The Death of an Angel

by DreamyWoolenDaze

Summary:

The Delta Warriors had finally did it.

The Roaring Knight had been defeated and the Titans had been banished for good.

But not without a cost.

it would almost be impossible if one didn't present itself

It's always a hard one to learn as a hero that you can't save everyone

Chapter 1: A lovely Darkner Evening

"We really should do this more often! Maybe one day you could teach me your tea recipes..?"

"Young prince you make this old darkner chuckle. We'd have to have many more arrangements of similar sorts before I can let a family secret like that out of the bag." Seam giggles in their deranged, not-quite deranged way.

Ralsei remains quiet for a moment as he taps the last few droplets of tea into his mouth. Once he's done he sets the cup down with a soft plink.

"Guess I'll have to keep stopping by here then!"

Seam's tail flicks out under the table after the last of their tea too is drained. Face deep in thought they come to an answer upon licking the last dribbles of tea off of their chops, "I suppose.. I could look forward to that." They hum.

Ralsei smiles graciously and ecstatically bows his head in thanks. Immediately after finishing he helps Seam clean up the table they just had their tea time at. He washes his mug out and helps them wipe the table down before he's waving goodbye to the plushed cat and sprinting back into the bustling Castletown square.

His tea party with Seam had been a lovely reprieve from his busy morning spent helping the Swatchlings sweep and dust the town. It had been getting much more dusty as of late so he had eagerly offered a helping paw. It wouldn't have taken so long if the Zappers hadn't showed up and turned it into a challenge, but he digresses. Once they finished he couldn't help himself from bouncing back and forth between different darkners and helping them out with whatever problems were arising around town. Nothing too much to complain about though, it was a day packed with pleasant chaos as usual.

Just the way he liked it.

The darkly colored dirt and cobbled stone clacks vivaciously with the footsteps of his fellow darkenrs as they hurry to and fro with their daily businesses as well. He has to skirt around groups of them and even has to rescue his scarf that gets stuck on a poor Wicabel as he ebbs between crowded shops, packed for the upcoming night scene.

Karaoke in the cafe at this hour was not for the weak.

He detours a few times to help a few rabbicks cross a busy intersection, he gives the Sweet Cap'n Cakes latest single a listen before they perform it live with an Addison (which he's sure was paid to be there) and he signs off on Queen's plans (demands) for a new highway. It had been nice that she asked first this time instead of knocking walls and trees down without his say so.

Walking along the marked path he notices that Top Chef seems to have recruited (Bribed) some of the Ruddins to help him with the bake sale he's got going on. It doesn't seem to be going well as he has tears streaming down his face as he goes back and forth with a potential buyer, oh wait that buyer is Lancer!

"Hey Lancer!" Ralsei gasps joyously, straying from the path back to his castle and walking towards the bake sale stand instead. "What're you up to today? And why do bake sales always seem to pop up around you??" It truly is an enigma.

"Oh ho ho Toothpaste boy! That's simply because they are attracted to my royal presence. Like flies to well baked cookies in the shape of my face. Which this guy is not selling, it's unbelievable!"

"B-but my prince, only you can bake ze goods! Are they not called Lancer cookies for a reason?!"

"You're really haggling me here man! Ok how about one dark dollar for a cookie? That's my last offer, can't go any lower than that jack."

"My profits.." The darkner wails something about making his money back.

Ralsei thinks it's probably best if he left them to it. "Well uh I wouldn't want to hold your little bargaining session up, I'll be seeing you for dinner later tonight ok Lancer? I heard your lesser dad invited that Elnina and Elnino couple over to try his Spaghetti and meatballs. But you know, the one where the noodles are worms..."

"Worms for dinner oh boy! Wouldn't miss it for the world. Now shoo, I've got business to attend to." Just like that the young boy is back to haggling the chef. The Rudinns in the back can't help but snicker. It seems they have no interest in helping their new boss out with the predicament he's found himself in.

Ralsei smiles sweetly and is about to continue walking through town when a hacking cough rattles through his body, causing him to double over and grasp onto the bake sale booth.

"Woah Ralsei you ok!?" Lancer gasps nervously. He leaps away from his bargaining to attempt getting the goat boy back to a standing position. "Gee willikers, now that my well moisturized eyes are so close you sure are looking a little paler than usual!"

A nearby Hathy sees the commotion and strays from their own walk to take over helping him back on his feet from the struggling, but unfortunately much shorter Lancer.

"Oh this is embarrassing, I'm-I'm fine! Today was just a lot. I'm just a bit tired." Ralsei bows shakily in gratitude to the Hathy who got him back up. He laughs to cover the next round of coughs.

"A-are you sure?" Lancer asks. In that voice that reminds Ralsei just how young he really is.

It hurts to hear a voice like that. Ralsei instinctively screws his eyes shut as another sputtering cough erupts and deepens his breathing in attempt to keep the hacking contained within his body. Lancer is saying something else, but his mind feels like it's drifting at sea and his worried dialogue is simply washed away by the roar of the currents that is an upcoming headache. No this isn't how it's supposed to go! He's the older of the two, he has to be stronger for him he can't be seen like this! Lancer just needs to focus back on the bake sale and-

Ralsei opens his eyes.

Lancer is still babbling with Top Chef about prices. The Hathy is nowhere to be seen.

Like it never happened.

Ralsei straightens the glasses on his face and smooths out the wrinkles in his coat, sighing with relief.

"So see you at dinner in half an hour or so, okay?"

"No doubt about it! Now how about one dark dollar for two cookies? A two for one type of deal if you will."

Ralsei walks away from the scene as another round of Top Chef sobs erupt. A cough or two bubble in his throat as he walks, but he decides to distract himself with thoughts of more expansions he could implement to his friend's rooms in the castle. If he has the time.

Who is he kidding, he'll always have the time.

Speaking of which, shouldn't they be back by now? They had stopped by to greet him in the morning, eaten breakfast together and they had been off with promises of coming back to say goodnight. They had their own missions out in the light world after all, but right now should be around the latest time they could return before nightfall.

When he finally makes it back to the castle courtyard his eyes glimmer in delight as he sees Kris and Susie walking out of the massive castle doors together. Kris' arm is wrapped firmly around Susie whose face is pinched in a grimace, but when the three lock eyes on one another they quickly hurry over to each other.

"Dude there you are!" Susie lunges towards his goat friend, away from the grasp of Kris and hoisting him up into the air and giving him a shake. "Any longer and we would have had a heart attack! We-we thought you might have-"

"My apologies Susie! I was just keeping everything maintained around town! Making sure everyone and everything is ok. Like I do every day." Ralsei states with a laugh as Susie sets him back down. "My fault for not greeting you two as I usually do. Though I must say you two sure are here later than usual. Hold ups in the light world?"

Geez, he must have been really deep into his tea party to miss hearing or even FEELING their arrival. But he can make up for it. Tomorrow he shall partake in the least amount of socializing as possible. Focus strictly on cleaning until they make their appearance.

Kris pokes Susie's shoulder and taps their foot with an expectant look between her and Ralsei.

"Yeah yeah I get it. I don't go hiding things like this anymore psh. Er maybe just.. a little?" Susie laughs nervously, turning her attention back to her darkner friend. She removes her hand from where it's clutching and reveals the gash on the side of her stomach.

"Oh dear! How'd this happen? Let me just-" Ralsei clasps his hands together and mumbles a string of words to charge into his healing spell he's aiming it towards the scaled hero. Susie's body seems to straighten out in relief once the cooling green magic works its' ways through her wound. He just barely manages to contain an exterior cough by masking it with enthusiasm. "There! Good as new."

"Feeling good as new too! Thank goodness for you dude, can't imagine having this thing get infected out there in the light world." Susie celebrates by twisting her painless body to crack her back. "Been waiting to do that for a while, aw crap my jacket's ripped."

"Fear not for Ralsei is here!" He reaches his paw out and taps it against her jacket. "You can leave it here overnight and grab it in the morning once I fix it."

"The lifesaver you are my man." Susie slips her jacket off and tosses it onto Ralsei with a snort. "Heh, it's like a blanket on you." She helps move it off his face and thrusts Kris forward. "Anyways, Kris show him what we scrounged up today!"

Kris noncommittally reaches into their pockets and pulls out two Revivemints and carefully pushes them into Ralsei's paw. They give his paw a squeeze before releasing the goods and the fuzzy appendage.

"Oh wow! Not just one but two?! This is the most you've found in a week!" He cradles the minty shards delicately with awe. "I take it finding these are the reasons for your injury?" He raises a furry eyebrow.

"Something like that. Finding the first one really got us feeling lucky." Susie states with a shrug. "So that'll last you a little while, I was wondering... uh maybe you could.." Now Susie looks nervous. The emotion always appears so strange on her face Ralsei notes. And right now is no different.

"Would you like to attempt it again on Lancer? Or maybe Noelle..?" He asks shyly.

Susie stares at the brick floor beneath her and scuffs it with her shoe lightly. "Yeah.. Ya know if you're okay with it and everything! Wouldn't want to waste a perfectly good Revivemint if it really is a lost cause." She mumbles that last part.

"Hey Susie," Ralsei lofts her chin up with his paw and smiles. "There's no harm in trying. Plus I've been working on more magical infusions to boost these little guys. So never say never."

Susie smacks his paw away playfully and makes a gagging face. "Never say that last line again. That shit's corny. Even for you."

While Ralsei doesn't think quite agree, he simply laughs it off. Amongst his laughter, Kris gives Susie's shirt a tug with one hand and then taps the silver watch on their wrist with the by now, long healed stub where their hand used to be when they've got her attention.

"Crap! Yeah we should be heading out soon, the sun was already starting to set when we got here. Don't want a repeat of... y'know.... uh Kris let's just go!" Kris waves goodbye to Ralsei as they start trekking back to the beginning of Castletown.

