Chapter Text
After leaving Castletown and a mad dash through the school, the group opened the doors and were immediately greeted with a deluge of rain.
“Damn it, couldn't the Knight just stay home with a cup of cocoa like a SANE person in weather like this?” Susie complained.
Frisk shook her head as they all sprinted for the church. “Does anything about the Knight strike you as sane?”
“At least we don't have to run through all of town in this,” Noelle said, clearly trying to stay hopeful.
Still they were soaked by the time they made it to the church. They approached cautiously and Berdly pulled out his EMF detector, which immediately started beeping wildly as they neared the door.
“That goddamn Knight… They're not even TRYING to hide this anymore, are they?” Susie asked shakily. “They made a fountain where anyone could stumble into it and if the choir members are here…”
“We need to stop them. Quickly. But how?” Noelle asked worriedly.
“Okay, let's think logically here,” Susie spoke up. “There's no way… they can get out of there without us seeing them. And if they are a Lightner, they'll lose their powers, right? So we'd be able to catch them leaving, or intercept them if they try to pass people off to their accomplice. But…” Susie interrupted her own line of thinking. “There might be innocent people in there. People the Knight could do who knows what to.”
“And Ralsei's in there too,” Frisk said worriedly.
“Shit. You're right,” Susie swore. “We need to go in there.”
“Do you think we should split up?” Berdly asked. “Some of us go in to help Ralsei and some stay here to intercept the Knight if they try to leave?”
Susie shook her head violently. “Hell no. Have you SEEN what happens to teens who split up in horror movies?” she asked. “We should all go in. Strength in numbers and all that.”
“Susie's right. We should all stay together,” Noelle said immediately.
“I guess you have a point,” Berdly conceded. “We'll all go.”
Susie nodded. “The details… we'll figure 'em out later. C'mon!” With that she threw open the door, the world darkening around them as they all dived through. As they fell, the door slammed shut behind them.
…
When they all landed, back in their Dark World forms again, they were standing in a darkened room with a blue stone floor and tattered purple and gold carpet, the only light coming from two blue stained glass windows.
Susie spoke first. “...What's with this place? …Kinda gives me the creeps.”
Noelle shuddered. “Kind of reminds me of the church in The Convent.”
“...Can we not talk about horror movies right now?” Berdly complained, looking around nervously. He then yelped as he lit up.
“Sorry, that was me. I found a Save Star,” Frisk said apologetically.
“It's fine, Frisk,” Berdly told her. He then looked thoughtful. “Hey, I wonder if those can bring us back if we die like in Dragon Blazers.”
“Yeah, let's not find out,” Susie said immediately before Frisk could answer. “And let's go! Ralsei's probably waiting for us.”
They started to make their way through the Dark Sanctuary, lights turning on as they did. But soon they found out their way was blocked by a gate, and the only way to go through it was to play notes on a piano. The notes were easily found on the wall, but they ran into another problem.
“Crap, does anyone know how to play the piano?” Susie asked awkwardly.
Frisk and Berdly shook their heads. “I'm a master at video games, not instruments.” Berdly said.
“How about you, Noelle? You're great at music stuff,” Susie asked her.
Noelle blushed a bit but looked down shyly. “I can sing and stuff, but I never could figure out the piano, even after Chara tried to teach me.” She laughed nervously. “Apparently whenever I tried to play, it sounded like a dying cat.”
Susie patted her shoulder. “Hey, don't worry about it! I'm in the same boat. She gave a soft sigh and took a deep breath. “In one of the places I used to live, there was like… There was this plaza… and they put this public piano in it. So I started playing it. Thinking, y'know, it might be fun. But… I guess… Maybe because I was… so bad… Or because I just looked like I shouldn't be playing… They told me I wasn't… allowed to play it. So I backed off. And then… they let somebody else play. …Someone better.” She looked down. “I don't know… I don't know why I expected I'd be able to play it.”
“I'm really sorry, Susie,” Noelle said softly. “It wasn't nice of them to not allow you to play when it meant that much to you.”
