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"So... tell me, Kris. The words... I've been waiting to hear." Noelle said to Kris as they stared at Noelle. Her face had been illuminated by the sunset behind her as a faint beep could be heard from the distance. Kris could tell that the soul was about to make a decision again. They were hoping at least this could be end. That they could stop this.
Stop ❤︎ Proceed
A robotic voice soon echoed a command as Noelle proceeded to step back towards the lake's entrance, taking Kris with her.
❤︎ Proceed
Noelle took another couple steps back into the lake.
"The water's... nice, isn't it, Kris?"
❤︎ Proceed
She took a few more steps into the lake.
"Kris, don't hesitate"
❤︎ Proceed
The lake began to feel colder under their dead skin but they didn't care. They had no choice.
❤︎ Proceed
"Haha... it's... colder than I thought." Kris began to notice Noelle begin to hesitate almost as if she had come to the realization of what she was about to do. It didn't matter.
They never had a choice to begin with.
❤︎ Proceed
She had started to go deeper into the water....
❤︎ Proceed
and deeper..
❤︎ Proceed
"Kris, don't let go of my hands. Just keep walking."
❤︎ Proceed
Kris could begin to hear the faint drums of death seeping in. Was this the song that Susie had heard?
"Kris, just... keep walking" Noelle sounded nearly comforting almost as if she was trying to lay them to bed.
❤︎ Proceed
"Kris..." she closed her eyes. You couldn't.
❤︎ Proceed
Her hair had started to sway with the calm lake as Kris held her head up from beginning to drown already. "Kris....."
❤︎ Proceed
One step was too much as they fell into the lakes depths. The lake had begun to enclose them as Kris could see Noelle keeping her eyes shut. You couldn't.
❤︎ Proceed
Kris had begun to swallow the lake's shoddy water as they held Noelle's hand tighter than they had been before. You couldn't look away.
❤︎ Proceed
Noelle continued to swim backwards with every command all the while still holding Kris' hand.
❤︎ Proceed
The drums had gotten louder.
"(Kris, you can still hear me, can't you!?)" Noelle could no longer even conjure a word without pulling all her strength into it.
❤︎ Proceed
Kris' vision had started to go white as the stinging water of the lake began to seep into their eyes.
"(Kris... keep... saying it...!)"
❤︎ Proceed
"(K... Kris...!)"
The Drums had gotten even louder almost drowning Kris just as much as the lake itself. Death was close. You were closer.
❤︎ Proceed
❤︎ Proceed
❤︎ Proceed
"(KRIS!!!)"
Kris' vision began to go red. Kris could hear the same command being triggered over....
❤︎ Proceed
and over...
❤︎ Proceed
and over again...
❤︎ Proceed
"(SAY IT!!!!!!!)"
❤︎ Proceed
"(KRIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)"
❤︎ Proceed
All Kris could hear was the same word: Proceed. As their vision began to go white, all they could do was hold on to Noelle as they felt her presence pulling them to safety. At least it felt nice. It felt nice to drift away. To sleep. They could barely see a faint red glow permeating from Kris themselves and smiling Noelle as the world around Kris goes to black.
===================================================================================================================
The first thing she did was open her eyes. The second thing was the gray sky that covered her view above.
She got up and rested her hand on her wet forehead. "(What happened?)" she thought. She looked around before the reason she was here sprung to mind.
"(KRIS!)"
She turned to look only to see what appeared to be Kris lying on the sand right behind her. "KRIS!!!" she said with urgency before turning to Kris.
"Wake up. Wake up. Kris!" she panicked as she tried to shake Kris. "(Wait CPR.. I need to give them CPR NOW)" Noelle thought before immediately trying to pump their chest. "Come on! Come on!! Wake up!!! Wake up!"
She had continued to do this three times before stopping to notice that Kris had turned green. "(How long have I been out?!)". Upon that question, she suddenly felt as if something had... released itself from her. A faint but deep emptiness fell upon where her heart was.
Years ❤︎ Days
❤︎ Years
"Years?!" She said as she felt a sudden emptiness in her chest. Before she could ponder on what had just happened, Kris had suddenly lunged awake, surprising Noelle to the point of screaming. Kris responded coughing out what little water they had left inside. "KRIS!?" she shouted before lunging and hugging them. "Are you ok?" She began to look at them before noticing that Kris' skin was no longer green.
No ❤︎ Yes
❤︎ No
"Well... if anything... atleast you can still stand right?"
