. The impact his head made with the floor caused him to once again scream out in pain, being muffled by the blood building up and blocking his throat.

"KIDDO! VIRGE! VIRGIL!" Tears were staining Patton's cheeks. Tears and sobs were all that Patton's features could communicate. He dropped to his knees beside his best friend, followed by Thomas himself. The massive wound in Virgil's abdomen leaked and poured blood at an alarming rate, and it was no doubt that he definitely would not survive this.

"Please... Virgil... don't... don't LEAVE ME!!" Patton's face was flushed with a pungent crimson tint, completely taking over every detail of his extremely distressed face.

"Thomas...?" Virgil's strained voice managed to squeak out. Thomas's equally as flushed and moist face met with Virgil's dull ones. "I love and appreciate everything you've... you've done to acc-accept me... I love you, Thomas." He rasped out, more violent coughs and hacks followed.

Thomas sniffled and wiped his nose with his index finger. "I love you too, Virgil. You are so important to me. I love you so much."

Virgil smiled weakly and turned to Patton, his best friend of three years.

"Patton?"

Patton sniffled harshly. "Yeah, kiddo?"

"I love you, so so much. You've helped me through some of my roughest days. You're the only one who accepted me during that period when the others didn't, and I appreciate that. You're so amazing, and I hope you never forget that. I love you, Patton."

His body then went limp, and his eyes slowly closed.

They all knew that they would never open again.

~~~

The mind was quiet after that horrifying incident that left them all mentally and physically scarred. Luckily, Logan had woken up and made it out of the Dark Side with his life, and Patton has helped him clean up his wound and patch him up. He found it difficult to maneuver himself for about a week, but in no time, Logan was back on his feet and working once again. The traumatic incident had left an extraordinarily thick prominent scar across his lower abdomen, though.

Albeit, the mind was lonely with only Patton and Logan around. Roman was a filthy liar; he never came back. He was still a Dark Side, never to return to his normal self.

From what information Patton and Logan had gathered from Thomas, a new Anxiety was created to replace Virgil. His name was Atreyu, from what they had been told, and one thing could be agreed upon- they did not want to meet the new anxiety. Nobody, and they mean nobody, could replace Patton's Dark Strange Son. Nobody could replace their best friend.

To think that all of this could've been avoided if Virgil was gentle with his rejection is quite the thought indeed. Logan wouldn't have gotten injured. Patton wouldn't be experiencing extreme trauma. And, most importantly, Virgil would still be alive, and Roman would still remain as the vivacious, lively, dramatic creative facet he once was.

~~~~~~

This is LOOONNNGG. Nobody's gonna actually read this on Wattpad, which is why I'm posting it on Archive Of Our Own as well.

But oh boy, this took FOREVER. But, I'm super proud of it! If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to go back and edit this just yet. It's long enough as it is.

Hope you all enjoyed this!

I'll see all of you guys, gals and non-binary pals in the next one!