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The day after the festival, the town felt far too quiet. The colorful banners hanging from the streetlamps were already starting to droop, and the leftover confetti from yesterday's celebration was scattered across the sidewalks like colorful trash
. Kris walked down the sidewalk, their hands stuffed deep into the pockets of their jeans, their long bangs shielding their face from the morning sun.They were looking for Susie.
After the chaotic, overwhelming rush of yesterday, Kris had hoped things would go back to normal. Just the two of them. Maybe they could go back to the bunker, or just walk around town, or even sit on the hoods of the rusted cars by the edge of the woods.
Anything to feel like a team again.Then, Kris spotted her.Susie was standing near the edge of the park. But she wasn't alone. Noelle was standing right next to her, holding a small paper bag from the convenience store.
They were standing incredibly close—close enough that their shoulders brushed every time Susie shifted her weight.
Kris stopped walking for a fraction of a second. A small, quiet sigh escaped their lips, a tiny puff of air that quickly vanished.
They took a breath, forced their feet forward, and caught up with them, stopping a few paces away.Neither Susie nor Noelle noticed them immediately.
They were completely wrapped up in their own world."No, I’m serious!" Susie was laughing, that loud, barking laugh that usually filled Kris with a sense of safety. She threw her head back, waving her arms around.
"The guy at the counter looked like he was about to faint when you asked for that much sugar! I thought you were gonna start a fire with your mind or something!"
Noelle giggled, her entire face turning a bright, soft pink. She hid her smile behind her mittened hands, nudging Susie playfully with her elbow. "Susie, stop! It wasn't that bad! It's just... the 'Chalk-Special', remember? You're the one who told me it tastes better if you shake it up first!"
"Yeah, but you actually did it!" Susie grinned, her sharp teeth gleaming. "The 'Chalk-Special' strikes again. We gotta make that a permanent rule."
Kris stood just a few feet away, their hands tightening into fists inside their pockets. A sudden, sharp ache bloomed right in the center of their chest. It was a physical hurt, cold and heavy.The Chalk-Special?It was an inside joke.
A joke Kris didn't understand.
A joke they hadn't been there for. The two of them were already making inside jokes together, building a wall of private memories that Kris had no part in. Just yesterday, Kris had felt like a shadow pushing through the festival crowds, but this felt worse.
This felt like being erased.
Noelle finally looked up, her eyes widening slightly as she noticed Kris standing there. "Oh! Kris! Good morning! We... we didn't see you walk up."
"Hey, Kris," Susie said, her grin softening into her usual casual smirk, though she didn't step away from Noelle. "Man, you should've seen Noelle yesterday after we lost you in the crowd. She tried to play that ring-toss game and ended up throwing the ring straight into some guy's cotton candy. It was historic."
Noelle covered her face, groaning playfully. "Susie, please don't remind them! It was so embarrassing! Kris was right there when it happened, they probably saw the whole thing!"
"Oh, yeah," Susie chuckled, scratching the back of her neck, though her eyes immediately drifted right back to the reindeer girl. "I forgot you were dragging behind us for that part. Honestly, I was too busy laughing to notice." She nudged Noelle with her elbow again.
"Next time, we’re bringing a crowbar. We’ll just take the prizes.""Susie, we can't do that!" Noelle gasped, though she was smiling so hard her eyes were crinkling at the corners. "That's... that's illegal!""Only if we get caught, Noelle. Only if we get caught."Kris stood completely still, watching the back-and-forth rhythm of their banter. They didn't say a word. They couldn't. Kris had been there yesterday.
They had spent the entire festival walking two steps behind them, carrying the prizes Susie won, watching them share funnel cake, and holding the sweater Susie didn't want to wear anymore.
But Susie remembering it as something that happened after they lost Kris or completely forgetting they were even standing in the same radius stung far worse than being left behind entirely.
The conversation flowed right around them, leaving them entirely out of the loop.
It was like watching a movie through a window they could see it, they could hear it, but they were completely locked outside. Every laugh shared between Susie and Noelle
felt like another step backward for Kris, pushing them further and further into the background until they were back to exactly where they started before all of this began.Alone.
Susie and Noelle kept walking down the sidewalk, their footsteps perfectly in sync as they continued to chat about the festival. Their voices bounced off the brick walls of the nearby shops, filled with a bright, easy energy that Kris couldn't match.
"And remember the Ferris wheel?" Noelle's voice was a soft, excited flutter. "The view from the top was just... I've never seen the town look like that before."
"Yeah, it was pretty cool," Susie replied, her tone dropping into that rare, quiet softness she only ever used when she was being genuinely nice. "Even if you almost squeezed my hand off when the wind started blowing."
"I did not!" Noelle squeaked, her face turning an incredibly dark shade of red. "I was just... making sure we were secure!"Kris froze.Their feet simply stopped moving.
The soles of their sneakers stayed flat against the cold concrete of the sidewalk. They stayed right there, a dozen paces behind, while Susie and Noelle kept moving forward without breaking their stride.Inside Kris's chest, that cold, heavy ache turned into a dull, throbbing pain.They didn't think of Susie and Noelle as just two best friends hanging out. Kris didn't think of it that way at all. Kris considered Susie to be their best friend.
Their only friend. The one person who had burst into their lonely life, broken through their quiet walls, and actually chosen to spend time with them. They were a team. They were the ones who fell into the dark together, who fought side-by-side, and who shared silent understandings without needing words.