"W-wait!" Ralsei cups his paw around his mouth at the sudden shout. "Pardon, but w-would you two like to come over for dinner tomorrow? I'll just make it earlier so you two don't have to rush it. It's...been a while since we last had one together. And I know you two have been working hard I just think... you deserve a little break."

Kris and Susie turn towards each other and quickly seem to come to an agreement when they turn back to face Ralsei.

"Shit, hell yeah. It has been a long ass time since we've had a real chill meal together." She appears to think back guiltily to their earlier rushed breakfast of the day. "Actually why don't we spend the whole day together? Like the good ole days? "

"A-are you sure? I wouldn't want to get in the way of any of your own plans for tomorrow!"

"Psh nah. Don't really got anything going on. Plus we just found two Revivemints. We deserve a break! Right Kris?"

"Sounds nice." Kris throws in. Ralsei sees Susie's ear twitch slightly at the mumbly voice of Kris he's sure she still isn't quite used to. Their REAL voice. If he had to guess, just the thought of not being used to it must be sending waves of guilt through her body. She doesn't say anything of the sorts out loud of course and instead she punches Kris' shoulder lightly.

"Cmon man, gotta get our beauty sleep if we wanna be able to function early. Or.." She looms ominously over her human friend with a toothy grin. "you'll have to feel the wrath of a sleep deprived Susiezilla."

Kris just rolls their eyes and decides to turn their departure into an abrupt race, leaving a baffled Susie in the dust. Feeling her role as the one who usually incites the racing, slip.

"H-hey! Get back here you creep! A head start can't save you! Bye Ralsei!" She hastily waves her darkner friend goodbye before she's off.

"A-and if you want to say goodbye to Lancer he's by the bakery!" Ralsei yells back. Susie's previous sprint comes to a dusty halt and she pauses for a sullen moment just outside of the courtyard. She doesn't seem to know what to say as her mouth struggles to form words for a solid few seconds before saying what he thinks is a, 'thanks' followed by a genuine promise to see him tomorrow before disappearing from his sight entirely.

Ralsei sighs softly in the silence of the courtyard. Turning on his heels he heads into the castle, allowing his mind to wonder only upon hearing the sound of his friends leaving the dak world. The massive castle doors creak quietly open and close just as silently.

He picks at his paws anxiously, careful not to break apart the Revivemints still clutched tightly in them. A negative bubble seeps into his brain as the sound of them leaving replays in his mind like a broken record. So much time had passed and yet he was still no closer to figuring out a way to make the dark worlds safe for prolonged Lightner stays. Especially during the nights.

Night. Knight. So similar and so fitting that they would both be in the way of any possibility for a happy ending.

He's broken out of his thoughts at the scent of something repugnant lingering in the air.

Right. Rouxls Kaard was making dinner.... And was left in his kitchen by himself.....

"Cheese and crackers! Rouxls you're not burning the kitchen down are you-?!"

He very quickly finds the answer to that question when he's met with a burst of smoke entering his lungs and a frazzled looking Rouxls fanning at his cooking cauldron.

"Oh ume mineth princelye roomate, this.. is not as bade as it appears! simplye mine cheflye expertiseth infusinge the best flavore possibleth fore tonight!"

Ralsei gawks for only a moment before he's shoving the healing items into his scarf for safe keeping and running to the cauldron and blowing out the flaming logs in hopes of diminishing the smoky haze. Then he runs to an adjacent cupboard and pulls out the smoke diffuser he had invested in when Lancer and Susie started wanting to learn how to cook.

"Thank goodness I got here when I did! Geez Rouxls how'd you manage this? Cauldron cooking is supposed to be safer than stovetop cooking."

Rouxls looks to be absolutely seething at that last comment as he begins scooping his boiled worms from the cauldron into a bowl.

"Well it's not mine fault someoneth keeps this thinge onst high at all moments of the daye. Liketh thou art not gordanst ramseye. Perhaps thou art the oneth who needs to relearnst the basics inst cookinge safetye."

Ralsei just rolls his eyes fondly as Rouxls sets down the bowl of worms to scoop pasta sauce into a separate bowl, the recipe that Lancer favors he notes. Sure it may be a bit burnt, but Ralsei has a feeling no one will be complaining about it.

"I'm sure I'm still plenty fluent in the kitchen. I still cook multiple times a day if you haven't noticed." He sticks his tongue out as he grabs some plates from the cabinet. "How about I help you set up for the rest of dinner?"

"Hmph, if thou desires so." He won't say it of course, but Ralsei knows deep inside he's grateful for the help.

He sets the ceramic plates carefully onto the dining table, then he folds and places the napkins down and just as he sets the last roll of silverware onto the table he hears the castle doors open. Lancer's voice is distinctively much louder than the other two who are trailing besides him. Rouxls upon seeing the doors swing open goes into overdrive and rushes over to the table to place down the food.

"Geh, the decoreth!" The strange darkner gasps and slides to grab something set down on one of the chairs, fumbling all the way as he sets down an array of expensive looking candles onto the tablecloth. "Blastede where's the castle-certifiede candleth flamethrowere whenst thou neede it??

"Oh I think I saw it somewhere in Lancer's room last night, but no worries I got this!" Ralsei bleats. He forms his paw into the similar hand shape that Kris initiates when they act and with a quick flick of his fingertips, the candles wicks are alight. "Wooh it-it actually worked!" He stutters at the sentence he just said and speedily starts backtracking, "I mean of course it worked! I practiced real hard on this spell for any and all future birthday candles."

"Birthday! Did somebody say birthday?!"

Elnina and Lanino are struggling a bit to reclose the castle doors. Lancer pays it no mind and instead hops towards the table and the candles on top.

"Hmm usually these come with cake, but I'll take it!" He inhales deeply before blowing the candles out. "Huzzah! Now present me please."

"God damn it..." Rouxls says it in a much quieter manner than he usually does, his eye twitches.

"Ha, um, today isn't your birthday Lancer. Those candles were just um, normal dinner candles?"

"Aw oyster shucker." Lancer blows a raspberry. He's not upset for long and goes back to the doors to drag the weather couple towards the dining area with a goofy smile. "And this-! Is my dining room. Feel free to throw food if you'd like! Lesser dad will clean it up!"

Rouxls straightens out his uniform and graces his face with a strained smile. "Yes! i ame verye goode at runninge a cleanst, tight ship. A skill heavilye admirede inst romantic relationships i'veth hearde." That sentence is followed with an audible wink.

The moon and cloud couple gaze into each others eyes in thought, turning back to face Rouxls when they've seemed to come to some sort of conclusion.

"No I don't think we have heard of that before."

"I agree it sounds like nonsense. You should really check your sources."

Rouxls' mouth hangs agape with a small, barely audible screech emanates from his throat. At a loss for words, Ralsei and Lancer take the reins in getting a move on with tonight's dinner.

"Well, sorry to interrupt you three's talk, but we wouldn't want the dinner getting cold now would we?"

At the other end of the table, an aghast Lancer takes note of the boiled bowl of unmoving worms. "Lesser dad these worms aren't wriggling! How are we supposed to eat these!?"

Lancer's whines seem to snap him out of his funk and he turns to the small boy, finger poised in the air.

"Canst a manst not trye somethinge new fore his...acquaintances?" That last word comes out strained. He drags the sulking boy into his seat with a tsk. While Lancer pouts with his arms crossed, Rouxls returns to the cupboard and roots through bottles and ingredients until he finds what he's looking for.

A jar of still very fresh looking worms. He sets the jar gently onto the table cloth.

"Lessere fathere always comes preparede littleth watere beetleth." Rouxls sighs, but Lancer immediately perks up at the sight.

"Oh boy! Thanks Lesser Dad! You're one cool cucumber." He gets a bit too excited and starts to scoop them into his personal bowl. Ralsei has to tap his shoulders to get him to pause. Chiding him gently on the curtesy of serving guests first.

"Wow. That's actually a very sweet thing to do for you er, son thing." Lanino croons.

"I agree, what an adorable father-son relationship! It's quite an attractive quality isn't it my little sunny demeanor?" Elnina swoons.

"Dide thou just saye attractive? i meanst yes! i ame verye much a familye man, i haveth manye books onst it! ande not becauseth i ame a fool inst the field! i just enjoye someth ere philosophical light readinge. Heh." He creeps in between them and begins leading them to their dining chairs. "Is the singleth fathere trope, alluringe mine doves?"

Lanino and Elnina appear internally conflicted as they're seated.

Ralsei relights the candlelight, Rouxls ties a bib around Lancer's neck and he busies himself with filling everyone's bowls with a dramatic twirl of his freshly washed hair.

The dinner goes very well in Ralsei's opinion; the weather duo seem mostly impervious to Rouxls terrible flirting, Lancer's side of the table is absolutely coated in sauce and Ralsei allows his mind to quiet in the buzz of a family-type dinner.

The spaghetti tastes a bit charred, but it masks the own bitter taste in the back of his throat. He watches with s small shine in his eyes at the darkners before him. Thinking back to how he had never quite appreciated them in the same way he did with his Lightner friends. Simply based on his idea of himself and by extension, them, as not being real.

It feels a bit silly now to have thought in that way.

He sucks down another forkful of worms.

Susie really did have a way with words. If only she could still see that.

When dinner wrapped up, he surprised the table by announcing a round of dessert. Which Rouxls also tries to claim he was a part of the baking process.

Ralsei does allow him to help him clear the table to set down a still warm cake and a tray of cupcakes. But not before he prepares some tea to go with it!

As the water boils he sets the tea bags into the teapot and prepares the sugar and creamer pitchers. Once the water boils, he transfers it into the teapot and sets everything down onto the table. Dessert begins once he's sliced the cake and filled everyone's teacups.

His tea recipe isn't as good as Seam, but it's undoubtedly his.

