Chapter Text
Noelle nervously darted his eyes around his room before looking back down at Susie and Kris. While he feared the repercussions of sneaking out, he desperately wanted to know more about his cyberspace adventure. Plus he'd much rather be with his friends than stuck alone in his room feeling miserable. He took in a deep breath and made his choice.
"Okay, I'm coming down. Kris, you know what to do," Noelle called out.
Kris nodded. With all of their strength, they pushed a nearby giant novelty candy cane yard decoration closer to Noelle's room. Noelle carefully climbed out of his window and grabbed onto the pole before nervously sliding down to the ground. Kris offered him a high five before they moved the candy cane back into its usual place.
"Heh, you must sneak out pretty regularly if you already had a game plan. That's pretty badass," Susie said while grinning.
"A-actually I've never done this before! But Kris has helped me break into my room plenty of times. Turns out it's way easier coming down than it is going up…" Noelle explained.
Susie squinted her eyes in confusion. "Why would you need to break into your own room?"
Noelle let out a nervous laugh. "Faha, um, it's not important. Anyways, what are we doing?"
Before Susie could inform Noelle of what was going on, Kris interrupted that they should get a move on and stop loitering around Noelle's house. Susie agreed and began leading the way. Noelle followed timidly behind her and Kris, mentally second guessing if this was a good idea.
"So, like I was saying, that wasn't a dream you had yesterday. You fell into what's known as a Dark World. The same thing happened to Kris and I when we went to go get chalk in the supply closet the other day. And in these Dark Worlds, everyday objects are Darkners. So like, that laptop in the computer room? That's Queen," Susie explained as they continued walking.
"Okay… but how did we end up in the Dark World in the first place?" Noelle asked.
"Well, there's this bad guy. The Knight. Real ugly son of a bitch with big horns and pitch black armor that'll throw swords at you. It has this unnatural way of moving, kinda phasing in and out as it shapeshifts in the air. It's running around opening the Fountains that are supposed to keep the Light Worlds and Dark Worlds separate."
"Sounds… scary," Noelle sheepishly said. "I'd hate to run into that thing."
"I know! And it took Undyne!" Susie exclaimed. "We tried to stop it but it managed to get inside the Shelter somehow. That's why we were looking around your house and stuff. We figured since your mom's the mayor she probably has the code somewhere. You wouldn't happen to know it, would you?" Susie asked.
Noelle had always been afraid of the Shelter ever since he was a kid. Dess used to tell him horror stories about evil creatures that lurked in there, and now it appeared there was one. Just thinking about it made Noelle shudder in fear, though he quickly regained his composure as to try and look brave in front of his friends.
"Oh, well… I wish I could help more but I don't really know anything. My mom keeps her work life pretty private. But um, maybe I could ask her?" Noelle offered.
Kris shook their head and pointed out that Noelle would get in trouble for asking such a thing, especially after what just happened with Susie.
"I guess that's probably true…" Noelle muttered.
"Yeah…" Susie awkwardly agreed. "Well, hey, there's other ways you can help us I'm sure. The Prophecy doesn't say we can't bring our friends along for the ride, right Kris?"
Kris did not react. Noelle, however, widened his eyes in amazement and opened his mouth in complete shock as the realization dawned on him. His childhood best friend and his high school crush were actually the heroes as foretold in the Prophecy.
"Holy cheese and crackers, what?! You guys are the her-" Noelle started to yell before Susie rushed over to put her hand over Noelle's mouth, silencing him and making him blush ever so slightly. She looked around to make sure nobody lingering outside the town shops overheard what Noelle was about to say.
"Well don't go blabbering about it to the whole town dude! It's a secret!" Susie said as she took her hand away.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Noelle apologized before bringing his voice down, although he couldn't stop himself from loudly whispering out of excitement. "I just can't believe it! You guys are going to stop the Roaring and save everyone! I always knew the Prophecy was true! And the heroes are my friends, that's like, the coolest thing ever, oh my gosh!"
"Heh, I guess it is pretty cool. Kris and I have gone on some pretty sick adventures. Shame you missed out on the other ones," Susie said with a smirk.
"I'd love to hear about them! If um, that's okay with you two," Noelle replied.
Susie looked at Kris who still adorned the same blank expression that neither Susie or Noelle could read. She shrugged and decided to regale Noelle with tales of previous Dark Worlds as the trio kept walking.
