Shape Shifting

Chapter 26

Janus woke up.

He wall in a room with a mirror on every wall. He looked at a random mirror.

It was him without scales. How he wanted to look ever since he started growing scales.

He looked at every mirror. It was his reflection but without scales.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "No no no." He mumbled. He looked at the mirror again.

It was the same messages he saw on his mirror this morning.

"NO!" Janus yelled. He hated this. He hated it all.

They wouldn't be here. They wouldn't be like this if Irra didn't get trapped in his head.

They wouldn't be here if Roman didn't start this chain.

They wouldn't be here if he didn't have the habit of becoming different sides when upset or when he hated himself.

He wouldn't have this habit if Patton didn't make fun of his scales when he first got them.

Most think that Roman was the first to make fun of his scales. But no, Patton was.

He apologized but never meant it. Of course he didn't.

Janus developed the side switching to make himself feel better by taking Roman's confidence, then the others traits following soon when he started growing up.

Janus looked at the mirrors once more. It was his normal reflection in the mirror in front of him.

His left was no scaled him.

The right was him, but his scales ripped out.

The mirror behind him was playing a memory.

His first patch of scales. The name calling. The wishing that he never got scales. The teasing.

Janus closed his eyes tightly. He didn't notice the scene change into the memory.

He watched as his young self was left crying in his room by young Patton.

Janus went over to his young self. He used to be known as Lies.

"Lies?" He called as he sat in front of him.

Lies looked at his older self. Lies was in an oversized sweater and shorts you can barely see.

His eye had already changed into a snake one and he had a few scales on his cheek.

"A-are you m-me?" Lies stuttered. Janus nodded. "I am." "Why is half our face covered in scales?" Lies asked.

Janus shrugged. "It's just how Thomas wanted it. But don't worry it gets better."

"It- it's does?" Lies asked with a shy smile. Janus smiled softly and nodded. "You will make new friends, they don't exist yet, unfortunately. But if you make friends with King and let him paint your scales fun colours with fun patterns, you will feel a lot better about them. I can promise you that." Janus told his younger self.

Lies eyes lit up and he hugged Janus. "Thank you!" He smiled. Janus hugged him softly.

"Everything will be okay. Oh and don't worry about Heart. Everyone else complementing your scales will outweigh his insults." Janus added. "You'll even learn to love them."

Lies nodded and they separated from the hug. Janus summoned a bowler hat and put it on Lies. Lies smiled and fixed the hat.

"You'll end up owning the hat as you grow." Janus smirked. Lies giggled. "Thank you."

"Of course. Now go play with King, but don't tell anyone about this. Okay?" Janus told him. Lies nodded and ran off.

Janus smiled and everything went black.

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Janus sat up. He look around and saw the familiar empty black void of the subconscious.

He was sitting on the orange road. He smiled and followed it.