Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hometown is your average small town, always so quiet and sleepy. So sleepy, in fact, Town Hall should consider renaming the place to Sleepytown; barely anything happens around these parts. 

But, on one particular day, Hometown finds itself waking up from its sleepy stupor. And for just a few hours of that day, the town finds itself bustling with cheer and laughter.  

Bass-boosted music blasts through the warm summer air, songs that date back to at least two decades ago. The roads, usually barren from a lack of traffic, now burst with a surge of foot traffic, with stalls and booths lining from block to block. From confectionary stands to game booths to stalls selling conspicuous merchandise, whatever you could think of, there is probably a stall here that sells it. 

It’s that time of year again. The day of Hometown’s festival. 

Kris looks away from the bustling festivities on the ground, and shifts their gaze upwards, where they see a giant Ferris wheel towering over them. 

The highlight of the festival, glowing bright. So many memories were made on that Ferris wheel; memories that should make them feel happy.  

Kris finds themself getting a headache. 

There comes a nudge at their side. “Yo, Kris, you good? You’ve barely touched your corndog.” 

They blink, and it’s only now they acknowledge the corndog in their hand. Uneaten. A hand waves in front of their face, and a familiar face enters their sight. 

It’s Susie; she looks worried. 

“Geez, man. You’ve been zoning out ever since we got here…”

Kris shrinks under her gaze, and mumbles an apology. 

“Ah, don’t sweat it.” She takes another bite out of her half-eaten corndog. “You sure you wanna stay for the festival, though? If you really don’t wanna, we can just… Y’know, ditch this place.” 

Kris entertains the idea, even if just for a moment. 

Susie then looks away, scratching the back of her neck with her free hand. “We can even… sneak into school, if you want. Hang out with Ralsei, instead.”

Kris shakes their head immediately. Ralsei would rather they enjoy the festival instead. 

“Yeah, you’re right…” Susie sighs. “Ralsei would… Ralsei would want us to have fun, right? So, let’s enjoy ourselves for him, yeah?!” 

She wraps an arm around Kris’s shoulder and pulls them in for a side-hug. “We’re gonna have so much fun, he’s gonna WISH he came with us! Ha, I bet he’s so jealous of us right now!” 

Kris can’t help but crack a snicker. Somehow, their headache is a bit more bearable now. Maybe Susie’s healing powers transferred over to the Light World too. 

Susie releases Kris from her grasp, and chows down the rest of her corndog before throwing the stick away somewhere. “Anyway, you gonna eat that?” She points at their untouched corndog. “If you’re not gonna eat it, just give it to me! Don’t let good food go to waste!” 

They look down to the corndog in their hand. A faint grin tugs at their lips. 

And, as if in perfect sync, Kris throws the corndog at Susie, who catches it perfectly in her mouth and chomps down on it, stick and everything. 

“Mm, crunchy,” Susie pulls out the stick between her teeth and throws it somewhere. “C’mon, let’s see what else the festival has to offer.”

The festival has nothing Kris hasn’t seen before. It’s all the same sort of activities as last year, the year before, and all the years in their childhood. The confectionary stands sell the same snacks, the booths all have the same games, and give the same gifts… It’s almost like the festival itself is frozen in time, untouched, unchanged. 

Kris manages to find it enjoyable though, mostly thanks to Susie, who drags them from stall to stall, eyes sparkling wide and enamored at all the festivities. 

“Candy onions? Ha, that’s so weird! We gotta try this, dude!” 

“Look, they have plushies for prizes! Maybe we can win something for Ralsei.”

“Woahh, that Ferris wheel is huge as hell. I wonder how they managed to move it here… Wait, is that Sans over there.”

After some wandering, they eventually end up at a lazily set up tent. It has only a foldable table displaying an array of merchandise, manned by none other than— 

“sup kids. i’m sans.”

“Uhh, what are you selling?” Susie squints at the displays. “... Why do they all have your face on it?”

“oh, just some merch, for my fans. it’s on sale today, actually.” Sans then places a piece of cardboard that reads ‘SALE SALE’ written in big marker pen. “wanna buy some? if you buy two, it’s $4. buy four, and it’s $8. get eight, and that’s $16. sweet deal, eh?”

“DUDE, WHAT KINDA DEAL IS THAT? There’s no discount at all!” 

Kris gives Susie a look; a devious look. 

“Kris, we are NOT buying any of this,” she snaps before they can say anything. 

Sans only shrugs. “eh, your loss, kid. come back if you change your mind, though. i’ll always be here. for today, and maybe even for a whole year. who knows.”

Susie lets out a sigh before leaving. “... Let’s get outta here.”

Kris nods wordlessly, and follows after her. The crowd of people put some distance between them, but the back of her head stands out easily, so it’s easy to track her. 

Nothing’s changed about the festival, and Kris thought they wouldn’t feel any different. And yet, watching Susie enjoy herself like this, taking in the festival with such childlike wonder… it fills them with a warm fuzzy feeling. 

Their headache is fully gone now. 

Kris can’t help the smile that tugs at their lips. They open their mouth, arm stretched out, about to call out to her. “Hey, Susie—!”

“Kris.”

They feel a hand on their shoulder, and it’s like the world turned to ice for a moment. The warm fuzzy feeling is gone, extinguished. For some reason, Kris feels incredibly nauseous. 

Another tap on their shoulder. “Kris? Are you okay?” 

They turn around, swallowing down that unpleasant feeling. “... Noelle,” they mumble out. 

Noelle laughs at them. “What’s with that look? You look like you just saw a ghost, fahaha!” 

Kris digs their fingers into the fabric of their sweater. It does little to steady them. They decide to ask her what’s up. 

“Oh, me? Just looking for you, that’s all,” Noelle smiles. “I was looking forward to the festival today, and to see you too! We could enjoy it together, just like old times.”

She reaches for their hand, and grasps it between her own. It takes everything in their power not to flinch. “We could… ride the Ferris wheel together later. Gosh, we used to ride it at least 20 times! Maybe… Maybe we could do that again. Like old times.”

That’s when they notice the scar around one of her fingers. It resembles a ring. 

EQUIP. 

The ground sways beneath them; Kris feels like throwing up. 

“What do you say? Do you wanna ride the Ferris wheel together later?” 

No no no, leave her alone. Please, anything but that. I’ll play games with her, even buy those stupid things at Sans’s shop with her, just please anything but the Ferris wheel, leave her be please please PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE— 

“... Sure,” Kris chokes out. 

Noelle’s smile grows wider; she seems satisfied with this. “Great! Then, I’ll see you later?” 

A crooked smile is forced onto their expression. “Sure, can’t wait.” 

With that, Noelle disappears back into the crowd, and Kris is alone again. 

They lurch towards the nearest corner they can find, and once it’s confirmed there is no one around— 

Kris hunches over, and empties their stomach onto the ground. 

Their vision spins with stars, gravity turned shy now with how the ground sways under their feet. Kris clutches their chest tightly, willing themself to breathe, air coming in and out in unsteady wheezes. 

They— 

They shouldn’t have come. 

Not today. 

A sob nearly escapes out their throat, but Kris clamps a hand over their mouth and forces it down. No, not now. Need– Need to find Susie…

With a shaky deep breath, Kris wipes their mouth on their sleeve and returns back to the festival grounds. 

They stagger through the crowd in a daze. Everything feels like too much all of a sudden.

The music is too loud. The smells are too strong. And the laughter, the chatter— it almost makes their head burst. Even the Ferris wheel looming over the festival feels too bright, its lights shining mockingly at them. 

For a moment, Kris contemplates burning it down. 

They eventually find Susie, talking animatedly to another stall owner. They can’t hear what they’re saying, but Susie notices them, and her face lights up as she approaches them and grabs their hand, and— 

“Dude, where the hell were you?! I couldn’t find you anywhere!” Susie punches them lightly in the shoulder. “Heh, maybe I should hold your hand in crowded places next time.” 

Kris tells her they would rather kiss Berdly on the mouth than do that. 

“Kidding, I was kidding! Jeez!” Susie barks. “Uhh, anyway, I bumped into your dad while I was looking for you…” 

They both turn towards the stall owner, who waves at them with a pleasant smile. “Glad to see you’re okay, Kris. I hope you’ve been enjoying the festival with your friend here,” he chuckles, resting a pot of golden flowers on the side of his hip. 

Susie straightens herself up. “Uh, thanks again, by the way, Mr. Asgore.”

“Oh, no need to thank me. I barely did anything!” Asgore laughs again, and sets down the flowers. “Anyway, you two should head back and enjoy the rest of the festivities. Don’t mind me!” 

Kris takes note of the various pots of flowers strewn about the space. They look haphazardly placed. They decide to ask about it. 

Susie scratches the back of her neck. “Oh yeah, uh, your dad was setting up his stall. Just started, actually…” She takes another look at the sorry state of the place. “... You, uh, need any help with that?”

Asgore looks up, right as he’s arranging a few more flowers on his table. “Hmm? Oh, don’t worry about me! I’ll be just fine!” 

Kris and Susie both give him a look. 

Asgore sighs. “You’re right. I do… actually need help,” he finally admits, defeated. “I have so many things to set up, things to take down from the truck, and I still have more things waiting for me back at the shop… Haha, if I were 10 years younger, I could handle all of this easily! But alas, time has not been kind to me, especially my back…” 

Susie bends down to whisper in Kris’s ear. “I kinda feel bad for him. Should we…?”

They tells her they would rather kiss Berdly on the mouth than—

“Just kidding,” Kris flashes a shit-eating grin. 

“You dumbass!” Susie punches them in the shoulder. “Alright, I guess we could put the festival on hold for now… Not like we have anything else to do, right?” 

Kris nods. 

“Alright, we’ll help you, Mr Asgore,” Susie says. “Just need us to grab the stuff from your shop, right?” 

Asgore’s face lights up. “You’ll help me? Oh, you’re too kind, children. It’s nice that you met such a kind friend, Kris. Alright then, you can help arrange the flowers here first while I head over to the shop. Once you’re done, you two can come on over and help me.” 

“Sounds peachy,” Susie shoots a finger gun at him. “Arright, let’s organise the hell out of these flowers!”

(* ... You and Susie arranged the flowers as nicely as you can.)

(* Seems like you can head over to Flower King now.)

The sounds of the festival fade into background noise as Kris and Susie make their way over to Asgore’s flower shop. Everyone is at the festival, making the walk over much quieter than usual. 

Susie decides to fill the silence. 

“So, about yesterday… Back in the Dark World, where we saw the end of the prophecy…” She begins, in a much more solemn voice. “You… You saw it too, didn’t you?” 

Kris says nothing, but they feel their chest tighten. 

She sucks in a breath. “Whatever comes, we’re not letting that happen, got it? We… We can’t. Or else, Ralsei…”

Susie can’t find it in herself to continue, and Kris doesn’t need her to. They already understand all that she wants to say. 

Kris then recalls their exchange with Ralsei from yesterday. 

“I… I want to believe again, Kris,” the prince of the Dark had sobbed into their shoulder that time. “I want to believe that there isn’t only one ending!” 

He had sounded so hopeful at first. Kris almost thought Susie had infected him with her hope. 

“... But, what would that be? What would that other path look like? And how do we know… it wouldn't be something even worse?"

An image of Noelle’s hand flashes in their mind, a ring being placed on her finger. 

Kris clamps a hand over the mouth, and wills themself not to throw up. 

“Shit, you okay, man?” Susie grabs their shoulder, concerned. “Damn, maybe the festival food messed up your guts… Let's borrow your dad’s toilet at his shop later.”

Kris shrugs it off and tells her they’re fine. 

“... Dude, you don’t have to pretend you’re okay. Just— Wait, what is that…?”

The Flower King shop has finally come into view, but all the windows are pitch black. And, there’s dark smoke seeping out of the door. 

A tense sensation builds in the back of Kris’s throat. 

Susie staggers back, shocked. “Kris, you’re seeing this too, right…?”

They nod slowly. 

Susie balls her hands into fists and kicks the ground, frustrated. “That goddamn Knight! Another Dark World, and in broad daylight too?! D-Damnit, first your mom, and now Asgore too… But, what would they need your dad for?” 

The dark smoke continues to seep out from under the door, billowing up towards the sky. 

Susie looks back at Kris with a forced smile. “So, uh, how does a new adventure sound?” She tries to joke. 

Kris says nothing. 

“... Y-Yeah, we got no time to lose,” she cracks her knuckles. “Let’s just get in there and seal the Fountain. The faster we do it, the better.”

With a deep breath, she grabs onto both handles of the shop’s front door, and pulls them open. A dark abyss greets them, groaning unintelligibly. 

A dark abyss they’ve grown familiar by now. 

They both leap into the darkness, and fall, as the door closes shut behind them.

Chapter Text

After what feels like a long time, Kris opens their eyes, only to close them again. They hiss in pain, a hand shooting up to shield their eyes from the sudden brightness. 

It’s too bright… 

They blink once, then twice, allowing their eyes to adjust. 

Eventually, the light gets more tolerable, and Kris removes their hand. It’s at that moment they notice the colour of their skin: bright cyan in place of yellow. They’re wrapped in fingerless gloves, with armguards over their wrists and chainmail underneath it, matching with a familiar set of armor. 

Ah, no wonder their body feels much heavier than usual. 

Kris shakes their head, and presses the heel of their hand into their forehead, still adjusting to the sudden shift between worlds. 

They hear a low groan come from beside them. 

“Ugh, I don’t remember feeling this sick when jumping into a Dark World…” Susie groans, clutching her head as she slowly sits upright. “Was it the candy onions? Or maybe the corndogs…?”

Like them, she’s also decked in her own Dark World fit. Shimmering pink instead of purple, covered head to toe in her signature spikes.

Susie looks down at the pile of golden petals underneath them. “Huh, these flowers must’ve broken our fall…” 

Kris shifts their hand, raking their fingers through the petals. They’re soft to the touch, like a pillow; these flowers would make for a nice bed. 

Susie dusts herself off as she gets up. “You know, weirdly enough, this feels… familiar,” she remarks. “Falling onto a bed of flowers after a long fall… Kinda reminds me of this game I played, like, a million years ago. Can’t really remember the name though, but it had the most cliche opening sequence ever.”

Kris has no idea what she’s talking about, and yet, for some reason, a part of their soul does. 

Weird. 

Susie offers them a hand and helps them up to their feet. 

“Wonder where’s Ralsei,” she says. “Doesn’t he usually, like, pop up somewhere or something?” 

Kris only shrugs. 

“Eh, whatever, he’ll show up soon enough.” She shrugs back in response, before going right behind Kris. “Let’s go.”

In the corner of their eye, Kris spots a glimmer of light shining in the darkness. It flickers tentatively, as if calling out to them. 

By second nature, Kris walks over to it and extends their hand out. 

(* The sight of flowers under your feet is a familiar one.)

(* You are filled with the power of nostalgia.) 

Kris has no idea what is there to be nostalgic of, but doesn’t think much of it, letting the light wash over them before they proceed onwards. 

A trail of flower petals fall behind them as Kris and Susie walk forward. 

It seems like they’re in some kind of cave, as though they’re underground. It’s almost hard to believe they’re inside their father’s flower shop. 

Kris wonders what kind of enemies they’ll face here. 

“I dunno, I’m guessing a lot of flower ones maybe? Since we’re in a flower shop,” Susie says. “Hopefully they all shouldn’t be too hard to defeat. I mean, it’s flowers. What’s the worst that could happen?” 

They make their way into the next, leading into more caves. Strangely enough, the whole ground is covered in golden flowers. It doesn’t make the whole place feel less… cave-y though. 

“Ugh, this is the most boring Dark World ever,” Susie groans, walking ahead of Kris. “What is this, cave world? C’mon, let’s just hurry and find the Fountain—”

A single flower suddenly pops out of the ground, one much more yellow than the rest. “Howdy there!” It calls out, grinning wide. “I’m Flo—”

Susie physically recoils, stumbling backwards, startled. She almost knocks into Kris. “WHAT IS THAT? IT JUST TALKED TO ME.” She then looks back at them, and shakes them by the shoulder with one hand, pointing to the strange creature with the other. “You’re– You’re seeing this too, right?

The flower clears its throat dramatically. “AHEM. Jeez, is this how you greet strangers? Sigh, can’t believe this is our future generation… Oh well!” 

It giggles and slaps a leaf over its head (head? petals?), with a wink and a single star flying out from the gesture. 

Both Susie and Kris (yes, even Kris) can only stare at the flower, wide-eyed and in absolute shock. 

The flower then taps its chin with its leaf, before rolling it up to mimic a telescope over one of its eyes. “Hmmm, I spy… A human and a monster! Ooh, you must’ve stumbled into this place by accident. Now, you both must be very confused right now, but luckily you bumped into me!” 

It stretches its leaves out, as if gesturing to the whole cavern. “Welcome to the underground! Allow me to join your side as your humble guide, and I shall guide you through this unknown world—”

“Kris! Susie!” 

In the distance, a familiar figure runs towards them, closing in. 

