Chapter Text
"What...?" Kris blinked up at it, unable to process the words.
"Hm? I thought that was pretty clear...should I repeat it? I'm the Angel, and I've come—"
"Explain it!" Kris took a step closer, momentarily forgetting the knife between the two of them. They looked down and snatched their hands away, pulling the knife to their side and glaring at whatever had invaded their bedroom. What did it even mean, it was the Angel? Why would it eat their heart?
"Well, it's just what I said. I'm the Angel, as in your prophecy. Although I suppose you might not quite know what that means..." It contemplated.
Of course Kris knew what the Angel was. They'd been dragged to church so many times over the years that they had to have absorbed something, even with all the times they'd fallen asleep or just didn't listen. But that didn't make sense. Why would the Angel be here for them? What would the Angel even want with a heart?
"Well, I'll put it this way. You remember today, with all the darkners you've met, right?" It smiled, clapping its hands together, and Kris warily nodded. "You can think of me as something similar. I'm different from Lightners: I'm not actually part of the Light World. I'm just also not part of the Dark World, but I'm much closer to what they are than what you are."
"But...what are you?" Maybe they should've paid more attention in church, but they didn't remember something like this being talked about then.
"Well, right now I'm a part of you." It smiled again, reaching out a finger towards the hole in their chest where Kris' heart had been, but Kris knocked it away with the flat side of the blade. It frowned, but in a moment it was back to its usual smile. "That's what I need your heart for."
"Huh?" Kris answered instinctively. How was that even related to everything that'd come before?
"Kris, your heart, and your heart alone, is incredibly delicious to creatures like me." The light smile on its face contrasted the violence of its words, its eyes dark and cold and focused unerringly on Kris' face. "Any darkner who's powerful enough will be drawn to you, because they know eating your heart will make them strong. Like Jevil today, for example."
"But Jevil didn't want to..." Kris trailed off. That was what Jevil had told them, but they didn't really know, did they? All they know was that Jevil had been frighteningly powerful. Each time he'd attacked, Kris had bit down on their lip, bracing themselves for pain.
But each time, their heart had unerringly dodged all of the hits, and landed every returning hit perfectly as well.
"He did. That's why I defeated him. Darkners like him are still fools, after all. They don't care enough to properly savor the delicacy of your heart." It sighed again, reaching out a finger towards the hole in Kris' chest. This time, Kris didn't do anything to stop it, frozen in thought.
If Jevil was strong, whatever the thing in front of them was - the Angel, it claimed to be - was stronger. If it wanted to eat their heart, there was nothing they could do to stop it.
The darkness in the Dark World had been different, but...within its eyes was the same darkness that Kris had seen that day, when Asriel had been swallowed into it. And then even before that, when Dess had lost herself in the bunker. The heaviness that weighed on them the closer it got, the way its voice flowed smoothly through the room, the coldness of their skin and the way it seemed like darkness had seeped into its bones...it all reminded Kris of that day. So much that it hurt.
"So you're going to eat my heart..."
If they were eaten by something like this, consumed completely, then surely—
They could finally go meet Asriel and December again, and apologize for their failures. Their wish, the only wish they'd had ever since they'd lost Asriel too, could finally be granted. And their life could benefit it, too, so—
"Then go ahead." Kris shut their eyes, expecting it to do whatever it meant to—dig its finger in from where it was tracing over their chest, pull out their heart. It would hurt, but not worse than that day. And not worse than the pain living through each empty day had been, ever since it'd all been lost.
But instead of pain, what they felt was coldness, tracing down their cheek. They opened their eyes, glaring out once more, at the creature that was now caressing their cheek.
"How impatient. I told you, you're a delicacy, correct? Why would I waste you by eating your heart when it's not quite ready? Maybe those Darkners might, but I can't ignore the smell of something rotten." Its smile was knowing, like it somehow knew what Kris had been thinking about.
"What are you talking about?!" They responded, harsh. Kris stepped back several steps immediately, putting distance between them so its hand was no longer on them, and glared.
If it wasn't going to eat them, then it shouldn't have saved them in the first place. It should've just let them fall, to one of the countless battles that had happened yesterday.
"So you get angry only when I don't eat your heart, hm?" Its expression was unfazed.
Kris flinched back, but didn't respond.
"That's exactly it, though. The smell of a human that wants to die...it's corroding the strength of your soul. It won't be anywhere near as delicious now. That's why I'll be waiting. And until then, I'll protect you and nurture you, so that no one else will take you away." Its eyes might've sparkled at those words, if only they weren't full of the sort of darkness that consumed any light.
"I didn't ask you to do that—I don't want you to!" So, what, it'd wait until Kris didn't long for death to eat them? As if it could happen, after so many years of mourning. And if it just kept snatching away chances for Kris to die, it was useless.
"Hm? But I'm not doing it for you. It's all for my sake, after all." Cold. Its words were so cold, and dark...
Kris breathed in, and out. That same darkness that had taken the people they cared for most away...it was right in front of them. It couldn't be anyone else, not anyone who didn't carry that same darkness. If they just waited a little longer, it would take them away too. And they could finally rest, and pay back their sins...
"Fine. I'll wait." Kris glared at it again. They still didn't like it, but...this was the best way to make their wish come true. Even if they had to spend days like today, puppeted around...it wasn't as if every other day was any more meaningful. They'd been floating through life for so long, after all. They could put up with this for a bit longer. Just a bit longer...
"Are you going to go back in me?" Kris asked. Or was it going to remain like this, a strange copy of them?
"Later. I'd rather not see your dreams, and sleeping is such a boring thing, anyway." It frowned at the thought. "Instead, I'm going to go into power-saving mode! I only have so much energy of yours right now, after all."
Power-saving mode? What was that supposed to mean?
Kris blinked, and when they blinked again, instead of a person, the red heart was in front of them again. It speedily zoomed towards the cage in the corner and went inside.
Was that really fine for something to stay in...?
Well, Kris didn't care. In the end, it was just something useful to them, and it was the same the other way. So there was no point in worrying too much.
For now, before they slept, they really wanted to finish off Mom's pie...