Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Carefully tightening her hood, Vee slipped through the crowd of witches and demons slowly forming around the Owl Lady’s stand. As bizarre as it was for a human to be on the isles, that could only mean one thing.

Sensing for any strong traces of magic around her, she honed in on a few sources. The Owl Lady herself as well as the key she was holding, and a ludicrously high amount of magic emanating from the tent nearby. This would be risky, but it might be able to get the Emperor's Coven off her forever.

Creeping past a few citizens admiring a strange glowing box the human seemed to now be showing off, (were the pictures on it moving…?) Vee crept towards the tent. Stepping inside, light from a shining portal cast the interior in an ethereal glow. The picture on the other side was unlike anything the basilisk had ever seen before.

A calm, blue sky settled over a lush green forest, viewed from what appeared to be a rickety wooden porch. It seemed… alien, but peaceful.

Maybe this could finally be her escape, her real escape.

No more Coven Scouts.

No more stealing to replenish her magic.

No more living in fear.

Shrugging off her cloak, Vee began to slither her way deeper into the tent.

“Hey, whatd’ya think you’re doing?”

Vee snapped around to see the Owl Lady staring at her, holding the portal key. A very confused human watched from behind.

“Geez, everyone wants to use this thing today,” she remarked.

Time seemed to slow as Vee watched her begin to click the eye button on the key. Whipping back around, the basilisk dashed towards the portal. The bottom had already begun to fold upwards, and so using the last little bit of magic she had left in her, Vee sprung upwards, leaping through the top half of the portal just before it folded shut.

The human and witch stared in silence for a moment.

“Eh, sure that’s probably fine,” Eda shrugged.

-/-

The portal image flickered as Vee passed through. Instead of landing in a heap on that porch, the basilisk was plunged into a murky green and black liquid.

Splashing through the other side, she yelped as she suddenly found herself falling through an even stranger environment. Vee tumbled between the walls of a jagged, purple and green canyon as she fell past countless floating cubes. Each one swirled with magical energy, its contents looking similar to that of a miniature galaxy.

Before she could even process everything she was seeing, Vee plunged into more of the green and black liquid that was forming a pool across the canyon’s floor.

She sank deeper and deeper as she flailed wildly, eventually daring to open her eyes. To her horror, it made little difference.

Eventually, the feeling of liquid gave way to that of a freezing chill as her surroundings became darker than dark. Shivering, the basilisk began to slither forwards through the darkness.

It had been at least a couple of minutes before she bumped head first into something solid.

Gently placing her palm against it, Vee felt around to determine that she had in fact hit a wall. She gave it a slight push, and then a slightly harder push. The wall let out a rusted creak in response.

Bracing both hands against the wall, Vee pushed against it with all her might. The wall slowly began to give, metal groaning in response. Vee cringed slightly, the noise reminding her all too much of the iron bars she’d spent most of her life behind.

Pushing away painful memories in favor of pushing this wall, Vee yelled as she gave it one last shove, the wall splitting in two and swinging open as she fell through to the other side.

The doors squeaked on their rusted hinges as the basilisk slowly tried to regain her bearings. She squinted, the light painfully bright as her eyes fought to adjust.

This looked like the human realm… but just different enough to where Vee couldn’t be sure.

The grass less vibrant, and more yellowed out.

The trees had golden and orange leaves.

The sky was a softer, paler blue.

Groaning as she stood up, Vee turned to see where she’d come from.

Before her was some kind of strange, shelter-like structure. The doors were rusted red, having somehow shut without her noticing. A small, grassy hill rolled over the structure, obscuring the building’s details.

Titan, if that was the trip the human had gone through to access the Boiling Isles, then she had Vee’s utmost respect for managing to still look so cheerful afterwards.

Her eyes widening, Vee suddenly realized that she knew absolutely nothing about where she was. Sure she’d heard things here and there in the Demon Realm, but even she knew that it was more or less an open secret that no one knew anything about humans.

Were they going to be hostile?

How was she going to know what’s safe to consume?

Were the laws of physics and nature different here?

It’s probably a miracle she’s able to still breathe the air here! Wait, could she-?

Vee’s breathing quickened as she tried to steady herself. Panicking wasn’t going to help her, and it’s the last thing she needed right now. Carefully, she calmed herself enough to get back to breathing normally again.

Glancing around the shelter structure, she could see a clear path through the trees. It would probably be best to see where that leads her.

-/-

The walk down the path was short but tense, a feeling that only got worse as Vee stepped into what seemed to be a small town. The architecture was strange and alien, and she couldn’t quite tell what the purpose of any given building was.

The greater surprise was the people.

Vee knew very little about the Human Realm, but this was… not what she was expecting.

They looked strangely similar to the demons from her own realm, but just off in slight ways she couldn’t pinpoint. Perhaps it was how closely their builds resembled those of witches and humans, or the lack of disturbing or out-of-place body parts, or even just how calm everyone seemed. Maybe she’d be able to blend in…?

“Excuse me young one, are you alright?”

Vee suppressed a yelp as she whipped around to see one of the creatures approaching her. He was tall and elderly, dressed in some kind of blue robe, and had a large shell on his back.

“My apologies dear, I did not mean to frighten you. You seemed a bit lost.”

The basilisk struggled to find the words to speak, not helped by the fact that she was terrified of accidentally saying the wrong thing. She opted to just shake her head. The man seemed unsure of what to say for a moment.

“...I don’t believe I have seen you around this town before, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Father Alvin,” he said, offering a handshake. Vee flinched at the motion.

Father Alvin frowned slightly. Vee felt herself starting to panic a little more. What did she do wrong? Was that rude? Did she accidently imply something?

She needed space. She needed to get out of here before something went wrong or she made things worse.

Keeping her gaze trained on Alvin, she began inching backwards.

“Are you sure you’re alright, child…? I mean you no harm,” the priest said carefully, putting his hand down.

Vee nodded this time, not trusting herself to speak.

“...If that is the case, I would not want to be a bother,” Alvin decided. If something was wrong, he’d rather not lose the child’s trust, and sensed that he might if he kept pushing this. “My church is always open to those in need, should they choose to stop by. May the Angel’s light bless you.”

Alvin turned, walking back to what Vee assumed was his church.

Slithering towards the treeline to collect herself, Vee let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She had no idea what the “Angel” was, but no matter! She’d had a successful conversation that didn’t end with her being threatened or chased!

It also seemed as though she would be able to blend in with the residents of this strange town. They wouldn’t recognize her, and that could be an issue, but they also didn’t seem to think she was some kind of other species. She could use that- that can work!

Feeling invigorated, Vee pressed further into town.

-/-

Luck seemed to finally be on Vee’s side for once.

The basilisk had continued exploring the town, and while she had received a couple of perplexed looks that put her on edge, no one had tried to have a conversation with her again.

The streets were filled with buildings of all shapes and sizes, although they were significantly more organized than the twists and turns of Bonesborough. That was also somewhat of an issue.

There weren’t a lot of great places to hide, and every building seemed occupied with a specific purpose. Vee didn’t want to take her chances in the woods, given how little she knew about the environment surrounding her, but she wasn’t seeing many other options.

Still, she hadn’t checked every street yet.

The sounds of the bustling townsfolk slowly softened as Vee made her way down a road she hadn’t fully checked yet, eventually finding a large, mostly secluded building. Some kind of emblem was emblazoned upon the doors, and by the sound of it, no one was inside.

Giving the handle a try, the basilisk was shocked to find that the building was unlocked.

Slipping inside and letting the door silently fall shut behind her, afternoon light shone through the hallway as Vee slowly began to explore what seemed to be a school. Classrooms weren’t a safe bet since those would likely be used during the day, but something else caught her eye. It was a large set of double doors at the end of the hallway.

Vee was willing to bet they led to a closet of some kind.

She’d still need to be careful, but this would be the perfect hiding place while she tried to scope out more of this world!

Grabbing the handles, she carefully swung open the doors to reveal…

Cold, crushing darkness.

She did not want to go back to wherever that place was in the slightest. Her head started to ache as she tried wrapping her mind around how exactly she’d even arrived here in the first place. The basilisk was overcome with a sense of vertigo as she began to relive her fall through space and time. She tried slithering backwards and shutting the doors, but she stumbled on her own tail.

Teetering forward, Vee yelped as she fell into the closet, once again falling into a dark abyss.

Only this time, instead of splashing face first into some kind of murky dark goo, Vee felt a strange tingling sensation. Almost like… magic?

She hadn’t felt a trace of the stuff since she’d arrived, and even this felt different somehow. The sensation dulled out quickly as she landed on a cold, stone floor.

-/-

Susie had been having a pretty good day, all things considered.