"Sure thing dude. You know that empty classroom in the school? Well, a Dark Fountain opened up there. Turned the room into this fantasy land where a big buff guy named King was trying to imprison everyone else. And at first I thought, man, get me out of here, I don't want to have to deal with this crap. But his son Lancer ended up being really cool so… eventually him, Kris, and Ralsei were able to get me on board with being a hero and we sealed the Fountain."
"Well, I think you make an excellent hero Susie," Noelle said with a smile.
He heard a soft swishing noise that sounded like a tail thumping against fabric, prompting him to giggle.
"Pssh, well, uh, ya know, just doing my best I guess," Susie said as she tried to hide the blush on her face. "Anyway, uh, it'll be cool having you meet Lancer," she added, changing the subject.
"Oh, totally! And Ralsei, he's the prince, right? I have so many things I want to ask him about!" Noelle beamed with excitement. "So, any other Fountains you've sealed?"
"We sealed one last night actually! In Kris's own living room, it was crazy," Susie said.
"Woah, at Kris's house? Gosh, these things just show up at the randomest places," Noelle remarked.
Noelle noticed Kris let out a quiet laugh at that. Susie seemed oblivious as she kept going with her retelling of their adventures.
"Yeah, and turns out Kris's TV is this game show host guy named Tenna. It was kind of fun for a while, we played all sorts of video games, and there was this one guy who kept trying to get with this couple on the rocks. He asked us for advice because he thought we were a throuple or something I gu-"
"You're not, right?" Noelle immediately asked, interrupting Susie's train of thought.
"Uh, no dude," Susie said to Noelle's relief.
"Huh, weird! I wonder why he thought that then! Are you guys like, really close or something? Faha," Noelle awkwardly laughed as he tried to hide his jealousy.
"Man, I don't know. How is that the part you have the most questions about?" Susie groaned.
"Just um, making conversation I guess! Faha, uh, you can continue now…" Noelle muttered.
Noelle's prodding did not go unnoticed by Kris, who rolled their eyes at him. He internally kicked himself for being too shy to ask Susie directly if them going to the Festival together was meant to be a romantic date or not.
"So, as I was saying, all the games and physical challenges were fun at first but then he just… kept going. He wouldn't let us leave and he even tried to kidnap Toriel. It's weird though, because I actually felt kinda bad for him? He kept talking about all the good memories he had of you guys all gathered around him," Susie said.
Noelle and Kris each took a step away from one another. Things hadn't been the same with their families ever since Dess's disappearance, a fact that some members seemed to have accepted while others didn't. Noelle wasn't entirely sure which side he fell in. The hope that his sister would someday return slowly waned each year. The idea that him and Kris could mend their fractured friendship past awkward small talk seemed to fade with it.
"I uh, didn't realize you two used to be close like that…" Susie added, causing Noelle to tense up even further.
"U-um, yeah, we uh, we're neighbors so… we celebrated the holidays together and stuff," Noelle said with a feigned casualness.
He looked towards Kris, their face unreadable once more, all three of them having stopped walking at this point. Noelle never would have expected Susie to be the one to make him confront what went wrong between him and Kris. He waited to see if Kris would say anything in return. An addition, a correction, an explanation, anything really, but he was met with nothing but lingering silence.
"Right, yeah, makes sense I guess," Susie finally chimed in after way too long of an uncomfortable pause. "Well uh, if you know a guy who can fix broken TVs, let Kris and I know," she said as she started walking towards the school.
The three of them soon approached the entrance of the school. Noelle looked onward in confusion as Susie started frantically shaking the lock on the door.
"Um, why are we trying to break into the school on a Saturday…?" Noelle asked.
Noelle's question went unanswered as Kris pulled out a bobby pin from their pocket and straightened it out into a makeshift lock pick. They tapped Susie on the shoulder to get her to move aside and effortlessly unlocked the door, impressing Susie.
"Woah! Hell yeah dude!" Susie exclaimed as she high fived Kris. "Arright, let's go!"
Kris spoke up and said they needed to take care of something first.
"Aw dude, what? You really don't have time to say hi to Ralsei and Lancer? That's so lame," Susie said with a disappointed sigh.
Kris told her to not wait for them and that they would meet up with her and Noelle later. Noelle watched as Kris flashed a peace sign and told them to get going.
(Kris is so weird…)
"Well, guess it's up to me to show you something cool then, heh," Susie said with a smirk as she led the way to the supply closet.
