Chapter Text
[Chapter One]
Kris leaned forward slightly, the faint smell of bleach in the school bathroom’s sink stinging their nostrils. They examined their reflection in the mirror, combing through their messy hair with their hands in an effort to make it less so. Every time they tried to brush it up and out of their eyes, though, it fell back into place.
Kris sighed—no fixing some things, they supposed, but some hair gel might have been prudent. Then again, they didn’t know the first thing about styling hair, and there was no way they were going to ask their mom to do it for them. Besides, Susie wouldn’t let Kris hear the end of it if she found out—but, honestly, they’d probably be more offended if she didn’t.
Kris smiled at the thought.
They straightened their posture and checked out their outfit, which seemed in better order. They were dressed more formally than usual—a deep lichen green dress shirt paired with their nicest pair of black jeans. For them, this was like putting on a suit and tie.
Kris’s mind wandered. They wondered what Ralsei would be wearing today, and Kris suddenly felt like they had overdressed. With how…incredibly austere Ralsei lived, it was difficult to imagine that Ralsei had any other outfits to speak of. Then again, they did have that whole magic thing—for all Kris knew, a change of outfit was as simple as Ralsei waving their hand in the right way.
“You. Look nice.”
Kris grimaced. A hazy projection of the Soul had manifested out the corner of their eye. Kris tried to look at it directly, but it remained fixed just outside their peripheral vision.
“Thanks,” Kris said flatly, adjusting their collar. They really didn’t want to deal with this right now, but they never had much of a choice when it decided to intrude. They craned their neck up slightly to button the collar closed.
“Occasion?”
Kris’s fingers froze, the button halfway through the hole. They tried to will their hands to move again, but their fingers no longer felt like their own.
The Soul’s manifestation shifted into the center of their vision.
“Tell.”
Kris grit their teeth and tried to shake themselves free of the Soul’s grip, but it was no use—nothing responded.
“Take a guess,” Kris snapped, their jaw tight.
The Soul paused, as if weighing its options.
“Your. Favorite Darkner?” it said.
Even though the Soul couldn’t actually intone anything it said, something impish colored its words. Kris couldn’t help but blush.
“He has a name ,” Kris hissed.
The Soul guided Kris’s fingers, buttoning their collar for them. Kris felt the grip on their body slacken.
“I know, vessel.” the Soul said, fading back into the corner of Kris’s vision, “But. Don’t get too. Attached.”
The Soul faded from view, leaving Kris alone, but their last words rang in their skull. Kris sucked in a shaky breath, hands braced on the sink, and sighed.
Kris loathed the damn thing sometimes—how something so small and fragile-looking could cause so many issues in Kris’s life continued to perplex them. They’d never had a great relationship with the strange being, but, lately, it was acting much worse than usual. Ever since what happened at the church, it seemed particularly focused on their relationship with Ralsei. Constantly derailing or interrupting their conversations, dragging them away from his presence, sometimes outright refusing to let Kris hug them on a seemingly arbitrary whim, and more still. And the Soul never explained why. The most that Kris was able to get out of them were cryptic half-answers, and that was if they were lucky.
The mirror started to blur as their vision lost focus. Kris rubbed their eyes, and it returned to normal.
If the Soul wasn’t needed to access, leave, and navigate the myriad of dangers the Dark World posed, Kris wouldn’t have brought it today at all.
Circumstance, though, always had a habit of ruining things.
Worse still, their hair was messed up again. Not badly, but enough to make them groan softly.
A knock at the door almost made Kris jump out of their skin.
“Hey, Kris!” came a familiar rough voice that Kris instantly recognized—Susie. “Get your ass moving, we’re gonna be late!”
“One sec,” Kris replied.
They splashed their hands with water from the faucet and fixed their hair as best they could.
Kris checked themselves over one more time and, once satisfied, picked up their backpack from the floor. The backpack had their usual outfit inside, but they wouldn’t be needing it today. Kris pushed open the bathroom door and stepped out.