Once the chatter resumes, Ralsei slips one of the Revivemints out of his scarf and drops it into his tea. Stirring it in the hot liquid until it dissolves, leaving his tea a bit more tinted green.

Another round of coughs erupt and the rest of the table turns towards the disturbance.

"Oh Elnina, my sweetest cloud, does he appear as unwell to you as he does for me?"

"Yes I see it too my basking night! He's looking quite pale at the moment."

"See I told you he wasn't feeling well Lesser Dad! You gotta tuck him in and read him a story to make him feel better!"

Ralsei lifts his paw and stifles another cough with the other.

"No need! I just need a bit of tea to soothe the cough."

He proves the point by carefully, but quickly slurping the tea until it's last drop. The warmth spreads throughout his body, into the place where he thinks his lungs would be if he were a Lightner. He even feels a bit of warmth return to his cheeks and his tongue moisten. Staring at his reflection in the teapot he can see his fur has brightened.

"Ah that feels better..." He takes a deep breath and enjoys the lack of a crackling in it. "What did I tell you all?"

There's no response.

"Um, are you four okay?"

There's still no repose.

"R-right. My head is a bit clearer now. It always gets harder to imagine you talking when it's clear."

Ralsei stands up and out of his seat to start cleaning off the dining table. He stores the leftover for later, washes the ceramic, gathers the tablecloth and napkins for washing and ends the cleaning by wiping off the bare wooden table.

"Rouxls I believe it's time to get Lancer to bed don't you think?"

When Rouxls doesn't answer, he goes up to Lancer himself. "Don't worry Rouxls I can get him to bed, you, Lanino and Elnina can catch up while I'm gone!" He grabs onto Lancer's shoulders and begins pushing him towards the stairs. Lancer certainly isn't helping by not moving his legs.

Once they've gotten to the second story, it's straight to his bedroom and straight into his bed for being tucked in.

"There we go! Oh sure if you'd like a story I can read you one!" Ralsei reaches under his bed and pulls a picture book out. "Don't worry, I'm sure your Girldad will be in here to say goodnight soon too. Shoot, you're a bit dusty hold on a second."

Reaching under the bed again he pulls out a feather duster the boy had been gifted with by a Swatchling a long time ago. He carefully brushes the crevices of the boys face with the tool.

The cold, stone crevices of his statued body.

"There, there. It will be ok. Me, Kris and Susie... we're all working hard to find a way to undo this. These type of things unfortunately take time. Imbalance is hard to undo"

His frozen body encased in stone does not give a verbal reply. If he was aware, Ralsei is sure he'd say something like, 'It's alright Toothpaste Boy I understand! I'm not very good at woozits and whatsits either!'

Ralsei takes the second Revivemint out of his scarf and stares at it. He rolls it in his paw and lets the candlelight refract off of it.

"We're living in unstable times small one... so folks like you and I are going to need a big boost to get going again." He stares off sadly. "All three of us are working really hard for you I promise. For everyone here in the dark and light world..."

He sets the item back into his scarf and picks up the book again to begin reading aloud. The interior and exterior of his kingdom lay indefinitely silent and still in the light shimmer of dust that drizzles on and off.

"Both dead and alive."

Notes:

This chapter is inspired by th first episode of the anime , "School Live"!

Chapter 2: Susie Feels A Lot

Susie stares blankly at the bedroom ceiling above her. More specifically the gaping hole in the ceiling letting the dark void of the night seep in. Before they had settled in for the night, she had pinned the cloth covering it during the day to the side to watch for movement from th sky , promising Kris she'd pin it back when she was done. Occasionally she swears she can see the twinkle of stars.

But that's ridiculous. She hasn't seen the stars in months.

Rolling over in her mattress she squints her eyes to stare across the room at the human snoozing on the other side of the room. At least she thinks they are. It's hard to see them in the thick darkness, but listening to their breathing tells her they're probably asleep.

It's a shame she isn't. She's fucking exhausted and it's an annoying feeling to be aware of the thoughts keeping her up.

By all accounts, things had calmed tremendously from the previous perilous months. The ability to have a semi-normal sleep schedule was slowly returning. Most nights she found herself completing a whole sleep cycle with very little issue.

Not to say she was entirely invulnerable to the occasional nightmare that broke through in the night. Or that lonely ache in her chest as her lethargic eyes stared at nothing and everything in the room all at once.

When she brings her palms up to her face to rub at her eyes she can still smell the mint lingering on it. It makes her think back to Ralsei. Had Ralsei been acting a bit... strange earlier? Well more than usual. The version of Ralsei she had been visiting lately was starting to feel more and more like a regressive version of his people pleasing, 'A happy Lightner is a happy Darkner' shtick like when they had first met. It's not like she could really fault the guys emotional shortcomings when none of them were who they were before 'The Roaring'. (no matter how much the stubborn Darkner liked to appear as so).

She just wishes if there was something going on in his brain he'd let it out and just cry again. Even if she thought crying was gross. It was slightly less gross when it involved her friends.

Maybe when Kris woke up in the morning she could plot with them to gently confront his true feelings. Scratch that, the three of them could use a good venting session together.

It's been a while since she's allowed herself a good cry. Kris too.

Finally giving up on sleeping she shuffles off of her mattress as quiet as possible for someone of her size to cover the hole again.

Stepping gently she goes to the desk pushed against the wall by her feet and grabs the flashlight on top of it and slides the axe resting against the wall into her other hand.

After she's got both items secured she tiptoes towards the cracked bedroom door creeps into the hallway. By now she's memorized where every piece of furniture, missing tile and gaping hole that would cause you to fall into the first floor is located so the darkness does not deter her from stalking down the stairs, getting to the front door and slipping out into the outside world.

Looking back at the Dreemur residence, she can almost pretend with the lack of a light source that the house stands before her in one whole piece.

She holds the flashlight tightly in her hands as she begins her nightly trek. She keeps it turned off to ration it's batteries though. Those little cylindrical pieces of treasure were always a pain in the ass to try and scrounge up. Especially since she and Kris had already ransacked the ruins of any and all neighboring stores of their working batteries already.

It's not like she needs the light anyways, just like back in the house she knows her way around in the dark very well. It also helps that she had cleared herself a path a month or so ago to once again feel the pleasurable convenience of walking on a clear road. Or what's left of it too.

Sheesh it's getting depressing repeating that sentence.

She does not dare to lift her head to stare into the overgrowing forest that frames her path, even when she almost trips over a fallen branch.

She lets her feet guide her as she allows herself to get lost on her own thoughts. Her instincts don't fail her and once she feels cobbled stones on her shoes she comes back to her full senses and lifts her hands up to feel for the building that should be only a few yards in front of her by now.

Her claws eventually grasp around the frame of where the door is supposed to be, stomps her boots to get rid of the excess snow and passes the threshold with ease.

In all honesty, the house rarely felt different, temperature wise, from how it had felt when she first visited it. So prioritizing finding a front door for it wasn't really high in her to-do list.

Pressing her hands against the walls they trail along with her as she clambers up the stairs. When the sensation of a doorknob fills her hand she lifts up the other to knock first.

She clears her throat.

"Hey, uh, just letting you know I'm here. Just visiting, I.. missed you. Just wanted someone to get my thoughts out to. Kris is asleep so I don't wanna bother them with it right now."

Silence.

She turns the knob and enters anyways.

"Ah crap!" Susie grumbles as she feels a slight wind blowing in the room. She bursts into action and heads towards the window devoid of glass and repins the tarp back into it's place to cover it. "Phew sorry about that Noelle, I'll try and nail it back into place sometime before or after me and Kris hangout with Ralsei tomorrow."

Susie sets her axe against the walls closest to her and then plops herself down at the edge of the perfectly made, pale blue bed with a sigh.

"We had real good luck today on our search. Really good. Like two whole Revivemint candies good! Man me and Kris were practically hootin and hollering. They were totally about to cry from it. Er not me though. I'm way too tough for that." Susie laughs gruffly at her own excitement and allows her body to sink into the soft comforter.

"Now I know you're gonna say I should have learned my lesson the first time it happened back in Cyber City, but you can't blame a guys excitement when she's at the top of a pile of precarious looking concrete."

Susie touches her side where the gash had been healed a few hours ago.

"Just know I slipped, ate shit and busted my side up. I really need to find some new shoes. Or maybe some duct tape. Unfortunatley Kris has baby human feet so I can't fit into any of their old shit. Maybe I could borrow some of your sister's? Wish I could ask your permission first. About your dad's sweaters too."

Susie rolls the warm fabric she's wearing under her jacket between her fingers. She had never had a big wardrobe, so when the full chills of winter had set in she had been worried that she'd had to rip up a bunch of Kris' sweaters and sew them together to have something warm to wear.

Luckily for her, Noelle's father used to be a bit burlier in his healthier days, so she swiped most of his collection. Feeling guilty the whole way, but feeling a whole lot warmer.

She can barely hear a breeze now from the outside with the window being covered up.

"I'm just lucky Ralsei is still around. I honestly don't think I would have made it this far after the Titans defeat if his healing wasn't around. Ya know since Lightner magic has gone all weird since that day." She sighs. "And just when my healing was getting as good as Ralsei's...... ugh figures though. That's just how things in my life go. When it's about to be good I gotta move away or a world ending Titan comes along the way.."

Susie fully allows her body to lay down on the bed, curling a bit into it's softness.

"I didn't just come here to tell you about that though. Guess I just wanted to get some shit off my chest so I can sleep." The bed still smells like candy canes. "This time it's about Ralsei. The dude's just like.. stuck?? I mean yeah literally he can't come to the Lightworld with us anymore so has to rely on me and Kris to provide him with supplies to keep himself alive! I'd be antsy and upset in that situation too."

