Chapter Text
Kris, Ralsei, and Susie all looked at each other in relief as the game finally ended. For what had felt like hours, they had been slapped into the middle of a game show and forced to participate in a ton of different games and hijinks that went on for way longer than any of them had wanted it to. It was fun at first, but after the second or third round, it was becoming exhausting, and they were all wishing for it to be over.
Susie looked from Kris to Ralsei and eventually said, “I definitely outscored both of you. Just saying.” Her arms were crossed behind her neck, head thrown back to look at the ceiling. Susie looked so sure of herself in that pose that Ralsei didn’t doubt her. Kris snickered.
“No way,” They said. “I won.”
Susie brought her arms back down to her sides and fixed her gaze on Kris. Her eyebrow was raised as she scoffed.
“You sucked!” She pointed her finger to Kris’ chest. “You kept on getting us lost in that desert place.”
Kris shook their head, basically saying ‘nuh-uh.’
Susie barked out a laugh. “You lost, and you know it.” Her face was smug but Ralsei could tell she was just playing. She turned to him and asked, “What do you think, Ralsei? Who was better?”
Ralsei’s eyebrows shot up to his forehead. “Uh-”
Kris was looking at him too. There was a slight smirk on their face. Ralsei didn’t wanna take sides. He cleared his throat and said, “I think both of you did great! We were all on the same team-”
Before Ralsei could finish Susie reached out and picked him up.
“Hey!” He started to flail in her arms. She shoved him under her arm and started rubbing his head with her knuckles.
“You know I won, you just don’t want to admit it.”
Ralsei started to bat at her hand with his paws and squeal. “No! I mean it! Put me down!”
“Ugh, fine,” Susie said. She carefully lifted him up, then put him back down. He stumbled for a second, trying to catch his balance and his glasses slid right off his face. He could feel them shifting and loosening when getting squeezed by Susie, but he didn’t expect them to fall off. His vision was horrible. He hates it when they fall off because then he has to fall to his knees on the ground and blindly feel around for them on the floor.
“Dangit,” he mumbled. But before he could even look down, he felt them being pushed back onto his face.
His vision slowly came back into focus. Kris was right in front of him. Like, right in front of him. Ralsei froze.
“Here,” Kris said, a small smile on their face.
Ralsei’s heart felt like it stopped for a moment.
“Oh, uh. Thank you.” He could feel his ears burning. Hopefully he wasn’t blushing. There were rare moments when Kris would get close to him like this, and every time it happened Ralsei would clam up and not know how to react. He liked Kris. A lot. And he hoped it wasn’t too obvious. It would complicate everything if Kris or Susie or anyone knew about Ralsei’s feelings towards them.
Late at night, when Ralsei was alone, he would catch himself thinking about Kris. Their hair and their hands and how they barely speak but still managed to come off as so charming somehow. It throws Ralsei for a loop. It’s not part of the prophecy. His little… crush isn’t supposed to be a thing. So he shoves the feelings down and tries to forget about them.
Ralsei is pulled out of his little, embarrassed stupor when Kris starts onward. They push open a door with a star on it and start to go inside. Ralsei is quick to follow.
As he enters, he’s shrouded in darkness. He stops and waits for his eyes to adjust to the dark. And for a few seconds it almost seems like there’s nothing - like he entered an empty room with nothing in it.
Then he’s hit with a bright white flash of light. It frightens him so bad he throws his arms up in front of his eyes and stumbles backwards. He ends up on the ground.
“H-huh? What’s going on?” Ralsei says in such a panic he nearly yells. He plants his feet on the ground and tries to lift himself back up. “Kris?”
Nothing. Just silence. Ralsei froze. Slowly, he lowered his arms, eyes blinking as they tried to adjust to the light again. There was nothing.
No room.
No door.
No Kris or Susie.
Just a blinding white void.
Panic was starting to set in. Ralsei could feel his fur raising at the ends. He had no idea what was happening or where he was. He has never seen or heard of anything like this happening to anyone before.
He stands up straight and clasps his hands together, his claws digging into his skin. He turns around and tries to go back the way he came from. But it’s all void. He runs and runs but there is nothing. No sign of life. No walls or doors. Not even a single physical object he can run his paws along and touch.
“RALSEI,” a deep voice calls out.
He screams and stops dead in his tracks. The voice almost sounded… familiar.
Ralsei whips his head around, trying to find a face to match with the voice - something that would give him clarity and end his anxious confusion. His claws reach up and start tugging at his ears, a nervous habit he picked up.
“Who are you?” Ralsei asked.
The only response was the horrible sound of silence.
“Where am I?” He tries again.
“I KNOW THE THINGS YOU WISH FOR.”
Ralsei jumped, and his blood ran cold as he processed the words.
Oh god. No one should know that. And which things? Ralsei can’t deny that he yearns for a lot - a place to call home that isn’t his castle, a place that still feels so lonely even with so many people in it. A life outside of the dark world, to be a part of his friends' lives in a way that doesn’t feel so temporary.
…Oh. And Kris, the one Ralsei yearns for the most. His ears flattened against his head. But no one knows about that. How could anyone know that? He has never dared to speak a word to anyone about it. He made sure no one knew about it. Every day he felt as if he were walking on glass around Kris, making sure nothing he did or said could be interpreted in a romantic way by anyone.
“YES. KRIS. THAT’S THE ONE YOU WANT.”
Ralsei’s heart dropped.
“I CAN GIVE YOU WHAT YOU YEARN FOR.”
His breathing picked up.
“ONLY A KISS CAN FREE YOU FROM THE CHAINS THAT HOLD YOU IN THE DARK WORLD.”
A kiss? From who? What does that mean? Who is Ralsei speaking to right now, and why are they offering him something?
“SPEAK TO NO ONE OF THIS, AND I CAN GRANT YOU WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN WANTING.”
“Wh- who are you? What do you want from me?” Ralsei's voice was shaking. “Where’s Susie and Kris and what did you do to them?” He felt like he could barely speak. It took everything in him to force himself to talk instead of dropping to his knees and crying out of fear and frustration like he wanted to.
“A KISS TO THE LIGHTNER YOU YEARN FOR WILL SET YOU FREE AND EARN YOU A PLACE IN THE LIGHT WORLD.”
Ralsei’s heart started to pound in his chest. He could become a lightner?
“BUT FAILING TO HAVE THEIR LIPS MEET YOURS WILL RESULT IN YOU LOSING WHAT MAKES YOU A PRINCE IN THIS WORLD.”
Ralsei’s eyes widened. His magic? He could lose his magic?
“DO YOU ACCEPT MY OFFER?”
He stood there, frozen. Ralsei was being given an ultimatum. He could accept the challenge and risk his and Kris’ relationship changing forever for the chance to have what he’s always wanted - becoming a lightner. But what if Kris hated him afterwards? What if it changed how Kris looks at him forever? If Kris hates him forever for it, then there wouldn’t even be a reason to be in the light world.
Ralsei’s heart fluttered.
But if Kris doesn’t hate him forever, then… He and Ralsei could be happy and live life together forever. Who knows what will happen after there are no more dark fountains to close. Would Kris and Susie still come to visit him after? Or would they move on with their lives and forget about him?
Ralsei wants to say yes so bad… But before he could speak, the voice called out again.
“THEN IT IS SETTLED. YOU HAVE THREE DAYS.”