Noelle eagerly followed behind her, his heart thumping with excitement as they approached the entrance. Susie threw all caution to the wind and opened it without hesitation, revealing the same darkness staring back at him that he saw in the computer room yesterday. He was still more than a little intimidated by the prospect of entering what appeared to be a black void of nothingness, but tried to keep a brave face.
"Um, Susie, do you think you could, um, maybe, um, hold m-" Noelle started to whisper before Susie interrupted him by lightly shoving him into the abyss.
Noelle screamed in shock and flailed his arms around wildly as he started falling. Susie maintained a cool composure all the while, making Noelle's wailing seem all the more frantic in contrast. It didn't take too long before he hit the ground with a loud thud, Susie managing to land on her feet next to him.
"Susie! Give me a head's up next time, cheezus…" Noelle groaned as he got up.
He looked down and saw that his outfit had changed once again from his black dress and Christmas colored sweater to the same white dress robe from before. If he had to wear feminine clothing still, he'd rather stick to what he had worn for years than a plain white dress. At least the red and green plaid felt uniquely him. He looked at Susie, who was adorned in her cool and spiky attire and flashing a wide grin at him.
"Heh, sorry dude, I just couldn't wait! Now come on!" Susie said as she ushered for Noelle to follow her lead.
Noelle did as instructed, finding himself in the middle of a town square. It was hard to believe that what he was experiencing was actually real and not a dream. But he felt the ground beneath him, heard the bustling music coming from the party dojo, and saw the multicolored shops that stood out among the blue and black.
"Woah…" he muttered to himself.
In the middle of the square stood the goat prince himself, standing in silence as he faced away from the two Lightners.
"Ralsei!" Susie called out in excitement, causing him to turn around and rush towards her.
"Susie! Welcome back! I missed you!" Ralsei greeted Susie with a big hug, nuzzling his fur against Susie's cheek.
"Yeah, yeah…" Susie said as she made Ralsei let go of her.
"Um, I see you've uh, brought your friend!" Ralsei said with a surprised look on his face. "I don't believe I've properly introduced myself. My name is Ralsei, I am the prince of this kingdom," he said as he curtsied in front of Noelle.
"Oh gosh, um, hi!" Noelle replied as he awkwardly returned the curtsy. "This place is so cool…"
"Heh, I knew you'd like it dude!" Susie said with a satisfied grin.
"Um, I don't mean to be rude, but can I ask where Kris is…?" Ralsei said to Susie.
Susie shrugged. "I dunno. They were with us on our way over here but then just kinda left out of nowhere. Probably had to go take a leak or something."
"O-okay then! Well, I can show your friend around if you would like," Ralsei said.
"Woah, I wanna be included too!" a voice called out from on top of a nearby miniature castle before Noelle could take Ralsei up on his offer.
"Lancer! What's up man?!" Susie called back, rushing over to the edge of roof.
Noelle watched as the boy jumped down and onto Susie's back, Susie carrying him over to the town square where he and Ralsei stood. Lancer climbed down and joined everyone else on the ground, triumphantly high fiving Susie.
A small child with a face shaped like a spade certainly wasn't who Noelle was expecting when he heard Susie had a cool friend from the Dark World, although he didn't mind. He smiled as he watched the boy stick his tongue out and dance about the town square, a bouncing ball of energy.
"Hey dude, check it out!" Susie said to Lancer as she pointed to Noelle. "This is my friend… uh…" she paused. "Hold on, I guess I should ask, is there like… another name you wanna go by?"
"Oh! Um, I haven't thought about that yet!" Noelle said. "I kinda… didn't think I'd be out so soon, faha…"
"Oh. Right. Uh, sorry if I'm like, rushing this or whatever, I uh, don't really know how these things are supposed to go," Susie muttered, now sounding guilty more than anything.
"No, no! Don't apologize, you're okay! If anything, I should be thanking you, really! If it weren't for you I'd probably just stay in the closet until… gosh, I don't even know…" Noelle sighed.
"Woah, you also live in a closet? Does yours have a dojo too?" Lancer asked.
"Um, it doesn't, no," Noelle awkwardly replied.
"Sounds kinda lame then!" Lancer laughed.
"It, it is, yeah," he agreed. "Anyway, um, maybe you guys could help me pick out a new name…?"
"Hmm…" Susie said, placing a finger up to her chin. "Well, you gotta name yourself something badass. Like uh… Deathknife!"
"…Deathknife?" Ralsei asked.
