The time was 7 AM when Kris decided to head out.

For the rest of the night, and into the early morning, sleep proved entirely elusive. Contrary to what they told their family, they'd made little effort to fall back asleep to begin with; even with efforts to close their eyes, and shut off their mind, their senses continued to push them into overdrive. Their mind ran a marathon and more.

A brief conversation via text also kept them awake. It took a bit of wrangling on their part, but at last, they got Susie to agree to meet them as early as possible. They settled on the lake, at the picnic tables.

Then came the matter of their mother. After a brief explanation of their desire for fresh air (and a promise to return soon), they managed to seal the deal. It wasn't easy, after the turmoil of their nightmare, but they gave it no more thought.

The sun had already risen.

Their walk down the street was brisk, and concentrated. Tunnel vision blocking their peripheral vision, Kris paid no mind to anyone, or anything else around them. But a few weird looks from the early morning passerby proved unavoidable: their slovenly, unkempt appearance stood out like a sore thumb, combined with wrinkled, loose-fitting clothes.

On their sleepless stroll, there was no room to care about such things.

Instead, Kris' hand reached for their pocket, and pulled out their phone. Nothing new. With no reaction, they returned it, and again sharpened their gaze forward. The lake was approaching, just down a short path, and past the familiar flower shop.

They kept straight ahead, without so much as a glance.

To the side of the dirt path, Kris walked to the nearest table, and plopped down on the bench. Head angled downward, they kept their eyes to their lap. Memories trickled in, of their time here before the accident; quietly, they were thankful those two in the helmets were gone. Having people nearby would make them nervous.

The footsteps behind them didn't help. Kris angled their head to the side, and from the corner of their eye, they could see someone approach.

"I know I said you could text, but did you have to ask to meet this early?"

Kris said nothing, They returned their sight ahead, and away from Susie. She approached, and after a moment of standing over them, sat next to them on the bench. She spared a quick, almost uninterested glance, but what she saw evoked a double-take.

"... Kris?"

They again looked to her. "Yeah?"

"You look like hammered shit."

Kris could only chuckle, a dry, emotionless sound. They audibly exhaled. "I got some weird looks on the way here. Is it really that bad?"

"It's terrible," Susie said. "Did you get in a fight? I'll kick their ass around the block."

At this, Kris blinked, and they creased their brows to match. They shook their head. "No, not a fight... I didn't get much sleep."

"Yeah? Why?"

Susie's query was blunt, to the point. Kris responded with a slight dip of their head. "I had another nightmare. I guess I screamed loud enough to wake everyone up." They sighed. "Didn't really close my eyes again after that."

"A nightmare that had you screaming?" Susie said, with incredulity. "Sounds rough. What happened?"

Kris tapped their fingers against the table surface, absently. Though their expression remained blank, they needed to gulp, tightness gripping their throat.

"I... I dreamt I went back to the Dark World. I used those doors in the forest to get there."

Though Susie suppressed a visible reaction, shock was her dominant emotion, brewing within. She glanced over her shoulder, as if the doors would appear right behind them. "Are you serious?" Disbelief dripped from her voice, and she made no attempt to hide it.

Kris nodded. She scratched the back of her head.

"You realize no one's ever been able to open those, right? They've been here since the town was built."

Another nod. "Yes, I know... I felt something calling me, telling me to open the doors. Everything just clicked from there."

Susie processed this information, and ponded it with everything she already knew. This was starting to sound too eerie for her liking: Kris' vision of the forest yesterday was strange enough, but something calling them to the forest? She needed to pry for more.

"Kris, was the forest anything like you saw yesterday? When it got all dark?"

"Yeah. It was the same."

To her simultaneous expectation and dread, Kris' affirmation brought a faint scowl to her face. Right hand pressed flat against the table, her other found the edge of the bench, and she gave it a stress squeeze. "They're probably connected then, huh? Your dream, and that thing."

"There's more, still."