A purple fist tapped them on the arm as soon as they cleared the door. Kris feigned almost losing their balance from the hit as they turned to face the source of the felonious assault.
Susie, dressed in red flannel, white tank-top, and her hair tied up into a short ponytail, chuckled at the sight.
“Thought you were going to be in there for an hour, Kris! Jeez,” she said with a grin, her sharp, yellow teeth glinting. Her eyes roamed over Kris’s outfit, and she nodded to herself. “You look good, though! You should dress to impress more often.”
Kris smiled. “Same to you.”
Susie snickered. “What, you saying I don’t always look good? Ass,” she said, half-narrowing her eyes. Susie stretched her arms overhead. “Anyway, put your stuff away so we can head out already. Sick of standing around.”
Kris nodded. They jogged to their locker, stuffed their backpack inside, and slammed it shut. They returned to Susie, and together they walked towards the school closet.
“So,” Susie said, “What’cha feelin?”
Kris pondered the question, a small smile tugging at their lips. “Passable.”
Susie laughed, punching them in the arm again. “I meant food , dumbass.”
Kris shrugged. They hadn’t really thought about it.
“Well, you’re helpful,” Susie said, rolling her eyes, “Alright, I’ll tell you what I’m feeling. CD bagels, clubs sandwiches, darkburgers. What’s your vote?”
Kris tapped a finger to their lips in mock thought. A bagel sounded good. “CD Bagels,” they said, pointing at Susie.
“Works for me!” Susie said, slinging a broad arm around Kris’s shoulders, “I'm sure Ralsei won’t mind either. And if he does? I’ll make him not.”
Kris chortled, but they felt their smile waver a little. The Soul’s words echoed again in their mind, whispered anew— don’t get too attached . They tried to think about something else, anything else. Their wandering mind eventually settled on something—clothing.
As the pair neared the closet, Kris imagined what they might look like in the Dark World. They imagined themselves in something other than armor—something confident, something appealing, something that would make them look good. The current outfit they were wearing would, ideally, make that criteria easier to manifest. The echo of the Soul’s words faded from their thoughts.
Susie put a hand on the doorknob, turning to Kris.
“You ready?”
Kris nodded, but they didn’t feel ready. Whether it was due to nervousness, hunger, or some combination of the two, their stomach seemed to have become host to butterflies. Even so, they gave Susie a thumbs up just to seal the deal.
Susie half-smiled and turned the doorknob, opening the closet door with a gentle shove. “Then get in already! Don’t make me open doors for you,” she said, sticking out her tongue a little.
Kris stuck their tongue out back, but they did as Susie asked. Susie followed in after them, closing the door behind them. As soon as the door clicked shut, the darkness inside the closet swallowed them both whole. Kris closed their eyes as the floor beneath their feet gave way, wind whipping by their ears as they fell deep into all-encompassing shadow.
Kris felt their stomach rise into their chest as some magical force wrapped around their body, slowing their descent to a halt. They were suspended in the air for a moment before the force that had enveloped them quickly dissipated, putting them on the ground with a quiet thud. The feeling of solid ground under their feet again made Kris open their eyes. They immediately looked themselves over.
Kris was pleasantly surprised by the Dark World’s changes to their outfit. Their dress shirt had turned a dark, almost magenta pink, but the real difference was in the aesthetic of the shirt itself—it was very clearly something resembling a ruffle shirt, complete with a pleated bib, puffed shoulders, and a high, ruffled neckline. Their pants had turned a deep navy blue, and they had baroque patterns embroidered on the outer seams that ran from hip to cuff.
It was quite a lot to take in, and Kris was left with the distinct impression that they had manifested a little too much—this was far more…confident than they had intended. Seemed like something a knight would wear, at the very least. Perhaps Ralsei would like it?
Out the corner of their eye, Kris saw a pair of clawed, purple fingers squeezing one of their shirt’s shoulder puffs.
Kris turned their head towards Susie, who looked at the material between her fingers with an impressed-but-puzzled look on her face. Susie’s Dark World clothing hadn’t changed as far as Kris could tell—same long black vest, sleeveless purple shirt, and baggy pants as she usually had.