"But also like mentally? I think that's the right word." Susie rolls onto her stomach to stare at the bedroom walls. "Cause he's being totally stupid about it! He's gone back to how he was when we first started to get to know him. Too much damn people pleasing. He rarely even practices his sarcasm anymore! And.. I think-."

Her head snaps up when she hears the sound of rain starting to trickle from outside the window. It quickly peeters into the quiet fall of snow, but there's a slow roll of thunder punctuating it. The sound of it makes her twitch for a moment and she breathes deeply to calm herself.

"Just.. the stupid weather."

Once again switching positions she lays down on her back to admire the ceiling as a light snow clings to the tarp. She allows herself to listen to the silence for a moment before she starts talking again.

"I think the guilt and loneliness is getting to him more than he's letting on and he's.. interacting with the Darkners statues like they're still.. around and can hear him. Cause Lancer almost always seems to be in a different place whenever we visit." She aims her eyes towards the headboard. "Heh.. like what I'm doing with you now I guess."

A strike of thunder peaks through the tarp just enough to flash across the bed and shine off of the small Angel doll resting on its' pillow. Susie grabs it gently with her claw and holds it softly to her chest. Remembering the story Rudy had told her about Noelle and her older sister Dess making it when they were younger.

She would squeeze it close to her heart if she weren't worried about the dust carefully placed inside bursting out at the change in force.

"I guess he's just doing his best to cope with the loss too. I wish I could do more for him.. for you.. for fucking anybody instead of practically wasting away here in the Light World-!"

The bedroom door creaks open slightly.

Susie wastes no time in jumping into action. Instinct has her setting the doll back onto the bed, grabbing her axe and planting her feet in preparation for an attack.

"Who the hell is there!?" Could someone else from town be alive?! A spawn?! A-!

"Figured you'd be here."

"Goddamn it Kris! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Susie lets go of the breath she was holding and sets the axe back down. Relief sets in almost immediately as another strike of lightening shows her the fleshy glow of her human friend. "Did I wake you up? I tried realllly hard to be a stealthy Susie."

"You weren't loud. It just.. gets hard to sleep without you in the room. Anxious. Guess I felt your presence leave." They say with the fidget of their hands.

Susie once again feels like a shitty friend.

"Hey I'm uh, sorry dude. I was gonna be quick! I wasn't gonna leave you alone the whole night or anything. I just needed.." She stares at the doll turned urn. "To see her."

Kris nods their head in understanding. They set the bag on their back onto the floor and move silently across the room, sitting down close to the doll. They pat the bed besides them to encourage Susie to sit with them.

She obliges.

A silence envelops them. It isn't uncomfortable. It's just temporary until someone is ready to talk.

"I came up here cause I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to wake you up so I just figured I'd talk to her about it until I was tired enough to head back to base."

Kris had long ago told her to call the Dreemur house as her own. No YOUR house or YOUR MOM'S house. They had made it clear that this house was hers now as much as theirs.

But it didn't feel right.

She didn't deserve to with how much she had failed Toriel.

So calling the house a base instead felt a little easier. A little cooler and serious sounding too.

Kris nodded their head and hummed for her to continue.

"Just worried about Ralsei is all... and you.... okay and myself too. I'm not crazy though right? You can see Ralsei's been acting weirder than usual."

Kris proceeds to nod their head in agreement after a few seconds of thought.

"But it makes sense. He doesn't always have someone with him like we do here in the Lightworld with each other."

"Yeah I guess..." Susie's eyes wander to the silver watch on Kris' wrist. The one with silver snowflakes engraved into its' metal. She doesn't say anything, just stares.

When Kris notices her staring, they bring the watch up to their mouth, unclasps it from their wrist with their teeth and holds it out to Susie.

"Woah woah! Hey man you don't gotta take it off already. It's still your turn with it!"

Kris doesn't seem to listen and instead clasps it onto Susie's raised wrist with one hand and a mischievous look on their face before it softens slightly.

"Well you're the one who snuck out in the middle of the night to see Noelle. So I think you should wear it tonight."

"Heh thanks dude.." Susie says softly. She taps the watch absentmindedly. It still feels warm from Kris wearing it. If she strains her ears she can hear its' ticking sound. She grabs her flashlight from her pocket and shines it on her wrist. "Hmm it's four fifteen. Shit yeah we really should be heading to bed soon. Got a lot to do tomorrow before we hang with Ralsei."

Despite this, neither of them move from their spot on the bed.

"We could just sleep over here tonight." Kris suggests. The suggestion actually sounds pretty appealing to Susie.

"I really like the sound of that." When Kris grins at her quick answer she flicks their forehead. "Hey you're the one who suggested it not me freak."

Kris flicks her back and stands up from the bed to dig through Noelle's closet for the sleeping bags they had stashed in here a few months ago. This is not their first time being used.

Susie would have tried to flick them again if it weren't for the exhaustion finally seeping into her body. She allows Kris to set both sleeping bags out as she straightens the Angel doll out on the bed.

Once both sleeping bags are rolled out, she kicks her shoes off and shimmies herself into the the plush bag. Kris is not far behind, removing a necklace from around their neck and setting it on the nearby desk before settling in.

"Night nerd."

Kris hums something similar to goodnight back.

Silence fills the room as the two begin nodding off, but the sound of light sniffling breaks the delicate moment.

Kris twists to face Susie in the dark room.

"Susie? Are.. you ok?"

They can just barely make out the movements of Susie's hands wiping at her face. Just like they can just barely see her head twist to face them back.

"I-!" Susie has to click her mouth shut to cut off the sob that almost escaped. She takes a few breaths, just enough so she can get her words out somewhat normally. "I'm sorry, just my stupid tired brain-"

"Susie it's ok-"

"Do you really think Ralsei can find a way to fix my mistake?"

Kris' silence is enough to tell her if their unsureness., but they scoot their sleeping bag closer to Susie as her sniffling continues. They hug Susie's head gently, the sniffling has stopped but her head shakes slightly.

"I'm still sorry I never told you the full truth either..." Kris mumbles into her hair. "You're not the bad guy here."

"You ain't either! But I-I just wanted to prove that stupid prophecy wrong." Susie finally gets out.

"It's ok you couldn't have known."

"You couldn't have known breaking it would turn out this way."

Notes:

Susie and Ralsei are really paralleling each other right now

And more mystery on how bad things are off in the ole Light World

Chapter 3: Add a Pinch of Sentimentality

"Tsk, I need a haircut." Susie grumbles into the Holiday family's bathroom mirror. Despite only half of the mirror being intact, it's still enough for her to see the raggedy and overgrown state of her hair. She lifts her arm up to sniff. "Ugh and a bath."

She sticks her head out of the bathroom so the nearby human can hear her yell.

"Kris we're stopping by the lake after Ralsei's!"

All she hears in reply is some sort of weird grunt. Which is enough of an answer as anything.

"But which tool should I use..?" Susie wonders to herself, scrubbing off the dried drool off of her face with a small bit of her bottled water.

Back in Noelle's room, the tarp has been fervently nailed back into the wall from Rudy's toolbox they had found in the basement earlier that year. Kris is finishing up getting ready. They haven't changed out of their sweater in a few weeks, so they'll probably wash it while at the lake later. It's greens and yellows has faded slightly, but the most recent flannel patch from Susie sewn into its' center is still strongly colored.

It would have been too emotionally painful to throw it out. Even if it had gotten ripped up by the conjured soul after wrenching itself out of their body against the final wave of Titans. The last of its' power shielding the three "Legendary Heroes" from the onslaught.

Which only makes Kris scoff now. None of them were feeling very legendary anymore.

Kris finishes brushing out their hair through the reflection of the dead computer monitor in the frosty room. They note from its' length that they could use a haircut as well. To keep their hair from getting in the way, they decide to tie it up.

Sticking the brush into their pocket they grab the necklace they had placed in the desk last night and places it back into their neck.

The bright blue feather on it dangles securely.

Done with their morning routine they swing their bag back into their back and head towards the bathroom where Susie is battling with her own head of hair.

"We should use my dad's shears to cut our hair." Kris smirks as they stick their head past the open bathroom door.

"Dude you're a freaking genius! Urghhhhhhh ahh!" She lets out a war cry as she detangles the last knot in her hair.

"*Huff* Finally. Let's go eat. I'm starving." Kris starts walking towards the stairs before Susie's shout gets their attention.

"Wait! Uh shit, sorry didn't mean to startle you I'm just gonna say bye to Noelle real quick!"

Kris internally gives Noelle a farewell, their heart squeezing as they sway from foot to foot awaiting Susie's return. They don't have to wait long until she's running back to regroup.

"Now I'm ready to go."

The two friends trot down the Holiday house stairs and out the front door frame into town.

"Wow, it's actually sort of brighter today than usual. Do you think we can see the sun!?"

Kris watches Susie as she jumps on top of overturned vehicle to get a higher look. Her head bobbles back and forth as she scrutinizes every piece of sky.

Kris shakes their head. "Can't see it."

"Damnit." Susie hops back into the road and kicks a lose pebble in frustration. "There's always tomorrow I guess."

Kris merely shrugs and marches towards their destination into the western forest, Susie looking down in tow.

The world while not lit up by the warm glow of the Sun anymore, has its' moments of illumination replaced by a strange grey fog that had risen a few mornings after the initial armageddon. Giving the landscape an even more eerie and decimated look.

That version of Kris at the beginning of this new quiet world had preferred the strange grey glow to the total darkness of those first few days.

But now they're not even sure they care enough to have a preference.

"I could've sworn we had already cleared this section of the forest." Susie pipes up. She's balancing her axe on her shoulder blades as they walk and talk. There are no leaves on any of these trees and the forest is filled with the sound of snow crunching under their shoes.

This winter wonderland had come early thanks to Noelle's final spell. But no longer alive was she to witness the consequences of her own power.

"Not all, I found one a mile or so further than Hometown tourism maps reach." Kris bluntly states, one hand put out in front of them just in case their vision misses something.

