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It was a sleepless night for Kris, like there were many others before. They were fumbling in their sheets for almost an hour now, attempting to catch just a minute of serenity to no avail. For better or for worse, they couldn't take their pills tonight either, so there was little they could do. Begrudgingly, they got up from their cold bed with a loud yawn, focusing their blurry vision on their room that drowned in darkness. Glancing at their empty bed one last time, they left to fetch some snacks.
While Castle Town was always eerily quiet at times like this, with its colorful dwellers hiding in their houses to escape darkness, they could sense an especially heavy weight in the air tonight. The feeling most unpleasant crawled on their back, and it was like each step they took was forced by marionette's thin strings. When they reached the first floor, the reason became almost painfully obvious: the door guarding the Grand Fountain was forced open, and shadows poured from it, consuming any light they could reach.
Their first instinct was to rush forward and confront a careless intruder threatening this very world, but an emotion all too familiar overtook them quickly: unapologetic and cold fear. Whoever had means of dismissing the spell that protected the door was a powerful enemy no doubt, and, getting as far as they did, there is a little chance they could be swayed by mere words. As their armor appeared alongside their sword, Kris gulped audibly and made a step forward, allowing darkness to guide them. They were explicitly forbidden from even peeking inside due to the dangers unknown, and it seemed like nobody quite understood what is hidden behind the threshold.
At first, it appeared to be that there were going in circles, or maybe spending hours in the same place while standing still – of course, it was naught but an illusion. Before the Grand Fountain, such ideas as time and space were meaningless, and no law of nature could exist in its presence. The closer they were – Kris believed that they were getting there after all – the stranger were the differences.
Kris could sense the world around, and even their own body, changing with each passing second. They were traversing large mountain peaks, drowning in bottomless lakes, breathing smoke from burnt trees and coughing sand from red deserts, listening to tropical rivers calling for them and covering from Arctic icebergs hungry for meat.
At some point they began to run, jumping over skyscrapers and making their way around a labyrinth of specks of dust, and nearly stumbled at the highway filled with traffic before riding forth on their feet. Empty cars were unusually loud today, though they couldn't understand a single word said, as all of them sank into the ground before them as they made haste in their search. There was a stray dark dollar bill found in Kris' massive bank storage for a fresh glass of shampoo just in time before their flight.
Unsurprisingly, they missed it by almost two decades, so it demanded a radical solution. Spreading their beautiful wings, Kris flew with no more cares in this world, screaming cheerfully at every turn of the rails. When they were almost ready to raise the stakes and to consume a vegetable salad as a fuel, the darkness spewed them on solid ground before the shape of the Fountain.
It took much longer to adjust here, and the reality finally revealed itself. With the exception of the Grand Fountain's mighty shadow, the room they found themselves in was empty, and only lavish greenery signified any life – no intruder in sight. The stiff air was almost like made out of pen ink, so it surprised them such beauty can truly flourish here.
Reaching their arm to touch a pale white flower, Kris did not notice a devious stem until it was too late.
Wrapping itself around their torso, legs and arms, it sprung up to immobilize them for good, twisting their joints like it played with a doll and rushing their body higher and higher. The sword fell from their grip almost immediately, and their plate bent slightly backwards, only adding the pressure on their chest. They attempted to struggle, but it was like the plants consumed any strength they had left, leaving them to go completely limp. Until a voice all too familiar made them focus again, even for a moment.
“Oh, golly! Kris, how could you possibly get here?” Ralsei manifested himself before them like by magic, and a smile was playing on his lips. Even though he appeared to be more surprised than angered, Kris couldn't help but be unnerved by his demeanor.
“Ralsei…?” they asked, bemused.
“In the flesh!” he chuckled, but then his voice changed to an almost accusatory tone. “Why did you leave our room? I was so worried when I couldn't find you!”
“Later. Can you get me down there?”
As if it was obeying Ralsei's unspoken command, the plant lowered Kris so their feet could touch ground. Words of gratitude stuck in their throat however, as Ralsei's expression transformed into an impish grin.
“It was quite some time since you let me capture yourself like that, ha ha! I still remember how awkward it was the first time,” Ralsei's cold paws embraced their face before he suddenly stepped back. “Yet… I am disappointed you went against my direct orders, Kris. You should have never left.”
“What?”
“Don't play with me,” Ralsei said calmly; Kris could feel a thin stem growing around their neck. “I asked one simple thing so you could play your little game in peace, but perhaps I should have known you would disobey. Such a failure.”
It was like Kris' very heart halted its march. Ralsei's words were so obvious and clear, yet they couldn't process a single thing said, desperately praying for him to drop this strange charade and, like always, just smile awkwardly while complimenting them.
“What are you talking about? P-please, Ralsei, help me!”
