Compared to the Dreemurs, Kris thought himself a fast eater who could pack things away, but eating with someone new showed him maybe that wasn't so absolute. Susie ate the hotdogs like potato chips. She was done in a matter of minutes where it took him closer to twenty or more to eat his two breaded dogs and have a corner of soda. Susie on the other hand had finished the rest of the beverage in a single swig into her maw. Halfway through the last hotdog Kris had to stop rocking on the swing. When he was finished, he looked up at the now cloudy sky. In the tranquility of the moment he took a whiff of the air... It carried a peculiar scent Kris often seen on store shelves.

"It's going to rain..." He mused aloud and tucked some waving strands of brown hair behind his ear. He then tilted his head to have a look at Susie who so obviously confirmed his observation through a weather app on her smart phone! He huffed in disappointment.. it took the mystery out of his attempted forewarning to her.

"Lame, I don't even have a hood for today." Susie grumbled and pocketed her phone before getting out of the tire swing. "I like the rain but I don't like to be in the rain." She stuffed the balled up paper bag into her jacket pocket before her hands burrowed into her pants pockets. "Where do you wanna go?"

"...To keep looking around the school." It was disappointing to Kris that the gate wasn't anywhere in his sanctuary, but it did not make him any less focused on finding a way back to the happier world. "I was struck with a new idea."

"Man!" Susie started before ruffling his hair with her massive palm. "Start with 'I have an idea' first! It's like you talk backwards sometimes."

"Heh heh heh..." Kris could not help but to chuckle, and with the delay of sharing his idea he was rocked back and forth from the top of his head as if she could shake the thoughts out from his ears.

"What's that noggin of yours hiding? I just realized this is some stupid puzzle for you to solve. So out with it!'

"It's called The Dark World and... When we first went there, we had to find a light switch we couldn't find so... What if-"

"Out with it!" His giggling only made her shake him back and forth more, and it didn't seem to make him stop! It wasn't like she was tickling him yet he was behaving as if she was! Stupid boy...!

"Okay-okay!" He laughed while flailing helplessly against her powerful hand on top of him. "What if we blew the fuse to the school? The entire building being black has to open a portal to somewhere, wouldn't you say?" Her hand was still on top of his head, but rather than a rough ruffle, it was a pat of approval instead.

"Alright, sounds cool. I have no clue where it is, though. I bet you do, huh?"

"Yup." Susie's hand lifted from his head. He stood tall and puffed his chest out. "I never messed with it, though..."

"Don't over think it. I'll just throw something into the box-"

"No, we'll just flip switches until it turns off... You're the strongest in school, no use getting in trouble." Kris paid mind to her crossed arms and the way her huff made her bangs flop, but he didn't change his mind. "Or if anything... I'll take the heat, okay? How about you stay in the corner of the hall and I go to the switch? That way you can make your escape if you need."

"Kris-" Susie reacted in challenge to that idea but couldn't find out how to express it. Kris always put her before himself...! She wasn't sure if that was how things were supposed to be or if she should tell him to knock it off. She clenched her fingers into a fist of protective frustration, not realizing her pressured emotions was the way she expressed her feelings of their friendship. She aimed to look out for him and to protect, he aimed to... whatever he was doing, always putting her first. "Why would you set yourself up to take the fall!?"

"...Because you said it yourself before we went to The Dark World. It's your last shot before it's all over so... I will protect that, and I will succeed."

"Now wait a hot second here, buddy. I don't need you being some kinda sacrificial lamb. You may come from a family of goats, but y'a'int one, got it? We're going to the switch together!" She growled when Kris shook his head and put up his hands defensively. The mauve dragon tensed at the gesture. Running away was not her thing, but yet, she found herself faltering.

"I'm not sacrificing myself... It's not worth the trouble for you to hang around it. If you're no where near the fuse, if you're by the exit, there's no way you can be at fault for me being weird and experimental. That's just how everyone is going to look at it. ..Please trust me." Kris balled his fists to stay firm in his vision. Susie huffed and turned her head before she walked down the path out of his haven.

