Paranoia must've sat there for an hour, shaking and wailing, holding desperately to the foolish hope that the other would come back and release him. That hope was quickly slipping through his fingers as time passed, his hands beating tiredly against the glass as the onyx smoke rolled around him lazily - almost tauntingly. "Please! Please, let me out! I won't do it again!"
'What if's screamed inside his head, but he tried to force them down. If he was good, they would let him out. They had too! He wouldn't hurt Thomas- He never wanted to hurt Thomas!
"Please!" He begged. "I'll be good, I'll be good!"
"It won't help," A solemn voice burrowed itself into Paranoia's head. "We deserve this. We're never getting out. It's not worth it anyways."
Paranoia looked around, shivering at the sudden emptiness that dragged at him. "Who- Who's there?"
A figure not unfamiliar seemed to appear from the smoke. Like all other traits, he resembled Thomas, but like someone who had long been thrown to the horrors of his own sorrow. He was pale and gaunt, sunken skin and pools of sadness for eyes. Black sweats hung from his frame and every fiber in Paranoia's being screamed that this specific trait was not right.
"Who are you?" He whispered, scooting back slightly until his back pressed against the wall.
The stranger trudged towards him like a lost man who had given up. "A prisoner. A disorder. Just like you." He stopped a few feet away. "My name is Depression."
Paranoia's eyes widened. "N-No. . . No, I'm not a disorder! I want to protect, Thomas! I don't belong here!" Was this what Remus and Deceit had been talking about that day? That day seemed so long ago. . .
"You. . ." Depression took a deep breath through his nose and his half-closed eyes snapped open, but not in surprise. They weren't dead like Paranoia expected. They looked hungry. "Paranoia. . . You feel. More than just your aspect." He crept closer and licked his dry lips. "I can sense your sadness."
Paranoia scooted away from the approaching side, sliding along the glass until he found himself trapped in a corner. "G-Get away from me. . ." His alarm bells had been right that time. And they were still kicking. "Stay back! D-Deceit! Remus! Please!"
"They won't help you anymore." Depression cornered Paranoia, towering over him, and reached out his hands. The second his gaunt fingers made contact, Paranoia nearly collapsed. He felt heavy and empty and submissive. It was as if Depression was forcing him into the ground without applying the slightest bit of pressure.
Tears built in Paranoia's eyes - whether from Depression or the situation, he didn't know - and he choked on a sob, sinking to his knees. He hated what he was feeling, he hated what was happening, he hated everything, he hated himself -
"Depression!" A very Remus-like, hoarse and cracking, voice cheered, person appearing at the taller figure's side. "Whatcha got here?"
Depression withdrew, much to Paranoia's relieve and he gasped for air as the disorder addressed his friend. "This is Paranoia, Psychosis. He possesses the ability to feel our aspects."
A terrifying laugh tore out of Psychosis's throat, his eyes dilated and lit up in a way that just screamed 'delusion'. "Possess! That's funny!" His lips screwed up into a demented grin and god, Paranoia, would've taken any of Remus's frightening behaviors over that. "God, I'm starving!"
"You take care of our new little friend," Depression chuckled hollowly. "I'll go fetch Schizophrenia. Be gentle, will you?" And then he vanished into the rolling smoke, leaving Paranoia with the psychotic aspect.
"P-Please. . ." Paranoia whimpered, trying with all his strength to back up despite the wall that he was pressed against. "Please don't do this. . ."
Psychosis cooed at him, reaching out to grab his face with both hands in a painful grip. "None of this is real- None of it's real~!" He sang, pressing his nails into the soft, tear-slicked skin of Paranoia's face. "Do you see the faces? Do you see them too?!" In a split-second, his voice had fallen into urgent desperation.
Paranoia's watering eyes flickered outwards and he let out another sob at the sight of the ghastly faces surrounding them, their hollow eyes staring right back at him. "N-No!"
"You see them too~!" Psychosis crooned.
"I think that's enough for now, Psychosis," Depression's blank voice drew Psychosis back, the faces vanishing and Paranoia dared to feel relieved for a second. "Schizophrenia, meet Paranoia."
Schizophrenia's ashy skin was broken out in a sweat, his arms marked with claw marks from his own jagged nails. His eyes were dark with fury, his cracked lips twisted up into a snarl. Just the sight of him - the way his chest shuddered with heavy breaths that didn't quite make it - drew another broken whimper from Paranoia.
Then he was coughing. Paranoia was choking and he spit onto the floor, cowering on his hands and knees. "P-Please. . . no more. . ."
Depression leaned over him, looking more gaunt than before. "It's no use, Paranoia. We need you. We need your feelings. We're deprived in here. But you. . . you still hold on. You can feel our effects. You can feed our aspects."
"You- You have to give in!" Psychosis giggled madly, his wild hair splayed upward. "The shadows. . . they're watching you. . ."