But standing here on the pavement, watching the back of Susie's purple jacket drift further and further away, that reality felt completely broken.Susie wasn't looking back to see if Kris was keeping up. She wasn't slowing her pace so Kris could walk beside her.
She was entirely focused on the girl next to her.This was hurting them. It was a sharp, suffocating kind of hurt that made it hard to take a deep breath. Kris watched them turn the corner by the library, still laughing, still completely wrapped up in each other's presence.
They didn't even notice.Susie and Noelle didn't turn around. They didn't call out Kris's name.
They didn't ask why Kris had fallen behind or where they were going. They just kept walking, leaving Kris standing entirely alone in the middle of the empty sidewalk, surrounded by nothing but the quiet, leftover shadows of yesterday's festival.
Kris turned around. They didn't look back at the corner where Susie and Noelle had disappeared. They just kept their head down, shoved their hands deeper into their pockets, and started walking in the exact opposite direction.
The walk to the school felt longer than usual. The playground was completely empty, and the large double doors of the building groaned loudly as Kris pushed them open. The hallways were dark and quiet, a stark contrast to the bright festival lights from yesterday.
Kris walked past the lockers, their footsteps echoing softly against the linoleum floor, until they reached the end of the hall.The supply closet door stood before them.
Kris grabbed the handle, turned it, and stepped inside.The familiar, heavy darkness swallowed them instantly.
The floor beneath their feet gave way, and they fell, tumbling down through the empty void until they landed with a soft, heavy thud on the dark, patterned ground of Castle Town.
As they stood up, the light shifted. Their green striped shirt transformed into silver armor, and their pink cape fluttered slightly as a cool, gentle breeze swept through the empty town square.
Kris looked around. It was quiet here. No crowds. No inside jokes.
"Kris?!"A familiar, soft voice gasped from across the square. Ralsei came jogging over from the direction of the castle, his magenta scarf trailing behind him. His white-furred face was wide with shock, his pink eyes blinking rapidly behind his green spectacles.
He stopped a few feet away, looking around frantically, his hands hovering near his chest."Kris, what happened?!" Ralsei asked, his voice laced with immediate panic.
"Is... is everything okay? Did a new Dark Fountain open up in town? I didn't feel anything, but if you're here, then-"
"No fountain," Kris interrupted quietly. Their voice was flat, barely louder than a whisper.
Ralsei blinked, his tense shoulders dropping slightly, though the confusion on his face only grew.
"No fountain? But... then why are you here all by yourself? Where is Susie? Did something happen in the Light World?"
Kris stared at the dark ground, their fingers tightening around the edge of their silver gauntlets."Rather be here," Kris said simply.Before Ralsei could even process the words, Kris walked right past him. They didn't explain. They didn't offer any details.
They just kept their head down and walked straight into the castle, their heavy boots clicking against the stone floor as they headed for the stairs.
Ralsei stood in the middle of the square, his hands dropping to his sides. He turned his head, watching the back of Kris's navy hair disappear into the grand entrance of the castle. His ears drooped slightly, and a deep, anxious knot formed in his chest.
Kris was always quiet, but this was different. They looked completely drained, carrying a heavy, silent hurt that Ralsei couldn't understand.Upstairs, Kris pushed open the heavy wooden doors that led out to the castle balcony. The dark sky of castle town
Ralsei stepped forward, his small feet making almost no sound against the balcony stone. He crept closer, stopping just a foot away from the railing, but he kept his eyes fixed entirely on Kris.Without his hat to cast a shadow over his face, every ounce of his anxiety was completely visible.
His pink eyes scanned the rigid line of Kris’s shoulders, noticing the way they clung to the cold stone as if they were trying to anchor themselves down.
"Kris?" Ralsei's voice was barely a breath, soft and careful, like he was trying not to startle a wild animal. He wrung his paws together, his magenta scarf shifting slightly as he leaned in.
"You... you look so upset. I've never seen you look quite like this before. Did something... go wrong up there?"
Kris didn't move. They kept their head down, their navy hair falling forward to completely obscure their face. The great dark fountain in the center of the town hummed its low, eternal note, filling the heavy silence between them.Then, Kris let out a long, ragged sigh.
It wasn't just a sigh of tiredness; it was the sound of someone who had been holding their breath for twenty-four hours straight,
unable to keep the weight inside anymore.
"It's just..." Kris started, their voice scraping low and quiet. They stopped, swallowed hard, and stared down at their silver gauntlets.
"Is it selfish?"
Ralsei blinked, his ears perking up slightly. "Selfish? Kris, you could never be-"
"Last night," Kris interrupted bluntly, their words cutting through Ralsei’s gentle reassurance. They didn't look up, but their fingers gripped the stone railing tight enough to make the metal of their armor creak.
"The festival. Susie talked about... making this our thing. For Noelle too."
Ralsei remained completely still, listening intently, his eyes wide with empathy.
"Before..." Kris’s voice hitched, just a tiny fracture in their usual flat tone. "Before, she said it. It was our thing. Me and her. Just us." They paused, staring into the dark void of the sky, watching the faint purple clouds drift by.
"I get why. Because of how she feels. I get it. But..."
Kris closed their eyes tight under their bangs."...I don't agree with it."