Dignifying them with no response for now, Ralsei made an effort to not groan in annoyance. As he moved closer to the Fountain itself, Kris' body floated behind him while staying motionless; those vines held them better than some shackles could. The Fountain's shade encapsulated both of them, and at this very moment Kris felt that they were touched by a living being most sacred.
“The darkness, as you may know, is a dangerous matter that threatens the Light World,” Ralsei began, carefully choosing his words. “With each Dark Fountain open, massive amounts of dark energy are released to flood the reality itself – so that is why you thought we were closing them with such diligence. To restore the balance and to prevent the darkness from consuming the light… am I not wrong?”
Kris nodded slowly, and something in their chest twisted, with a premonition most unkind preventing them from even taking a breath.
“Just how silly could you be to believe in such a tale?” Ralsei cackled at them suddenly, with mischievous sparkles lighting in his eyes. “The truth, as you might have guessed already, is ever so slightly different. You see, the Roaring does exist as a concept, though it has little in common with a pretty story I crafted so carefully. Not only excessive darkness is harmless to Darkners, it could grant us powers beyond your wildest fears. King, that deranged maniac, almost gave my game away. Luckily, you took good care of him for me, ha ha!”
He made a quick pause here, awaiting a response, yet none followed.
“However,” he continued. “The darkness is a very peculiar matter. It can not be harvested by simple means, only nourished by the power of imagination. And that's why I needed you, Kris.”
Ralsei licked his flat lips, his hand lightly touching their wrist captured in vines.
“You were so lonely, so desperate, so easy to manipulate… To be completely frank with you, I did expect some resistance at least – not for your to break down crying the very moment I called us friends. I even contemplated disposing of you here and there but had no other options yet. And then, making you feel like you could ever be loved became a routine too amusing to forsake.”
He paused yet again, and a cruel smile sprouted on his face when he continued.
“I agree that ‘the Roaring Knight’ was a perfect name for a villain, though it's far from your boldest ideas. Making your own family members into characters to build up courage to never stand up to them in real life, for instance, always gets me to chuckle a little bit. And Susie… your imagination is so wild, Kris, I almost started to worry for you at some point.”
Eyes wide open, Kris stared at him in disbelief. Their fantastical adventures, their loyal friends, their very quest to save the world from the mysterious Knight – was it all naught but a fantasy of their own mind? They looked at Ralsei as if he was a different person entirely, and some of his featured did begin to shift subtly. What is going on…?
This entire scene was so unbelievable and so absurd, Kris wanted nothing more but to laugh, laugh and laugh until their throat gets so sore they could no longer taste the air, choking on their own gore.
“All of this doesn't mean I dislike you – actually, far from it!” the creature bearing his likeness moved closer, and Kris could feel its frigid breath on their face as its deformed fangs formed a predatory grin. “To tell the exact truth… I was always wondering whether you would taste like apples.”
Kris cried before it sank its teeth in their shoulder. The last chance for them to persist was now lost irreversibly as their vision grew dark yet darker. There was no pain, no despair nor any other feeling left, only an emptiness so vast and so welcoming, it almost felt like it was calling their name…
“Kris!”
When they opened their eyes again, they sensed it before their eyes grew adjusted enough to see: Ralsei was leaning over them with a concern written on his face, his ardent body so dangerously close to their own. Their first instinct was to squirm away, to hide beneath their blanket and to forget what they have seen, slipping in yet another dream. Instead, they hugged him tightly and buried their face in his neck, not even pretending to hold tears back.
He was so warm, so soft, so familiar, they wanted nothing more but to completely melt in his loving embrace, nuzzling against his fluffy chest. They allowed him to pull away, being flustered as always, and felt a shade of a smile blooming on their lips. It was so easy next to him, so relaxing…
Ralsei covered their palm with his larger paw as they sat, humming a melody to make them comfortable and never taking his eyes away from their face.
“You had another nightmare?” he asked gently, wrapping his arms around them.
“Maybe,” Kris chuckled faintly as they rested their head on his shoulder.
“Staying here at nights is always a strange experience,” he shook his head. “Maybe it’d be better to––”
“No!” Kris suddenly cried, an expression of panic crossing their face. “I don’t want to go!”
“Then, I won’t let you, ha ha!”
Ralsei’s smile waned as Kris shuddered at his words.
“Do you… want to talk about it?”
“…not right now,” Kris uttered under their breath, looking away. “It’s just… It’s something I need to sort out myself, okay?”
He nodded thoughtfully, planting a kiss on their temple.
“I believe that you can do it, Kris! If you need it, I’ll always be with you in the dark.”
They returned the kiss slowly, caressing his neck as their lips met. While not completely relieved, they were more than grateful for it nevertheless.
Kris departed for sleep soon afterwards, but Ralsei was laying awake and stroking their hair still, guarding them with diligence and care only he was capable of. Be that his belief in them, his words of support or his actions, a peaceful smile bloomed on their tired face. Tonight, they saw no more nightmares.