Chapter 1: Beyond Darker
Chapter Text
“The candles burn out for you; I am free." - DURANDAL
“Dear Asriel,
It must be surprising to get a letter from me after all this time. I’m sure you are wondering where I’ve been and how I’ve been doing throughout these past… Angel, how long has it been? I’ve lost all track of time and its passing, I no longer feel hungry only… numb. I’ll occasionally find something to eat, but it's painful to choke down more than a few bites. I probably shouldn’t be making you worry but it's a relief to finally have someone to talk to in a way.
It's so dark here, and when the darkness gets to me I think of you, my sweet soft sunbeam and all the sudden the world seems so much more bright. You’re my reason for still being here. I cherish each and every memory I have of you, but as I linger on those far away days I cannot help but wish you were here now. I hope you haven’t moved on from me as selfish as that is. If you have, I'll try to get along with your girlfriend and go back to being friends.
Oh Angel above, who am I kidding? As soon as I get out of this endless night I’ll just sweep you off your feet again and win back your heart. Hopefully this floating heart stays true to their word and not only delivers this message but also figures a way for me to get out of here. She says that she knows some people who can help, but a part of me knows that you’ll find your own way to help me out of here. I wish I could write more but I’m apparently out of time, I miss you so much flower boy.
Always yours,
December Holiday.”
A faint voice tickled the back of my mind calling out to me, and I pushed it aside. My surroundings were warm and comfortable and I didn’t wish to be disturbed. Despite my insistence the voice became clearer and louder, and I began to process that the sound was outside of my mind.
“WAKE UP DUMBASS!” A familiar voice shattered my peace and quiet, and two firm hands had grabbed my shoulders and were now shaking me.
Kris attempted to push Susie away, but she dragged us out of bed and started tousling Kris’s hair. The fog of sleep was quickly fading from my mind and I remembered the events of the past night, and the fact that I was now back in Kris’s body.
“C’mon you need to get up! The festival is happening in an hour and I don’t want to miss picking up Noelle!” Susie had ceased messing with Kris’s hair and had placed them down on the floor, where they staggered to their feet.
[♥ Ok I’ll get ready | Not going to the festival]
“I’ll put something on, be out soon.” Kris whispered the words as they pushed Susie out of the room and quietly closed the door, turning the knob early to ensure little sound was made.
They quickly threw on their typical outfit of brown pants, a black shirt, and finally a green hoodie with a singular yellow stripe. Kris yawned, and we walked downstairs, greeted by the sweet smell of cinnamon, chocolate, and freshly made waffles. Susie was already at the table, eagerly shoveling half of a waffle into her mouth while Toriel laughed and placed a plate stacked high with waffles in the center of the table.
“Do try not to choke dear! Good morning Kris, I saved some food for you,” Toriel spoke warmly, her voice clear, much unlike the slurred speech she had last night.
Kris looked away from Toriel as we sat at the table, and they ate eagerly, although not shoveling food into their mouth as much as Susie was. The waffles were delicious, and as they melted in Kris’s mouth I could taste the rich cinnamon and chocolate flavors that filled the kitchen air. Susie swallowed and cleared her throat before speaking,
“Uh, thanks for breakfast again Ms. Dreemurr!”
“Its no issue at all dear, its the least I could do for you especially after last night,” Ms. Dreemurr’s tone was only slightly regretful, and I could feel the tension in the air grow uncomfortable, Kris shuffling in their seat as they finished the last of their waffles.
Taking note of this, Susie stood up and grabbed Kris by the shoulder, dragging them towards the door.
“Me and Kris are going to go to the Festival now, bye Ms. Dremurr!” Susie shouted, and in no time we were outside the house. The sky was mostly free of clouds, just cold enough that Kris and Susie’s breath condensed into smoke, which was quickly blown away by the mild yet slightly bitter breeze, the first fangs of winter starting to bite in the wind.
[ ♥ You didn’t need to do that | … ] “You shouldn’t have done that Susie,” Kris whispered.
“Shouldn’t have done that? It was obvious that you were uncomfortable, besides we have better things to do today than spend time with your mom,” Susie punched Kris on the shoulder lightly, “Lets go pick up Noelle and get to the festival early, that way we can get all the good prizes!”
Kris nodded and gave Susie a squeeze on her shoulder, their own little way of saying thank you- and we began to walk towards the Holiday’s mansion. I stopped by a few other places on the way, enjoying how the town had completely changed overnight into a sea of flowers and golden lanterns, the latter guiding the way to the festival grounds, a somewhat unnecessary measure as the ferris wheel in the distance was a guidepost on its own.
“Woahhhhh! I didn’t expect the town to change so much! I guess everyone was right to make a big deal out of this!” Susie shouted, a wide grin plastering her face, the lantern light dancing in her eyes.
We approached the gates of the Holiday’s residence, where Asgore was wrapping some flowers onto the fenceline to give it a more festive look. Carol was speaking to him, her expression cold and unreadable as always. Seeing Carol, Susie dragged us into some bushes.
“Noelle’s mom being here really throws a wrench in things… should we just wait for Noelle to come out?”
[♥ Sneak out back | Wait for Noelle | Ask Carol] Kris jabbed a thumb towards the back of the house and motioned for Susie to follow. We followed an old path that had clearly been used a lot in the past, but had now fallen out of use and had become slightly overgrown. Fortunately there was enough of the path still unclaimed by nature that we were able to follow it, and it quickly ended below a dark shuttered window. There were scuff marks below it, indicating someone had climbed in that way many times. Kris pointed at the window to the far right of where they now stood, the light blue of Noelle’s room visible, along with the faint tune of “White Christmas.” Susie began looking around on the ground, picking up a few pebbles before gently throwing one at Noelle’s window.
As soon as the pebble hit the window a high pitched shriek ripped through the air, causing Susie to jump, and Kris to let out a chuckle.
“HEY! IT'S NOT FUNNY!” Susie shouted.
The window swung open, and Noelle stuck her head out, a shocked expression on her face. “SUSIE??!?!?!? What are you doing here??”
“Picking you up for the festival, duh.”
“The festival?? But my mom said that I shouldn’t go with you!” Noelle’s voice was tinged with a bit of sadness.
“Hey she’s busy right now with Kris’s dad, if we sneak out now we’ll be able to avoid her, do you want to go or not?”
“Sneak out now??!??”
“I mean yeah the festival is happening now, you wanna miss it or something?”
“No no no, I do want to go, I just… don’t want to upset my mother more,” Noelle’s expression faltered, worry and regret painting her face.
“Well she won’t get upset about what she doesn’t know, or if she learns it after it happens. You can’t change the past after it happens, so let's stop wasting time and get goin’!”
“Fahaha I guess you are right! Gimmie a moment to finish getting ready, I’ll meet you two out back!”
“Sweet!” Susie pumped her fist in the air before sitting down by the trunk of a fallen tree, motioning for Kris to join.
Kris joined her freely, and they sat on the trunk behind Susie, staring at the broken branches on the ground. Susie grabbed one of the sticks and began poking at the underbrush with it, driving small bugs and fallen leaves away with every poke and prod, still listening for Noelle’s hoofsteps. Kris watched in mild amusement, and I looked over Susie’s shoulder, watching her dig the stick into the dirt.
Not long after, Noelle came out of the house through a back door, wearing a black dress with a green and red cardigan.
“Ok lets get going now!” She hissed, urging Kris and Susie to follow her down a separate path in the woods, this one leading to the northwest towards the fairgrounds of the festival.
“You uh… look good? Yeah, good!” Susie stuttered, earning a mirthful laugh from Noelle.
“Gosh you think so?” Noelle’s nose glowed slightly at Susie’s comment, causing her to pick up the pace in order to stay ahead of Susie. “That means a lot coming from you!”
“Really? It's not like I’m some fashion expert...” Susie’s voice trailed off as the trees began to thin out, revealing the festival grounds ahead.
The fairgrounds were alight with purple and red lights, lanterns hanging from arches made of roses and pink tulips. This was contrasted by nearby fields, which had been planted with golden sunflowers and pale tulips. However, instead of a floral scent filling the air, the heavy smell of vanilla, cinnamon, and butter were present, coming from the nearby stands. Every vendor was peddling their own unique blend of sweets, all competing with each other for the attention of festival goers. Beyond the line of food vendors were a variety of carnival games with a colorful array of prizes drawing the attention of children and adults alike, and beyond those were a slew of rides, including a ferris wheel which dominated the skyline.
“Fahaha I forgot this was your first time at the festival! It really is something when you aren’t used to it!” Noelle turned around, the lights of the festival illuminating her silhouette while she addressed Susie, who stood agape at the beautiful sight.
“Woah… now I know why everyone was making a big deal about this dumb festival. Maybe not so dumb after all,” Susie admitted, “So uh, what are we gonna do first?”
[♥ Festival games | Food | Ferris wheel] Kris pointed at a booth where an attendant was handing out small rings to customers, who attempted to land them onto the necks of bottles of various colors.
“Sweet! I betcha I can win more prizes than both of you!” Susie shouted, dashing through the fields of yellow and gold towards the festival grounds, shortly followed by Noelle and Kris who ran after her.
The trio spent the next three hours in an intense competition, with each trying to outdo the others in the number and size of the prizes that they could win, before ultimately settling down on a picnic table near the food vendors. The scent of their wares had caused Susie’s mouth to water, so the group had bought a few cinnamon pies to share, and they were all now busy finishing their food.
“I still can’t believe that you managed to win Kris! I thought I had the lead…” Susie fumed at her loss while Kris eagerly finished off their second pie, a smirk plastering their face.
“It's not helped that you got distracted by the rides for a half hour fahahaha!” Noelle’s voice chimed. She had gotten second place in the impromptu competition, but would’ve won if she hadn’t given away some prizes to Susie.
“Oh! Speaking of rides, how about we go on the Ferris wheel? We should go before it gets too crowded, how about it Noelle?” Susie turned to Noelle as she spoke, her leg bouncing up and down in anticipation.
“O-oh!” Noelle stammered as she straightened herself up in her seat, nose slightly aglow as she dusted herself off, “I’d love to go on the ferris wheel with you, but uh.. what about Kris? There’s only room for two in the ferris wheel cars.”
[♥ It’s okay, you two can go | I want to go with Susie | I want to go with Noelle] “You two can go on your own, I’ll wait here and watch our stuff,” Kris whispered, watching Noelle and Susie head off to the ferris wheel, noting Noelle quietly mouthing “Thank you Kris,” as they walked away. For a few moments, apart from the hustle and chatter of the festival in the distance, it was quiet. I admired the sky, a light blue above spattered with wispy clouds, and the horizon just starting to turn orange with the first rays of the sunset. No matter where I went, the sky was always beautiful.
A nasally voice broke the silence, “Greetings Kris, I do observe that you have been abandoned by your peers!”
Kris spun around to find Berdly, who was holding a small stuffed cardinal that he had won from one of the festival games.
“Would you permit me to relax on your bench while we await the return of your party? I have something I must ask dear Noelle.” Berdly queried, leaning against the picnic table.
[♥ Sure | Go talk to her yourself ] Kris nodded, and Berdly took a seat next to Kris. I grabbed some water and took a long swig, bracing myself for the incoming conversation.
“Your father did a good job decorating the fairgrounds dear Kris. Normally I am preferential to more... refined tastes, but I must admit that he’s exceeded my low expectations.”
[♥ Thank you? | He didn’t do a good job | … ] “Thanks?” Kris spoke, slightly confused at Berdly’s statement.
“No need to thank me, I am simply making an intellectually fueled observation,” Berdly pushed up his glasses, “But I am also here for another reason.”
Kris cocked their head, mildly interested in what Berdly had to say now.
“What kind of flowers do you think dear Susan would like?”
[♥ I don’t know | She doesn’t like flowers | Roses] Kris shrugged before taking another sip of their water, slightly shrinking in their seat.
“Hmph. Well then, I shall have to conduct some field research! And here comes.. uh Kris.. why are Susie and Noelle holding hands?”
Kris turned to look around, and sure enough, holding hands and sharing some cotton candy were Noelle and Susie, the pair laughing over some joke as they approached the table.
“Oh! Uh, hello Berdly!” Noelle waved towards the bluebird, “What are you doing here?”
“Oh! Dear Noelle! I just.. Erm.. had a query regarding our group endeavor! Did we want to go with the first or second version of our project board?”
“C’mon man, you shouldn’t be bothering with homework right now, there’s a festival going on, can’t you tell?” Susie asked, chomping down on the cotton candy.
Berdly looked like he was about to open his mouth to object before Noelle decided to speak instead.
“Susie’s right, Berdly! You should really relax some! We aren’t going to fail our project if we take a day off!!”
“I.. do suppose you are right Noelle.. Kris, you fall asleep in class all the time, you must instruct me how to ‘take a day off.’” Berdly demanded.
Kris shrugged again, crossing their legs and leaning back to relax.
“Kris!” A deep booming voice broke through the noise of the crowd, it was Asgore, and he strode over to the group, clearly bearing some news. “Kris, I’m happy to see you with so many friends! I’ve been trying to find you.” Asgore picked up Kris in a massive bear hug, holding them there for a few moments before setting them down again.
“Hello Mr. Dreemurr!” Noelle greeted the boss monster, “What are you doing here?”
“Oh I’m just here to invite you all to Flower King! I’m holding a celebration there for the festival. I’ve got a surprise for Kris and Noelle in particular, but you didn’t hear that from me!” Asgore winked, “Just try to get Toriel to come please, it's something that she’ll want to see.”
Kris nodded at Asgore’s request, but not before rolling their eyes in exasperation at what was most likely another attempt to win back Toriel’s heart.
“I hope to see you all there. If you don’t mind I have to make a few more last minute flower deliveries, try not to be too late!”
“We’ll try to Mr. Dreemurr!” Susie shouted back at Asgore, as he retreated into the crowd again, “I don’t think we are going to have an easy time convincing Ms. Dreemurr to go, I’m sure she’s… busy…” Susie trailed off, looking away from where Asgore went.
“Why? Did something come up?” Noelle turned to Susie, concerned. Susie looked away, her hair blocking her eyes.
“It’s just adult stuff, nothing interesting, let's take our prizes home and then head to Flower King, I want to see what this stupid surprise is all about!” Susie gathered up the prizes the group had won.
“Dearest Susan, wouldn’t you benefit from admitting you need my aid?” Berdly chirped, attempting to scoop up an equal amount of prizes as Susie had, but floundered under the weight of them all.
