Chapter Text
[Chapter 2]
Kris sat at a circular table outside of Seam’s shop, leaned back in their chair and staring off into the dark sky that stretched overhead. Twinkles of light, reminiscent of stars, blinked in and out of existence inside the inky expanse.
Ralsei and Susie were at the table with them, chattering about this and that. Between Lancer’s latest “evil” plan and talk about the school project, their voices had blended into a comforting hum. Kris had tuned out the finer details ages ago—idle small talk had never really been their thing. Every now and again Susie would involve them somehow, usually with a friendly jab in the arm to break them out of their trance. Otherwise, though, most of it had simply passed by.
Just being in their presence was nice enough. Comforting, in its own way. Kris thumbed the collar of their ruffled dress shirt, scanning the table.
They noticed that only Susie had touched her bagel so far. Both their own and Ralsei’s bagels were, decidedly, uneaten and very unattended to. Their eyes flicked over to Ralsei, who laughed softly at Susie’s quip about Berdly. His profile caught in the dim light that covered Castle Town, betraying the immaculate care he took in his appearance—his long lashes, his pristine fur, and the cleanliness of his outfit. It was too much care for Kris not to notice, their chest tightening slightly.
Ralsei’s gaze sought Kris, his pink eyes softening as they met theirs. A blush slowly appeared on his cheeks, and a small, warm smile softened his expression.
Kris smiled back, the warmth they felt under their collar earlier rising again. An icy presence pushed against their ribcage, the Soul’s attention drawn. Kris was compelled to look away before it did more than just give them a warning. They saw Ralsei’s expression turn into an expression of what seemed like concern in their peripheral vision.
Kris leaned forward and grabbed their bagel off their plate. As they prepared to take a bite, Susie jabbed them in the shoulder.
“Yo, Kris.”
Kris turned to Susie. She was looking at them with a smile, but they could tell it was more forced than genuine.
“Can I talk to you for a sec?”
Kris nodded.
Susie pushed herself away from the table and stood up, walking around Seam’s shop and disappearing behind it. Kris glanced at Ralsei, who just gave them a quick, affirmative smile. Kris put their bagel down, pushed up out of their chair, and followed Susie.
Susie was waiting for them behind the shop, leaned up against the building with her eyes closed. Her face was serious, her lips pressed into a firm line with a subtle frown on her face. She perked up as Kris approached, her eyes following them closely.
It felt strange to see Susie like this. Kris was quite used to her looking happy, but it was evident that something was on her mind. Even though no words had yet been exchanged, Kris felt like they knew what.
“Kris,” Susie said, her tone quiet yet firm, “Something is off with you. You good?”
Kris felt the icy presence in their chest return. The Soul’s voice slithered into their ears, pressing against their eardrums.
“Tell her. Nothing.”
Kris looked at the ground. They wanted to tell her everything, and desperately so. But they didn’t know if they could.
“No,” Kris whispered, unable to look her in the eye. They didn’t feel the urge to cry or weep—that simply wasn’t them—but they could feel their heart ache.
They could feel Susie staring at them. She sighed loudly, and Kris felt her put a hand on their shoulder. Their weight shifted a little under her heavy hand. Kris looked up at her—her frown had softened.
“What’s going on?” Susie asked, scanning Kris’s face, “Is it about you and Ralsei?”
Kris felt a blush creep its way up their neck. They half-nodded—she was close enough.
Susie seemed to think to herself for a moment. She smiled softly, and Kris suddenly found themselves pulled off balance. They collided with Susie, who wrapped her arms around them in a tight embrace. She rested her chin on top of their head.
“You’ll be alright, man,” Susie whispered, “Do what you feel is right. Don’t let anyone stop you—not even yourself.”
Kris felt their eyes water. They returned the hug, pressing their face into Susie’s vest to try and dry their eyes. If only she knew the half of it. If only she knew about the Soul.
Susie slowly separated from them, keeping her hands on Kris’s shoulders. “Tell you what,” she said, “I wanted to check in with Lancer anyways. You and Ralsei do something for yourselves while I’m gone, okay?”
Kris wiped their eyes with their thumb. They sucked in a shaky breath and nodded firmly. As soon as they did, they were pulled into a loose headlock. Susie gave them a light, affectionate noogie, and Kris couldn’t help but smile.