She’d managed to snag some chalk Alphys had just gotten replaced, she’d managed to avoid talking to bird brain all day, she had lunch with Noelle and Kris, and now she was hanging out with the two of them, plus Ralsei and Lancer, in Castle Town. Overall, pretty good for her.

“So… your dad is in jail, your other dad is obsessed with worms, and your mom is a robot…?”

“Yup! Did you know I can bounce like a ball too?”

Susie watched on as Noelle and Lancer introduced themselves to each other. Watching the deer try to retain her composure was cute entertaining, to say the least. Kris had suggested bringing Noelle to Castle Town while in that TV dark world from their sleepover. Susie had been resistant to the idea at first, but was eventually won over. Noelle had brought up their ferris wheel ride shortly after arriving in Castle Town, but they both nervously laughed it off.

If Susie couldn’t stop thinking about it, then Noelle probably couldn’t either. She involuntarily gulped, not wanting to open that can of worms right now.

Instead, she glanced over to Kris and Ralsei near the cauldron.

The two seemed to be having a conversation, with Ralsei’s chipper and energetic attitude contrasting harshly to Kris’s blank expression. Susie approached the two, about to make some manner of a crude joke, before a loud thud from outside interrupted them.

“Ah… Kris, Susie…?” Ralsei began, “Did either of you invite someone else today?”

Susie looked at Kris, who shook their head. She turned to Noelle.

“I swear to Angel if you invited Berdly-”

“I didn’t! I didn’t! I promise!” The deer exclaimed. “...Is that what it sounds like when someone enters Castle Town?”

Ralsei nodded. The four looked between each other, unsure of what to do.

“Maybe someone else fell in by accident…?” Noelle suggested.

Kris shrugged, looking at Susie.

“Eh, we should probably go see who it is.”

Stepping outside, the quartet passed several of the darkners they’d befriended on their various expeditions as they approached Castle Town’s entrance and exit.

They remained silent for a moment.

“You never told me you had a sister.”

“KRIS!! Now is not the time!!” Susie growled, punching the human in the arm.

“Wait, Susie, you have a sister?” Noelle asked. Susie spun around, trying to ignore Kris snickering behind her.

“No! Just because she looks…” She glanced at the figure slumped on the floor, “...kind of like a lizard doesn’t mean we’re related!”

Ralsei approached the person on the ground, cautiously feeling for a heartbeat. The other three watched for a moment, able to get a better look at the figure now.

She appeared to be some kind of reptile monster, with yellow-ish scales and blue-green hair. The monster had no legs, instead possessing a long tail with some kind of metal ring on the end of it.

“She’s still breathing, thankfully, but she’s out cold,” Ralsei assessed, turning back to the lightner trio, “Do any of you recognize her?”

Susie had moved into Hometown around a year ago, and despite making a point to talk to as few people as possible, the town’s small size had forced her to at least recognize nearly every resident. Granted, there were probably still gaps in her knowledge. She looked at Kris and Noelle. The human shrugged, shaking their head.

“I don’t think so…? Maybe she’s visiting from out of town?” Noelle offered, glancing between Ralsei and the others.

“Why dive-bomb into a random ass supply closet then?” Susie countered. “Hey wait a second, it’s Saturday! What was she even doing at school?”

“We’re at school on a Saturday,” Kris remarked.

“That’s different, dumbass!”

“Guys, I think we’re getting off-track…”

“Noelle’s right, we should stay focused,” Ralsei said.

“Well what’s the big deal? Can’t we… I dunno- toss her back up?” Susie crossed her arms.

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that Susie,” Ralsei replied, standing up, “Lightners can only enter and exit Castle Town by their own will.”

“Okay, hold on-” Noelle interrupted, stepping forward, “I didn’t enter on my own, Kris pushed me!”

Susie glared across at Kris, who was suppressing a grin.

“I believe that still counts as voluntary entry, since you were conscious.” Ralsei glanced at Kris.

“So… we can’t toss her back up since she needs to wake up here?” Susie asked. Ralsei nodded. “Well then, now what?”

-/-

Kris, Susie, Noelle, and Ralsei all sat in one of the castle’s spare rooms, with the reptile monster tucked into the bed. Now that he had a better opportunity, Ralsei didn’t see the harm in a brief magical assessment. The reptile was passed out after all, and it would be better to ensure there wasn’t anything more serious going on.

The lightners had begun chatting amongst themselves, although Kris remained their usual, quiet self. They glanced at Ralsei, who assured them everything was fine so far with a quick thumbs-up.

“What do you mean neither of you eat chalk?” Susie questioned, looking increasingly exasperated.

“I… Um- Kris might!” Noelle pointed to the human.

“I prefer moss.”

“Hell yeah, moss rocks,” Susie nodded, before turning back to Noelle, “So then what’s your thing?”

“My thing…?” The deer asked, fighting every bone in her body to not blush as Susie looked at her.

“Yeah, Kris has a thing for moss, I have a thing for chalk, so what’s your thing?”

“Oh. I guess- Kris why are you smirking at me?”

“Because I already know your answer,” Kris replied.

“Shut up!” Noelle laughed. “I guess my thing would be paper, then?”

“Paper??” Susie asked, looking equally curious and confused.

“Yeah, sometimes I eat paper.”

“Huh… I might have to try that one sometime,” Susie said, thinking for a moment, “Damn, guess that means I can’t trust you to do my homework, though.”

“O-oh, no- you can!” Noelle replied quickly. Kris let out a small laugh.

“Um, everyone?” Ralsei called from the side of the bed. “Could you all come over here please?”

Everyone gathered around the prince, as the last of a few magical particles dissipated in the air.

“This… may be a little worse than we thought,” he began, “Our friend here seems to have passed out from exhaustion, rather than a concussion from the fall down here.”

The lightners looked between each other.

“According to my assessment, she’s a couple of years younger than us and seems to have suffered… severe malnutrition, dehydration, and physical trauma,” Ralsei continued, his expression solemn. Everyone’s eyes widened, considering the implications.

“Do… Do you know where any of that stuff came from?” Susie asked, tone lower than usual.

“I’m afraid not, which leads me to another concern,” Ralsei said, glancing back at the reptile in the bed, “Her SOUL composition is extremely confusing.”

“Explain?” Kris asked, their voice tight.

“Well, for the three of you, your souls are powerful and easy to detect- Kris’s especially.” Ralsei started, “For us darkners, it’s a little different, but still present. With our… guest, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. She doesn’t have a specific soul, but she still possesses an incredible amount of magic. It’s more like she… is the soul?”

“...Yeah, you lost me,” Susie huffed. Noelle didn’t add on, but was clearly confused as well.

“So instead of all of her magic being contained in her soul, her whole body is the container?” Kris ventured.

“I guess that’s a way to put it?” Ralsei shrugged, turning back to the snake creature beside him. “To be honest, I’m not sure if she’s even a monster.”

“That’s… worrying,” Noelle said, breaking her silence.

The four remained silent, unsure of what to do next.

“Well, we probably won’t figure out much else until she wakes up.” Kris turned to Noelle. “Can we talk for a second? Outside?”

“I- Yeah, sure.”

Kris left the room, Noelle trailing behind them. Susie watched the two leave as Ralsei checked the reptile’s temperature.

“Hey, uh… Rals?”

“Yes, Susie?”

“Do you think… She'd be able to stay? Like down here, in the dark world?”

“You mean after she wakes up?”

“...Yeah.”

“Well, I’m not sure,” Ralsei said, thinking for a moment, “Lightners like you and Kris need real nutrition to be able to survive, not just magical food. If she functions the same way, it would be impossible for her to live here.”

“Oh, alright.”

“Are you okay, Susie?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s nothing, just thinking about… stuff.”

“You know you can talk to me if you need to, right?”

“Thanks, Rals.”

-/-

Kris and Noelle walked down Castle Town’s main path, the blue candlelight flickering against the dark walls. The town had expanded once again after Kris and Susie’s trip to the last dark world, adding new buildings and growing old ones.

Kris wondered how Ralsei was doing, managing all of this.

They had remained silent on their walk, not quite sure how to broach what was on their mind.

They took a left turn, passing the checkerboard floor and Sweet Cap‘n Cakes’ music shop, approaching the Great Door. It was secluded enough, at least.

“Kris… are you alright?” Noelle prodded.

It was probably worth just ripping the band-aid off.

“Do you remember how I got to Hometown?” they asked, avoiding eye contact. Noelle’s eyes widened for a moment.

“Only… only a little bit. My parents didn’t say much, other than that Uncle Asgore found you in the woods.”

“Something like that,” Kris said, almost laughing dryly.

“Is there more to it than that?” Noelle asked hesitantly. Kris looked down.

“I… was in pretty rough shape,” they replied, throat tightening, “Have you ever wondered about where I was before that?”