Sure enough once their maps are no longer of use does a hard to see, but interesting sight fall into place.

"Welp I'll be damned. Guess you were right " Susie grins, readying her axe towards a gloopy, black husk cradling a tree. "Heh, the last thing this Titan Spawn will feel in it's shitty life-" Susie's feet push into the dirt. "IS MY AXE AGAINST IT'S FUCKING THROAT!"

Kris watches as she charges, hearing the squelch as her axe severs most of its' head from the rest of it's body. Ensuring it's death. Kris pulls the jug out of their bag quickly, spraying the creature with a moist coat of siphoned gasoline before striking a match and setting it ablaze.

It's doesn't scream out in agony. It wouldn't be able to even if it didn't have a mostly decapitated head anyways. With no Titans around to guide it, it had become barely a placid threat. It's body sizzles and evaporates like sludge against the timber it's clinging onto.

Now it was good for one thing only.

Becoming kindling for cooking.

"Hell yeah! Highlight of my day so far. Hey Kris what's for breakfast!?" A pumped up Susie turns expectantly towards her friend.

They dig through their bag and pull out two cans, one can at a time to toss to her.

"Seriously dude? Psh baked beans?! HA how cliche can you get!?'

"Very."

"Heh never change it though." Susie smiles. She urges Kris forward as she bites the metallic lids off of the cans with her sharpened row of teeth. They do have a can opener, but they both thought this way was cooler. She then sets the almost lidless cans on a secure looking burning branch to warm them up.

While she does that Kris brushes leaves and dirt off of some nearby rocks to turn into their seats and table for eating. The blazing fire feels good in the still lingering chill of what should be late winter about now.

They remove the shovel attached to the side of their bag and set it to the side for later.

"Ding ding! Food is ready!" Susie hollers with her mouth practically drooling at the sweet and savory smell. She readies her hands and quickly snatches the cans off the branch and races them over to one of the cleared rocks. "Ah shit hot." Susie sits herself down on one of the rocks and blows on her hot hands. There's not enough callouses to protect the entirety of her hands.

Kris pulls a spoon out of their pocket. They do not offer one to Susie, for they know she'll just chug it like a fresh pint once it has cooled down.

Susie lounges her feet on another nearby rock.

"Hey you recounted our food supply recently, right?" When Kris nods in affirmation she continues. "How are we.. uh looking so far on that?"

Kris stirs the hot beans with their spoon.

"We could make it halfway to May I believe with our current eating habits."

Susie taps her axe nervously, but keeps her expression neutral.

"Guess we'll have to put your green thumb to use when Spring hits."

Kris wants to add an IF to that sentence, but they do not. It's something they try to avoid thinking or sharing with Susie for fear of straining their already weakening mental health. So if Susie does not bring up the fact that nothing new has grown on Hometown soil even in their warmer month, they will not either.

"Cans finally cooled enough!" Susie beamed. Licking her lips she takes the can of beans into her hand. Kris following shortly after. "Cheers to surviving a world ending apocalypse I guess." She and Kris clink their cans together.

Kris bows their head in prayer, like they used to do with their family when younger. They only repeat a prayer in their head for Susie, who is making a bunch of obnoxious slurping sounds next to them.

Thinking back to their cheer, Kris can't help the thought crossing their mind that wishes they hadn't.

____

Darkners don't need to eat like a Lightner does.

Darkners don't need to sleep like a Lightner does.

They don't need to use the bathroom like they do.

They don't need to do most of what Lightners need to do to survive.

But Ralsei finds himself doing them always. Sleeping when Susie and Kris leave. Cooking breakfast, lunches and dinners like it matters. Anything, just anything to feel closer to being like one.

When he 'sleeps', he doesn't dream like one. So he thinks back on happier memories to fill that void.

Last night he "dreamt" about the Light world.

Reminiscing on the one time he got to truly see it. To feel it. Not just imagining it from the ways it was described in the prophecy. He hadn't the privilege to truly enjoy it because of the hulking fountains sprouting up, blurring the line between both worlds...... but he does remember relishing in the feeling of grass under his feet.

It was so similar, yet so different from the purple grass he had wandered through down here. The sun before it had been clouded with inky masses had warmed his fur in a way that no blanket or heating magic could replicate.

He had to squint from it's blinding light.

Which he had immediately apologized to it for in his eyes it was basically like insulting a godly aspect of the world and people he worshipped so.

Susie had good heartedly laughed at his reaction. Clasped her hand on his shoulder and told him she'd give him a tour of it after all of this.

He never did get that tour.

There's no time to mope as he hears the whirring noise and flash of light through the castle windows of his friends entering the dark world.

Racing out of bed in a panic, Ralsei grabs Susie's fixed up jacket, makes his way down the stairs and out of the castle as fast as possible. He makes it to the border of the kingdom just in time to see them emerge from the opening in the cavernous walls.

"Kris, Susie! You two really made it!" The goatly boy then initiates a three way hug. Susie returns a squeezing pat to his back and Kris just kind of stands awkwardly until he lets go due to their feathered cloak tickling his nose. "*Achoo*! Ah sorry, I know hugs are, as you say, dweeb stuff."

"Damn right they are, but ya know. There's a dweeb inside of all of us or something I dunno. I think Berdly preached something like that once."

"Any injuries I should be alerted to?" Ralsei cheekily teases, he holds up Susie's jacket to hand it to her. "Jacket's fixed up too! Wasn't too badly ripped so it didn't take long to sew up."

"Psh we didn't even do enough today for that to happen." Susie replies, grabbing and slipping on her spiky jacket. As she pulls it on she discreetly peaks around the area to see if Lancer is still by the bakery. There are other petrified Darkners around town, but she can't see Lancer. Ralsei... must have moved him again. She decides to change subjects in her mind and punches Kris' shoulder. "Me and Kris here found and burned another Titan Spawn this morning!"

"R-really?! They're still not mobile, right?"

"Nope. Still aimless parasites. And before you ask, yes we burned the entire tree and dug out its' roots. We're experts at this point!" But all this talk has Susie craving the sweet taste of one of Ralsei's baked goods. "Now the real questions we should be asking here is, what's on the menu for today in Castletown?!"

Ralsei's ears perk up at the question.

"Well I was thinking about maybe trying something a little different today! Something we haven't done in a while." He nervously twists his feet into the ground. "I thought maybe today we could.... cook a meal together?"

Ralsei isn't sure what they'll say. He knows Susie likes it when he bakes for her, but he's pleasantly surprised by her enthusiastic answer.

"Shit, let's do it!" Susie's grin spreads wide. "Man we haven't done some real cooking in forever. What should we make? Nah we'll figure it out when we get in there! You know what we haven't done in a while? Last one there is a fresh and fragrant egg!"

By now, the three are still very used to that phrase and very quickly Susie is being flanked by Kris and Ralsei. The race for the kitchen is on.

Susie thinks back fondly to the first time Ralsei had ever played dirty in their little games. Being tripped by his scarf to win the race had been both an embarrassing moment on her behalf, but she couldn't stop feeling the pride at every step he took out of his darkner box.

He does not trip her this time (much to her dismay) because Kris decides to launch themself off of one of the nearby castle walls and take the win with their little boost.

"Try hard." Susie scoffs usuriously. Kris flips her off and immediately sets off to grab Ralsei's cookbook to flip through. Susie turns back to Ralsei who this time is the fresh and fragrant egg. "I'm thinking something chocolatey for second breakfast."

"Chocolate, perfect! We could do a chocolate cake or cupcakes or truffles, donuts, mousse-"

"Butterscotch." Kris interrupts, tapping a page in Ralsei's cookbook with a butterscotch pastry recipe.

"Chocolate." Susie retorts.

"Butterscotch."

"W-what if!" Ralsei objects. "We find a way to make it with both flavors?"

"Ah Ralsei the mediator you are. You know, it isn't fair if just me and Kris get a flavor, you should totally add in your own flavor."

"Oh there's no need for that I'm happy with what you two have picked-." Just one look from Susie is enough for Ralsei to know she won't be taking no for an answer. "But.. I suppose some strawberry wouldn't hurt."

"That's the spirit! Let's bake a cake as tall as the ceiling!" A sugar starved Susie exclaims. It may not be as filling as the meager supplies they have in the Light World, it'll be nice to have the simple joy of having something taste good on her tongue.

Upon coming to an agreement, the three decide to bake the cake with their alternating flavors of choice.

"And we can make a swirl frosting with each of our flavors too!" Ralsei offers excitedly. "Then we can decorate it with sprinkles." Queen introducing him to sprinkles had been a total cake, game changer.

"I got some candies stashed in my room that we can use! I'll be right back!" Susie makes her way towards the stairs. "Oh and Kris." She stares intently at the general area where their eyes should be. "Don't even think-! About licking the frosting spoon without me here!"

Only after Kris holds their thumb up, does she continue running up the stairs and towards the pink door of her castle bedroom. It's left in its' usual clean state, even the items in her fridge are organized. In the crisper she finds her bowl of miscellaneous sweets.

She's not sure which ones will taste good with the cake, so she just grabs the whole bowl and exits the room, but stops shortly after exiting.

Lancer's room.

Right next to hers. As it always has been. The door to his doesn't have any sign of age. No grime, no dust, if anything it looks freshly wiped down.

Calming herself with a deep breath, Susie breaks away from the path towards the stairs and instead walks into Lancer's room.

It's almost exactly how he left it.

The holes he's dug are arranged in the corner, his photos of family and friends are framed on his walls and his bike is propped up beneath them. There's even the partially finished hole dug out of his wall that the two of them had been planning to make into a crawlspace entrance between their rooms.

There's some construction tape blocking off his unfinished enrichment enclosure.

Upon her eyes coming across Lancer's bed Susie's breath hitches with surprise.