“And it wasn't nice of Chara to tell you what she did when you tried to play,” Susie told her.
Noelle laughed a little. “To be fair to her, I kind of did and she was probably trying to spare her keyboard from my banging.” She took a look at the notes again. “Though… thanks to her lessons, I think I know what keys we're supposed to hit. This looks like a basic scale.”
She went to the piano and awkwardly hit the keys with one finger one at a time. She got it wrong the first time, but tried again, and this time the gate opened.
“Awesome!! Nice one, Noelle!!” Susie cheered and high fived her. Noelle blushed with a little smile.
Frisk nodded supportively. “You did great!”
Noelle shuffled a bit. “I'm not sure I'll be able to play anything more complicated. I only remembered it because Chara made me play it a million times.” she admitted.
“Do not fear, Noelle! I'm sure we'll figure something out!” Berdly proclaimed as Frisk nodded.
They passed a wall that looked like it could be climbed, though not without tools though Susie considered climbing it anyway. Frisk thankfully managed to convince her it wouldn't help anyone if she fell and landed on her head and they passed into the next room, where they were met with a set of stairs.
“Guys, look!!” Susie called out, pointing up the staircase. “The fountain's just up there!!” She ran up the stairs, quickly followed by the others. “Well, that was easy. Heh, too bad, was looking forward to another adventure… But, guess we gotta do what we gotta…”
But before she could finish her sentence, there was a primal scream and the air seemed to turn red, the force of the wind that followed making them all stumble backwards, crashing into one another.
“What the…” Susie gasped. Noelle grabbed Berdly's arm tightly, shakily pointing upward and Frisk followed her gaze, locking eyes with the shadowy form of the Roaring Knight. The Knight grinned malevolently at them, holding their sword loosely in their left hand.
“Y-You!” Susie yelled, pulling out her axe as Berdly drew his halberd and Frisk her sword. But Noelle stood frozen as the Knight slowly raised their sword like a bat. “No…” Frisk heard her whisper in a trembling voice. “No, you can't be…”
“Noelle, watch out!” Susie screamed as the Knight shot a sword at them with blinding speed. Before Frisk or Berdly could even react, she threw herself over Noelle, taking the hit. Both of them tumbled down the last few steps and onto the ground.
Both Frisk and Berdly cried out their friends’ names, trying to go to them, but the staircase began to crumble in front of them. Frisk grabbed Berdly and pulled him back to safety just as the bottom steps collapsed, leaving a gaping hole separating them from Susie and Noelle.
Susie staggered to her feet with Noelle's help. “D…Damn it…” She waved off Noelle, Frisk, and Berdly all asking worriedly if she was okay. “I'm fine! Don't waste any time on me! I'll heal myself! This is… our chance to get the Knight…! Frisk, Berdly, go!”
Without hesitation, the two did just that, rushing up the steps and through the hallway. But the Knight was quick to retaliate, firing swords at them. They were able to dodge at first, but the blades came quicker and quicker. Frisk heard Berdly cry out and ran to him, trying to use her shield to protect him as they ran. He too tried to defend her, trying to block the attacks with his halberd, but they were outmatched in strength and the blades came too quickly to block, sending them to the ground.
The Knight let out another primal, victorious scream.
The ground crumpled under them and then they were falling, Susie and Noelle falling with them into the depths of the Dark Sanctuary.
…
They crashed through a glass panel and hit the ground hard. Susie groaned, feeling like she had bruises on her bruises, but still managed to sit up, checking on her friends.
Frisk pushed herself up. “Is…Is everyone okay…?”
“Ow…I'm fine,” Noelle answered shakily as she got up as well.
Susie clenched her fists. “Damnit…that stupid Knight… We gotta get them before they…”
“O…Ow…” Berdly groaned, clutching his bleeding wing.
Susie was about to run over to heal him, but Noelle rushed to his side first. “It's okay! I'll use my Heal Prayer.” the reindeer monster told him. She held her hands over his arm, and they began to glow, sending magic into him.