“...Yeah,” Noelle nodded, “D… Dess told me not to ask, though.”

Kris paused briefly at the mention of Noelle’s sister. Memories of adventures in the woods, scraped knees, and carefree pranks flashed in their mind before they quickly put that to rest. No use in dwelling on the past, especially now. They elected for a simple nod, instead.

“Makes sense.” Kris said, looking back towards Castle Town, bustling in the distance. “I ran away from home.”

“Oh… Kris, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Today just got me thinking about that a little more.”

“Do you think that girl went through… something similar?”

Kris sighed, leaning against the wall and finally turning to look at Noelle.

“I don’t know, but it worries me.”

Noelle leaned against the wall next to the human, lost in thought.

“Yeah, I’m worried about that too. Ralsei’s diagnosis didn’t sound very good.”

Kris stared intently at the floor before folding their arms. Noelle almost wondered if they were trying to hug themself.

“When I was younger, I used to get these nightmares,” the human began, “About my parents- my human ones- coming to Hometown to look for me.”

Noelle remained silent, waiting for them to continue.

“Azzy would always be there when I woke up, and he’d always tell me that would never happen. It took years, but I finally believed him.” Kris continued, still staring at the floor. “If something like that happens with that kid though, I’m not sure what we could do.”

“...I- do you need a hug?”

Kris looked up, seemingly taken off-guard.

“...Yeah.”

Noelle wrapped Kris in a warm embrace, trying not to notice how tightly the human was hugging back.

“If something like that happens- Which it might not! - We’ll figure something out.”

-/-

Vee slowly came to consciousness, her vision blurry and her brain foggy. She’d been in Inner Bonesborough, probably about to go looking for food, saw a human and a portal door-

Suddenly, the basilisk shot up with a gasp.

The events of the past day flooded back into memory as she frantically glanced around. The walls were made up of blue-ish gray bricks, lit up by a multitude of small candles mounted around the room.

The environment would’ve been horrifyingly similar to her cell in Belos’s castle if not for the rest of what filled the room.

A closet, desk, and chest were lined up against the walls of the room, alongside a few shelves. Soft, gray carpet coated the majority of the floor, with an open window nearby allowing a slow breeze to drift through the room. Next to her was a small table with a lamp and a glass of water.

Strangest of all, she was tucked into an incredibly comfortable bed. No chains, shackles, or ropes were anywhere to be seen.

Vee dared to stay in the bed, but only for a moment.

Climbing out of bed, she suddenly felt dizzy. Her vision swam as she tried to steady herself. Grabbing the nearby glass, she downed the water inside. No use. She knew she was running dangerously low on magic, and while she could normally withstand such a state, the events of the past day must have put too much strain on her.

Pushing through her quickly growing headache, Vee slithered to the door. To both her surprise and relief, it was unlocked. The knob turned, the door giving way to a corridor with the same brick and candle design as her room.

Glancing around, Vee didn’t see anyone.

Carefully exiting the room and shutting the door behind her, the basilisk began to make her way down the hall. Past several other doors was a stairwell that led down to another hallway, this one having a set of stairs leading to some sort of entrance area.

The room split off into a few different pathways, with a large cauldron resting in the middle above a gentle blue fire.

At the cauldron, some kind of demon was stirring the mixture inside, his back turned to her. He was coated in white fur, with pink horns and large, floppy ears. He wore some kind of green robes, his sleeves rolled up as he stirred.

Vee suppressed a squeak.

She didn’t have any magic to aid her in disguise, and besides, she didn’t even know what a passable disguise would look like around here. Maybe if she was just quiet enough, she could slip by undetected.

Creeping past, Vee held her breath as the demon continued to labor over his concoction.

He turned around, likely to grab some other ingredient, when her movement caught his eye. Quickly turning, the demon put his spoon down as his eyes widened slightly behind his glasses.

“Ah, hello!” He said. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were awake yet!”

Vee froze under his stare. He looked friendly enough, but she was living proof that looks can be deceiving.

“Right, where are my manners? My apologies, my name is Ralsei. What’s yours?” he asked, stepping forward. Vee tried to slink backwards at his approach, only to trip on her own tail and fall onto her back. Letting out a small yelp as she hit the stone floor, the basilisk looked back up at Ralsei with large, terrified eyes.

“Oh! Are you okay?”

Vee didn’t reply. Ralsei crouched down without moving closer, trying not to alarm her.

“I’m not going to hurt you, alright?”

Too scared to respond and too frightened to move, Vee continued to stare.

“...Here, I’m going to grab something for you real quick.” Ralsei stood up, still keeping an eye on Vee as he grabbed a plate from a nearby table. “I baked these for a few friends of mine earlier, but didn’t get the chance to share them. I think you might like them!”

He crouched back down, still keeping his distance as he set a plate of some kind of pastry on the ground between them. Vee eyed the food suspiciously, glancing back up at Ralsei.

Seeming confused for a moment, realization dawned on Ralsei. He reached over, picking up one of the pastries and taking a bite. “They’re good! The rest are yours, if you’d like.”

If the demon was able to have one, then they were likely safe to eat, Vee reasoned.

Tentatively reaching forward, Vee picked one up before taking a bite.

Ralsei wasn’t kidding, they were good.

“They’re cookies! I bake them pretty often for my friends.”

Safety be damned, Vee needed more of these “cookies”. Ralsei suppressed a laugh as Vee slowly pulled the rest of the plate closer to her.

“Here, let me get you a little water, too. You seem like you could use it.”

As Ralsei got up to pour a glass, it dawned on Vee that she couldn’t recall a single time anyone had been this kind to her.

That shouldn’t have been shocking, but for some reason, the thought seemed especially painful at that moment. She suppressed tears- she was not going to cry in front of this random stranger-

“Oh dear, what’s wrong?” Ralsei asked softly. The basilisk had curled in on herself, shaking slightly.

“V- Vee,” she choked out, “My n-name is Vee.”

“It’s nice to meet you Vee, you have a nice name.” Ralsei glanced at the glass he was holding. “Do you mind if I come closer?”

Against her better judgement, Vee shook her head. Ralsei moved next to her, sitting on his knees as he handed her the glass. She took it from his paws, sipping on it slowly.

“W-where am I…?” she asked.

“You’re somewhere called “Castle Town” right now. It’s a small, safe kingdom that I’m the prince of.”

Vee nodded, sipping from the glass again.

“Why a-are you being so nice to m-me?”

Ralsei seemed a little surprised by the question, that expression quickly turning to one of concern.

“...Everyone deserves kindness,” he replied.

Vee turned to look at him, searching for any trace of malice in his face. Ralsei seemed to hold none, simply looking sympathetic. Vee normally hated the idea of being pitied, but couldn’t find the energy right now.

“If you’d like, you can stay here for a little while. You woke up inside of a bedroom, right?” Ralsei offered. Vee nodded, watching him slowly stand up.

The basilisk didn’t want to impose, especially since Ralsei had already been so kind, but she had no other options on where to stay. Ralsei outstretched his paw to her, causing an involuntary flinch. She looked at him for a moment before taking his paw and letting him help her up.

“I-if it isn’t too much to ask…”

“You can stay for as long as you need,” Ralsei offered sincerely. Vee once again searched his expression for any trace of ill-will, miraculously finding none. The two were nearly the same height, with Ralsei having just an inch or two on her. She nodded, too tired to protest.

Ralsei led her back up to the room she awoke in, asking her if she needed anything at all before he left. Vee shook her head, watching Ralsei in the doorway. He let her know that he’ll be at that cauldron if she needed him.

Vee nodded, and he gently shut the door.

Curling up in the bed, Vee considered that this was undoubtedly the most comfortable place she’d ever slept. Despite her best efforts, she began crying silently.

-/-

Ralsei stepped back into the cauldron room, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Did that go well? Did he say anything wrong? He couldn’t tell.

He didn’t want to push her too hard, and Vee didn’t seem too talkative, but at the same time, he wanted to know what was going on with her.

Her flinching when he offered her help wasn't a detail that escaped him. He wouldn’t call himself the most socially aware darkner around, but that couldn’t be anything good.

Kris, Susie, and Noelle had all had to go that day, but all three had promised to arrive as soon as possible tomorrow. Maybe they’d be able to help him make sense of all of this.

Ralsei got back to brewing. Vee did seem to like those cookies.

Chapter Text

Kris hits the floor of Castle Town with a thud, their boots clacking against the stone floor after the surrounding magic softens their fall. Susie sticks a three-point landing next to them, shortly followed by Noelle face planting into the ground.

“...Where’s Ralsei?” Susie asks no one in particular.

“What do you mean?” Noelle wobbles up, brushing dust off of her dress.

