Trigger Warning: disturbing imagery with blood, close call with death.

Virgil's P.O.V.
That hadn't been my first reading, as I wasn't scared when I was also pulled into the sight of Rossane's reading.

There was, at first, red. Little drops of red fell onto a carpeted floor that I recognized to be blood. A pale hand fell to the ground next to the blood. There was that looked like a solid white ceiling. I yell in agony. Someone running. More screaming, yelling, pleading. Someone holds me in their arms. Tears fell from and onto my face. Intense, unceasing pain.

Then darkness. I'm falling, and then I slam against the ground. The rattle of chains. Something cold below me. Footsteps. A stabbing pain in my stomach. More blood. I try to move, but I can't. I try to scream, but I can't.

I couldn't take it anymore. I opened my eyes and screamed, jumping back. I immediately regretted jumping back, as I had forgotten that there was nowhere to go. Before I knew it I was falling backwards off the inner wall of the kingdom.

"Virgil!" I heard someone yell.

But then I slowed down to a stop. I opened my eyes and found myself surrounded by a deep purple mist.

Roman's P.O.V.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Sure, I had seen it before, many times, but this was different. I knew fair well that Virgil had powers when inside the Imagination, but never before had they been so powerful. The purple mist surrounding Virgil gently carried him back to the top of the wall, safely placing him on his feet. Rossane stood next to me, shaking in fear.

"Virgil, are you alright?" I asked. He didn't move or speak.

"Rossane, what did you see?" She too did not not reply. Virgil suddenly picked up his notebook and pen and bolted, running to the stairs and out of sight.

"Wait!" I called, beginning to run after him. I made it down the stairs, catching a glimpse of him as he turned down a hallway. I followed close behind, trying desperately to catch him.

Third Person P.O.V.
Roman chased after Virgil for about five minutes before he lost him. The king began to search for a worker. He passed by one, a young woman named Yolanda.

"Yolanda," Roman said breathlessly. "Send out orders to every servant and guard in the kingdom, don't let Virgil leave." The woman nodded and ran to spread the order.

"We have a mission, Virgil." Roman whispered under his breath. "We cannot stop now when we've barely begun, when we haven't even tried."
   
~time skip~
   
No one had found Virgil, and everyone had been searching for hours. Darkness drew closer, worrying the king deeply. It was not, never has been, and never will be safe in the Imagination after dark outside of the Kingdom of Creativity. At last, Roman announced that everyone was to stop looking for the missing Side, that he was going to venture out on his own.

Virgil's P.O.V.
I ran until I was too out of breath to continue, only to keep going a minute or so later. I heard a few workers and guards say they were looking for me, only making me panic more. I found myself in the Enchanted Forest, a mystical place filled with magical creatures and tall, beautiful trees. Some have said that it should be forbidden, as it's too dangerous for anyone to enter. I don't think it's as dangerous and terrifying as most may think.

The first time I went there I was in the middle of an anxiety attack. I had been visiting Roman for dinner in his kingdom, but I spilled some milk, knocked over a tray of food, tripped a waiter, and even though no one was mad or upset I was humiliated and terrified. So I ran away and stumbled upon a tall tree. Then another, and another, and another, and I was inside the forest.

I stop dead in my tracks. I'm not anywhere I've ever been before. There's a snapping noise far to my left.
   
"W-Who's there?" I ask through tears with a shaky voice. There's another snap, and another, and I hear the call of birds. A warm breeze shoots down my back, and I slowly turn around. I jump back, not from fear but surprise. There's a unicorn; a large, black, fuzzy unicorn. It's tail and mane are rainbow colored and it's horn is purple. It almost looks like me, but as a unicorn.
   
I look around to see that there are birds around me that I've never seen before. They all look like they're strait out of a fairy tale. I turn back to the unicorn.
   
"Hey," I say awkwardly. "Can I pet you?" It nods. Cool, I think, it can understand what I'm saying. I slowly extend my hand to it, stroking its neck gently.
   
"You're really soft." The unicorn seems to smile in some odd way before leaning its head down to me. The tip of its horn grazes the top of my ear, and suddenly I feel a bit lightheaded.
   
"Are you alright?" I hear someone ask. I glance around, trying to see who said that.
   
"It's me, the unicorn, I'm speaking to you."
   
"You—a unicorn—y-you're.. talking? To me?" I stammer.
   
"Yes, I, Midnight the unicorn, am talking to you. I have allowed you to hear me and every other creature in this forest. Now, answer my question please." Midnight's voice is soft and melodic yet still booming.
   
"I, um. Well, I'm not fantastic but, but this all is pretty cool so it's making me feel better."
  
I stood in the Enchanted Forest, hearing the familiar whispers and snapping branches that I usually hear upon entering.

"Virgil's back!" yells a squeaky voice.

"He's back?"

"Yeah he's back!"

"Midnight, Midnight! He's back, he's back, Virgil's back!" I smiled widely. The creatures of the Enchanted Forest were the only ones in the whole Mind that got that excited to see me. Then, in all her shining moonlit glory, appeared Midnight.

"Hello, Virgil. What brings you here again?" My smile faded to a frown as I wrote down a response in my notebook. I held the notebook up to Midnight, who read it quickly.

"Ah yes, same reason you come here most times, anxiety. I heard of your exchange with the Dragon Witch yesterday. I'm glad you made it out alive; not many do. Where is Roman?" I scribbled down another response.

"Probably in the castle," Midnight read. "Sitting around waiting for someone to say they've found you. Oh come on, I don't think he'd do such a thing as that."

"Virgil!" a voice yelled. It sounded as though it had cane from the very edge of the forest. I knew it was Roman before he was even near, I had already written down a sarcastic response before I even saw him. When he appeared in front of me I held up the paper.

"Come to save the damsel in distress, have you?" he read. "Virgil, what were you thinking, running away like that? Do you know how dangerous this place can be when the sun goes down?" His voice was getting just a bit louder with every word, chilling me to my core.

Roman's P.O.V.
"We've been looking for you for hours!" I yelled. "You could have captured! Tortured! Murdered!" In a blind rage I shoved Virgil, accidentally knocking him to the ground.

"Oh, oh my God. I-I'm-"
   
"Stay away from me!" Virgil sang, intense fear and anger in his voice. I took a step back in defense. He stood up and ran again.

"Virgil wait! I'm sorry!" I followed him for a moment, but then he tripped on what appeared to be the root of a tree, allowing me to get a hold of his arm so he wouldn't bolt again.

"Virgil, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you and pushed you. I was just scared." Midnight appeared behind me.

"Look, I know I make it seem like I don't care about you, like I hate you, but that's not the truth. I do care about you, I don't hate you and I'm sorry for every time I made you think anything otherwise. Please, forgive me." Virgil was silent, but eventually he nodded.

I helped him up and we brushed ourselves off. Midnight trotted over to Virgil's side.

"Are you alright?" she asked him. He nodded again as I gawked, having just learned he could talk to the creatures of the Enchanted Forest.

"Roman, Virgil, you both know it is not safe at night. I will take you two back to the kingdom myself." She gestured for us to hop on her back. Virgil jumped on with me behind, and Midnight started off out of the Enchanted Forest and onwards to the Kingdom of Creativity.