“Here, I still have some food left too,” Frisk offered. She started to stand up. “That should…” But before she could go any further, her legs crumpled under her.
“F…Frisk!?” Susie was next to her in an instant, catching her and gently lowering her to the ground. To her horror, she noticed blood soaking through the side of Frisk's bodysuit. Her breathing quickened in panic. “Frisk, you… the glass, I didn't notice… You're bleeding. Umm, I'll… Here, let me heal it!” Green sparkles shot from her hands, closing a few smaller cuts, but doing nothing for the larger wound. Susie's voice shook. “That… wasn't enough, huh?”
Noelle rushed over, a worried Berdly right behind her. “Here, I'll…”
“Frisk?!” Ralsei's voice suddenly called out and Ralsei came darting from another room, looking frazzled. “What happened?!”
“We…We fell through a glass panel. She got hurt, bad.” Susie explained shakily.
“I'm fine,” Frisk mumbled, clearly in shock as she tried to get up.
“No, you're not. Stay still, dork,” Susie ordered, keeping Frisk from moving. “Ralsei, could you tell me how to…”
“Susie, could you move out of the way?” Ralsei asked, cutting Susie off and gently pushing past her to get to Frisk. He briefly glowed, sending his warm healing magic into her. The look of pain disappeared from Frisk's face and her pallid skin returned to its normal tone. “Frisk… Frisk, are you okay?” he asked worriedly.
“I am now. Thanks, guys,” Frisk said in relief, hugging Ralsei, who happily hugged her back.
“Umm, that was pretty much all Ralsei,” Susie admitted. “I tried to uh, heal, but…”
“Susie, I know you were just trying to help, but… If someone's really hurt, don't… try to fix it alone, okay? Come get me or Noelle.” Ralsei requested, and despite his gentle tone, it still stung.
“... uh, yeah. Okay. Got it,” Susie mumbled, her shoulders slumping.
“Um, good! You guys take a minute! I'll just, um, check the next room to make sure it's safe!” Ralsei said way too cheerfully, darting off.
“Okay, what's with him?” Berdly asked bluntly. “He tells you not to do stuff alone and then he runs off to check out the room alone?”
“He's just trying to help,” Susie defended before looking down. “And he's not wrong, I guess. I… didn't do much, huh…?”
“You kept me from hurting myself more,” Frisk pointed out. “And I'm sure your healing magic will get stronger. It's only been a day since you learned it. Give yourself some time.”
“It's only been a day for Noelle too, and she's already great at it,” Susie mumbled, then felt even worse when Noelle looked down guiltily. “Sorry, Noelle. Trust me, I'm glad you're so great at it,” she quickly added. “I just wish I could be too.”
“It comes for Noelle so easily because she's a mage,” Berdly explained. “Healing, elemental, and defensive magics come more naturally to mages than they do to those in the warrior class like you or me. You're naturally going to be more gifted in combat and attack magics.”
Susie tried to smile a little. “So basically kicking butt is what I'm best at, huh?”
She must not have been very convincing as Frisk, Berdly, and Noelle all exchanged worried glances. “You're good at lots of things, Susie,” Frisk pointed out.
“And there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a good fighter! Our team already has two healers. Well, three if Frisk's ability to use the Save Stars qualify.” Berdly told her. “And we're not going to be able to stop the Knight with a healing spell anyway. Well, unless they're an undead and we can banish them with purification magic…”
Susie knew Berdly had a point but still the idea of not being able to cast a real healing spell, of not being able to do anything when her friends got hurt, ached at her. Images of Frisk lying in her arms badly injured, both now and when they had fought King, came to her mind unbidden and she flinched.
And as always, Frisk noticed. “As Berdly was trying to say, you're really talented, Susie! And we all know that if healing magic's what you want to do, you can do it, even if it's a bit harder. And you're already a good healer! You saved Tenna's life, remember?”
“I did have help though,” Susie pointed out, though she was feeling a little better.