“He’s usually here whenever we enter,” Kris replies simply, scanning the town. Most of the darkners seemed to be going about their usual routines, although a few did pause to wave at the party. Kris waved back before turning to Susie and Noelle. “Our best bet is probably the castle.”

The trio stroll up Castle Town’s main road, watching the kingdom’s pulsating fountain stretch into the night sky. Countless stars sprinkled the night’s pitch black canvas, shimmering as they shined their light on the town. Noelle reminds herself to ask Ralsei about how days and nights work here at some point.

Approaching the castle’s entrance, Kris knocks on the door before stepping back. There’s a brief wait, although it feels like hours to the party. The door swings open, as Ralsei opens it to the group.

“Oh, hello! I waited ever so long for you three to arrive!” The goat greets, still standing in the doorway. “One moment, actually!”

Kris looks back between Noelle and Susie as Ralsei hurriedly shuts the door on them, the three all sharing similar looks of confusion.

A few moments later, the sound of padded footsteps approaches the door before it swings open again.

“She’s awake!” Ralsei declares.

“W-wait, you didn’t just wake her up now, right?” Noelle asks.

“No, no! I just let her know that you were coming,” Ralsei quickly explains before lowering his voice slightly, “Now she is a little… skittish, so please be kind to her.”

“...What’s everyone looking at me for?” Susie grumbles.

-/-

Having woken up a few hours ago, Vee had spent the majority of the day awkwardly trailing Ralsei. To his credit, her host showed no signs of annoyance, but that wasn’t going to stop the basilisk from worrying.

Mainly, she wasn’t sure what she was actually supposed to do.

She could go explore whatever was outside of the castle, but felt that was too risky with how weak she was feeling right now. While exploring the castle, she did have a brief run-in with some sort of tall, mechanical being that offered to make her into one of her minions. Vee had declined in the politest way she could think of.

Currently in her room, she realized that she’d never actually looked out of her window. She’d had plenty of other things to worry about though, so she decided to not blame herself too much for that one.

Peering over the windowsill, a pleasantly cool breeze washed over the basilisk, gently fluttering the blank curtains. Outside, a large, colorful town was brimming with life. While she couldn’t get a good look at many of the residents, they too seemed… off. They weren’t witches or demons, but they didn’t seem like the same residents of that bright, sunny town she had first explored.

Where was she now?

Glancing up into the sky, Vee found it to be extremely dark. If not for the stars, she would’ve thought she was back in that void again.

And yet, this darkness did not feel as spaciously cold as the one in that void. This felt more calming, more serene.

Deciding that comparing two sets of darkness was probably a sign she needed to interact with someone again, Vee turned away from the windowsill and opened her door. She jumped in surprise to see Ralsei standing there, paw raised as if he were about to knock.

“Ah, h-hello! I didn’t mean to surprise you, Vee!” Ralsei adjusted his glasses, looking frazzled.

“N-no, it’s fine! I’m just… really jumpy, that’s all!” The basilisk apologized.

“Right!” the prince began, “Do you remember those friends I mentioned yesterday?”

Vee nodded.

“Well, they’re here right now, and they’d like to meet you!”

“O-oh, alright,” Vee stuttered, nervous.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay! They’re nice, I promise!” Ralsei assured her. “I’m going to go ahead of you and grab them real quick!”

With that, the prince jogged down the hall. Vee nervously continued after him.

-/-

The lightner trio enter the castle’s foyer, led by Ralsei. Something undoubtedly delicious bubbles in the cauldron as soft blue candles flicker on the walls.

“She’ll probably be down in just a moment!” Ralsei explains, grabbing a spoon to stir the cauldron with.

Kris walks over to peer down into the Bad Guy Quarters, just out of curiosity, as Susie approaches Ralsei to ask about something. Noelle approaches a table near a doorway on the opposite side of the room to inspect something. There’s a hushed tone over the group, with no one being quite sure what to say.

“H-hello…?”

Noelle yelps, jumping into the air and landing on her back.

In the doorway stands the monster from the previous day, timidly holding one of her arms as her wide eyes look back and forth between everyone.

“S-sorry! I didn’t- I…” Vee stammers, slowly slinking backwards.

“No, no, you’re fine! I just spook easily!” Noelle says, slowly getting back on her hooves. “Kris! Stop laughing, this isn’t funny!!”

The human is very obviously trying to suppress a laugh. Susie shakes her head, stepping up next to Noelle.

“Soooo, how are you?” she asks Vee. The snake looks about as confused as Susie looks awkward.

“I… don’t know?” Vee shrugs.

“You seemed like you took a pretty bad fall down here…” Noelle adds, the sympathy clear by her expression.

“Oh… that. I feel fine?” Vee glances around. “I guess I kind of have a headache, but I think it’s been going away? I- Where am I, anyway?”

Noelle glances at Susie, who looks over at Kris, who shrugs from the wall they’re leaning against before turning to Ralsei.

“So far I’ve just told her that this place is called Castle Town,” the goat sheepishly explains.

“That’s it!?” Susie exclaims, before quickly turning back to Vee. “Wait a second, have you even been outside?”

“N-no…?”

“Okay, that settles it. Kris, let’s give her a tour!”

The human nods, pushing themself off the wall.

“Are you okay to go out right now?” Noelle asks. “It’s fine if you need more rest.”

“No, no, I’m fine!” the girl said, seeming equally excited and nervous.

“Cool! You coming, Rals?” Susie asks, already halfway to the door.

“No, I think I’ll let you four have fun on your own for a little while. I’ll be right here if you need me!”

Some concern flashes on Susie’s face before she turns back to her friends, holding the door open.

-/-

“Annnd this is where the best moss in Castle Town is!”

Vee nodded slowly, turning to Noelle. She just shrugged, shaking her head.

“Doesn’t get any better than this!” Susie continued. “Am I right Kris?”

The human nodded decidedly, fist-bumping Susie.

The group had been showing Vee around Castle Town, pointing out various landmarks and buildings. She appreciated it, even if she was beginning to question the tastes of a couple of her tour guides.

The one with the antlers was named Noelle, the one with the scales was named Susie, and the one that looked the most similar to a witch was named Kris. The latter didn’t seem very talkative, but Susie seemed to do enough talking for the four of them.

They were all being so… friendly? Vee didn’t quite understand why. Still, she’d take it.

“Hey, are you okay?” Noelle leaned over, snapping the basilisk out of her thoughts.

“O-oh, sorry, I was just thinking…” She trailed off, seeing that Susie was offering her moss. Her eyes darted around, as if the politest way to decline would reveal itself somewhere on the walls.

“Eh, it’s alright if you’re not too hungry,” Susie shrugged, retracting the moss, “Knowing Ralsei, you’re probably pretty full.”

“I a-am a little hungry actually…” Vee admitted.

“Oh, well perfect! Here, this is-”

“She might want something other than moss, Susie,” Noelle interrupted. Vee tried to hide the relief on her face, instead attempting to communicate a silent “thank you” to Noelle.

“Oh… Uh- I guess that makes sense,” Susie said, scratching the back of her head, “What do you like, then?”

“Ummm…” Vee trailed off. What did she like to eat? Usually she was just happy to get anything while on the run. She couldn’t seem to recall any specific thing she actually liked, though. She shrugged nervously. “I don’t know…?”

The other three looked between each other, seemingly privy to something she wasn’t.

“Tell you what,” Kris finally said, “There’s a cafe down the street. We’ll get something edible there.”

“Our treat!” Noelle added quickly.

Oh, that wasn’t what she expected.

Vee silently weighed the pros and cons as much as possible. On one hand, she did feel quite a bit better after having something to eat earlier. She hadn’t even realized it until now, but she also wasn’t as starved for magic, either. The two could possibly be linked? On the other side of things, she didn’t want to owe these people anything. She wasn’t quite sure what the three’s connection was to Ralsei yet, but she absolutely didn’t want to overstay her welcome, and they’d already done so much for her.

The basilisk didn’t want to push her luck, but if she wanted to be able to start a life for herself here, she’d need to be back to full strength.

Just this once.

She nodded, choosing not to notice Susie pumping her fist next to her.

-/-

The benefits of not speaking much seemed to be how much one notices about others.

Kris was very, very concerned.

Vee, as they learned the snake’s name to be, looked to be a nervous wreck. She flinched whenever someone made a quick movement, and seemed to constantly be on the lookout for some unseen threat nearby.

Strangest of all, she seemed entirely unphased by the Dark World.

Not that she seemed familiar with Castle Town, but she seemed to just accept all of its strange, nonsensical characteristics as they were presented to her. No questions about where she was, how she got there, who any of these people were, or anything.

Needless to say, Kris had some questions, and they were pretty sure their friends did too.

They held open the door for the party as Susie led them to Swatch. After getting a table, Kris pulled up a couple extra chairs Vee and Noelle.

