Kris squirmed around in bed, unable to fall asleep.
They couldn't forget about their adventure through that strange world underneath the school closet. Every part of that journey had felt so real, it couldn't have been a hallucination. Meeting Lancer, walking across the endless fields of purple grass, learning about the Lightners and the Darkners, warning everyone they met in the forest about Susie's attacks, braving the checker board castle, designing the ultimate evil machine, breaking out of prison, solving the puzzles in Card Castle, meeting the King, saying goodbye to Ralsei...
Ralsei.
Kris lowered their body under their blanket. Their face grew hot. Their hands couldn't stop trembling. They grabbed their face by the chin and started quivering, sweating.
At the end of their journey, Ralsei had revealed his face. Kris couldn't believe their eyes when they saw that adorable, pink-horned goat under the green mask, smiling earnestly back at them. Ralsei had a shy smile. The light in his eyes was a gentle one, a lovely glow that sunk deep into Kris, filling their heart with an emotion beyond words. A faint blush had hung over Ralsei's cute cheeks.
Kris had wanted to reach out and pinch those cheeks, give them a good rub, pat Ralsei on the head so they could feel the softness of his fur. Except if they'd done that in front of Susie, well, their upcoming years in school probably wouldn't be pleasant.
The feeling that had buried its way into Kris's heart from seeing Ralsei's glowing smile was pleasant at first, but the moment they'd said goodbye to each other, it transformed into a knife. Each step Kris took away from Ralsei made that knife twist in their chest. By the time they'd reached the fountain, they could have given anything to run back and grab Ralsei and tell them to come along with them. But they said nothing. They didn't want to cause an embarrassing scene in front of Susie. When the world started to disappear around them, the heart-rending knife melted into burning lava.
Now, lying in bed, Kris couldn't escape that body-rending pain. They wanted to scream.
Everything they'd seen and gone through today had been so bizarre, they were still wondering whether or not they were inside a dream. They'd heard rumours about the substances some people in town were taking, substances that could alter your perception and your state of mind and take you somewhere far away, a much more pleasant place. Kris had never tried one of those drugs before. And, well, if that whole adventure had been due to Susie blowing some noxious fumes inside that closet, well...
No.
It was real. All of it.
Kris gripped the bed sheets. Their trembling fingers were starting to shake the wooden bed frame, creating a ruckus that would no doubt summon their mother to their room if it got any worse.
How could that world have been fake if they remembered Ralsei's voice so clearly?
Ralsei's words of encouragement, the soothing sensation of receiving his healing magic, the unbearable yearning to be by his side again, that stomach-churning worry in their chest at what became of Ralsei's fate after they had left – it was tearing their mind apart.
Kris jumped out of bed, a crazed look in their eyes.
They wish they could reach into their heart and pull out their soul, their small, red-shaped soul, slam it against the ground, stomp on it until it was in a hundred shattered pieces.
At least, then, they wouldn't have to feel such visceral pain anymore, this unbearable longing to be back by Ralsei's side.
They had to return. There was no other choice.
They had to go back to that world and find Ralsei.
Kris moved quietly to avoid waking up their mother. They tiptoed downstairs into the dark living room, where the delicious smell of pie made something else churn in their stomach. They ignored that feeling, too overcome by pure, irrational desire for Ralsei's companionship to worry about hunger. Silently, Kris put on their shoes and sneaked out the front door, hoping that their mother hadn't heard them.
In the dark of the night, Kris ran all the way to their school.
The front doors were open, to their surprise. Normally, the school would be locked at night, though it wasn't necessary in a neighbourhood as peaceful as theirs. But then they remembered that they and Susie were the last ones to leave school that day, so the teachers had probably left the doors unlocked for them to exit after everybody else had left.
They were in luck.
Kris bolted towards the supply closet at the back of the school. With shuddering hands, they flung the closet doors open. Beyond lay that familiar, all-enclosing darkness. This time, they couldn't tell if the darkness was due to the lack of lighting inside the school or if it was due to the presence of the Dark World behind it.
There was only one way to find out. Kris stepped into the closet.
Their body began falling.
Kris opened their eyes.
Light blue skin, dark hair, a magenta cloak, white boots, and a red sword. They blinked, wondering if they were really back inside the Dark World. The barren, mountainous walls surrounding them, some of the walls filled with holes that resembled eyes, indicated that they were. A cold breeze swept their hair. The black, starless ceiling gave them visions of a journey through a Dark World filled with peril, puzzles, and friendship.
