Virgil trailed behind Logan, trying not to worry about Roman. The prince had probably just gone to spar with some fantastical creature and had lost track of time. Of course, Patton wasn't back yet either. He had probably just gotten distracted along the way. Virgil wrung his hands, and tried not to think of all the things that could go wrong. Logan glanced back at him. "There is no need to worry Virgil. I assure you there is an 80% chance nothing happened and Roman simply lost track of time." "Yeah, but what about the other 20%? He could have lost a fight with the Manticore-Chimera, he could've wandered into Remus' territory, he could have-" "Virgil, stop worrying. You are expending needless energy on something that is very unlikely. Roman is fine." Virgil nodded. Logan turned back and they continued walking. Despite what Logan had said, Virgil continued to worry. Something felt off, and no matter how hard he tried to, he couldn't shake the feeling. He was so lost in his own thoughts he hadn't even noticed that Logan had stopped. He rammed into him, and stumbled back. "Sorry." "It's quite alright. Just pay more attention next time." Logan turned back. "So you can't find him either? That is quite unsettling." "Can't find who?" "Remus," someone said from in front of Logan. He moved aside to reveal Janus. Virgil hissed and leapt back. "That seems like a bit of an overreaction, Virgil." "Yeah, well you're not reacting enough! This is Deceit we're talking about! He probably did something with Roman!" "I very much doubt that Janus did something with Roman. That does not seem probable." "That's right Virgil," the snake said, extending his hand with a slight smile. "You can trust me." Virgil shoved the hand out of the way. "Like I'd ever-wait, Logan, did you just call him Janus?" "Of course I did. That is his name." Virgil turned back to Janus, eyebrows raised. "You told them your name?" "Like I said, you can trust me. I am not the villain." Virgil snorted. "Whatever. Let's just find them."

They continued to press deeper into the mindscape. "What do you mean Remus is gone too?" By now they were at the edge of the Duke's territory. It was unusually quiet for Remus's area of the imagination. "Kiddos?" a voice called out faintly. Logan recognized it instantly. "Patton, did you find them?" The three turned around to see Patton, his arms bound to his chest by the tattered remains of his cardigan. A figure held him off the ground by the back of his collar. "Kind of," Patton said with a cough. The figure shoved Patton to the ground and Logan caught him. The figure stepped forward, and Logan had to resist the urge to take a step back. He had to look strong. "King," he growled. He tried to figure a way out of the situation. Romulus was bad news. Of course it had been a great many years since the split. Both the individual sides had changed and evolved a great deal over that time. The chances were very slim, but it was still worth a shot. "What is your business here?" "Merely to bring a new order." He smirked. "Since I'm back for good." Logan gritted his teeth. This was bad. He had to separate them now. "There won't be any new order." He let Janus take Patton and stood up to face Romulus. "You don't belong here." Romulus threw back his head and laughed, as if what Logan had said was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "Did you hear him?" Romulus asked the other sides. "Hilarious indeed!" He smiled slyly, as if he had just thought of something brilliant. Logan stepped in front of the others protectively. "Who knew your last words would be such a...falsehood?" Romulus said. He snapped his fingers. Logan tried to defend himself, but found he couldn't say anything. Patton put his hand on Logan's shoulder. This couldn't be happening. If he didn't have his voice, he couldn't protect Thomas. He couldn't arm him with knowledge. In one fell swoop, Romulus had rendered him completely useless. "We don't want you to spoil any fun, now do we?" the king said with a condescending smile. He turned to face Patton. "Now, Morality." He seemed to linger on the word, almost mocking it. Patton whimpered softly. Logan wanted to tell him that it wasn't a good idea to show weakness in front of Romulus, but his voice still wasn't working. Romulus glowered at Patton. "You were so cute as a baby. Let's make it so it stays that way." Romulus raised his hand, and Patton stepped back nervously. Once again the king snapped his fingers. There was a flash of light, and Patton's glasses fell to the ground, breaking instantly. When Logan was able to see again, a baby sat in a pile of clothes that had once belonged to Patton. "Oh my God, Patton!" Virgil said, alarmed. Gently, Logan wrapped the sweater around Baby Patton, and picked him up.

Once he saw that Patton was ok, Virgil stepped forward, his teeth gritted. He felt his powers seeping through, and he started to let them. He had to put a stop to this now. "Ok, that's enough!" Logan raised his hands and tried to warn him off, but he didn't care if he angered Romulus. He was done. No one went after Patton and got away with it. "Cut the bull you two!" His hands curled into fists, and he took another step forward. "What is this, some kind of revenge for something?" King turned to him, and Virgil almost backed away. He had never seen such clear hatred before. "You. So invisible, I almost forgot you existed," Romulus said with a slight chuckle. "But I still remember how you shot down every brilliant idea." Virgil shrank, but refused to back down. "Thinking you know what's best. Restraining the full potential of creativity." Virgil raised his fists, ready for whatever punishment Romulus tried to dish out. "I have to say you impressed me." Virgil's fists dropped slightly, taken aback by the compliment. "What?" Romulus smiled, and Virgil raised his fists once again. He couldn't afford to let his guard drop. "Your own ideas are far better anyway." Virgil sensed the trap, but had no clue what Romulus meant. "Therefore..." There was another snap, and suddenly Virgil's outfit changed. He was in a suit much like Romulus's, only his was dark black. A deep purple sash ran across his chest. He tugged at the sash, but it wouldn't come off. He wondered what kind of horrible punishment Romulus had in store for him. "I appoint you my creative minister." The confusion must have shown on Virgil's face, because Romulus smiled at him patronizingly. "From now on," he said, savoring it. "Every bad thought of yours will come to life." Virgil's eyes widened. He was the literal embodiment of bad thoughts. As his anxiety began to spike, every negative thought he'd ever had flooded into his head. Whispers started from all around him, and he covered his ears, trying to block them out. "Have fun," Romulus said. "And do what you are best at doing." "No no no no no." Virgil kept repeating the word as if simply denying their existence would make the whispers go away, but he was powerless.

Janus stared as the shadows around them deepened. In Logan's arms, Patton began to cry. Cleary whatever Virgil was creating scared the now younger side. He had of course dealt with Virgil losing control of his powers like this back when he was a Dark Side, but it had never been this intense. It was starting to unsettle him. He wanted to comfort the other side, to calm him down, but he knew Virgil wouldn't trust him enough to let him do that. He forced himself to focus on the issue at hand. He would have to take care of Virgil later. Logan handed Patton to him, and went to comfort Virgil. Romulus turned to Janus. "You're the last one." Janus steeled himself, ready to try and talk his way out of the situation. "You're Denial, right?" He resisted the urge to glance over at Logan. "It's Deceit." He didn't need this ridiculous upstart to ruin his attempts to fit in. Romulus snorted. "Actually, I will spare you." Janus did his best not to let the surprise show on his face. Logan glanced up in surprise before turning his attention back to Virgil. "Try to deny this all you want," Romulus said, mocking him. "But without them, you're as good as mute." Janus gritted his teeth. As long as he still had his powers, surely there was something he could do. "Enjoy this delectable helplessness. A gift," he smiled triumphantly. "From your king."

I would like to give a shout out to Goldenstoryteller for thier review. You really made my day. I hope you enjoy this chapter!