The cafe’s atmosphere was probably one of their favorites in Castle Town. Warm lighting washed over the tables as music emanated from the band on stage. The members swap out every day, and today looked to be featuring K_K, backed by a few of the shadowmen from the last Dark World. Various other darkners sat at nearby tables, entrenched in conversation as swatchlings bustled by.

“So, what do you want to get?” Noelle prompted the snake sitting next to her, motioning to the menu.

“O-oh, um… H-how does this work…?” Vee asked, her tail curling around her chair leg.

“You pick anything you want off of this list, and it’ll be made for you,” Noelle explained. Vee looked simultaneously enraptured and bewildered.

“It’s like McMonster's, but if the food was good!” Susie added. Vee shifted from bewildered to confused.

“So… I just s-say what I want?” She asked.

“Yeah!” Noelle said.

“A-anything…?”

“Whatever you want!”

Vee looked over the menu. She seemed excited, and confused…?

Kris shared a look with Noelle. The deer opened her mouth to something before being interrupted.

“I-I don't know a-anything on here…” Vee admitted, putting the menu down.

Despite already knowing what they were going to get, Kris glanced at their own menu out of curiosity. Its contents, despite being themed after the past few Dark Worlds, should still be mostly recognizable. Darkburgers, CD Bagels, TV Dinners- all having some sort of description attached, too.

“I'd recommend anything labeled as chocolate,” they replied, glancing over at the snake. Vee looked back at the menu.

“L-like the… chocolate ‘pancakes?’” She asked slowly. Kris gave a thumbs-up.

The waiter came and took their orders before vanishing to another part of the restaurant. Vee glanced around nervously, tail curling further around her chair.

“So what were you even doing before you jumped in here?” Susie asked casually. Vee snapped back to meet her eyes, the movement surprising Kris and Noelle.

“...I w-was, umm… e-exploring…?” She stuttered. Susie narrowed her gaze for a second, causing Vee to shrink back in her seat.

“Yeah, makes sense. Sometimes I just break into places when they're closed for the hell of it.” Susie grinned. Kris and Noelle looked between each other momentarily, neither quite able to gauge her level of sarcasm.

“Y-yup! That's… s-something that I d-do… for fun!”

Susie nodded approvingly.

“Are you new in town?” Noelle gently ventured. Vee shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

“...Y-yes…?” Her eyes darted between the three other lightners. “I’m v-visiting, from… uh- s-somewhere else!”

Before anyone could press her further, a waiter arrived with their food. Kris didn’t bother trying to hide their grin as they took their chocolate, cone-shaped cake.

“...What is that?” Noelle asked flatly.

“Oh hell yeah!!” Susie exclaimed before turning back to Noelle. “That’s funnel cake! We found tons of that stuff last time!”

“Right… okay! Can I have a bite?”

“Yeah, scoot over Kris, I want one too!”

“Only if I get a bite of your Darkburger,” Kris bargained, pointing to the food on Susie’s plate. The reptile seemed to consider this for a moment.

“Okay, fine. One bite each?”

“Absolutely not.”

“What? Why??”

“Susie, your mouth is enormous,” Kris stated, choosing to ignore Noelle sighing dreamily next to them, “One bite from you is half the cake.”

“Oh okay dumbass, I see how it is,” Susie grumbled, crossing her arms.

“C-could I t-try some…?” Vee asked. Absolutely no chance Kris could say no to that.

“Sure, let me cut you a slice!” the human cheerfully replied. Susie sputtered something they didn’t quite catch. Pulling a knife out of their back pocket that they keep with them for normal reasons, they quickly cut a piece and slid it over to Vee. “Who are you visiting, by the way?”

The snake paused.

“A… f-friend of mine,” she said, grabbing the plate.

“Wouldn’t they be worried about where you’ve been?” Noelle prodded. Vee nearly dropped the plate, her tail squeezing around the chair leg. She fell silent, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. They weren’t sure if Noelle or Susie had picked up on it yet, but Kris was pretty sure she was shaking.

“Vee…” Noelle started softly, “Are you really visiting a friend…?”

The snake shut her eyes, her shaking intensifying. After a moment, she shook her head. The three shared another look.

“Hey, do you want to go get a little fresh air outside for this?” Susie offered. Vee looked up, glancing between the three and the rest of the room. She nodded, eyes watering a little. “Alright, cool. Kris, can you pay real quick while we go out?”

The human nodded as Noelle took Vee’s hand, leading her out with Susie.

-/-

This was a mistake. This was a mistake. This was a mistake.

The words pounded through Vee’s brain as the antlered girl led her out of the cafe.

She wanted to pull her hand free and run away to the quietest place she could possibly find, but had no idea how effective a move like that would be. She was weak, unfamiliar with the area, and wasn’t sure how the two others would respond.

Titan- why did she have to freeze up like that? She knew they weren’t buying her story, but she could’ve bought herself some extra time! She was supposed to be a survivor, not some emotional little kid! How could she not have kept herself in check when she needed to?

The group stopped in a secluded section of Castle Town. Susie looked back and forth, checking for any lingering residents nearby. Noelle let go of Vee’s hand. The basilisk pulled it back, shrinking away from the two people in front of her as she tried to prevent her eyes from watering.

“Vee?” Noelle asked, kneeling to her level. Vee flinched slightly at the movement. “I won’t hurt you, okay?”

She looked up, meeting Noelle’s gaze. A part of her truly, desperately wanted to believe her, even as she tried her best to push it down. Doesn’t everyone with bad intentions say things like that?

Vee shuddered, shifting backwards. The alleyway they were in had Susie on one end and a busy street on the other. Why did she allow herself to be led in here??

Perhaps compliance was the safest way through this.

Vee nodded slowly, struggling to maintain composure. Noelle’s shoulders seemed to relax ever so slightly.

“We’re gonna need you to be honest with us,” Susie said, stooping down next to Noelle. Despite not having known her for long, seeing her stripped of her usual, carefree attitude felt strange to Vee. “Can you do that, kiddo?”

Noelle shot Susie a somewhat perplexed look, before shaking her head and turning back to Vee.

“...Are you really visiting a friend?”

Vee shook her head, refusing to make eye contact.

“What happened, then?” Susie asked.

Damn it!

Vee struggled to come up with a convincing lie on the spot. What was normal around here? What wouldn't contradict her later on? They probably didn't trust her much to begin with, and they certainly wouldn't now.

“I… r-ran away f-from h-home,” she choked out, curling to hug her tail. The tears weren't fake, and neither was the explanation, so long as you ignored the fact that the Boiling Isles wasn't much of a home to begin with.

Susie nodded, likely having expected something like that. Noelle’s eyes watered with sympathy.

“Vee… I’m so sorry,” Noelle finally spoke. Susie remained silent.

The basilisk finally noticed how much she was shaking, and wondered if the other two had picked up on it yet. Knowing her luck, they probably had.

She hated feeling this weak, especially in front of what was basically a pair of strangers.

Except, these strangers had been the kindest anyone had been to her in years.

Something about that made her want to cry more.

“...Do you want a hug?” Noelle offered, opening her arms.

This was probably a terrible idea, but Titan damn it, Vee just wanted to be held for a little while.

-/-

The snake collapsed into Noelle’s arms, sobbing into her shoulder. The deer glanced over at Susie, who seemed to be caught in a thousand yard stare.

Susie’s gaze broke as she made eye contact with Noelle, their expressions mutually solem.

The three stayed like that for a few minutes. Vee quietly cried with Noelle, as she and Susie silently weighed what to do next.

Angel, what were they going to do?

Hundreds of questions and concerns flooded Noelle’s mind, chief of which being the one that terrified Kris for years.

What if Vee’s parents came looking for her?

Noelle wasn’t blind, and she wasn’t stupid either. She saw the way Vee flinched at sudden movements, and the way she always seemed to be on the lookout for something. She recalled Ralsei’s health assessment from yesterday, causing an involuntary shudder. Vee obviously wasn't coming from anywhere good. The thought made the deer's heat break.

Would Vee be able to stay in Castle Town? She wasn’t familiar with how exactly this place worked, so that might be a better question for Susie or Kris.

-/-

Susie had known the answer well before Vee had vocalized it.

She’d considered doing the same thing herself, after all.

Many, many times.

Still, this kid had actually followed through, something Susie never had the guts to do.

That meant she was either a lot braver than Susie pretended to be, or the kid had it a whole lot worse.

Susie hoped it was the former.

She looked over at Noelle.

Vee was curled up in the deer's arms, sobbing into her dress. Noelle had wrapped her arms around the snake, clearly lost in thought.

She felt a pang of hurt for the both of them. She wasn’t good at words… or being comforting in general, but she wanted to do something other than stare.

Grunting slightly, she sat down next to the two.