The admission hung in the cool air, raw and stark. It was the longest Kris had spoken in days, and every word felt like it cost them an immense amount of energy to drag out into the open.
They looked smaller now, stripped of the quiet confidence they usually carried when leading the party through danger.
Ralsei’s heart gave a painful squeeze. He looked at the tight, defensive hunch of Kris's shoulders, realizing exactly what kind of invisible wound they were nursing. Up in the Light World, where Kris was always pushed into the background, Susie had been their anchor.
And now, Kris felt like the anchor was being pulled away, leaving them drifting back into the dark alone.Ralsei shifted his weight, his spectacles sliding down his nose just a fraction as he looked at them with overwhelming warmth.
He wanted to reach out, to put a hand on their armored shoulder, but he hesitated, keeping his paws clutched near his heart instead.
"Oh, Kris..." Ralsei said softly, his voice trembling slightly with genuine sorrow for his friend. "It isn't selfish. It isn't selfish at all to want to keep something special to yourself. Especially when it’s a bond you fought so hard to build."
"It’s just..." Ralsei offered softly, his pink eyes shining with absolute sincerity.
"Susie might be sharing her time with Noelle now, but she can never overwrite what you two built first. And... well, she isn't the only one who shares these memories with you, Kris."
Kris looked up slightly, their bangs parting just enough for Ralsei to see one of their eyes.
"Like... remember our very first journey?"
Ralsei smiled, a gentle, nostalgic warmth spreading across his face. He adjusted his green spectacles. "When Susie completely refused to act in battle and just attacked everything in sight? You had to spend the entire time warning Lancer's troops to duck so they wouldn't get hurt!"
Kris let out a tiny, breathless huff through their nose. "They were terrible at dodging."
"They really were!" Ralsei chuckled, his ears twitching happily as he saw Kris's shoulders finally begin to relax.
"And then, after all that trouble, Susie ended up making a 'friendship pact' with Lancer anyway. She completely threw our manual out the window."
"The manual," Kris murmured. Their fingers loosened their grip on the stone railing. "You worked hard on it."
"I did!" Ralsei sighed dramatically, though he was beaming. "I spent so long writing all those pages, and she just used it as scrap paper. But... you kept a piece of it, didn't you? Even when it was just a ball of junk in your pocket.
"Kris didn't say anything, but they reached into their inventory and pulled out the crumpled Ball of Junk. They held it out in their silver gauntlet, staring at the tangled mass of strings and paper clips.
"See?" Ralsei whispered, stepping a little closer until his pastel-green robe brushed against Kris's silver armor.
"You care about the details, Kris. Susie might be loud and chaotic, but you're the one who keeps us grounded. Remember the Cyber World? When you used your cell phone to call home, and it just played that strange, loud garbage noise?"
Kris's lips twitched. "It blocked the signal."
"It sounded like a washing machine full of loose change!" Ralsei laughed, his voice ringing out clearly over the quiet castle balcony. "And yet, you kept trying to use it. Or... or when you insisted on looking inside every single recycling bin in the city, just to see if a item was hiding at the bottom?"
Kris actually looked at Ralsei then. The heavy, suffocating shadow that had been hanging over them since they left the Light World sidewalk seemed to lift, just for a second. A tiny, genuine smile tugged at the corners of Kris’s mouth—a rare, quiet expression that completely transformed their face.
Ralsei stopped talking mid-sentence.He stared at Kris’s smile, his breath catching in his throat. Without his big wizard hat to hide behind, the sudden, intense heat rushing to his cheeks was completely unmistakable. A bright, deep pink blush bloomed right across his white-furred cheeks,
stretching all the way to the tips of his fluffy ears. He quickly pulled the edge of his magenta scarf up, burying the lower half of his face in the soft fabric to try and hide how flustered he had suddenly become.
Seeing Kris happy knowing that he was the one who had brought that smile back to their face—made Ralsei’s heart do a strange, fluttering flip that he didn't quite know how to explain
Kris turned their head slightly, their dark maroon bangs falling back into place to shield their eyes. They had noticed.
It was impossible not to notice the way Ralsei had suddenly gone entirely silent, or the way the bright pink color had rushed all the way to the tips of his white ears.
Kris didn't say a word about it, keeping to their quiet nature, but they slowly shifted their gaze away from Ralsei, looking back off to the side to stare down at the glowing, dark ground surrounding the castle town. They gave Ralsei his space, leaving a gentle, heavy quiet between them.
Ralsei, however, felt like his chest was about to burst. Behind the safety of his magenta scarf, his face was burning. He stared at the side of Kris’s profile—the sharp line of their silver armor, the soft flutter of their pink cape in the dark wind—and a sudden, terrifying wave of realization washed over him.It wasn't just the relief of making a friend happy anymore. It was something else.
Something much deeper, warmer, and infinitely more dangerous.Is it... right for me to feel this way? Ralsei thought, his hands trembling beneath his long green sleeves. His pink eyes widened behind his spectacles as the word romantic drifted through his mind, heavy and forbidden.
To feel... this kind of love for them?He gripped the fabric of his robe tightly, his mind racing backward through everything he had ever been taught.
The Grand Prophecy. The legend of the Delta Warrior. The ancient texts he had memorized during those long, lonely centuries spent waiting in an empty castle. He knew every word of that legend by heart.
