When Virgil opened his eyes for the first time, he was greeted with a dim and empty room. Despite there being others in the palace, no one bothered to be there when he woke up, even thought they knew he would be doing so soon.

His eyes were wide and deep brown, taking in the environment around him slowly as he turned his head from left to right. The walls were made of dark grey brick, and the floors were a glossy black tile, almost glass-like. Virgil's gaze traveled down to look at his hands in front of him. He opened and closed them into fists, trying to comprehend that they were in fact his hands.

It felt strange, existing. He wasn't sure how he felt about it yet. He could feel his lungs expanding in his chest and his heart beating steadily as he took a step forward.

A small, dull tap echoed through the chamber from where his foot hit the tile. Virgil looked around for someone, anyone, to tell him where he was, who he was, and what he was supposed to do now that he'd been created.

"Hello?" he called, taken aback by his small voice as it echoed against the walls. "Is anyone there?"

No one replied and he found himself wandering through the palace. After walking through numerous hallways and corridors, he could hear voices. There was a glow coming from a room up ahead, and he peaked his head out to see what inhabited it.

The other Dark Sides were seated around a long dining table, talking amongst themselves. Virgil shrunk back, frightened.

"So when do you think that newbie will wake up?" one of them asked the table as he bit into a chicken leg.

One wearing a bowler hat shrugged, stroking the snake that was laying across his shoulders. "Any day now," he replied, voice smooth and alluring. "He's likely to be a fearful Side I'm sure, maybe Paranoia or Anxiety."

Anxiety, Virgil thought as a deep, internal instinct told him that was who he was. I'm Anxiety.

~

Eventually, he got a proper welcome from the other Dark Sides, but he never felt like he truly belonged with them. It was one day that he was walking the castle grounds with Deceit that he learned about the Light Sides.

"What's that castle over there in the distance?" Virgil asked, pointing toward the shimmering, palace-like building.

The deceitful Side followed his point and narrowed his eyes as he realized what he was talking about. "Anxiety, that's the Light Mind Palace," he said. "The Light Sides live there."

He frowned in confusion. "Light Sides?"

"Those 'good' Sides that have the most sway over our host, Thomas Sanders," Deceit explained. "Morality, Logic, and Creativity are the biggest ones. They're in charge. A bunch of wusses if you ask me, not enough strength to do what it takes to truly keep Thomas safe."

Virgil didn't reply, simply gazing at the sparkling structure and wondering what these Light Sides were like. His fellow Dark Side seemed to notice his staring and chuckled.

"Don't even bother dreaming about going there, mate," he said, patting his shoulder as he turned to head back inside. "They'd never let someone like you or me in the Light Mind Palace. We're not like them, and as much as they preach acceptance, they're not very accepting of Sides like us."

Deceit walked away, leaving the anxious Side alone with his thoughts. He felt almost like he was being called to it.

He wondered what it would be like to be adored and loved like the Light Sides, feeling a sense of longing that he couldn't describe. He was just a young Dark Side, what did he know about being an important part of their host?

~

Virgil had never woken up to a brightly lit room before. His first instinct was to panic, but he managed to stay calm enough to take in his surroundings. He was in a blank room, white walls, the most basic furniture, and devoid of all personality. It was like an empty canvas.

He sat up in his bed, confused. One moment he was in the Dark Mind Palace, going to bed early because he promised Deceit they'd go hunting for rabbits for his pet snakes together, and then he woke up here.

"Ah! Our newest Side has awakened!" an excited voice said as the door to his room opened, making him jump. "Logic! Princey! Come meet our new Side!"

Virgil just stared at the Side in front of him, confused beyond reason. He'd never seen a Side smile that warmly or dress like that. His bright blue polo and dorky glasses made him look... friendly. That was something incredibly unusual to him.

He was shocked even more when the other two appeared, dressed far differently. One was wearing a black polo with a light blue necktie, the same dorky glasses sitting on his nose, while the other was wearing a white suit with a red sash that made him look like royalty. Virgil looked between the three of them in confusion.

"I'm confused, where am I?" he asked, shaking slightly.

"You're in the Mind Palace kiddo! Or I should say the Light one," the blue polo wearing Side said. "I'm Morality! But you can just call me Dad!"

The necktie wearing Side stepped forward, adjusting his glasses. "I'm Logic."

"And I'm Creativity, but you can call me Princey," the one in the suit explained with a flamboyant flick of his wrists. "Who might you be?"

"I'm- I'm Anxiety," he murmured, swallowing as their expressions all changed. "I'm from the Dark Mind Palace."

They all fell silent and seems to exchange a conversation with just their eyes before Logic stepped forward. "Well Anxiety, it appears that over the last couple years of Thomas' life, you've developed to play a larger role in who he is a person," he explained. "That means you are one of his primary Sides. Now, we've never had a Dark Side become a primary before, so this will take some getting used to."

"You can say that again," Princey said under his breath.

"So, make yourself at home! You can customize your room, and just ask if you need anything," the nice one, Morality, said, still smiling unlike the other two.

Virgil nodded, swallowing again as they left. This was going to be extremely hard to get used to.