IMPORTANT WARNING:
Please – if any of the following triggers affect you, please PLEASE don't read this chapter. Please skip over this one, as I've purposely made this series in a way that you can read this chapter or skip over it without consequences. So once again, if ANYTHING bothers you, please skip to the next chapter.  Or if you decide read and find it painful to continue, please don't force yourself to finish.  Your mental health is much more important than this chapter.  Don't do that to yourself.

TRIGGER WARNING: BLOOD

TRIGGER WARNING: SCREAMING

TRIGGER WARNING: EXTREME TORTURE

TRIGGER WARNING: LOSS OF LIMB

TRIGGER WARNING: PAIN (PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL)

TRIGGER WARNING: DEATH

For those who do read this chapter in it's entirety, please do not comment what happens in here in any other chapter.  If you want to comment about it, please comment only on this chapter - and this chapter only.  And if you feel the need to express your thoughts in any future chapter, please be discreet about it or I will delete it (sorry I'm being so harsh but this is really important and in no way a joking matter).

For those who want to know if they should read it or not, feel free to message me (I'm nice I promise :3)

And with that...

Let's finish up this book, shall we?

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Point of View: Roman, First Person
Timeline: Present Day, Day N/A of Roman's Quest

I didn't say anything in response. How could I? Wh-What was happening?!

"Anx? What's going on?" I stuttered. My mind was trying to process everything but the information being given to me just seemed so off, so WRONG that it was rejecting the sight right in front of my eyes.

Virgil didn't say anything, just stood there smirking at me – still on my knees with my wings still strapped with the weights. My hands were handcuffed in front of me, rendering them useless as well.

"It's nice to meet the man that has grown to fancy... Virgil so much," the taller man said, stepping in front of Virgil to gather my attention. The taller man had a long cape behind him, stopping just short of his heels. He came towards me and placed a gloved hand on my cheek, in the manner as one would inspect a fruit or vegetable before purchase. I growled and made an attempt to bite his hand, which was unfortunately unsuccessful.

"What the heck do you want? And Virgil," I started my throat closing up momentarily. I coughed harshly and when I pulled back, I noticed the blood on the floor that hadn't been there before my coughing spell. Oh no.

The tall man in the cape looked mildly surprised, noticing the blood as I'm sure Virgil did too. "Interesting," he said and waved a hand at me. "What are you willing to bargain, young Prince?"

"His name is Roman," Virgil said in the same monotone voice, not even having the decency to look embarrassed by revealing my name in front of this... this...

Who was this guy?

This spurred another series of harsh coughing, leaving my eyes bloodshot from crying as I gasped for air between coughs and surely my mouth was stained red from the blood I had coughed up.

"W-Why are you doing this Virgil? I don't understand," I whispered. He... he was torturing me and from the look in his eyes he knew he was too.

Virgil didn't say anything for a moment, simply walking towards me and circling me silently. His silence made my uneasy and he could tell. "Aww, don't feel bad, Princess. The act was a good one, and I'm not surprised that you fell for me during it," Virgil smirked. "Seems like you're not the only one who got Thomas's acting ability."

"W-What are you s-saying? Y-You're not m-making any s-sense, Virge," I pleaded, yanking weakly on my handcuffs, wanting to be free.

"Since I know your name, young prince, perhaps I should introduce myself," the tall man, interrupting us. "My name is King Incubus."

My eyes fought around him, trying to see Virgil. Me, desperately praying this was some ploy for us to escape. When that didn't work, I narrowed my gaze at Incubus. "You're no King of mine," I spat.

Instead of feeling threatened, he merely laughed. "Fear not, young Prince. You are merely a pawn in our plan. You shall serve your purpose and be neatly disposed of, but not for some time... provided your luminary follows our demands."

"My... luminary?" I asked, glancing at Virgil for some idea, a clue. But he did nothing, no such sign of anything. Surely this was all part of some plan, some part of Virgil's plan to escape and any second now he would drop the act.

Any second now.

"Ah – don't mind my... terminology. Your leader? Logan, am I right? Or is it the other one? Patton?"

I yanked harder on my chains. "You won't touch either of them!!" I spat out.

"Indeed, I won't. But I can't say the same for..." Incubus said, waving a hand at Virgil who merely smirked at me in response.

I swear that when we get out of this I never want to see him smirk again.

"Virgil would never hurt them," I said with a wave of confidence, raising as much as I could in my current position. "Never."

Virgil's dark amused face in response wasn't helping, but I forced myself to remain smiling – as confident as I could be. I just wanted Virgil to give me a sign that this was all an act. Just one sign he wasn't being serious.