It spoke of a Human, a Monster, and a Prince from the Dark. It spoke of balance, of sealing the fountains, of saving the world from the roaring chaos.But it had never said anything about this.The prophecy never mentioned a prince falling in love with the leader.
It never detailed the sharp, aching flutter in his chest whenever Kris stood a little too close, or the overwhelming desire to protect their quiet smile from the harsh reality of the Light World. This wasn't in the script. It wasn't what he was created for.
Was he breaking the balance just by harboring these thoughts? Was he failing his purpose as a guide by letting his own selfish heart get in the way of the hero's journey?And worse than the prophecy... was the crushing weight of reality.
Kris would never feel the same way, Ralsei thought, his ears drooping completely as a cold, familiar sorrow began to bleed through the warmth in his chest. Probably not.
How could they?He looked down at his own paws. White fur, soft and unmarred by the sun. He looked at his green kirtle and his spectacles. He wasn't like Susie, who was loud, vibrant, and alive. He wasn't like Noelle, who shared a childhood, a neighborhood, and a bright, sunny classroom with Kris.
He was just a Darkner. An entity born from darkness, bound to a kingdom that Lightners only visited when the world was in danger. His very existence was tied to the castle and the fountain. He couldn't walk down the sidewalks of their town.
He couldn't buy a soda from the convenience store or walk under the autumn trees by the school.To Kris, he was a part of a grand adventure—a safe haven to retreat to when the Light World became too heavy. But eventually, the fountains would all be sealed.
The adventure would end. Kris would go home to their mother, to their school, and to their life.They belong to the light, Ralsei realized, the thought cutting through him like a physical blade.
Surely... surely they will find someone up there. Someone real. A Lightner who can walk beside them in the sun, who can share their real life, not just these fleeting shadows.He felt so small standing next to them on the balcony.
He was a prince of nothing, waiting in the dark, while Kris was a force of nature choosing to rest their heavy soul in his kingdom for just a little while. He had no right to crave more than that.
He had no right to want to hold their hand for reasons that had nothing to do with a team attack or a puzzle.
Ralsei slowly lowered his scarf from his face, his blush fading into a pale, bittersweet expression.
He forced a soft, trembling smile back onto his face, swallowing down the sudden lump in his throat as he looked back out at the horizon, trying his absolute best to keep his profound, quiet realization completely to himself.
Kris turned their head, staring directly at Ralsei. They noticed the way his fluffy ears had completely drooped, the tight grip he had on his green sleeves, and the sudden, heavy sorrow clouding his pink eyes. He looked uniquely miserable.
"Ralsei," Kris said quietly.Ralsei flinched, his shoulders jerking up as if he had been caught doing something forbidden. He quickly forced that familiar, bright smile back onto his face, though it didn't reach his eyes at all.
He laughed a little too quickly, a soft, nervous sound that fluttered in the quiet air."Oh! Yes, Kris?" Ralsei stammered, pulling his magenta scarf up just an inch. "Is... is everything alright? Don't worry about me! I was just... thinking about how peaceful the town looks tonight. Really! There's absolutely nothing wrong!"
Kris didn't blink. They didn't shift their gaze. They just kept their dark eyes locked onto his face, their expression completely flat."Lying," Kris said bluntly.
The word was tiny, but it cut through the air like a sword. Ralsei’s fake smile instantly froze, then crumbled away entirely. He went completely quiet, his mouth opening slightly but no sound coming out. His hands dropped to his sides, trembling.
He had never been good at keeping secrets from Kris, but being called out so directly made his throat feel completely tight
.How do you even say it?
Ralsei thought, his mind instantly racing into a chaotic, terrifying spiral. How do you confess feelings like that all of a sudden? 'Kris, I am deeply in love with you. Kris, my heart aches whenever you look away.' No, no, I can't. I can't say that.But the silence on the balcony was getting heavier, and the thoughts in Ralsei's head were starting to turn incredibly dark and cruel.
It wasn't just the crushing weight of the prophecy anymore. It was something much deeper, a buried shadow from his past that he had tried so hard to forget.Is it... even right for me to like them?A memory, cold and sharp, flashed through his mind.
He rarely thought about his parents—the old king and queen who had left him alone in the empty castle before they passed away, leaving him with nothing but a dusty manual and a legend to guard. But right now, their ancient, echoing voices felt louder than the dark fountain.
They had spent his earliest years drilling a single expectation into his head.
A prince must find his princess. A king must rule with a queen. They had told him, over and over, that his duty was to grow up, to be strong, and to eventually find a sweet, gentle girl to bring back to the kingdom.
They had told him to like a girl. They had expected a traditional, perfect future for their only son.And I'm failing them too, Ralsei thought, his chest heaving as a cold wave of panic began to settle in. I'm failing everyone. I'm breaking the prophecy by loving the hero.
I'm breaking my parents' final wishes because I can't stop looking at Kris. I'm supposed to want a princess... but all I want is them.
All I want is a human who doesn't even belong in my world.The thoughts began to pile on top of each other, moving too fast for him to catch his breath. His vision blurred slightly behind his green spectacles. Was he broken? Was his very soul defective because he couldn't fit into the boxes that had been built for him?
He was a darkner, a prince of shadows, a failure of a son, and a selfish guide who was putting his own forbidden desires above the fate of the entire universe.