Ralsei was in this world.
Kris set off at a sprint, far more motivated than the last time they woke up here. Their pounding heart was filled with determination. They had to find out what had happened to Ralsei since they parted ways at the throne room of Card Castle. It was the only thing on their mind.
The slopes and falls of this lonely region of the Dark World did little to stop them from running their fastest to reach the castle town. Ralsei's voice rang in their head, urging them on. They would see that cute, friendly goat boy again if it was the last thing they ever did.
When Castle Town came into sight and everything appeared as before, they began to feel some hope. At least the Dark World hadn't been destroyed by them breaking through the fountain to get back to the Light World. Kris ran through town, whose shops were still closed, and entered the castle through the surprisingly open door.
The dark, spacious hall beyond caused a flood of memories to return. Their first encounter with Lancer. Ralsei under the guise of the dark blue robe, explaining the prophecy of the Heroes. Susie storming off. Their eyes darted around the room, hoping beyond hope that they would see Ralsei hiding somewhere here again.
The sound of approaching footsteps made their heart beat twice as fast.
Could Ralsei actually be here?
Something turned in Kris' stomach, a hot, acidic feeling that threatened to rise into their throat and melt their vocal cords into ash. They remained silent as they heard the footsteps getting closer. Their heart must have skipped a beat when they saw the door opening. Kris closed their eyes. Whoever was behind this door would make or break them.
"...Kris?"
That voice.
Kris's eyes opened, and in front of them was that same blue hooded figure. This time, the figure quickly took off his hood, revealing...well, the next hood he wore underneath: his green mask and pink scarf, the gown with the heart symbol at the centre, his big circular glasses.
Kris couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Kris? Why are you back?"
Ralsei stepped forward, cautiously at first, then his wary expression slowly morphed back into his shy, happy demeanour. A transient smile dawned across his face. He looked confused, a little nervous. But he wasn't afraid.
Kris opened their mouth to speak, hoping that words would still come out.
"I'm glad you're okay," Kris began.
"Thanks. I'm happy to see you're still in one piece, too! Is Susie all right?"
"Yes, she is."
"That's good." A sigh of relief. "So the two of you were able to get back home, right?"
"Yeah. What happened after we left?"
As much as they wanted to throw their arms around Ralsei, pulling him into the tightest hug he'd ever received, they figured they ought to find out what had transpired in the Dark World since they left.
"Oh, umm..." Ralsei adjusted his scarf, his eyes turning upwards. "The King's minions came to the throne room to find you. Lancer couldn't keep them out for much longer, and the King was about to wake up, so we decided to escape on his motorbike. We rode the bike out of his castle and fled west, luckily without getting caught."
Kris had a hard time imagining Ralsei and Lancer riding the motorbike together...and out of a castle? Did they drive down the wall or something?
"Once we were sure that the king's minions weren't tailing us, we parted ways at the field," Ralsei continued. "Lancer said he was going to hide from his father for a while. I decided to come back here and hide in this castle." Ralsei's eyes turned down to the floor, his smile growing dim. "When I heard you walking in, I was scared that the king's minions had already found me. I considered running away, but I felt...something about you, something that made me choose to stay. A hero's aura, maybe? I knew it was you even before I opened the door."
"Ralsei...I'm glad you didn't run away," Kris said, unable to hide the burgeoning grin upon their lips. "I would've been alone if you did. I'm not here with Susie this time."
Ralsei smiled back in that distressingly cute manner. Kris's heart was ready to burst from their chest.
"So, what brings you back?" Ralsei asked.
Kris knew better than to confess their feelings in some melodramatic spiel, even though every fibre in their body wished to reveal the truth to the goat boy standing before them. "I wanted to know if you were safe."
"Oh, how kind of you. Thanks, Kris. But now that you're down here again, the only way for you to get back to your world is to make the journey all the way east again. Won't that be troublesome for you?"
Kris tucked their arms behind their back. They twirled their foot in circles as they spoke, carefully choosing the right words to say. "The thing is, I don't – I feel like I want to stay longer this time. I don't want to go back to my world yet."
Ralsei looked surprised. "You don't want to return to your world?"