"Welp, finally found you." Susie laughs softly, walking up to her statued friend. He has a children's book propped up next to him and his mp3 is placed on his pillow with the earbuds plugged in and dangling from the side of his head.

Susie decides that taking a moment in here alone won't hurt anyone. She once again seats herself at the edge of the bed, stuffing the bowl of candies into her pocket.

"Least Ralsei's been taking care of you, since ya know. I can't be here all the time. And it's not like I can call the guy a freak for doing this or anything. It'd be hypocritical." Susie stares down at the floor as she thinks back to Noelle.

There's not a speck of dust or aging in the stone from what she can see.

"Ha man, this- this whole thing really sucks. Maybe it's a good thing you don't have to see or feel any of the aftermath. Crap that sounds shitty, I know you can't hear me right now but I'm sure if you could you'd know what I meant. Being one of the only few survivors just don't feel right a lot of the time."

"It just blows how little time we spent together. But dude, you made it feel like we had been friends for years! You were one of the first people that I really connected with. And because of you I let my walls down. I became friends with Kris and Ralsei. Like an actual friend! And then with Noelle.... and Berdly?? Actually I'm not sure about that one. Actually naw we were cool at the end."

Susie chuckles.

"If it weren't for you.... I don't think I would have actually thought I could really deserve to be happy. Guess what I'm trying to say is I'm grateful for you. Forever in your debt dude."

Susie stands herself up from the bed carefully, smoothing over the blanket from where she had been sitting. She doesn't want to leave Kris and Ralsei alone for too long.

"That's why me, Kris, Ralsei.... we'll find a way to fix you, to fix whatever is up with the 'Grand Fountain'. It won't fix everything in the light world, heck it won't even fix everything down here." It's not like every darkner had made it out of the Titan's wrath unscathed. The dust that had coated her and her friends hands was not only of monster origin. "But we need to try. I need to try. So that way this whole surviving thing actually means something."

She grabs a candy from her pocket and sets it down on Lancer's pillow next to his head. Susie pats his head gently.

"When you finally wake up, things will be more normal. I guess we could go back to being some weird, fucked up family again, like we used to."

With no response, Susie heads back towards the door, before exiting she steals one more look at the frozen state of Lancer and his room. One last feeling to get off her chest to him.

"I can't remember if I ever told you, it's been so long, but I'll tell you the same thing I told Ralsei. You always were and always will be a real person to me. I hope you thought of yourself as one."

She exits the bedroom. Away from someone she considers to be a little brother. A thousand apologies locked away in her mind.
____

"Susie sure is taking a minute!" Ralsei laughs nervously as he mixes more syrups into his cauldron to flavor the frosting. "Should we close our eyes and-..?" He mumbles almost inaudibly.

"No need." Kris interrupts, pouring their freshly cut bowl of strawberries into the mix. They turn to an antsy Ralsei. "We don't need to do that anymore. It's not attached anymore."

"Right. My bad, habit." He absentmindedly keeps stirring. "Hey Kris? How... are you doing lately? Susie keeps claiming she's fine every time I ask, I-I know she's not, but she'll talk eventually when she's ready. It's just that, I know you aren't really big on expressing too many of your emotions. Even though I know you feel plenty of them. Sorry.. I don't mean to ramble."

Silence envelopes the kitchen area as neither teen speaks.

Eventually Kris answers. Head downtrodden as they stare at the bag of butterscotch chips in front of them.

"Not good." They whisper. "Neither is Susie." They lift their head to face their friend. "And neither are you. Guess that's why I don't express much, when that's all I feel. Not good." The human looks like they have more to say. Like they have more words to scream out to express the anguish that burns like coals in their body. But it's too much. It's all too much. The overwhelming urge to shut it all down lingers like an annoying pest.

Pushing through it they manage to speak. "Ralsei. How are you feeling? And don't give me that fake 'I'm fine' crap. If I'm honest, you need to be too. Say it out loud, make it real."

It's like a switch is flipped in the darkners head. The second the last of Kris' words exit their mouth, his eyes are already going misty and he has to stop stirring his cauldron or the taste of their cake may suffer as his vision blurs.

"I..I don't think I'm doing so good either." He sniffles. He removes the glasses from his face to wipe at his eyes. "I'm trying though. To feel better. I want to be. For you, for Susie.. for myself. But it's not working, is it? It's just like the first time. Trying to pretend everything is alright, despite knowing how things were supposed to end with the prophecy. But I could never fully convince myself." Ralsei furiously rubs the tears starting to drip down his cheeks. "Guess I can't convince you or Susie either. Especially not now, with how things turned out."

Ralsei is too busy talking he doesn't notice when Kris stops what they're doing to scoot closer to him to listen.

"Ha, I used to want so badly for us to change the ending of the legend. I didn't want you or Susie to die. I think you two taught me I didn't want to die either. I feel horrible for saying this but sometimes I regret acting on Susie's hope those last few days." He sniffles. "But I could never blame her. If anything, I just blame myself."

Kris lifts their hand to rub soothing circles into his back. Ralsei barely even reacts.

"If anything." Kris begins. "I should be the one blamed."

"Kris no it's not-!"

"I made a lot of bad decisions throughout my life." Kris interrupts. "With Dess. Me, Carol, my dad... Asriel..." Their throat tightens. "We all tried to mess with forces we never had the full understanding of. We played unsafely with fire and got surprised when those around us got burned from it. We were responsible for putting you and Susie into those positions. Some of us knew what could happen, some of us didn't, but we continued anyways."

They chew on their cheek to keep it from wobbling.

"If we hadn't.. perhaps the prophecy might have continued to be told only through scriptures, awaiting another hundred years for some other group to fulfill it. In the correct way I guess. This.. is my punishment and I've taken you and Susie along for the ride. For that I'm sorry."

"Hey dumbass!"

Ralsei and Kris jump in surprise as they see Susie emerge from the stairs. It seems she has caught some of their conversations. They're not sure how much, but clearly it was enough for her to interrupt. She stomps her way towards the two and grabs them by the shoulders to leer down at them.

"Don't you EVER go saying that shit again!" She starts shaking them lightly. "This ain't either of ya'lls faults so stop moping!" She stops shaking them abruptly and lets her eyes solemnly sink to her shoes. "Besides we know whose fault this really is.."

Now it's Susie's turn to be shocked as she feels Ralsei's scarf smack against her cheek.

"Only if you stop talking bad about yourself back! Susie you couldn't possibly have known it would end like this!" A determined look graces Ralsei's face even as tears stick to his fur. "None of us could! So maybe... maybe we should stop blaming ourselves."

"Easier said than done." Kris mutters.

"Hey what'd I just say about about the self depreciation shit!?"

"Stop shouldering the blame and forgive yourself first. Then I'll consider it." Kris teases sadly.

"How about you first!"

"Who was the one secretly working with the knight?"

"I'll do you one better, who's the one who stupidly tried to go against the prophecy fortold by fricking time and space apparently."

"W-well if we're going to play this game- don't forget who else was keeping secrets!" Ralsei contributes. "And I-I apologize again for that." Another round of sobs erupts from his throat without his permission. "It wasn't fair of me to be dishonest about such a thing."

Susie and Kris pause their back and forth as the room returns to a more serious atmosphere. Susie with a sigh drags the herself and the human towards the darkner.

"Hey it's ok man. You've already apologized a million times for it. You know we've forgiven you. And.... we've forgiven each other. I think.. that's the best we're gonna get for a while." Susie opens her arms, allowing Ralsei to cry into her side. She keeps one arm up if Kris wishes to join. "I mean, where does an old ass prophecy even get off having some stupid teens save the world? Let's just blame whoever wrote it and call it a day."

Kris decides they would like to join and allows Susie to pull the three of them into an emotional hug. Her own eyes feeling the weight pooling in her bottom eyelids.

"You tucked Lancer back into bed... he ain't got a speck of dust on him." Susie mumbles atop the fluffy head of Ralsei, finally allowing him to understand she knows.

"Right..." Ralsei anxiously acknowledges. "I-I was uh just trying to-" Now because he's anxious and stuttering most of his words turn to an unintelligible soft ramble.

"Dude, Rals you're gonna be fine, not mad. I wanted to thank you." She squeezes the two a little bit harder. "You're looking out for him when neither me or Kris can and... there's no shame." She swallows thickly. "Me and Noelle, well uh just me, I still talk to her when I can."

"I whisper into my necklace every night before I sleep." Kris admits. "Makes me feel better. Grief is super fucking weird."

"Kris!" Ralsei gasps.

"Whaat? Susie says it all the time." Kris snorts.

"Sorry yeah it's just a word. But it sounds so weird coming from you..."

Susie thought most of her life had thought crying was gross. Both from herself and the people around her.

But like she had previously processed.

Crying with friends honestly and openly certainly made the salty drips falling from her cheeks feel less humiliating than attempting and failing to silence them last night.

"Thanks for sticking with me you emotional freaks."

Notes:

Next up, more insight on the state of the Grand Fountain!

Chapter 4: The Grand Fountain That Gives This World Form?

Summary:

A dark spout of amassing darkness
Said to forever house the inky blackness

Like a spool of thread it's sure to unwind,
Much like our own three heroes time

The sound of arguing could be heard by all who roamed the Castletown walls. That is, if there had even been anybody left to roam it. It was fortunate for the three that the heavy stone walls were far too sturdy to shake under their rising pressure.

"I know! I know time isn't on our side!"

"Ralsei you said your fountain is starting to fall apart! It and YOU could drop dead as soon as tomorrow! Me and Kris could drop dead tomorrow because of frostbite or whatever, we don't have time to wait on something like this! We need to use it now!"

Ralsei is pacing the floor anxiously, never quite crossing into anybody else's space as he does. His paws instinctively rub and pull at his scarf in attempt to keep himself calm and collected.