“There’s the Kris I know,” she said, chortling. She released their grip, and Kris stood back up straight.
For whatever reason, they couldn’t stop themselves from smiling. They fixed their hair with one hand and gave the hem of their dress shirt a light tug. As they made ready to head back to Ralsei, Susie gave them a quick pat on the shoulder.
“Good luck, nerd,” she said, grinning from ear-to-ear.
Kris nodded. “Thank you, Susie.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Susie leaned in towards Kris’s ear, “You still got a date to go on.” She whispered.
Kris felt a blush enflame their cheeks, but an icy shard bloomed in their chest. The Soul’s silent warning was clear enough: Don't you dare . Kris did their best to ignore it, jaw tight, and walked back to the table with Susie behind them.
After Susie had left to find Lancer, Ralsei had suggested a walk to someplace on the outskirts of Castle Town. Something to take Kris’s mind off things, in his words.
It wasn’t anywhere Kris recognized. In fact, Kris had no idea that this place existed. It reminded them somewhat of the dark forest they had gone through when they had come to the Dark World for the first time, but the differences were evident—the violet landscape was dominated by gnarled, black trees with leaves white as bone, and it was cleaved in two by a twisting river with water the color of ink. Tiny insects, their bodies radiating a faint, golden light, hovered in the air, moving only as the breeze needed them to.
The same breeze carried one of the insects into a collision course with Kris’s forehead. It hit them with the dullest of taps, but it was enough to bring Kris out of their reverie. It tumbled through the air and onto the ground, landing on its back.
“Oh!” Ralsei gasped, putting a hand over their mouth to try and hide their smirk. “Are you alright, Kris?”
Kris watched the bug try and fail, repeatedly, to right itself. They kneeled down and nudged it back over with their finger, allowing it to spread its wings and return again to the open air.
“Think so,” Kris said, rubbing the spot on their forehead where the bug had struck them. They turned to Ralsei and leaned in towards them. “How does it look?” they asked.
“Uhm,” Ralsei said, their cheeks pink, “Well, w-where did it hit you?”
Kris lifted up their bangs with one hand and pointed to the spot on their forehead with the other. “Here,” they said, tapping the area for emphasis.
Ralsei adjusted his glasses, catching some of the insect-light. His pink eyes narrowed to slits as he tried to gauge Kris’s level of injury. Kris wondered if he was genuinely checking for an injury, but the shy smile breaking through told them otherwise. Ralsei reached up and, gently, brushed his thumb against Kris’s forehead, his fur soft as silk. A warmth bloomed in Kris’s chest, fleeting but certain.
“Doesn’t look too bad,” Ralsei chuckled, “I think you’ll be okay.”
Ralsei’s hand lingered, then pulled away. He glanced further up the footpath they were on. “W-well, uhm, we’re almost to the spot. Did you want to keep walking?”
Kris nodded. A faint chill stirred in their chest, which Kris did their best to ignore.
They walked further up the footpath, side by side. Kris noticed Ralsei repeatedly steal glances at them, and every time they glanced back Ralsei would pull up his scarf a little more. Kris wondered if Ralsei would turn their scarf into a head scarf, if they did it enough. Just picturing it made Kris smile a little.
After what felt like another few minutes of walking, the footpath had brought them to a small, circular clearing. A sea of purple grass swayed in the breeze, its thick brush cut through only by the footpath. The footpath led up a gentle hill where a massive, black tree sat. Its thick, gnarled trunk looked like it had been woven from many smaller ones, twisting together into what looked like rope. Its wide, white canopy loomed over the clearing, covering everything beneath it in a thick shade broken only by the insect-light of the bugs that milled about beneath it.
“Wow,” Kris whispered. They didn’t know trees could get that big. Or that twisted.
“Quite the sight, hm?” Ralsei said, gazing up at the tree as they walked beneath its canopy, “I’ve always wondered how old it is.”
“You don’t know?”
Ralsei shook his head. “Its been here for as long as I can remember.”
Once they reached the hill’s crest, Ralsei’s gaze swept over the forest. Though he still wore a soft smile, his eyes seemed sad. Ralsei sucked in a deep, long breath and sighed.
“I missed this,” he said, “Being out here, I mean. It makes the prophecy seem far away.”
Kris tilted their head. “The prophecy?”