Kris tried to smile again. "Let's just forget about that, Ralsei. Forget about the prophecy. Forget about journeying east to destroy the fountain and everything. Things are a lot simpler if you don't try to get in anybody's way, isn't it?"
"Actually, I'm not sure what happened to the fountain." An inquisitive glow appeared in Ralsei's eyes. "You destroyed the fountain to escape this world, right?"
"Yeah, I think I had to do that...well, to be honest, I'm not sure."
"You don't know?"
"Everything became kind of blurry when Susie and I stepped towards the fountain. Then our bodies were flying through space, everything became dark, and we woke up back in our world."
"Is that really what happened?" Ralsei's eyes grew wide. "Wow, that's weird. So the fountain might still be there."
"Did you see anything when you escaped the castle?"
"I, erhh..." A slight blush was on Ralsei's cheeks, and they were approaching maximum squeezability. "It was kind of hard to get a look when I had to hold onto Lancer for dear life while we skid down the walls of the castle on his motorbike."
Kris felt a pang of jealousy. "It's okay."
"Well, if you're back again, but you're not interested in fulfilling the prophecy this time, then what do you wanna do?"
"It's up to you." Kris thought about saying 'let's stay together', but realized before they spoke that they should try to avoid coming off as overtly clingy. "Our journey was fun, but I never really got to do anything, uh, normal with you the last time I was here. Why don't you show me around your place?"
Ralsei spent a second considering it, then he nodded and gestured towards the open door at the back of the hall. "Okay."
"By the way, why are you still wearing your mask? You don't have to hide your true face from me anymore, right?"
"I, umm...I like the mask!" Ralsei grinned, revealing his sharp teeth. "I can take it off later if you really want me to, though."
"Take your time."
Excitement rushed through Kris' veins as they followed Ralsei into the interior of the castle. Ralsei took them across massive halls with arched ceilings and stained glass windows. If the Dark World had a sun, the view of evening sunlight streaming in through those windows would probably be beautiful.
Torches lit the castle's corridors and the spiral stairways that led up the towers. Kris followed Ralsei to the top of one of the towers and walked out onto the balcony. A warm wind was in the air, and the lights of the town below the castle reminded Kris of their hometown at night during the holiday season. Ralsei asked Kris how they liked the view from the top of the castle.
"It's really pretty," Kris responded, feeling a hot flush over their face. Ralsei looked so beautiful standing here with the dim city lights behind him.
"Yeah." A soft sigh escaped Ralsei's lips. "I used to come to the top of this tower and sing."
"Used to?"
"Until today. The King and his minions are searching for me right now. If I sing up here, they might hear my voice and trace it to this castle."
Kris blinked and remembered that the Dark World was probably better at amplifying sounds than their own world by virtue of being underground. Their heart dropped at the realization that Ralsei couldn't do something he loved anymore, and it was mostly his (and Susie's) fault.
"I hope they give up looking for you," Kris said, trying to sound encouraging. "It must be hard living on the run."
An earnest smile. "Don't worry. If anything, I'd be more worried about you, since you're the one they really want."
"Thanks, but I'm not scared of them." Kris had never feared anyone that they'd fought down here. The various Rudinns and Hathys and Bloxers that they fought were hardly worse than Susie on a bad day. The King himself, however, was another matter. "I'll keep watch over you, Ralsei. I'll make sure they don't catch you."
"Really? You're so nice! I'll watch your back too, Kris."
Ralsei was beaming brightly enough to be a makeshift sun for the Dark World. Kris felt their head growing faint with happiness.
"Let's keep going," Ralsei offered, and they descended back down the stairs.
Kris followed Ralsei through the remaining halls of the castle, visiting the kitchen and the treasury and a garden filled with beautiful yellow flowers. Ralsei explained that they were buttercups, his favourite flower. One of his jobs was to water the flowers every day and to use his magic to give them the light that they needed to grow. The result of his hard work maintaining the garden was this gorgeous golden meadow that bloomed even in the depths of the Dark World.
Seeing Ralsei's garden reminded Kris of a memory from a long time ago. A memory involving their mother, Toriel, and their brother, Asriel.
"Look at those beautiful flowers!" Toriel had exclaimed, pointing to a rainbow patch of wildflowers that grew on the hill at the edge of town. Kris and Asriel got out of their mother's car and ran towards the patch, eager to play in it.