Just one.

"Virgil – this is LOGAN and PATTON. You love them," I whispered. "They're your family."

"That's where you're wrong, Princess. This," Virgil said, gesturing to Incubus. "This is my family."

"Please, you're not making any sense-"

"King Incubus is my father," Virgil smirked, greedily watching my reaction.

My head almost seemed to spin for a moment. His... his father?

"Well," I said after a moment. "I certainly get why you never wanted to talk about your past," I said dryly.

"Nah, that was all part of the act, Princess. Wow, I really had you fooled, didn't I?" Virgil laughed. "You... you didn't actually think that I loved you, did you?"

My whole body jerked involuntarily forward, making the chains dig deeper into me as my body spasmed in pure pain. I let out a mangled scream, my vision momentarily going red. My heart felt like it was being set on FIRE and the burn made me squirm at bit, gasping for as much air as I could.

"Easy now, Virgil. We still need him," Incubus said firmly. Virgil crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, but didn't say anything further.

"Wh...What trait are you?" I asked weakly, the guards holding my chains behind me being the only thing keeping me from falling on my face.

Incubus smirked.

"Fear."

Oh. That... that actually makes sense. Twisted, twisted sense, but sense all the same.

"I am father to all the things that come from this side of the Imagination. And that does not exclude your lover, here," he said, gesturing to Virgil.

"But that's enough talking for now," Incubus said abruptly cutting himself off. "Virgil, my son, get in position."

"Yes, Father," Virgil complied and walked over towards me.

For one hopeful second, I though that this was all part of his plan. An act to help us to escape. He'd walk over here and free me and we'd take them on together –

Needless to say, it hurt when Virgil got to his knees a yard or so in front of me. Another guard came from behind him and started tying him up. Virgil didn't move, letting him be completely under his power.

What was his plan? Gosh, I wish I could just talk to him to find out what it was so I'd be ready. But what kind of escape plan started with him kneeling on the floor?

"Are you ready?" Incubus said, holding up a...

Laptop?

Virgil nodded in response.

And then something marvelous happened.

Virgil expression suddenly changed to one of pure fear and he was screaming and yelling and pulling against the chains. Tears started rolling down his cheeks and I just sat there stupidly, not sure what was going on.

And then I felt the taser.

It landed on the back of my shoulder and my body involuntarily spazzed in pain, I didn't even have the strength to cry out anymore, I just sat there in agony, my sight going from blurry from pain. It was darkening at the edges as the pain became too much for my body to take.

"ROMAN!!!" Virgil was screaming, eyes suddenly bloodshot from the tears. He... he suddenly looked like my Virgil. Had he been drugged or something? Was my Virgil finally back?

"Greetings Mind Palace," I twisted my head to see Incubus...

Skyping? What for? My head already felt like a balloon and I couldn't... I couldn't think-

"Who are you?! What do you want?" a cold voice said from the computer. My eyes immediately flew open. Logan!

"It seems as though two of your... friends have...carelessly wandered into...my side of the Imagination, Would you like to see them?"

Incubus turned the camera on us – tied up and crying. I'm sure I was more than covered in blood, as obvious as ever.

There was a loud cry from what only must have came from Patton. I couldn't see the computer, couldn't see anything through the now throbbing pain.

"What do you want?" Logan said, voice shaking. With what, I couldn't imagine, but nothing good. "What do you want Incubus?"

"Just for you and your luminary to come and join us," Incubus answered.

"And if we don't?"

Searing pain jolted through me as the man behind me placed the taser in the sensitive place where my wings met my back and I let out a loud scream of pain. I couldn't hear anything, I couldn't see anything.

And then it stopped.

The taser stopped but I was worn out, slumping against the chains, head rolling, barely conscious. The chains were the only thing keeping me from doing a full face-plant on the floor. My body still twitched involuntarily now and again from the electricity.

"... I'm begging you, please stop," Virgil was saying. "Please, please, please," Virgil begged, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I'll stop under one condition," Incubus said finally. "You must come here to get them yourself in the next twelve hours."

"No," I groaned with the last of my energy, "No guys please don't do it," I managed through my pain.

Another attack from the taser. This time in the back of the head and I slumped forward, the last of my energy gone and I hung there like a useless rag doll. Somewhere... somewhere I... I could hear screaming... someone screaming my name. Virgil...?

I tilted my head up, just enough to see Virgil, head bowed. "Please, Patton. Please come. Please. Please, Dad," Virgil begged, eyes not leaving my face as he spoke. His... his words...

They were intended for Patton.

This was their plan.

To get Patton to come here.