“Guess we should probably find Kris, huh?” she suggested after a moment.

“Already here.”

All three jumped, Vee and Noelle both yelping, as they turned to the end of the alleyway. Kris stood there, nonchalantly watching the trio.

“You asshole! How long have you been there??” Susie exclaimed.

“Literally just got here,” they responded flatly. They turned to Noelle, dropping their tone, “Did she…?”

They trailed off as Noelle nodded.

“D-did I what…?” Vee asked, nervously pulling away from Noelle. Her eyes darted back and forth between the group.

“We… sort of assumed you ran away,” Noelle explained.

“O-oh…”

“Hey, it's fine,” Kris began softly, taking a step towards Vee, “I did the same thing. You're going to be okay.”

They slowly offered her a hand up. Vee still flinched, but not quite as much as before. Susie watched, looking over at Noelle.

“That’s like- weirdly emotional for them, right?” She whispered. The deer nodded.

Susie stood up, brushing dust off of her pants and jacket before turning and offering Noelle a hand up. Her face flushed red as her eyes widened for a second.

Huh, must be from all of that crying.

Noelle took her hand, letting herself be pulled up.

“So, how much do you want to bet we can talk Ralsei into more of those cookies?”

“Y-you've had them too?”

“Oh yeah, they’re great. He had to stop me from eating Susie’s batch a couple days ago.”

Susie watched as Kris and Vee exited the alleyway, headed down the main road. She elected not to comment on the near theft of her cookies.

“We should probably go with them to help explain to Ralsei,” Noelle said. Susie noticed that she still hadn't let go of her hand.

She did kind of like holding hands… Noelle probably wanted to be close to someone, literally anyone, after all of that emotional stuff!

“Yeah, we probably should,” Susie agreed, the two starting down the road. “What was that look for earlier?”

“Huh?”

“When we were talking to Vee, you gave me this weird look.”

“Ohhh, t-that!” Noelle rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “I'm just not used to seeing you be so gentle with someone, you know?”

“Oh.” Not what Susie was expecting. “Yeah, I guess I do know…”

“Wait, no!” Noelle exclaimed, “I didn’t mean it like that! It's just… kind of n-nice getting to s-see that part of you!”

…Also not what Susie was expecting.

“I dunno, I guess I- wait a second are you okay?” Susie asked, suddenly alarmed.

“Huh?? Yeah, why?” Noelle asked, glancing around.

“Your nose is glowing! Is it supposed to do that??”

Noelle quickly clamped a paw over her nose, whining and looking away as her face turned red.

“It’snothingIsweardon'tworryaboutit!”

“Uhhh, if you say so…?”

-/-

“I see…” Ralsei said, pacing around the castle foyer.

The five were all in the room, having just explained everything to him. It was concerning, but unfortunately also what he expected.

Now comes the question of what to do next.

“Can’t she just stay in Castle Town?” Susie suggested.

“I’d love for her to, and she's always welcome here, but she wouldn't be able to live here,” he replied somberly, “Everything in a dark world is made up of magic, including our food. Vee wouldn't be able to get the nutrients she’d need to be able to sustain herself.”

“So she'll need somewhere to stay in the… what is it, the light world?” Noelle questioned.

“It is, and she will,” Ralsei said, before turning to Vee. “I'm truly sorry that I can't be of more help to you, but if you ever need somewhere to go, you are always welcome here.”

The wind was nearly knocked out of him the force of Vee’s hug. He embraced her back, before letting her go after a few moments.

“Well, it sounds like we need to figure that out soon,” Susie declared.

“Yeah, it's getting late…” Noelle remarked, checking her watch.

Ralsei walked to Castle Town’s entrance with the group, idly listening to the playful banter his friends threw back and forth. He waved to them as they entered the light shining up to a world he'll never see.

“Goodbye Ralsei!”

“See you tomorrow dude!”

“See you.”

“G-goodbye! A-and thank y-you!!”

The four flashed upwards, disappearing from his view. The shining light danced across the goat's glasses as he lingered in the room.

Oh, how he wished he could join them.

To be just a normal teenager, unburdened by the weight of an ancient prophecy.

He turned, taking his time as he walked back to his castle.

He knew that his friends all had struggles of their own. Ones that were beyond his reach. Today was proof enough of that.

But still, those problems felt less… cosmic.

Ralsei stopped in the middle of the road. The streets had grown vacant and quiet as evening quickly approached, allowing him to admire the view in solitude.

Castle Town’s dark fountain pulsed into the skyline, stars and space dust freckling the expanding abyss.

There was something very wrong.

The prophecy was off track in more ways than one.

There hadn't been a fourth fountain for days.

Vee was never, ever mentioned.

And strangest of all, no SOUL Entity appeared to be active.

Chapter Text

The four teens lept out of the supply closet and into the hallway.

It was late afternoon now, leaving the building conveniently empty. Sunlight shone through the windows, illuminating the walls and floor in segmented rectangles. Birds chirped, their sounds muffled by the walls of the building. Vee glanced down the halls cautiously, choosing to stay behind the other three as the group fanned out in front of the closet doors.

“Hold on a sec, have you gotten a chance to see Hometown much?” Susie asked.

“...I got to see some of it when I got here, I think?” Vee answered. She was hoping she wasn’t about to get another tour- the thought itself seemed exhausting right about now.

“Cool! Kris, what time is it?”

“7:32.”

“...Not as cool!”

“Wait, what?!” Noelle exclaimed, her voice jumping a couple of octaves, “Ohhh nonononono, my Mom’s going to be pissed!”

“Why…?” Susie asked, confused.

“I needed to be back two minutes ago!” the deer replied, starting to jog backwards, “I’ll see you all tomorrow!”

Noelle took off down the hall, leaving a bewildered Susie to do nothing but glance at Kris. They shrugged.

“Soooo, I think we’ll probably hold off on your Hometown tour,” Susie began, turning back to Vee, “Until then, do you have somewhere you’re staying?”

Vee shook her head, not meeting Susie’s eyes.

“You can come stay with-”

“Yeah, you can stay with Kris!”

Kris shot Susie a look that she couldn’t quite read. She coughed awkwardly before looking away.

“What I was going to say was that there’s a spare bed you can use at my house. I’ll just tell my Mom that you’re new in town, alright?”

Vee nodded.

“Cool,” Susie agreed a little too quickly. “I’m just gonna… go. See ‘ya tomorrow.”

She started off down the hallway, not looking back.

“...H-Hey Susie!” Vee called. The monster stopped, looking over her shoulder. “Can w-we do that tour tomorrow?”

Susie’s expression softened, her eyes lighting up a little.

“Sure!"

She left, leaving Vee and Kris alone in the school.

“My mom’s probably not going to be too happy either. We should get going,” Kris said.

-/-

Noelle dashed through the town, not caring about the several strange looks she was catching as she approached the gate to her home.

The Holiday House sat atop a small hill overlooking the rest of the town, visible just above the treetops. It was a fairly nice building, although not too out-of-place among the rest of Hometown’s architecture. Noelle recalled Berdly describing its placement as “pretentious” at one point, and couldn’t help but agree.

Fumbling for her keys, Noelle nearly dropped them before unlocking her gate and slipping through. Darting up the pathway to the front door, Noelle unlocked that too, checking the time as she stepped inside.

7:37

Not… terrible. She’d just need to-

“Where were you?” a cold voice carried from the living room.

Noelle jolted, turning to see her mother watching her from the couch, newspaper in hand. She glared, her eyes locked on her daughter.

“...I was out with my friends. We lost track of time.”

“Hmph.” Carol turned back to her paper. “Your curfew is a privilege, you know.”

“I know.”

“I don’t expect this to happen again.”

“It won’t.”

Carol remained silent, seemingly back to reading the newspaper. Noelle spent a few seconds internally debating if she was supposed to leave yet or-

“Do you need something?” Carol asked, looking up from her paper again.

“N-no.” Noelle quickly answered, before heading for the stairwell.

She stepped into her room, letting out a long breath she barely realized she was holding. She slumped against her door, looking around her room.

Cream wallpaper decorated the sides of the room, framing a window directly across from her. Her bed sat just in front of it, still neatly made from this morning. A snowflake rug sat in the center of the room. Various certificates hung above her desk, each one feeling progressively emptier than the last. Her laptop sat shut on her desk, next to her estrogen bottle. Noelle reminded herself to check when that needed to get refilled soon. A string of warm Gyftmas lights hung from the ceiling, draping down between each hook holding them up.

Noelle sighed, walking to her desk and checking her laptop.

She scrolled through Datcord, checking a few unread messages.

“Let’s see…” she mumbled to herself.

Berdly wanted help with his physics homework…

Jockington asked if their next track meet would be cancelled, since the weather forecast didn’t look so good…

Kris had sent her a video of a Marimo Moss Ball Aquarium…

So far, nothing out of the ordinary.