Kris' interruption was swift, against what she anticipated them to say. Her face fell in expectancy, and she said no more. They took the opportunity to speak:

"When I went through the doors, everything felt different. I had my sword and armor back, but it felt like I wasn't even in my body. It's what I told you earlier, I didn't have any control over myself."

The chills in Susie intensified. At the hospital, when they had this conversation, Kris became quite emotional, terrified of the prospect. But now their voice was detached, monotone... emotionless. It felt nothing like before.

"... And then what?"

Kris swallowed the lump in their throat. Now they hesitated.

"I... I saw Ralsei, in the field. I attacked him."

Herr thoughts entirely failed her. She wasn't certain she heard properly.

"You—you attacked Ralsei?"

Kris nodded. "I thought he was an enemy, I didn't know what else to do."

Beads of sweat accumulated at Susie's crown. A quick swipe of her forehead cast them away, but she found herself fraught well beyond this simple motion. Everything Kris described, it was sounding too real for her liking. Vivid in detail. To assuage her own concerns, she had to be completely sure.

"Kris, how about we bring Ralsei up here? He'll probably be ready to see us."

Kris said nothing, but with their hands pressed against the bench, they made themself stand. Susie mirrored the action, and with a slight shift in position, came to the side of the table and stood straight. Kris' eyes were glued to their feet.

"I don't have the school's keys. It's a weekend, isn't it?"

Kris' forgetfulness didn't sit well with Susie. Again they seemed aloof, disconnected even. She wasn't quite sure how to approach, save for the barest of replies, and so she decided to go that route.

"Yeah, it's Saturday. We could try the doors in the forest, though."

Immediately Kris shook their head. Their eyes had expanded slightly, face contorted in fear. Compared to just minutes ago, it was the furthest reaction from what she'd expected.

"I don't want to go near it. Please don't make me..."

A burst of emotion choked their voice, rendering them quiet and crackled. Their fists clenched tightly, nearly white-knuckle, they felt themself tremble where they stood. Susie felt herself awash with hesitation, and pity in equal parts. She took a step closer to them, and offered a hand on their shoulder.

"We won't then, okay? Come on, let's take a walk. You need it."

Kris nodded, with vigor. They began down the dirt path away from the lake, and after a moment of watching them, Susie went to catch up.

Their first destination was to return to Kris' home.

A little over an hour had passed since their departure, and Kris knew they would cause their mother worry if they were out for much longer. As they passed the librarby up the street to their house, they relayed this to Susie, and she crossed her arms mid-walk.

"Are we gonna stick around your house?"

Kris shook their head. "No, we'll make it quick. I'll get the key."

Susie grunted, a gesture of confirmation, but one with a bit of unhappiness mixed. She wasn't sure how smart an idea it was to go asking for the keys again, given the circumstances. They were likely to worry Ms. Toriel even further.

Nevertheless, there was little time to rethink the plan. They had arrived at Kris' house, and without pause, they yanked the front door open and stepped inside. Susie remained planted in the front yard, out of sight from those inside, but she wasn't sure whether to follow or not.

Then, a trickle of voices drifted through the doorframe. She stepped closer, straining to hear. With her best efforts—

And then, Kris' reappearance in the frame caused her to take a startled step back. They closed the door, and it was then she saw their right hand: the same key ring from yesterday, which they placed in their pocket.

"Come on."

With no more said, they proceeded down the driveway, to return to the outskirts of town. Susie again on their heels, she looked over her shoulder to the house, and then to Kris. "How'd you get those so fast?"

"They were on the counter. I just took them," they said blankly. "It was easy."

She furrowed her brows, but had no reply. She realigned her attention forward, taking stock of their travels; already they were on their way back to the school. With an inward sigh, she resigned herself to what was to come.

Neither were in a particular mood for conversation.

A short, brisk walk later, and the two stood before the doors of the school. It was approaching déjà vu for Susie, and her mind returned to the scenes of yesterday; but Kris nudged her on the arm, and procured her attention.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded. Kris went to the door handle, slid the key in the lock, and turned. The door swung wide open, and they entered the hallway. Susie followed on their heels.

