Trials, Traits and Truth

Fading

TW: Blood, violence, Pitch hurts Virgil.

They had been moving for so long, Virgil had lost count of the steps. Pitch had gotten tired of dragging him himself, so Virgil was being dragged behind him by a tentacle of darkness.

Something was plaguing him.

Pitch wasn't a side anymore.

Virgil closed his eyes.

'TRISTAN!' He thought with all his might. 'Stan?'

Silence...but Virgil didn't feel alone anymore.

Suddenly, the tentacle of darkness flipped him into the air and literally catapulted him over Pitch, slamming him into the ground. Virgil groaned - every part of him ached.

"This isn't FAIR!" Pitch hissed, advancing towards where Virgil was struggling to push himself up. He kicked him in the stomach, and Virgil rolled onto his back in considerable pain.

Even though his head was clouded from pain and disorientation...Virgil noticed that he was starting to feel...weightless.

He was starting to fade.

Pitch sneered. "Yeah. That's right. I'll drag you right into nothingness, but not - " he kicked Virgil again, "- until you're weak enough to stay forgotten."

Pitch fetched the mirror shard from his pocket, crouched down and put a knee on Virgil's chest to hold him down.

"Pitch - wait - " Virgil spluttered, thinking fast.

Maybe he could do them all a favour: stall Pitch, or find a way to drag him deeper into the abyss...

Pitch could be obliterated too.

Reading Virgil's thought process plainly, Pitch smiled. Maybe he could score one last victory after all.

He could push Virgil to sacrifice himself to try take him down...as one last 'eff you' to the others.

It being Virgil's fault would make Pitch feel less of a failure for not having it be all of their faults.

It was so much more fun than forcing people, to manipulate them into wanting him to do.

"That little plan won't work Verge." Pitch whispered, holding the mirror shard against his throat. "I'm stronger than you. I'll be able to walk out of here after you've faded...I won't be fading anytime soon."

Instead of panic, Virgil felt...determination. It was both a foreign and a familiar feeling at the same time.

"Buddy...you're important."

Virgil hardened his face.

No.

He wouldn't risk fading just to take Pitch down.

Thomas needed him.

He was needed.

"Help is coming"

Virgil relaxed a little, he didn't have to stall for too long.

"I don't plan on fading either." Virgil breathed, attempting to bring his knee up to tip Pitch's balance, but he was pinned down too well.

Pitch clicked his tongue.

"Well you always were a pain in the arse." Pitch was starting to feel lighter too...he had to hurry.

"Shame the others stole your hoodie." Pitch said conversationally. He conjured four pieces of darkness to hold Virgil in place - one each trapping a wrist or ankle. He took the mirror shard, and began to trace it down Virgil's exposed arm...lightly at first but gradually applied pressure.

"You're a dick." Virgil gasped, closing his eyes and trying to focus on happy thoughts.

"Stay with me buddy."

"I'm so tired." Virgil muttered.

"Let's wake you up then." Pitch brought the shard up to the top of Virgil's arm again, and slowly pierced him.

Virgil screamed and squirmed but couldn't move away from his tormentor.

"Quit squirming! I want to finish this before your bloody arm disappears."

Virgil's head flew up - and saw that his arm was almost completely transparent.

"I'M NOT LEAVING!" Virgil sobbed, wishing for help. Once upon a time, he would have been glad when the others couldn't hear his desperate cries, but he'd give anything for them to hear him now.

"But everyone wants you too." Pitch said lightly, finishing off the word he was carving.

"No they DON'T!" Virgil yelled, squirming violently. He wasn't going to give in...not this time.

"Now...what should I put on the other arm? Gotta be quick or I'm going to end up carving the floor beneath you..."

Virgil let the tears roll as he thought of hot chocolates and involuntary moans...he thought of cookies...of Disney debates...of Patton's face when he turned up to a meal...

Virgil panted with the pain, his arm slick with thick blood.

He thought of Tristan.

His friend.

Tell the truth.

"I'm not scared of you." Virgil gritted his teeth. Pitch just stared at him, arm hovering above Virgil's other arm. "Because of you I've been on edge for the best part of the year...but I was scared of the unknown in the dark. You are not something I'm afraid of. You're pathetic. You have no power here."

Pitch just gaped and Virgil saw his blow land with satisfaction. Pitch roared, swung his arm back, then stabbed down with the mirror shard - aiming squarely for Virgil's chest.

Virgil closed his eyes and waited for the pain about to come...but he heard only the sharp clang of metal on metal.

His eyes flew open, and he saw that the shard was still above him...but it had been blocked by the blade of a sword.