“So?” Noelle asked. “Doctors and nurses all start out as students too and learn under more experienced people. I think that's what Ralsei was trying to tell you. And… we can both practice together. Heal Prayer might have been given to me as one of my spells…but I still don't know much about magic. But… we can learn together and get stronger,” she offered shyly, her cheeks turning slightly red.
“I'd like that,” Susie admitted, feeling a bit better at her friends’ encouraging words. “We can talk to Ralsei about it after we get this Dark World sorted out.” Noelle lit up at this and Susie couldn't help but smile too. Though deep down she feared she'd disappoint them.
Like she had probably disappointed Ralsei. And disappointed any other teacher that wasn't her grandpa because it seemed she couldn't do anything right.
Still she smiled, not wanting to worry her friends more than she already had. “Thanks, guys. Now c'mon, let's get going before Ralsei gets his fluffy butt into trouble.” Thankfully this seemed to work and they nodded and followed her.
Ralsei was still there when they reached the next room, though he looked a bit lost and frazzled, wandering around as if looking for something. “...where…is it?” she heard him mumble to himself.
Susie walked up to him. “Hey, dude, whatcha looking for?”
He jumped like she had struck him and whirled around. “S…Susie?! I…uh…” He chuckled a bit. “I… uh, was just looking for something I read about in a book!” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I, um, couldn't find it. But it's not that important, so don't worry about it!”
Okay, now she was kind of worried about it.
And Frisk clearly was too. “You want me to help you look?”
“No! No, it's just something stupid I was curious about,” Ralsei said a little too quickly. “I'll probably find it deeper in the Dark Sanctuary. Plus, we should get going anyway.”
Susie had no clue what was going on in that fluffy head of his, but knew he probably wasn't going to talk until he was ready. “Alright, nerd. Just let us know if you need any help looking for your mysterious something.” Frisk nodded as well.
Ralsei nodded. “Right! I will!”
“What's up with him?” she heard Berdly whisper, though Noelle quickly shushed him. Susie wished she knew herself.
They climbed a set of stairs, coming across a glowing blue glass picture of what looked like some weird castle with wings. Above it were glowing letters that read THE PROPHECY, WHICH WHISPERS AMONG THE SHADOWS.
Well, that wasn't creepy at all. And it wasn't helped by some weird little blue creatures that popped out of nowhere and sang before fading away again.
They went up another two sets of stairs before coming across another one, this one the church symbol with the words, THE LEGEND OF THIS WORLD. <DELTARUNE> above it.
Frisk, Berdly, and Noelle too looked at the picture in confusion, Frisk quietly reading the words to herself. Ralsei looked uncomfortable. And still those weird blue creatures kept popping up and singing.
Up the next set of stairs, Frisk found a Save Star, parked underneath another freaky angel tapestry that seemed to face you no matter what direction you looked at it from.
This didn't feel like any other Dark World they had ever been to before.
Still they continued on, heading further into the Dark Sanctuary. When they reached another picture, this one of a sun over a creepy space that seemed to contain dripping eyeballs, Susie couldn't take it anymore. “Hey, what're these… word things we keep seeing?”
Ralsei looked uneasy. “That's… the prophecy, Susie."
“A world basked in purest light. Beneath it, grew eternal night.” Frisk read softly.
Noelle's eyes went wide. “The prophecy the church taught us said something similar, though the words were a bit different.”
“We think there's some sort of connection between the church and the Dark World.” Frisk told her. “We didn't hear much of the reading because Catty kept going off topic but it did sort of describe us and the start of our journey.”
Susie grinned and elbowed Ralsei lightly, hoping to lighten the mood. “And she mentioned Ralsei in particular and said he was CUTE.”
Ralsei turned bright red. “S-Susie!” he squeaked, burying his face in his scarf.
“Susie, don't tease poor Ralsei,’’ Frisk sighed.
“But he makes it so easy!”
They finally continued on up an obnoxiously long set of stairs, where some weird white and blue monsters with bell faces Ralsei said were called Guei literally dropped in on them. Weirdly enough, the way to pacify them was to encourage them to exercise, which Ralsei and Noelle did with an almost terrifying amount of enthusiasm. Once they were tired, Noelle cast Sleep Mist, pacifying them, and they were on their way once again.