"It won't work if we use it now! It has to age! It has to be hand cycled to concentrate its' healing magic! Let go!" Finally breaking the distance between them a scaled claw grasps the Prince's much fluffier one. Attempting to wrap around the small glass vile held securely in his hand.

"C'mon man please just-... Gah! What the hell Kris!? What are you... are you against using it too?"

A slight snarl curls on her face as her human friend stands before her, poised in front of Ralsei, sword extended towards her. There's a grimace adorning their face.

"..."

There's nothing to say that hasn't already been made clear.

"*Scoff* Whatever! You know what who freaking cares! W-who cares if this fountain closes and you're just fucking gone forever! I'm gonna go find something out there we can actually use!"

The girl turns on her heels to bolt out of the building.

"Susie wait! I-I'm sorry, come back!"

She didn't look back.
____

"I wanted to thank you two again for helping me with this. You really didn't have to.

"Psh, this is nothing! Friends are supposed to help each other. Righttt Kris?!" Susie pokes her tongue out cheekily to the blue human, who is staring down at a sink filled with their dishes like it's responsible for the current state of the ruined world.

"The worst. Dishes are the worst." Their face grimaces every time their hands touch a soggy piece of food. The only saving grace is the fact the water down here dissolves the muck away as quickly as if it were cotton candy.

Once it's cleaned, they set them out on the dish rack for Ralsei to dry, who then passes the dry dishes to Susie to put away.

The dining table is cleared by now, but at the end of the table, seated like royalty is Lancer. He has a bib tied around his stony neck and his own set of untouched dishware placed in front of him.

Susie had wetly insisted he join them for second breakfast as soon as their emotional trio breakdown had ended. Soothing Ralsei's nerves the whole way down the stairs with him securely under one arm.

"See? Neither of us would have judged you. Like Kris said, greif's weird as shit. You don't hafta feel bad about yourself because of how you're coping."

She reluctantly agreed to allow Rouxls to join at Ralsei's insistence that Lancer would make the same request. So he too is situated next to the table with a glittery napkin tied around his neck.

Upon handing Ralsei the last dish , Kris rushes to scrub their hand clean and dry.

"The worst." They grumble.

"You lost rock, paper, shoot fair and square!"

Kris gives Susie the deadest stare in history, so much so that she would have thought they died standing if they hadn't spoke up.

"I accidentally put out my arm with the missing hand out and you immediately claimed being the winner and said to me, "L bozo."

"Wait, that's how it happened?!" Ralsei asks slack jawed, turning to face Susie. Who's trying to avoid his stare as she thinks of which flavor of excuse to use. "It's so.... smart..."

"Ha! There's the good old fashion snark I taught you!" Susie grabs Ralsei by his neck to noogie him. "Glad he's back!"

"Eep, I apologize Kris! That just slipped out!" A now embarrassed Ralsei squeaks.

"Psh they're fine. But ya know, since I'm a no good cheater, here." Susie brashly holds the dish and towel in her hands towards Kris, making obvious eye contact with the empty sink. "Here you go, we can switch jobs. I'll finish washing and you can put the rest away."

Kris retaliates by taking the rag from her hands and snapping it at her arm.

Ralsei bursts into a fit of soft laughter as the two go back in forth with snapping the towels at each other. The scene is normal. So very normal considering the circumstances that his muscle memory conjures and disperses the jingly laugh of Lancer amongst his own.

He finds his mind drifting for a moment, seeing Lancer hopping off from his seat and running in to join the two. Teaming up with Susie to bombard Kris with their attacks.

The daydream ends when he feels the snap of a towel against his shoulder abruptly by a manically grinning Susie.

"You back with us bro?"

"Yes! Apologies again., just enjoying the moment before we...." Ralsei's momentum in the sentence fizzles out the further he talks until his voice drops to silence.

"Right." Susie tsks. "Guess it's back to the grind." She unties the napkins around both and Lancer and Rouxls and folds them neatly atop the stack of dirty cloth napkins for the wash. Her eyes wonder to the opposite side of the room, noting the taped up entrance to the prison. "Prison still absolutely destroyed down there?" Susie points out.

"Unfortunately yes. Most of my clean up efforts have been directed elsewhere and well... it's not too high of a priority." Ralsei admits bashfully. "Since there's really no need for a prison when there's no one around to commit crimes."

"Tsk, it's also not like there's really anyone to dig out from down there anyways."

Ralsei, the ever gracious 'Prince of the Dark' he was, had decreed that in the emergency case of 'The Roaring' being triggered, all darkners imprisoned down there should be freed post haste. Queen and K. Round had seen to it themselves that it was upheld in his absence.

He's grateful that in that time of unease and terror, King had behaved himself and even decided to fight besides them. Though all three heroes are positive it was simply to get back at The Roaring Knight for his feelings of betrayal towards them.

"Kris, Susie.. are you two ready to head to the fountain?" Ralsei's statement brings both Lightners back into the present moment. Kris gives a simple nod and Susie gives a strained, "As I'll ever be."

The three follow behind each other as they used to do, this time with Ralsei at the charge as he heads towards the towering darkwood door against the center back wall of the castle's first floor. Digging into his scarf he reveals a pair of keys. Flicking through them, he stops when his paws feel the key bearing the correct shape.

The key that only casts a shadow.

He shifts it into the keyhole and mutters a string of words that he has no memory of anyone ever teaching him. It was simply something he was 'born' knowing.

With a turn and a click, the door to the Grand Fountain can be entered.

"Sorry about the mess! Just erm watch your step please."

The room like the castle walls outside of it are also made with dark cobbled brick. The floors however are a much sleeker material for making spills and any splashes of dark matter that the fountain spits out onto it, easy to clean.

Pushed up against both walls are long rows of equipment and study space. The tables are full of an assortment of magical instruments that blink and beep rapidly as it constantly keeps a reading on the current state of the Grand Fountain. There's other scientific looking equipment also littered on the tablespace. Microscopes for studying samples of the fountain, distillation apparatuses that still reek of mint, a large collection of reading material followed with various handwritten papers that litter both amongst it and the around the workspace and shelves upon shelves of magical artifacts that vary from modern to possibly ancient.

At the end of the room, shooting forth is the Grand Fountain itself. Presented in such a way that it makes it very clear to all those who look upon it, that it was indeed here before this castle. A reminder that this castle and it's surrounding buildings and society developed around it.

It provides the room with most of the lighting, but a few blue flames flicker from their holsters on the walls and there are lanterns also placed on the tables. Worn from hours of late night research.

Overall, the room does not seem to bear much of a mess like Ralsei seems to think it is.

"Forgive me, but there's one thing to do before we head to the fountain. If you don't mind of course..?"

He leads them to the table with the school chemistry laboratory looking equipment. The mint smell emitting from it, again, is potent enough to cause Susie's nose to twitch. Ralsei sticks his paw back into his scarf and pulls out the second Revivement, tapping it into a glass-like flask with a detachable cap, hooked to clear tubing. He screws the cap back on and turns a valve on a nearby canister lightly, allowing a slow flow of the luminescent green gas to enter the flask.

After five seconds, he turns the valve off and taps the cap, sealing the gas in the greyish colored flask.

"There we go! Now while the Revivement is being cleansed, we can check out the Grand Fountain!" Finally, the three make their way to the series of machine-like instruments keeping readings on the Grand Fountain. While simultaneously being powered by the fountain itself. What a conundrum.

"Step aside dweebs, I got this! I restudied its' manual a few days ago." Susie grins, pushing the two to the side before cracking her knuckles. She looks back and forth between the physical fountain itself and the beeping machines. But it becomes clear on her face that she's struggling to remember what each symbol and scraggly line represents. "Ok I lied actually, Kris, Ralsei you two are gonna have to read it."

"Aw Susie, I can still make those flashcards for you to study with?"

"Yeah I guess I'd be cool with that." The thought of doing what was arguably homework in a desolate world was almost laughable, but unlike a boring algebra class, this stuff was actually important.

"Ooh I know! Susie, could you get us a sample of the fountain? It's always better to have more than one test."

Susie immediately perks up at the request and races to the table opposite of them to grab a dropper to extract the fountains essence and a glass plate to drip it onto for placing under a microscope. While she carefully manages to do that, Kris grabs the notebook resting on the table, scribbling down whatever Ralsei reads aloud from the magical machine then jotting down some math equations based on the information to reach an overall conclusion of the fountain's state.

Once they're finished they rejoin Susie to compare both findings.

"How's it looking on your side?" Susie asks.

Ralsei looks slightly nervous as he answers. "Not.. so good. The structure of the fountain itself is still shaky. It's still slowly unspooling as its' unnatural pressure is beginning to lessen. It's mass has decreased by at least one percent since last week." Ralsei pushes his slipping glasses further up his face. "And on you're part?"

"Same shit." Susie mumbles quietly. "Those little noodle dark node things are thinner. It's like candy floss thin now. Not looking good."

Ralsei's body shivers at the information. Both Lightners fearing the worst prepare in their own ways to comfort him, before he takes a deep breath and motions for them to follow him back towards the table harboring the encased Reveivment.

"I think we can use it now. Remember when I first started my process for infusing and strengthening the magical healing properties of the Revivement?" There is not longer a gaseous cloud in the flask, but the healing item shines just a bit brighter than it did before. He grabs the flask, removing the tubing and screwing it right side down onto another, more complex set of equipment.

He reaches under the table and opens a small cooling unit, grabbing a vile filled with a shimmering green liquid.

"This... is that same bottle of purified healing magic I talked about back then. I've been constantly running it through different cycles since then. Drinking it at this point should be equitable to having forty-thousand HP healed per individual." Kris and Susie stare slack jawed at this small, unassuming looking bottle.

