Chapter Text
"Kris? Where's Susie?"
Kris turned around to see Ralsei standing by the door to the fountain. The light from the other room washed the area is grayscale. The fountain was closed. But, she was still here.
"I..." Kris opened her mouth to speak, but the same feeling as all those years before overcame her. The words became stuck, pushed down, and meaningless. She was too tired to push them out just like all those times before Dark World.
The guide was gone.
She looked down at her strange blue hands, they seemed paler than before in the dull dim light.
Something was missing, something was taken. The guide had stolen something important from her.
Maybe they just took back the something they gave. Maybe-
A warm hand hesitantly touched Kris's shoulder, "Kris, did.. could you not go home? The fountain is closed but I'm not sure what went wrong. Are you okay?" Ralsei's kind face came into view as he knelt down in front of Kris. He looked so much like her brother.
"Don't worry. We'll figure it out Together. I promise..I mean- I might not be much help but! I'll do my best!" Ralsei paused for an awkward minute and then with shaky jerky movements he hugged Kris.
The tears were supposed to be kept inside.
But Kris was never offered help in anything that mattered before and it hurt. It hurt so much. It was a warm pain so unlike the pain of before. Kris threw herself into Ralsei's hug and they sat there for a few minutes as she tried to get her breathing under control.
"...Hey Prince Clown, I don't think you should stay here any longer I think my Dad is gonna wake up soon." Lancer stood there pensively looking behind his shoulder as if afraid the King would come stomping down at any moment. He squinted in the dark of the room, " OH- You decided to stay after all?! Where's the cool purple one?"
"No Lancer, Susie's gone, Only Kris was left here." Lancer's face fell at Ralsei's explaination and Kris pulled from the hug just a bit, "But you're right we do need to get out of here."
Lancer bounced back quickly with a spin while sticking his tongue out. "We can just sneak by the door and-"
"We can't. Lancer There is literally an army behind that door. We can't just 'sneak' by, isn't there another way out?" Ralsei's face falling in disbelief.
"Uhhh Hmmm" Lancer tapped his chin a bit, " OH! We can just take the s.e.c.r.e.t door! There's a button in the throne room! Under the seat! Follow Meeee!" Lancer skidded down the hall a bit out of sight.
"Hey Kris, do you think you can walk? I can help but I don't think I'm strong enough to carry you by myself... and I don't trust Lancer not to drop you." Ralsei pulled back from the hug fully and stood up offering his gloved hands to Kris.
Kris took them after a moment, Ralsei didn't mean anything by what he said. Probably didn't even know that it had any kind of terrible meaning behind it. She followed her friend as they walked hand in hand past the stationary Lancer who was absolutely not leading them like he said he would, past the dangerous sleeping king, and into the messy chaotic Throne room. Kris scrubbed her face of the dried tears and looked under the throne for the button.
"....huh" It was more like a switch, the same kind that they've passed by in all the Dark world. But at least the password was posted above it with Lancer's name in bold print above it. He probably kept forgetting it. She punched it in quickly, Spade Spade Spade.
A whirl and a click, "AH" Kris fell into the opened door underneath the throne falling down a few of the stairs, her hands bloodied on the stone when she manged to stop herself. She laid there as her heart pounded loudly in her ears. She nearly died. probably.
"KRIS! KRIS ARE YOU OKAY?" The back of her jacket was pulled and she was upright again, the sting in her palms at the back of her mind as she looked up at her friend with a bit of a nod.
"I'm glad! Oh, You found the door! Quick let's go down before it closes!" Ralsei looked back at the exit door that they came through hesitating for a moment, "I don't think Lancer is coming, he hasn't shown up yet. We can't wait, he'll be fine.. I hope." Ralsei hurried Kris down and slid in after her pushing the door up after they were a good couple steps down. "There we should... be okay now."
The steps were solid but it was dark, Kris reached out for Ralsei clumsily searching for his hand.
The bravery that was gifted to her on her arrival was gone, the hope that kept her heart light was now hollowed out, the dark around them was heavy and scary, "...Ral.."
"Oh It's okay I'm still her- OOF- Ow- Kris, just- here" Ralsei grabbed hold of her searching hand, "Let's go down together yeah? I'll keep my hand on this wall on you keep yours on that one- It's pretty wide but we should be okay."
Kris reached out to the icy stone wall on her side and they walked down the large steps. She held Ral's hand tightly as she shook just a little trying to keep the fear from consuming her. She had been left behind again. Just like when her brother left her, only she didn't know if this was worse or not. She probably wouldn't even be able to go home. Would Susie even miss her? Would anyone?
A soft humming filled the stairwell and a soft blue light appeared, "Sorry I didn't think the dark would be so well dark. I just- oops" the light died out with the humming before coming back when Ralsei started again.
Breathing heavily Kris focused on the light that scared away a bit of the inky darkness,"....anks."
She manged most of the word, it was enough it seemed when Ralsei turned and smiled at her.
The darkness went on as they walked deeper.