Susie beams. “Ralsei!” 

“What? H-Hey! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO LISTEN TO M–”

The flower doesn’t finish its sentence before Ralsei tramples over it. 

“I came as soon as I could!” Ralsei pants, catching his breath. He takes a moment to look around his surroundings. “Another Dark World? And much sooner this time… Wait, forget about that— are you two okay?!”

Susie merely gives him a peace sign. “Chill out, man. Me and Kris just got here. We’re perfectly fine.” 

Kris gives a thumbs up.  

“Ah, that’s… that’s good,” Ralsei breathes out a sigh of relief. 

“Oh, right, you’re stepping on the flower,” Susie points down at the poor creature crushed under his feet. 

Ralsei steps back, hands clasped over his hands in shock. “Oh heavens, I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there!” 

The flower mumbles something vaguely antagonistic, but it’s too crushed up to hear it properly. 

“Hey, Rals,” Susie snickers. “You’re a goat, you should eat it.”

The prince of the dark sputters, appalled. “I am not doing that!” 

She then turns to Kris. “What do you think? Should I eat it?”

Two options present themselves in Kris’s mind. 

     * Absolutely

     * Ew no why

They barely managed to push back the force pushing them against their will, and choose the second option. 

“Heh, yeah. You’re… You’re right,” Susie lets out a dry laugh, before dropping the flower with a splat sound. “We can’t get distracted. Every second we waste gives the Knight more time to wreck havoc everywhere. Gotta focus on the fountain and— Ah, shit, isn’t your dad here? We need to find him fast, or else—”

Ralsei walks towards her, and places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Let’s not panic first. I’m sure we’ll be able to find the Fountain, and Kris’s father too, because we have each other!” 

Susie takes a deep breath. “... Yeah, sorry about that.” 

“If it helps, I don’t sense any immediate danger right now,” Ralsei smiles, hoping to soothe her. “This Dark World feels strangely peaceful, if not a bit solemn.” 

Susie scratches her head. “Uhh, dunno what that means, but hey, that should mean the enemies here are easy to defeat, right?” 

“I suppose so!” 

The monster laughs, before fist-bumping the air. “Arright, time for a new adventure! … Let’s, uh, try and wrap this up quickly though. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can hang out in CastleTown again.” 

“Of course, Susie!” Ralsei then briefly leans in to whisper something into Kris’s ear. “She’s gotten more responsible now,” he giggles. 

The Fun Gang, now united, strike a pose together. 

And with that, their adventure truly begins. 

The trio of heroes march onwards, one after the other, and exit the underground caverns. They reach a long tunnel, and keep walking and walking, heading out to…

… Flower World.

Chapter Text

Warm and pleasant light greets them as the trio exit out of the tunnel. Unlike the cave from earlier, the whole place is much brighter. Almost welcoming, even. 

More golden flowers cover the ground, soft beneath their feet. With the amount of petals on the ground, it's hard to tell where the path ends and where the flowers begin. Tall glass walls tower over them, from where warm sunlight pours through, and under the light, it makes the flowers shimmer like actual gold. 

It feels like they’re inside a huge greenhouse. 

“Wow, this feels so nice…” Ralsei sighs, basking in the light. 

“Could be a bit warmer, honestly,” Susie remarks. “But otherwise? This feels like the perfect place to lie down and sleep. Just need to find a nice rock to lie on.” 

Ralsei blinks at her, confused. “A… rock?” 

“You should try it sometime. Feels awesome,” Susie snickers. “Although, if the rock gets too warm, would you just turn into barbecued goat?” 

“What.”

Kris closes their eyes and savours how the light feels on their skin, warm and pleasant. They could easily mistake it for actual sunlight, if not for the fact they’re in a Dark World right now. 

When they open their eyes again, just out the corner of their sight, Kris sees it again. A patch of light, flickering out of place amid the flowers. 

By second nature, Kris walks on ahead and reaches out to it. 

(* Seeing your comrades bask under the light gives you a warm feeling.)

(* Despite the lack of an actual sun, you are filled with the power of sunbathing.) 

Once everyone’s had their share of warm light, they continue onwards on the path of flowers. 

The walk is strangely peaceful, for the most part. Then again, most of their adventurers started off just as peacefully, right before the Big Bad hit them straight in the face. TV World was an exception though. Kris finds themself with a growing headache as they recall the absolute whiplash from that particular one. 

There is barely anything Kris could truly call peace in their life, but for a moment, they pretend they do. Under the light of the world shaped from a mere flower shop, Kris gets to feel calm, even if for just a bit. 

Kris feels something brush past their leg. 

“Hurry! We must hurry! Or else we’ll miss it!” A flower creature exclaims, running past them. Its height barely reaches up to Kris’s waist. 

Another follows after immediately, nearly tripping over itself as it tries to catch up. 

“W-Wait for me! Save me a seat at the ceremony later!”

Their feet make tiny skittering sounds as they run ahead. 

“Those must be the Darkners of this World,” Ralsei notes. “Aww, they look kind of cute. Like, little flower children.”

Susie nudges Kris’s shoulder playfully. “Hey, at least you won’t be the shortest one around here now.”

They shoot her an annoyed glare. 

“Kidding, kidding!” She barks out a laugh, raising her hands in surrender. “But anyway, sounds like there’s some kind of ceremony going on? They looked like they were rushing to it.” 

Ralsei rubs his chin in thought. “Perhaps it’ll give us a clue as to where the Dark Fountain is located. Let’s follow after them!” 

The Fun Gang pick up the pace, passing by more and more flower children as they go. For some reason, no matter how fast they run, the Darkners somehow manage to outpace them, despite their tiny skittering feet. Or maybe, it’s exactly because of their tiny skittering feet that allows them to move their legs faster. 

(Behind them, Susie teasingly asks Ralsei if he has a spell that can shrink them down to that size. Kris is too preoccupied leading the team to say anything.)

As they run forward, they overhear a conversation between a small group of flower children. 

“It’s time, it’s time!” 

“Oh me, oh my, he’s coming!” 

“Is he finally here? The king of…”

“Quit rambling! The coronation is starting soon!”

Despite being outpaced by literal flower children half their height, Kris picks up the speed and runs as much as they can ahead, their friends following after them. 

In the distance, they see a golden gate fast approaching. It has an ornate flower crest embedded into the arch. Seeing as all the flower children are rushing towards its direction, this must be the place. 

In the corner of Kris’s eyes, they catch another glimpse of that flickering light again. Another one so soon? They think to themself. Something big must be coming. 

Kris stops in their tracks and lifts a fist up, commanding everyone else to stop. 

“Huh, why’d we stop? The ceremony’s just up ahead!” Susie questions. 

“Kris, do you need a moment?” 

They mumble some excuse about wanting a short break, to stock up on items just in case. The other two heroes nod in understanding— well, mostly Ralsei does. Susie kinda just shrugs it off and lets Kris do their Kris-things. 

By second nature, they reach out to the flickering light. 

(* Seeing this flickering light for the third time in the past ten minutes…)

(* It fills you with the power of confusion.)

Kris browses through their storage while they’re at it; moves some items into their inventory and vice versa, making sure there’s enough heals and revives. Rummaging through their stash, they make a mental note to reorganise their items when they have the time. 

Ralsei perks up once he sees that Kris is done. 

“Shall we go then?” He smiles. 

Kris nods with a small grunt. 

“Arright, let’s see who this new king in town is,” Susie cracks her knuckles. “Let’s go!”

Hushed whispers fill the air the moment they step through the golden gate. 

It’s a grand setting, with velvet plush chairs arranged into tight rows, occupied by anticipating flower children. A rouge carpet cuts down the middle in between the rows of chairs, which lead up to a raised platform, adorned in flowers of many varieties. Kris vaguely recognises the flower arrangements; they seem to have seen them in their father’s shop a few times. 

“Ahh, damn, full house,” Susie sighs, folding her arms. 

Much to their dismay, there are no empty seats. Even if there were, the seats seem too small for them to sit on anyway. 

Ralsei taps his chin in thought, before he walks on ahead and sits on the ground behind the last row. “Perhaps we could just sit here instead?” He suggests, patting the flowers beside him. 

“Hell yeah, back of the bus.” Susie joins him right after. 

Kris is still taking in the environment, a nagging feeling at the back of their mind. This place seems so familiar, for some reason. 

It… It almost reminds me of Mom and Dad’s wedding photos… 

“Psst, Kris, it’s starting! Get your ass here now!” Susie motions them over. 

They sit down just in time, because as soon as they meet the ground, the crowd quiets down. The ceremony is about to begin. 

A well-dressed flower child walks onto the platform, clearing their throat while adjusting the petals that make up their hair. Once the whole place falls silent, the child fishes out a comically large scroll from their vest, and rolls it out, the parchment rolling out onto the carpet. 

“Greetings, fellow flora and fauna!” They begin. “Today is a most auspicious day, as we are gathered here today to welcome our new king!” 

The crowd roars with cheers and applause, some even whistling with joy. 

“For far too long, we’ve been stuck in the darkness, forced to feed off shadows instead of light,” the flower child continues, shaking their fist dramatically. “But those days are now behind us. A saviour has fallen from above, and brought us light! Warmth! Purpose!” 

The flower children applaud even harder. Some of them clap so hard their leaves for hands fall off. 

“Now I shan’t dilly-dally any longer,” the flower child steps to the side, unveiling a curtain of ivy vines behind them. “Everyone, please welcome our benevolent Flower King…” 

A stocky figure emerges out from the curtain of vines, dressed head to toe in royal golden regalia. A purple cape billows behind him, majestic, and the armor he’s wearing almost seems to glow in the light. If they didn’t know any better, they would’ve thought they’re in the presence of a foreboding royal. 

Unfortunately, they do know better. 

Kris’s jaw falls open. 

“Dude,” Susie looks at them, wide-eyed in disbelief. “Isn’t, Isn’t that your—” 

The Flower King lets out a warm chuckle, and does a small wave. “Howdy, everyone. Nice to meet you all.” 

“... KING ASGOREEE!!!” 

And the crowd goes wild again. Everyone stands up from their seats, whistling and cheering with joy as a fanfare of petals scatter down from above, as though welcoming their new monarch. 

“Oh my, what an energetic bunch, they are,” Asgore turns to the well-dressed flower child beside them. “It is my honour to have them as my subjects.”

The flower child gives him a humble bow. “No, no, it is my honour to be the one to officiate your ascension to the throne, my King!” 

Ralsei looks away from the ceremony to see both Kris and Susie staring forward, their eyes so wide open it looks like they’re about to fall out. “Ah, Kris, Susie, you know him?” 

“Dude, that’s Kris’s dad!” Susie points at the Flower King. 

“O-Oh! I see!” 

Kris doesn’t know what to feel at this moment. To be honest, they knew this was coming. Asgore had gone into the flower shop before them, so there was a good chance he’d end up in this Dark World. But, to actually see him in full Dark World attire with their very eyes… 

Susie scratches the back of her neck. “So, uh, what do we do now?” 

“Well, he’s the Flower King. That makes him the King of this Dark World, right?” Ralsei begins, tapping his chin in thought. “In that case, perhaps he’ll know where the Dark Fountain is. Now, if only we can get him to join our party…”

“Heh, that’s easy,” Susie snickers. “He’s Kris’s dad. I’m sure he’d join our side, no questions asked.” 

“R-Really?” Ralsei gives her a doubtful look. “But, what if— Hey Susie, what are you doing—!?” 

Before he can stop her, Susie stands up from the ground and cups both hands around her mouth. “HEY, MR ASGORE! IT’S ME, SUSIE!”

The crowd’s cheers come to a screeching halt. 

Crickets fill the air with their cricketing. 

Asgore takes a moment to shake out of his surprise. “Oh my, what are you doing here? And Kris too? And—” 

“INTRUDERS!” The flower child points a stiff finger at the three heroes. “Only flora and fauna are invited to this coronation ceremony, and you three look neither flora nor fauna. Who are you?!” 

Ralsei quickly stands up next, raising his hands in surrender. “I-I’m sorry! We come in peace! We mean no harm!” 

“Nonsense!” The flower child retorts. “Did you not see the sign outside? Flora and fauna ONLY!” 

Susie blinks, first looking at the flower child, then back down at Kris. “Dude, was there a sign?” 

Kris shrugs. They don’t recall seeing such a thing at the gate earlier. 

The flower child is red with frustration at this point. “Bah, no matter! Guards, seize them!”

Suddenly, a group of cactus soldiers emerge from the bushes at the side…! 

Danger. 

Kris finally stands up, hand reaching for the hilt of their sword. Both Susie and Ralsei are too shocked to ready into a fighting stance, as the cactus soldiers circle in on them. 

“W-Wait, don’t capture us! We’re not dangerous!” Ralsei pleads. 

Susie cautiously draws her axe. “Damn, looks like we’re gonna have to fight them…” 

Kris feels their soul flicker, about to enter battle. Looks like there’s no other way out of this. They take a deep breath, unsheathe their sword, and—

“Wait, do not hurt them!” Asgore intervenes. “I know those children, And, and that goat too? They are friends, do not worry!”

The flower child straightens themself. “But, my king—” 

Asgore merely chuckles. “They are harmless, I promise. A friend of mine, is a friend of my subjects.” He then motions to the cactus guards. “Guards, please! Stand down.”

The cactus soldiers murmur among themselves, before slowly disappearing back into the bushes. 

Susie lowers her axe. “... Are we safe?” 

“AHEM.” The flower child clears their throat. “It seems we have a misunderstanding. I apologise for my oversight. As you are the king’s friends, I suppose you are allowed to remain for the rest of the ceremony. On behalf of the king, an exception shall be made.”

Kris lets out a sigh of relief, and sheathes their sword. 

Ralsei lifts the edges of his robes, and bows into a curtsy. “Oh thank you, Flower King!”

“... You can just call him Asgore, y’know,” Susie whispers to him.

“I-I can?” 

Asgore stretches his arms out, motioning the three of them to come over. “Come over here, friends. The view is much better up front.” 

“Ah, sweet,” Susie steps forward first. “Well then, since you offered, I don’t see why not—” 

Crunch. 

Susie pauses in her tracks, and lifts her boot to see what she stepped on. “What the hell…? Oh, it’s just a flower.” 

She peels it off the sole of her boot, about to drop it to the ground, until—

One particular flower child in the crowd gasps out in horror. “What have you done?! That was my grandma!” They point a shaky finger in her direction, tears in their eyes. “Y-You killed my grandma!”

More horrified gasps follow, erupting from the crowd. “She killed a flower! One of our kind! Seize her!” 

“W-Wait, everyone, please calm down!” But nobody hears Asgore. 

The cactus soldiers return again, and this time they charge forward without listening for Asgore’s command. 

Susie staggers backwards. “Oh shit.” 

Ralsei is already hurrying to his feet, grabbing onto Kris’s arm. “Everyone, run!” 

The Fun Gang quickly book it out of there, running towards the gate. A legion of cactus soldiers chase after them, throwing prickly spears at them. Some of them narrowly miss Kris’s soul, grazing past damage. 

Susie follows closely behind Kris and Ralsei, but before she can catch up to them, a single vine erupts from the ground and trips her over. 

“ — Gh!” 

“S-Susie!” Ralsei turns back with a gasp. 

He’s about to go back and rescue her, but the cactus soldiers are fast approaching. There’s no way they can fight off all of them. 

Kris tightens their expression, unsure what to do. 

Perhaps— Perhaps they could just bulldoze through them and get Susie— 

“I’ll be fine! Just go and find the fountain first!” Susie cries out to them, as a bunch of cactus soldiers jump onto her. She doesn’t seem to be in pain, but the amount of them sitting on her makes her unable to get up. “Kris, get Rals out of here. I’ll come find you two soon!” 

Looks like there’s no other choice… 

With a reluctant heart, Kris and Ralsei run off ahead, narrowly escaping capture. A flurry of pink and gold flower petals trail behind them. 

Susie lets out a sigh of relief, watching the two disappear into the distance. “Hopefully those two can hold their own for a while…” 

Chapter Text

(* … You and Ralsei kept running and running.)

(* And, after a while, when you looked back…)

(* The cactus soldiers, who were chasing you earlier, are nowhere to be seen.) 

Kris slumps against a wall, chest heaving as they try to catch their breath. Their heart feels like it’s going a thousand miles per minute, hammering against their ribcage with what remaining adrenaline in their system. A sharp pain stabs into their side, and they quickly clutch their side while suppressing a pained wince. 

Goddamnit, the stitches are kicking in. 

Tilting their head to the side, Kris manages a look at the person beside them. Ralsei has both hands on his knees, trying to steady himself between out-of-breath pants. 

He doesn’t seem to be in any better shape than them. 

“It– It seems like we lost them…” Ralsei pants. 

So it seems. Kris takes a steadying deep breath before getting back to their feet, still clutching a hand to their side. With the adrenaline mostly wearing off, they can finally calm down and survey their surroundings. Perhaps find a way forward, locate the Dark Fountain, and…

There is only darkness. 