Kris decided to take that as an agreement.

And he was right.

Susie hung out front of the school while he wormed his way past the janitor's closet to the control room. If he were to describe it, it would be like going under the hood to the advanced settings of a sleek web browser. His eyes twinkled at all of the large switches in front of him at the breaker.

*Typically... There is one that would make them all pop at once... It has been so long that I cannot remember...

"I think... it would be... The weird one that says CAT. Super switch seems too obvious," Kris mused aloud and pulled it back. It was a stiff switch, it had to be it—And it was. All the other switches popped in succession and there was a flash of blue that made him jump back, then finally, nothing. It was dark, and it was quiet besides the sound of everything whirring to a stop. He had succeeded like he said.

And just as he theorized...

The Dark World reacted to the darkness here. It was now too quiet, he couldn't even hear the echo of his shoes when he turned around.

*Ah~ We hav d.

"But without Susie..."

*I wish to go back! Who can say the portal will be open should the lights turn on then off again?

"...I can't go without her."

*I will go without you, then. I detest the uncertain.

Swiftly, a hand dived through the vessel's chest. Knees tensed and feet firmly planted into the floor before a bottomless void. In the darkness, a light glowed red, a tender soul in the palm of the dripping hand it was held in.

*That is what you want? To gamble once more? Did faith ever work in memory? ... Best wishes!

The soul was tossed past the open door where darkness still reigned, but sunlight filtered through the halls. It tumbled, rolled and rolled...

"Eek! W-what is that?!" Past yellow feet the solid red light rolled. "O-oh... Maybe I should get the police...! I can't go anywhere in this school alone...!" Before the same thing could happen to this soul, it pulsated brightly and Alphys had halted to gawk at it.

Phew... She can't go out, she can't find Susie out front and waiting. …

"Nooo...Noooo! Not only did I lose my fanfic review, I don't know what to do! That can't be a human soul! Isn't that...Isn't that just lore?" Alphys had then gasped. There was only one human here! "Kris! Kris are you alright?!" She ran further into the school but at least it wasn't anywhere to the maintenance room this time.

...Bless her.

The heart turned up right and thought real hard about where it was torn away from... Legs, legs it had legs to run and to make noise. Suddenly, it had legs too, making the tiniest pit pat on the empty halls. The front door that this soul had no chance of reaching quickly opened loudly. Sun light washed down the hallway... and with it came steps that were heavy but none the less quick. The soul glowed brightly! Shined like a stop light for attention! It didn't have words but hopefully...it had vibes.

"What the heck is that? Kris! Kris! Where are ya?!" She walked further in and although she intended to look up, she couldn't help but to look down at the weird sight before her. She crouched down to look at it hop up and down. "A heart with legs? How stupid looking." She laughed and went to pick it up, but it dodged her hand. "Whoa-" She tried to pick it up again but then it decided to run.

Run around a corner flashing so brightly its pulsating light could be seen.

"Ah hell...! Kris! You're missing out! Where the hell are you? Check out this stupid thing! I think it's from that place!" It didn't cross her mind that Alphys could be running around looking for him too. Luck would have it, however, she followed the stupid heart, determined to pick it up and share with her missing friend. She was lead to a door she hadn't seen before and... on the bottom was a heart shaped hole like out of old cartoons. She couldn't help but laugh and open the door.

But where was it? She didn't see the light anymore. ...So now she hesitated.

"Kris?" No reply. She waited... and then closed the door. "You must've tripped into the new world, you clumsy dork." No way he would leave her behind like that. He promised. She walked further inside and suddenly, she lost footing but it didn't feel startling nor alarming. It felt... welcoming, like going to sleep after a frustrating day. "Looks like I did too." She smiled to herself as she looked up.

Somehow, although there was nothing but darkness, she could see the distance she was traveling to where she wanted to be.