"Children, be careful. Some flowers are poisonous, so do be sure to avoid getting those flowers in your mouth or in your eyes!"
Kris couldn't remember why, but they had gotten into an argument with Asriel that same day. They had made the very cruel decision of picking some of the yellow flowers and sneaking the petals into their mother's pie once they were home.
Thinking back on it now, Kris grew red with embarrassment. How could they have been so rash and stupid? They could have seriously hurt their brother or their mother, or even themselves.
But their mother had noticed the strange smell of buttercups coming from her pie once it was baked, and when she cut out a slice, she found traces of yellow petals in the filling inside. That whole pie was dumped, and she grew distraught for an entire week over how careless she had been with her cooking.
She'd never suspected that Kris was responsible for sneaking those petals in, because she'd picked some yellow flowers herself, placing them in a vase inside her house. Kris never brought it up for fear of punishment. And they knew better than to ever try that again.
They owed a debt to their mother for saving the life of their brother.
"This is the prettiest garden I've ever seen," Kris said to Ralsei, snapping back into the present.
The goat boy's blush threatened to consume his entire face. "Thank you so much."
"Where did you get all these flowers?"
"There used to be a nice patch of these flowers at the edge of town. Years ago, the patch was a lot bigger, and people in town were afraid of their children wandering into the patch and touching the poisonous yellow flowers, so I had to cull them. I didn't want to just throw all of them away, though, so I decided to grow them in my very own garden!"
Internally, Kris laughed at the similarity in the worries that the denizens of the Dark World had as with the people from the Light World. "You're kind of like the caretaker of this town, aren't you?"
"Of course. I'm their prince."
"I bet you're the best prince anyone could ever have!"
'Thank you." Ralsei's smile threatened to melt Kris into a burning red mess of goo. "Well, Kris, that about concludes my tour of this castle. I was planning to get some reading done in my room tonight, but since you're here..."
"Wait. You never showed me your room."
A nervous giggle erupted from Ralsei's lips. "I could show you if you really wanted me to, but, ummm...don't you think you should be thinking about finding a place to stay for the night? I mean, if you're thinking of remaining in this world for a while..."
"Sure, sure."
The dominant thought in Kris' mind was 'why don't you let me sleep in your room for the night?'
Kris blinked and shook that thought away. It was way too inappropriate of a suggestion. Ralsei was right: they needed to find some lodging.
"I guess I'll look around town?" Kris suggested.
"You could, but it's a bit dangerous. The King's minions could've already infiltrated this town, and they might be on the lookout for someone of your description."
"Ah, I see."
"I guess you'll have to stay in my castle for the night."
Ralsei gave an embarrassed laugh, his eyes glimmering with genial warmth. Their watery light washed over Kris, wrapping their body into a soft, comfortable shroud. They felt as at ease as a leaf gliding down a gentle stream, everything glowing and sparkling. Kris could stare at Ralsei's beautiful eyes forever. They would be happy that way, happier than being back home with their brother, happier than they had ever felt in their whole life. Ralsei's smile was better than anything the world could ever offer.
A rumbling sound broke Kris out of their reverie. "I, uh...I'm kind of hungry."
"Okay. I'll make some food for you."
'Thanks a lot!"
They went into the kitchen, Kris watching Ralsei and wondering how someone could ever be so perfect. If only the goat boy could take off his mask and show his cute, floppy ears, his charming, pink horns!
Inside his kitchen, Ralsei boiled a pot of white mushroom soup with DarkBurger meat and additionally served Kris a slice of Top Cake. It was delicious.
Good thing Ralsei wasn't as obsessed with snail-based cuisine as their mother was!
"Hey, Kris," Ralsei spoke as they began eating, "How is your world like?"
Kris smiled, feeling unreasonably happy that Ralsei was asking them about their life. "Really different. We have...uh, how can I describe this to you? We have days and nights. During the days, the sky is really bright, and I have to go to school. You have schools here, right?" Ralsei nodded slowly. "Yeah. In school, we have to learn, and we do a lot of projects with our classmates. My teacher, Alphys, she's a real nerd, but she teaches really well! Except her tests are kind of hard. My mom gets really mad when I fail a test. Oh, and Susie's my classmate. The whole reason we fell into this world is because we had to get some extra chalk from the school's supply closet together. I, erhh, don't really know why there's an interdimensional portal in our school's closet, though. That's really weird."