He was spiraling. His breathing became shallow, his ears pinning back flat against his head as he stared down at his paws, completely trapped inside the terrifying cage of his own mind, while Kris stood just inches away, waiting for an answer.
Kris stepped forward, the heavy click of their armor breaking through the loud, roaring panic in Ralsei’s ears. Before the prince could sink any deeper into his own thoughts, Kris reached out. Their silver gauntlet closed around Ralsei’s white-furred paw,
their grip firm, steady, and grounding.The physical contact was an immediate shock to Ralsei's system. The cold metal of the glove against his warm fur instantly snapped him out of the dark spiral, cutting off the heavy memories of his parents and the ancient prophecy.
He gasped, his breath catching in his throat as he looked down at their joined hands, then up at Kris.Kris was leaning in close, their dark bangs parting just enough to reveal the intense, steady concern in their eyes.
They didn't want him to drown in his own head. They were holding onto him, anchoring him to the balcony.But the sheer, overwhelming rush of adrenaline, panic, and affection was too much for Ralsei to contain. With his heart hammering violently against his ribs and his defenses completely shattered, the truth tore right past his lips before he could stop it.
"I just... I'm not supposed to want a human!" Ralsei blurted out, his voice cracking with a raw, desperate emotion. He tried to pull his hand back in a sudden panic, but Kris held on tight, refusing to let him run away. Ralsei’s pink eyes flooded with tears behind his spectacles, his words tumbling out in a breathless, chaotic rush.
"I'm supposed to find a princess, Kris! My parents told me to find a girl, and the prophecy says I'm just supposed to guide you, but... but I can't look at anyone else! I can't stop thinking about how much I want to keep you safe, and how much it hurts when you look away, and—and I know it's wrong, but I don't want a princess, I just want-"
He froze, his jaw snapping shut as he realized exactly what he had just said.The words echoed in the quiet space of the balcony, hanging between them like a physical entity. I just want—Ralsei’s face flared into a furious, burning crimson that covered his entire face,
matching the vibrant magenta of his scarf. He completely squeezed his eyes shut, his chest heaving as he stood entirely exposed, having accidentally spilled the most terrifying, forbidden secret of his heart right into Kris's hands.
Kris didn’t let go. Their silver gauntlet remained locked around Ralsei’s trembling paw, steady and unyielding. The silence that followed his sudden outburst stretched across the dark balcony, heavy and thick with unsaid things.
Ralsei squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the rejection, for the cold metal to slip away, for Kris to turn around and leave the Dark World for good.Instead, the grip tightened just a fraction.
"Continue," Kris said.The word was quiet, blunt, and entirely calm. Kris didn't sound angry or disgusted. They just sounded incredibly focused, their eyes boring into Ralsei through the dark strands of their hair.
They weren't going to let him hide behind his scarf anymore. They wanted the rest of it.Ralsei opened his eyes, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over his spectacles.
He looked at Kris’s face, so close to his own, and a memory flashed through his mind. He remembered the quiet promise he had made to himself back in old dark world . He had promised that he would stop keeping secrets from Kris and Susie.
He had promised to be an honest teammate, a real friend, instead of just a masked guide following an ancient script. If he lied now, if he tried to laugh it off or backtrack, he would be breaking that promise entirely
.Ralsei let out a long, shuddering sigh, his shoulders slumping as the last of his defenses finally collapsed."I... I just want you, Kris," Ralsei admitted, his voice dropping into a soft, vulnerable whisper that was completely devoid of his usual cheerful cadence. He didn't look away this time. He kept his pink eyes locked onto theirs, letting the absolute truth wash over his face.
"Not because of a legend. Not because a fountain opened up. I don't care about a princess, and I don't care about what my parents wanted for a kingdom that doesn't even exist anymore."He took a small, shaky breath, his free paw reaching up to nervously clutch the edge of his magenta scarf."When you came here today looking so hurt because of Susie... it broke my heart,"
Ralsei confessed, the words pouring out of him like water from a burst dam.
"But a part of me a very selfish, awful part of me was almost glad you came to find me instead. I've spent my entire life alone in this castle, Kris. I was perfectly content to just be a shadow in your story until the day came for you to leave. But then we joked, and we fought, and you smiled at me... and I realized I don't want to just be a shadow. I want to be the one who makes you feel safe. I want to be the one you choose when the Light World gets too heavy."
He stopped, his chest heaving as the weight of the entire confession finally settled between them on the balcony. He had said it all. He had broken every rule of the prophecy, ignored his parents' final wishes, and laid his entire soul completely bare in front of the leader of the Delta Warriors.
Ralsei’s face was still burning a deep, vibrant pink, but the frantic panic in his eyes had softened into a quiet, bittersweet exhaustion. He stood entirely still, his hand still resting inside Kris's silver gauntlet, waiting to see what his confession would change forever.
Kris stood entirely still, letting Ralsei’s words wash over them in the quiet dark of the balcony. For a long moment, the only sound was the low, rhythmic hum of the great dark fountain pulsing in the distance and the soft rustle of their pink cape in the cool wind.
Kris didn't say a word. They kept their head tilted down, their dark maroon bangs completely obscuring their expression. Their silver gauntlet remained wrapped around Ralsei’s paw, but they didn't pull him closer, nor did they step back.
They just stood there, absorbing it all.They needed a moment to process what they had just heard.