Yes ❤︎ No
❤︎ Yes
"Well then... we're at the otherside now... maybe we can see if someone could help" Kris nodded in agreement as they soon got up with no struggle as they soon helped Noelle up. At this point, she had started to notice how "heavy" things had started to feel. Like the weight of the world was settling in on her shoulders. Everything felt more distant even compared to her moments of disassociation. It felt she was walking in water. She still didn't want to bother Kris with this, she felt she could still hold on and keep appearances. "(Everything's fine. I don't want Kris to worry. Especially what I put them through.)"
"Alright leader. Show the way!" she brightly said as Kris watched quite concernedly.
Soon, Kris had noticed a pathway, in fact it was quite similar to the pathway they had just left from. Kris didn't think anything of it as they were more concerned about how gray everything had turned. The trees were as gray as the grass that covered the ground below them. Noelle seemed just as concerned.
"Why is everything so... gray?"
Kris shrugged in response. They had no choice but to go forward toward the path. Thus, the soul began to move forward... or rather everywhere but forward. Going from looking out into the distance and trying to "interact with the lake itself" to interacting with the uninteractable gray trees. They lastly interacted with Noelle who had nothing to say as she stood there swooning and staring off into the distance.
It only took some time for the soul to get bored and finally move forward along with Noelle. Atleast now, Kris finally had a moment where they could talk. Maybe work things over and try to find a way back. Things could still be recovered. Maybe they could bring Susie along to try to help through this. Maybe they could finally go back to their plan. Focus on what really matters.
However, It didn't take long however for things to go off track yet again as a loud thud could be heard just behind Kris. In response, Kris turned to see Noelle breathing heavily on the ground which they immediately rushed over to aid.
"Kris.. Kris.. everything... feels so... heavy..." Kris watched as Noelle shook as she gasped for air. Kris knew exactly what was going as they looked down at their own chest in anger. They knew exactly what was going on. What had happened. They knew what they had to do.
❤︎
Kris gripped their fist in rage, blood seeping from their palms before letting go and diving straight into their chest.
Noelle watched in horror at what Kris was doing. She watched as they dug deeper into their chest and screamed in pain. "K-Kris!!" She watched as Kris yanked the heart out of their chest. They had then sat beside her before raising an arm and shoving the heart deep into her chest. For a moment, Noelle could feel everything again as if they were just reconnected back from a lag session. Noelle took a deep breath as all the weight in the world was suddenly lifted away. She could finally breath again.
No time for that however as Noelle had more pressing matters.
"Kris... what.. what the hell was THAT?!?" she was horrified by what had just occurred. It didn't take long before she watched Kris slump down on their knees and dropping face first like a ragdoll.
"Nonononono. Get up, Kris. Get up..." She began to shake Kris. "No..no you seriously need medical attention.. we need to go back.!"
"(I.. I really screwed up didn't I.. I shouldn't have..)" she began to panic before pulling herself back together. "Nono.. lets go. We have to go to the hospital" she said before hoisting up Kris with their arm laid on her neck as they remained limp. She began to check pulse. "(Why can't I feel a pulse?)"
"(DontthinkaboutitDontthinkaboutitDontthinkaboutitDontthinkaboutitDontthinkaboutitDontthinkaboutitDontthinkaboutit)"
"Let's go, Kris." she said before rushing to continue the pathway. As she had kept getting closer to the pathway's exit, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.
It was by the pathway's exit or rather entrance did she realize why things felt so familiar.
"Did we... even leave?"
Everything looked the same as the town they had just left from. Even the same flowers strewn about Asgore's shop was the same. In fact, it even had the store front sign "FLOWER KING". The only difference was that every color had been stripped away from the town leaving only gray, white and darkness.
"(Why is everything the same?)"
"(No. No. Just stop thinking about stupid things and just go to the hospital. If everything looks the same and IS the same then... the hospital should be exactly where it is.)"
She immediately began her journey to the hospital. Halfway through the journey, Noelle had begun to notice in the corner of her vision that Kris' skin had turn a faint green. She immediately looked away.
"(HospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospitalHospital)
It wasn't too long before they had gotten to the hospital entrance as she then barged into the quiet front desk. Things were quite different from the hospital in Hometown. There was no toy or even the piano that was in the corner of the room. Instead, a lonely couch sat as a single lonely secretary stood behind the desk.
"OH YOU'RE NOT KRIS." it had said with a smile.
"Yes I'm not Kris but Kris is on me right now and they need help"
"OH SHUCKS I GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT ON TIME THEN." it had said before giggling.