Footsteps echoed from the walls, filling the empty space with sound. She had to confess, the sight of the vacant school was becoming more familiar to her than she'd expected; twice now, it was only her and a select few others. She imagined this would be far from the last time, when all this was settled once and for all.

The doors to the closet came fast upon them. Standing in front, Kris had come to a halt, and when they sensed Susie had caught up to them, they turned. "I'll just wait here, I guess," they said quietly.

"I'll be quick. We'll land in the empty classroom."

Susie brushed by Kris. With short strides, she neared the closet. She stepped inside, but just before she went to close the door, she struck one final glance to Kris. Their attention was directed to a window with a thousand yard stare, entirely inattentive.

She fell into a slight frown. She broke her own line of sight, first from closing the closet door, and then her eyes.

With experience, she knew to break her fall feet first.

With a soft thud, Susie arrived upon the surface of the Dark World. Without missing a beat, she straightened her posture, and gave a quick survey of her surroundings. The same old path she came to every time, at the very edge. Castle Town was just ahead.

Then, she lifted her hand, and made a fist. She grinned. It felt good to be back.

With liveliness, she began the walk to the castle. It would only be five or so minutes at a quick pace, and so she made it a priority to rush; she didn't want to keep anyone waiting. The spires of the castle were in view, towering over the empty town in the distance.

A few minutes later, and she stood before the gates. She reached for the latch to open.

A push against an immovable object ensued. Locked.

Annoyance creeping, Susie again closed her hand in a fist, and knocked with force. She couldn't remember the gates being sealed before, but there was no time for internal questions: mere moments later, a cough emerged from the other side.

"Who's there?"

Ralsei's voice was meek, more timid than normal. She knit her brows.

"It's me. You want to open up?"

"O-oh, Susie! I'm sorry, let me just..."

The clangs and rusty squeaks of the lock followed. The gate was brought open a sliver, enough for someone to slide through the opening; out emerged Ralsei, and Susie gave him a look-over.

He wasn't wearing his hat, and his scarf hung loosely; beneath his right arm was a notebook. More pressing, however, was that he didn't often reveal his profile unobscured, and behind his glasses she saw his drooping, exhausted eyes, slouching posture to match. He looked fatigued beyond measure.

"You too?"

Ralsei cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?" he murmured.

"You look exhausted, dude. Did you sleep much?"

"Oh... I spent most of the night studying," Ralsei said. He fought down a gaping yawn, a losing battle that enveloped a stretch of moments. "I only drifted off for a little bit."

"Did you have a nightmare?"

Ralsei's eyes, planted to his feet, entered a thousand yard stare. He said nothing, and Susie felt a sinking feeling in her gut.

"... Can we step inside?"

He was reduced only to a whisper. Though she knew he couldn't see, Susie nodded, and stepping around him, she led the way inside. Entering the castle courtyard, she began toward the kitchen and living room.

A few moments later, the two arrived. Susie sat gingerly on a nearby reading chair in the corner, while Ralsei occupied the end of a couch, pressed against the opposite wall. His gaze continued to point downward, and she eyed him for a brief time.

"How did you know?"

Susie resharpened her gaze upon him. He had finally lifted his head, eyes meeting with hers. "Know what?" she asked.

"That I had a bad dream. What made you guess?"

"Well... I met with Kris, earlier today."

Ralsei's face morphed in concern, his own exhaustion temporarily forgotten. "Are they okay? What happened?"

"Kris—um, had a bad dream too," Susie said, with a hint of uncertainty. "They were pretty shaken up. I had a hunch you had the same problem."

"Did they describe the dream? Tell me everything, please."

Desperation dripped from his voice. She hesitated, questioning whether to perhaps lie; but she knew he would find out sooner or later. No sense in stalling.

"They... they said they went back to the Dark World. And they lost control of themself, like they were scared about." She decided to leave Kris' apparent attack out. But she saw Ralsei's eyes had widened, fear frozen to his features, and her own heart rate quickened.