Ralsei’s lips tightened, giving Kris a little nod. He seemed lost in thought for a moment. “I’m…afraid, Kris. I want to believe we can defy it. That our fates aren’t written in stone…”
Kris could see tears welling up in his eyes, the edges of his cheeks already wet and matted. “I don’t want to lose anyone. Myself, Susie,” he paused, turning to face Kris, “You.”
Kris felt their chest tighten. There was a look in Ralsei’s eyes, beneath the veneer of sadness, that they couldn’t find words to describe. Kris could feel their heart start to race.
Ralsei’s lips parted, wanting to say something else. But he hesitated, his gaze flicking back to the forest.
Ralsei sighed and turned away. “I’m sorry. I’m being selfish again, aren’t I?”
Ice stabbed into Kris’s diaphragm, their chest spasming. Their eyes widened as a presence took hold of their mouth from the inside, a puppeteer’s hand in the mouth of their dummy.
“Yes. You are.”
The Soul’s words congealed in Kris’s lungs, stinging their throat like bile as they rose into the back of their mouth. They tried to swallow them back, to keep them away. But the syllables were already moving their tongue. Their mouth opened on its own.
“Y-”
Kris refused to let themselves finish. They pulled in their bottom lip and bit down, cutting so deep that they could taste the copper of their own blood. The Soul tried to get them to release their clamped jaw, withdraw their teeth from their lip, but Kris held firm. The rest of the Soul’s words crashed against the back of their teeth, reduced to mouthing more than muffled groans.
The Soul’s voice whispered into their ears.
“Selfish child. You. Will hurt for this.”
It exited, leaving what felt like frustration in its wake. Kris allowed his jaw to unclench, their teeth exiting their lip with a soft squelch that made their stomach turn. Warm blood ran freely into their mouth and over the edge of their lip. Pain pulsed through their lower lip in waves.
Ralsai's gaze flicked over to Kris, a confused look on his face. His expression quickly turned into shock, his pupils narrowing to pinpricks.
“Kris!” he shouted. He was in front of Kris in a second. His tearful eyes scanned Kris’s face and mouth in a panic. “Kris, what-”
Kris covered Ralsei’s mouth with one of their hands. A bright blush appeared on his cheeks.
Kris turned their head and spat a glob of dark blood into the grass. They turned back to Ralsei, locking eyes with him. They moved their hand from Ralsei’s mouth, cupping the side of his face.
“You…” Kris winced from the pain in their lip, “Have never been selfish, Ralsei. Never .”
Ralsei’s lip quivered, blinking tears from his eyes. He cupped Kris’s face with his hands, staining the white fur on his hands with their blood. He didn’t seem to mind.
Kris gently pressed their face against one of Ralsei’s hands. The gentle feeling of soft fur and warmth made the pain bearable.
“Oh, Kris…” Ralsei whispered, his voice cracking.
Ralsei sucked in a small breath and closed his eyes, whispering what Kris knew was a healing prayer. Ralsei’s hands took on a green glow, and Kris felt their cheeks heat up under Ralsei’s healing touch. The pain in their lip quickly subsided into nothing as Ralsei’s magic radiated through them.
Kris felt their lips start to stitch themselves back together, the blood on their face and Ralsei’s hands disintegrating into black flakes of ash that tumbled away and broke in the breeze. The self-inflicted wound sealed itself shut, leaving no sign that Kris had even hurt themselves in the first place.
The magical aura surrounding Ralsei’s hands dissipated, and Ralsei opened their eyes again, examining his handiwork with eyes that still shimmered with tears and worry.
A shiver overtook Kris’s body as they stared into Ralsei’s eyes, their jaw tightening to the point it hurt. Something severe swelled in their heart, and it felt like it was going to burst at its seams. Tears blurred their vision as a violent hatred emerged—they wanted to rip the Soul out of their chest, tear it in half with their own two hands. If it would kill them, so be it. They hated it. They wanted it dead. They wanted it to suffer even a modicum of the pain it put them throu—
Before Kris’s thoughts could finish, Ralsei stepped forward and wrapped them in a tight, firm hug. Kris’s eyes widened; they hadn’t even realized they closed them. The violence brewing in Kris’s chest swelled again for a moment before its rage was rendered impotent, flickering out with a whimper. Their heart still raced, pounding against the inside of their chest like a beater against a kick drum, but its pace was slowing.