After yet another set of stairs, they came across another piece of the prophecy. “If fountains freed, the Roaring cries. And Titans shape from Darkened eyes,” Frisk read aloud.
“Isn't this… kinda different from the prophecy you told us?” Susie asked.
Berdly shook his head. "Not really," he pointed out. “He basically said the same thing this does, except with more detail and minus the weird rhyming.”
Ralsei nodded with an embarrassed look. “Yes… my version was… more of… a summary.”
“Well, it at least was a summary that made more sense than this,” Berdly told him.
“Plus the version of the prophecy in our scriptures is different from this one, so maybe Ralsei read a different interpretation too,” Noelle explained. “Wording can change due to who writes or translates something and how they interpret it.”
“You have a point,” Susie admitted, noticing Ralsei seemed to relax more at this. They continued on and found themselves having to solve a particularly annoying maze with spiky bullets that flew around it and switches you had to hit to keep the stupid lights on. At the bottom area, Frisk ended up speaking to some cloaked Darkner who told them the others believed they would cause trouble to this place.
“They say, “the knight with the blade casts a great shadow on the land.” I have no proof that's you. But don't be harsh to those that fight you.” the Darkner pleaded.
“We won't,” Frisk promised gently. “And we understand. We want to stop the Knight just as badly as they do. They already nearly kidnapped one of our friends and badly hurt another.”
The Darkner softened a bit. “I believe you, child. Just please understand if others do not.”
Frisk nodded softly and they continued to try to find their way out of the maze, getting increasingly more lost. They ended up stumbling onto a secret room with another piece of prophecy reading JOCKINGTON GROWS THE BEARD.
“I'm…not sure that's even possible. He has said he's always wanted one though,” Noelle said awkwardly.
“Well, if he grows a beard, we'll know that's when shit is about to happen,” Susie shrugged, going to the nearby treasure chest and pulling out a bottle of something called Rhapsotea.
Damn, did Sans name these items or something?
Frisk talked to another Darkner who made some silly joke about five o’ clock shadow with a ridiculously straight face. They then headed out of the room, FINALLY finding their way out of the maze, where they headed up a set of stairs. At the top, they were met by another piece of prophecy, this one even more unsettling.
THE LIGHT AND DARK, BOTH BURNING DIRE. A COUNTDOWN TO THE EARTH'S EXPIRE.
The cracked earth and fallen trees in the glass portrait scared Susie more than she'd like to admit, but she took a deep breath. That's what they were there to stop, after all!
The prophecy at the top of the next set of stairs was a breath of relief, a silly picture of Lancer with the words THE POINTY-HEADED WILL SAY “TOOTHPASTE,” AND THEN “BOY.”
Susie elbowed Ralsei again playfully. “Hahaha! Dude, that totally happened! Didn't know the prophecy was supposed to be this accurate.”
“It… It is, Susie.” Ralsei said, fidgeting his hands. “Everything it says… will come to pass.”
“Damn… So it like, actually predicts the future?” Susie asked, surprised. “Dude, that's actually like a big deal.”
“Yes… it is, a big deal, Susie!” Ralsei told her, though he still sounded a bit subdued.
“... there, uh, aren't any where I do anything cool, right?” Susie asked, both curious and trying to cheer him up.
“Umm…” Ralsei started, but a flicker of movement up ahead caught Susie's attention. She got the barest glimpse of a shadowy figure moving away.
“H-Hey!” she yelled. “Dude, did you see that?”
Berdly, Ralsei, and Frisk shook their heads but Noelle nodded with her eyes wide. “I thought I saw someone too. I think they went into the room ahead.”
Susie's eyes narrowed. “Someone's sneaking around… Guys, keep your guard up!”
…
Whoever Susie and Noelle had seen had disappeared by the time they entered the next room, which had two bookshelves filled to the brim with books on either side of a large wooden door. Frisk cautiously went to check the door, only to find it locked.