“Berdly!! You can’t say you don’t need help either at times! C’mon Kris, let's drop this stuff off at your place, and then we can head to the party!” Noelle pulled Kris up by their collar and pushed them towards the festival ground’s exit.
The group proceeded to transport their haul of goodies to the Dreemurr’s home, Susie leading the procession proudly with her tower of plushies and sweets. Once they had entered the living room, Susie promptly dumped the plushies on the carpet before falling into the soft pile, lounging on it.
“Hey Ms. Dreemurr? Are you there?” Noelle peeked into the kitchen, expecting to see the familiar sight of the motherly figure cooking dinner, but she was nowhere to be seen.
“Told ya already, she’s busy right now,” Susie muttered.
Noelle continued to look in the kitchen, before opening the fridge to find a freshly made butterscotch-cinnamon pie with a note on it, the pan still slightly warm despite the chill of the fridge.
“It looks like she made a pie for us to take to the party. There’s a note saying she won’t be able to make it as she is helping out the church with some festivities.” Noelle gently picked up the pie, making sure to keep it far away from Kris, “C’mon, I want to know what this whole surprise is about fahahaha!!”
Susie got up from her pile of plushies and headed for the door, which was held open by Berdly.
“The door, m’ladies and gentleperson,” Berdly half bowed, his wing holding open the door for Noelle, Kris, and Susie, with the latter only slightly objecting to the gesture by nudging the door open some more with her foot, “I shall depart posthaste to resume work on our project dear Noelle! Fare thee well!” The bluebird waved goodbye, walking back towards their home on the other side of town.
An uncomfortable tension seemed to fill the air after leaving the Dreemurr’s home, and as the group drew nearer to Flower King, it only seemed to grow. The customary lights that had decorated the area near the festival were now few and far between, the low light of the evening twisting the once beautiful flowers into unknown shapes that haunted the edge of my vision. Flower King’s curtains were closed, and not a single beam of light leaked out from the door or windows, and no sound could be heard from within. Noelle knocked on the entrance to the shop, and the door slowly swung inwards, impossibly dark smoke spewing from the doorway. It lingered there momentarily, choking any ray of light that attempted to penetrate through the entrance before rising slowly into the sky.
“W-what is this stuff??!!” Noelle shrieked as she leapt backwards, nearly dropping the pie in her arms.
“A dark world?!? Now?? C’mon Kris, let’s get this over with,” Susie commanded, charging headfirst into the dark smoke, which quickly absorbed her.
“SUSIE???!!?? WAIT!!” Noelle dropped the pie, bolting into the doorway after Susie, followed shortly after by Kris.
As the darkness enveloped us, my vision darkened, any possible source of light being blotted out completely. The void only seemed to deepen and grow in its impossible depths, becoming darker than I would’ve ever thought possible. The darkness rushing past my ears gradually turned into a ROAR as Kris and I fell into the abyss. After a few more moments I could finally make out colored shapes again, and stretched out across the horizon was an endless field of pink and gold. Massive trees and flowers dominated the landscape, while in the far distance a fountain of endless darkness poured into the night. Kris crashed into a bed of gold flowers, cushioning their fall from any grievous injury, though they staggered to their feet all the same.
“There you are Kris!” Susie had landed in a similar patch of pink flowers, dressed now in her accustomed dark world attire not too far away, and was in the midst of looking around the meadow, “How long do you think we’ll have to wait for Ralsei to show up?”
[♥ What about Noelle? | Not long | Right behind you] “What about Noelle..?” Kris muttered, looking around for the young doe.
“Noelle?! Of course! She must’ve chased after us once we jumped in! Let’s get moving and hope we can find her before she gets into too much trouble.”
Kris nodded and I took the lead, heading towards what appeared to be a well beaten path out of the meadow. As we crested a ridge along the path, we could see that it led down towards a massive forest, and before we could travel further, a bleating voice paused our advance.
“Kris, Susie! We shouldn’t go that way yet!” Ralsei floated down from a particularly tall tree, landing gracefully in front of Kris, “Noelle fell towards there,” Ralsei pointed in the opposite direction of the forest, to a singular massive weeping willow tree that pierced the sky.
“Wooahhhh… It seems like it’d be easy to get lost in there,” Susie commented, furrowing her brow, “We should get her as soon as possible before she gets kidnapped again or something!”
“Then onwards we go! You lead the way Kris!” Ralsei chirped, taking position behind Susie.
I decided to heed Susie and Ralsei’s words, and opted to begin our journey towards the massive willow tree. As we traveled over the hills and far away from where we had landed, I began to take note of the surprising lack of opposition to our party, as we had yet to encounter a single foe who would challenge us to a FIGHT. I strained my eyes, trying to see if I could spot any sign of movement, but I found the landscape lacking. How peculiar… It wasn't like the hushed artificial silence that occurred in Tenna’s dark world, but instead the simple peace and quiet of nature, a pleasant change for once. It didn’t take much longer for us to reach the base of the willow tree, where a path formed from flower stems wound its way up the trunk.
“It’s strange how there hasn’t been anyone here, aren’t there supposed to be more darkners? And why haven’t we seen any trace of Noelle?” Susie questioned, turning to Ralsei for answers.
“Unfortunately I don’t have an answer for that right now, maybe they’re all off somewhere else? It could be someone is commanding them not to attack us. As for Noelle, the lack of hoofsteps in the ground is worrying, but I’m sure we’ll find her!” Ralsei answered, his cheery voice echoing through the branches.
We continued the climb up the tree, slowly winding around its base as we ascended and it was not long before we could hear the sound of talking.
A soft, kind voice tinged with worry was heard first, “-it’s for the best that you stay here dear, the King is indisposed of right now.”
“Ya mean that he’s gone completely bananas?” A rougher voice spoke next, clearly unbothered by whatever events had transpired.
“Ever since that strange thorny plant appeared, yes, he has been crazier than usual,” A calm bassy voice added to the previous statement spoken by the rough voice.
“S-so uh.. When do I get to go??” Noelle’s easily recognizable voice chimed in, free from fear.
“NOELLE! HOLD ON WE’RE COMING TO SAVE YOU!!” Susie roared, dashing ahead of Kris, quickly passing out of sight.
“Susie, wait up! We don’t know who they are!” Ralsei chased after the purple dragon, trying to stop her. I, in turn, pursued Ralsei, running around the bend of the flower path before having to come to a screeching halt lest I slam into Susie and Ralsei, who both appeared to be standing completely still, staring at Noelle.
Inside a large opening in the tree was Noelle, sitting on a chair made of leaves, her white robe slightly tinged green by the chair and grass that covered the floor. Nearby was a bed of blue flowers that had been recently disturbed. She was holding a cup of tea, and was surrounded by three massive flowers, one bright green, one a deep blue, and the last a vibrant purple. Each had a somewhat surprised expression, and it was clear that they were not expecting any more guests.
“Hello Susie! Kris! And.. As-?” Noelle tilted her head, unsure who the pink horned goat by Kris was.
“My name is Ralsei.” Ralsei cut off Noelle before she could finish, an uncharacteristic frown spreading across his face.
“Who are these losers?” Susie jabbed an accusing finger at the flowers surrounding Noelle, “Are they keeping you here against your will?”
“Against her will? We would do no such thing!” The green flower spoke with indignation, “She is a guest here, and we were just discussing the matter of things over some tea until you dropped in.”
“If ya wanted some tea so bad you didn’t need to make such a ruckus,” The purple flower spoke, holding a teapot, steam still winding out of its mouth, “Care to join?”
“Uhh, we’re good, right Kris?”
[♥ I’d like some tea | No tea] “Tea would be nice,” Kris walked towards the table, and the Green flower pulled out a chair for them, which they gladly sat on after the long walk up the tree.
“At least some of them have some form of manners, much unlike that other one who came by,” The bassy voice appeared to belong to the blue flower, who grabbed a teacup and sat it in front of Kris, “Come, Noelle here can tell you what we told her.”
“Susie, it may be for the best that we listen to these flowers, they don’t seem to be harming Noelle, and maybe they can tell us why this dark world is so empty.” Ralsei soothed Susie, his hand on her shoulder.
“Before we continue, let me make some introductions,” the green flower interrupted, “My name is Via, the purple one over there is Faun, and the blue one is Aqui. I presume you all are Susie, Kris, and Ralsei?”
“Yes we are!” Ralsei answered, “What happened here exactly? It’s unusual for a dark world to be so... Empty.”
“Noelle will explain, as we just finished recounting our tale to her.”
“Thank you Via,” Noelle said, “The ruler of this land, The Blossom King, was holding a festival in his grand hall at the top of this tree with all the darkners of this land to celebrate the arrival of an honored guest!! Everyone was ready for the guest’s arrival when a strange floating black plant appeared in front of the King, and gave him a gift. Shortly after, he barred the halls closed, and has been ordering his royal gourds to capture any lightners, including his former honored guest. He has been in deep discussion with the thorny plant ever since.”
“That floating black plant.. That’s gotta be the knight, we’ve gotta stop them before they make another Titan!!” Susie shouted, her knuckles turning white on the hilt of her axe.
“Why aren’t you three at the grand hall with everyone else?” Ralsei questioned, his head tilting in curiosity.
“Ya see it was gonna be our job to bring the honored guest up to the hall, but it's probably for the best that we don’t take him there” Faun spoke, “and I heard it through the grapevine that the thorny plant won't be speaking with the king much longer.”
“It looks like we might have to hurry then. Noelle, you talked about lightners and darkners, do you know about what this place is?” Ralsei inquired.
“Y-yes I do!! Aqui filled me in on how the dark worlds generally work, apparently the king taught them a lot about the dark worlds. I guess that means that my dream a while back wasn’t a dream…” Noelle looked at Susie, who was sheepishly looking away and scratching the back of her head.
“Haha yeah… sorry about that Noelle,” Susie admitted, “it was for a good reason though?”
“I can see how that could be true, I guess,” Noelle’s eyes darted away from Susie, “But you can trust me with these things y’know?? It’s not like I would’ve overreacted or anything!!”
“Noelle dear, you did overreact. You spent a good few minutes insisting it all wasn’t real and nearly froze Via when they tried to explain first,” Aqui gently corrected, smiling softly.
“A-ah!! R-right… Sorry about that…” Noelle’s face turned red, and she pawed at the ground anxiously.
“All is forgiven little one,” Via accepted Noelle’s apology before turning to Susie, but before they could open their mouth, the air was split apart with an ear shattering ROAR. The sound felt as if nails were being dragged across my eardrums, and the lightners fell to the ground, covering their ears in pain. The horrid sound was quickly followed by a slew of explosions which rocked the tree, leaves and branches falling all around the group. I willed Kris’s body to stand despite the tremors, using their sword to stabilize us despite the shaking, before breaking into a run up the walkway, Susie, Ralsei and Noelle a few seconds behind me judging from the sounds of their footsteps.
The walkway twisted around the tree twice before it came to an abrupt end on a massive tree branch and I slid to a halt, sword drawn. Before me was a scene of complete destruction, patches of fire were scattered around, complemented by dozens of black swords that sprouted from the ground like tombstones. Entire chunks of the tree’s massive limb had been blown away with some kind of flame magic, while other areas had deep blackened grooves cut into them, sharp black stars still embedded into the wood. I heard Susie, Ralsei, and Noelle run to my side, but I did not look at them to confirm their positions, for I was too transfixed on the figure that floated above the carnage: The Roaring Knight. Its grotesque form sparked and fizzled- clearly damaged from the previous battle-the afterimages it left with every movement floating away from it in an endless pattern, forever repeating. Its helmet was a leering death mask that morphed from a slim visor to a baleful sneer at our arrival, as it leveled its blackened blade towards us.
“S-Susie?? W-who is that?? W-what do we-” Noelle was abruptly cut off by a blast of darkness that emanated from the Knight’s blade, the wave of energy sending out a shockwave that knocked me off my feet, the world spinning around me and becoming a blur of green, gray, and black. As I began to lose consciousness the last thing I could make out was the shape of a white figure plummeting after me and a faint voice on the wind howling by Kris’s ears.
I did not know where I was. This was not a first by any means, but that did not make the situation any less disorienting. All I could sense around me was a swirl of warm darkness covering my senses like a blanket.
“Perhaps Kris is sleeping?” I thought to myself, “The last thing I remember was us falling..” Icy dread filled my senses, and my surroundings became less clear as my head buzzed with panic and worry. I willed myself to reach out, to do SOMETHING to confirm that Kris was alive, “Please don’t be dead, I can’t lose another person.. You’ve grown on me too much kid.”
I did not know how long I lingered in that warm darkness waiting for a sign of life, but I was DETERMINED to stay until either I died, or the Roaring came to shatter the earth asunder. Fortunately, it did not seem as if either of those events would come to pass yet, as the warm darkness around me was slowly driven away by a pale green light.
“Someone is using healing magic on us... Ralsei?” Slowly but surely the world began to have color, shape, and form again. Kris groaned, attempting to sit up, but they winced and fell backwards almost hitting the ground before being caught by a soft paw.
“Ralsei, is that you?” Kris asked, their voice hoarse. I tried to look around at our surroundings, but Kris resisted, and I willingly gave into them.
“K-Kris! You’re alright! I’ve been healing you for the past hour. The damage from the fall isn’t as severe as I expected so you should be back up in the next ten minutes.”
“Where’s Susie? Noelle?” This time Kris looked around on their own, showing us to be in a large meadow with towering walls of bushes and flowers. There were three corridors leading out of the meadow in different directions, but I was unable to see far down them from where Kris had presumably landed.
“It seems we got separated, I can only hope that they’re alive and safe. They also could’ve been knocked off the tree.”
“Where are we?” Kris inquired, tilting their head.
“In a maze of some kind. I haven’t explored much of it as I didn’t want to get separated from you. However there does seem to be some kind of FIGHT occurring not far from here, we could easily follow the sound and hopefully meet up with whoever might be causing it.”
“If it’s a FIGHT of some kind it’ll most likely be Susie, that’s a relief,” the idea of Susie being at our side again was reassuring, but I felt it more wise to wait for Ralsei to finish healing Kris before we moved on.
I didn’t have to wait much longer before the soft green glow of Ralsei’s healing magic faded from the edges of Kris’s vision and he rose to his feet, dusting specks of dirt off his green robe.