Kris can barely see anything beyond a few paces from them. 

Wasn’t— Wasn’t it bright before? Where is that warm light from earlier? 

How– How are they supposed to find their way like this—?

A soft hand grips onto theirs. “We should stick together, so we don’t lose each other,” Ralsei suggests. 

Kris looks up and sees Ralsei much closer to them now, squeezing their arm in reassurance. 

Right, they’re not alone here. 

They let out a big sigh of relief and relax their shoulders, only realizing now how tensed up they were before. Kris shakes their head, silently chiding themself for almost losing their cool just like that. 

“In any case, perhaps we should look around? Maybe we can find a light source or something.” Ralsei wonders. 

Moving around in absolute darkness? Doesn’t sound like a good idea. 

“Hmm, that is true… Ah, wait! I have an idea!” 

Ralsei removes his hand from Kris’s arm and cups it together with his other, like an offering gesture. He goes silent for a moment, possibly in concentration, and then… 

Spark. 

A tiny flame manifests between his palms. 

Kris can’t help the tiny gasp that escapes them, their mouth falling open in awe. 

The prince lets out a small ‘aha!’ before adjusting the flame’s size, until it grants them just the right amount of brightness. 

With their newly obtained light source, Kris can now survey their surroundings. Unlike the area from earlier, there’s a lack of flowers on the ground. Indistinct white walls surround them, but there is no ceiling above. Not much to pinpoint their exact location, honestly, but it beats feeling around in the dark now. 

Ralsei lets out a relieved sigh before turning to Kris. “How’s this?”

Unable to fully word their absolute astonishment, Kris settles for giving a thumbs up instead. It’s a good enough answer though, with the way Ralsei lights up with a smile in response. 

“Hehe, I’ve been practicing my fire magic as of late. I’m so glad it finally came in handy!” With that, the Dark Prince goes in front of Kris, holding the flame in front to light the way. “Well then, shall we go?” 

Ralsei’s sleeves roll down his arms slightly, revealing something wrapped around his wrists. Kris raises an eyebrow at them, first curious, then concerned. 

Bandages…?

They look back up, greeted by Ralsei’s expectant gaze. He tilts his head. “Kris?”

Kris shakes their head, and tells him it’s nothing, that they can set off now. 

“Oh, okay. Then, let’s go!”

Maybe they’ll bring it up when they have a chance. 

They’ve been walking for quite a while now, though despite Ralsei’s flame as a light source, it hasn’t been helping much in navigation. 

Upon surveying their surroundings further (which somehow involved a bit of Kris touching and licking the walls), they’ve come to realise what kind of place they could be in right now. 

The walls have a grainy, almost paper-like texture to it, and they stand tall, making it nigh impossible to climb over them. Adding to the fact that the path seems to twist here and wind there, which may or may not have led them to a few dead ends, Kris can only conclude one possibility. 

A maze. 

Looks like they’re going to be here for a while. 

Kris drags one hand against the wall, feeling the grainy texture under their fingers, as they trail behind the Dark Prince. 

That’s funny, aren’t they usually the one leading the way? But, it’s a nice change, being able to take a backseat for once. It’s more logical for Ralsei to walk ahead anyway. He’s the one holding their light source, after all. And, most importantly, it’s… kinda nice, seeing Ralsei take charge like this. He’s growing more into himself. 

Kris can’t help but smile at the thought. 

“Hey, is it alright if I share something with you?” Ralsei says out of the blue. “It’s been on my mind for a while now. I didn’t want to bring it up while Susie was around, but now that we’re alone…” 

Kris asks what’s on his mind. 

“You know, I’ve been doing some thinking lately,” Ralsei begins. “About the prophecy, about what Susie said yesterday… Kris, do you really think there’s a way to break the prophecy? To forge another path?” 

They keeps listening as he continues. 

“I don’t know. Maybe there is another path, but… what if it isn’t any better than the one we’re on now…?” 

The flame in his hands wavers for just a moment, like it’s been hit by a breeze. In the darkness, the light reflects off of Ralsei’s glasses in a way that obscures his eyes— his expression is unreadable. “What if this path we’re on right now… is the best possible outcome?” 

Kris tugs on their cape uncomfortably. They never really stopped to think about it like that, not after the absolute shitstorm that was yesterday. 

Even now, they don't want to think about it either, because that would mean acknowledging it. That would mean accepting the fact they caused it to snow that day, indirectly or not. That would mean confirming Ralsei’s fears. 

Kris feels nauseous. They decide to change the topic. 

“… Ahaha, sorry Kris, I’m rambling again! Did you want to say something?” 

Their gaze drifts down to his bandaged wrists. 

Maybe… Maybe now’s a good time to ask about that.

With one hand, they tug the prince’s sleeve down, revealing more of the bandages in the light. Their eyebrows knit further together in concern. “These things on your hands… How did you…?” Kris mumbles, low and monotone, but their worry bleeds through all the same. 

“These?” Ralsei gestures to his bandaged wrists. “Oh, it’s nothing serious really, haha. Just got these from my magic practice!” 

He trails off with a nervous laugh. “... I may or may not have accidentally burnt myself a few times.” 

Kris goes wide-eyed, shocked. 

“B-But, I’m fine, please don’t worry!” Ralsei tries to reassure them. “Anyway, I noticed I mostly burn my wrists, so I borrowed some bandages from Seam to wrap around them like this!” 

Kris continues listening to Ralsei ramble on.

“In any case, I’ve been trying to find a way to incorporate fire magic into my healing,” he says, absentmindedly picking at the bandages on one hand. “Of course, I don’t use it often, so I haven’t quite gotten there yet. It’s just that, Susie’s been improving so much in her healing that I thought, ‘Right, I shouldn’t let up, either’ !”

Kris asks why he doesn’t just use it for offense instead. 

“Me? Oh, I could never,” Ralsei laughs. “I don’t know, I have thought about it, but… that’s more Susie’s thing, isn’t it? Maybe I’ll branch out to that eventually, but for now, I’ll stick to what I’m already used to.”

They get hit with a sense of deja vu. Now, doesn’t that sound familiar… 

Suddenly, Ralsei brings the flame towards them, a sparkle in his eyes. “Actually, why don’t you try and touch it? It doesn’t heal you, but I think I’ve managed to control my fire so it doesn’t do damage either!” 

Their eyes flicker down to his bandaged wrists that say otherwise. 

Kris lifts a hand close to the flame, but then hesitates. 

     * Trust him

     * Do not

Ralsei can heal them either way, won’t he? And besides, the prince wouldn’t actively hurt them. 

Right? 

Kris takes a leap of faith, touches the flame, and…

They flinch back in pain. 

“Ow!” 

“K-Kris?!”

Kris lets out a low pained hiss, cradling their burnt fingers. Shit, why does it hurt so much? The flame barely grazed past their fingertips…

Ralsei extinguishes his flame immediately, wrapping his hands around Kris’s, repeating apologies to them like a chant.

“I-I didn’t mean to, I’m so sorry, Kris! Please, I really didn’t—” 

Kris tries to tell him it’s okay, it’s not your fault , but Ralsei is a panicking mess, hands shaking as he tries to heal their fingers. Soft green sparkles form where their hands are joined together, wavering. It almost seems to reflect the prince’s current state. 

The healing takes a bit longer than usual, but after a few minutes, the burning pain goes away. A refreshing, minty feeling lingers on their fingers in replacement. 

Ralsei is still muttering apologies. 

He still feels guilty… 

With their free hand, Kris grabs what they feel to be Ralsei’s shoulder, and squeezes it gently. They tell him their fingers don’t hurt anymore. 

The muttering comes to a stop. 

It’s hard to see anything in this darkness, but Kris knows Ralsei must be looking straight at them right now. They bite the inside of their cheek, unsure of what to do next. 

Except. 

Their body moves before they realise it. Kris pulls the prince close to them, wrapping their arms around him in a hug. They bury their face deep into Ralsei’s shoulder, cheek nuzzling against the fabric of his scarf. 

The Dark Prince seizes up in their embrace. 

“K-Kris…?” 

They hug him tighter. 

“... It’s okay, you didn’t mean to,” they mumble out slowly. 

That seems to do it, because Ralsei relaxes into their arms almost immediately. He wraps his arms around their torso, returning the hug. “A-Aha, sorry about that, Kris, I just… I didn’t mean to get all— Wait, are you sniffing my fur?!” 

Kris nuzzles themself against his shoulder, smiling faintly against the fur. He smells like strawberries. 

After a while, they finally break from the hug. 

“Thank you, Kris. You have no idea how much I needed that,” Ralsei says to them. 

Another spark! echoes through the space, and soon a new flame is reignited in Ralsei’s palms again. In the light, they can see a faint dust of pink on his cheeks. “Anyway, I suppose we should get back on track now. Let’s try and find a way to reach the Dark Fountain!” 

Oh, right, that. 

Kris wonders if there’s a better way to navigate this place, instead of mindlessly wandering. They’ve run into a few dead ends using the latter method. 

“Unfortunately, I don’t recall the prophecy mentioning a place like this, so I can’t really help there,” Ralsei laughs dryly. Pulling one hand away from the flame, he places it against the wall. “If only we could climb up these walls. Ah, but the climbing claws we got from Jackenstein don’t work on these, right? Hmm, what should we do—?” 

A fire starts spreading throughout the wall, starting from where Ralsei’s hand was placed. 

“Ah, wait, oh no!” 

Ralsei steps back, pulling his hand away, but it’s too late. The fire spreads further, burning away, until…

The burning stops, and strangely enough, only a part of the wall got burnt away, leaving an opening in its place. It seems to lead to a new path. 

Kris feels a mix between confused and impressed. But, they look at the prince who’s just as flabbergasted as them, and give him a thumbs up. Nice work, they convey silently. 

“Well, that’s… one way, I suppose,” Ralsei starts slowly, cupping the flame back with both hands. “Somehow, my fire only burnt part of the wall away… Could this be the key to finding our way out of here?” 

Kris strokes their chin in thought, pressing a hand against the wall. Maybe the texture will give away whether it can be burned away or not? Does that mean they’ll have to burn their way out of this maze…?

Hmm, sounds like it’s worth a shot. 

Ralsei beams a smile. “Nice! Looks like my fire magic will be useful, after all!” 

For some reason, it makes Kris’s chest twinge bittersweetly as he says that. They choose to brush it off, and instead ask him to lead the way.

“Of course, Kris! Let’s go!” 

Right as they proceed onward, they see it again, in the corner of their eye. That familiar flickering light. 

Kris manages to reach out to it, just before Ralsei passes through the opening. 

(* Despite the darkness around you, the prince’s flame serves as an ark to guide the way.) 

(* You are filled with the power of burnt paper.)

“Hey, this feels kinda nostalgic, don’t you think?” Ralsei says, mostly to himself. “Kinda reminds me of when we first met, our first adventure together through the Fields… It’s been a while since it’s been just the two of us, Kris.” 

Kris nods wordlessly. 

“I don’t mean to say I don’t like Susie’s company, of course. She’s amazing to be around!” Ralsei rambles on. “But, for some reason, when I’m just with you, I feel… calm? I don’t know, I hope that doesn’t sound too weird, haha!” 

The two of them continue walking in silence. 

“... Hey, I wonder what Susie’s doing right now,” he says. “How about we close our eyes, and imagine what she’s doing right now?” 

After a moment of pondering, Kris decides to close their eyes, with only Ralsei’s voice as their guide. Just before their mind drifts elsewhere, they feel a soft hand on theirs. 

It’s warm. 

Kris squeezes his hand back.

Chapter Text

Susie blows a raspberry as she leans against the bars of her prison cell, occasionally making a scary face whenever a patrolling cactus guard passes by her cell. 

Time flows differently in the dark, but it feels like it’s been hours since she got thrown in here. 

Actually, this prison feels more like a garden enclosure more than anything. There are flowers blooming from every crevice in this room, with green sprawling out all over the place. Even the prison bars are made of vines instead of steel. Susie didn’t manage to find any moss here though. 

“Man, if only I could just cut through these bars…” She grumbles, dragging a nail over one of the vines. 

The Darkners in this world seem to be much smarter than the previous ones; they actually remembered to take her weapon before locking her away. And now, here lies the poor hero— axeless, allyless, and gradually losing her patience. 

Susie groans before pressing her forehead against the bars. “C’mon, Susie, think. There’s gotta be a way out of here. The bars are too stiff to rip through with my hands… Maybe I could bite my way through? Argh, what would Kris do?” 

(* Eat moss) 

“... Actually, on second thought, never mind.” 

Susie turns away from the prison bars and sits down, leaning back. The ceiling made of vibrant green leaves greets her as she looks up. 

The color reminds her of Ralsei. 

Right, Ralsei and Kris. 

“Wonder how they’re holding up on their end.” 

She sighs deeply again before burying her face into her hands. “Ugh, damn it, they’re probably having a blast together right now. Probably having some fun adventure, meanwhile I’m just here stuck in prison. How come they get to have all the fun?!”

Susie drags her hands down her face, before settling on her lap. 

“... But, maybe it’s also a good thing? Maybe Kris will help Ralsei take his mind off some things, especially after yesterday. He needs it. Still kinda wish I was there with them, though…” 

Her rambling comes to a stop when she hears the scurrying of tiny feet outside, followed by the click! of a switch. 

Susie gets up immediately, her stance defensive. 

The door to the prison cell opens with a creak (isn’t the cell made of plants though?), and a flower child walks in. The way their petals-for-hair fall over their head reminds Susie of a bell. 

“Wh-What do you want?” Susie questions. 

“Pardon for the intrusion,” the flower child does a curtsy. “I’ve been sent to inform you that the King has pardoned you for your crime. He would like an audience with you.” 

The monster loosens herself, if only slightly. She can’t help but squint though, confused. “Pardoned… What?” 

“Yes, you have been pardoned for the crime of murdering a poor flower’s grandma,” the flower child clarifies. “I personally think it’s an unforgivable crime that can only be forgiven through eternal imprisonment, but alas, I must follow my King’s orders. Please, follow me now.” 

Before she can say anything, the flower child walks ahead of her, exiting the prison cell and walking outside. 

Susie’s confused expression remains; it doesn’t seem like the flower child really answered her question. Guess that means I no longer have to stay in jail? 

“Wait, I wanna ask something.”

The flower child stops in their tracks. “If you really wish for an explanation, I’m sure the King will explain plenty to you—”

“No, not that.” 

They turn around, and despite the lack of facial features, they look at her confused anyway. 

Susie scratches her neck, before breaking out a grin. “Can I have my axe back?” 

Susie did not get her axe back. Goddamnit. 

The monster begrudgingly follows after the flower child, arms crossed as they walk through a grand hallway. It’s just like earlier— the interior resembles a greenhouse, with the way warm light pours in through the windows, making the whole place shine golden.

“So, uh,” Susie begins, trying to break the silence. “Did Asgore–”

The flower child lets out an offended gasp, practically whipping their head around. “You forget yourself! How dare you utter the King’s name?!”

Susie raises her hands in surrender, startled. “Okay, okay! I’m sorry!” 

The flower child turns back with a ‘hmph!’ and continues on. 

“... So, the king. Did he, want to tell me something?”

“He wishes for an audience with you, and that is all I know,” the flower child says. “Who knows? Perhaps he wishes only to talk to you, perhaps he wishes to fight you. Either way, I suggest you prepare yourself.” 

Fight me? This guy runs a flower shop, Susie thinks to herself, holding back a snicker. 

After a few more minutes of walking, they reach a grand door at the end of the hallway. 

“This is about as far as I can escort you,” the flower child says, folding its leaves-for-hands neatly behind their back. “The King will be expecting you in the next room.”

“Uhh, thanks, I guess.” 

Susie takes a deep breath, unfolds her arms, and heads through the grand door. 

The next room has even more golden flowers (honestly, is there a place in this Dark World where there aren't flowers?); from flowers covering the ground to flowers hanging by vines from the high-rise ceiling. 

And, amidst all those flowers, stands a tall figure.

“Hum-dee-dum~” The figure hums over the sound of porcelain clinking against one another.

Susie slowly walks forward. “Umm, Mr. Asgore?”

The figure perks up, ceasing him humming. Following the swish of his cape, he turns around with a welcoming smile. 

“Ah, Susie, you’ve come,” Asgore says. “I really must apologise for my guards throwing you into prison like that. Hope you understand.” 

The young monster waves a hand dismissively with a snicker. “Pssh, nah, I get it. Thanks again for busting me out of jail by the way.” 

His smile widens, glad, before he moves away from the table. That’s when Susie notices it: a teapot with teacups, and an assortment of snacks on a tray. 

“What’s all this?” She raises her eyebrows, curious. 

“Ah, I thought we could have a nice chat over a cup of tea,” Asgore chuckles, walking over to sit down at one end of the table. “The little flower children were kind enough to set up this tea table. It would be rude not to make the most of it.”

