True Deceit

Chapter 5: Virgil

Virgil slowly lifted his head from his lap, glancing up at Patton with flickering eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you."

Patton smiled, squeezing his shoulders. "It's okay kiddo, you were just stressed. I know you don't want to talk about your life as a dark side, but maybe you can enlighten me a little, maybe share why Janus scares you so much?"

Virgil swallowed, shaking his head. He noticed Roman and Thomas had since left, probably on a journey to the imagination palace to distract Thomas from his own infective anxiety.

"I don't want to tell you, but you have to believe me. Janus is bad news, he's going to hurt me-" He quickly cut himself off, cleared his throat and continued. "I don't know what he plans to do, but I know it has something to do with corrupting Thomas."

Patton stepping back. "It's okay, It's not that I don't trust you," he spoke calmly. "It's that I want Janus to be good, and if you can work with me we might be able to help him."

Virgil sighed, biting his lip. "Okay, fine, I get it. But I'm certain he wants to at least do something with my journal-"

Suddenly malicious laughter filled the air as Janus appeared before them, followed closely by Remus who was holding his mace in both hands.

Virgil let out a terrible hiss, stepping protectively in front of Patton.

"Calm down son, they just want to talk."

Janus grinned slyly. "Sorry about this Patton, but I need to teach Paranoia over here a lesson." Am I apologising again? Janus thought to himself.

Remus stepped forward, lifting the mace over Patton's head when Virgil jerked his body in front of Patton and blocked the mace's impact. He instantly fell to the ground, cradling his head in his hands with a cry.

Patton gasped. "No! Janus, Remus, I thought we were friends!"

Janus hesitated, a sharp pain blowing into his stomach. He felt something strong for Patton, something he'd been missing ever since Virgil betrayed him. Love.

Remus lifted the mace. Janus suddenly lied protectively with flushed cheeks, too conflicted to make a decision about harming Patton. "No, stop. let's imprison him, he's more useful to us awake than unconscious."

"You're the boss!" Remus beamed, dragging Morality into the dark side as he rose away. Deceit glanced back at the Virgil, who was whimpering on the floor with tears in his eyes.

"I will never love you," he spoke with pained breaths. "You're a monster. I don't know why you're imprisoning my friend, but-"

"Shh," Janus soothed, drowning out his voice. He crouched down beside him, stroking his hair. "Nothing has to happen to your friends if you simply re-join me. I'll treat you better, I promise."

"You're a liar," Virgil croaked. He wished he could swat away the snake's hand, but in some disgusting, possessed way he felt comforted by the rhythmic fingers running through his fringe. It reminded him of when he was younger, back when he trusted the slippery fiend before him. "I will never rejoin you."
Deceit sighed, the honest pains of desolate gripping at his heart. "Suit yourself. When I destroy Thomas, I hope you recollect that it was you're doing, not mine."

Janus left in that instant, leaving a suffering Virgil whispering on the ground.

"No, Janus, come back."