“There, all better! Try standing!” Ralsei chirped. Kris slowly rose to their feet, only wobbling a little bit before looking up at Ralsei, who was smiling. It was clear that he was happy to see his friend fully healed, “let's get going, I’m sure that whoever is causing the ruckus could be convinced to join us, or at least explain what’s going on.”
Kris nodded in response, and Ralsei fell in line behind us as we began wandering around the maze, attempting to choose paths that led us closer to the sounds of battle, but to little success. As we continued to wander the maze, the echoes of conflict began to grow fainter before an eerie quiet fell over the maze at their cessation, replaced by the strong smell of burning wood. Not knowing what else to do, we followed the smell, and it did not take long before we found a section of the wall that had been eaten away by hungry flames. The gaping wound in the maze revealed a wide field of what first seemed to be blackened soil, but upon closer inspection was a layer of ash that coated the entirety of the meadow.
“What could possibly…?” Ralsei’s face was painted with fear as his voice caught in his throat, his gaze landing upon an individual kneeling in the center of the field by a charred golden flower. The individual bore great wings of flame and wore deep blue robes laden with sigils and bright stars, its sleeves aglow with golden arcane symbols that ended in a circle of flame. The individual looked towards the pair, piercing eyes judging Kris and Ralsei, their face accentuated by narrow black stripes that ended in a sharpened point on each side of their face. The individual stood to their feet and turned to face us.
“And in a sunless realm, a son rose at last..” I spoke to myself, in awe of the figure before me. The God of Hyperdeath, the golden son, had returned.
Chapter 2: Light Lies, Dark Truths
Summary:
Asriel reflects on the past, and reunites with his beloved sibling Kris, and meets Ralsei for the first time.
But all is not as it seems, and the God of Hyperdeath is not easily deceived.
Notes:
Hello everyone! Here is chapter 2!! There may be a few pacing issues but I hope yall enjoy!
Thank you once again to my wonderful beta readers <3
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Chapter Text
“How long has it been since I lost her?” – Eris Morn.
“Dear Dess,
I do not quite know why I am writing this, as by this time you have been missing for three years. The hole you left in everyone’s lives hasn’t closed and is still raw. It feels like a part of me has vanished, and in a way that’s true. Each day that passes without you feels more wrong and empty than the last, and I often think to myself what you would make of my day-to-day happenings. I’m sure you’d make fun of the music I listen to now, and even the degree I picked. I’ve been trying to move on, make new friends, but all they do is remind me of you.
Chara, my roommate in college has been surprisingly understanding and has been exceptionally supportive of me after I came clean to them about you, as I called them December a few too many times. They've helped keep people from chasing after me romantically (Angel knows I could never replace you), and has provided a shoulder to cry on for multiple occasions. They call me a crybaby when I do stain their sweater with my tears, just like I used to do with you.
Despite all the tears I’ve shed and all the memories of you I hold dear I have failed to preserve some aspects of your memory. Some days I realize that I’ve lost the small details of your face, the echoes of your voice. I miss you so much December, and I wish I could’ve been there for you when it mattered most. I promise to never stop searching for you, be it in the woods of Hometown or in the alleys of Ebott city. I just wish that one day, someday, I’ll find my shining star again. I miss you so much starlight.
Always yours,
Asriel Dreemurr.”
The ashes had worked their way into the white fur of my hands, turning them from a pure white to a faint gray. I simply gazed at the falling flakes that drifted from the massive flower I knelt before, its living beauty now reduced to a husk home only to embers. It was an unfortunate victim of the previous battle, and its leaves and petals were slowly crumbling in the cold gentle wind.
“Just like the snow…” I thought to myself, crushing a few stray ashes that had floated into my open hand. I could not tell if this world was a dream or an elaborate delusion, my mind now playing tricks on me with that deer-like figure. I had been chasing her down the weeping willow tree, hoping to talk to her when that… THING attacked me.
“It’s good that I wasn’t as rusty as I thought, but Angel’s mercy it still gave me as good a beating as I gave it.” My thoughts were interrupted by the snap of a twig, and I spun around to face the source of the sound. I summoned my swords of iridescent flame and wreathed myself in the protective blaze of my magic. The sigils on my gauntlets blazing orange in anticipation of the foe I turned to face.
“If this thing is begging for a round two I’ll teach it a lesson it won’t-” My train of thought was cut short as instead of seeing that black figure with its sword drawn, I saw a human with short hair in silver armor accompanied by a goat monster with pink horns in a green cloak. The human’s face despite having aged over the past three years was unmistakably etched into my memory.
“Kris?!” I exclaimed, “What are you doing here!?” I willed the flames of my armor and swords to extinguish themselves and ran towards Kris, picking them up into a massive bear (goat?) hug.
“Asriel??!” Their voice was more than a little confused and surprised, but they returned the embrace they found themselves in, “Dad got you home early!?”
“Hahaha! He sure did! I wanted to give you a real surprise K!” I finally set the relatively small human down, kneeling down next to them and ruffling their hair. “Who is this? I don’t remember hearing anything about another family of goat monsters moving into Hometown.”
“Kris still hasn’t pulled away from me, they usually don’t let me mess with their hair this long….”
“This is Ralsei, he’s from the dark worlds,” Kris answered as they sat down on the ashen ground, their voice seemed off somehow since I had last heard it, but I pushed my concern aside.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Asriel! Kris has talked a lot about you!” Ralsei spoke softly.
“I bet they did, the little prankster, hopefully they haven’t bothered you too much with their shenanigans,” I chuckled, though I hoped that Ralsei hadn’t endured too much at the hands of the youngest Dreemurr.
“A-actualy they’ve been quite serious, I don’t think they’ve pulled all that many pranks,” Ralsei answered, eyes lingering on Kris.
“Really….? Maybe you have changed Kris….” My voice trailed off, a bitter taste filling my mouth as I looked Kris over.
“They were still playing pranks on mom a few months ago from what dad was telling me…. They couldn’t have changed so quickly, could they?” I decided against an interrogation now, letting the current situation take precedent.
“Wait.. you aren’t surprised about the dark worlds?” Ralsei inquired, shocked at my lack of apparent panic and confusion.
“I’ve had my encounters with one or two before, it's a long story that I can talk about later, but right now we need to get moving and find dad. I had just walked in the door when he created the dark fountain. I couldn’t stop him….” I looked away from Kris and Ralsei, turning my gaze to the top of the willow tree above us, a castle nestled high up in its branches.
“I’m sure you did all you could at least,” Kris reassured, their voice smooth. I narrowed my eyes slightly at Kris before Ralsei interrupted.
“What caused all this destruction? We saw the Knight up on the tree and it was in an area that was just like this one.”
“The knight?” I tilted my head, curious, “Who or what is the knight?”
“The knight is-” Kris cut themselves off, biting down hard on their tongue.
“W-what Kris is trying to say is that we don’t know who the knight is, but they’re the ones behind the creation of these dark worlds. As for what they are, they are a lightner, but their unusual form makes it.. Difficult to determine.” Ralsei interjected.
“Was he trying to distract me….?”
“Unusual form? Don’t tell me, are they all black, have a creepy visor, float around, and have a laugh filled with static?” I guessed, my attention now wholly on Kris, a small amount of blood spilling from the edge of their mouth.
“Y-yes that would be them,” Ralsei answered, his gaze also focused on Kris.
“Kris? Are you all right?” I fussed over them, wiping away the blood from their mouth with my robes.
“I-I’m fine Az,” Kris’s voice was hushed, but it was definitely the voice that Asriel knew and loved. Their face was contorted in pain, a grimace etched into their face as if they had taken a painful injury and not just bit their tongue. Their face continued to twist seemingly against their will, “I-I promise I’m fine.”
“Kris you don’t look okay, Ralsei do you have any healing magic for this?” I turned to the young goat, whose face was now filled with worry. Kris was now working on loosening the straps of their breastplate, letting it fall forward onto their lap.
“I-I don’t know Asriel, I think something's wrong,” Ralsei stammered, his voice tinged with panic. Kris’s face stopped contorting in pain, now replaced with a stern expression.
“Asriel Dreemurr, I have a message for you from De-” A voice of iron and determination superseded Kris’s, but was interrupted by Kris plunging their hand into their chest. They ripped out an object that appeared to be their heart before violently throwing it into a patch of burnt roses a dozen meters away.
“KRIS WHAT THE FUCK?!?!” I immediately began tearing away Kris’s clothes, which were now stained with an alarming amount of blood. The basic first aid classes that I had taken rushed through my mind. I used the scraps of their clothes to form an improvised bandage to staunch the bleeding, augmenting it with my limited healing magic. My head buzzed as adrenaline overclocked my senses and my limbs grew numb. “Ralsei, if you have healing magic please use it now!!”
“Yes I can, move away from their chest!” Ralsei quickly took control, green light emanating from his hands as he pressed them against Kris. The previously massive gash where Kris had torn out the object seemed to have shrunk already, as if by some unknown force. Our healing magic helped expedite the process, and Kris’s ragged breathing slowly became softer and more evenly paced. The tension in the air seemed to relax, slowly drifting away in the warm air. Despite this, I kept my hands on Kris, continuing to heal them.
“Please don’t give up now..” I focused as hard as I could on my healing magic, it was never great but it’d have to do.
“I think they’re going to be okay now, they should regain consciousness soon,” Ralsei reassured me, placing a paw on my shoulder, “You don’t need to keep healing them.”
“I know, I just want to be sure….” I responded, focusing even more on Kris, the world appearing to darken around me, the light emitted by my magic casting light onto Kris. My head ached as the adrenaline slowly began to wear off, exhaustion setting into my very bones. “I may need some rest and healing myself, I’m spent from fighting the Knight.” I looked up at Ralsei, who was now frozen in place, their paw now gripping my shoulder tightly. His eyes were wild with fear, an expression of sheer terror engraved into his face as he gazed at something behind me.
“I-its them….,” His voice faltered, cracking and giving out.
“Them? Them who!? Is the knight back?!” I yelled back, not wanting to look and remove my hands from Kris. In the process of looking at Ralsei I realized that the world had not grown darker from my focus on Kris, but from the shadow of something– or someone– standing right behind me.
“T-the Angel is free from its cage,” Ralsei’s voice was trembling along with his entire body, and it almost looked as if he was going to pass out. After quickly checking to make sure that Kris was no longer bleeding or in danger, I finally made the choice to take my hands off them and turn around. The so-called ‘Angel’ towered over my kneeled position, their entire form covered head to toe in a heavy white cloak trimmed with gold. All across the cloak, rivers of faint pink energy ceaselessly flowed across the fabric, merging and diverging with itself along the creases and folds. I was forced to crane my neck to look up at their face, and I found myself simultaneously enraptured and frozen in terror alongside Ralsei. The creature’s face was hidden in an impossible dark abyss that covered the entire opening of the hood, defying any nearby light that attempted to penetrate it. The exception to this darkness were two golden eyes that glowed brightly against the endless void like small moons.
“No…. they ARE moons,” I corrected myself, seeing that upon closer inspection that each eye had craters, ridges and even valleys, with the largest craters seeming to outline their irises. Furthermore, from each eye fell four silver lines that led to four shooting stars, each glimmering like the northern light.
“Arun’sha! Si’ka Ae’shel Ena’phrytes. Kut sve’ta duka zais’sha,” the Angel had a feminine voice, and the language she spoke was unfamiliar yet somehow soothing, “Vu’si ippolo yuit’si vu’i ta Kris.”
“U-uh, hello?” I was barely able to spit the words out before the creature began circling me, Kris, and Ralsei, its eyes wide with curiosity. It seemed to have a particularly vested interest in Kris, and I shielded them from the creature’s view.
“Yuite flois?” The creature narrowed its eyes, stepping away, “Viage’sa, sa vunet konisech, vu’sa?” The creature then let out a frustrated sigh.
“Ralsei, do you understand them at all?” I looked back at the paralyzed boy, hoping for an answer.
“N-no.. I don’t! A-aren’t you scared of them?!” Ralsei shot back.
“No? Why would I be? She seems friendly,” As I spoke the creature sat down next to me, its cloak still obscuring the entirety of its body.
“Asriel…. That's the Angel and SOUL of the prophecy,” Ralsei spoke as if the fact was obvious.
“The.. Angel?” I looked at the Angel in awe. I dug through the faded memories of my church lessons, comparing what I could remember to the figure before me. I picked up Kris and moved them away from the Angel, wanting to respect her space and keep Kris safe.
“What was Kris doing with the Angel inside them?” I thought, “Does this mean that Kris is… was the cage?” My head spun from the revelations, leaving me with even more answers for Kris once they awoke.
“Elesi’sa? HAHAHAHAHA!” The creature let out a booming laugh, clearly finding the statement immensely funny. However, their eyes showed that they were hurt by my actions somehow, “Si’ka net elesi’sa.” She did not move or speak after that, opting to instead watch the three of us with her moonlit eyes.
“I can’t believe the Angel is here, we’re all saved!!” My voice was giddy with excitement at the appearance of the legendary figure. However, as the memories of church and the prophecy continued to come back, a grim realization dawned upon me: The Angel had appeared early. I understood the horror and fear that Ralsei felt when the Angel first appeared, and I turned to him to confirm my belief, “Ralsei? Isn’t the Angel supposed to appear at the world's end?”
“Yes, s-she is. Whatever she was trying to do with Kris must’ve angered them enough to tear her out,” Ralsei was regaining his composure, staring daggers at the Angel.
“Then what do we do?! If the prophecy is broken then won’t the worst come to pass?!” I shouted, looking back at the Angel, who seemed much less divine now sitting in the dirt amongst the ashes.
“Honestly Asriel, I don’t think there is anything we can do at this point. We still need her to seal the dark fountains and stop the roaring. Perhaps we can find a way through this and survive if we stay calm,” Ralsei admitted, finally breaking eye contact with the Angel. As he did the Angel stood up and walked over to Kris and I, bowing over to stay head level with me. The Angel was massive, though not quite as tall as Asgore, making the act somewhat intimidating.
“So, she’s…. You’re the Angel?” It was impossible to keep my voice from being filled with awe despite my previous outburst. With a mythical figure as important as the ANGEL in front of me I didn’t quite know how to act. She didn’t speak this time, instead opting to shrug, leaving me bewildered.
“Azzy? Why are you holding me?” Kris hoarsely whispered, rapidly blinking their eyes as they adjusted to the light.
“KRIS! You’re okay!” I hugged my little sibling close, nearly suffocating them in my fur. I felt them tap my shoulder and I pulled back from my hug to let them breathe.