She was about to shut her laptop before a notification appeared, from Catti.

Noelle had stayed over a couple days ago, but they hadn’t spoken much since. Their last messages were from the week before, of Catti inviting her to a seance she was holding that weekend.

Curious, she opened their DMs.

LocalWitch
hey
did you talk to kris today

Noelle typed out a reply.

HolidayGirl1225

Yeah, why?

LocalWitch
they’re walking around with someone i’ve never seen before

Oh.

Uh oh.

Okay… maybe she could downplay it a little bit?

HolidayGirl1225

Okay…?

Why is that a big deal?

LocalWitch
idk
it’s weird tho
they stopped at qc’s, bought two hot chocolates and left
obviously i didn’t ask
because i don’t care

HolidayGirl1225

You’re messaging me about it.

LocalWitch
i care a little
still weird
who do you think she is

HolidayGirl1225

Maybe she’s just visiting family here?

LocalWitch
but it’s the middle of the week

HolidayGirl1225

Good point.

How about I tell you if Kris mentions her at school tomorrow!

LocalWitch
sure
cya

Noelle closed Datcord with a sigh of relief. She made a mental note to work out some kind of backstory for Vee once they all met tomorrow.

For now, there wasn’t much to do.

She was about to shut her laptop before she realized that she might be able to check something ahead of time for the group.

Navigating to the Connecticut government website, she began digging around to see if any missing person reports had been filed for a monster like Vee recently. Only a dozen had been filed this year, but none of them matched Vee.

Noelle filtered to the year before. Nothing.

Two years ago?

Three years ago?

With each filter turning up without the person she was looking for, Noelle began to wonder just how long Vee had been on the run. She filtered backwards again, before realizing that she was searching back nine years ago. Of course Vee wouldn’t have run away this long ago.

She was about to click off, before a hauntingly familiar face caught her eye.

December Holiday.

Dess.

Noelle stared at the image of Dess’s yearbook picture. Dess’s snarky, smiling face stared back.

Angel, she missed her so much.

Noelle closed the tab before shutting her laptop again. There’s too much to worry about right now to focus on the past. Getting up, she paced around her room trying to figure out something useful to be able to do. Maybe coming up with a backstory for Vee? She’d need to run it by the others in the morning, but getting a headstart couldn’t hurt.

Grabbing a piece of paper, she got to writing.

-/-

Susie dug through her jacket pocket, eventually digging out the key to her apartment.

Turning a handle that always seemed to be a little loose, she swung the door open and stepped inside.

She wasn’t going to lie to herself; the place was in pretty terrible shape.

Cracked drywall and peeling wallpaper exposed fluffy insulation in some places, the dusty hardwood floor was chipped here and there, the “kitchen” was a mess, and unread mail piled precariously high on the dining room table as sunlight shone through sickly yellow curtains in the same room.

Sighing, Susie stepped into the kitchen and flicked on the lightswitch. The fluorescent bulb buzzed to life above the countertop, its hum as irritating as its flickering.

Opening the fridge only worsened her mood. When dinner is mustard on a slice of bread, it’s probably time to steal from the convenience store again.

She shut the fridge, and checked the sink. Also not a pretty sight. That could be someone else’s problem later.

Susie flopped onto the deflated couch, digging between the cushions for the TV remote. Finally excavating it, she blew off some dust before checking to see if it worked.

Miraculously, the batteries somehow had some life left in them! The screen in front of her flickered on, showing what looked to be some news station. Flipping through channels, she gave up on finding anything interesting in exchange for turning her brain off to the middle of a movie she’d never heard of.

Unsure if she’d fallen asleep or just spaced out, Susie snapped back to reality by the sound of her stomach gurgling. She glanced over at the kitchen.

Groaning as she stood up, she went to grab the bread, electing to just skip the mustard.

Untwisting the bag, she dumped the slice into her hand… only to see it had definitely expired. Sighing, she tossed it in the trash. Seems like it was time to pay that bonehead another visit.

The walk to the convenience store was a decently long one, given where she lived. Hometown’s apartments were leagues nicer than her own, no doubt about it, but at least she got some space between herself and the rest of the residents.

The complex she lived at was a good mile or two outside of town, and aside from a gas station and a small liquor store, there wasn’t much else to the area.

She’d never admit it to anyone, but she did like getting to listen to the birds on her walk down here every morning. They were back again this afternoon, their chirps emanating from the forest surrounding the road as leaves gently drifted from its trees.

Ducking under some police tape, Susie passed the station as she made her way into town. Thankfully Undyne seemed to be out doing traffic cop things, so she’d be fine for now. She got the feeling the police chief didn’t like her, and she honestly couldn’t blame her for that.

She tried to imitate her usual slouch as she neared the store, attempting to look as casual as possible. The bell rang as she stepped inside, making her eye twitch slightly.

In and out. No big deal. Just here for some snacks, like a normal, paying customer.

Susie peered down the aisle, mentally calculating about how much she’d be able to get away with.

The fridge was unreliable, so anything frozen would probably have to be gone tonight. Fruit would go bad too quickly, so that was also a no-go. Chips seemed like a safe bet, since those things seem to take decades to expire, but they wouldn’t keep her going for long.

Maybe something canned? That seemed like a good way to go.

Grabbing the few closest to her, she jammed them in her pocket. All she needed to do was just slip outside, look like she didn’t buy anything, and she’d be set for at least a couple more days.

Susie pushed open the door, trying to ignore the bell ringing as she stepped forward, bumping straight into someone. She stumbled, yanking her hand out of her pocket as she tried to steady herself, causing the cans to tumble to the ground.

“Watch it, dumba…” Susie looked up at the agitated fish woman glowering down at her, gulping instinctively.

Undyne looked from Susie to the cans on the ground.

“Did you pay for these, punk?”

“Yeah, of course I did.”

“Lemme see a receipt.” Undyne demanded.

“...I don’t have to show you that.” Susie hesitated. Running obviously wasn’t an option, not unless she wanted to have Undyne knocking on her door in an hour. Wait, do the cops even know where she lives? That probably didn’t matter. If Undyne wanted to, she could probably figure it out anyways.

Dang it! Talking and all that sappy stuff was Kris and Ralsei’s thing!

“How am I supposed to know you didn’t steal these then?”

Think! What would Kris do?

Susie quickly adopted the most vacant, emotionless expression she could muster, staring at Undyne silently.

Confused, the police chief just stared back. One of her eyes twitched slightly.

The two remained locked in place for several seconds.

“i know this is a nice place, but the official hometown staring contest isn’t supposed to be for another hour.”

Both jumped at the skeleton appearing next to them.

“NGAHH! You made me lose focus!” Undyne shouted, pointing at Sans.

“it’s fine, you’ve got at least another hour to practice.”

“That’s not what I- Ugh, nevermind! I caught this punk trying to rob you!” She gestured to Susie.

“I told you, I didn’t steal shit!” Susie protested.

“yeah, i don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sans said. Undyne and Susie turned back to him in mutual surprise.

“What?” They both asked in unison. Susie tried her best to ignore Undyne shooting a glare in her direction.

“she’s our thirty-second customer today,” Sans explained, “she gets all of her groceries free.”

“There’s no way that’s a real thing,” growled Undyne.

“of course it is,” Sans replied, picking up one of the dropped cans, “besides, who steals cans of beans?”

Undyne’s expression shifted quickly, something unreadable crossing her face as she glanced between Susie and the cans. Sans handed one to Susie. She accepted it awkwardly, bending down to pick up the other two.

“Uhhh… Yeah, that makes sense. I’ll just… see you later, punk.”

Undyne left quickly, before whipping back around.

“BUT DON’T STEAL CRAP, KID!” she called. Susie and Sans stood in silence for a few moments.

“gotta love hometown’s finest,” Sans shrugged, stepping back up to the door of his store.

“Hey, I don’t want your pity, dude.”

“what pity?”

“You know what I mean.”

“i have no idea what you’re talking about, kiddo,” the skeleton winked, shutting the door.

Susie looked at the can in her hand. Better than nothing.

-/-

“...I thought you said your m-mom was going to be upset?” Vee asked tentatively.

“Yeah, but I’d be a bad host if I didn’t get you hooked on this stuff,” Kris replied flatly, passing Vee a mug of hot chocolate, “Careful, it’s…”

Vee sputtered, nearly dropping her drink.

“...hot.”

“Yup, I-I got t-that!” Vee wiped her face, embarrassed. Kris shook their head, smiling to themself.

The two walked up the main road in Hometown, passing residents on their way. Vee got a couple of looks, but most seemed to mind their own business. A cool breeze wafted through the air, ruffling her hair.