Ralsei's expression alternated between pleasant astonished and mildly befuddled. "You came to our world through your school?"
"Yeah. I also went back to my world through the same supply closet after I stepped through the fountain behind the King's throne room."
"Wow. And did you get back here through the same closet?"
"Yep."
"Huh. What's the connection?"
"Beats me."
"Yeah, I don't think this will be easy to figure out."
Kris finished their slice of top cake and began drinking the soup. "Oh, and during night time in my world, the sky gets really dark, kind of like how it always is in this world. But we don't need torches or candles to keep our rooms lit. We have light bulbs that can do that. Actually, we just have a whole lot more technology in my world than you do. Errhh, sorry." Kris rubbed their head with an apologetic smile. "Like, my mother gets around town with her car. It's this big machine that takes you to places a lot faster than you could get to by walking."
"That sounds like a wonderful machine. How many people can it fit? Thirty? Fifty? A hundred?"
"Ummm...more like, four," Kris replied, laughing. "A few more if you have a big car, like my mother's van."
"Oh."
"Yeah, our world's full of machines and stuff, and I don't always get how they work." Kris thought about showing Ralsei their phone, but decided to leave that for later, since their phone didn't exactly work down in this world. "But really, thanks for the food."
"You're welcome." Another heart-stopping smile. "But where are you planning to sleep tonight?"
"Hmmm...how about the garden?"
"You want to sleep in that place?"
"I don't know why, but I kind of like that place. It's just so beautiful – thanks to your hard work. I wouldn't mind spending a night there."
"All right. Just avoid trampling the flowers, though."
"Will do."
Kris helped Ralsei with washing the dishes. Every once in a while, their arms would bump against each other, and Kris would feel a jolt of indescribable satisfaction. The feeling sank deep into their gut and made their whole body feel warm.
When the dishes were done, Ralsei took Kris back to the garden.
"I guess this is where we part ways," Kris said.
"Why are you saying 'part way's? We're practically still in the same building!"
"Oh, sorry. I mean, errhhh..."
To Kris' surprise, Ralsei simply smiled and took off his mask.
Seeing the pretty goat boy again, Kris couldn't stop grinning. The warm pink blush on Ralsei's cheeks, his cute floppy ears, that tuft of fluffy hair atop his head, and most of all, his gorgeous smile. He was just so beautiful in every possible way. Kris knew they probably looked like an absolute idiot right now, but they couldn't care less.
Nothing could stop them from feeling so happy.
"Kris," Ralsei said, his voice lowering to a whisper, "I know it's selfish of me to say this, but...I'm glad you're back. The truth is, I, umm, I started to feel rather lonely after you and Susie left. I know I shouldn't be happy about you coming back here, 'cuz it's dangerous with the King's minions looking for you and all, but, seeing you at my castle again, showing you around this place tonight, it just made me feel...it made me feel really happy."
"I'm happy to be back too, Ralsei."
"Well, I guess if you're happy..."
Ralsei's blush grew deeper. He closed his eyes with a gentle smile.
Ralsei leaned forward and gave Kris a quick kiss on the lips.
Kris froze, their eyes growing huge. "Ralsei..."
"Sorry. Good night," Ralsei said, waving at Kris and hurrying out of the room.
Kris slowly licked their lips, listening to the sound of Ralsei's footsteps growing farther and farther away.
That just happened. It really just happened.
Ralsei kissed them.
Kris couldn't feel their arms, their legs, their body, or their face anymore. They were floating somewhere high, high up, somewhere warmer than they had ever been, warmer than the world could ever be.
As they fell onto the flower bed, they began to hear a soft voice in the distance.
Ralsei was singing one of his lullabies.
It was a beautiful song, full of melancholy, full of nostalgic feeling and a quiet yearning for something far, far away. As far as the heart could be.
Kris closed their eyes and listened.
While the sun would rise in the Light World, people would get up from their beds, school would begin – the Dark World would forever remain in perpetual darkness. Nothing but the glow of Ralsei's dazzling smile could keep this world warm.
Ralsei's song and the scent of the yellow flowers reminded Kris of a child that chose the Dark World over the Light one, the underground over the surface, a child that wandered far away from home, far from the places that they knew, wandering and wandering until they had fallen down.
Fallen down onto a bed of flowers.