“You had us worried for a while there Kris, you really shouldn’t do that again,” Ralsei scolded Kris, placing a soft paw on their shoulder as I set them down.
“I can’t promise anything but I’ll give it a shot. Where did the SOUL land?” Kris inquired, looking around for a moment before spotting the Angel. She attempted to wave, but the hand that came out of her robe began to disintegrate and she yelped, pulling it back into the confines of her cloak. Kris stared for a moment before looking at Ralsei, “Who is that?”
“So about the SOUL, when you freed them they uh…. Improvised. They’re the Angel,” Ralsei answered, nervously twirling the end of his scarf.
“What?” Kris whispered, their voice tinged with grief, “They’re free? I.. I failed. I’m never going to see her again.. and it's all because of THEM!!” Kris jabbed an accusing finger at the Angel, scrambling to their feet.
Kris drew their blade and leveled it at the Angel, anger burning bright in their red eyes, intent on FIGHTing her.
KRIS, RALSEI, and ASRIEL entered the battle against ????
GOLDEN EYES SHINE IN THE DARK
KRIS ATTACK, ASRIEL ACT: NEGOTIATE, RALSEI ACT: REASON. ???? maintained its
will.
“You’ll pay for what you did!!” Kris leaped towards the Angel, taking them by surprise as they thrust their sword towards the presumed heart of the creature. The Angel swiftly sidestepped the attack, pivoting to keep Kris in front as they took a few steps backwards.
“Kris, don’t hurt them! I’m sure we can work something out with them!! Maybe you can still see that person you were talking about!” I bleated, hoping that Kris would hear my voice, however the clear anger from Kris about whoever they had failed rendered my words useless. Something tugged at my mind to try harder.
“Kris, if you kill them we won’t be able to stop the Roaring and we’ll lose everything and everyone!” Ralsei pleaded, but his words also fell upon deaf ears. I braced myself for the Angel’s counterattack, sure that they would kill us all for our sins. Instead of a devastating blow however, the Angel slowly walked over to me, her eyes wide and pleading. She looked at me and then the enraged Kris, tilting her head as she did.
KRIS ATTACK, ASRIEL ACT: PLEAD, RALSEI ACT: RESTRAIN. ???? tipped the scales.
LIGHT IN THE BLACK, LAST HOPE IN ETERNAL DARK.
As the Angel looked back towards me, Kris attacked, lashing out with aggressive strikes towards her legs. The Angel snapped her head back towards Kris, dashing backwards to avoid the flurry of strikes which now tore her cloak to ribbons. Despite this damage, the slashes in her robe slowly regenerated.
“Kris please! What’s going on with you?! Why did you have the Angel inside of you and why are you getting involved with the prophecy! Please stop so we can talk this out, I don’t want you getting hurt!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, running my voice raw. My throat hurt from the unheard screams that I let out, and the tears that I had kept hidden now flowed freely. Kris hesitated, but avoided looking me in the eyes. Something pushed back, and I felt the warmth of a gentle sun and kind words. Ralsei grabbed onto Kris’s arms, trying to restrain them, his eyes pleading for Kris to stop and listen to their brother. Kris pushed Ralsei away with their shield, regretting the action as Ralsei said something to them that was lost in the wind. The Angel stepped forwards towards Kris and then kneeled, looking up at Kris solemnly.
KRIS ATTACK, ASRIEL DEFEND, RALSEI DEFEND. ???? gives in.
TWIN MOONS SHINE AGAINST THE DYING LIGHT.
Kris did not break off their attack despite the Angel’s gesture, pulling back their arm as they charged towards her. Despite easily dodging Kris’s previous attacks, to my shock the Angel made no move to dodge this time, and a silent scream tore through my mind as Kris plunged their blade into the white cloak, crashing into their perceived foe. The pair would’ve toppled to the ground had it not been for the Angel leaning into the strike, allowing them to stay upright. She made no sound of pain, and her eyes instead conveyed grim understanding and deep sorrow towards Kris. The white cloak slowly turned red around Kris’s sword, blood running along the blade’s edge. Kris blinked, staring down at the blood that had splashed onto their hands during the initial strike before glancing back up, staring into the Angel’s solemn eyes.
“Why won’t you fight back?! After everything you’ve done to me, all the things you made me do you’ve finally gotten your way! You should be FIGHTing to keep your freedom, to not be sealed in me again, so why do any of… THIS?!” Kris tightened their grip on their weapon, knuckles turning white. The Angel simply shook her head before bowing further.
“Si’ka ippolo’sa Kris,” Her words were quiet and still impossible to understand, and so they landed on deaf ears. Blood continued to stain the ashen earth as she bowed, the quiet dripping of the blood slowly breaking away at the tension in the air.
I rushed over to the bloody pair, expecting that I would have to pull Kris off the Angel before they wounded her further. Instead of fighting further, the Angel pulled Kris into a deep hug, resting her head by theirs. Kris had every opportunity to drive their blade deeper and end her, but they didn’t, silent tears flowing down their face.
“i… i just wanted to see her again,” Kris murmured, trying their best not to let their tears show. “What are you even trying to do? I just want to bring her back.”
“Ros, sechi’si,” The Angel spoke matter of factly, nodding slowly. As she finished speaking she broke the bloody embrace with Kris, and leaned back, sighing deeply. I knelt by Kris, placing a paw on their shoulder.
“You all right K?” Concern laced my voice as I looked Kris up and down, only seeing their hands mixed with tears and blood. Ralsei slowly approached the Angel, his eyes drawn to the bloodstained mess of her cloak and Kris’s sword.
“Yeah I’m fine, not as upset as I was earlier…. I think she understands me, right?” Kris half questioned half demanded, and in response the Angel simply shrugged and let out a small chuckle before wincing.
“Here, let me heal you up!” Ralsei offered out a hand wreathed in green healing magic, but the Angel shook her head and raised a palm to stop him. Before Ralsei could scold her, the Angel firmly grasped the hilt of the blade and pulled the sword out of herself, bringing it up to eye level to inspect it. The Angel then balanced the blade in both of her hands and bowed as she presented it to Kris.
“Uh…. Thank you?” Kris took the blade, wiping the blood off with their cloak. The Angel then gave Ralsei a thumbs up before pulling their arms back into their cloak, letting out a heavy sigh. Ralsei obliged, his magic slowly stitching flesh and blood back together.
“Strange, my magic is usually much quicker to heal than this.” Ralsei scrunched his face at the inconvenience, “I’m already out of TP to heal you, but you should be good to walk.” The Angel nodded as they stood up, the blood on their cloak slowly fading away. Pale flames emerged from the faint pink streams of energy in their cloak to burn away the blood while also repairing any damage that she had suffered.
“Now that everyone is calm and reasonable I have a lot of questions for you Kris, especially concerning her,” I pointed at the Angel, who tilted her head in response.
“I’ll answer whatever questions you have after we rescue Susie and Noelle and close this dark world, I promise,” Kris vowed, “and keep an eye on the Angel, she’s not to be trusted.”
“Not to be trusted? Wait, NOELLE IS HERE?!” I wanted to shake Kris down for answers, but I knew that they only gave answers out on their own terms.
“Yes, we got separated from her and Susie when we encountered the Knight. They knocked us off the tree,” Ralsei answered, “They might still be fighting the Knight so we should probably hurry.”
“Noelle? Against the Knight? She won’t last long even with another person. Where do you think we’d find them, Ralsei?” I asked, the idea of Noelle fighting a creature as fierce as the Knight caused my stomach to swim.
“Well we’d have to get back up the tree, they’re somewhere near the top by my estimate. If we head back to the base of the tree we could take the path up again.” Ralsei suggested, twirling his scarf as he spoke.
“Even if we did it’d take too long, unless we all wanted to run the entire time. We need to find a shortcut,” Kris pointed out.
“And where would we find such a shortcut?” I asked, curious if Kris had something in mind.
“It better not be like that shortcut through the dark parts of the woods they told me about as a prank…”
“I was told about one near the end of this maze, there should be a tunnel system that goes through the roots. It should lead to an elevator inside the tree and that will take us to the top,” Kris responded. I must’ve had some look on my face as they cut me off before I could speak, “I’ll tell you how I know later, I promise Az.”
“Fine. Let’s get moving then,” I conceded, “I accidentally carved a hole through the maze during my fight so it should be a straight shot that way,” gesturing at the still smoking hole in the leafy wall to my left. Kris took the lead with Ralsei and I right behind them, the Angel opting to walk abreast of Kris instead of falling in line.
“What is she up to….?” She was nothing like what I had expected the Angel to be, but she was most certainly angelic in her kind nature. Thinking back to my mother’s church lessons, I considered that it was also possible that she hadn’t determined us to be sinful enough to warrant smiting us. I lost myself in thoughts about the Angel as we weaved through the path of destruction in the maze, the faint smell of burning wood heavy in the air. Ahead of me, I could hear the Angel faintly humming a mournful tune I did not recognize, its solemn notes stirring the air and my thoughts. I watched a gust of breeze carry a stray leaf high up into the air, observing as it hung there in the heavens. It stayed there among the faint stars before floating back down and landing in a nearby pond. A selfish thought entered my mind, “What if the Angel could bring back Dess? She performed miracles in the stories from church, surely she could perform another one now? I’ll have to ask her when I can figure out what she’s saying…”
Kris guided us out of the maze and to a shallow hill covered in golden flowers, wandering around its base for a few minutes until we found the entrance, which was cleverly hidden in the shadow of a normal sized elm tree.
“You guys go first, I’ll be right behind you,” Kris pried open what appeared to be a cellar door, and as I stepped into its confines I found the area to be spacious and well lit. Flower lanterns adorned the tunnel walls, which were supported by large vines and metal beams. A loud thunk could be heard as Kris closed the door behind Ralsei and the Angel. The pathway in the cellar split into three, and Kris pointed towards the leftmost one. “The elevator is this way, it shouldn't take us more than a few minutes to get to the top after that.”
As we walked down the path towards the elevator, the confines of the passageway echoed the Angel’s humming, somehow making the tune even sadder. The tunnel grew more narrow as we continued to proceed, and I had to duck to avoid snagging my horns on the roots that now covered the ceiling. The Angel had fallen in line behind me after the corridor became too cramped for them to walk next to Kris, much to their relief. It seemed that they still weren’t on good terms with the Angel and my curiosity as to why was eating away at me. I knew though that if I asked them directly instead of waiting for them to tell me on their own terms, I’d get the silent treatment for Angel knows how long. I looked behind me and nearly jumped, the Angel’s face mere inches away from my own, her moonlit eyes giving away no emotion at this time, though she did tilt her head in mild confusion.
“U-uh, just wanted to see t-that you hadn’t fallen behind! Y-yeah..” I stammered, attempting to regain my composure. She had not stopped humming, but a musical laugh infected the tune for a few moments, the stars on her cheeks bending as she chuckled.
“We’re here, everyone get onto the elevator,” Kris said. The tunnel opened up into a large room, and when I looked up I could see that the ceiling was far above us, various cables and ropes running up from our position to the heavens. The elevator was massive, taking up most of the room. The four of us walked inside, Kris assuming control of the two levers near the entrance. “Ready?”
“Ready!” Ralsei answered, the Angel simply hummed.
“Always ready K, don’t you know that?” I smiled at Kris.
“Just didn’t want to knock you on your ass, that’s all,” A sly grin crossed Kris’s face as they pulled the lever, the elevator shuddering in response before accelerating upwards. Tension and silence filled the air, growing more intense as we ascended, and I noted that the Angel had stopped humming. The lighting grew more inconsistent, until the only source was the sky above us. Time seemed to crawl as each moment stayed longer than it was welcome, the elevator de-accelerating slowly as the light drew nearer. The silence was interrupted by faint rumbling, the elevator bumping against the wall, causing everyone to stagger. The deep rumbles were accentuated by the sharp shattering of ice and the clash of an axe against steel, the clamor slowly intensifying as we rose. The elevator finally shuddered to a halt, and a scream cut through the air.
“Noelle!” Kris bolted out sight through a doorway in the trunk, Ralsei and the Angel following right behind them. For a moment I was frozen, unable to move as old familiar fear creeped into the edges of my vision. What could I even do? My fight against the knight had been forced, and all I could remember was acting on instinct and wanting to stay alive. Could I face them again? If I did nothing again when someone I cared about needed me… The thought made my fur stiffen and my skin crawl, and I grit my teeth and forced myself to move, to run towards the light. I was DETERMINED to take action this time, I would not fail those I cared about now. I summoned my blades of iridescent flames and charged forth, finally ready to do battle.
As I rounded the corner, I saw Noelle standing in front of a purple dragon kneeling on the ground who was clearly injured. She had summoned a wall of ice to shield the two of them. Embedded in the sheet of ice was a long ruby trident, a malignant black shard embedded in its hilt. Holding the trident was a haunted yet familiar figure in purple robes and shining silver armor, a scowl engrained on his wizened face, only accentuated by his beard. A simple golden crown rested upon his golden hair, framing his solemn eyes. My mouth dried up and my body went numb, the swords I had summoned extinguishing themselves in an instant.
“Dad?”
Chapter 3: Forgotten Virtues
Summary:
The Mad king will not be spared, and desires vengeance upon his children. The flames of battle rage, and the traveler shows her form.
Some answers will be given, but not all questions will find fulfillment.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Don’t make a girl a promise if you know you can’t keep it.” - Cortana.
MESSAGE INTERCEPT FROM UNK_ENTITY1 TO SOUL.FRAG1, TIME EST 5 DAYS AGO
[UNK] - “✋︎❄︎ 💧︎☜︎☜︎💣︎💧︎ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ ☟︎✌︎✞︎☜︎ ✌︎☠︎💧︎🕈︎☜︎☼︎☜︎👎︎ ❄︎☟︎☜︎ 👍︎✌︎☹︎☹︎
✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ 🕈︎✋︎☹︎☹︎ 👌︎☜︎ 💣︎✡︎ ✌︎☠︎☝︎☜︎☹︎”
[SOUL] - “I am not an Angel. I am more akin to a monster.”
[UNK] - “☠︎⚐︎
☠︎⚐︎ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ ✌︎☼︎☜︎ ☠︎⚐︎❄︎
👌︎🕆︎❄︎ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ 🕈︎✋︎☹︎☹︎ 👌︎☜︎
💣︎︎✡︎︎ 👎︎︎☜︎︎☹︎︎❄︎︎✌︎︎☼︎︎🕆︎︎☠︎︎☜︎︎ 🕈︎︎✋︎︎☹︎︎☹︎︎ ☟︎︎✌︎︎✞︎︎☜︎︎ ✋︎︎❄︎︎💧︎︎ ✌︎︎☠︎︎☝︎︎☜︎︎☹︎”
[SOUL] - “What do you want with ‘your Angel?’”