Kris could hear Ralsei choke back tears. His breathing was slow, deep, and forced to be.
Kris’s beating heart returned to rest. The tears in their eyes flowed freely down their face, leaving thin rivers in their wake. Kris wrapped their arms around Ralsei and squeezed. They pressed their face against Ralsei’s neck fur, the soft hair drying their tears. Part of them didn’t want to ever let go again.
But the Soul’s cold presence bloomed in their chest. This moment was fleeting. If Kris did not separate from Ralsei on their own accord, they would be forced to. A bitter frost was spreading through them, pressing knives of ice against their nerves. There was a tingling numbness where the sharp blades touched—it reminded them of an arm or leg falling asleep. Kris didn’t know what that meant, and the dread crawling down their spine told them that they didn’t want to.
Ralsei’s grip slackened for only a moment, but Kris used it to pull away from him, putting them at arm’s length. The numbness halted at once and retreated, but the icy daggers only withdrew by an increment.
Ralsei looked confused, tears still hanging onto the corners of his eyes. Some of his makeup had started to run, staining his white fur with jagged lines of black. Kris turned their head away—they didn’t want to see Ralsei like that.
“Kris?” he asked, trying to cup their face again, “What’s…”
Kris felt the Soul’s cold presence enter their spine. Just as Ralsei’s hand neared their face, Kris’s body leaned back and away from Ralsei’s touch. Kris had to take a few steps back to match the sudden movement’s momentum—if they hadn’t, they would have toppled to the ground. The Soul’s influence faded shortly thereafter, allowing Kris to right themselves.
Even with their feet firmly planted on the ground again, Kris wasn’t sure they could keep standing. They felt tired, both physically and emotionally. They didn't even want to lift their head—falling to the ground would have at least allowed them to rest it. They waited for Ralsei to say something, to do anything—to leave, to cry, to try and show them affection again, even to scold them.
Nothing came.
Kris raised their head slightly, looking up at Ralsei. Ralsei just stared back at them, but his expression was devoid of any anger. His eyes seemed to study them.
Ralsei opened his mouth to say something, but then his gaze went to Kris’s chest. His gaze lingered there—his eyes widened a little more with each passing second. He blinked, and looked Kris in the eye again. His expression was somewhere between realization and palatable fear.
Ralsei blinked, his gaze now fixed on the tree. A small, practiced smile made its way onto his face.
“Kris,” Ralsei said, dabbing his eyes with his sleeves, “What do you think Susie and Lancer are up to?”
Kris raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
“What do you think,” Ralsei’s gaze flicked to Kris, “Susie and Lancer are doing?”
Kris’s brow knit together. A second passed—Kris didn’t need any longer. They straightened their posture.
“Oh,” Kris said, “Yeah, that’s a good question actually.”
Ralsei’s smile softened. “Should we think about what they’re doing? Together?”
The Soul shifted in Kris’s chest—it was tempted. Kris could already feel the Soul readying to observe her—it cast an invisible line and hooked itself far away, farther than Kris could ever see with the naked eye.
But it hesitated. It’s presence didn’t want to leave. Not yet, at least. It needed one last push, a little more interest to be shown.
“Sure,” Kris said, “I kind of miss Lancer anyways.”
Ralsei forced his smile to reach his ears and put his hands behind his back, taking a step towards Kris. He lowered his head and closed his eyes.
“Do you think they’re having fun without us?”
Kris smiled. “Definitely.”
Kris lowered their head and closed their eyes.
The Soul’s presence in their body wavered, and its daggers withdrew. The line it had cast tightened, dragging a cold, heart-shaped ghost through their body and out the back. As it was pulled away, Kris felt a weight in their body leave with it.
Kris could feel the Soul rise into the air and sail away, accelerating rapidly towards its intended destination. The last of its presence—its last tether to Kris’s person—dispersed into the air as it vanished over the horizon.
Gone. For now. Kris’s body was theirs again in its totality—their hands, eyes, and lungs were, for the moment, free of any influence other than their own. Kris sucked in a deep breath, the crisp air of the Dark World filling their lungs.
But this freedom was temporary. It was impossible to know for how long—perhaps seconds, maybe minutes before the Soul would lose its interest and come back to them again. Kris knew that all too well.