“Well, if they went in here, they locked themselves inside,” Frisk said. “Maybe it was just one of the Darkners living here? That one person did say we were making the others a bit nervous, so maybe they saw us and hid.”
“Sounds like a logical possibility,” Berdly agreed.
“I still think someone might be sneaking around. We still should keep our eyes out,” Susie warned.
They continued into the next hallway, which were lit only by stained glass windows and were promptly jumped by two sweet smelling monsters that kind of looked like incense holders known as Balthizard. Thankfully with a bit of fire magic Ralsei had taught himself, they were able to light them up, pacifying them and sending them swinging back up to the rafters.
After exiting the hallway, they came upon yet another glass tapestry, showing three figures and reading, BUT LO, ON HOPES AND DREAMS THEY SEND. THREE HEROES AT THE WORLD'S END.
“Hey! Hey, that's you, me, and Frisk, right?” Susie asked Ralsei.
“Yes, Susie! We are the Heroes of the Prophecy…” Ralsei told her. Still Frisk noticed he didn't seem enthusiastic.
“Yeah, guess you said something like that, huh,” Susie mused.
“Is there any of Noelle and I too?” Berdly asked.
“There is, though further in the prophecy as you guys arrived after. Tina's there too, I believe,” Ralsei explained. “You're also listed as heroes.”
“Awesome!” Berdly grinned.
“I know!” Susie added happily. “It's… kinda cool to see us up there.” Her smile softened. “...Kinda makes me feel like…”
Before she could finish, there was a crashing sound and the tapestry shattered in front of them. They all yelped and jumped back.
“H-Huh? Hey, who the hell's messing with us!?” Susie yelled as they all looked around frantically, but they saw nothing and of course there was no answer. Susie's shoulders slumped. “...Let's be careful,” was all she could say.
“Yeah, you don't have to tell me twice,” Berdly said, looking around nervously.
And it didn't help when they entered a dark hallway, the only lights coming from the floor, which rippled like water droplets whenever Frisk took a step. She stepped on a golden switch, hoping it would turn on the lights like in the other puzzle, but it simply caused a bell to ring ominously and golden lights to ripple on the floor.
All she could do was follow the lights, stepping on gold switches whenever she could as they showed just a little bit more. She could barely even see her friends behind her. And like the first time she had entered the school supply closet, the darkness frightened her.
Especially since she didn't know what was lurking in it.
Ralsei echoed her thoughts. “It's… awfully dark in here, isn't it?”
“Yeah, it's the Dark World,” Susie said matter of factly, though Frisk could tell she was nervous too.
“Right… but I mean…” Ralsei started, but was cut off by a sudden, high pitched sound.
“Hey, did you just… hear something?” Susie asked shakily.
“Y-Yeah…” Frisk heard Noelle shakily say.
“I sure didn't want to,” Berdly quipped, though his voice was trembling too.
And then the sound came again, louder and closer. “FRISK!!! RUN LEFT, NOW!!!” Ralsei screamed. Frisk didn't need telling twice. She ran, lighting the way, though trying to make sure her friends were still behind her. The chiming of bells thundered in her ears along with her heartbeat as she frantically searched for the pathway out.
And then to her relief, they were out and there was a real light illuminating a regular hallway.
“Look, light!” Susie yelled, racing past Frisk to confront whoever had been terrorizing them, holding out a hand to stop Frisk and the others when they tried to follow. “Alright you losers… BRING IT ON!!!” She brandished her axe.
The light turned off for a second, then on again, and Frisk braced herself. But instead of an attack, she heard a friendly male voice. “Whatcha doin’?”
The speaker was a turtle monster, wrinkled and aged with kindly looking eyes and a friendly smile. He wore a dark brown shirt and pants with a lighter brown jacket draped over stooped shoulders and a hat of the same color on his head. His beard was long and pink, and he stood with a bright green cane pressed lightly against a switch on the wall, looking like nothing more than a harmless old man.
But Noelle and Berdly were staring at him as if they had seen a ghost.