[UNK] - “☞︎✋︎☠︎👎︎ ✋︎❄︎
💣︎✡︎ 👎︎☜︎☹︎❄︎✌︎☼︎🕆︎☠︎☜︎
✌︎☠︎👎︎ 💣︎✌︎😐︎☜︎ ✋︎❄︎ 🕈︎☟︎⚐︎☹︎☜︎”
[SOUL] - “I see, not going to give me anything else to go off of this time?”
[UNK] - “☹︎☜︎❄︎ ❄︎☟︎☜︎ ☜︎✠︎🏱︎☜︎☼︎✋︎💣︎☜︎☠︎❄︎
👌︎☜︎☝︎✋︎☠︎”
MESSAGE INTERCEPT TERMINATED BY UNK_ENTITY1
The words hung in the air, the tension broken by Asriel’s trembling voice. Asgore did not break his baleful gaze with Noelle through the wall of ice she made, his form fractured and misshapen in the crystalline frost. I could distinctly make out the anxious buzz of her thoughts, which joined in a haunting chorus with the minds of Susie, Kris, and Ralsei. The Prince of the Dark was at Susie’s side, already at work healing her many injuries that she had presumably taken in the fight against Asgore and the Knight.
“It’s impressive that she’s been able to keep going for this long,” I thought to myself, stealing a glance at the proud dragon, standing tall despite her wounds. Kris had their shield at the ready, but they were hesitant to draw their sword.
“My children, I see you have finally made it,” despite his words, Asgore’s voice was cold and unwelcoming. His solid indomitable form was starkly silhouetted against the dark fountain that flowed steadily behind him. “Help me deal with these intruders, they are interfering.”
“Intruders? Dad, what are you talking about?” Asriel asked, his voice slowly filling with fear.
“You met Susie at the festival and invited her here along with Noelle!” Kris murmured, only just loud enough for the King to hear.
“It’s too late to talk him out of this, he’s already fallen completely to the shadow crystal,” I realized. Asgore’s mind was now a dark maelstrom devoid of reason; only madness remained.
“They will only bring ruin to this land. They must be dealt with.” Asgore’s voice crackled with anger, now directing his glare at Kris. The young human flinched at their father’s ire, and I stepped in front of them in an attempt to defuse the situation. Instead, Asgore glared at me, his eyes burning with flames of wrath and unabated hatred.
“Y-yeah Mr. Dreemurr, you invited us!!” Noelle chirped, flinching as Asgore quickly turned his gaze to the young doe.
“He hasn’t listened to anything I’ve been saying!” Susie interrupted, leveling her axe at Asgore, “We are just here to seal the fountain!”
“You will do no such thing, interloper,” he growled menacingly at Susie. His tone grew softer, but remained bitter as he addressed his child, “Kris. Where is Toriel? You were supposed to bring her here.” Asgore pulled his ruby spear out of the wall of ice, chunks scattering around his feet.
“She’s not coming! She doesn't want anything to do with you anymore!” Susie interjected again, growling at the boss monster. Kris stood by Susie and Ralsei, their gaze still turned away from their father.
“Dad, you have to move on! Mom has, why can’t you?” Asriel attempted to soothe his father’s wrath despite Susie’s inflammatory statements, “And why would you need her here?”
“YOU DARE DEFY MY WILL?! YOU WILL DO AS YOU ARE TOLD!” Asgore shouted, his eyes blazing. My vision narrowed as ice pierced my veins, and dread caused my heart to sink as the familiar words pierced my mind. “I know best how to get our family back together and yet you defy me at every turn. Don’t you want our family to be happy again?!”
“Net. Si’vu net,” I interjected, my voice cold and even. I growled in frustration at my alien words and my inability to speak properly. The darkness that hid my face and body continued to prevent me from moving as it clung to the body that I had made. The ice at Asgore’s feet began to melt, and the dark fountain continued to rise.
“Would make things a hell of a lot easier if whatever was making this happen cut it out right now.” Asgore snapped to face me as I finished the thought, his eyes wild and brimming with rage.
“And just WHO is this?! You’ve brought yet another interloper into our Kingdom! I can endure this betrayal no longer.”
“Betrayal? Dad, I can explain, can we pleas-” Asriel attempted to continue placating the king, but was interrupted.
“I am not your father anymore. I have no children. Only traitors and trespassers!” The Blossom King roared at his foes, his rage burning bright. The dark fountain pulsed steadily. There was no more ice at his feet, only small puddles.
THE MAD KING CHALLENGES HIS FOES
Kris, Susie, Noelle, Ralsei, Asriel, and ???? face The Blossom King’s wrath.
AN INFERNO OF HATE BLOCKS THE WAY
Asgore turned his trident to the sky, and then thrust it upwards, piercing the heavens, and I felt something deep inside me break.
THE MAD KING WILL NOT BE SPARED
“Looks like he’s done it again. With me being unable to fight properly, and Kris and Asriel being unlikely to attack their own father, things are going to get very complicated.” I extended my mind out to everyone and attempted to prepare them for the oncoming battle.
KRIS: DEFEND, ASRIEL: DEFEND, SUSIE: S-ACTION, RALSEI: R-ACTION, NOELLE: FROST WALL, ????: INTERDICTION.
Asgore charged at Noelle, shattering her frost wall with a sweeping strike from his trident, large chunks slamming into her. His speed did not slow as he plowed into the doe, knocking her unconscious and sending her tumbling into a tree.
NOELLE [-55/180]
Susie ignored my command, opting for a reckless charge while Asgore was facing away. To her credit she landed a solid blow to his left shoulder, but was quickly knocked away by a thunderous crack from Asgore’s fist.
SUSIE [110/260]
He opened his palm and swept his hand towards Ralsei and Kris, unleashing a torrent of flame upon them. I dashed in front of the pair, willing to absorb the blow in their stead, leaving them mostly untouched. The magical flames crashed against my cloak, quickly extinguishing themselves as they failed to burn through me. I weaved through the flames, hiding in the brightest parts to sneak up on the Blossom King, suddenly appearing within his guard to obstruct his view of Asriel.
“Let's see how you do with a distraction right in front of your face, kiddo.” The boss monster growled in annoyance, trying to swat me away with his fist but I dodged the blow, moving out of the way before the attack posed any danger to me.
“Mr. Dreemurr, I’m sure we can come to a peaceful resolution!” Ralsei shouted, still wanting to avoid FIGHTing.
“You’ll die last, DARKNER!” Asgore roared, pointing an accusing finger at the small goat.
KRIS: DEFEND, ASRIEL: DEFEND, SUSIE: ATTACK, RALSEI: HEAL PRAYER [SUSIE], ????: INTERDICTION.
THE FIRES BURN FOREVERMORE
Kris fell back to Noelle’s side, assuming a guard stance in a move to dissuade their father from continuing his attacks, Asriel followed suit, falling in line beside Susie. The purple dragon glowed a pale green as Ralsei mended the wounds as best he could before the girl rejoined the battle.
SUSIE [205/260]
I struggled to maintain my balance as the flower king unleashed a barrage against me. He attempted to skewer my shoulder, and I avoided the attempt by back stepping and twisting my torso. I found myself unstable, a state that was swiftly exploited by the king as he swept my legs out from under me. As I rushed to meet the ground, the king struck again with the butt of his trident, winding me. With his attention on her lapsing, Susie slammed her axe into his side, extracting a painful howl from the boss monster. The dragon continued the assault with a series of savage strikes, unleashing her hope and DETERMINATION into each blow. Unfortunately, her attack was not enough to completely stagger the boss monster, and he parried her axe with his trident, catching the blade within the sharpened tips. He twisted the ruby weapon quickly, the motion followed by a sickening crack from Susie’s hand. I heard a dull thud as the heroine’s axe hit the ground, parted from its owner. With his free hand, the mad king picked the dragon up by the throat, slowly crushing her windpipe.
“SUSIE!” Kris shouted, their voice panicked as they charged towards their father, sword drawn at last. Unfortunately, their assault was cut short by a purple dragon shaped projectile thrown by Asgore, and Kris and Susie crumpled into a heap of armor and flesh. The mad king flung his ruby trident at the pair, keen on finishing them off, only for it to be intercepted mid air by Asriel.
SUSIE: FELLED [-999/260]
KRIS: FELLED [-999/300]
WARNING: FELLED ALLIES CANNOT BE REVIVED IMMEDIATELY
The world spun as I attempted to further assess the situation, my vision progressively returning as I observed the struggle between the two boss monsters. An ocean of color collided with my eyes as I turned to the sound of the ongoing battle, my lungs gradually filling with air as waves of heat washed onto my face from the intense clash between father and son. Asriel was bombarding him from the air, wielding his twin swords again, bearing into his father with passionate strikes. While his wings gave him a decisive advantage in mobility, Asgore dominated in sheer strength, tanking any blow that was thrown at him, opting to only block attacks that threatened his core. I slowly rose to my feet, staggering back towards Ralsei, and I was joined shortly after by Asriel, who slid backwards after a particularly potent counterstrike from Asgore.
ASRIEL [420/525]
ASGORE [5635/6800]
“This isn’t working, we’re all going to be dead by the time we cause enough damage to incapacitate him. I need to keep Asgore off of the others.” Noelle was back on her feet, face pale as snow and wearing an expression as cold as ice.
NOELLE [20/180]
NOELLE: HEAL PRAYER [NOELLE], RALSEI: HEAL PRAYER [ASRIEL], ASRIEL: ATTACK, ????: DIVERSION.
NOELLE [110/180]
ASRIEL [515/525]
THE RUBICON OF FLAME APPROACHES.
Noelle healed herself, trying to stay on her feet for as long as she could while Ralsei healed Asriel in anticipation for the next assault. I sprinted towards Asgore, getting as close to his blows as possible, hoping to further goad him into wasting effort on me instead of the others. In the openings I created by distracting the mad king, Asriel swiftly appeared, slashing and blasting away before backing off to avoid any retaliatory strikes.
ASGORE [5020/6800]
This cycle repeated itself until Asgore countered, surrounding himself in a sphere of flame, driving me and Asriel away from him.
ASGORE [4385/6800]
“What is he-”
The next moment, there was a flash. The sphere dissipated into bolts of fire that flew towards Asriel, who attempted to evade the hungry flames. The bolts pierced his wings and limbs, causing his blazing feathers to sputter out and fade. Without his wings, Asriel crashed to the ground in a ragged heap, a hiss of pain escaping his mouth.
ASRIEL [119/525]
A flash of red split my vision, and the world spun as my chest was set ablaze with searing pain. I tumbled for a few moments before landing on my side. A strange weight seemed to lift itself from my body along with my cloak, which had been reduced to cinders. I looked down at my body, a strange inky darkness coating every inch, mixing with the blood that leaked from my side. Along the gash that the trident had carved into me, the darkness seemed to escape, slowly draining away as the strange substance flowed off of me like water. The space around me seemed to become more real, new smells and sounds assaulting my vision as pain throbbed in my chest. It slowly abated while I continued to stabilize my breathing and rose to my feet.
“Moons above that hurt,” I growled, gritting my teeth as air and pain escaped my lungs. I was suddenly aware of a barrage of minds thinking the same thought from behind me: “(She spoke something we could understand?!?!)”
“So it seems I did…” I found the situation hilarious at that moment, the absurdity of it all mixed with the fire that burned within finally getting to me. I wanted to laugh, but opted to save it for a more appropriate time. I stretched my arms and body as much as I could in the moment, duly observing the armor that I wore. It was the armor I had always worn, but the colors had been changed, with the edges trimmed with gold, the plating a pure white infused with streams of faint pink energy. In its many gaps could see the black and rich blood red of my bodysuit, the bright color obscuring the blood from my wounds.
“Looks like this is what my armor is in a dark world… interesting. No time to linger on it.”
“Just who are you? I don’t recognize you, intruder. I would like to at least know your name before I cut the rest of you down,” The mad king decreed, sweeping his ruby trident across the battlefield.
“Y’know kiddo, that’s big talk for someone who’s essentially been fighting children and an unarmed person. But I will grant your request to know my name,” I answered him, slightly tilting my head. The many names and titles that had been assigned and given to me flowed through my mind, but I chose none of them. I picked the one that I chose for myself. “I am a traveler. But right now? In this moment, I am a monument to all your sins, and I plan on making you pay dearly for each and every one. However, today is your lucky day! I’m not going to kill you! I’m just going to knock you out and take that shadow crystal.”
“You will not make it very far, traveler. I will not easily part with this shadow crystal,” Asgore barked, assuming a defensive stance.
“You never have been one to give up easily.” I conceded, looking back at the fun gang behind me. “Ralsei, Asriel, Noelle, I’m going to buy you time to revive the others, I’ll keep him occupied!”
I felt the familiar weight of my knives on my left hip, and I pulled one off its loop, spinning it in my right hand. I settled on a reverse grip to pair with my aggressive stance as I faced down the boss monster burdened with wrath and saddled with jealousy.
TRAVELER: ATTACK, ASRIEL: DEFEND, RALSEI: ITEM [REVIVEMINT: KRIS], NOELLE: ITEM [REVIVEMINT: SUSIE]
KRIS [300/300]
SUSIE [260/260]
A THOUSAND STARS SHINE IN TWIN MOONS
I leapt towards Asgore, ducking under his initial barrage, moving to dodge well before I was in any danger. I struck where he was already injured, intent on inflicting as much non-lethal pain as possible, carving shallow cuts into his limbs to ensure that any drastic movement would be exceptionally painful. I wouldn’t be able to do enough damage on my own to knock him out, but I didn’t need to. As more of his attacks failed to hit their intended target, Asgore’s wrath only grew, his fury feeding into each thrust, and slash. Eventually, his ruby trident was wreathed in flame, splitting the air with crimson flame.
“You haven’t changed a bit, O King of the Underground,” I commented, squeezing the words out in between strikes to keep my breathing in a steady rhythm.
“You talk too much, traveler! I will put you in your place! Once you are out of my way I will have what is mine!” Asgore roared, renewing the fervor in his attacks as we continued the back and forth. This dance we had done before, we now performed again, the intensity of which scarred the surrounding landscape.