"Yeah! Doesn't that sound cool?!" Susie grinned.
"I um, guess so? But I don't think my mom would let me name myself Deathknife?"
"Ooh! Ooh! Can I be Deathknife?!" Lancer asked, bouncing up and down in excitement.
"Hell yeah you can be Deathknife!" Susie roared.
"Aw, wait, I just remembered, I already have a name. Guess I can't be Deathknife," Lancer sighed.
"Maybe it would help to know if there was anything you're leaning towards?" Ralsei asked.
He thought it over. In all of the times he idly fantasized about what it would be like to be a boy over the years, he never really considered what his name might be. There were a lot of things he didn't like about being a girl, but the name Noelle wasn't really one of them. He liked how it sounded and the festiveness that came with it certainly fit him. Besides, he knew it could be a lot worse when it came to deadnames. At least his parents didn't name him Togore.
"Um… maybe it can be something similar to Noelle? I mean, there's nothing wrong with it aside from it only being for girls," he said.
"Well… you could always just go for Noel then," Ralsei suggested.
"That's the same as his old name, dumbass," Susie said.
"Actually Susie, it's only one syllable when it's a boy's name. Noelle. Noel. You pronounce it different," Ralsei tried to explain.
"He already has different pronouns," Susie responded.
"Maybe we should go back to Deathknife!" Lancer chimed in.
"Nah, nah, we can figure this out," Susie said. "Let's see… you want something that's like Noelle but different. Maybe something like… No… uh…"
"Noah?"
"Huh?" Susie asked.
"You suggested the name Noah, right? I um, I like that one! I think I want to give it a try!"
"Okay, Noah! Yeah! Maybe not as awesome as Deathknife, but still cool," Susie said.
"Faha, well if you think it's cool then I know it's the right one!" Noah said with a smile.
"Well, now that that's settled Noah, allow me to show you around Castle Town!" Ralsei announced.
"Oh, um, there's one other thing I wanted to ask about first, actually? I-if you don't mind, of course," Noah m
"Oh? What's that?" Ralsei asked.
"Does this place have a clothing store or something? I don't really like this robe… it feels a little too…" Noah began to say.
He thought more about why being in a plain white dress bothered him more than the dress he wore in the Light World. The outfit certainly lacked personality compared to Ralsei's and Susie's, but something else about it made him dysphoric. It was only when he played through the events of what happened yesterday and remembered that strange man who kept calling him a side chick in need of a ring that he could place why this robe was more uncomfortable.
"…Um, bridal looking," Noah finished his sentence.
"Oh! Well, we don't really have a clothing store or anything but… I can design you something else to wear!" Ralsei offered.
"Really?! Gosh, thank you!" Noah said, hugging Ralsei as a show of appreciation before quickly pulling away. "Oh, um, sorry! I should have asked first before trying to hug royalty!"
Ralsei laughed, bringing both Noah and Susie in for a hug himself, Noah blushing profusely at sharing an indirect hug with Susie. "Oh silly, I think it's always lovely to hug your friends!"
"Of course you do…" Susie groaned as she pushed Ralsei away from her, Noah letting go of him shortly afterwards.
"Aw, don't worry toothpaste boy, I'll hug you!" Lancer exclaimed before tackling Ralsei to the ground as he wrapped his arms around him, prompting laughter from both Susie and Noah.
Ralsei stood back up as Lancer still clung to his leg. "Well, I can show you to your room now and get started on designing your new outfit, Noah," Ralsei said, trying to shake Lancer off.
"Woah, you mean I have my own room here?! Neat!" Noah beamed.
"I figured since Kris and Susie have rooms, it only made sense to make one for you as well! Susie talks about you a lot, so it wasn't too hard to come up with a design I think you'd like," Ralsei smiled.
"Okay I wouldn't say I talk about you a lot," Susie corrected. "I talk about you like, the normal amount," she added with a blush on her face.
(Thump, thump…)
"Susie and Noah sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S," Lancer started to sing before Susie grabbed him and put her hand over his mouth.
"Okay! That's enough of that! Let's get you to your mom!" Susie exclaimed in a hurry.
Noah hoped that Susie didn't notice how red in the face he got as she and Lancer turned to walk away. Before he could die of embarrassment, the sound of a familiar laugh from afar caught his attention.
(Oh no...)
"Don't Worry Everyone Mother Has Arrived," Queen announced.
"Hi girldad!" Lancer greeted. "Susie was showing me her friend!"