Susie glances at the chair on the other end of the table, and scratches her neck hesitantly. Just a cup of tea? … Wait, more importantly, how’s this guy so calm? He’s in a goddamn Dark World!

“Susie?” He calls her. 

“Oh, I, uh…” Susie snaps out of her reverie. She looks away, raking a hand through her hair. “I, don’t think I can. My friends, I still have to…”

She makes the mistake of glancing at the snacks on the table. 

They have cheese crackers. 

The monster immediately makes a beeline for the chair and sits down. “Actually, yeah, sure. We can have tea. And those crackers.” 

Asgore chuckles. “Spendid. Let me pour you a cup, then.” 

Sorry, guys. I’ll just have some tea and a quick chat and hurry over to you guys…! Susie says in her heart as she munches on a cheese cracker. 

A cup full of warm red tea is passed to her. It smells pleasant. 

Susie mumbles a thank you and drinks from it. 

“I’ve never seen anyone hold a teacup like that before.”

“Hmm?” She looks up mid-sip. 

Asgore mimics her with his hands, one hand holding an imaginary cup by the handle, and the other holding the bottom of the cup. He stifles an amused grin as he continues. “The tea is still quite hot. Does it not burn your hand to hold it like that?” 

Susie sets her cup down, mustering a weak laugh to mask her embarrassment. “Me? Burn my hand? Nah, I feel nothing.” 

No, rather, the cup is just the right amount of warmth in her hands. It feels comforting to hold. She takes another sip. 

“Mmm, this tea tastes,” she says. “... Teaful.”

Man, that sounded weird. Who the hell describes tea as teaful? Asgore is probably gonna laugh at her or something. Well, it’s not her fault she doesn’t know how to properly appreciate tea—!

“Indeed it does,” is what Asgore says instead, nodding in agreement as he drinks his own cup of tea. “It’s oolong, actually. Golden flower tea’s personally my favorite, but I must admit, oolong sometimes can hit the right spots too.” 

Susie doesn’t understand half the words he’s saying, but somehow, it helps her relax into her seat. 

“Oo-long? That’s a funny name,” she snickers at her attempt to pronounce it. “I mean, it tastes nice though. Thanks for the tea, Mr. Asgore.” 

The Flower King waves his hand dismissively with a smile. “Please, please, just call me Asgore!”

And so they continue in conversation like this, between sips of warm tea and cheese crackers. 

Susie loosens up eventually and begins sharing more about herself. About how she befriended Kris, about how they got paired up for a school project, about all the cool stuff they’ve been doing together for the past few days (Minus their Dark World adventures, obviously. Probably not a good idea to share that…)

For the most part, Asgore simply nods and listens, interested. Occasionally, he’ll interject with funny stories of activities he used to do with Kris and their brother. 

“Pfft, haha! No way they used to actually do that!” Susie bursts out laughing. 

“They did indeed!” Asgore chuckles. “Whenever my favorite cowboy show was playing, Kris would always beg Asriel to let them ride on his back like a horse. And they would just try to copy whatever was playing on screen! Oh, they were such a naughty child back then!” 

Susie smiles to herself smugly. Hehe, yes, Kris blackmail obtained. 

“Well, I’m glad to know Kris is doing alright these days, especially if they have you as a friend,” Asgore says. “On that note, is it alright if I ask something?” 

She pauses, right as she’s about to reach for another cheese cracker. “Oh, sure, shoot.”

Asgore sets his cup down, his whole demeanour now more contemplative. He is quiet for a few moments, tracing the rim of his teacup with a finger. 

“How… How is their mother doing?” 

Oh. 

Susie grabs the cheese cracker and munches on it. “You mean, Toriel?” 

“Yes. You must have met Kris’s mother already, since I saw you with her at church just the other day. I hope she’s been well?” 

It replays in her mind again, the afternoon after church. Things were normal at first, just talking to Toriel after service, until a strange person emerged from the bushes with a bouquet in hand. 

Wait, come to think of it, that strange person… 

That was Asgore back there, wasn’t it? 

She was too bewildered to fully process it back then, but now that she thinks about it, that was actually… kinda weird. 

“She’s been… fine, I guess,” Susie answers, averting her gaze down to the table as she takes another big sip of tea. It feels a bit too awkward to look at him right now… 

Asgore doesn’t seem to sense it though, because he follows up on her answer. 

“Ah, she’s been doing alright? I see, I see. Well, that’s good to know,” he says, smiling to himself. “I sometimes worry about her, you know? Since I no longer live with her and Kris. I know we still live in the same place– I mean, this is a small town, after all! – but it’s still hard to keep tabs on them sometimes. It’s just that… I still want to make sure they're okay, despite the distance… you know?”

Susie looks away and sips on her tea harder. Somehow, this feels like stuff she shouldn’t be knowing about. 

“Wow, this. This oolong tea tastes awesome. It’s, starting to grow on me,” she rambles, unsure how else she should respond. 

… Okay, maybe that’s enough for a tea party today. 

Susie places her cup down on the table. “Thanks for the tea and snacks, Mr Asgore, but I think I have to go now.” 

Asgore tilts his head, confused. “Hmm? What’s the rush?”

Nothing much. Just gotta seal off this Dark World pronto, or else we’re all doomed to the end of the world. Susie scratches her neck. “I just, uh, need to find my friends. They’re waiting for me to come find them.”

Asgore snaps his fingers, as though he’s remembered something. “Oh, right! You came here with Kris, right? And, and that goat boy earlier… But, surely you can’t stay a little longer for tea? The flower children worked so hard on preparing them.” 

Dude, I’ve had enough tea already! 

Susie takes a deep breath. “Sorry, man, my friends really need me. Uhh, maybe we could have tea another time?” Preferably in the Light World, she almost adds. 

The Flower King ponders on it for a moment, before he nods. “Alright then. You can leave, Susie. Thank you for accompanying this old man for tea!” He chuckles. ( He’s not even that old though???)

“Thanks, Asgore. I’ll see ya later!” She grins, before getting out of her seat. 

Well, that was easy. Surely, nothing else will come and stop her from getting back to the adventure—

Suddenly, a well-dressed flower child barges through the doors into the tea room. “My King! I hope the amenities are to your liking,” they begin, their tiny feet moving fast as they scurry up to the Flower King. “If you are willing, may this humble servant also take you on a royal tour around the castle grounds?” 

Susie can only stare at them. 

It’s. It’s the same well-dressed flower child from the ceremony earlier. 

Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me. 

The flower child seems to notice Susie’s bewildered staring, and clears their throat to address her. They eye her with a less than friendly stare. “Your… guest may also join us, if you wish for it, my King.” 

Susie looks back at Asgore, and frantically shakes her hands. “Oh, nah, I’m good. I have to go now, actually, really—” 

“Hmm, perhaps the flower child is right,” Asgore says instead, getting out of his seat. “A quick tour of the royal grounds sounds fun. And, perhaps we’ll bump into your friends during it too.” 

Dude, did you hear me?! No means no! 

Susie takes another deep breath.

No, this is… This is Kris’s dad, how could she say no to him? And plus, maybe, maybe it’ll be a good thing to stay by his side. This guy probably isn’t aware we’re in a Dark World right now, what if he accidentally runs into danger, if there is any? 

I can at least protect him if I stay by his side. The last thing I’d want is him to get hurt… 

Susie crosses her arms with a sigh. “Fine, I guess I can join for the tour.”

Asgore claps his hands together with glee. “Oh, that’s wonderful!” He then turns to the flower child. “Well then, shall we go now, errr… Sorry, I don’t think I got your name.”

The flower child does a little bow. “Golden Aster’s my full name, but you may simply call me Aster, my king.”

“Aster, thank you for guiding us on this tour.”

“No, no, the pleasure’s all mine!” 

They both laugh together politely, as Susie stares from a distance. Somehow, she already finds herself regretting this… 

“This is gonna be a while… Kris, Ralsei, I’m gonna have to leave it to you two to find the fountain.”

Chapter Text

After a bit of trial and error, Kris thinks they’ve finally cracked the code of this maze. 

There are certain parts of the paper-like walls that feel different from others, a texture slightly off from the rest. Unfortunately, it’s easy enough to detect with just touch alone, which means there’s no need for Kris to lick the walls. (“You’re not a puppy, Kris. Stop licking the walls!” Ralsei joked.) 

Once they detect the flimsy part of the wall, Ralsei will then bring his flame close and burn it away, opening up a new way. 

They must be doing something right, because they haven’t bumped into any dead ends yet. 

“Kris, can I tell you something silly?”

Kris perks up at the sound of Ralsei’s voice. Despite walking behind him, they can sense what feels like a wistful smile on his face. 

“I know we’re supposed to seal off this Dark World as soon as possible, but…” He trails off, as though looking for his next words. “Selfishly, a part of me kind of wants to enjoy this world a little longer. I want to enjoy the warm light shining down on me, look at all the flowers in this place, and just… savor it.” 

Ralsei then laughs to himself, shaking his head like it’s some silly thought.

“Haha, isn’t that strange? A Darkner, wanting to just… enjoy a Dark World for the sake of it.”

It’s not strange, Kris mumbles. 

Ralsei turns around, surprised, with a light pink dusting his cheeks. He stares at them for one, two, three seconds, then lets out a sigh. “Haha, you’re… you’re too kind, Kris,” he smiles bashfully before turning forward. “Thank you.”

Kris presses a knuckle to their lips, hiding an incoming smile. This feels strangely endearing, for some reason… 

The two of them continue, proceeding deeper and deeper into the maze, hoping that the end will soon be in sight. It rinses and repeats a few more times: Kris dragging their hand across the wall, stopping as soon as they sense a difference in texture, and then having Ralsei burn it away with his fire. 

“This is nice,” Ralsei mumbles to himself. 

What is? Kris wonders. 

“This, I suppose,” he responds. “Talking to you like this, solving puzzles with you like this… I don’t know, I just feel… happy? But in a calm way.” 

Strangely enough, Kris feels the same. 

Ralsei lets out a content sigh as he turns around. “Even me taking the lead this time, this feels nice too,” he says. “I guess what I’m trying to say is: I’m glad that I’m here with you.” 

In the glow of his flame, the prince’s smile seems so bright. 

It makes something twinge inside Kris’s heart. 

Kris stops in their tracks, hand stilling against the wall as they sense a change in texture. Another wall to burn through. 

Like second nature, Kris steps aside to allow Ralsei to stand before the wall. Cupping the flame with his palms, he brings it close to the wall, grazing its paper surface until it spreads, holes burning through as the wall folds in on itself, reduced to nothing but tiny embers as a new path is unveiled. 

Instead of more walls on the other side, the path reveals a single long hallway. 

“Looks like we finally reached the end of the maze,” Ralsei says, relieved. He then turns to Kris, beaming a smile. “We did it, Kris! Now, we’re one step closer to the fountain!”

Kris grins, and lifts a hand for a high-five. 

He pulls one hand from the flame, about to highfive back, only to hesitate. 

Ralsei retracts his hand back, smile faltering. For just a moment, the flame in his hands wavers. “S-Sorry, Kris, I don’t know if I should…” He looks away, picking at his bandaged wrists. “I mean, my magic— I haven’t fully mastered it yet, and… Wh-What if I hurt you again—?!”

Kris’s body moves on its own before they realise it. 

“K-Kris?”

They grab him by the wrist with one hand, another curling over his knuckle. And then, gently, they stroke his hand. It’s warm, thanks to the flame he’s been holding in his palms, but certainly not hot enough to scorch. 

Kris slips their hand into his. When they look up, the prince’s face is beet red. 

They can’t help but smile. “See? Not burning me.”

Ralsei opens and closes his mouth, but all that comes out are stuttered half-finished sounds. The flame in his other hand seems to burn brighter and brighter. 

Kris decides to spare him and releases his hand. 

“... In any case, this must be the way out,” Ralsei sputters, coughing into his hand. His face is so red, the blush has even spread to the tips of his ears. “Well then, l-let’s go now…!”

The prince looks like he’s about to explode into a pile of embarrassed fluff, so Kris decides to take over the lead this time, going ahead into the hallway first. 

But, even as they walk first ahead, they can still sense Ralsei blushing like mad behind them. 

They grin to themself. 

Cute. 

The hallway is just as dark as it was back in the paper maze, but with Ralsei’s fire giving light, it makes it less daunting to walk through. 

In the distance, Kris makes out a faint flickering light, just sitting on the edge where the light and dark meet. Finally, a sight for sore eyes. They reach out to it by second nature, and… 

(* Through the power of teamwork, you managed to find your way out of the maze.) 

(* The power of sheer satisfaction shines within you.) 

Kris exhales out a sigh, closing their eyes as they allow the light to wash over them, washing away their nerves. Doesn’t seem like there’s any need for restocking items, so they just briefly look over their storage before continuing onwards. 

The hallway seems to stretch on and on for what feels like forever, until eventually, they reach an opening at the end, which leads to a much wider area of space. 

It’s still dark, but it’s dark in the same way the family room is in the middle of the night when everyone’s asleep, so Kris can still make out some shapes here and there. This definitely beats total pitch darkness, though. 

Ralsei increases the brightness of his flame to light up the place. Meanwhile, Kris walks on ahead to survey the area. 

* CHECK – A dark garden.

* There’s nothing remarkable here. Just some flowers.

Kris walks further into the space to see if there’s anything else. Nothing remarkable, either; it’s just a room with flower beds lining the sides. Though, at the end of this room… 

They approach the door that stands at the end of the room, hand wrapping around the doorknob. It doesn’t turn all the way through, seemingly stuck in place. It’s locked. 

“Maybe the key could be around here somewhere?” Ralsei suggests behind them. “Or, perhaps it could be another puzzle.”

     * I’ll kiss Berdly on the mouth if it’s another puzzle

     * Let’s look around them

Why is that an option?????? Kris screams to themself internally. 

“Sure, let’s take a look around! I’ll see if I can find any clues,” Ralsei says, going ahead of himself to look around the dark garden. 

Kris closes their eyes, and takes a deep breath. Luckily, that godforsaken option wasn’t picked. In any case, they should start looking around too, see if there’s anything useful here. 

Their usual strategy for this kind of thing usually involves interacting with everything possible in this room, until any useful information pops up. So, Kris targets the flowers first; they have a feeling those could be key in unlocking the door. 

Getting down on one knee, they kneel down near one of the flower beds, cupping a hand around one of the flowers. Upon further observation, these flowers don’t look too great. Their petals are drooping downwards, and maybe it’s the lack of light here, but the colour of these plants don’t look healthy either. 

Kris leans in closer, trying to inspect the rest of the flower bed, when they hear something. 

“... put us… misery… please…” 

Kris blinks, surprised. Something just spoke. 

“... kind soul… please… help…”

Could it be the flowers are the ones talking…? Kris cups a hand around their ear and brings it closer to one of the flowers. 

“Kind hero who hails from afar, please, help us…” The flower pleads, no more than a frail whisper. 

The flower beside it speaks next, in a much louder but equally weak voice. “The king is a cruel one, who neglected us. In place of water, he watered us with his tears, and poisoned our soil with tales not meant for weak-hearted beings such as us…”

A third flower speaks, following right after. “We wish to leave this room as much as you do,” it says. “Help us, and we may help you…”

Kris leans in closer and asks them, as silly as it looks talking to flowers. 

“We have been shivering cold for so long…”

“We yearn for light, for warmth…”

“If you could think of our needs, hero, then please help us fulfill them.”

The flowers droop down again, no longer speaking. 

Kris gets up from the ground and dusts their knees, trying to process everything the flowers told them. They have a feeling all the things the flowers said will be key in getting out of this room, but… 

They let out a frustrated groan, digging the heel of their gloved hand into their forehead. Trying to decipher those plants’ cryptic words is giving them a headache. 

“Kris, I think I found something!” 

They turn at the call of their name, seeing Ralsei approach them with a piece of paper in his hands. “I found this tucked away behind some sacks of soil. I saw some words on it too, could be important,” he explains. “I’m honestly not sure what this means, but maybe you could have a look?” 

They take the paper from him, holding it between the two of them so they can both read what’s on it. 

It… looks to be some kind of riddle.

“Devoid of warmth and light, the flowers live in dismay. 

To end their darkness, there is only one way.

Shine light on their needs, and end their pain.

Only then shall the path to escape illuminate.”

“What could this mean?” Ralsei squints and adjusts his glasses, trying to make sense of it. “I have a feeling it could be a clue, but I don’t know…”

Kris strokes their chin as they think about it too. 

Shine light on their needs… That could only mean the flowers, right? Those plants mentioned having needs to be fulfilled. Warmth and light were mentioned too, the same things the flowers mentioned lacking. Maybe the key is to return those things to the flowers somehow. 

Then, does that mean they have to warm the flowers? But how?

Kris suddenly feels a cold chill run down their spine, and every fibre of their being freezes into place. 

The paper falls from their hands.

“Kris?” 

Can’t move. 

They can’t move. 

Ral- Ralsei, help—

Their mouth hinges open against their will, and two options appear before them. 

     * How about we warm them up?