Asgore attempted to shift the rhythm of our dance to his advantage, moving out of turn. I punished his decision, sidestepping his overhead strike and kicking in the back of his knee to deliver a rapid blow to the side of his head. While he was down I moved behind him, slicing blood red furrows into his cape, reducing it to tatters. I accompanied the assault with a swift kick to the back of his skull, shoving his face into the dirt as he crumpled. I snatched the ruby trident from the ground, wishing to throw it out of Asgore’s reach, however, he quickly recovered, yanking the weapon back into his grip. The sudden movement forced me to twist in place to prevent myself from inadvertently falling into the boss monster’s range, though I was still vulnerable. Seizing the opportunity, he swung his weapon wide to decapitate me and end my resistance. The speedy weapon was halted in its tracks by Asriel’s twin swords as the young man stood defiant against his father.
“Perfect timing, thank you,” I thanked the boss monster, giving him a smile, the least I could spare in this hectic moment, “Susie, Noelle, on my mark.”
“Your mark? DO WHAT?!” Susie shouted, “JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!”
“Didn’t ya hear? I’m a traveler!” I yelled back at Susie, a wide smile now plastered on my face.
TRAVELER: ATTACK, ASRIEL: ATTACK, SUSIE/NOELLE: MAGIC [ICE BUSTER], RALSEI: ITEM [REVIVEMINT: KRIS]
GENTLE LIGHT SHINES AGAINST THE FLAMES OF HALCYON
I continued my battle with Asgore, our weapons sparking as they clashed, bringing more light to this dark realm. I scraped my blade across Asgore’s spear, angling it such that the sparks would blind him as I thrust my blade towards his neck. The blade’s progress was abruptly arrested as he caught the blade between the prongs of his spear, slowly twisting the prongs to ensure that I dropped my blade. My arm shook as I slowly succumbed to the ploy, as in my current state I was easily weaker than Asgore. My eyes flicked back to the others behind me, their thoughts of doubt, determination, and hope washing into my own mind.
“Looks like they’re as ready as they’ll ever be.”
“Hesitating traveler? I have you at my mercy! You gave me quite a fight for a human.” Asgore goaded, clearly believing victory was in his grasp.
“I gotta hand it to you, you did a good job. Unfortunately for you I’m not the end-all be-all.” I answered, looking Asgore in the eyes. “Surprise~!”
I dropped my blade, letting it fall a foot or two before going into a crouch and catching it in my free hand. I thrust the dagger into the King, eliciting a howl from the pained boss monster. I reached out to the minds of the others and nudged them towards action, Asriel first striking his father with the butt of his swords before snatching away the ruby trident and the dark crystal nestled within it. I leapt backwards out of his reach, Susie and Noelle’s ICE BUSTER hitting the king like a truck, the wave of energy crashing into his skull. The spell knocked him out cold, reducing him to an unconscious heap of fur and armor.
BATTLE END, 777 DARK DOLLARS EARNED, ASGORE: UNCONSCIOUS
“Well, I think that went well,” I admitted, flicking my blade towards the ground to remove any blood from its edges.
“WHAT WAS THAT?!? WHO ARE YOU????” Noelle’s screech assaulted my ears and I winced.
“That’s the Angel Noelle,” Ralsei answered, he was still healing Asriel’s wounds and avoiding my gaze.
“WHAT?????”
“Wait, like the Angel from the dumb prophecy in the church??” Susie interjected, her hand still on her axe.
“As far as I can tell, yes. But please don’t call me ‘Angel,’ I don’t like it.” I sighed, rubbing my head as the many voices of mind and mouth overlapped.
“Are we supposed to call you ‘Traveler’ all the time? That’s too long, I’ll call you Trav.” Susie said, smirking. My eyes twitched.
“Anything but another title.” I pleaded to myself. “++What, don’t like the many titles you’ve been given? HOUND? WEAPON? GUARDIAN? PRIESTESS? UNIT? DAUGHTER? SON? Know your place++.” That malicious second voice within my mind mocked me, and I pushed it aside.
“Burning rings anything but that, please. I suppose I should re-introduce myself since you didn’t understand me at all last time, and since we are meeting officially for the first time. I am Ae’shel Ena’phrytes, and it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”
“So you do have a name,” Kris murmured, the flame of anger still lingering in their eyes, “I didn’t expect you to be… human.”
“Yeah, aren’t you supposed to have wings, a sword of flame, and be impossible to look at without going insane?” Asriel questioned, tilting his head in curiosity.
“Sounds like my step-brother. I’m not in charge of anyone, what they write about an entity that only appears in a prophecy that only says so much is ultimately up to them. And yes I am human.” I spoke softly, the last words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. It was true that I was human, but in many cases people opted to view me as a thing. A weapon, a watcher, a tool, or a monster. I shook off the thoughts, I would deal with them later. I knelt beside the ruby trident and jammed my knife into the socket where the shadow crystal lay, slowly prying it out. It didn’t take long before the crystal popped out of its socket and I caught it, putting my knife back onto its loop. I offered the crystal out in my palm, “Kris, take this and put it with the others, we finally have enough for whatever Seam has planned.”
“H-how do you know about Seam??” Susie shouted, leveling her axe at me.
“Can you please put that away, I’ve been with you this entire time. I’ve seen most of what y'all have done.”
“It’s true Susie, she was the red heart you saw inside the titan,” Kris murmured.
“But if she was a heart, how is she now… that?” Susie asked, furrowing her brow.
“Light! I figured that hey, if darkness obscuring objects in the light world led to darkners, why not just perform the inverse in a dark world with my Light! And it appears to have worked like a charm if I do say so myself. Though there were a few hiccups…” I rocked on my heels for a moment before bouncing up and stretching, the aches of battle settling into my bones. “Let’s seal this fountain and get out of here before the knight gets any funny ideas.”
“We still have a lot of questions for you Angel! Like why did you anger Kris into tearing you out of their body?” Asriel inquired, stepping between me and the dark fountain.
“WHAT??!??!” Noelle seemed incredulous at the statements, her eyes wide with confusion.
“I’ll answer whatever questions you have a bit later. I just finished fighting your dad, right after fighting Kris, so I am very keen to get out of here before the knight decides they want a piece of the action. Ralsei, would it be possible for us to be transported to Castle Town as I close this fountain? The dark worlds must be linked in some way if you are able to show up in them all.”
“I can do that, but I must ask, how did you figure that out?” The young goat stiffened, glaring at me.
“Just call it a theory kiddo,” I winked at the boy as I turned around and approached the fountain, placing my right palm on the surface of the flowing void. I focused, and pale flames raced along my arm, surging out of the pink rivers of energy within my armor.
“W-wait, it's not accurate! Everyone’s going to be scattered!” Ralsei yelled, grabbing onto Kris and Susie as he motioned for Noelle to do the same.
“What’s life without some adventure? Come find me!” I hollered back at the teenagers. I felt someone grab onto my left arm, but I paid them no mind. I concentrated on the flames, pulling them all into one place before UNLEASHing them, bathing the world in pale light.
I blinked. The Light and the dark fountain were gone, replaced by a small meadow of purple grass surrounded by red trees. The ruby leaves slowly waved in the gentle wind, and I let out a gentle sigh of relief as I looked around. It appeared I was alone, and I was happy to see that I had ended up in a quiet section of Castle Town.
“Castle Town? Castle Town! CASTLE TOWN?! I’m an IDIOT! Without being inside Kris’s body I’m going to be overwhelmed by everyone’s thoughts!”
The effect wouldn’t be immediate, but I could already feel the many faint voices and numerous whispers grazing the back of my mind. Any one person could have one or two thoughts in a given moment and I could easily filter out the thoughts of around eight people. But dozens of people concentrated in one place? If I wasn’t careful I’d find myself paralyzed with pain until I went unconscious or the voices abated, either by people getting far enough away, or being halted by force. The whispers increased in volume to gentle murmurs, shoving away any of my thoughts that impeded them. Each one vied for attention, the tumult of the angry crowd slowly growing louder as they hammered my mind. The buzz spread throughout my body as I crashed to the ground, fumbling with my small bag of personal items.
“Please be here, please please please…YES!” I triumphantly pulled out an old pair of headphones with a music player built into them, and I hastily pulled them over my ears. My fingers flew over the small display mounted in the right headphone, and I selected the album I had explicitly made for this very situation. I turned up the volume as high as I could without it being painful to listen to. The playlist began in ernest, the steady beat of the first song accompanied by wild guitar and lyrics that crashed against the sea of voices, gradually pushing them out of my mind. One song faded into another before I could hear my own thoughts beside the music, no longer bombarded by the screech of external minds. I heard my own ragged and panicked breathing, the buzz still echoing throughout my bones, but I was stable again… as stable as someone like I could be. I took a few moments to simply be, letting myself exist in the singular moment, beat to beat, song to song, breath to breath.
“I’m going to wait here until the others find me… I’m not gonna be moving from here for a while. Better get this damn armor off.”
I slowly unbuckled the various straps wrapped around my body and let each section of armor fall to the ground with a satisfying thunk. I was only left with my bodysuit and robes, both of which provided me with plenty of protection while I worked on my armor.
Many people believed that their weapon held their soul, and I found that notion silly. If there was any piece of equipment that would hold someone’s soul it would be their armor. The style and construction could say a bit about a person, but what told the whole story was the damage and grime that accumulated onto the armor. Armor was a true reflection of someone’s soul, and it had to be taken care of, a ritual that I happily engaged in after any conflict if I could find a peaceful moment.
I bounced my head to the beat of the music as I pulled out a rag from my bag, starting my ritual. I lost track of time as songs came and went and armor pieces were cleaned. They lacked the grooves and scratches that I had grown accustomed to on my regular armor, but I was content to clean them all the same.
“Not every day you get a new ‘soul.’” I smiled at the thought, and set aside my chestplate, my hand moving to grab the next armor piece only to find nothing left. I frowned, “Didn’t expect it to go by that qu-”
My train of thought was interrupted by a paw on my shoulder and I stiffened and whipped my head around. I let out a long sigh as Asriel leapt backwards, his hands splayed out in front of him in a hasty defence.
“How long have you been there?” I asked, my hand moving to my headphones to turn down the volume slightly.
“Uhh... (don’t lie to the Angel don’t lie to the Angel) long enough to watch you clean some of your armor and read the names of a lot of the songs you’ve been listening to?” Asriel admitted, a sheepish (goatish?) look on his face.
“Fair enough kiddo, sit here, you can listen to some. I know you’ve got questions.” I patted the grass beside me, moving some pieces of my armor aside.
“Thank you… I do have a few questions.” Asriel spoke softly, sitting down in the grass beside me as formally as he could, causing me to laugh under my breath.
“I’ll do my best to answer, you don’t need to be so formal, this is something I’ve been wanting and looking forward to for a while.” I twisted my right headpiece, detaching it from its housing and handing it off to Asriel. “Put it over your right ear, you can change the song if you’d like but don’t turn the volume down too low.”
“Sure! Thank you!” Asriel eagerly placed the headpiece over his right ear.
“Go ahead and ask any question you’d like, I don’t care about order or type, I’ll answer whatever I can.”
“R-really? I uh.. Wow… how was the universe made?” Asriel started tapping his hand to the beat.
“Kiddo, I don’t know the answer to that one. I didn’t make your universe.”
“Oh. In that case... why were you in Kris?”
“That’s a bit of an interesting one as I do not fully know myself. I got a message from an old acquaintance and he had me fill out a strange survey, the next thing I know I’m in someone else’s body. It was a bit disorienting, but I imagine it was worse for Kris, having a thing like me suddenly take control of their life. I don’t think I’ll be able to apologize enough for that.”
“I see… I’ll have to talk to them about it and get their side. N-not that you’re guilty of anything!”
“No, it's fine. I’m guilty of plenty, and what is okay to me could be a very uncomfortable experience for Kris. I am worried about them.”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on them and they appear okay, but being away at college has driven a bit of a gap between us.”
“Time and space has a habit of doin’ that.” I murmured, and Asriel was silent for a few moments before he spoke again.
“You’re tall for a human. Most humans at Northernlight college are either shorter than me or about the same height.”
“Yeah. Human. It’s probably the closest accurate description to the thing that I am.” My voice grew cold as I massaged my palm with my thumb, trying to keep my thoughts steady. Asriel noticed this and quickly changed the topic.
“Can you do miracles?” He asked timidly.
“HAHAHAHA! That’s a good one. The answer is sort of. I can do stuff that could be considered a miracle, but it's really not. Less like godlike power and more like skill with forces with predefined rules. I’ll show ya sometime, I’m kinda exhausted right now.” I flopped onto my back and looked up at Asriel, who now looked down at me, an awed look on his face. “Wipe that look off your face, it's nothing special!” I barked, and he laughed a little, his head now bouncing to the beat of the song. His eyes widened and he twisted his entire body towards me.
“What did you try and tell me before Kris tore you out of their chest?!” He shouted, excitement brimming in his voice. I breathed in sharply and let out a slow sigh.
“Brace yourself for this one kiddo, I know it's something you’re interested in personally.” I was quiet for a moment, looking into the abyss and remembered my promise. “I have a message for you from December Holiday.”
“what?” The boss monster’s voice seemed to shrink, and his words were barely audible above the music thumping in my left ear.
“Yeah, she made me memorize the whole thing.” I cleared my throat. I remembered how the withered doe had insisted I memorize as much as possible, from her tone of voice to the cadence of each letter.
I began the first paragraph, recounting December’s experience in the darkest depths, and how she had lost track of time. The spark of flame and joy in Asriel’s eyes quickly faded away, a cold melancholy taking its place as he listened. I paused at the end of the paragraph, tilting my head at the boy.
“please continue,” he murmured, and I obeyed. I resumed the letter, retelling how Dess used her memories of Asriel to maintain her sanity in the endless dark. At the mention of Asriel moving on and finding someone else, he slowly shook his head. He mouthed words that only he and I were privy to, as he promised that his starlight wouldn’t have to get along with any girlfriend of his. He laughed at December’s promise to sweep him off his feet, but the sadness on his face lingered. I could see the stars glisten in the tears that welled in his eyes as I closed out the letter, the last words fading away in the wind, and echoing in Asriel’s mind.
“Where is she?” Asriel had looked away from me, and it was clear from his shaking voice that the stars in his eyes had begun to fall with his tears.
“Somewhere in the darkest depths below the dark worlds. I was wandering around there last night and I quite literally just stumbled across her. I’m sure I could get back there if I tried-”
“Azzy! Are you there?!” Noelle’s voice echoed through the trees, and I could hear the others calling out as well.
