The room was exactly as he'd left it. His flashlight was still flickering on the ground next to her corpse, or rather, her locked vessel. Roman gazes emotionlessly at the face of the damsel he had promised to rescue as he hears the shaking side on his back take a breath," it's her... it's mom."

Patton nods gravely and kneels beside her, his sighs nervous and hands trembling on the- no, his- knife. It was embedded as deeply as the the day it was used, all those years ago. His eyes train on the hilt, tracing the simple, yet eloquent design. Iron vines twisted with the rusted crimson petals stained by time and his sin.

He can hear Logan's sharp intake of breath and Roman's shaky exhale as he wraps his fingers around the hilt. He knows he has to do it, repent for his crime, but his fear stops him.

What if she's still angry? He knows she died with a smile on her face, but that could be because she knew she'd exact her revenge eventually and it was only a matter of time before he'd pull the dagger out. She could be waiting in the shadows right now, ready, waiting for her moment to strike. She could be already in her vessel, ready to pounce the moment she could.

"Patton?"

His breathing quickens to race neck and neck with his whirling thoughts. His head spins as the world darkens to welcome his nightmares into his reality. Patton cries out as the memory of his atrocity haunts him, knives stabbing into his limbs and torso as various angry voices screamed at him.

"YOU NEVER DID ANYTHING HELPFUL!"

Deceit.

"YOU LEFT ME WITH ALL THE WORK!"

Logan.

"YOU TORE US APART!"

The twins.

"YOU TOOK AWAY MY SHELTER!"

Virgil.

"AND YOU CAN NEVER REPLACE HER!"

"What's happening?! Why can't he hear us?" Deceit sets his hand on the panicking Virgil's shoulder.

""He's going through his trial."

"What trial?" Tears peeked at the corners of his eyes and Deceit dabbed them away with a handkerchief.

"The Trial of Repentance. It's his curse."

"Curse?!"

"Yes, Roman, curse. Patton's mind will only allow him to remove the knife if he truly repents and wants to fix their mistake. This is the first time the trial's been initiated since it's creation. There's nothing we can do to help him. He has to fight this on his own." The elder watches as his counterpart goes through the torture.

"There must be something we can do! We can't let our Padre go through this alone!"

"Roman, no, don't touch him!" Deceit tries to stop him but can't before Roman grabs Patton's arm. The group watches him as his eyes roll back, mouth foaming, and he collapses.

"ROMAN," his brother races over and pulls him away by his sash, setting his head on his lap. His slender fingers wipe away the foam from his lips and cradle the male's head, their owner's eyes checking over his sibling for any sign of life.

Meanwhile, Patton's still breathing heavily by his friend's corpse. The logical side shivers as a sudden cold breeze wafts past him and the others. When he looks up, he gapes at the ghostly doppelgänger kneeling beside Patton.

The Spector observes him quietly, glances at her vessel, and gently lays a hand on Patton's shoulder, whispering into his ear. She smiles softly and vanishes.

Patton looks up as the voices keep screaming when a gentle hand lays itself on his shoulder. He gasps, shaking fearfully at his old friend looking back at him," n-no, please... not you too!"

She shakes her head," I'm not going to yell at you, dummy."

Patton's watery, bloodshot eyes brighten up a little and he turns to look at her.

"I'm going to make you suffer" she snarls, smile darkening.

He screams as she latches on to his arm, dragging him down into the shadows.

"PATTON!" Remus screams as a dark abyss surrounds the moral side, cloaking him in it's ebony robes of night. He quickly reaches in and the other sides watch in suspension before he pulls back, empty handed.
Remus falls to his knees," no... no no no no NO!" He thrusts his hands back in and feels around," he can't be gone! He can't! Patton!"
"He won't answer, Remus..." heads whipped over to the weak prince," he's gone. Olivia took him."
"He can't be! H-he c-can't..."
"He is, Remus." Janus picks up the forgotten knife and twirls it between his fingers," we need to head back to the Commons and form a plan to rescue Patton and Olivia."
"She kidnapped Patton and you want to rescue her?! She's the villain!" Roman groans and Logan helps him sit up.
Janus doesn't look at him," so was I, Roman."
He visibly winces and goes quiet. Janus takes it as an invitation to continue," we need to formulate a plan, but first, you all need rest. Logan, focus on Roman and... rest. Remus, I need you to go explore the crevices of Thomas' mind, the places we haven't discovered, ect. And yes, you can take your morningstar."
The twin nods and, for once, stand still.
"I'm going to make everyone something to eat." He bites his lip and helps Logan lift Roman up between them and gets everyone out of the room.
It was clear he was worried about Patton, seeing as he was uncharacteristically quiet and his turning of the dagger in his hands. His thumb ran up and down the vines that secured the blade to its hilt, pausing at the stained metal roses. Remus runs off to the dark side of the Mindscape with his morningstar strapped to his back.
Janus watches him go as they lay Roman on the couch with a blanket and pillow to prop his head up. Logan runs his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit he'd picked up, and stays by Roman's side," you idiot..."
"He didn't know, Logan. He was just trying to protect Patton."
"Well he did a pretty bad job of it."
Janus just nods and goes to the kitchen. He wasn't the greatest cook in the world, but he managed to not burn the macaroni and cheese with hot dogs, a childhood meal that he knew would help everyone relax a little.
"So what's mom going to do with Patton?"
He nearly jumps out of his skin at the quiet question and turns to look at the emo on the counter.
His fingers tap rhythmically on the hard surface and Janus could see he was more hunched than normal," probably hurt him the way he hurt her."
"She's going to stab him?"
"Not exactly. More like make him watch the people around him interact while he's completely alone."
"What..?"
He sighs," Virgil, she was on the other side of a glass wall. She could see us grow up and interact, make videos, have fun, and work, but she couldn't do anything. She was dead, but not at the same time."
"Like a two way mirror?"
"Yes, exactly. She could see us, but we couldn't see her. Well, until recently. My hunch is that she's going to put him in the same predicament so he sees exactly what he did to her."
He just nods and scratches at his knees, watching Janus pour the pasta into bowls," I'm not hungry."
"You're going to eat anyway, Virgil. You haven't eaten since yesterday."
"Not hungry..."
"Virgil."
"Fine..."
He chuckles and sets the bowls on the table with silverware and watches Virgil out of the corner of his eye as he sneaks a bowl away to his room. He acts like he doesn't notice and takes one to Logan," there's two more on the table for Remus and Roman if they want them."
Logan just nods and eats silently as he watches over Roman.
"Don't forget to rest, Logan. You need it."
"I'll be fine, Janus. Thank you for your concern."
"Logan."
"I'll rest when he wakes up."
"That might take days, Logan. Rest now." He sets another blanket by him and goes to his room.