Their mind, usually so quick to react in battle, had to slow down to handle the sheer weight of Ralsei's honesty. Kris had spent the entire morning feeling like a disposable background character in their own life someone Susie could just look past, someone whose shared memories could be easily rewritten or handed over to Noelle.
They had come to the Dark World to escape that suffocating feeling of being invisible.And now, Ralsei was telling them the exact opposite. Ralsei wasn't looking past them at all. To Ralsei, Kris wasn't a shadow or a third wheel; they were the entire world. They were the one he chose, the one he had been waiting for his entire life, completely separate from any ancient script or parental expectation
.The realization hit Kris with a strange, heavy warmth that slowly bloomed behind their silver armor.Slowly, Kris let go of Ralsei's hand. Before Ralsei’s heart could sink into panic at the loss of contact, Kris took a single step forward, completely closing the distance between them.They reached out and pulled Ralsei into a hug.It wasn't a casual, fleeting gesture.
Kris wrapped their armored arms firmly around Ralsei’s shoulders, burying their face into the soft, comforting warmth of his white fur and the thick magenta fabric of his scarf. The metal of their chestplate pressed solid against his green kirtle, grounding them both.
Kris held onto him tightly, as if they were trying to silently thank him for giving them a place where they finally, truly mattered.Ralsei stiffened in absolute shock for a fraction of a second, his pink eyes widening to the size of saucers behind his spectacles. His breath caught in his throat as the reality of Kris's arms around him registered in his mind.
Then, all the tension completely melted out of his small frame.He let out a soft, shaky exhale, his ears drooping happily as he raised his own paws to wrap them around Kris's back, holding onto their silver armor just as tightly. He buried his face against their shoulder, the lingering heat of his blush pressed right into the fabric of their pink cape, content to just hold onto them in the quiet safety of the castle.
Ralsei held onto Kris’s silver armor, the steady rhythm of their breathing pressing against his chest. It felt wonderful—warmer and safer than anything he had ever experienced in his centuries of waiting. But as the silence stretched out over the balcony, a tiny, sharp knot of anxiety began to twist in his stomach again.Did they understand? Ralsei thought, his pink eyes fluttering open against the fabric of Kris's pink cape.
I talked about shadows, and castles, and wanting to make them feel safe... but did I actually say it? What if they think I just mean as a teammate? What if they think this is just... a really intense friendship ?He couldn't leave it ambiguous. Not after making that mental promise to be completely honest.
Ralsei slowly pulled back from the hug, just enough so he could look up at Kris's face. His paws stayed resting gently against the sides of their silver gauntlets, and his face was still burning a deep, unmistakable crimson."Kris," Ralsei whispered, his voice trembling but completely resolute.
"I... I think I wasn't being clear enough just now. I don't just mean I want to be your guide. Or your friend." He took a sharp, shallow breath, his spectacles sliding down his nose a fraction. "I love you. Romantically. I want... I want to be with you, Kris.
"Kris stiffened.Their armored shoulders locked up instantly, and their hands went slightly slack against Ralsei's back. Behind their dark navy blue bangs, their eyes widened in genuine shock. A heavy, stunned silence hung over the balcony.
Kris's mind scrambled to reprocess everything. Before this exact second, they had thought Ralsei was just speaking platonically—that he was expressing an intense, deep loyalty born from their shared battles and his lonely past.
They had thought his blush was just from embarrassment.To hear the word romantically drop from his lips changed everything. It knocked the wind straight out of them.Ralsei watched their sudden stiffness, his heart dropping into his shoes. He immediately began to pull his hands back, his ears pinning flat against his head.
"I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said it so bluntly, I-"
"Stop," Kris interrupted quietly.They grabbed Ralsei's wrists, stopping him from backing away. Kris stared down at the dark stone floor for a few long seconds, their chest rising and falling as they quickly processed the shock. Then, they looked back up, their gaze locking directly onto Ralsei's wide pink eyes.
"Me too," Kris said bluntly.
Ralsei blinked, completely freezing in place. "W-What?"
"I feel it too," Kris clarified, their voice low, steady, and entirely honest. They didn't deliver a grand, sweeping speech. They didn't have the words for that, and they didn't need them. They just gripped Ralsei's wrists a little tighter, their lips forming that rare, tiny smile again.
"Not platonic. I want you too, Ralsei."
Ralsei’s breath hitched completely. The absolute certainty in Kris's minimal words swept away every single doubt, every fear about the prophecy, and every lingering ghost of his parents' old expectations. They felt the exact same way
.A few tears finally spilled over the edge of Ralsei's green spectacles, but he was smiling so wide his cheeks ached. Without saying another word, he leaned right back forward, burying his face directly into the crook of Kris's neck, his fluffy white ears twitching with pure relief as Kris wrapped their arms back around him, holding him close in the quiet dark of their kingdom.
The initial shock of the confession slowly began to settle, leaving the air on the balcony feeling lighter than it had all day. Ralsei slowly pulled back from the embrace, his paws reluctantly sliding down Kris’s silver gauntlets until he was just holding their fingers.Now that the desperate rush of adrenaline was gone, the reality of what he had just said—and what Kris had said back—hit him with full force.
A fresh, incredibly bright pink blush flared up across his white fur, spreading rapidly from his nose all the way to the tips of his fluffy ears. He looked down at their boots, suddenly finding the stone floor of the balcony fascinating as he tried to regulate his breathing.