“OVER HERE! I’M WITH AE’SHEL!” He shouted back, and handed me the headpiece, and I put it back in place. I moved the right headpiece aside so I could still listen to the music while continuing the conversation.
“Asriel, don’t tell the others about December yet, there’s more at play here that I haven’t told you about. I’ll catch you up with the rest of the situation when the others aren’t here.” I whispered in Asriel’s ear, and he gave me a strange look, but nodded all the same. Noelle was with the others, with Kris entering the meadow first, followed by Susie, Ralsei, and Noelle.
“We stopped by Seam’s shop and got the shadow crystals assembled.” Kris said, tilting their head at my appearance. “It's a knife of some kind.”
“Seam said that we’d know when to use it or somethin'.” Susie growled, glaring at me.
“Typical. Guess we are in the waiting stage then, unless anyone here has any idea what the Knight is up to.” I sighed, my gaze lingering on Kris. “Because as it stands we lack the remaining code to the bunker.”
“The bunker?? What does that have to do with anything??” Noelle asked.
“The Knight took Undyne there two nights ago,” Susie answered.
“There’s a dark world of some kind inside it, I know that much. I think it leads to the darkest depths or something close to it. We have two of the three keycodes we need, one from the church, and one from the Holidays. What we are missing is the police code.”
“It’s possible it's in the police station somewhere, or my dad knows it.” Asriel chirped up.
“I don’t think asking your dad is a good idea, especially since we kicked his ass.” Susie chuckled, and Kris jabbed her in the side. “Ow.”
“We can just talk to Napstablook!! I’m sure they’d be happy to help!!” Noelle added, and I shook my head in response, much to her dismay.
“Napstablook only recently took over, so it's possible they don’t even know the shelter code. Our best shot would be to make a dark fountain in the police station, but even then that’s going a bit far.”
“If we did make a dark fountain though, we could maybe lure the Knight and get some answers out of them. I gave them a run for their money until they hit me with that bat of theirs.” Asriel challenged.
“There’s still no guarantee you could beat them though. I think the Angel has a point, our best bet might just be to wait until the Knight makes another fountain and go from there.” Ralsei admitted. Susie looked like she was going to disagree, but Noelle spoke first.
“I think I’m with Ralsei on this one… me and Susie nearly died trying to escape the Knight, and I wouldn’t want us risking another fight so soon…”
“Well that’s settled, now all we gotta do is wait,” I stated.
“Why are you on the ground?” Kris questioned.
“Because kiddo, making a body, fighting YOU, and then fighting your DAD is exhausting. I’m not a wellspring of infinite energy.”
“You seem to have enough energy to talk your mouth off,” Kris pointed out, and I groaned in response.
“Kris! You can’t talk to the Angel like that!” Asriel scolded.
“Not the Angel!” I corrected
“Hey, they possessed me, I can say whatever I want about her,” Kris noted.
“You’ve got a good point kiddo.”
“I-I just remembered that there was something Susie wanted to show me!! We’ll be back!!” Noelle grabbed Susie’s hand and yanked her away.
“What? But there isn’t anything left to-” Susie was interrupted before she could finish.
“YES THERE IS!!”
“We should make sure they don’t get into trouble, let’s go Kris!” Ralsei forcefully grabbed their hand and dragged them in a separate direction.
“Hey I wanted to talk to them!” I shouted.
“You can talk later!” Ralsei hollered back, their voice growing fainter.
“I swear, Ralsei doesn’t want me to talk to Kris for some reason.”
“I think he’s just being protective,” Asriel said. “But you said that it's possible that the shelter connects to the darkest depths?”
“Yup, I’ve got quite a few theories about what’s going on but there isn’t really enough evidence to prove any of them to be absolutely correct.” I began putting on all my armor again, not wanting to leave it out any longer.
“Do you think the shelter or the Knight would have clues on how to get Dess back?”
“Most likely, why?”
“I think the two of us could take the Knight.”
“In a fight? You’re not serious.” I finished putting on the last piece of my armor and I rose to my feet.
“I don’t want to wait any longer to solve what's going on here. While I was at college my sibling got possessed, and someone calling themselves ‘The Roaring Knight’ is opening fountains. I’m going to open a dark world in the police station.” Asriel had a grave look on his face and a fire raging in his eyes.
“Fallen stars, you're serious! Even if you do this you know you need me to close the dark world right?” I tilted my head as I stared at the boss monster, incredulous at what he was proposing.
“Yes, I know. This needs to be done, I don’t want anyone else to be in danger, not Kris, Noelle, or Susie. Not even Ralsei.”
“I’m not agreeing to this kiddo, you’re not gonna be doing that.” I began walking away towards the town square of Castle Town, my gaze turning towards the starless night sky above.
“I know you won’t, and I ask you to forgive me for what I’m going to do Angel.”
“Can you stop calling me Angel, just call me Ae’shel please.” I frowned. “For what I’m about to do? What is he-”
I felt something hit the back of my head, and I fell. My vision faded into a void, and my mind succumbed to forced unconsciousness.
Notes:
This chapter contained a lot of stuff that's been living in my head, so I hoped yall enjoyed it! It was an absolute blast to write!
I will start replying to some of the comments as well, so do make sure to add any questions and I may or may not answer them :3
Once again thank you to my amazingly fantastical beta readers <3
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Chapter 4: The Past Guides the Way
Summary:
Asriel seals his decision in darkness and song, determined to find the girl who's been lost for so long. The golden son uncovers shared trauma with the Angel, and the scars she bears are familiar in form.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“You have no idea where it is, but somehow you know exactly how to get there.” - IX
“Dear Dess,
I have kidnapped our only possible hope of stopping the prophecy and the roaring so that I can save you. I hope that I can complete my plan before the Angel cuts me down for my sins against her.”
“Oh Angel what have I done?!” The first sentence of my imaginary letter to December faded away as I looked down at the armored heap that the Ang- Ae'shel had become. I dismissed the singular sword that I had summoned to knock her out, and I quickly knelt beside her. Her breathing was slow and steady, and she could be mistaken for having fallen asleep on the spot. For all that I had learnt about the Angel in church and in some theological classes at college, none of it prepared me for Ae’shel. She surprised me with how much smaller she was when compared to the myths around her. None of the books in the church said her hair was dark and somewhat frizzy, as if she often wore a hat or helmet, the tips dyed a subtle purple. She was not as pale as Kris, but still not quite tan, something that made it easy to see the scars that peeked out from beneath her bodysuit. I shook my head, willing myself to stop staring at the ethereal being.
“I need to get her out of here before the others return. I don’t want to drag her, so I’ll have to carry her…” I picked up her arm and laid it across my back before scooping up Ae’shel, her limbs dangling loosely from her slumped form. The weight of her limbs caught me off guard, and I lurched forward before I quickly leaned back, adjusting my posture to her weight. As I stood, her head lolled towards me, her headphones falling around her neck, the music loud enough for me to easily hear. “She feels dense, what the heck are her limbs made of, steel?!”
I willed the magic in my body to strengthen me, and I exited the meadow, navigating an out-of-the-way path towards Castle Town. I gazed up at the soft beam of light that acted as the exit and entrance to this world of endless night, finding myself humming along to Ae’shel’s music. The trek took me through the forest of red trees, each step blurring into the next as time and song passed hand in hand. It was only when the trees began to thin and the walls of Castle Town were in sight that I realized that the music from the headphones had stopped.
“I was enjoying those strange songs too, maybe I can restart the playlist...” I shifted Ae’shel around in my arms, trying to be as gentle as I could so as not to wake her. I continued to walk, inspecting her headphones to determine how I could correctly fiddle with the controls. The headphones appeared to have a new album called ‘Memories (WIP)’ by a band called 𝚫V queued up, and I tilted my ear towards the closest earphone to listen. The dark cobblestone bricks of Castle Town’s walls loomed overhead, its shadow hiding me and the sleeping god from any peering eyes. The faint strum of a bass gently floated through the air, its mournful notes tugging at my heart.
“Seven, why are you recording this?” A sharp feminine voice with an accent similar to, but nonetheless different, from Ae’shel’s spoke over the bass. The notes slowed as she spoke, picking up speed again once she had finished.
“Because Eight, it's gonna be our first song! Also, I have a feeling that we will want to listen to this recording again. You got the hang of the notes?” Ae’shel’s voice was unusually chipper, and she seemed excited.
“As well as I can, are you sure we should be doing a cover?” Eight seemed a bit hesitant, the bass chords letting out a mournful wail.
“I’ve kept the lyrics a secret for this reason, besides this song is just for the two of us, no one else will hear it,” Ae’shel (Seven?) reassured.
“Why is the Angel being called a number? I should probably turn it off and go back to the other album before she wakes up…” I attempted to grab the headphones with my fingers, unwilling to set the angel down and cease my trek towards the exit.
“Come on, every moment counts… I shouldn’t listen to this much.” I slowly clawed at the headphones, the display just out of reach.
“Sev…” Eight murmured.
“It won’t take long Ei, I promise. Start halfway in, that’s the part that matters,” Ae’shel cleared her throat, and began to sing. Her voice was clear and well, angelic. My curiosity continued to get the better of me as my fingers lingered over the pause button. “Of lonely people who have loved n lost
A passion to change it all
In the end, we’ll pay the cost
A thing of beauty I’ve known,
You’ll never fade away,
My heart is with you, alone
My thing of beauty, you know
We’ll never fade away~.” Ae’shel held the last note for a few moments, then went silent.
“That’s the silliest thing I think you’ve sung Sev, your lyrics kinda sucked.” Eight teased, finally stopping the bass.
“Well, it was a very spur-of-the-moment song. I’ll write you a real song then, anything for my Angel.”
“Wayward winds, stop calling me that! You are so lucky I tolerate you, you are such a dork!” Eight shot back, clearly holding back her giggles.
“Yeah? Well, I’m YOUR dork.” Ae’shel laughed, and the recording ended. I had exited the shadow of Castle Town, and was now lurking near the exit behind a few trees.
“Ok, no more snooping, if she finds out I listened to this I am going to be even more dead. Can she kill me twice? She could destroy my SOUL!” My heart leapt into my throat, nausea dominating my senses. I tasted bitter bile and leaned back onto a tree, the Angel appearing to grow heavier by the moment. I moved to press the pause button and Ae’shel lurched, causing my finger to slip, playing the next song instead. “No no no no, I didn’t mean to Angel, I’m so sorry, forgive me for my trespasses and my sins against you.” I looked around to see if anyone was watching the soft light of the exit. The strum of a gentle bass played, this time a different tune, and I could hear the rustle of leaves in a gust of wind.
“So give me all your hopes and dreams,
To take with me to lands you’ll never see
I’ll carry your love for me, no matter the stars I roam.
And when I look to those star filled nights
I’ll be reminded of your love every night
As I stare into countless moons, my heart oh so aches for you
As I go further and further away
No longer can I take you on those
Trips we used to plan
So I’ll carry with me your hopes and dreams
Until we can meet again.” Ae’shel slowly sang, each line that she mournfully chanted turning my blood cold. I staggered towards the exit, hoping that by leaving the dark world, the music would stop. I entered the field of pale light, and began accelerating upwards. No longer walking, I attempted to thumb the pause button again, yet the song continued despite my efforts.
“So write it all down
I’ll carry them with me
All your hopes and dreams
I hold you close in the fallen leaves
Don’t talk like that, it makes my heart ache so
Watch the sun rise, it reminds me of your eyes
Don’t be so still
We’ve got places to go
And many stars to roam
Why must you be so still
We don’t have to go anywhere
Please just get out of your tomb and
Let me take you home… I miss you, Ei.” The song ended, and my vision was slowly filled with light as the dark world grew smaller below me. I looked down at the Angel, curiosity and shame burning bright in my mind.
“Who are you...? And what happened to you?”
The bitter north wind blew fiercely as I navigated Hometown’s streets, the taste of cinnamon butterscotch pie still fresh on my tongue. I had pilfered the fridge at home for leftovers to sate my hunger, downing three cups of coffee and pouring myself a fourth for the road. I yawned, still feeling the grogginess from staying up so early. The light of the morning sunrise shone between the trees that lined the roads, showing me the path forward. I clutched the strap of my backpack tightly, concerned for the ruby heart nestled between textbooks and loose notes.
“She hasn’t moved at all since yesterday, it's getting kind of concerning. I’ll try and wake her up in the dark world.” Worry ached at the back of my mind, and I pushed it aside. I did not regret what I had done to the Angel, though it had hurt to knock her out. If Dess truly was alive, I didn’t want to be sitting idle while she suffered in the depths. The Knight had been a formidable opponent when I first faced them, yet I was determined to overcome them if it meant being able to see that messy girl again.
My heart lurched as I thought of her warm smile and rich laugh, a sound that had been able to pull me out of my moods. I recalled the times she had stolen me away from school events and family gatherings to goof off, allowing me to finally breathe without the need to maintain the appearance of the ‘responsible golden child.’ My breath clouded in the chill fall air, reminding me of the small camp that we had made together, and the nights we had spent huddled around the campfire telling jokes and singing, simply existing as ourselves next to each other. We’d wake up intertwined with each other in a tent full of pillows and blankets that we had snuck into the woods. Dess often teased my appearance, calling me “miss prim and proper,” though I recalled her making no such comments when she did my makeup for the first time. I smiled at that fond wisp of a memory, Dess smelling distinctly of pine as she carefully applied eyeliner around my eyes. She had even gone so far as to let me borrow some of her larger clothes to complete the look. Once she was done, and had taken more than a few photos of my radical new appearance. My makeup didn’t stay on long after that, and a low chuckle escaped my mouth.
The lights from the hospital faded away, my grip tightening on my backpack, fur bristling as I stood before the door to the police station. I pushed open the station door and was greeted by the distinct smell of salt and flowers. A fresh vase of lilac lilies was on Undyne’s desk, along with an unopened note from dad. The station was otherwise empty, with loose paperwork the only indication that someone had been here in the last day. I gingerly laid down the backpack next to my feet, unzipping one of the outer pockets to draw out a kitchen knife.
“When was the last time I made a dark world...?” I reflected again on my memories with Dess, how on the rare weekends when our parents went out to dinner together, we would plunge ourselves into the darkest realm. The faint music of the concerts we performed rung in my head, in time with the clash of blades against dark forces unknown. I remembered the strange new worlds we ventured into time and time again. I saw her smile in the shadows of the police station, her laughter in its silence, and so, filled with her memories and DETERMINATION, I plunged the knife into the ground.