"Oh Yes Noelle♂ Sweetie Darling Honey Gravy It Is So Good To See You Again How's The Gender Going," Queen asked.
"It's... um. Good? I guess?" Noah replied in confusion. He still wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to feel about Queen. "Also, my name's Noah now," he corrected.
"Updating Name On File," Queen said as her visor went black for a split second before popping back online. "Noah Is A Better Name Anyway I Mean How The Heck Are You Even Supposed To Pronounce A ♂"
"My name was never... nevermind," Noah started to say before stopping himself.
"Hi Queen," Susie said. "I was just about to leave Lancer with you. Little guy's getting to be too much to handle."
"Susie doesn't like my songs about kissing," Lancer pouted.
"What," Queen exclaimed. "This Is Outrageous Susie Apologize To My Son Right Now"
"Uh... okay. Sorry...?" Susie mumbled.
"Come On Lancer I Didn't Realize Susie Was Such A Prude," Queen scoffed as her and Lancer walked off, leaving everyone else confused.
"Um, let's get back on track now, shall we?" Ralsei said.
Ralsei led Noah back to where his room was. Noah marveled at the white Christmas tree shaped door in front of him. His eyes lit up further when he stepped inside and saw all the holiday inspired furniture and decorations that adorned his room. A light blue bed with a white blanket that looked like a layer of fresh snow. Glowing white snowflakes that reminded him of the stars in Dess's room. A red and green desk with tinsel wrapped around the legs. He stood in the center of the room to take it all in, Ralsei standing next to him.
"I hope you like it," Ralsei said.
"It's wonderful!" Noah exclaimed. "Faha, oh my goodness, my parents would probably be jealous at how festive this place is. I never thought anyone would be able to beat my family when it came to going all out for Christmas," he laughed.
"I'm glad to hear it!" Ralsei replied with a smile.
Ralsei pulled out measuring tape and instructed Noah to lift up his arms.
"So um, what's it like being a prince?" Noah asked as Ralsei took his measurements.
"Hmm… I haven't given much thought on the matter. Being a prince is just part of my purpose here," Ralsei said.
"Oh, um, okay! It's just that when I was a kid there was this character in Dragon Blazers Melee who was a prince, and I thought he was like, the coolest thing ever. He had magic powers and you could choose to either charge up extra powerful energy attacks or use it for healing, so he was a good mix of offense and defe-" Noah explained before cutting himself off. "Sorry um, I probably sound like a total geek right now, don't I?"
Ralsei laughed. "You can keep going, it's okay."
"Well, I think I wanted to be like him. Looking back that was probably one of the first signs that I might not be a girl, faha," Noah said.
"That's good to know, I think that gives me an idea," Ralsei said with a smile as he finished taking Noah's measurements.
"Oh gosh! Faha, whatever it is, I hope Susie likes it…" Noah muttered.
"I'm sure she will. She seems to like a lot of things about you," Ralsei winked.
"U-um, really?! What makes you say that?" Noah replied, covering his nose before it could start glowing again.
"Just a feeling I have," Ralsei said as he opened the door to Noah's closet, pulling out a sewing machine and fabric of red and white.
It was unclear to Noah if that had been there from the start or if Ralsei was able to conjure up objects at will. There was still a lot about this place that he didn't understand, although he was too caught up in his feelings about Susie to ask any questions about that.
"D-do you think you could give me like, advice? We're um… going to the Festival tomorrow and um… I'm not sure if it's a date but… I'd really like it to be," Noah mumbled.
"I'm afraid I don't know much about the finer details of love. As a Darkner, romance is not something I'm meant to experience," Ralsei said as he sat on Noah's bed and began sewing.
"What? That can't be true, surely there's someone in this kingdom who makes you feel a special way," Noah responded.
"I don't think it would be appropriate for a prince to court one of his subjects…" Ralsei said.
"Okay, fair, but what about one of us then?" Noah asked.
"Huh?" Ralsei gasped in shock.
"Yeah! Um, not me obviously, I don't like boys like that, but maybe someone else? I guess I can't blame you if you also like Susie, she's so cool and all but…" Noah muttered.
"I can't say I've ever thought about Susie in that manner before," Ralsei said.
"Thank you Angel," Noah breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, well, there's uh… Berdly, I guess? I think he has a crush on me though, so I don't know if he'd be interested in you. And um, he probably wouldn't be that good of a boyfriend anyway."