A small part of her wondered what it might’ve been like to grow up in a place like this.

“And here we are,” Kris announced, monotone as ever.

The home stood in front of them. Vee couldn’t help but notice how much bigger it seemed compared to the other ones they passed, aside from that one on the hill.

“Just let me do most of the talking once we get in, alright?” Kris instructed her before swinging open the door. Vee nodded, hesitantly slithering inside behind the human as they entered the home.

“Welcome home, sweetie!” A fluffy creature Vee noted as likely Kris’s mother greeted from a nearby seat. “How was your- Oh?”

She tilted her head to get a better look at Vee, who was trying to stay behind Kris.

“And who might you be?” she asked.

“This is Vee; we met earlier today,” Kris answered smoothly. Their mother stood to approach Vee, who tried her best not to shrink backwards.

“Well Vee, it is wonderful to meet you! I am Toriel, Kris’s mother.”

“...It’s n-nice to m-meet you too!”

“I do not think I have seen you around town, dear?”

“She moved here today,” Kris supplied.

“Oh! Well I do hope you enjoy your time here in our little town, Vee,” Toriel said, before glancing over at Kris, her tone switching to suspicion, “And I trust that my child has given you a kind welcome?”

“T-they have…” she said.

“Well, that is a relief!” Toriel chuckled, “I do not want to keep you two long, but if you need anything, please do not be afraid to ask.”

“Is it okay if Vee stays the night?” Kris asked.

“I suppose there isn’t any issue with it, so long as she calls her parents first.” Vee tried to ignore the pit in her stomach at that line, simply nodding quickly.

Toriel waved the two off as Kris led Vee upstairs, grinning to themself. They stuck out their fist expectantly. Vee looked between it and their face a couple of times, confused.

“A-are you trying to punch me…?” she asked.

“No, it’s a fist bump.”

“Huh?”

“You’re telling me you’ve never heard of a fist bump before.”

Vee shook her head.

“Nevermind,” Kris shrugged, obviously disappointed.

They opened the door to what was presumably their room, stepping through. Vee followed, glancing around.

One side of the room was decorated with countless stars, awards, and certificates lining the walls and shelves, with a desk and some kind of machine atop it near the other wall. The opposite side was contrastingly empty, save for a bed, nightstand, and wagon with a birdcage.

“Right, you can use that side over there,” Kris said, pointing towards the starry, decorated side of the room. Vee almost thought they were pointing at the wrong side, but she was quickly learning that her best strategy was to just go with things as they were presented.

“Make yourself comfortable. I need to go check something,” they said, stepping out of the room.

With nothing better to do, Vee decided to poke around the room.

There was a desk on “her” side with a strange, mechanical-looking thing sitting on top of it. She tapped it in a few places, but it didn’t seem to react.

Many of the trophies seemed to be related to sports of some kind, although Vee couldn’t recognize any of the ones listed. Her sports knowledge was limited to catching a couple glimpses of a grudgby match in passing while trying to siphon magic from a food cart.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to check the drawer in the nightstand, too. Inside was what seemed to be a book of coupons for something called “pizza”.

Vee glanced at the other, barren side of the room, her eyes landing on the birdcage. Maybe it had to do with her own experience regarding cages, but something about it just felt… off, in a way she couldn’t quite pinpoint.

Unsure if it would be rude to leave, she sat down on the bed. It wasn’t quite as soft as that one in Castle Town, but it was still comfy nonetheless. So comfy in fact, that it might not hurt to just lay down for a bit…

-/-

Kris returned, having dodged what might have become a brief scolding from their mom about leaving a guest alone, only to find Vee fast asleep on their brother’s old bed.

They didn’t think they took that long, did they?

Either way, it was getting late. They might want to turn in, too.

Not without at least pulling the blanket over Vee first, though.

-/-

Susie flopped down on her worn-out bed, staring up at the static ceiling fan.

Today was weird, even by her new (recently elevated) standards.

She got the feeling she was never going to make sense of adults.

-/-

Noelle laid down, sighing as her head hit the pillow.

She wasn’t always on great terms with her mother, but at least she got off easy today.

And besides, she was going to get to hang out with all of her new friends tomorrow!

She found herself, for the first time in years, looking forward to the next day.

Chapter Text

An odd creature approached the edge of her reality. She had a horned skull with some sort of tube-like owl peering out from an empty eye socket. She wore a pair of pajama pants with strange, colorful patterns, and a T-Shirt branded with something called the “Bad Girl Coven.”

She stopped, peering out into an empty void. If she squinted hard enough, she could swear she could see waves crashing on the horizon, each wall of water falling without sound.

After a few moments, another figure materialized, this one coming from the depths in front of her. His dark coat was nearly camouflaged against the void behind him, leaving little to notice than his face. He too bore a skull, each empty eye socket peering back at the creature. A gash weaved out of each one, one going to the back of his head and the other going down to his chin.

“TITAN,” he addressed.

“Scientist,” the creature regarded back.

Both narrowed their eyes at the other.

Suddenly, the creature broke into a grin.

“How’s it going, G?” the Titan greeted, smiling. She approached the scientist to shake his hand, which he gladly accepted.

“QUITE WELL, FOR THE MOST PART,” the scientist replied, “YOURSELF?”

“Eh, could be better, could be worse. You know nothing’s changed here yet, though. I’m very interested in your half of the project, though.”

“AH, CURIOUS AS ALWAYS. THANKFULLY, I COME BEARING GOOD NEWS.”

“I would love to hear it, doctor.”

“THE EXPERIMENT HAS BEEN A SUCCESS! SUBJECT HAS EXPERIENCED LITTLE TO NO NEGATIVE SIDE-EFFECTS FROM ENCOUNTERING NEW MAGIC, AND APPEARS TO BE ADAPTING WELL TO HER ENVIRONMENT.”

“That’s quite good to hear. I trust she’s making friends, as you promised?”

“ALL FOUR HEROES SEEM TO HAVE TAKEN QUITE A LIKING TO HER- FASTER THAN EXPECTED, MIGHT I ADD.”

“Wonderful! Has it had any impact on your world’s future?”

“ALMOST CERTAINLY, FRIEND. IT IS TOO EARLY ON TO ACCURATELY PREDICT, HOWEVER.”

“Ah, I suppose that makes sense.”

“HOW IS YOUR HERO GETTING ALONG?”

“Also very well. She appears to get along with my son well. I don’t believe there’s a better human who could’ve met him.”

“I AM PLEASED TO HEAR THAT. HOW HAS SHE BEEN ADAPTING TO YOUR “GLYPH” MAGIC?”

“Extremely well. I’ve been cautious about them, but she’s used them for nothing but helping people. It’s… refreshing to see.”

“WONDERFUL. WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE WE DO NEXT?”

“Hmmm… You’re the scientist, aren’t you? I think you’d ought to know best.”

“I MAY BE A SCIENTIST, BUT I AM CERTAINLY NO AUTHOR.”

“We could add someone new to the story.”

“SOMEONE TO YOURS, OR TO MINE?”

“I would be interested in the outcome regardless. I just want to see the best outcome for my people.”

“I CAN ASSURE YOU I KNOW SOME HEROES WHO WOULD DO A FINE JOB.”

“Ah, I’m well aware. They have your world to save though, don’t they?”

“THAT IS TRUE.”

“Every world needs a hero. It’s a shame there never seem to be enough to go around.”

“PERHAPS THE ANSWER IS NOT A PERSON, BUT RATHER A GATEWAY?”

“Perhaps. Maybe not in the way you may be thinking, though.”

“HM?”

“Our interferences with our worlds are what placed us where we are now. It may be best if we let this exist without further interruption.”

“YOU ARE PROPOSING WE ABANDON THE EXPERIMENT?”

The creature laughs a heavy, tired sound. She smiles wider.

“Quite the opposite, dear friend. There are an unlimited amount of possibilities for both our worlds now that we’ve established this connection.”

“AN UNLIMITED NUMBER OF STORIES WAITING TO BE WRITTEN.”

“Sometimes stories seem to write themselves. Other times they seem to end themselves.”

“YOU REMIND ME GREATLY OF A FIGURE FROM ANOTHER TRIAL OF MY EXPERIMENT.”

“Ha, I shall take that as a compliment!”

“YOU SHOULD. I BELIEVE IT MAY BE BEST IF WE LET THIS STORY CONTINUE ON WITHOUT US.”

“I’ll do you one better- I believe we should turn it over to the future. Allow another to pick it up, and see where it takes them.”

“I LIKE THAT IDEA VERY MUCH.”

“I would too. Shake on it?”

As the two entities clasp hands, the world seems to get blurrier. It’s harder for you to focus on the details, but the impression still remains. Gradually, it begins to fade.

You have lost your connection to this world.

Perhaps you can make another.