And so the earth ROARED, impossible darkness erasing her smile, and her laughter was no more.
The raging empyrean of darkness around me howled, raging winds lashing against my fur and clothes. My sweater and jeans transformed into dark blue and gold robes of a mage. Golden sigils and pathways of energy wrapped themselves around my arms and hands, originating from a circular symbol on the back of my palm. The surrounding wind gradually calmed, its fierce howl lowering to a muted whisper. The dark smoke around me slowly dissipated, unveiling a new, unfamiliar world, taking the form of a series of stone bricks, narrow windows, and a singular wooden door. Curious, I peered out of the window to survey the dark world I had created. A multitude of soft yellow lights from a nearby cluster of medieval houses pulsed against a steady snowstorm, grey smoke drifting from their many chimneys. To my left and right were the walls of an imposing castle, a castle that I realized we were currently in. I marvelled at the sight, losing myself in the swirling snow and the distant wail of freezing winds, my breath utterly taken away. My sightseeing was abruptly interrupted when I heard a violent RIP behind me. I whipped my head around, my gaze landing on Ae’shel, who appeared to have cut her way out of a body bag with one of her knives. She was crouched over it, her knife brandished at me and a grim look engraved onto her face. I stiffened under her withering gaze, my heart racing as I feared for my life. To my surprise, she relaxed, a gentle expression taking over as she stood up, stretching.
“Tears of the moon who-Ah it's just you.” She looked around for a few moments, her eyes narrowing as she looked back at me, quickly advancing towards me. “YOU! You knocked me out!”
“I-I couldn’t not do anything!” I exclaimed, gesturing to the room around us.
“And you expect me to do nothing about what you’ve done!?” Ae’shel retorted, jabbing an accusing finger at me.
“Everyone’s been searching for years, and I finally have a lead on December, and you expect me to wait?!” I challenged the Angel, my heart sinking at my defiance of her. Yet I refused to cease my search for Dess for any reason.
“I expect you to at least have restraint and be PATIENT!” She snarled, furrowing her brow, settling her hands on her hips. Her eyes looked away from mine for a moment, reflecting on faraway thoughts and worlds.
“She’s been alone for all this time, and I’m not making her wait longer than she has to!” I asserted, quickly finding my back against the wall as the Angel glared down at me, eyes burning bright against the dark. I clenched my teeth, preparing myself for the worst, and against my will, instinctively closed my eyes.
“Hah… HAHAHAHA!!” The Angel, against all odds, laughed, her rich voice echoing throughout the empty room. I felt her heavy hand ruffle my hair for a few moments and I opened my eyes. “I don’t think anyone has been brazen enough to pull a stunt like that on me in YEARS! You’ve got drive kiddo, you’ll go far. I’ll let ya go this time, you’re lucky you are such a charmer,” Ae’shel winked at me before backing off, barely suppressing a yawn as she did.
“S-so you aren’t angry at me?” I asked, tilting my head in confusion.
“Was my yelling at you not enough? I never said I wasn’t. You’ve gotta think rationally sometimes and not just act on impulse. I understand your desire to rescue Dess as soon as possible, but you don’t want to make a foolish decision that could put you six feet under.” Ae’shel scolded, and she peered out the window for a few moments before turning around and inspecting the door.
“I was able to go toe to toe with the Knight before, I don’t see why this wouldn’t be a viable option,” I growled, “It’s just not fair to make her suffer any longer.”
“I understand where you are coming from, Asriel, on both counts. There’s no more use arguing over it since we are already here and there’s only one way out. And it's very likely that the Knight will be coming here to investigate what you’ve done.” Ae’shel reassured, and she frowned at the door, which distinctly lacked a handle of any kind.
“Well then, let's get looking for this shelter code, I’m sure the darkners would know.” I attempted to push the door open, but it refused to budge.
“A few things, though. While I believe you about going toe to toe with the Knight, my own experience fighting them has shown me that it pays off to be well-prepared. And since your fighting style… leaves much to be desired, I’ll give you some tips while we search for the code. And secondly, this door has no handle, so cover your ears.” She ordered, and pulled something from a holster on her right hip.
“Why would I need to cover my ear-” The large handgun wielded by the Angel barked three times, aiming the first two shots at the top and bottom right, and the last shot near the center left. She kicked the door, and it crashed to the ground, revealing a stone hallway lit with blue lanterns. “OW!! What was that??”
“Hand cannon type handgun. Works like a charm for my needs. It's the perfect universal key to unlock any door.” She joked, twirling the weapon before holstering it. “Let’s get moving, time isn’t exactly on our side for this one.”
“What??? I thought you couldn’t have guns here!” I chased after the Angel, slowing my pace once I caught up to her.
“Who made that rule? I thought these worlds were a reflection of our desires?” She looked down at me, a devilish smirk plastered on her face.
“I… don't know. Just seeing all the swords and knights made me think guns were not a thing here. They don’t exactly fit in.” I glanced out the windows again, admiring the swirling snow as I thought about Ae’shel’s words.
“Well Asriel, I don’t exactly fit in either, so ain’t that par for the course. Besides, if we can get a decisive advantage, I say we take it. Being creative with the resources you have available can tip the scales of a fight in your favor. I’ll show you when we FIGHT next.” She massaged her palm while she spoke, frowning at her hands. “I don’t plan on fighting the Knight for a prolonged period of time. We just need to complete our objective, survive the knight, and get out of here.”
“You’ve fought them before?”
“Kind of, I fought them when I was in Kris. And suffice to say, they kicked our fucking ass. Kris was holding back during the whole thing so I couldn’t rely on them at all.”
“Did the Angel just swear?!!!??!” I was taken aback by her words, a snort escaping her mouth as she looked at me. “Wait wait, Kris held back against the Knight? Why? And what’s so funny?”
“Nothin', just the look on your face. As for Kris, I don’t know, I’ve got a few hunches but nothing that I can really confirm at this moment. I do worry about them.”
“I’m sure Kris has a good reason for all of this, but I will be getting answers out of them once we are out of here.” Despite my words, a part of me doubted my little sibling, and I scorned it, pushing it aside. The castle’s hallway took a sharp left, and we continued walking, our steps echoing throughout the passageway.
“Don’t worry about it too much, I’m sure they’ll speak on their own accord. It's best not to rush this sort of thing. I’m sure we will be able to handle the Knight if…” Ae’shel stopped, and looked around.
“Is something wrong?” I inquired, following suit and looking around.
“Are you not hearing that?”
“Hear wh-” A loud crash in the distance interrupted me, and at the end of the hallway behind us, a trio of indomitable knights rushed towards us.
“STOP!! YOU HAVE VIOLATED THE LAW!” One of the knights shouted. Each knight carried a shield and a lance similar to an oversized pen, which was now levelled at us. “Surrender! We have you outnumbered!”
“Dreemurr!” Ae’shel shouted, my last name ringing in my ears. I bleated in surprise, feeling her iron hand grab onto my collar and pull me out of danger, positioning herself between me and the knights.
“These are some strange lookin’ pieces of evidence, sergeant, are ya sure we have the right ones?” The leftmost knight clattered, slightly lowering their lance.
“Of course they are!! This one reeks of crime!” The center one, presumably the sergeant, poked Ae’shel, and she growled at him.
“She’s not a criminal! She’s the Angel!” I corrected, jabbing a finger at the sergeant.
“Stop calling me that!” Ae’shel barked, breaking eye contact with the knights just to glare at me, and I muttered an apology. The last knight on the right was older than the other two, a grey beard sticking out of his helmet. He looked at me, fascinated by my appearance.
“Angel? Now I don’t know much about that, but she called you Dreemurr, am I right?” The old knight squeaked.
“Yes, she did, why?” I asked.
“You wouldn’t happen to be a relative of the venerable Knight-Captain Asgore Dreemurr?” He wheezed, armor clattering as he tiredly lowered his lance, letting it fall to the ground.
“I’m his son, why?” I answered the old pen, and the other knights whispered to each other, stealing thoughtful glances at me, and malevolent glares at Ae’shel.
“The Sergeant-Captain will want to talk with you. The rookie here will escort you. Me and Olpen will be arresting this criminal and confining them to the high security zone.” The sergeant spoke, and was already moving to grab the Angel.
“What? No! I won’t go unless she comes with me! We’re here for the shelter code!” I shouted at the guards. I pulled the Angel away from the knights, and I felt her wince when I touched her.
“Now what would you want with that?” The sergeant’s voice lowered into a guttural snarl. “The fact is here it’s top secret information known only to three people, including the Knight-Captain! Are you conspiring with this criminal?!”
“Asriel… you aren’t helping.” Ae’shel chided me before spinning around to address the Sergeant. “Gentlemen, I am not a darkner and neither is Asriel, we are both lightners and NOT criminals. We know about the shelter code because we are trying to rescue the current chief of police– Undyne.” Ae’shel spoke softly, her honeyed words dousing the sergeant’s irritability.
“Undyne? Hmmmph. Fine. We will escort you to the Major, and they’ll sort you out, be you a criminal piece of evidence or a lightner.” The sergeant stated, “If you make any wrong moves, we’ll give you the what for and skewer you!” He gave Ae’shel a quick jab before jumping back, the Angel’s piercing gaze judging the small knight’s actions.
“Come with me,” Olpen, the old rusty pen knight wheezed, and I obeyed, following him down the passageway to our right. The Angel trailed right behind me, and the other two guards accompanied her, their lances still levelled at her, much to her disapproval. Everyone was silent as we travelled through the maze of halls, the rattle and clatter of the knight’s armor interweaving with the faint rustle of my robes. Each hallway began to blur into the next, the flames in the lanterns putting my mind into a thoughtless haze as its tongues danced and flickered. The lids of my eyes grew heavier with every step and stone that passed underfoot, and I fought to suppress the yawn building in my throat.
“I just need to stay on my feet for a few more hours, not for me, but for her... Remember her, dammit, STAY AWAKE!” Miraculously, on cue, Ae’shel broke the silence, drawing my eyes away from the hypnotizing flames.
“I didn’t get to finish earlier, but I think now is a great time to talk about how you could improve when you fight. I’ve noticed that you tend to focus on one attack type at a time rather than mixing it up. For example, you could do a lot better if you used one sword and cast some spells with your other hand. Furthermore, your attacks are very singular in nature, they don’t have much variety to them.” She sounded very enthusiastic about her tips, a light in her eyes as she pointed to the sigils on my hands and forearms.
“Singular? What do you mean?” I asked, slightly more awake than I had been a few moments ago.
“Each of your magical attacks only serve one purpose. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you’re a MAGE for ring’s sake, you have the capability to twist your spells into whatever you want as long as you have the willpower and imagination. Being creative with your toolkit will give you a decisive edge against the knight. Getting predictable makes you an easy target.” Ae’shel answered, and I thought for a few moments about what she said, racking my aching mind for ideas.
“Like making my fireballs into flashbangs?”
“Not a bad idea. It’s always worth giving new ideas a try. I’m more interested in what the stars on your robes do.” She caught up to me, and we were now walking side by side. The stones underfoot flowed past us like water, and the details around us were lost in the conversation.
“Not much, I do have a magical attack called star blazing, but I create those myself instead of pulling them from my robes.” I explained, and my voice trailed off as the Angel scrunched her face at the name of my attack. “What?”
“That’s the name of your attack? Really? Please tell me you don’t shout that out.” She sighed, massaging the bridge of her nose, and I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks.
“N-no!” I shouted quickly (too quickly?), and she let out a dry laugh, waving her hand at me.
“You really are a dork. Going back to my point, you could cast out those stars and imagine them being anything from explosives to directed beams of energy. I don’t want to say much else because you should think of your own ideas.” Ae’shel winked, her eyes watching me as I continued to rack my brain for ideas. As I did, I let an absentminded yawn escape my mouth, and I bit the inside of my cheek, grounding myself in the waking world for a little longer. “How much longer until we get to where the Major is?”
“Shouldn’t be more than a five-minute walk, they’re just down this hall and then the third door on the right. Criminals. No patience.” The captain answered, clearly bored with the whole affair, and frustrated with Ae’shel. She didn’t answer his insult, merely looking at the stained-glass windows that lined this particular passage. Ice coated the windows, and with each step I felt the temperature around me plummet, the cold sinking deep into my bones and tearing through my robes and fur. Frost filled my veins and pierced muscle and skin, tearing away whatever feeling I had in my limbs. My white fur stood on end in the sudden freeze, my breath condensing in the air as my body quivered in a desperate ploy to generate heat. The lanterns full of flame that had lit the previous hallways were now barren, leaving the corridor in a shapeless void. I looked at the Angel, her cheeks tinged with red. Though she was mostly unaffected by the sudden drop in temperature, she still frowned at the annoyance.
“I-is this sort of thing n-normal here?” I asked, my teeth chattering away as I did.
“No. It isn’t. The next patrol will relight the lanterns and start a fire, then everything should be back within regulations.” The Sergeant muttered, his raspy voice echoing off the cobblestone. I stared into that boundless abyss at the end of the hall, dreading each step that I took towards it, but progressing nonetheless. I stared into the darkness, trying to make out something, anything that lay ahead. Shapes slowly coalesced from the void, sharpened horns that scraped the heavens, angular obsidian armor of deepest night, and two pale eyes bleaker than an endless tundra that bored into my very SOUL. The eyes swirled together into a singular streak of white, stretching itself into a malevolent grin, and then finally into a menacing narrow visor. I blinked, wanting to wish the shapes in the darkness out of my mind, but they refused. They persisted despite my efforts, a nightmare given form against the night. The Angel was no longer by my side, frost stiffened my robes and despite it all I continued walking into the black, drawn in by the figment of fear before me. I tried to speak, to call out and ask who it was, but my mouth refused to budge, the words I desired to shout stuck within my throat. As if to respond to my wordless question, the jagged creature raised its hand high into the air, five onyx blades flashing into existence.
“Asriel! What are you doing!?” The Angel’s voice faintly echoed in my ears, but it held no weight on my actions. The Knight cast down their hand, and their judgement fell upon us.
Notes:
Ok despite being a lot shorter this one took a lot longer to get out, but I'm hoping to start work on CH5 very soon for everyone to enjoy. The second set of lyrics in this chapter are written by me, with the first set being a riff of "Never Fade Away" By Samurai.
Once again many many many thanks to the beta readers who have been a massive help. Big shout out to those lovely people <3
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