No Strings Attached - Sanders Sides

Part One - Virgil

I can feel. My body. My limbs. My arms. My legs. Each one of my fingers and toes; flowing with rushing adrenaline and blood. Each one of my bones settling in its place. Each organ inside me, whirling with life. The clothing wrapped around me. A black shirt with a black jacket with some gray stripes. Some black skinny jeans with rips at the knees. The heavy black dust under my eyes.

I can hear. My own rushing thoughts mixed with my thumping heart. The eerie sound of nothing circling me. The dead silence spending running chills up my back.

I can understand. My confusion. My fear. My loneliness. My love. My drive. My purpose. My dread. My worry.

I sucked in a harsh breath, to caught up in my own head to remember to breathe. I looked around. It was like a big, dark, horrible void of darkness. A place where all ghastly things go to die. A place that I suddenly exist in.

But why?

I started to move my body a little more. I stretched out my fingers. A dark energy flowing around them like magic. I bent my legs and shook out my feet. Once I trusted myself, I began walking. Where? I didn't know. Everywhere looked the same. I couldn't tell where I started or where I'd end up.

I jumped back when my foot touched something that wasn't the ground beneath me. It felt squishy and alive. I tried to see it, but it was so dark. There was a little movement in front of me. It seemed to have a long tail and no arms. I heard a deep hiss, making me yell out in fright.

I covered my mouth with my hands. I was surprised by how deep my voice was. So raspy and unsure of itself. I already hated it.

"Hello!" I heard someone call from in front of me. My head jerked up, seeing a silhouette of a man in the distance. He was surrounded by light, as if he opened a door, connecting two worlds together.

This man was tall. He had a bowler hat on his head, only adding to his daunting figure. Their was a cape around his neck which draped all the way to his knees. He wore thick, almost fuzzy yellow gloves, while everything else he wore was black.

"Hello, are you okay?" He called out again. I was quivering. I wanted to run away. To go and hide. I had no reason to trust this guy. But then again, what else did I have?

I let the man come closer to me, to afraid to move. He touched my arms, recoiling his hands immediately. "You're freezing. Come on, let's get you away from here." He told me. I nodded, slowly moving along with him as he pulled me towards the light. I could feel the warmth stick to my skin. It stung at first, but then became more like a loving hug. The light's brightness was becoming too much. I had to shut my eyes, trusting the strange person to guide me.

"Hey, hey! Are you okay?" I heard in my right ear. I opened my eyes, seeing I was on the ground, face first in some dead grass. Confused, I pushed myself up, seeing the man from before next to me. He gave me a sweet smile, giving me his hands. I took them, rising to my feet again with his help. "You okay? I probably should've warned you that that might happen." He apologized.

"W-What happened?" I muttered, looking at his face. It was so odd. The right side of his face was completely normal. While the left side, had green snake coils running down it, along with a chilling yellow eye with a green hue.

"Well, we just walked from the unknown to the Dark Mind Palace. It's not unusual for one to pass out from the sudden shift in energy." He explained. That sort of made sense as to why my fingers had energy surrounding them. "You're different though." He suddenly blurted.

"Oh?" I squeaked, growing anxious all over again.

"It's not a bad thing. Not at all." He assured me. I felt a wave of ease take me over again. "You show no sign of corruption or fading from being in the unknown for too long. That can only mean you're like me."

"What does that mean?"

"You're a side." Those three words struck me mute. I had millions of questions racing the forefront of my mind. I couldn't hold onto any single thought, they were moving so fast. This man must've understood my panic. He took my hands and lead me towards a rock. He sat me on the rock, kneeling in front of me.

My breathes were coming in fast. I was exhaling more air than I had stored in my frail lungs. My hands were shaking, my forehead damp. Why do I feel like this? What is this? Why doesn't it make sense. It should make sense! What is happening! "Come on, breathe with me." The man said, placing my hand on his heart.

I calmed myself, able to get in a steady breath and release it. Before long, I felt much better. My cheeks were red as shaky coughs wracked my body. "Thank you." I spit out.

"Of course." The man stood up, extending his hand to me. "You may call me, Deceit." He told me. I looked at him, eyes filled with trust. I shook his hand.

"I'm..." I trailed off. I didn't know my name. I didn't have a name. All I knew was my emotions and everything Deceit's told me so far. "I...I don't know my name." I finished, looking down.

"That's alright. We'll figure it out, I'm sure." He comforted me. "Let's start off with your trait. What do you feel?" I sat on the question for a second, trying to confront the demons in my head.

"I feel...afraid of everything. A nervous lead desire to protect. But...that probably sounds stupid." I shrugged off.

"No no. That makes perfect sense. That desire to protect, it's for Thomas."

"T-Thomas?" I stuttered, feeling even more questions flood my mind.

"Yes. He is our host. His hopes, dreams, and motivations are governed by the Light Sides." He hissed, flicking his tongue as if trying to get the word off of it. Light Sides. "We are the Dark Sides. We protect Thomas. Make sure he isn't over working himself or aiming for goals he'll never reach."

"Who are the Light Sides?" I dared to ask. Deceit's face turned down, his yellow eye glowing with hatred.

"It doesn't matter. They hate you! Keep that in mind! They want our heads! By staying in the back of my mind, we're saving our own skins!" He snapped, my eyes never leaving his glare. "You're damn lucky anyway. We got to you before they did!" I nodded, a mix of fear and grace taking over.

"Who is 'we'"

"You'll meet him later. As for your trait. You said you felt afraid, nervous, protective." He repeated. "You are Paranoia." I didn't know how true that name was for me. But I guess Deceit would know better than me. "As for your name." He said, locking eyes with me yet again.

"Virgil."