So that they could kill him.

"No! Patton!" I slurred, still dizzy with pain. "It's a trap-"

A final blow with the taser made the whole world go black.

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I groaned as I finally came to, every part of my body feeling exhausted and in pain. My head was resting on a hard surface... the floor maybe? My arms were pinned under me, twisted in such a way that pulling them out was out of the question.

"Ah, you're awake," a voice said.

VIRGIL.

My eyes peeked out, searching, searching for him. My eyes came in line with black combat boots.

"Virgil, we – we have to get out of here, Patton and Logan will come, we have to make sure they don't come here, come on, we can escape-"

"Wow," Virgil laughed dryly. "You really are quite thick aren't you? When is it going to sink in that what you saw wasn't real? I was acting – the whole thing was just part of my big plan."

All my grand schemes of our escape slammed to a screeching halt.

"I – I refuse to believe that, Virge."

"Well you better start, Princess. 'Cause that's the truth," he said, casually swinging his sword while he spoke while he paced around me. T-The same sword from my nightmare...

"Please, Virgil."

"I do not, and never have loved you," Virgil spat out, kicking me hard in the stomach. "What will it take for that to sink in?"

I didn't say anything, but Virgil saw the smile I was trying to hold back.

"What the heck are you smiling about?" Virgil questioned harshly. "What the heck could you POSSIBLY be smiling about right now?" he growled.

"This isn't you," I said simply, looking up at him from my position on the floor. "This isn't my Virgil. Virgil did a lot of things, but he has never – NEVER – flat out lied to me. Not once."

"I'm right here, Princess. No need to speak about me like I'm not. And how do you know? Liars can see others liars, Princess. And you know that I'm not," Virgil said, bending down and using a gloved hand to inspect my bloodied and bruised face further.

"But you're not him. Virgil is loyal, honest, and the most amazing person. He would never do this, never even put up with anyone that would do this. You've been poisoned or drugged or something. Please, let me help you."

Virgil sighed, sitting completely on the floor a couple feet away from me. I turned my eyes hopefully to him.

"You are a fool."

"I – what?"

"You keep searching for Virgil, the one you remember. But that Virgil was never real. It was just me acting. When will it click? That it wasn't real, Princess."

"I refuse to believe it."

Virgil snapped his fingers and a coffee appeared in his hands. He drank a sip and snapped again, making it promptly disappear.

"Fine, my father said I could dispose of you when I got bored, and now you've begun to bore me. But I'm going to play with you a bit first," Virgil smirked.

I gulped nervously, finding it hard to keep my faith in Virgil, that he'd never hurt me with his sword pointed at my face.

"Princess – reality has never been your strong suit. Let me give you a healthy dose."

He got to his feet and pressed the point into my cheek, enough to dent it a little but not enough to draw blood. "Let's see how much you can scream," he said gliding the blade down the back of my neck, making me squirm and shiver. My eyes flew wide open when he stopped at the place where my wings met my body.

"Virgil you don't have to do this-"

"Do you really think that cliché line is really going to stop me? Then you're even stupider than I thought," Virgil laughed, gliding the blade teasingly along my spine.

"Please, PLEASE VIRGIL PLEASE SNAP OUT OF IT, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE-"

"And besides, Princess – I want to do this," Virgil said, sliding the blade along the very sensitive place where my right wing and body met, even more sensitive than usual after being tazzed there not too long ago.

I squirmed as much as I could, fighting to get away from him but it was useless, I was trapped. My breathing became faster, smaller wheezing panicked breaths as I desperately tried to get away. I couldn't – nononononononono-

"PLEASE PLEASE DON'T PLEASE PLEASE-"

Clunk.

My heart broke at the sound, even though the pain hadn't registered yet. I closed my eyes. I couldn't look. Oh gosh. No, I couldn't look. Not again. Please no.

Not again.

I heard Virgil give a dry laugh. "How 'bout you look at me, Princess?"

I couldn't, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't move, I couldn't scream, I couldn't cry, I couldn't beg. I couldn't even open my eyes. If I opened my eyes, it would be real. And I couldn't let it be real. Please no. Please...

Virgil's hand yanked hard on my chains, causing me to gasp and reflexively look at him.

He – He was holding them in his hands.

My wings.

I didn't have anything in my stomach but somehow I puked anyway, the awful smell of bile filling the air.

It was in that moment where the pain hit me and I scream and withered, fighting to – to – to I didn't even know what. Get my wings back, run home with the Virgil I used to know, kill this person in front of me, cry – I didn't know.