"Noah, I don't think I'm in need of a boyfriend," Ralsei said as he stood up and put away the sewing machine, moving on to conjuring up the other parts of Noah's outfit.
"Oh! What about Kris?" Noah suggested.
"K-Kris?" Ralsei asked in a raised voice. "I-I don't think Kris and I…"
"Aw, faha, you're blushing!" Noah giggled as he noticed Ralsei's cheeks appeared slightly rosier. "So you do like Kris!"
"Kris and I are simply heroes of the Prophecy together! Just because we rode on a swan boat in an acid river together and I accidentally clicked on a Lightners for Darkners popup does not mean there is anything going on between us!" Ralsei huffed.
(Oh good I'm not the only one who clicked on embarrassing popups…)
"I think you two would make a cute couple! Well, okay, admittedly it might be a little weird since at first I thought you might be Kri- actually, I'm gonna shut up," Noah cut himself off.
"Please do," Ralsei said. "Anyway, I've finished your new outfit! I'll give you some privacy to change," he said as he stepped outside.
"O-oh, that was fast! Guess magic being real helps speed things along, faha, um, thank you!" Noah called out before walking towards his bed and seeing the clothes neatly laid out for him.
"Woah…"
He quickly disrobed and stood in disbelief at the ornate outfit Ralsei managed to design on such short notice. He put on the plain black undershirt and pair of dress pants first before inspecting the centerpiece of his outfit. It was a regal looking red uniform, accented with golden buttons and lines near the end of its pleated back. The fancy white bows present on the back and on the sash across the front of his uniform made it difficult for Noah to put on. He adjusted the frills on his shoulders and made sure his collar looked nice. He slipped on the miniature crowns that served as cuffs for his sleeves and put on the black pair of boots over his hooves. Finally, he tied his hair back and placed the red and black hat that was adorned with another matching white ribbon and a golden Delta Rune emblem in between his antlers.
Noah walked over to the full body mirror that stood in the corner of his room and admired his reflection. His uniform looked stunning. It resembled a toy soldier and was just the right balance of masculine and feminine that made it both affirming to how he wanted to look while still feeling true to himself. Ralsei must have realized that Noah wanted a similar level of androgyny that the dark prince managed to pull off.
"Ralsei, this is incredible, thank you so much," Noah said after he walked out of his room.
He was surprised to find Susie waiting outside the door waiting for him as well. "Woah, that's pretty sick," Susie grinned.
"Y-yeah? You like it too?" Noah asked nervously.
"Yeah! Though you better not be thinking about replacing me in the band, drummer boy," Susie snickered.
"I'm really glad you like it, but I'm afraid you should probably get going. Another Fountain has been opened. Susie and I need to help Kris seal it," Ralsei explained.
"Wait! Noah should come with us!" Susie interrupted.
"…Susie, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Ralsei stated plainly.
"Oh come on, if he knows everything already, what harm is there in having him come along with us? It'll be another adventure!" Susie insisted.
"Um, I don't want to interrupt or anything, I don't have to go with you guys if it'd be an inconvenience," Noah mumbled. "I can just… um… go back to my house and…"
"Hell no! I am not letting you do that," Susie said before turning to Ralsei. "You're always talking about the importance of friendship or whatever, right? Well, Noah's my friend, and I say we bring him with us!"
"I… suppose…" Ralsei sheepishly agreed. "If that's what Noah wants."
"I-it is! There were some parts of the Dark World that were scary but I actually had a lot of fun when it came to solving puzzles and stopping bad guys. I wanna help my friends and… I think if we're together then… I won't be so afraid," Noah said.
"Awesome!" Susie cheered.
"I must tell you, Noah. There's real danger that comes with accompanying the heroes on our journey. The fate of the world is in our hands and you may encounter certain things along the way that could be… upsetting," Ralsei warned.
"U-um, okay… I think I can handle it. My last adventure went okay and my sister and I have watched a lot of horror movies. And I think now that I can be myself, I feel a lot braver," Noah said with a reassuring smile.
"…Well, um, okay then. Welcome to the Fun Gang, Noah! I suppose I will be seeing the two of you soon," Ralsei said.
Susie and Noah made their way back over to the entrance of Castle Town where they arrived from, Ralsei standing close by waving goodbye at them. Susie told Noah to jump into the light with her and he felt himself being hurled upwards back to the Light World.
As he looked down, Noah couldn't help but notice Ralsei's expression change from a friendly smile to a look of concern.
