Virgil wasn't sure what came over him, but his blood was flowing with a strange feeling. He could feel it the strongest in his hands, holding the black sword. He let out a breath as he looked at Barry. He lunged, making the artist block his blade swiftly. There was a sharp jolt of pain through Virgil's body despite not being hit. It made him cry out and stumble back, earning a concerned yell from Roman.

"Virgil!" he yelled from his place on the ground, trying to stand. 

The artist winced but turned to face his enemy again. Whatever was wrong with him needed to wait. The man in front of him was trying to kill him, the man he loved, and everyone he cared about. He swung his sword, meeting Barry's with a clash. As they hit, a more painful surge racked through his body. It made him drop his sword, allowing for Barry to slash from his shoulder to his chest and knock him to the floor. 

Virgil had never felt as much pain as he felt in that moment in any point in his life. He cried out as he laid there on the ground, clutching his chest as blood poured from his wound. Roman rushed to his side, shielding him with his body as Barry approached. He was trying not to think about whether or not Virgil was going to die any moment. 

The cruel man stood above them and just chuckled. "I don't even need to finish you off," he said with a smile that made the prince's skin crawl. "He'll bleed out, and you'll be too grief stricken to do anything about it. You can be my new boyfriend after I kill your dad and take over the kingdom, okay?" 

He winked at him and left as Roman glared at him with rage and horror. He turned to Virgil, tears streaming down his face. "V-Virgil, what- w-what do I d-do?!" he said, shaking as he tried to help him. "W-What happened?!"

"There's something wrong with me,"  the artist managed painfully as he tried to wipe the blood from his wound. "I kept feeling pain even when he wasn't hitting me. It's like there's something inside me trying to break out. It hurts! It hurts so badly! Make it stop hurting Roman!"

He was crying now to was he clawed his chest, making the prince's throat tighten. He inspected his wound quickly, not exactly certain he was even talking about the wound but needing to help him somehow. He breathed a slight sigh of relief as he realized the wound wasn't actually that deep. Barry must have thought the blow would be fatal, but in reality the bleeding had almost stopped already. "O-Okay, okay, y-you're going to be fine," he said to Virgil who was still clawing at his chest. "V-Virgil- I- I d-don't know what's wrong!" 

The artist was breathing quickly as everything around him seemed to disappear. He blinked to find himself standing and in a new environment. He wasn't bleeding, he wasn't hurt, and he wasn't in the palace. "R-Roman?" he called, looking around in confusion and fear. He was holding the black sword, the one that seemed to speak to him. Now that he listened, he could hear voices around him. "H-Hello? What's happening? Where am I? Where's Roman?" 

"There is no need to be scared Virgil," an unfamiliar voice spoke. He jumped, turning around to see a boy slightly older than him standing in front of him. He resembled himself a scary amount, thinking it was his reflection at first.

"Who are you?" Virgil asked, trying to remain calm. 

"I am someone you know very well already Virgil," he said with a tiny smile. "You're in a very similar situation I was once in."

"You're... you're the boy from the painting in the tunnels," Virgil realized, blinking as he nodded. "Wha- how- what's going on?"

"Remain calm Virgil," the boy said, voice soothing to him. He obeyed, taking deep breaths and allowing him to explain. "You're very special. We are from a family, gifted in the arts and combat. You already know our story, but you, are unique even among our bloodline."

The artist was looking at him in awe as he continued to explain. "While every member of our bloodline was gifted with one of these two things, two of them, have been gifted with both," he said, making Virgil's eyes widen. "Myself, and now, you. You're the hero of this story."

"T-That's impossible," he argued. "I'm not the hero! How could I no have known-"

"Virgil," the boy said with a soft chuckle. "You've known since seeing that sword two years ago. You might not have known what it was, but you felt something then. It's gotten stronger the more you've used that sword, but you kept fighting it."

Virgil's eyes were wide as everything started dawn on him. "You mustn't fight against it. You have to embrace it," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder, making the artist jump. "Your life, your lover's life, and the fate of the kingdom rests on it."

"B-But what if you're wrong? " he questioned, fear welling up. "What if all of this is just a dream?! What if I'm hallucinating from blood loss?! What if... what if I fail?"

"You won't."

Virgil's eyes snapped open to see Roman above him. There was a stinging pain in his chest, but other than that, he seemed fine. He blinked a few times, hearing the prince saying his name. He started to sit up, ignoring him as he regained his composure.

"Are you alright?!" his boyfriend asked him frantically. The artist looked at him and nodded slowly. "What just..."

Virgil was quiet for a moment before looking over at the black sword. The prince's eye followed, confused as he picked it back up. As the artist stood and headed for the door, Roman stumbled to his feet after him. "Wait! Virgil! What are you doing?"

"I'm being the hero."