Kris opened their eyes and looked at Ralsei. His eyes were still squeezed shut, and his forced smile was now pressed into a tight line. Kris felt a flutter in their chest as the butterflies stirred again—Ralsei, even in his current state, was truly one of the most beautiful people Kris had ever met. The somberness that had overtaken them so brutally before was being slowly pushed out by another feeling; love, if the warmth climbing their neck was anything to go by.
Kris allowed themselves to smile a bit at the sight of him— it almost looked like Ralsei was straining himself trying to think. They allowed themselves to chuckle, but it was impossible to hide the exhaustion that weighed it down.
Ralsei opened one eye at the sound of it. He scanned their face for a moment before returning a soft smile of his own.
“Did it work?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Kris said, turning their gaze to the sky, “I don’t know for how long, though.”
Ralsei closed the distance between them. Kris felt his soft, warm hand cup the underside of their jaw, his fingers gently guiding their gaze back towards him.
“Are you okay?” Ralsei asked, his voice edged with worry.
Kris stared into Ralsei’s eyes, feeling their chest tighten as they pondered the question. They wanted to lie, to tell him that they were okay. But they couldn’t.
“No,” Kris muttered, “I’m pretty far from okay.”
Ralsei sighed, and the smile dropped from his face. Fresh tears were already welling up in his eyes, but Ralsei’s scarf quickly dabbed them away. His black eyeliner stained the pink fabric, coloring it with splotches of black.
Ralsei wrapped his arms around Kris and squeezed ever so softly. His clutch was warm, like it always was. When Kris returned his embrace, the lingering frost of somberness melted away. The smell of baked goods still lingered on Ralsei’s fur, and Kris felt a smile creep onto their face.
Ralsei pulled his head away from them. Before Kris could protest, Ralsei pressed their snout into Kris’s cheek. They could feel his lips twitch, planting a small, quick kiss just above Kris’s jawbone. He sighed softly, brushing Kris’s skin with its warmth.
Kris felt their whole face go hot. It was suddenly impossible to form a thought, their head quickly filling with the sound of a restless heart. It was asking them questions too quick for their mind to answer—what? What is happening? What do we do?
In the paralysis of choice that was locking up their body, Kris felt Ralsei’s lips form words they didn’t say—I love you.
Kris couldn’t suppress the tremble that shook their body head-to-toe. Ralsei pulled away from their face and looked them straight in the eye, their eyes half-lidded and his cheeks bright crimson. Kris didn’t yet have the mental capacity to try and figure out what they saw in his pink eyes, but the look was one they had never seen before.
Seeing the dumbfounded expression that Kris knew was on their face, Ralsei couldn’t help but giggle.
Ralsei put a hand over his mouth, a surprised look on his face. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh!” Ralsei said, evidently trying to suppress another. “It’s just—you, uh, look funny?”
Kris laughed. First softly, then a lot, and then they couldn’t stop. They closed their eye, pinching the bridge of their nose to try and stop themselves.
“K-Kris!” Ralsei said, a faux anger in his tone, “Hey! Knock it off!”
Kris shook their head, still huffing with amusement. They looked Ralsei in the eye, their smile pulling so hard against their face it hurt.
“Rude.” they said, chortling.
“Wha-” Ralsei frowned, but the smile on his face made it too shaky to be believable, “I-I am not!”
“Sure.”
“I’m not!”
“Uhuh.”
Ralsei lightly papped them on the shoulder with his scarf, still trying his best to feign being upset. “You’re the worst.”
Kris shrugged. They still couldn’t get the smile off their face. “I know.”
Ralsei’s face softened. He had that look in his eyes again, but Kris knew what it was now.
Love.
Kris wanted to tell him how he felt, and their chest constricted at the thought. They wanted to say it aloud, and hear him say it back to them.
But before they could, they felt something dig into their back. It was sharp, cold, and barbed, hooking into their flesh and deeper into their being before pulling taut.
Ralsei must have seen the look on their face change. His smile faded, but the look in his eyes didn’t. He placed a hand on Kris’s cheek.
“I’m sorry,” Kris mumbled, placing their hand over his.
“Don’t be,” Ralsei whispered.
The Soul’s presence was cresting the horizon. It was coming fast—there were only seconds to spare.
Kris and Ralsei pulled away from each other. A heart-shaped ghost pressed against Kris’s back, demanding entry. Kris’s body obeyed.