Fantasizing a war - A Sanders Sides Trilogy

Day 15

The trees were pastel, like everything else in this Realm. Even deep into the Glowing Forest, you could still see where you were going. Tiny, luminous toadstools peered out from the ground and tree stumps - fireflies danced lazily in the sky. Virgil had never felt more left out in his life.

Compared to the forest, he and Storm were black and dim, dark and intimidating. They stood out easily, noticeable while their friends matched their surroundings perfectly.

God, he couldn't wait till they reached his realm.

"Kiddo? You okay?" Patton's face appeared in his peripheral vision and he looked down. Usually, he and Patton were the roughly the same height but today Virgil was riding Storm, making him a good foot or two taller than Patton. "Are you alright?" Patton asked again.

Virgil nodded with a smile. "Don't worry, Pops. I'm good."

"It's good that you're good, kiddo. Logan said that moral must be kept high when we enter the Dark Realm - he read somewhere that it has a negative effect on your emotions because of something I can't remember."

"It's because of the fact Dee and I have very negative magic, which heightens in our Realm and near our castle," Virgil said. "You're gonna need to be the ball of sunshine when we get to my home."

Patton laughed. "Good thing I'm always like that, then!"

Virgil's face grew serious. "I'm not joking, Patton." He leaned down and whispered. "I've seen sane people go mad and happy, positive people predict when the world will end." He straightened but didn't lose the hushed tone. "There is a reason my Realm is called the Dark Realm and a reason Light Realm citizens are forbidden to enter..."

"Oh." Patton swallowed nervously before putting on a big smile. "Well, it can't be that bad if they made someone as nice as you, kiddo! When do you think we'll get there?"

Virgil only shrugged in response when Roman screamed. The two looked at each other and bolted for their friend.

.:*:.

Storm appeared next to Logan and Roman in less than a second, Virgil with a sword hilt in hand. "What happened?! Where's the danger?!"

"We're here..." Logan whispered in reply.

Virgil frowned and turned to see what had captivated the advisor. The healthy trees had suddenly turned black and twisted. The forest was dark and murky, shadows flittering about inside. "Ah..." Virgil mused as Patton caught up. "Home- wait, why did Roman scream?"

Roman, who was sitting on Cloud merely pointed at a large thing blocking their path and squeaked meekly. Patton instantly teared up at the sight of the lifeless unicorn. "I-It's dead..." The Light Realm Prince whimpered.

"It must've been attacked by imps." Virgil corrected as he dismounted Storm, hunkering over the corpse. "The poor thing - although I feel sorrier for the imps right now..."

"What?! Why would you sympathise with those who slaughtered such a creature?!" Patton shouted, upset.

Virgil raised his hands up defensively, putting the sword hilt back into his belt. "I don't sympathise with the imps, I pity them. Big difference." With a sigh, Virgil turned back to the unicorn and gently braided its' mane. "If you draw blood from a unicorn, you will instantly bring bad luck on yourself and the one you love the most. If you drink the blood, you will slowly flake into nothingness. Literally. Your body. Flakes up. And poof! You've won the most painfull death competition." He continued speaking as he braided the tail into several different plaits. "Because you've killed something so pure and so innocent, you can never be forgiven by the Immortals. You will live in suffering. The unicorn may have passed, but those imps will suffer."

He stood from his work for a moment to stretch, his back clicking satisfactorily before he bent over to inspect the wound. "Quite a clean kill, for some imps. Very smooth and straight, like a sword-" Virgil stiffened briefly, but moved jerkily back into reality. "Deep too..." He murmured.

"What are you doing?" Whispered Logan, face pale as he stared blindly at Virgil.

"Dressing it for its' decomposition. While you bury your dead in a coffin, we prepare them to their best and lay them down in their designated resting place. As this was a wild unicorn, I'm burying her where she died." Virgil explained as he crossed into the Light Realm to pick some elegant flowers and decorated the braids and plaits with them.

Patton sniffed. "It- she looks beautiful... Is it true that unicorns actually glow? I mean, we have selkie's', but only your Realm has unicorns, so I've never seen one."

"They do glow. They shine actually... Like diamonds..." Virgil said quietly as he finished placing the final petals. He stood up. "Let's get going. I don't want to be the one who's here when the- imps come back."

And his friends nodded in unison.

.:*:.

 Roman kept Cloud in line with Storm and Virgil, far behind the other two.

Virgil turned to Roman. "Why did you do it?"

"What-" Roman's' voice cracked. "What are you talking about, Virgil?"

"Don't give me that, Princey. I saw the wound on that unicorn and I saw you had your sword in hand."

"I took out my sword because if the things that killed the unicorn came back, I could defend Logan and me."

"So why was your sword bloody?"

Roman didn't answer. Virgil lowered his tone, and twisted on Storm's' back, swinging his furthest leg over so his entire body faced Roman. "Why was your sword bloody, Roman?"

They stayed silent.

"You killed her, didn't you?" Virgil whispered.

And Roman burst into tears.