Trials, Traits and Truth

Shatter

"Get away from him." Roman growled, holding the new sword in his hand that Tristan had helped him create.

Pitch dropped his weapon and put his hands in the air. He rose off Virgil - using his knee to push off Virgil's chest to do so. Virgil grunted in pain.

Logan was on Roman's left, also pointing an object at Pitch: his pen.

Patton was on the right in a fighting stance, looking furious.

And beside him...

"Tristan?" Virgil choked.

Tristan floated there, very ghost like. He looked solemn, and pale...though his image shifted and glitched occasionally. He smiled encouraging at Virgil.

"Let him go Pitch." Logan warned, aware that Virgil was still pinned to the ground by darkness.

Pitch breathed heavily, obviously thinking fast, eyes darting quickly between each of them.

"Patton did this, not me." The darkness started to spread over Virgil's body. He writhed and squirmed but did not make a sound.

"STOP TRYING TO GET INTO PATTON'S HEAD AGAIN AND JUST STOP." Roman raised his sword.

"No Roman." Patton stepped forward. "I know I let the gates open. I know you're only here because of me."

The room shuddered like an earthquake and more darkness sprung into the air. Virgil stopped squirming and just panted. The darkness, reached his torso.

"Oh dear...Thomas must be making some baaaad decisions."Pitch laughed lightly.

The shook again, more violently this time, and Patton gave a cry as Virgil started to grow even fainter. He fell to his knees beside him and desperately clawed at the darkness, trying his best to scrape it off.

"Wait." Pitch frowned. Patton had always been terrified of that darkness...

Where Patton's tears landed came little sizzles as bits of darkness dissolved.

Patton wasn't scared of him.

Pitch began to panic.

"VIRGIL!" He screamed, making the side start.

Pitch conjured a sword of his own and swung down.

He wasn't going to lose.

But for the second time, his blow didn't hit its mark.

Roman parried his blade and then he and Logan stabbed Pitch in unison.

Pitch staggered back, a sword and a pen protruding through his chest.

He coughed and a black substance ran down his chin.

Pitch staggered and fell to his knees, the darkness that was smothering Virgil dissipated into general nothingness. Patton helped Virgil get up. Virgil narrowed his eyes as he leaned on Patton's shoulder and watched Pitch starting to disintegrate. Roman and Logan just panted from the rush of adrenaline.

"You think I'll LEAVE THIS EASILY?" Pitch screamed, holding his chest and removing the intruding items. "You can't DESTROY ME COMPLETELY! I'm here for good!"

Tristan stepped forward.

"You're right." He said simply. all eyes resting on him...what was let of him. "But if Thomas is honest with himself, and mindful, you'll never get the chance to be a threat again."

Virgil blinked. It could just be the fact that he was literally in the middle of dying, but he swore that Tristan was...disintegrating too?

"No chance of that." Pitch snapped, his chest flowing freely with bubbling black darkness. "I left a little reminder of me on Virgil's arm. I'll always be able to hurt you because you're all WEAK."

Logan stepped over and quietly assessed Virgil's arm, which he had tried to hide behind him. Though he kept his face passive and his eyes locked onto the angry open wound, he balled his fist and started shaking.

Pitch had carved "LIAR", deep into his arm.

Tristan took another step forward. "No you won't. I'm here now, and I'm here to stay."

Pitch's face fell and his image flickered a little.

"We're not afraid of you." Tristan closed his eyes and knelt in front of Pitch. He put his hand on Pitch's chest, and there was a large flash of silver.

"No..." Virgil groaned, suddenly starting to panic at what Tristan was doing.

Pitch started to disintegrate entirely, and floated away from the four standing sides and drifted into the abyss.

At the same time, Tristan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and started to disintegrate. Specks of silver breaking off and floating towards them.

Virgil let off a sob and would have collapsed had Roman not grabbed his other arm.

No one said a thing, but just watched in wonder. Despite the circumstances, it was undeniably a beautiful sight. It looked like there was a swarm of fireflies just hanging in the air around them.

"We have to get Virgil home." Logan whispered, his voice thick.

"No." Virgil sobbed.

He'd lost his friend.

Almost in response, the silver flecks began to congregate in four separate blobs...

"Oh." Patton breathed.

Each side was approached by one of these seething silver masses.

"I accept you." Virgil muttered. The orb closest to him floated into his chest and glowed bright silver, before fading.

Each side did the same, and they understood.

There wasn't enough left of Tristan to exist on his own.

Each of them had to pick up his fight against untruths.

The silver glow faded as the last of Tristan's essence disappeared.

Virgil, Patton, Roman, and Logan, closed their eyes and teleported away from the dark empty abyss that was the back of the mind.