     * Say nothing

“Warm them up?” Ralsei gives them a look. “Like, with a hug? I think the flowers are a bit too small to hug though.”

That wasn’t them. 

They did not say that. 

They did not say that, it wasn’t them, Ralsei it wasn’t me—

Ralsei scrunches his face up, even more confused, before he breaks out a laugh. “Warm them up with fire? Haha! That sounds exactly like something Susie would say!”

Against their will, Kris opens their mouth again. 

Ralsei stops laughing. “... You’re, you’re not kidding.”

Stop listening to me.

“... Kris, what are you saying?”

It’s not me, it's not me, stop listening and RUN— 

Kris clenches a fist over their chest where their heart is. The ground seems to sway under their feet. 

Their mouth opens again. 

“You, you don’t look too great, Kris,” Ralsei walks towards them, straining a smile. He extends his arms out, about to pull them in for a hug. “It’s okay, we can take a break here if you’d like. We’ll figure out how to leave this place somehow.” 

With that (not me not me not me), the prince closes the distance between them (Ralsei it’s not me stop listening), wrapping his arms around their torso and (RALSEI IT’S NOT ME STOP LISTENING RUN RUN RUNRUN—)

Kris shoves the prince away, but it’s too late; their mouth has already opened—

PROCEED. 

Ralsei stumbles back, like the breath just got knocked out of him. It takes him a moment to register what he just heard. “K-Kris, you…” 

Kris tries to cover their mouth, but they can’t move their hand. 

The voice speaks. 

Ralsei takes a step back. “I- I can’t do that.” 

PROCEED. 

He looks first at the flowers around them, then at his hands, then back at Kris. “No, I’m– I’m not going to use my magic like that.” 

PROCEED. 

The prince’s expression twists with growing frustration. “Kris–”

PROCEED 

PROCEED 

PROCEEDPROCEEDPROCEED

“I’M NOT LIGHTING THEM ON FIRE!” Ralsei finally snaps.

The silence that follows is deafening. 

Kris can move their body now. And, the first thing they do is stagger towards the prince.

“Ral– Ralsei, I’m sorry—”

Ralsei flinches and shifts away when they try to grab his shoulder. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell…” He sharply inhales, averting his gaze away. 

Kris’s hand falls to their side, the words dying in their throat.  

The prince closes his eyes and takes another deep breath, before forcing a smile. “Ma-Maybe we’re both just tired,” he hesitantly grabs Kris’s hands. “How about we just… close our eyes, and take a few deep breaths?” 

Kris looks down at their joined hands. They bite the inside of their cheek. After a moment of thought, they sigh and close their eyes.

Sure, we can do that—

PROCEED. 

Against their will, their eyes fly wide open, bloodshot. 

“ — Ah!” Ralsei yelps, startled. 

Kris grips his hands tighter. The voice coming out of their mouth keeps getting louder and louder. 

* Warm up the flowers.

Ralsei tries smiling wider, straining. “O-Or, we could think about what Susie’s doing right now instead? Y-Yeah! Close our eyes, and—”

* Warm up the flowers.

The voice sends chills down his spine, panic rising in his throat. 

Frantically, his panicked eyes flicker between Kris and something else behind them, or is it above them? Beside them? Ralsei doesn’t even know if it’s a something, or a someone. All he knows is whatever it is, it is watching. 

He looks back at Kris, whose eyes are glazed over, a blank crimson. 

The voice won’t stop. 

* Warm up the flowers. 

“Kris, you don’t mean any of this,” he starts rambling, wincing from how tightly they’re gripping his hands. “Right, this isn’t you. Kris… wouldn’t say things like this. So, you- you can cut it out now!”

Kris can only stare at him, just as fearful as he is. They can’t move, they can’t stop this. They can’t even cry, unshed tears building up in their eyes. 

The voice is getting more demanding now. 

* Warm up the flowers. 

* Warm up the flowers. 

* Warm up the flowers. 

“Kris, let’s–” Ralsei finally yanks his hands out of their tight grasp. “Let’s close our eyes now.” 

The prince shoves his hands over to cover their eyes, but the human is faster, grabbing him by the wrists. 

“C-Come on, Kris, don’t you wonder what Susie’s doing right now?” Ralsei pleads frantically, trying to wriggle his hands free. “Or- Or maybe your father! Asgore, that was his name, right? Aren’t you curious what he’s up to? We can- We can just close our eyes and imagine—” 

The grip on his wrists tighten tenfold. 

“K-Kris, you’re hurting me…!” 

But they can’t do anything. Right now, they’re no different than a spectator, watching as their body is puppeteered, wrestling with his friend. 

They want to let go of Ralsei’s hands, but they can’t find their own.

They want to scream, but the voice that comes out isn’t their own. 

A cold chill grips their very soul, tightening. 

“Let- Let go of my hands,” Ralsei pleads, his eyes shaking with fear. 

* Warm up the flowers. 

“I said, let go.” 

* Warm up the flowers. 

“I already said, I’m not going to—” 

* Warm up the flowers. 

“That’s– That’s enough, Kris.” 

But no matter how much Ralsei pleads, and no matter how much Kris resists, the voice won’t stop commanding. 

* Warm up the flowers. 

* Warm up the flowers. 

* Warm up the flowers. 

* Warmuptheflowers. 

* Warmuptheflowers. 

* WARMUPTHEFLOWERS 

* BURNTHE FLOWERS BURN THEM BURN

* P r o c e e d . 

“I said, ENOUGH!” Ralsei yells out, reeling himself back, before he strikes them in the head. 

Kris feels nothing as the wind is knocked out their lungs.

The last thing they hear is a horrified gasp before they fall to the ground.

Chapter Text

Kris wakes up to a dull pulsing pain in the middle of their forehead. 

When they open their eyes, nothing greets them. Not at first, at least. 

So they decide to blink, once then twice then thrice, until their vision adjusts to… the light, the dark? 

They finally see something, make something out of what used to be nothing. 

Standing a distance from them, a lone blue flower blooms. In the darkness, it almost seems to glow. And, for a reason Kris can’t seem to place, this flower feels very important. 

Wordlessly, they get up on their feet, and begin walking toward it. 

Darkness ripples beneath their boots with each step, and as the darkness ripples outwards to nowhere, they hear voices speaking nowhere and everywhere in hushed whispers. 

Strangely, they’re not intrusive, clashing to get their attention. One voice will come and then leave before they can even comprehend it. 

They decide to strain their ears to listen to what they can. 

“... Kris, I’m sorry…”

“... didn’t mean to… I’m sorry…”

“... promise… will listen from now on… so please…”

It’s Ralsei’s voice. But he’s nowhere to be seen. 

Where is he?

No, more importantly, where are they? 

A flash of panic rushes through them, and they begin looking around frantically, trying to survey their surroundings. 

* CHECK — An endless unending abyss.

* There doesn’t seem to be anything to analyse here.

* … Except, for that glowing blue flower. 

Kris looks down at the flower, now right beside their feet.

Did– Did the flower turn its head up to look at them?

No, it must be their imagination. 

And yet. 

Kris stumbles back and clasps a hand over their mouth, hit with a sudden wave of nausea. The ground seems to sway beneath them, their vision blurring and unblurring. 

Amidst their bout of vertigo, they see something— 

No, some… someone, approaching them? 

Another blue flower glowing bright. 

Then, flashes of a vision. 

A smiling yellow flower. A pagoda. A flurry of pink and gold. A hand, warmly held in theirs. 

What could this all mean? A vision of the future? Pink and gold? What… what does this all mean? I don’t understand, I just don’t understand, oh god I’m gonna be sick I can’t I can’t—

Kris retches, hunches over the ground and 

Kris jolts awake with a gasp.

“Kris, you’re finally awake!” 

They try to sit up against the wall they were apparently resting against, only to seize up with a wince, a sharp pain stabbing into the side of their head. 

Ralsei quickly grabs them, one hand on their shoulder, another on their hand, squeezing both gently to ground them. “Easy now, steady,” he soothes them. 

Kris focuses on their own breath, breathing in and out slowly, all while clutching the prince’s hand. After a while, they’re finally stable enough to speak properly.

“... What happened…?” They manage out in a mumbly voice. 

Ralsei’s relieved smile mellows down, his expression more pensive now. “Ah, well, I… accidentally headbutted you, and you passed out cold,” he explains, fidgeting with the bandages on his wrists. “I tried to heal as much of you as I could, hoping you’d wake up, and…”

Without warning, the prince throws his arms around the human, pulling them into a tight hug. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Kris! I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

Kris’s breath hitches at the sudden close contact, but they soon get comfortable to it, eventually returning the hug with their arms wrapping Ralsei’s back. They don’t know what to say to comfort them, so they opt for rubbing circles into his back instead. It seems to do the job well. 

Ralsei pulls away from the hug with a sigh. “Well, at least you’re okay now.” 

He grabs their hands and helps them up to their feet. Kris grabs onto the prince’s shoulder briefly to stabilise themself. 

Wait a minute. 

Wait just a minute. 

Is it just their imagination, or does the room feel warmer now?

Ralsei must have noticed the confusion on their face, because he suddenly claps his hands, as if remembering something. 

“Right, about the puzzle, I think I managed to solve it!” He tells them. “I tried looking around for more clues while you were unconscious. The flowers talked about wanting to feel light and warmth again, and—”

Kris stiffens as panic flashes through their mind. No, don’t tell them he actually—

Ralsei moves to show the rest of the garden, and. 

And. 

There’s just a small makeshift pyre in the middle of the floor. 

“I used my magic to make a small campfire to ‘give light’, and warmed my hands to ‘give warmth’,” he explains. “Haha, guess my idea to warm the flowers with a hug was right, after all!”

Nothing. 

Nothing got burned. 

Kris lets out a huge relieved sigh, slumping their previously tense shoulders. Thank god. 

Nothing bad happened while they were out. Not yet. They should quickly seal up this Dark World before anything else happens. 

Kris clutches their head again, a dull pulsing pain in the side of their head. 

“Do- Do you want to rest?” Ralsei suggests. “We can take a break if you’d like—”

They shake their head— they can’t afford to waste any more time. 

“O-Oh, okay…” Ralsei says, although the worry in his voice doesn’t go away. “Just, please don’t push yourself if you can’t take it.” 

The two of them look forward, both looking at the door at the end of the room. The door is now open; they can proceed ahead. 

Ralsei goes behind them. “Well then, shall we go? You can lead this time.” 

Chapter Text

(* Your head still hurts, a constant nagging ache.)

(* Even so, knowing that the puzzle managed to get solved without a hitch…)

(* You are relieved by a certain power.)

Kris lets out a deep sigh, pulling their hand away from the flickering light. It still hurts, but the warm light that washed over them managed to reduce it just a bit. 

They look over their shoulder, where Ralsei is waiting behind them. 

“Ready to go now?” He asks. 

Kris nods with a grunt, and with that they proceed onwards. 

The next area they head into is a smidge brighter than the previous one, but dark all the same. If they squint hard enough, Kris can vaguely make out the shapes around them in the dark— they seem to look like bushes? 

It’s not pitch dark, at least, and they can roughly see the path on where to go. 

Kris still asks Ralsei to light a flame to brighten the place anyway. 

“Looks like another part of a garden,” Ralsei remarks, looking around. “It’s so dark though… It was so much brighter when we first arrived in this Dark World.” 

Is it normal for a Dark World to be this dark? Kris wonders. 

“Well, usually you’re supposed to be able to see things the same way you would in the Light World.” Ralsei then taps his chin, deep in thought. “Could it be… this place lies in between light and dark?” 

Kris turns around, dumbfounded. “What.” 

The prince stares at them for a good three seconds, before he bursts out laughing. “Pfft, sorry, I was just rambling! Forget what I said.” 

They give him a look before shrugging it off. Just focus on getting out of here. 

Kris decides to survey the area for anything of note. 

* CHECK — Nothing remarkable that you can see. 

* Besides the outline of the path, you can barely make out anything else. 

They ask Ralsei if he can increase the brightness of his flame. 

* CHECK — Some unremarkable shapes beyond the path. 

Kris furrows their brow in confusion, and turns to Ralsei for him to turn up the brightness again. 

“I did, but for some reason, it doesn’t seem any brighter…” Ralsei says. “It’s almost like the darkness is swallowing up any extra light my flame gives off.”

Well, that stinks. 

Ralsei walks up to Kris’s side and holds one hand out to them, holding the flame a safe distance away in his other. “We should keep close then, since it’s so dark.”

Kris stares at his offered hand for a good moment, before coughing into their fist.

His face turns fifty-seven shades of red upon realization. “O-Or you could just grab onto my robes instead, haha! You don’t have to hold my hand if you have to!” 

They snicker in response, grabbing onto his sleeve instead. Problem solved, they joke. 

Keeping much closer to each other now, the two of them continue walking down the path. Again, nothing too noteworthy, beyond some shapes of what seem to look like bushes in this garden area. 

Oh, don’t tell them they have to solve another puzzle to light up this place—

Rustle, rustle. 

Kris comes to a halt.

Something. They hear something rustling; something moving. 

“What is it?” Ralsei asks. 

Hold on, they just saw something. A flash of movement, in the darkness, just in the corner of their eye. 

Kris squints their eyes for a closer look. 

Another flash of movement. A shadowy figure. 

A Darkner. 

They shirk their head away, looking down to the ground. 

“Kris?” Ralsei asks. 

No, that wasn’t a Darkner. It was just something they imagined, a movement of shadow they mistook for a living being. No, there is no Darkner there. No enemy to encounter. No enemy to hurt. 

There is no one there. 

No one there. 

Can’t you see? There is no one there, nobody to hurt, so let’s just—

Their body freezes in place. 

“... You don’t look too good, Kris,” Ralsei musters a smile— one Kris knows is only a mask. He must know what’s happening to them right now; is he feigning ignorance, then? 

The prince extinguishes his flame before taking their hands into his, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “We could rest more, if you’d like. The fountain won’t be going anywhere. And besides, the Knight waited this long to strike, surely it can wait just a little longer?”

Their body still feels like ice, but the warmth of Ralsei’s hands soothes them somewhat. 

A break… 

Kris inhales deeply, squeezing the prince’s hand back. Their voice wobbles, right as the words tumble out. Sure, a break sounds—

“NO.”

That single word is projected out their mouth instead, their eyes flying wide open. 

Ralsei flinches in response, his smile faltering. “O-Oh, I see. Sure, whatever you say, Kris.”

Actually, come to think of it, his expression resembles more of a grimace, almost like it’s strained with pain. 

Pain? 

Kris looks down to see they’re crushing his hands.

“S-Sorry…” They let go, guilt hitting them full force as they step back. 

“I-It’s okay! I’m fine,” Ralsei waves his hands dismissively, trying to reassure them. 

He’s still smiling at them, smiling so brightly. Kris can’t bring it in themself to smile back— they simply can’t. You know something, don’t you? So why– why are you pretending like you don’t? Why are you smiling? 

They fist a hand by their side and open their mouth. What, what are you hiding—

“Let’s continue on.”

That is what they say instead. The words feel like ice on their tongue. 

So, they resume walking on the path again, with Ralsei right behind them. 

This time, Kris can’t shirk their gaze away; they can’t look back at Ralsei, can’t look down at their feet. No matter what, the only direction they can face is forward, and if they so much as think of looking anywhere else, a crushing pressure seizes them, as though there is a hand forcefully grabbing the back of their head. 

An enemy A Darkner eventually enters their sight, and by second nature, they draw their blade. 

Ralsei readies into a battle stance alongside them, both of them now facing the Darkner on the other end of the battlefield. It’s a walking soil bag, standing tall and imposing. On top of their head sprouts a single tiny flower. 

“Kris, what should we do?” The prince asks. 

They point a finger gun towards the Darkner, surveying the enemy for any useful information. In the same breath, they also tell Ralsei to defend. 

* CHECK — A walking dirtbag. They have no face, but it looks less than pleased to be here. 

* Looks like things are about to get dirty. 

Kris can’t help but cringe at that last part. So much for useful information. 

Never mind, just their attacks first and find an opening. They brace for impact as it becomes the soil bag’s turn.

The soil bag stomps the ground with dominance and begins hopping. With each hop, a hole rips bigger and bigger into the bag. Dirt gets flung across the air, getting faster and faster. 

Kris barely manages to scrape past them, the projectiles just scarcely grazing the edge of their SOUL. Ralsei isn’t as lucky though, getting hit square in the face by a lump of dirt. 

“Hey!” He tries wiping the dirt off his face. 

It’s their turn again. 

This time, Kris calms themself down to survey the enemy once more. There’s a larger tear in the fabric of the Darkner’s soil bag now, leaking out dirt. 

Doesn’t seem like enough information to strategise a plan. 

They turn to Ralsei instead, asking for ideas. 

“Huh, me?” He asks, surprised. “Well… There’s a flower growing on their head. I think it would be nice if they had more flowers?”

Flowers… 

They look back at the Darkner again, who’s leaking out dirt. Maybe they could make flowers grow? 