Paranoia flinched, looking outward. As soon as he did, the shadows took form, hazy scarlet eyes piercing him. ". . . Deceit. . . Remus. . ."
"Stop calling for them!" Schizophrenia screamed and the second he spoke, Paranoia's head filled with voices that weren't his and a million emotions he couldn't name. "They aren't coming! They can't help you! They won't help you!" He reared back to strike Paranoia, but Depression held up his hand.
"Easy, Schizophrenia, Psychosis. He's had enough for right now. If we go too hard, he'll lose the ability to feel us." Depression backed up and disappeared, his comrades doing the same.
Paranoia coughed violently, gasping for air. He sat upright and desperately held his clawed arms close. "Please. Please, please, please. I'm begging you. I'll stop, I'll stop. I'll stop being paranoid. I'll stop hurting Thomas. Just please. . . let me out. Deceit, Remus. . . anyone."
~~~
Logic sighed, making another mark on his clipboard. As usual, that corner of Thomas's mind was also running smoothly. He was slowly closing in on the source of Thomas's problem - he was sure of it.
Thomas's reckless behavior hadn't ceased. In fact, it seemed to be progressing. It had been. . . three weeks? Maybe a month. He was missing something that could influence him to be more aware to any possible issues. The question was. . . what was he missing?
Logic finished scouring the Mindscape and paused at a particular door, scowling. He didn't necessarily enjoy visiting the Darkscape. He found the traits there to be cumbersome and irritating. He even preferred the company of Prince over them.
However, it was for Thomas. He gripped the door and stepped through the threshold, already annoyed by the lack of lights. "They always have to do. . . " He flipped through a few pages on his clipboard and searched for the phrase, "'the most'."
"Oh, Logan!" A voice purred. "What a pleasant surprise."
Logic turned to Deceit, finding the deceptive side leaning against the wall casually. "Deceit. I won't be long. I'm here on business."
An arm wrapped around his shoulder and Duke grinned. "Oh, don't be such a stiff, dork!" He flicked Logic's ear. "Stay a while and chat!"
"I'm quite alright." Logic removed Duke's arm from his shoulders. "I've come to search for the source of a problem Thomas is experiencing."
"Well, you came to the wrong place." Deceit's eye flashed. "No problems ever come from here." He sighed and stood straighter. "But if you insist, then I'll take you to the controls."
"I insist." Logic followed the serpentine deceiver down the hallways, studying everything as he went. He passed a peculiar door, but Deceit was quick to usher him along.
"Here. Controls." Deceit backed away. "Now, if you don't mind, I've done my good deed for the month. I'm sure you remember the way back." His eyes glowed and he vanished.
Logic rolled his eyes. "Typical." He checked over everything, finding nothing out of place. He was out of hypotheses. What was ailing Thomas? He pondered that as he made his memorized path back to the Mindscape. Passing the strange door from earlier, he paused. He needed to do a thorough check, did he not?
He opened the door, uncharacteristically thrown off by the rolling black smoke and eerie atmosphere. Before long, he was face with a tall barrier, like a prison of some sorts. The Darkscape was a dreadful place - what monstrosity would they be keeping locked away?
A hand hit the glass in front of Logic's face and he jumped. A trait pulled himself up, pressing against the barrier with a pleadingly terrified expression. "P-Please. . . Please help me. . ."
"What is your designation?" Logic inspected the confines, searching for some sort of clue as to what was going on.
"P-Paranoia." The younger trait whimpered. "P-Please. . . I'm begging you- They'll be back any second!"
Logic froze, meeting the scared eyes. "Who will be back?" What else was kept in there?
Paranoia fearfully checked behind him. "The Disorders. . . I can't- I can't go through it again!"
"Paranoia, I need you to calm down and explain what's going on." Logic didn't understand the cold pit in his chest.
"Depression, Psychosis, and Schizophrenia!" Paranoia was crying, palms pressed against the glass so hard, Logic wondered if it would break. "They. . . They feed off of me because I can experience their effects. Deceit and Remus - they said I hurt Thomas! I don't, I don't! I want him to be on the watch for danger!" Someone laughed from far away and Paranoia shook. "Please! Help me!"
This was it. This was him. What Thomas was missing. Who he was missing. Locked up and tormented by disorders he had no place among. Logic's mouth opened and shut - he was, for once, at a complete loss for words.
Paranoia straightened and shivered, immediately hunching over. "They're coming. . . You have to go! If they think I've been talking to you, I'll be in so much trouble!" He turned to race away.
"Paranoia." Logic placed a hand on the barrier, eyes locked with Paranoia's and filled with determination. "I'm going to get you out of there. I will be back."
Paranoia stared for a minute, but slowly nodded before disappearing.
Logic reluctantly abandoned the room, hurrying back to the Mindscape. Transferring over a trait and generalizing it's aspect was difficult, but not impossible. If he hastened, he could have Paranoia freed by tomorrow night. There would be no time to fill in his companions. No time to discuss and agree. He needed to hurry.