“Huh,” Susie said, leaning in somewhat for a closer look at Kris’s shirt, “How the hell did you get this? Probably the fanciest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Kris shrugged. “Power of belief?”
“Must be,” Susie said, letting go of the puff, “I like it though! Very, hm, you?”
Susie’s gaze met Kris’s, a wry smile parting her lips on one side. “If you were some kind of noble, I guess.”
Kris looked down at their outfit again. Susie definitely had a point—nice as it was, it was definitely not something they ever thought they could pull off. A knight was one thing, but nobility? That would have to take some getting used to. Still, a nice outfit. Comfortable, too.
“You gotta teach me how to do that, though,” Susie said, looking at her own outfit, “Much as I love my look, could always try something new.”
Kris nodded, holding out their pinky to her with their thumb extended. Susie smiled, wrapped her pinky in theirs, and sealed their pact with a stamp between thumbs.
“I’ll hold you to it, then,” she said. Susie’s eyes flicked up, looking at something, or more likely someone, past Kris. The smile on her face widened to a grin.
“Susie! Kris!”
Kris didn’t need to turn around to know who was calling their names—the softness of Ralsei’s voice was distinctive. Kris inhaled deeply and turned around, the butterflies in their stomach now disturbed and fluttering around with what could only be described as some sort of excitement.
The fluffy, pinkish-white Darkner, dressed in their usual long, black-sleeved green cloak and pink scarf, jogged up to Susie and Kris. The green glasses that framed his face jostled slightly as he moved, warping the pink irises that sat behind them. Kris couldn’t tell exactly, but Ralsei’s gaze seemed to be particularly focused on them. Kris straightened their posture a little, just in case he was.
“It's so good to see you both again!” Ralsei said, wearing a smile that radiated their infectious optimism. Ralsei turned to Kris, “B-But I almost didn’t recognize you, Kris! Your clothes kinda threw me off.”
Ralsei’s eyes widened, apparently shocked at his own statement. “I-in a good way I mean!” Ralsei said, a red blush appearing on his cheeks, “Y-your outfit is really amazing!”
Kris’s neck felt warm all of a sudden, and it felt like the heat was creeping up towards their face. Kris pretended to look at their clothes again, just in case they had started blushing. The high collar would have hidden it just fine, probably, but better safe than sorry.
“That’s what I’m saying!” Susie said, poking a shoulder puff for emphasis, “Power of belief you said, right, Kris?”
Kris nodded.
Ralsei cocked their head, looking Kris up and down with a curious look on his face. “Well, if your vision of your ideal self determines how you look down here…” Ralsei said, adjusting his glasses, “Were you thinking about anything specifically, Kris?”
Kris‘s lips parted. You , they were tempted to say, I was thinking about you . But before they could say anything, they felt something change in their body—a familiar presence in their chest was swelling over so slightly. The Soul was intervening.
It’s presence traveled up Kris’s chest and into their throat and mouth, tightening their vocal cords while a strange heaviness held their mouth shut.
“Shrug.” It commanded.
Kris’s body obeyed, their lips snapping shut. Their shoulders raised and fell in a manner that felt almost mechanical. The presence dissipated soon after, but even though the Soul had relinquished control again Kris had lost the will to say what they had wanted to say. It was evidently watching, and it was doing so closely.
Ralsei’s smile faltered a little, concern flashing across his face for only a moment. “O-oh, you, uh, forgot?”
“Already?” Susie said, mild annoyance evident in her tone, “It’s been only like, thirty seconds.”
“I-I’m sure they’ll remember later!” Ralsei said, clasping his hands behind his back, “Maybe some food will do the trick?”
“Worth a shot!” Susie said, “CD bagels fine with you, Ralsei?”
Ralsei nodded. “Of course! B-but, uhm,” Ralsei said, looking down at the ground, “I-is it okay if I talk to Kris for a second? Alone?”