Kris points a finger gun at the enemy, commanding Ralsei to act at the same time. 

* R-ACTION — RALSEI feels around for something of use in the dark. 

* He finds a small bag of flower seeds!

What the hell, okay??? 

Kris tries not to question the logic of how that all happened. At least they can now do something on the next turn. 

The Darkner readies itself and stomps the ground again, sending waves of dirt projectiles flying through the air. 

They summon out their shield and tell Ralsei to get behind them, weaving through the projectiles. While they’re busy blocking the oncoming attacks, Ralsei scatters as many seeds as he can on the fallen dirt piles across the battlefield. The ground sparkles green where the seeds land, and within seconds, flowers bloom rapidly across the battlefield. 

“Hey, I think we’re doing something!” Ralsei exclaims.

Peaking out from behind their shield, Kris eyes the enemy ahead, zeroing in on the rip of the Darkner’s dirtbag where dirt is leaking out. They might have an idea on what to do now. 

They ask Ralsei if he’s got any more flower seeds left. 

He takes a peek into the bag. “Just a few left!” 

Should be enough, hopefully.  

With one final command, Kris tells Ralsei to throw the seeds at the enemy on their signal. He doesn’t say any more, only giving them a determined nod. 

One— a dirt projectile just barely grazes past them. 

Two— they push closer towards the enemy. 

Three. 

Kris lifts their shield away. “Now!” 

Grabbing the last remaining seeds in the bag, Ralsei throws them at the enemy with all his might. The two of them hurry back to the other end of the battlefield to place safe distance between them. 

“Did– Did it work?” Ralsei looks back to see. 

The Darkner stands still, dumbfounded, covered in green sparkles. Before long, a flurry of white flowers blossom out from the rip in its dirtbag. 

* Suddenly, the enemy was overcome with a sense of calm. 

* It now began to sway back and forth, admiring its newly acquired flowers. 

* Looks like things won’t be getting dirty, after all. 

“Oh, those flowers look lovely! I think they like it!” Ralsei beams. 

Kris exhales a sigh of relief; still can’t believe that idea actually worked. In any case, it looks like the battle is coming to an end now. 

They raise their arm, about to make a finger gun to spare the enemy, but. 

But.

Their hand won’t move. 

A cold chill runs down their spine, rendering their body unmoving. But, strangely enough, they can move their eyes. 

Their eyes. 

Their eyes, they can move their eyes. They can move their eyes. 

Kris tries to avert their gaze, but they couldn’t even move their head to look away. 

Ralsei throws them a concerned glance. “Is… everything okay?” 

No, everything is not okay, because they can’t close their eyes and they can’t look away. Why can’t they look away? There are no other options to see why can’t you see that, the only option is to spare, the battle is over and there is nothing else to see so stop looking stop looking stop looking stop looking stop stop stopstopstop

Their eyes land on a single word. A single spell. 

* BLAZE

“... Wha- What was that? You said it so confused,” Ralsei lets out a nervous laugh. 

Kris tries to clamp a hand over their mouth, but they can’t even move their arm. Their hand closes into a finger gun, pointing straight at the enemy. It feels so cold. 

* BLAZE

“Oh, that’s… that’s a spell I’ve been practicing for a bit,” Ralsei says. “But, I’m not very confident in it. I don’t know if I should…”

Kris tries to close their mouth, but their jaw is frozen. Against their will, the word is forced out their mouth again. 

* BLAZE

Ralsei is silent for a moment. He looks away and faces the enemy up ahead. The little light in this area reflects off his glasses in a way that obscures his eyes.  

Kris tries to reach out to him, but they couldn’t move their hand. 

Kris tries to call out to him, but they couldn’t find their voice. 

Ralsei, please don’t. 

“... Alright, I got it.” 

Taking a deep breath, the prince closes his eyes, and cups his hands together. A flame starts growing between his hands. 

Kris’s heart sinks to their stomach. No, no no no, Ralsei don’t do it, don’t listen to me why are you listening to me stop STOPSTOP STOPSTOP STOP STOP—

Ralsei sends out a wave of flames, grazing the battlefield. The Darkner, which was swaying carefreely, tenses up at the sight of the fire. It starts hopping away in a hurry. 

Strangely enough, almost none of them hit the enemy, but in its panic, the flames graze them, leaving the Darkner to flee with scorching burns. 

* You won! Got 1 EXP and 32 D$. 

* Ralsei got stronger. 

The ice-cold feeling in their body subsides for a bit. 

Ralsei lets out a relieved sigh. “Looks… Looks like the battle’s over now.”

So it seems. Kris lowers their arm back to their side, staring across the now empty battlefield. 

The battle’s over now.

It's over. 

… So, why don't they feel relieved? 

Kris turns to Ralsei, about to ask something, but the prince is already going behind them, like nothing ever happened. 

“Let's continue on, Kris,” Ralsei simply says, igniting a new flame between his hands. 

They open their mouth again, but the words can’t make it past their throat. Come to think of it, what is there to ask? Why Ralsei hesitated at first on their command? Why he obeyed anyway? How he managed to cast that spell without hurting the enemy? How, despite the enemy successfully fleeing, he somehow got stronger—

Kris fists one hand by their side. 

No, it’s— it’s okay. Everything’s fine. Nobody got hurt— well, that poor Darkner did get burnt, but got away in one piece. Nobody died. 

They exhale out a shaky breath. “… let’s go.”

What follows after passes like a blur. 

After the first three battles, Kris stops keeping track of each new enemy they encounter. There’s no need to, not when it all unfolds the same— point an ice-cold finger towards the enemy, utter a word in a voice that’s not theirs, and command Ralsei to cast his spell. 

And much like their first encounter with the dirtbag Darkner, all their battles end the same. A wave of flames spreading across the battlefield, and strangely enough, the enemies still alive, fleeing with scorch marks of varying degrees. 

It all ends with Ralsei getting stronger. 

“Great work, Kris! That battle ended well!” Ralsei claps to himself. 

Kris can’t seem to return Ralsei’s energy, that uneasy feeling still nagging at the back of their mind. 

He… He barely flinched at their commands to blaze the enemies. And yet earlier, back in that dark garden, when they asked him to warm up those flowers— 

Kris takes three steps forward before coming to a halt. 

Ralsei stops right behind them. “What is it?” 

They take slow deep breaths, close their eyes, and wait for the ice-cold feeling to leave their body. A miniscule rise in temperature, a second of warmth. 

Kris looks over their shoulder. “... could you… go in front?” 

Ralsei makes a surprised sound. “Huh? You want me to take the lead?”

They nod their head, and before Ralsei can say anything to oppose, they are already walking behind him. 

Ralsei fidgets with his bandages. “Well… if that’s what you want, then of course,” he says. “But, can I ask why…?”

His voice stops before he can finish, shaking his head dismissively right after. “... Never mind, let’s go!” 

Kris gives him a confused look. Was he about to say something?

But, before they can ask, every fibre in their body ices over. They follow after Ralsei into the next area without another word, unable to find their voice. 

Just as they cross the threshold between this area and the next, Kris grabs onto Ralsei’s scarf. 

It’s warm. 

Kris tightens their grip on his scarf, revelling in this respite. For just a moment, it grants them a break from the ice coursing through their body. 

* In the darkness, you hear a person talking to themself. 

* You decide to hear. 

* (Maybe everything is going to be okay.)

* (After all, Kris has me by their side. )

* (Yes, as long as they’re alright, then…)

* (Everything will turn out okay. )

* (I can look out for them. I can protect them.)

* (Because, I’m getting stronger.)

Chapter Text

Susie lets out a big yawn for what feels like the tenth time today. It takes everything in her not to fall asleep right at the very moment, and unfortunately, the circumstances around her aren’t helping.” 

“And now, we’ve arrived at the royal gardens!” Golden Aster— or Aster, or whatever their name was, Susie wasn’t paying attention— chirps, sweeping its leaves for hands out in a grand gesture, beholding the sight of the new area they are in. “Here, we have every flora and fauna under the sun housed here.”

Asgore lets out a fascinated hum, cupping a hand around a flower among the many bushes of this place. “Goodness, they’re lovely! They look so healthy, and they’re blooming so wonderfully too.” 

“Ah, you have our esteemed Royal Gardeners to thank!” Aster says. “They’re the ones who work tirelessly to care for these flowers, ensuring them to be in pristine condition.”

Right at that moment, just in the corner of her eyes, Susie notices a few Darkners skittering off to hide behind a pile of dirtbags. Maybe she’s imagining it, but they almost looked like gardening tools…?

Susie snaps out of her reverie when Asgore speaks again. “Please thank the gardeners for me if you pass them by. To care for so many flowers, and to keep them in such wonderful condition… Why, I’ve never been able to take care of flowers this well, and I run a flower shop!” 

Aster does a little bow, as though receiving the king’s thanks on the gardeners’ behalf. “I’ll be sure to pass on the word, my King.” 

Both the Flower King and Aster proceed to laugh together in unison. Susie has never heard such polite laughs before— she wasn’t aware it was even possible to laugh politely, period. 

The flower child then turns its eyes towards Susie. “Now usually, this place is reserved only for royal eyes, but through the kindness of our Flower King, we’ve decided to make an exception for you, dear visitor,” they explain. “So, it would be most kind of you if you could watch yourself around this area. We wouldn’t want any more poor flowers to get stepped on.”

Susie fists both of her hands. “You—” 

But, the anger dissipates as quickly as it comes. She makes the mistake of glancing over at Asgore; and he’s looking at her with a kind, if not concerned expression. And somehow, that look on his face makes her want to crawl into a hole. 

No, I can’t. Not in front of Kris’s dad…

In the end, she relaxes her fists with a deep breath. “Sure, I’ll… I’ll be on my best behaviour,” she responds with a strained smile. 

That seems to do it, because Aster claps their hands together, satisfied, before returning back to Asgore. 

They continue on with the rest of the royal tour, walking further into the garden as they yap about another hundred and one facts about this place. Susie tunes out the flower child’s voice by fact number six, but unlike her, Asgore enthusiastically listens and nods along instead. At least, the big guy is enjoying himself. 

Her eyes squeeze shut, another yawn coming up. She brings up a hand to stifle it just before her maw fully unhinges open. 

When she opens her eyes again, she looks up towards the sky, where glass looms over them, and…

Wait, isn’t it supposed to be brighter than that? 

The deeper they go into the garden, the darker it seems to get? Pfft, this is a Dark World, isn’t that normal? Susie thinks, at first. However, after about another ten minutes of walking, the path gets so shrouded in shadow that she has to squint to even find her way forward. 

“Is it supposed to be this dark, Aster?” Asgore asks exactly what she’s thinking. 

“Ah, then that must mean we are fast approaching that part of the garden!” That pretty much answers jack, okay. “We’re almost there. Just a little further now!”

Susie drags a hand down her face, letting out an annoyed groan. Dude, I am so close to playing ‘loves me, loves me not’ with this goddamn flower—

When she pulls her hand away, there is a soft blue light outlining it. 

Blue light…? 

Susie takes another look around her surroundings. The whole garden has gotten darker, she’s noticed that much, but there is also a gradually growing blue glow in the area. When she looks down, there are glowing blue flowers at her feet. 

“What… are these?” Susie mutters, astonished. 

“Ah, this is my favorite part of the royal gardens,” Aster claps its hands. “Here is where we keep our Echo Flowers. Such beautiful, glowing little darlings, aren’t they?” 

Asgore kneels down for a closer look at the flowers, gently cupping one in his palm. “I’ve never seen flowers like this before… Is this some rare kind of breed?”

“Only the rarest flowers there are, your Majesty!” Aster beams. “These flowers only grow in the dark, making them quite hard to cultivate. But since they only grow in the dark, these flowers have adapted to produce their own light, which results in the beautiful blue glow you see here. In fact, Echo Flowers are also—” 

… And, that’s when Susie gets the cue to tune out their voice. Ugh, this stinks. 

She decides to wander around the area on her own instead, leaving Asgore and the flower child to their own devices. He seems to be enjoying himself at least, nodding enthusiastically to every piece of trivia they spout out. 

Now a few paces of distance away from the other two, Susie approaches one particular patch of Echo Flowers that has a sign right beside it. It reads: ‘These flowers repeat the last thing they hear. Give a listen, or say something back!’

“As if the name wasn’t obvious enough. What’s so special about these flowers, anyhow?” Susie gets down on one knee and kneels down. Cupping one hand around a flower, she leans in for a listen. 

“... just a little longer now… almost there…”

Susie gasps surprised, firstly at the fact she heard something from the flower, secondly at the voice she heard. “Wait, that… that was Asgore’s voice, wasn’t it?” 

She leans into the same flower again. 

“They will all see… I’ll show them…”

“And then, everything will be back to normal again…”

For some reason, the words send chills down her spine. Susie backs away from the flowers, thinking she’s heard enough, but the flowers keep going, now whispering together, one after another. 

“... be a happy family again…” 

“... when Azzy comes home…”

“... say, this is a pretty looking crystal, huh?” 

Susie scrambles back to her feet and takes three steps back, hoping the distance is enough to stop listening. “What, What the fuck was that?” 

“Susie?”

She bolts up straight upon the mention of her name. “O-Oh, it’s just you.” 

Asgore is making his way over to her, a warm smile on his face. “Ah, you were listening to the Echo Flowers, weren’t you?” 

“Yeah, the- the flowers,” Susie says stiffly. “Cool flowers. So cool.” 

Man, seeing his smile right after hearing his voice in the flowers is giving her so much whiplash right now. Oh wait, what, he’s not smiling anymore? What’s with the change in expression? 

“Susie, are you alright?” He asks. “You look pretty bothered. Did you hear anything distressing from the flowers? Aster said some people use these flowers to dump all their grievances, which sometimes leads to them echoing less than savoury things.” 

She crosses her arms and blows a raspberry, followed by a laugh she hopes doesn’t come across as nervous. “What, me, bothered? Nah, I’m fine.”

Asgore gives her a look. “Are you sure?” 

“Yeah, it’s nothing, really. I’m all good, don’t worry,” she shrugs it off, hoping it comes off as nonchalant as possible. 

Eventually, Asgore’s concerned expression reverts back to his usual goofy smile, walking ahead of her, perhaps to talk with the flower child again. 

Susie sighs, rubbing her neck. Why do I feel like every new thing I learn about this dude is against my will…?

She looks back at the patch of echo flowers, the blue somehow reminding her of Kris. “Heh, if Kris were here, we’d be whispering swears into these little shits,” Susie snickers to herself, already painting a mental image of her and Kris crouched around a bunch of flowers, whispering profanities that would definitely make Ralsei faint and more. 

Her laughter dies out quickly though. “Heheh, heh. Heh. Man, this really sucks without them around.”

Susie crosses her arms, and tilts her head back up, looking ahead. Both Asgore and the flower child already walked up way ahead now— she should probably catch up to them. 

She tosses the echo flowers one last glance. “... I hope Ralsei and Kris are okay on their end.”

With that, Susie books it and runs towards the other two people up the path. 

Passing from one to another, the flowers pass on her hope in hushed whispers as she leaves the room. A single wish, to be echoed and repeated, ad infinitum. 

“... I hope Ralsei and Kris are okay…”

“I’ve never led anyone before, so if I’m walking too fast, please let me know,” Ralsei says. “O-Of course, if I’m walking too slow, please let me know too.” 

Kris only nods with a grunt. And that’s pretty much the only conversation they have before they continue walking forward in silence. 

The walk is uneventful for the most part. So far, there hasn’t been a single enemy encounter or ambush, which is good; Ralsei could honestly use a breather from all those battles. A moment of quiet to collect his thoughts, to clear his mind— a nice break. But, as much as he enjoys this quiet break…

He looks over his shoulder. Kris follows right behind without even a single sound, much less a single word. 

This– This is way too quiet for comfort. 

“You know, those battles back there.” He turns back around, but not before he catches Kris stiffening up. “Let’s– Let’s think of them in a more positive way! They finally gave me a chance to use my magic for real. I’ve only ever practiced using dummies back in Castle Town, but it’s a completely different experience using it on the battlefield.”

He cracks a laugh, hoping to ease the air. “You know, I was scared to use that spell at first,” Ralsei continues. “Before today, I wasn’t very confident in my control over my fire. But, after I cast that spell on that dirtbag Darkner earlier, I realised: ‘Hey, I’m not actually that bad, after all’.”

No response. 

Ralsei looks over his shoulder again, worried that he might’ve accidentally walked on ahead and left Kris behind, but no, they’re right behind him. 

There’s no response from Kris’s end. But, that’s okay— this is normal. They were also like this back in the Fields when they first met; quietly listening while he rambled on. And, sure, occasionally they’d respond with a short quip or two, but silence was often their default to his rambling. 

But that’s okay; they’re like this. 

They’ve always been like this.

This is okay. 

Splash. 

Ralsei blinks. Water? 

He comes to a stop in his tracks, the sound of water echoing throughout the space. 