Kris watched him for a second, their chest rising and falling in a quiet rhythm. Then, a soft, vibrating sound escaped their throat.Kris snickers a bit.It was a tiny, rare sound, completely hidden behind their dark maroon bangs, but the playful vibration of it cut right through the quiet night air.
Ralsei’s ears immediately perked up, twitching in surprise. He looked up at Kris, his pink eyes wide behind his green spectacles, his face still burning a deep crimson. He puffed his cheeks out slightly, trying to look offended but failing completely.
"K-Kris?" Ralsei asked, his voice a soft, flustered squeak. He adjusted his glasses with one paw, his magenta scarf shifting around his neck. "Why are you laughing? Did... did I say something silly again?"Kris’s lips curved into a distinct,
playful smirk. They didn't pull away; instead, they leaned forward just a fraction, their navy hair swaying as they looked directly at
Ralsei’s burning face."Pink," Kris said bluntly, their voice dripping with rare, quiet amusement. They reached out with one silver finger and gently tapped the very tip of Ralsei's bright pink horn. "You're a glow-stick."
Ralsei gasped softly, his blush somehow deepening even further until he practically matched the vibrant magenta of his scarf. He quickly lifted both of his paws to cover his face, hiding his eyes behind his soft white fur, though his ears stayed pinned back in pure embarrassment.
"Kris! Please don't tease me!" Ralsei complained into his paws, though his voice lacked any real bite. "It's... it's not my fault! Darkners can't help it when they get this flustered! It's a very natural reaction to a... a very historic moment!"
Kris let out another low, quiet snicker, the sound incredibly warm. Seeing them like this—relaxed, teasing, and completely stripped of the heavy, silent hurt they had brought down from the Light World—made the remaining tension in Ralsei's chest evaporate completely.
Slowly, Ralsei lowered his paws from his face. He looked at Kris’s rare, genuine smile, and a soft, bubbly chuckle finally escaped his own lips. He laughed a bit, a gentle, musical sound that bounced off the stone walls of the castle. It felt so good to just laugh with them, standing side-by-side on the edge of their own quiet world
Later that evening, after the cool wind on the balcony became a bit too sharp, the two of them made their way down into the quiet, empty streets of Castle Town. They didn't go back into the grand halls of the castle. Instead, they walked over to the edge of the town square, stopping right next to the large, familiar rock where they had spent so many quiet moments practicing their team coordinates.
Kris sank down onto the dark, patterned ground first, their silver leg armor clanking softly against the stone. Ralsei sat down right next to them, smoothing out his pastel-green kirtle and folding his legs neatly beneath him.The heavy, dark fountain in the center of the town pulsed in a slow,
rhythmic lullaby, casting long, soft purple shadows across the square. The oppressive weight of yesterday's festival and the stinging loneliness from the Light World sidewalk had completely dissolved into the quiet atmosphere. For the first time in over twenty-four hours, Kris felt like they could finally breathe.
They sat in a comfortable, deep silence for a long time, just watching the faint violet mist drift over the empty shops.Eventually, the sheer physical and emotional exhaustion of the day caught up with Kris. Their eyelids grew impossibly heavy, and their shoulders slowly lost their rigid posture. Their head began to bob slightly as sleep pulled at them.
With a soft, barely audible sigh, Kris tilted their body sideways.They leaned their head straight against Ralsei’s shoulder.The extra weight was light, but the physical contact sent a soft, warm jolt straight through Ralsei’s frame.
He froze instantly, his white-furred ears perking straight up as his breath caught in his throat. He looked down out of the corner of his green spectacles, staring at the soft navy strands of Kris’s hair resting right against the fabric of his kirtle.A tiny, familiar pink blush dusted his cheeks, but this time, it didn't turn into a chaotic spiral of panic.
He looked at how peacefully Kris's chest was rising and falling, completely relaxed and entirely safe right beside him.Slowly, Ralsei let his tense shoulders drop. He leaned his head down just a fraction, letting the tip of his soft white ear gently rest against the top of Kris's hair.
He stayed completely still, holding his breath just enough to keep from disturbing them, content to let his shoulder serve as a pillow for the human who had chosen his darkness over the light
Ralsei sat entirely still beneath the comforting weight of Kris’s head, his gaze fixed on the slow, rhythmic pulsing of the dark fountain. The initial rush of relief had finally quieted down, leaving behind a profound, heavy silence. In that quiet, his analytical mind—the part of him that usually organized manuals and studied ancient texts—began to turn the reality of their situation over and over.He seriously thought about it
. Not as a distant dream or a forbidden wish, but as a practical, real-world reality.A couple, Ralsei thought, the word feeling completely massive in his chest. Kris and I. Together.He stared down at the dark, patterned ground of the town square, his pink eyes narrowing behind his green spectacles as he worked through the logistics. He wasn't a child anymore; he understood that a relationship required more than just sweet words shared on a hidden balcony.
It required a shared life. And that was exactly where the reality of their situation became incredibly complicated.How would we even work?The first and most obvious obstacle was the physical boundary separating their worlds. Ralsei looked at the soft navy hair resting against his shoulder,
Kris belonged to the Light World. They had a mother who cooked them dinner, a brother who was away at college, a school they had to attend every single morning, and a whole town of people who expected them to exist in the sun.