Susie raised an eyebrow, eyes darting between Ralsei and Kris. A small smirk formed on the edge of her mouth—Kris could almost see the idea she was getting from Ralsei’s request. Ralsei, evidently, did as well—his face had a bright red blush that stretched from his cheeks to his snout, which he was unsuccessfully trying to hide with one of his long ear flaps.
“Suuuure,” Susie said, suppressing a laugh, “I’ll get us a table. Don’t take too long, nerds.”
Susie started walking up the road to Castle Town. Ralsei peeked at her from behind his ear and, once he was satisfied with her growing distance, turned back to Kris. He brought his hands in front of him, rubbing them together with a nervous incessance. He didn’t look Kris in the eye at first, his gaze squarely on his own hands.
Ralsei cleared his throat, his gaze meeting Kris’s. “S-so, Kris, I…” Ralsei mumbled, half-clearing his throat again, “I-I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable just now. Asking about your thoughts and all.”
Ralsei clasped his hands together, fixing his posture a little. “But I meant it—your outfit suits you! It’s wonderful.” Ralsei said, smiling with such apparent earnestness that it reached his eyes.
Kris smiled back. The Soul didn’t seem like it was going to interfere. Not yet, at least.
“Thank you, Ralsei,” Kris said.
“You’re very welcome! But,” Ralsei took a half-step closer to Kris, worry writ again on his features, “I didn’t overstep or anything, did I? You had a look on your face...”
Kris shook their head. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Ralsei. I promise.”
“Oh, good!” Ralsei looked down at his feet again, but a bright smile was clearly on his face, “I’m happy to hear that.”
But Kris didn’t feel satisfied leaving it there. They wanted to express how much they cared. How deeply they missed him. A simple gesture would do, one that both of them had done many times before—a hug.
The presence in their chest returned, pressing against them like it was trying to hold them back. They tried to will themselves forward, but Kris’s body seemed to be outside of their control. Again.
The Soul’s voice wormed its way into Kris’s ears again. “Just. A hug, ” the Soul whispered, its every hammered word reverberating in their skull, “ No more.”
Kris imagined ripping the thing out of their chest and stamping it into the dirt. There was no telling what it might do to them if they did while being in the Dark World, but the thought was appealing enough.
Just let me hug my friend, asshole. Kris thought to themselves.
The Soul didn’t answer them, but the flicker of annoyance it left behind as it departed said enough. Soon after it had vacated their skull, the same presence against Kris’s chest lifted, and control over their body returned.
Ralsei looked back up just as Kris opened their arms and stepped forward. They wrapped their arms around Ralsei in the next moment and lightly pressed themselves into him, eliciting a soft, almost imperceptible gasp. As soon as Ralsei realized what was happening, though, he returned the hug.
Kris let themselves enjoy the moment. They noticed that Ralsei’s soft fur had a distinct smell to it, one they recognized—a sweet, comforting smell that reminded them of their mom’s kitchen whenever she would bake. Had Ralsei been baking desserts again?
“I missed you, man,” Kris said.
“I-i’m…” Kris felt Ralsei’s hug tighten a little, “T-that makes me really happy, Kris. And, uhm, I-i missed you too.”
Kris felt the presence of the Soul return, this time tugging at their back like it had them on a leash.
“Enough.”
Kris frowned, but they knew they had to listen. As much as they loathed the Soul at the moment, it had far more authority down here than in the Light World. But that didn’t mean its boundaries couldn’t be tested.
Kris let go of Ralsei, who did the same. There was a bright red blush on his cheeks and snout again, this time coupled with a funny-looking smile, but Ralsei didn’t make much effort to hide it. He did, however, seem to have difficulty maintaining eye contact with them at the moment.
“S-so, we should…we should catch up with Susie, then” Ralsei said, adjusting his scarf a little, “I wouldn't want her to get, y’know, worried…as nice as talking to you is.”
Though Kris hated to admit it, Ralsei was right—keeping Susie waiting was a very dangerous game to play. Maybe they could ask him about what he baked later?
Kris nodded. They started walking towards Castle Town, and Ralsei followed closely behind.