“The ground’s wet?” Ralsei looks down quizzically. He could’ve sworn the ground was completely dry before; now there’s shallow water pooling at their feet, the water level no taller than an inch, but there nonetheless. 

He lifts one of his feet, and the movement causes ripples across the water’s shallow surface. As those ripples fan out, the ground begins to glow a soft blue, small stones lighting up one after another, as though forming a path forward. 

He gasps, surprised. “Maybe this leads to…?”

The flame in his hands extinguishes itself, and Ralsei decides to follow after the glowing stones, Kris trailing close behind. 

The ripples start off small, evenly-paced between them; accompanying tentative footsteps. Then, slowly, they get bigger, the distance growing more and more between each step. Ralsei finds himself walking faster, almost sprinting with each new stone that lights up in the ground. 

Light refractions dance on the cavern walls, like the ripples on the ground have been projected onto the stone. And as water splashes under their feet with every step they take, it echoes back, resounding throughout the whole place. 

Without realising, Ralsei has taken Kris’s hand into his own. 

Wait, since when did he do that? But, strangely, there’s no sense of panic to drop their hand, to stutter a string of apologies as his face heats up to impossible temperatures. 

For some reason, this feels like the most natural thing to do right now. 

He looks back at Kris, stoic-faced as ever. But, for a moment, he catches a glint in their eye, a flicker of shine. Pure wonder. 

It could have easily been a trick of the light; a result of the glow of the stones reflecting off the water. And yet, and yet…

Ralsei squeezes their hand, exhaling out a content sigh as he revels in the sights and sounds bouncing off the cavern walls. 

It almost feels like a music-light show, made just for the two of them. 

As they near the end of the path, a cool breeze of air blows past them, greeting them with the scent of wet stone and something mildly bittersweet. It smells solemn, heavy, like they’ve just entered an area of reverence. 

Ralsei holds a hand to his mouth, awestruck. “Kris, this place…”

It seems to unfold before them like a paper pop-out in a storybook. Stretching impossibly far and wide, the cavern’s four walls loom over them— not quite oppressing, but heavy nonetheless. The ceiling looks to be as tall as the sky itself, studded with clusters of tiny stones glimmering overhead. If one squints and looks at just the right angle, it almost looks like they’re flickering, like stars in a night sky. 

But it isn’t the gem-studded ceiling that catches his eye. No, the thousands of flowers that blanketed the ground are what really take his breath away. 

Swaying in the gentle cavern breeze, they all emit a gentle glow, reflecting off the stones in the sky and painting the walls in ethereal blue. The air thrums with a low hum, a steady inhale and exhale; alive. 

Ralsei steps forward first, shallow water rippling under his soles. Flower petals brush against his ankles, soft as a whisper, and the breath catches in his throat as their warm glow washes over him, a contrast to the cool cavern air. And, maybe it was his imagination, but he also heard an actual whisper too…?

“Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this,” Ralsei mumbles to himself, astonished. “They’re… actually beautiful.” 

Kris moves beside him, kneeling down to the flowers’ height. They cup a gloved hand around one flower, and bring it close to observe. 

A glowing blue flower. Its glow seems to pulse like a heartbeat, like it’s alive. And, the petals also feel warm on their fingertips. 

The petals, they feel warm. 

So warm. 

Warm.

Their fingers feel so cold right now, but the flower is so warm. Perfectly warm against their fingers, against their skin, against the ice, against the—

“Kris,” Ralsei’s voice wavers, “you’re crushing the flower.”

They blink, and suddenly find the flower choked in their grasp. 

Kris releases it immediately, a mix of embarrassment and guilt rushing through them as they stumble back onto their feet. Ralsei only coughs, smiling as if nothing ever happened. 

“Right, what should we do now, Kris?” 

“Huh?”

They perk up, shifting their gaze from the ground towards Ralsei’s direction. He’s looking at them expectantly, waiting for an answer. 

Kris looks back at the field of flowers, eyes scanning for anything noteworthy. What should they do now, huh? Crap, they can’t think of anything. 

“I guess, I guess we can—”

“Maybe we can look around first,” Ralsei interrupts them. “This place seems peaceful. I think we’ll be safe from enemies for the time-being. Let’s see if we can find anything useful here.” 

Kris blinks at him. What. 

“I have a feeling there might be puzzles scattered around here too,” Ralsei continues. “Which is odd, actually. I don’t recall the prophecy mentioning anything about glowing blue flowers, haha.” 

A good three seconds later, he clasps a hand over his mouth, whipping his head back to face Kris. “O-Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt! You wanted to say your idea?” 

They can only stare at him, too dumbstruck to answer. It takes them a few moments to fully process all that, but Kris eventually manages to compose an answer. 

“You… want to go with my idea?” 

Kris nods. 

“Oh, sure, that’s fine by me!” Ralsei smiles. “.... Wait, huh? You want me to lead too?”

They don’t elaborate further, going right behind him. 

Ralsei looks at them over their shoulder. “Well, I’m okay with it as long as you are too,” he says. “Okay, then let's take a look around, shall we?” 

Kris nods with a soft grunt, saying nothing else. 

It’s a vast area, with lots of ground to cover, and seeing as there is no concrete path, the two of them end up wandering about the place. Kris will occasionally pause to inspect the flowers, kneeling down for a better look. (Or, maybe a better listen? Ralsei saw them cupping a hand around their ear as they leaned close to the flowers a few times.)

Eventually, they come across a neat patch of flowers. It’s not big; just a humble square of ground closed off by a wooden fence, with the same species of flowers blooming as the rest of the place. And yet, it’s too odd not to notice. In this field of flowers growing wildly, this flower patch looks more like something you’d see in a curated garden. 

Kris steps forward for a better look. This seems noteworthy. 

Upon a closer look, they see that there is a wooden sign planted in the ground beside the fenced flower patch. Kris decides to inspect it. 

* ‘Welcome to the Echo Flower room. Do follow the house rules during your visit here.’ 

… They’ve all been squeezed into a tiny block of unreadable text to fit onto the sign. 

Kris makes a face, stepping away from the sign. Well, that was less noteworthy than they thought. 

“Doesn’t seem there’s much useful information on here,” Ralsei remarks, having looked at the sign himself too. “Maybe… Maybe we could ask around? If there’s anybody here, that is.” 

Kris only shrugs; the only answer they could think of. 

The prince strokes his chin in thought, staring at the flowers. Maybe he has an idea…?

Ralsei suddenly perks up, turning to them. “Kris, what do you—” 

But the sentence dies in his throat before it can finish. 

Kris raises an eyebrow at him, confused. His mouth hangs open for a good three seconds, and in those three seconds, they expect something to come out; an idea, words, a sound— anything. 

Ralsei only shakes his head instead. “... Ah, never mind. Let’s just look around some more.”

What, huh? Their face scrunches up in further confusion. 

But before they can ask, Ralsei is already walking on ahead. 

Their mouth hangs open with unasked questions, but they clam it back shut, fisting a hand at their side. Ralsei— he wanted to ask them something; their opinion, maybe? He usually did that in situations like this. So, why did he stop himself this time? Why the different change in tune? That’s so odd— so weird. 

Kris clenches their fist tighter. Ralsei, what aren’t you telling me?

The question hangs heavy over them, even as they sprint after him to catch up. 

In the darkness, something watches from afar. 

“Hmm, a traveling prince and his knight… They seem to have gotten far without any help,” a voice muses to itself. “But, sooner or later, they’re gonna need some help on their side. Someone to guide them… Maybe even a friend.” 

The voice laughs to itself. “Welp, looks like I should show myself soon! I shouldn’t dilly dally any longer.

The voice laughs once more, before leaves and petals sink into the ground. 

Chapter Text

* (…)

*( Power.)

Kris exhales softly, allowing the warm light to wash over them. They almost missed it, walking past it as they were following after Ralsei, but they managed to catch it in the end. In the corner of their eye, tucked away among the flowers— a flickering light only they can see. Just about perfect timing for it to appear again. 

They pull their hand away before walking on ahead, trailing after Ralsei who’s already a few paces ahead of them. 

It’s silent for the most part, save for the occasional word here and there from Ralsei. It was mostly trivial things; funny happenings in Castle Town while they were gone, snippets of past conversation he had with Seam. But whatever he said, it was no longer than three sentences, each punctuated by a long pause. 

But, this is okay. Walking in silence, with some occasional talking here and there, this is normal. 

When they played leader, they also led in silence. What Ralsei is doing here is no different, if not just a tad more talkative than them. This isn’t bad. This is fine. 

This is perfectly fine. 

Kris finds themself reaching a hand out to Ralsei’s scarf. The fabric is just within their grasp, a few inches shy of their fingertips, but they can never seem to grab it. For some reason, they can’t bring themself to close the gap. 

But their hand remains anyway, hovering close to his scarf but never reaching. 

Something. Something is off. They can’t exactly place it, but whatever it is, it’s off. 

Something. Ralsei knows something. What is he not telling? Why won’t he tell them? 

… Come to think of it, why did they ask Ralsei to lead again…?

“Kris, did you hear that?” Ralsei comes to a stop. 

They blink, stopping in their tracks. 

He turns to them, expression much tighter, more vigilant, like he’s noticed something. “I think— I think there’s something here.”

They give him a look. They don’t hear anything at all. 

He shushes them gently. “Listen carefully.” 

Kris feels less than convinced, but they close their eyes and try to listen anyway.

There’s the gentle whooshing of wind, the cavern breeze, a low steady hum against their ear. 

Kris furrows their brow in concentration, straining their ears. There must be something they’re not hearing; something amiss they quite haven’t placed yet. 

Did Ralsei mishear something, perhaps? Is it something only he can hear? He’s a goat; maybe he just has a better hearing range than them. Maybe he picked up a sound that’s practically imperceptible to them. It wouldn’t be the first time Kris was inhibited by the limitations of the human body. 

They let out a sigh, frustrated. Oh, screw this, they can’t hear anything—

‘Listen carefully…’

Kris opens their eyes, surprised. They did not just imagine that, right? Because, that voice, it sounds just like… 

‘Listen carefully… carefully… carefully…’

The whisper echoes Ralsei’s voice, only it carries a distant airy edge to it. Well, they definitely hear something now, alright. 

“But, where could it be coming from?” Ralsei wonders. “We’re the only people here, unless there’s somebody hiding away, repeating what we say.” 

‘Repeating what they say… what they say… what they say…’

There it is again, that whisper, repeating Ralsei’s voice. Kris looks around, scanning the surrounding area for anything, but there’s nothing— nothing out of place, at least. 

Their eyes drift towards the blue flowers at their feet. 

Unless. 

“What is it?” Ralsei asks. 

Kris crouches down to the flowers’ height, cupping a hand around their ear before leaning close. They encountered talking flowers in the dark garden earlier, so maybe… 

‘What is it? … What is it… what is it…’

The flowers. The flowers are echoing Ralsei’s words. 

“Wait, really?” 

He mirrors what Kris just did; kneeling down and leaning into the flowers for a listen. Ralsei has his head angled in a way where Kris has a full view of his face; eyes glanced towards the ground, brow knitted in concentration as he tries to listen to the flowers. 

Wow, they’ve never seen him this focused before, and in such close proximity too. 

Did… Did he always look this charming? 

Kris coughs and gets back up to their feet. 

“You’re right, it’s coming from the flowers,” Ralsei says, dusting off his robes before standing back up. “And, they repeat whatever I say?” 

The flowers echo back, as if answering his question: ‘Whatever I say… I say… I say…”

“Wow, that’s actually amazing,” he smiles to himself. But then, Ralsei turns to Kris, as if he’s remembered something. “Wait a minute. That sign from earlier… It mentioned something about Echo Flowers, right?”

Kris tilts their head. The sign about the Echo Flower room?

Ralsei nods. ”Hold on, could it be that…”

He turns back to the flowers again, staring at them, deep in thought. 

Kris can almost see the gears turning inside Ralsei’s head. What could he be thinking about? 

They catch the moment his eyes perk up, like a lightbulb’s just lit up. “Oh, so that’s why they’re called that.” 

They look at him quizzically. What. 

“These flowers repeat the last thing they hear, like an echo,” Ralsei tells them. “Echo Flowers. These flowers are called Echo Flowers.” 

It takes Kris a moment for it to register, but when it does, they suppress the urge to facepalm out of exasperation. Really? That’s the name of these flowers? What, there weren’t any better ideas for its name? It almost sounds like a name their dad would come up with. 

“But just a moment ago, I heard a whisper from these flowers,” Ralsei says. “I didn’t manage to catch it, but it certainly wasn’t my voice.” He taps his chin in thought. “Do you think maybe…?” 

They perk up. Maybe he has an idea? 

“Maybe there was someone here before us. And if somebody came here before, do you think the Echo Flowers have messages from them?” 

An idea sparks inside Kris’s mind. Maybe the Echo Flowers contain useful information; clues, directions even, that could help them navigate this place better. 

“Yeah… Yeah! It’s worth a try!” Ralsei nods. 

The air feels a little easier to breathe now. Now that they have a direction, a starting point, they won’t have to mindlessly wander about this place anymore. And to think it was Ralsei who thought of that… 

“Huh? Oh, you still want me to lead?” Ralsei asks upon watching Kris go behind him. 

It would be better to have him walk ahead instead of them– they reason. Plus, he was able to pick up the flowers’ whispering first; his supersonic hearing makes him better to play leader. 

Ralsei snorts. “Kris, don’t tease me!” 

Game plan: inspect every flower in this place. 

Okay, well, maybe not every single flower. 

Ralsei has way better hearing than them— Kris noticed, so the plan is to have him on the lookout (or, hear-out?) for anything noteworthy from the flowers. That should help with gathering information faster, and hopefully even cut down on the amount of flower-inspecting they’d have to do. 

“Over there. I hear something.” Ralsei points a finger towards a patch of flowers. “I think it sounds important?”

Kris closes their eyes, and covers one side of their face with a hand. Right at that moment, a gust of wind blows through their cape. Yeah, it must be important too; they feel a vibration in the air. 

Ralsei stares at them blankly. “Okay.”

The two of them approach the area of flowers where Ralsei pointed to, their whispers getting more audible as they come closer. Kris kneels down and inspects the flower. 

(* You cup a hand around your ear.)

(* Faintly, you hear remnants of a conversation.)

‘You know, I heard the Flower King has a room of statues.’ One flower echoes. ‘They’re almost as big as him!’

A gasp follows, echoed by another. ‘Really? You’ve seen them before?’

‘No, only heard about them,’ replies the first voice, deflated. ‘They say only the king is allowed to enter that room.’

‘Ehh, no way…’

The Echo Flowers start repeating themselves after that, so Kris pulls away and gets back onto their feet. “Statues as big as the Flower King, huh?” Ralsei remarks. “Haha, they must be huge then!” 

For a moment, a mental image flashes in their mind; they imagine a room full of Asgore-shaped statues. It takes everything in them not to giggle out loud. 

“But a room of statues, huh?” Ralsei says. “Sounds like something we could check out! If we can find it, that is.” 

Kris nods. Useful information gathered. 

They do the same thing a few more times: Ralsei hears something. He points to a specific area of the flower field. Kris kneels down to inspect the flowers. Rinse and repeat. Most of them seem to mention one common thing: that room of statues. 

Upon the third inspection, Kris picks up a much longer conversation echoed between two flowers. 

‘I hear you’re searching for the fabled room of statues?’ Says the first flower. 

From the second flower, a small ‘mm-hmm’ follows; Kris can almost imagine the voice’s owner nodding. ‘Indeed I am.’

‘Well, I suggest you call it quits and go home.’

‘Huh, why?’

‘They say only the Flower King’s entered it before, correct?’ The first voice says. ‘That must mean he’s the only person ever seen leaving it too.’

‘So?’

‘What if… besides the king, those who enter it never return?’ 

There is a pause for silence, a good ten seconds maybe, then a short laugh. ‘Ah, whatever! I’m gonna go find those statues!’

And the whispers end there; the conversation loops back to the beginning like a broken record. 

“Those who enter it may never return?” Ralsei parrots what the Echo Flowers said. “That… Haha, sounds kinda ominous.”

But it’s just a what-if. Kris gets up from the flowers. 

He sighs. “Yeah, I know, it’s just… Never mind, let’s just look for it anyway!”

Steadily, they gather more and more clues with each new flower inspection. They know for certain now that this statue room is somewhere in this place, and that it had a visible entrance (‘There was a vast field of glowing flowers around its entrance~’ Said one Echo Flower). 

More Echo Flower conversations confirm the same thing. ‘Think there were leaves growing around its entrance?’ One flower echoes; ‘I dunno why they call it a room, looks more like a cave to me,’ whispers another; ‘I like you so much it drives me insane! Your stupid face, your stupid smile, your…!’ Wait a minute, what. 

Kris stops in their tracks. Ralsei does too, head perking up in one direction. He must’ve heard what they heard then. 

