The most terrifying thing about being a prisoner was the constant feeling of inferiority one felt around their captor and their environment. It was like an elaborate game of cat and mouse, in which Virgil most certainly felt like a mouse. 

His breathing was rapid and his heart felt as though it was going to break through his rib cage with how hard it was pounding. His whole body was trembling with the effort to stand. He was malnourished and weak, every attempt to move was draining the very little energy he even had in his body. The air was cold in this place he was trapped in, so the effort it took to warm his body wasn't making his life any easier as he leaned against the wall, coughing as the frigid air stung his throat. 

Come on, he'll be back any minute! his mind screamed at him. Virgil looked forward at the path in front of him. His red rimmed eyes scanned the hallway for traps, his shin painfully reminding him of the last time he hadn't been careful enough. You've only got a few minutes tops!

He shook out his head and pushed himself forward, legs wobbling dangerously with every step he took. It felt like he wasn't getting any closer to the exit that he was almost certain had to be coming up soon. He'd been running down corridors and through rooms for what seemed like eternity. Surely there had to be an exit soon?

This was what he meant when he thought about being in a game of cat and mouse. It was almost a certain fact that his captor was aware of his escape, aware of his whereabouts within his palace of sorts, aware of his every move; Virgil could practically feel his terrifying gaze on the back of his neck, looming over him as though he was a mouse in a maze, desperate to find the cheese before the timer ran out and he was fed to the cat eagerly watching him scurrying along. The thought just made his whole body shake even more as he pushed himself to keep going. 

There was a shift in the air around him, making breath catch in his throat. The amount of torches lining the dark, stone walls started to lessen as windows appeared. He caught glimpses of the outside world for brief moments as he passed them, but he was too focused on finding a way out to admire the view. 

The air was getting colder and the corridors were getting lighter, telling him he was getting closer and closer to the exit. A disbelieving smile crossed his lips as he pushed himself, feeling his blood roaring through his veins and the adrenaline accelerating his heartbeat to unhealthy levels. He didn't care; he had to get out of here. He was so close. He was so close to the sun again. He was so close to finding Roman again. 

Tears rushed to Virgil's eyes as he thought of the prince and seeing him again. Joy so intense made him feel as though his heart was about to burst; though that was probably just the adrenaline. 

He rounded a corner, seeing a large stair case going down to a large entrance hall. Two grand double doors marked the opening to the palace, making his eyes widen as he rushed forward. He could almost taste the freedom as he ran down the stairs, his bare feet hitting the freezing tile as he reached the bottom and threw himself toward the door when-

SMACK!

Virgil suddenly hits the ground, his legs giving out as a stinging metal net wraps itself around his ankles. He looks back, seeing the person that would haunt his every waking nightmare for the rest of his life approaching him slowly with a sinister grin. 

"N-No... no! Please!!" he screamed, clawing at the ground as he tried to pull himself toward the door. His captor just grabbed the metal net and began hauling him backwards with ease as he sobbed and cried, desperate to try and make one last attempt to get away. "NO! PLEASE! R-ROMAN!"

"You know he can't hear you, right?" his captor hummed, seemingly not bothered by his whimpers and screams. 

He submissively relaxed, knowing there was nothing he could do as he was dragged back up the stairs. As he did so, his head hit the banister hard, knocking him out. He woke up in a familiar dark room on a familiar cold table. Virgil gazed up at the ceiling, seeing the carvings he'd memorized over the last year. 

This was a room he'd been taken to many times. The hairs on his arms were standing on end, already knowing what to expect even if his mind wanted to convince him that everything would be alright. 

"I'd have thought you would have given up on you poorly planned escape attempts," his captor murmured, making him look to the side to see where he was standing. "You've got to know deep down that this is where you belong, and that you are never going to leave this place. Don't you see, Virgil? You have so much potential and so much work is to be done! You simply can't leave."

The dark prince pointed looked away, swallowing harshly as tears dripped down his sunken cheeks. "Do you have something you wish to say to me? Virgil?"

"Fuck. You." 

A sharp and painful electrical shock spread through his entire body, making him feel like his entire body was burning from the inside out. He screamed and struggled against the restraints as his body shuddered uncontrollably on the table.

"You want to try that again, more respectfully?" his captor cooed smoothly. The shock faded but the pain stayed prominent as he panted for breath. "Perhaps you'll be more respectful if I remind you that any moment now, I could kill your beloved Prince Roman. In fact, right at this very moment, you may be murdering him. His blood may be running on your hands."

Panic and rage shot through Virgil at his words, making him jerk against the restraints as he tried to attack the man pointlessly. "If you touch him, I'll fucking-"

His threat was cut short as another wave of electrical shocks constricted around his muscles, causing his body to spasm wildly again as he cried out. There was nothing he could do but persist through the pain. He had to survive. He had to make it out of this hell some how. He couldn't die without seeing Roman again.