I resigned myself to the last one, pressing my forehead into the floor as hard as I could – trying to squeeze the image of my wings in his hand out of my mind. They had been covered in dirt and blood and they looked worn as heck – that's not the picture I wanted to have of my wings, but right now I couldn't see anything else.

I peeked out the best I could between my tears as Virgil slid his blade along my wings, smearing the blood all over my wings – using them to CLEAN HIS SWORD.

Now even the chains weren't weighing me now. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth in pain as tears rolled down my cheeks. The strong smell of the bile right next to my face and my faith vanished.

I felt Virgil lean down towards me, his familiar smell of vanilla strong as ever.

"Do you believe that the Virgil you thought you knew is gone now?" he asked, letting his sword clatter loudly to the ground, leaving me behind as he walked away.

----------

"Ah, he's awake, Father."

"Pick him up, son."

I was suddenly yanked to my feet and I didn't bother to fight back.

I was done.

"I don't understand why they didn't come," Virgil said frowning. "I was sure this would work. I was sure that they'd come."

"Well maybe a bit more motivation would work then."

I felt Virgil leave and his hands were replaced by another. I didn't open my eyes. I didn't care.

I just wanted my Virgil back. What had they done to him? What terrible things had they done to him to make him like this? To turn him into this cruel, unforgiving persona? I can't even imagine.

"Hello," Incubus said. I assumed he was talking into the laptop again. "I warned you about not coming. And seeing as you refused to come, I had no choice but to follow through on my threats," I heard my wings being moved and a loud thud on the floor. I didn't do anything, just let the tears roll down my cheeks. "Here is what you have reduced your young Prince too, due to your... lack of attendance,"

I heard a loud scream that could only have come from Patton. I didn't move, didn't do anything at all. How could I? I was nothing without my wings.

Useless.

"Please, please don't do anything to them," Patton said and I let out a small sob at his voice. Gosh, there wasn't anything I wouldn't do to get a hug from Patton right now. "W-Where's Virgil?" Patton stammered.

I guess Virgil wasn't showing himself on screen.

"Guess you'll find out when you take the time for a visit. You have 12 hours and you better hurry because my patience is running thin," Incubus smirked, quickly cutting of the connection before Patton or Logan could say anything else.

"Get to your feet," Incubus said firmly and I didn't move, I didn't care.

I was yanked harshly to my feet, but I just let myself be limp, I didn't care. They could do whatever they wanted to me, I didn't care.

Virgil hovered in front of me while some random side held me upwards. "Come on, Princess. Get to your feet," Virgil snarled.

Slowly, I forced myself to look up at him and stand. I'm sure that I looked pathetic – covered in dirt, blood, sweat, and tears. And there he was looking – looking like some sort of dark prince in black and purple, face haunting and beautiful at the same time.

How was it even possible for me to see beauty in him after what he's done to me? I would never be able to explain it, never.

Virgil pulled his sword out – now I could see it's black and purple hilt and silver blade, cleaned and no longer covered in my blood from taking my wings – and gently pressed the tip of the blade to my chest, just enough to draw blood.

I didn't even wince, which only made him frown and shove the blade in a bit further, causing a small river of my body to start staining the front of my uniform, looking for a reaction from me. I was too numb to do anything, to feel anything. Nothing I did would bring my wings back. Nothing.

I am useless.

"You were always such a conceited prick. It's nice to see you like this – broken," Virgil said, sliding the blade along my jawline, smearing blood over my cheeks. I didn't even flinch, not even as the blood started pouring out my mouth.

"Virgil, I will always love you," I whispered. "Always."

Virgil froze at that, looking momentarily surprised. "I betrayed you, I tortured you, I took your wings – what is it going to take to convince you to that the side you fell in love with was never real?"

I shook my head in response. "Betray me, torture me, take my wings – I love you and there's nothing you could do to me to make me love you any less."

Virgil smirked. "Because you think I've been poisoned, drugged."

"Yes," I admitted. "The Virgil I love isn't... this. You might be him, but my Virgil... I don't see how the side I love could do something like this – to me, or to anyone."

"That was just an act – what is it going to take for me to convince you otherwise, Princess?"

I set my jaw.

"If I really mean such little to you, then go ahead and kill me."

Virgil smirked in response.

"I was hoping you'd say that. Any last words, Princess?"

He won't do it. He won't do it. He would never kill me. This was Virgil. If this was the threat I needed to make to bring my love back, then I was willing to take the risk.

Because I love him, because I will always love him.

"I love you, Virgil Sanders."

Virgil sighed. "Shame – your faith is truly admirable. If only it was real," Virgil spat at me just before lifting the blade and shoving it down into my chest – down into my heart.

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