"I HAVE A ROOM SET UP JUST FOR YOU GUYS. COME" The secretary had then got up and walked through the desk counter much to Noelle's shock. Before walking over to the hallway. "Don't you have a gurney?"
"NOPE. WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS? A HOSPTIAL?"
"I thought it WAS hospital"
"IT IS"
"Then why'd you say it wasn't?"
"JUST CUZ ;)"
Noelle was confused but before she could say anything the secretary began to go to where their room would be. The hallway itself that contained the rooms was long and continuous. In fact, the structure didn't really fit the hospital's exterior as it matched that of Hometown and not wherever this was. However, Noelle was too busy concerning over Kris and repressing her thoughts as she began to feel Kris' weigh down on her to the point where their foot had begun to drag. "Can't you help?"
"NO CAN DOOO LADY. WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM? A DOCTOR?"
"No but you could.. help."
"HMMM NO THANK YOU." Noelle gritted her teeth as she watched the entity go by even faster.
"So.. where are we?" as she dragged Kris.
"WHERE ARE YOU?" Kris' shoe squeaking against the clean white tiled floor.
"No. I'm asking where are WE?" she was practically pulling Kris at this point.
"AND WHERE ARE YOU EXACTLY?" it turned to stop
"I don't know.. why do you think I'd answer that."
"BECAUSE YOU'RE HERE?"
"and? Can't you just explain where we are?"
"CAN'T YOU?"
"NO. I don't know?! That's why I'm asking" she shouted
"HEHE DON'T WORRY I DON'T CARE. JUST WANTED A GOOD LAUGH." it said before turning and floating straight towards the end of the hallway. They were now met with a double door as no windows were attached to the door unlike the other double doors that shared the space. Besides the lack of windows, the right side of the door was marked with a singular tree. The secretary opened the door before revealing the atypical hospital room that Noelle would expect. The secretary waltzed in first as Noelle joined them. She then laid down Kris before looking up at the secretary.
"Aren't you going to call someone about this? Like a doctor?"
"NO NEED. YOU CAN GO NOW. THEY CAN REST HERE."
"What? But Kris... my friend... THEY'RE UNCONSCIOUS"
"AND THEY'RE ALIVE. SO?"
"They're literally green. How can you just stand there and act like you don't care? This is a hospital isn't it?! she shouted
"THEY'RE NOT GREEN. THEY'RE NORMAL."
"What?" She looked down as she saw Kris' skin go back to normal as their breathing began to show.
"YUP"
"Oh...Thank goodness.." she said as she finally sat on her knees.
"WOW YOU SEEM EXHAUSTED. KRIS REALLY NEEDS TO LOSE THE POUNDS."
"Yeah. Sure... Hey, do you know where we are even?"
"Why ask?"
"Because I just wanna know. Where are we exactly? Everything looks like the next town over. Do you know?"
"HMMM NOPE"
"You don't?"
"NOPE I DO. I JUST DON'T WANNA TELL YA. TOO EARLY YOU KNOW. IN FACT YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE."
"What but how? Who told you that? My mom?"
"MOM WHAT'S A MOM?"
"Besides that. Who told you?"
"I'M NOT AT LIBERTY TO SAY."
"Wow ok. Apparently, that's something you have trouble saying."
"MHM. THOUGH..."
:"Though what?"
"I CAN GIVE YOU A CRUMB." Before it a mess of crumbs came spilling out of it. "HEHE MY MISTAKE. I GUESS I SHOULD'VE SAID CRUMBS HAHA."
She blinked confused by the response before getting up to check on Kris. "What's going to happen to them now?" she asked as she stroked their hair.
"NOTHING. I DID MY PART. NOW ITS ALL ON YOU NOW NOELLE."
"What?" Before she could say anything further, the secretary had disappeared without a trace. "All on me... why me?.. why.." before she could say anything further she felt something release again. The same feeling as before. She blinked before turning. What she saw had shocked her to her very core.
Its all your fault
We told you to ❤︎ ...
The options were visible to her as she watched as the heart that was inside Kris slowly decide between the options. She could hear a faint voice. In fact, it was many voices.. in fact, almost thousands. All she could do was hone in on a few.
"Hmm what do we pick chat?"
"Oh no... I don't know if I really wanna pick this."
"Its all your fault Noelle. If that keeps the route going... I'll write that down.."
Thousands of voices, some laughing, some crying, some curious, some angry, some annoyed. Impossible to calculate but still it did. It weighed on one option:
❤︎ It's all your fault
"Its... my fault... I-"
"Wait..Wait wait STOP. Why would I say that?" she looked back again and everything was normal again... or as normal as i could be. She felt the emptiness in her chest fill back up again almost as if nothing had even happened. "What is.. going on?"