‘I just– I kept telling myself you were just some spineless wimp, but every time I saw you, all I could think about was wanting to protect you.’ The echo sounds less like a whisper and more like an announcement, a declaration put over speakers on full blast. ‘And, Angel, I can’t believe it took me this long to realise, but I… I love you!’

They don’t need to see his face to know that Ralsei’s blushing up a storm. 

One glance over Ralsei’s shoulder, a wordless nod from Kris, and that is all that’s needed to say before they speed-walk the hell out of there, until that blasted Echo Flower’s announcement is out of earshot. 

Eventually, the whispers lead them to the mouth of a cave, with ivy vines growing around the entrance. On each side of the entrance is an Echo Flower, planted in place like unmoving guards guarding the cave. 

“This must be it,” Ralsei says. 

Kris walks ahead and inspects the two flowers, seeing if there’s any more information they can gather. 

… Huh, that’s strange; they can’t hear anything— No, wait, there is something. Something unintelligible, barely audible. They lean closer, cupping a hand around their ear. 

They hear someone calling out for help. 

They hear banging against a wall. 

They hear… 

They hear muffled screaming. 

Kris pulls away from the flower. In a blink, they’re back to their feet again, taking a few steps back from the cave. 

“What is it?” Ralsei’s expression mirrors their own— disturbed. 

They take a deep breath, hoping to steady themself. But, all they can think about right now is that muffled screaming. It… It had to have come from inside the cave, right? The flower was right outside when it heard it. But, if the clues they gathered are anything to go by, the only thing inside this cave should be the room of statues, right? 

… Right? 

Another deep breath. 

It’s okay, they’re okay; Kris turns to him and reassures.

Ralsei doesn’t seem convinced, but he doesn’t push them further. “Well then,” he faces towards the cave entrance, “shall we?” 

For the first time since they got here, Kris walks on ahead first, straight into the cave. 

The cave feels less like a cave, and more of a room; a chunk of space haphazardly chiseled into the cavern walls. The place is fairly spacious, but after having grown used to the vast space of the Echo Flower fields, seeing such a low ceiling in comparison has Kris clutching their head, trying to reorient themself. 

The entrance leads them into the center of the room, smooth stone ground instead of soft grass from outside. Here, Kris does a quick survey of the room. 

It was a room of statues, the flowers had said. A room of statues, meaning plural, and yet the actual number of them here barely justifies it being called as such. In each corner of the room stands a stone statue, the likeness of which resembles a person in robes, holding a torch in its hands. Beside the fact it has a flower for a head, the statue looks relatively normal. 

The other three corners had the same statue. Four lone statues, each holding an unlit torch; waiting, guarding. 

Four statues. 

Kris expected there to be more, if they’re being honest. Just four statues? This can hardly be called a room of statues. 

This is underwhelming, to say the least. 

“At least we know the flowers were telling the truth,” Ralsei says.  “Ah, wait, I see something on the wall over there.”

Following him, they approach the wall facing them. Upon a closer look, there seems to be words engraved into the stone. They’re written– or well, carved— in neat cursive. 

“Huh, it looks to be another riddle,” Ralsei mutters. 

Kris grazes a hand over the wall, fingertips running over each indented word as they try to read what it says:

When the earth swallows light,

And the path ahead grows cold,

Four flames must burn to break the seal

Of secrets long untold. 

But know this, wanderer—

The flames that dance in wrong succession

Will seal your fate in stone and shadow,

A tomb of your transgression.

The ancient watchers knew the way,

Their eyes forever turned

To corners where the darkness waits

And where the light once burned. 

Follow their eternal gaze,

In order they have kept,

In time, the answer will show its way,

To only a mind most adept. 

Their head is already spinning two words in. Geez, whoever made this Dark World must really like riddles. 

Ralsei seems to be in a similar predicament as them, eyes momentarily glazed over in confusion. “Alright, let’s– let’s try to break this down,” he blinks, taking a step back from the wall. He begins by mumbling the first part of the riddle. “... Four flames must burn to break the seal, of secrets long untold.” 

He turns back, slowly approaching one statue in a corner. “Those torches they’re holding…” The prince grabs its hands, hovering near the torch. “Maybe we need to light these up?”

There are four statues here, so four torches. Do they have to light them up in a specific order then? This seems like that kind of puzzle. 

“But, how do we figure out what order to light them in?” Ralsei wonders. 

Kris merely shrugs. They could just try lighting them randomly. Trial and error; brute force their way through this puzzle. Surely, they’ll crack the right order with enough tries. 

“Well, that is true.” A flame begins forming between Ralsei’s hands. “Let’s give it a shot then. 

He begins lighting the torches, starting from the statue right of the riddle in the wall, then continuing down to the next, and so on. One by one, the statues' torches are lit in clockwise order. The fire makes the room a tad brighter now. 

“Did that do anything?” Ralsei steps away after lighting the last torch. 

One minute passes, then two. 

Nothing seems to be happening. 

“Huh, did I do something wrong perhaps—”

WHOOSH! A strong gust of wind blows through the room, blowing out the torches like birthday candles. 

Ralsei yelps, surprised, scurrying back to Kris’s side. 

A yawning groan then echoes throughout the space, like the cave itself has awoken from a long slumber. The sound sends goosebumps rising on Kris’s skin; ominous, chilling. Despite having no eyes, it feels as though the statues are all now staring down at them— judging, picking them apart under a stone-hard gaze. 

The ground starts rumbling then, and the cave groans even louder, its low vibrations sinking deep into the soil. Kris hears stone scraping against stone next; slow and grating. The sound grinds on their ears. 

Ralsei gasps in horror. “Kris, the entrance, it’s…!”

The sound of stone against stone increases tenfold. 

They look back at the entrance. Where there was an opening, now had a large boulder blocking the way. The cave entrance; it’s been sealed shut. 

They’re trapped. 

Panic rises in their throat. No. Oh no no no no. This can’t be happening. 

They want to bolt towards the sealed entrance, slam their hands against the wall, bang their fists against it, kick, scream— anything. But, all they can do is stand in place, stunned, frozen, like a deer in headlights. 

They’re sealed inside. There’s no way out. 

Their breath hitches. 

Trapped. They’re trapped. 

Kris digs their nails into the heels of their hands; the pain does little to distract them. They grip the sides of their arms; it barely grounds them. The world is spinning, spinning around them, and— was the room always this small? Why’s it so small? It’s oh god it’s closing in it’s closing in no way out what are they–  breathe breathebreathe breathe can’t leave they’re stuck they’re trapped breathebreathe BREATHE—

A pair of hands grip their shoulders firmly. “Kris, look at me.” 

They inhale sharply, swallow thinly, and focus their eyes ahead. Ralsei’s face comes into view. His expression is tight, a mix between fearful and steady. “Yes, just– just look at me, and–” He pauses to take a deep breath. “Take a deep breath together.”

Kris nods, focusing as they sync each inhale and exhale with him. His grip on their shoulders softens, but never leaves. “It’s okay. Everything’s– Everything’s gonna be okay.” Ralsei reassures, although his voice wavers on the last word, like he has a hard time believing it himself. 

Well, it doesn’t matter if either of them believe it; the words ground them all the same. 

… The room doesn’t feel so small anymore. It feels a little easier to breathe now. 

Ralsei lets go of their shoulders. “How are you feeling now– Oh!”

Without warning, Kris pulls him into a hug. The suddenness of it makes him freeze in place. “K-Kris?” 

“... thank you,” they mumble into his shoulder. 

One silent beat. Then two. 

Ralsei can’t help but laugh, relaxing into Kris’s arms as he returns the hug. “You’re welcome,” he says. 

The hug is broken shortly after, with Kris pulling away first. 

“So, what do we do now?” 

Kris looks back at the sealed entrance ahead. Ah right, that. 

They can only shrug at him; nothing they can really think of. Maybe they could try reading the riddle again? There could be a clue in it that they missed. 

“Yes, we can try that.”

They both return to the riddle engraved in the wall again, rereading each word. 

“Hmm…” With a finger tracing the words, he reads out the riddle in a low mumble. “The flames that dance in wrong succession, will seal your fate in stone and shadow… Ah, so I did light the torches in the wrong order then.” 

Kris skips over to the third part of the riddle. The ancient watchers knew the way, their eyes forever turned. 

The ancient watchers knew the way. Ancient watchers— that can only mean the statues in this room, right? And, they knew the way. Maybe the statues hold a clue? 

Kris steps away from the wall and goes toward each statue in the room. Their eyes scan over the figure, hoping to check for anything noteworthy. 

* It’s a statue of a flower person bearing a torch.  

* … Upon a closer look, you notice something on the statue’s face. 

Face…? But, these statues have flowers for heads, there’s no face here at all– No, wait. Kris inches closer, tilts their head upward for a better look at its face. The statue’s head is a flower with five petals, and in the middle of it, where there should be a pistil, where there should be nothing else—

They see an eye staring back instead. 

Oh, that’s not normal. Did the statues always have eyes like this? 

Kris moves on to the other three statues and inspects them just the same. In place of a flower pistil, they also each have an eye in the middle of their face. 

“What is it?” Ralsei asks. “Did you figure something out?” 

Kris tells him to look at each of the statues, pointing specifically at the middle of their faces. 

“H-Huh?! Since when did they have eyes like that?” He almost stumbles, startled. “But, their eyes… maybe they could be the key to this puzzle.”

Kris inspects the statues again, looking for any pattern. Only common thread is that they all have eyes, but what else? There’s nothing that sets each statue apart from one another, no marker or indicator or anything. 

Except. 

Except there is. 

Upon further inspection, there’s a pupil inside the statue’s eye. Actually, all the statues here have pupils. One stares down at them; another looks towards the ceiling; the other two glance off to either side. The position of the pupil in each statue’s eye is different— something that could mean a pattern. 

“Say, don’t the position of their eyes remind you of something?” Ralsei says. “Maybe it’s just me, but… They kinda remind me of a clock.”

In time, the answer will show its way; to a mind most adept. The last line of the riddle flashes in their mind. 

In time, the answer will show its way. In time, like on a clock. The statue’s pupil positions— they’re mimicking positions on a clock. 

Kris darts towards each statue, reading their pupil positions again. The statue on the upper right corner reads 12 o’ clock; the one below it, on the lower right, reads 3 o’ clock; upper left, 6 o’ clock; lower left, 9 o’ clock. 

There it is— the pattern, the order. 

Ralsei seems to have caught onto this too, his eyes lighting up in realization. “Follow their gaze, in order they have kept,” he points towards the statues’ eyes. “That’s it! We just have to light the torches according to the position of their eyes!”

A light feeling spreads through Kris’s chest; it feels like a faint light at the end of the tunnel. 

Neither of them waste any more time talking. With Ralsei igniting a new flame in his hands, Kris follows the pupil positions of each statue and guides him to light up each torch. In the glow of the lit torch, the statue almost seems to gaze down at them, satisfied. They must have imagined it, surely. 

Before long, all four statues now hold blazing torches. Ralsei steps away from the last statue, extinguishing the fire in his hands. “Please, I hope this works.”

A beat passes in silence, then two, then three. 

And then, the ground rumbles with a low groan. Another mysterious gush of wind blows through the space, except this time, none of the torches go out. That must mean they got the order right…! 

Through one of the walls, there comes the sound of stone grinding against stone again. It starts off slow and steady, like old gears churning, before bang! like something heavy’s been dropped. In the wall where the riddle is inscribed, an opening has now revealed itself. 

Ralsei gasps, relief washing over his features. “Look! We did it, Kris!” 

Kris lets out a sigh, sagging their shoulders. The two of them approach the newly opened space in the wall. When they look inside, it’s all but pitch dark. It seems like a long, long tunnel. 

“Guess we’ll have to go through here,” Ralsei says. “Maybe there’s something on the other side that could help us?” 

They glance back at the entrance they came in through earlier, and the boulder is still there blocking the path; it’s still sealed. Well, it’s not like they have any other choice. 

Without another word, they both enter the tunnel. 

Turns out the tunnel is less of a tunnel, and more of a cave. The space starts out as a narrow hallway at first, until it gradually widens and widens the more they walk. 

Ralsei ignites another flame in his hands with a spark. Once dark, the tunnel now brightens with a soft orange glow. Even in the light, there is nothing noteworthy that can be made out on the walls, so Kris opts to just follow behind without surveying anything. The fire helps them see where the path is, at least. 

This time around, Ralsei went up ahead and decided to take the lead. They didn’t have to say anything; he just already knew what to do without another word. Well, that and he is holding their light source. It makes sense for him to go in front. Either way, this feels nice, being able to take a backseat for once. 

Kris snaps out of their reverie. Ralsei seems to want to say something. 

“I gotta say, this is much different from how we usually do things,” Ralsei begins, fidgeting with his bandages. “Not a bad different, it’s just… different.”

He could always have them take over again, if he’d like; Kris tells him. 

“Ah, no no no! I’m fine, really!” He reassures them. “I’m just not really used to doing this sort of thing. Leading, I mean. It’s different, but… I don’t mind it at all.”

They nod and listen, letting him continue. 

Ralsei laughs to himself. “I’ve never seen myself as a leader, honestly. Even though I’m a prince, as a Darkner, it’s always been in my nature to serve others.” The shadows flicker across the walls, the fire in his palms wavering for just a moment.  “I… never knew taking the lead was ever an option.”

And I never knew taking a backseat was an option, Kris thought to themself. 

They walk deeper into the cave in silence. 

“Haha, being the leader is hard! Makes me wonder how you manage to do this all the time,” he jokes, but the laughter dies in his throat as quickly as it comes. “It… makes me admire you even more.”

A warm feeling spreads inside Kris’s chest. 

Both of them come to a stop, where an opening stands before them— the mouth of a cave, most likely leading into a new sub-area. 

Well, that took more than enough walking to reach. 

Kris walks ahead first, approaching the mouth of the cave, but not before Ralsei says, “Right, if you wanna take over again, just let me know!”

They pause in their tracks, like they need a moment for the words to register. It’s not anything heartwarming at all. It’s literally just Ralsei offering if they’d like to take the lead again. And yet, to their surprise, they find a small smile tugging at their lips. 

“... mm, of course,” they nod at him. 

“Aww, well if this ain’t cute~” A voice calls out from the darkness. Neither Kris’s nor Ralsei’s. Somebody’s here. 

The ground shakes before either can say anything. Vines burst out from the walls and spread across the mouth of the cave, blocking their one way through. 

Kris assumes a defensive stance, holding an arm out as if to shield Ralsei away from what may come. Could it be an enemy? But they haven’t bumped into any Darkners here, much less enemies. What could it be?

Kris reaches for the handle of their sword. It’s coming. 

A flower pops out of the ground instead. An unassuming yellow flower that has a face. They haven’t come across any flowers with faces before. 

It shakes off a few bits of dirt before turning to them with a grin. “Well, howdy there!”

They nearly scream, sword already drawn out before the sound even comes. What is that? What the hell is that???

Ralsei clings behind Kris, tense. “Who– Who are you? What do you want from us?!” He demands. 

The flower only keeps grinning at them, undeterred by the fact these teens look like they’re metaphorically shitting their pants. “Oh, lil old me? Just a friend who could lend you both some help!” It opens its arms— leaves? Leaf-arms?  -– out in a welcoming gesture. “I know my way around these fields. I could be your guide!” 

Kris eyes the flower suspicious, but lowers their sword, if only slightly. They ask why it wants to help them so much. 

“Ah, I’ve been observing you two, you see,” it explains. 

Kris points their blade straight at the flower. 

“Woah, hey hey hey, I didn’t even do anything!” The flower puts its leaves up in the air. “Lower your weapon! I’m on your side!”

“We’ve never even met before!” Ralsei sputters. 

Now the flower huffs and crosses its leaves. It seems irritated. “Woww, we just met a few hours ago, and you’ve already forgotten me?” The flower chides. “How about you take another look, pal?”

Ralsei inches closer, squinting as he does a double take on the flower. Those yellow petals, now where has he seen those before… 

“... Wait.”

He pauses, like he’s remembering something. 

“Wait, I remember you.” He starts slowly. “You’re… You’re the flower I stepped on earlier!” 

The flower grins, now satisfied. “Hmm, you’ve got a good memory, Four Eyes!” (“Four– Four eyes—” Ralsei sputters.)

Kris lowers their sword, but only slightly, keeping a vigilant eye on the flower. They ask what it’s doing here. 

The flower raises its leaves, as if showing it’s unarmed. “Relax buddy! I ain’t gonna hurt’cha!” It then blows a raspberry, lowering its leaves. “Now, I know you’re confused out of your mind right now, especially considering we didn’t get off on the same foot earlier. But! There’s always a second chance for everything, right?” 

Kris narrows their gaze at it, still wary. 

“I- I suppose that’s true…” Ralsei says. “But, who are you exactly?”

“Oh, silly me! It almost slipped my mind!” The flower smacks its head with a leaf, sticking its tongue out cutely. “Right then, I suppose we’re long overdue for a proper introduction.” 

The flower strikes a pose with its leaves. 

“You can call me Flowey! Flowey the flower!”