"I-I think now is as good a time as ever to test it out. Better to try it out on something less organic than a Lightner or even a darkner. Just a few drops to start. What do you two think? A-and if it's successful, then I want to infuse it into the Revivement and then break it down into a mist so it can coat and mix with both dust and stone."

"Holy shit dude! I........ thought you- we might never see that thing actually in use. Heh, I forget sometimes just how much of a freaking genius you are with this magic stuff." Susie murmurs guiltily.

Being alone for so long awaiting the arrival of the other Heroes of Prophecy Ralsei supposes had given him plenty of time to study his

Ralsei stares into both of his friends faces with a look of determination. "Kris, Susie.. I need you two to create a barrier of sorts for us to steal ourselves behind once I combine it with the fountain. There's no telling how it will react, even if the worst case scenario is most likely it rejecting the concoction and spitting it back out, but safety first!"

"Hell yeah let's do this!"

While Ralsei grabs another pipette, Kris brings out their shield from their inventory. It's still ruffed up even after trying to fix it, but it protects just as well as if it were in its' prime days. Susie collects a long sheet of scrap metal to act as a second layer of protection.

The goat Prince scurries closer to the fountain and readies the dropper towards it, almost touching it. He yells for his friends to embrace themselves as he three droplets are piped into the gushing black form.

Scurrying quickly after doing so, he jumps behind the small defensive structure and watches on with awe.

The green liquid starts by swirling amongst the darkly colored matter, growing longer and wider with each twist around it does. Mixing similar to that of food dye in frosting. Soon the fountain is tinted in a very light shade of green, which swells into a brighter green for a single second before it makes a popping sound and returns to its original shade of iridescence black.

"Phew, looks like the coast is clear!" Susie barks to her teammates. Lifting up the sheet metal she shuffles closer to the fountain. "C'mon dorks let's get a better look."

"Yes! We must collect a new series of samples! And recheck the extractors readings on it."

This time Kris takes it upon themself to collect a physical sample while Susie keeps her eyes on the fountain for any signs of strange behavior. Ralsei scribbles down the new set of inscriptions down and begins the process of solving them himself. He's only halfway finished with them when a surprisingly loud gasp emits from the human.

They motion the two over to them and point at the microscope, urging them to look into it.

Ralsei goes first and he too lets out a watery gasp. He holds a paw over his mouth, but not in sorrow.

"It-It is healed! Well partially, the nodes are thicker..."

"That's not all." Kris mentions. "Just keeping watching it."

Keeping his eye trained on the sample, Ralsei watches with glee as the darkly colored nodes bulking ever so slightly with the passing time.

"It's slowly healing itself! Since the fountain is in constant motion the healing effects must take place over a longer period of time! But it's working! I can't believe it is working! I.... we might actually be able...." Ralsei buries his face into his scarf as the floodgates reopen.

"We did it! Holy crap you actually fucking did it!!" Susie screams with joy. She grabs Ralsei and Kris with both her arms and hoists the two into the air. Similar to being surfed amongst a crowd as she bounced them up and down in her excitement.

Only when one of the two being tossed around makes a noise of nausea does she set them back down.

"I can't..... believe how much of a dick I was towards you because of it in the beginning. I didn't- I wasn't..-"

Susie is silenced when Ralsei presses a finger against her lips.

"It's fine Susie. Remember what we said about forgiving ourselves earlier?"
_____

"*Grumble* Fine. Fucking fine!" Susie grunts as she pushes herself up another ledge of the cliff-side onto safe, smooth rock. " *Huff* Idiot. That's what he frickin is."

Susie takes a good look at the views surrounding her atop the newly gained height. The cliffs of the last standing Dark World had changed rather drastically since the horrific days of 'The Roaring'. The cliffsides were in absolute shambles. Entire chunks of rocky landscape had been gutted and crumbled to almost nothing, warping the environment into a jagged, uneven tripping hazard for even the most experienced of climbers.

So Susie would have to be extra careful with how she tackled trekking through it.

"Haven't finished combing through this place. Gotta be something else in here. Something useful."

She slides herself down a slanted slab of rock into a crater-like section. Immediately she gets into shoving rocky rubble around. Digging into piles of it and punching piles of chalky dust in search of.. in search of-?

What exactly is she searching for?

"It's fucking fine if he wants to die, but I wont' let that happen."

"That first part was a lie."

"Gah!" Due to habit Susie's axe materializes and points upwards to whoever just spoke. "Shit Kris, now's not a good time to spook me!"

They remain silent as they slide themselves into the crater. Susie puts her weapon away.

"You should have stayed with Ralsei."

"Worried about you too."

"Psh. I'm gonna be fine. He's probably a wreck right now with his stupid self sacrificing bullshit." Susie spits out. "I don't care what he says, I'll find us something that'll work faster. There's gotta be old items that we or Seam dropped in our rush back to the light world around here. I just need to find them."

Kris watches on as she continues to force chunks of rock and gravel out of her way. They simply seat themself down, waiting on the sidelines for her to lose steam. When the moment comes, Susie lets out a roar of frustration, kicking a stray pebble aggressively out of her path as she plops herself next to Kris. Her breathing is heavy from exertion.

Kris doesn't jump at the chance to start a conversation with her while she's recovering. Instead they choose to wait in comfortable silence, allowing themself to only engage in conversation if Susie wishes to. Which after a few minutes of silence and breathing does she start one.

"He's being a dumbass. We don't got time for shit like that. We don't have time for anything! If we're just gonna fuck around with however much we have left of it then he's just gonna die." Susie lifts her knees to rest her arms on them. "Why can't he see that!?" Ugh and I thought he was supposed to be the logical one."

"You're wrong though."

"Huh! The hell are you talking about?!"

Kris doesn't make eye contact with Susie as they speak, their eyes drift off into the darkness above them. "In this new, cold world where nothing that once mattered, matters anymore. Not our grades, not how we present ourselves..... time is all we have. We're the only people it belongs to now."

"Tsk, you can't know that." Susie scoffs. "We have no fucking clue where any of this will go. I hate it. It's unfair. So fucking unfair..." Susie leans her head against her knees in her frustrations. "I... don't want him to die..."

Susie lifts her head, making sure her twitching face is looking into Kris'

"I'm scared Kris. All the time. Scared that that fountain will stop flowing and this place will just go away. With him, Lancer and all the memories we got from it." Susie sniffs sadly. "Some of the best damn memories I've made were down here with you freaks. We can't let them go without a fight! "

Susie feels her claws ball into fists as she continues.

"But....I'm also scared for when we do fix it." She whispers, fearful almost of the scandalous line that just left her mouth. "I want Lancer back. Obviously, he's my best friend, but I-... I'm scared for him when we do un-statue him." She inhales deeply to calm the shake in her voice. "How am I supposed to break the news to him that King and Queen are dead?! That most of his family is dead?! He has Rouxls, but he's just a kid! What if he doesn't understand? But what if he does? And he knows we failed to save them?"

This was....a complicated question, Kris knows. Their fingers rub at their feathered cloak, pondering how they should tackle it.

"I don't think he would blame us." Kris says, even though a part of them wishes the small, round boy would. "He's understanding."

"Ha, he's a pretty sweet kid... So stupidly nice...." Susie kicks her foot out to smash into a rock because of the influx of emotions rising in her chest. Seeing her only well to quell it being taking it out on the stones around her. "You know what the worst part is!? Sometimes I... convince myself this is the best for him. Being stuck in stone. Because at least he isn't feeling any of it. The pain, the grief, the loneliness. That maybe, he's stuck in a state where he at least had hope that everything would be alright."

"It's not a terrible thought..." Kris replies. "It's just something you're doing to cope. It's not like you're actually trying to sabotage the fountain. You're just afraid of the unknowable. Which is a normal fear to have."

"Everything is just too complicated. I hate complicated things."

"You used to hate complicated people too, but look at you now. Friends with me and Ralsei. It was difficult, but you got there eventually. So maybe we'll get through these issues too."

When Susie doesn't reply, Kris continues.

" Ralsei's just as scared as the two of us are. He doesn't want to die Susie, you taught him that his needs matter. You made him feel real and alive. He wouldn't attempt crafting this if he didn't have hope that there was time before the fountain runs out."

"Hope is stupid in a dead world."

"Maybe. But if you can't have faith in time, maybe just have faith that Ralsei knows what he's doing? He's studied the Grand Fountain, he lives here for angel's sake. Right now, he's the one who knows best."

Susie huffs and wipes some dust off of her pants, staying silent so she doesn't have to agree with the freak that their last few sentences are making sense.

It must show on her face though because some of the tension releases from Kris' shoulders. They stand themself up and offer their hand to Susie.

"Come on. I can help you sort this section out, but after that we should head back to Ralsei. You and him both need a minute to cool down."

Susie rolls her eyes in agreement, but takes their hand and pulls herself back up. Fingers already itching to get back to digging.

"Thanks dude."

Kris nods their head.
____

"Right.... uh." No longer needing to apologize, Susie grapples with what to say next. "Do you uh wanna bake another cake..?"

When making eye contact with each other Kris and Ralsei burst into another fit of laughter at her question.

"Hey I'm serious! This was some serious and seriously boring work! We should treat ourselves again!"

"It's a wonderful idea Susie, but I had another idea. What if we... play some minigames together to work our appetites up even more?" Ralsei asks sheepishly.

"Oh so you wanna challenge me, huh? I see how it is. Well me and my drums ain't gonna let you win so easily!" Susie encourages her friends to follow behind her as she makes her way towards the exit. "Winner gets two cakes!"

Then she's out of the room and off.

"Hey wait! I didn't agree to those conditions!"

Notes:

Finally putting that flashback tag to good use!

Get ready guys cause there's gonna be so many more of them after this chapter! We'll be able to see how the end of the world came to be and what happened to our other beloved members of the Deltarune cast!

SHAW

Also a very happy Silksong day my Deltarunelings

And now a word from our sponsors (my little sister)

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