Chapter Text
It felt different, not being in control. Kris had experienced the concept before; being a child meant not having certain freedoms. Sometimes, they would have to listen to their elders. They knew better, after all. Even though they weren't a kid anymore, adults still knew better. That's what Aunt Carol told them. That they would need to be subservient, nothing but a minion to the whims of the prophetic entity. Ordinarily, they would refuse. However, they needed to fulfill this promise. For Noelle. For Rudy. For Asriel. This was their job, and their freedom was a small price to pay. They weren’t using it much anyway.
Their mother's voice cut off their train of thought. They were jostled awake by the being, a motion that sent shivers down their spine. Kris was never big on getting up early, but this wasn't related to that. They hadn't realised how bizarre it would feel, not being in control. Being picked up and puppeted around like a marionette was nothing pleasent.
Also, the Soul seemed to have really got posture, and their back wasn't used to being straight. Ow.
It brought them over to their brother's desk, for some reason. Inside lay one of his old school IDs, exactly where he had left it. His haircut was a lot like their own. Why was it making them do this?
They were then metaphorically dragged down the stairs, blowing past the bathroom and kitchen. It seemed both breakfast and hygiene were out of the question. They were brought into their mother's car, and off they went to school. Apparently, possession by an eldritch horror wasn't a valid sick day excuse.
They then ran into class. Why this thing wanted them to run everywhere, they weren't sure. Strangely, it reminded them of late-night Minecrap sessions with Berdly, where they would chase him around with axes and skins from various horror movies. They never let go of left control once during that. Perhaps they should apologise to their character, something not too farfetched, assuming Carol's words were true. They'll find out tomorrow night.
“K-Kris! Welcome.” Alphys always greeted them with a nervous smile. They weren't sure why. We- we're, uh, starting group projects! So, uh, go and… find a partner!”
This could be difficult. Kris, despite their decent academic potential, wasn't exactly… loved by their classmates. Perhaps their puppeteer would have a challenge ahead! For once, they were glad they were taken over by a weird, ghostly heart with mysterious motives who may or may not save the world.
Okay, not really.
Instead of going around and talking to everyone, it instead, a lot like at their house, made a beeline straight for Noelle.
”Noelle.” Its voice was a lot like theirs, but without any of the mumbling that truly made it sound like theirs. Instead, it felt deeper, older, and, strangely, scarier than their ordinary voice. Kris could see from Noelle's expression that she also noticed something different about them. She was trying to hide it, but it was there.
“Oh, Kris!” She called out in response, voice jubilant and full of life. “Do you need a pencil again? Which one do you want, the candy-cane one or the one with lights on it?”
Internally, they wondered if the candy-cane pencil actually tasted like sugar. They would've reached for it, were they in control of their body. Instead, they were forced to respond with words.
”Partners.”
“You want to be partners? Well, Berdly’s already asked me… but I'll ask if we can be a group of three!”
“Hold on,” Berdly interrupted. “I did not agree to this!”
“Ms. Alphys?” It seemed that the bird’s prayers fell on deaf ears. Or perhaps, despite Kris and Noelle’s years of no contact, she somehow still felt a spark of friendship between them. Maybe that spark would reignite and become an inferno of a bond. They seem to have missed Alphys’s reply, but, from Noelle and Berdly's expressions, she seemed to have affirmed the request.
Their teacher grabbed at the ledge below the blackboard, yet her claws landed on empty air. Carol had kept her promise, moving all chalk from this room to another.
“Ah, Ms. Alphys! It appears you are out of chalk!” Berdly's stupid outburst cut through the silence. “Fear not! My compatriots will gladly journey to the supply closet! Together, we shall acquire enough chalk for the next year to come!”
The yellow lizard looked confused, but nodded in the end. Berdly grabbed Noelle by the arm and nearly dragged her out the door. Kris followed at a rapid pace, not even stopping to breathe. They hated this cardio-intensive day. They hated the soul.
When they entered the hall, Berdly had his hand on the door to the supply closet, with Noelle standing shortly behind him.
“Berdly, are you sure you don’t want help?” Noelle smiled gently at him, almost like one would talk to a child.
“Dear Noelle! Do- do not worry!” He paused, making a sound only definable as that of a constipated elephant. “You mustn't… tire yourself… on tasks like these! Y- your, uh… frail body simply could never-”
The soul, apparently fed up with the bluebird's antics, made Kris walk over and gently push the door open. Damn, it was just getting good. Noelle let out a soft giggle, and Berdly looked awfully proud, as if he believed it was his own strength that had opened the door. The two, however, stalled at the entrance to the closet. Kris, too, was slightly unnerved by the darkness, but they didn't have much of a choice. Even without the soul, Carol would kill them if they didn't enter. Still, physically being unable to turn back didn't make it any less unnerving.
The two crept behind them, copying their movements with eerie silence. The papers on the floor seemed less than stable, and the soul seemed to agree, as it only went in a short distance before turning around. Kris hoped Carol would do her job, and the slamming of the door confirmed that fact. So, this was the dark world? It didn't seem especially interesting…
The papers then began to shake, then fall, and Kris, Berdly, and Noelle were sent tumbling down into the space below. Kris greeted this sudden altitude change with all the grace and humility of a newborn child. Mentally, anyway.
They crash-landed with Noelle on a bizarre platform, floating in inky black. Kris could almost see eyes out in the distance, staring and blinking at them. They were distantly reminded of something, but their mind couldn't quite fit the pieces together. Noelle seemed frozen, fitting the deer in headlights stereotype as well as one could while lying on the floor. Kris brought Noelle to her feet before getting up themself. The soul, eager as always, instantly brought them over to a weird… sparkle-thing that somehow levitated over the void. After reaching out to it, the wounds sustained from the fall instantly vanished, and they felt infinitely more… secure, they supposed?
“Kris, what is this place?” Noelle finally spoke up, gazing around the empty space. She brought a hand to her shimmering robe, silently admiring its unnatural flow in the lack of wind.
”Doesn't matter,” They growled. “Keep going.”
“A- are you sure? An area like this seems so unfamiliar, we should probably stop and recalibrate.” She spoke with unnatural confidence. “Oh! Sorry, I sound just like Berdly, faha!”
”Keep going. They repeated again. She smiled at them before continuing to follow in their footsteps.
“You're right.”
For some reason, this made Kris shiver.
~~~
Eventually, Kris and Noelle began to pass these moving… tail things. They looked almost like a fungus, with an elongated trunk and bulbous protrusion from the top, and they appeared to wag as Kris ran by. Some seemed to have a bizarre outline, however. As they neared the end of the path, they heard Noelle’s tired voice call out.
“Wait! Kris, can we stop and breathe? You've been running so fast…”
Her voice seemed to interrupt the soul as well, as Kris's movements instantly stopped as she called out. In front of them, one outlined fungus shot out white bullets that rushed into Kris’s chest, sending a jolt of pain through their body strong enough to momentarily blind them. The bullets continued to shoot, until eventually, they felt pulled into space. It was an otherworldly feeling, almost like they were punched in reverse. They felt like they were going to be knocked to the ground, yet somehow, their feet stood very, very still. All of a sudden, yet simultaneously after an eternity, they were back in the first hallway, right after one of their conversations with Noelle.
Their heart rate rose, and they began to sweat. They held up their shaking hands, nearly sobbing. What just happened? Why are they okay? That pain had vanished as suddenly as it had arrived, and they just teleported, somehow. None of this was normal! They hated aunt Carol, they hated the soul, and they hated this stupid world. They wanted to punch something, to kick, yell, scream, but they couldn't. Instead they had to walk in a straight line and not react.
Fuck this prophecy.