"(Maybe... that guy at the front office knows..)" she began to head toward it but before she did, she still needed to check on Kris one last time.
She checked their status.
STABLE
She checked the IV bag that wasn't even tied to Kris. In fact, she checked everything in the room before she left. She checked on Kris again one last time. "Alright Kris. I'll be back. I promise. Maybe I'll find out where we are and get outta here." She kissed them on the forehead before walking off. She opened the door to the hallway but once she did, she blinked before realizing she was at the front entrance of the hospital. Confused, She then walked back in to check, only to find out she was straight back to Kris' room again. She did so twice before realizing she could no longer access the front desk that was in between both rooms. In fact, it was like it never even existed as the door only had a view of Kris at the hospital bed and the outside world. "(Wasn't there an office here?)"
Again the heart popped out again, the voices appeared before stating:
Yes ❤︎ No
❤︎ No.
Atleast she could feel the No. "But I saw-" She sighed before shaking her head and moving on to figuring out where she was to begin with. "Well I'm stuck without a choice.." she shook her head again. "(Lets just... look around. Maybe there's someone around that could help us or at least explain what's going on here)"
Thus, she begun to wander throughout the town. She stared at the very buildings she grew up near filled with gray. The sky was gray. The grass was gray. This town was devoid of life. None of the buildings were accessible and no one was in them for her to even tell. All the exits from the town appeared to be taped off much like Hometown was. In fact, the cloned town was empty. Not a soul in sight. It was until she came across the road that had contained the apartments did she spot a difference. The 'San's' building and respective house next to it were replaced by empty voids. Nothing was there nor any signs of life was present. She'd rather not look down to see what the pits contained. She continued onto the apartments when she spotted someone at the distance. Someone familiar.
"Monster Kid!" She shouted
"Me?" Standing right before the door that was Monster Kid's apartment was obviously Monster Kid or rather.. a grayscale version of monster kid. In fact, they were quite different.. smaller even.
"Its you! You... you look a little different."
"Oh yes I am quite different. You're not supposed to be here." Monster kid stopped.
"Yeah someone else said that too. I don't know why?" she asked
"Who?"
"This guy at the hospital. He told me that I shouldn't be here. I still don't know why" She then saw the cloned Monster Kid breath a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad to know who.. but you still need to leave." Monster kid stopped again
"Not without Kris. Besides I don't wanna go back.. there. I just want to leave."
"Hm"
"Can't you just tell me where I am at least?"
It took a moment for Monster Kid to contemplate.
"You are nowhere and everywhere."
"What? How?"
"That is how it is. This world is indescribable. Do you know the space between worlds? A gap that exists in all entrances. The gap that exists within a door that can turn a short path into a long hallway. The walls that can be pass through to escape reality. The floor that breaks underneath revealing the inner struts of the building itself. The foundations of that very building."
"The gap within doors... If everything is the same did I leave Hometown?"
"You did and you didn't. You are still home."
"None of this makes sense."
"It will when you see it."
"The end"
"Oh." She looked down before asking "Am I dead?"
"Death.." Monster Kid chuckled "Death is fleeting reminder of life. Its funny really because I feel the same way. A world that works without you." Monster Kid looked longingly at the distance before staring directly back at Noelle.
"I speak too much but... know this, what you have right now is the soul of a thousand. You do not realize the power that holds within you. The impact you weigh upon this world that has now been stolen from you. " Monster kid stopped again.
"What do you mean?"
"I do not exist but you do. Make every decision count because your choices here matter now. More than ever before." Monster kid stopped
"My choices? I don't know what you're talking about..."
"You'll see" Monster Kid stopped.
"Huh Ok... great... wait you're the only person I know who's at least alive.. Do you know where I could find help?"
"You'll see" Monster Kid stopped
"What?"
"You'll see"
"Why are you repeating that?"
"You'll see"
"Hello?"
"You'll see"
"So you're just going to say that now?"
"You'll see."
"Ok.. fine.." she crushed her forehead before sighing in frustration. "(Maybe I'll just go to my house and find something... I know there's some medical supplies at the bathroom. Maybe some herbs or something to wake them up. Maybe slap them awake)" she shook her head at the option.
"(Maybe I should..)" she looked down at her chest but before she could even touch it, her thoughts were forced away from where she was looking at as she immediately and automatically went to the one place she said she was going towards.
Her home.