Ralsei, on the other hand, was bound to this empty castle town. He couldn't step through the closet door. He couldn't walk down the street to the convenience store to buy them chocolate , and he couldn't sit next to them in a classroom.
Our relationship would have to exist entirely in the spaces between, Ralsei realized, his ears drooping slightly at the thought. In the hours after school ends and before the sun goes down. Every single day, Kris would have to make the choice to leave their real life behind, climb down into the dark, just to see me.
He thought about the emotional toll that would take on Kris. Right now, Kris was hurting because they felt replaced by Susie and Noelle. Coming here was an escape. But what happens when things inevitably settle down in the Light World?
What happens when Susie wants to go to the diner, or when Toriel expects Kris to come straight home after class? Kris would be constantly pulled between two entirely different realities. They would have to keep Ralsei a complete secret from everyone they knew.
They couldn't tell their mother about the prince they were seeing, and they certainly couldn't explain it to the rest of the town.I would be their secret, Ralsei thought, a tiny, bittersweet ache twisting in his chest. A private sanctuary.
Is it fair for me to ask them to split their life in half for me? To spend their energy maintaining a bond that can never exist in the daylight?Then, he thought about the nature of Darkners and Lightners. In battle, their souls were connected by a spectacular power
a bond of pure command and absolute trust. But being a couple meant being equals. Ralsei had spent his entire life learning how to serve, how to guide, and how to accommodate the heroes of the prophecy. He would have to unlearn centuries of instinctual subservience to figure out how to just be a partner. He couldn't just cook them cakes and fold their clothes because it was his
"duty" anymore; he would have to learn how to exist alongside them as an independent person with his own boundaries.Yet, as he looked down at Kris's peaceful face, watching the way the rigid tension had completely left their armored shoulders, Ralsei felt a profound sense of determination override his doubts.It wouldn't be easy. It would be a relationship defined by secret meetings, stolen hours in the afternoon,
and a constant, lingering countdown until the day the final fountain had to be sealed. They would have to navigate a world that wasn't built for a Lightner and a Darkner to hold hands. But as Kris let out a soft, warm breath against his sleeve,
Ralsei knew he was entirely willing to try. If Kris was willing to build a bridge across the dark to find him, Ralsei would make sure that every single second they spent in his kingdom was worth the journey.
The slow, rhythmic pulsing of the dark fountain continued to cast its soft purple glow across the empty town square, marking the silent passage of time. The quiet atmosphere was completely still until Kris finally stirred, their navy hair shifting as they let out a long, groggy breath.They blinked, their dark eyes slowly coming into focus behind their bangs as they realized they were still leaning heavily against Ralsei’s shoulder.
The physical exhaustion from the festival was mostly gone, replaced by the deep, heavy rest they had desperately needed.Kris slowly sat up, the silver pieces of their armor clinking softly in the quiet night air.
They looked up at the dark violet sky, then back toward the distant reflection of the supply closet entrance. A quiet, familiar shadow passed over their face. As much as they wanted to stay hidden away in this peaceful sanctuary forever, the reality of the Light World was waiting.
Toriel would be expecting them home soon, and staying any longer would only cause a panic up above.They had to leave.Kris stood up, their heavy boots flat against the patterned ground. Ralsei rose right along with them, smoothing down his pastel-green kirtle
. His pink eyes were filled with a gentle, understanding sorrow. He didn't ask them to stay, and he didn't try to guilt them; he understood the weight of the sun they had to return to."
I suppose... it's time to go back, isn't it?" Ralsei said softly, offering a warm, reassuring smile as he clasped his paws together.
"Don't worry about anything down here, Kris. I'll be right here waiting for you. Whenever the Light World gets too heavy, you always have a place with me."
Rris didn't respond with words. Instead, they took a single step forward, completely closing the distance between them one last time.Before Ralsei could even process the movement, Kris leaned in. They reached out, their silver gauntlet gently brushing against the edge of Ralsei's magenta scarf to tilt his face up slightly.
Then, Kris pressed a soft, lingering kiss right against Ralsei's white-furred cheek.Kris's lips were warm against his skin, a stark, real contrast to the cold metal of their armor. It lasted for only a fraction of a second, but it felt like the entire universe had completely stopped spinning.Kris pulled back, their lips curving into that rare, quiet smirk they only ever showed him.
Without a single word, they turned around, their pink cape fluttering behind them as they walked toward the light of the town's exit, leaving the dark kingdom behind.Ralsei stood frozen in the exact center of the town square, his boots practically glued to the floor.
He was completely, utterly flustered. A massive, roaring explosion of bright crimson color shot straight across his face, turning his white fur a deep, burning pink from his nose all the way to the very tips of his fluffy ears. His pink eyes widened to the size of saucers behind his green spectacles, and his hands flew up to clutch his burning cheeks, his fingers trembling violently.
His heart was hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird, and his breath came in short, completely stunned gasps. He stared at the empty space where Kris had just been standing, his mind entirely blanked out by the sheer, electric shock of the gesture.
It wasn't a team coordinate, it wasn't a prophecy requirement, and it wasn't a platonic goodbye.Kris had kissed him.Long after the quiet echo of Kris's heavy boots had faded from the supply closet,
Ralsei remained standing by the large rock, his face buried deep inside the soft fabric of his magenta scarf, completely unable to stop the bright, helpless smile from spreading across his face in the dark.