"Did they mention me?"

Again she paused.

"... Yes. They said they attacked you, and then woke up."

Ralsei released a held breath, plain for Susie to hear. Sensing his extreme fraught, she then quickly amended: "But they didn't want to hurt you, remember? They weren't able to control themself. It was just a bad dream, nothing more."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

Ralsei reached for his notebook, set flat on the couch to the side of him, and began flipping through pages. Susie watched him curiously, but chose to say no more; he stuck his thumb as he reached near the end, and read the page over.

"Susie, Kris' vision was shared between us. I was there, too."

"You were there?" she exclaimed. "How?"

"I believe it was a shared vision between us. When I went to sleep, I saw Kris attacking me as well."

His particular word choice caught her ear. "Vision?"

"Yes. I don't think it was an ordinary dream," Ralsei continued. Confusion washed over Susie's expression, and though he was bursting with ideas, he knew he needed to articulate himself better. "It felt genuine, like we were actually there."

Susie's uneasiness returned, bringing her on edge. "You're sure it wasn't real, right? Like, you're still here...?"

To her immense relief, Ralsei nodded. "It was not... but it seemed that way. It's not unlike what Kris saw in the forest yesterday. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."

At the mention of the of the forest, Susie recalled Kris' explanation of the setting; the forest was dark, as it was in yesterday

"Uh, yeah, about that. I think I know why the forest thing happened."

Anticipation settled in Ralsei's gut. "Why?" he asked, quickly.

"Remember those doors we visited, when we were looking for their SOUL? They said they used those to go to the Dark World, in the dr—vision."

Ralsei put a hand to his chin. Again he shifted his attention to his notebook, turning more pages in pursuit of relevant information. "SOULs can be shaped by their surroundings... it's curious there's another entrance to the Dark World, but I'm not surprised it's in the forest. Kris is likely very familiar with it, and their visions have been shaped to reflect that."

Leaning back into her chair, Susie crossed her arms. She pondered for a moment. "Familiar, huh? I think you might be wrong on that."

"Huh?" Ralsei furrowed his brows, but demonstrated no annoyance. "How so?"

"No one's ever opened those before. How could Kris know they would work?" Susie said. Ralsei pondered this, before coming to a shrug. "Lucky guess?"

"I'm not sure. There are several questions I'd like to ask, frankly."

At this, Susie came to her feet. "No time like the present, then. They're waiting for us now, let's go."

"Th—they're waiting for us? Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

With a burst of energy entirely unforeseen to Susie, Ralsei sprinted out the living quarters of the castle. Footsteps echoed in the distance, followed by the opening, and closing, of a large wooden door.

She snickered, before heading out herself.

After retrieving his hat from his room, high in the spires of the castle, Ralsei approached Susie in the courtyard. She wore a rather bored expression, hands in her pockets, and shifted her gaze at his arrival. It was only then a certain realization popped in her head.

"Hey, should we get Lancer? He might want to come."

Ralsei pondered this for a moment. "Maybe... we'll need to use a Warp Door to reach the Card Castle. Let's hurry, we shouldn't keep Kris waiting for much longer."

True to his word, Ralsei set to a brisk walk out the courtyard, and to the gate leading to the Field of Hopes and Dreams. Susie followed close behind, and upon their entry into the purple and pink field, they set out on a quick course. From memory, Ralsei knew the nearest Warp Door was only a couple minutes away; it was probably the same door Lancer used to visit him last night.

And in time, the door came upon them. Susie looked it over, and found her attention hooked on the colorful flames, seeping beneath the crack. She turned to Ralsei. "Y'know, what's the deal with the fire and shit? Serious question."

"No idea. An unexplained mystery." Ralsei shook his head, shrug to accompany. "Let's go."

He opened the door, and held it for Susie. She stepped through, and he followed a step behind; when he closed the door, and turned himself around, he gazed out over the landscape. The Card Castle was just ahead.

With no time wasted, Ralsei and Susie proceeded through the gates. They both could distinctly remember the tight security the Spade King had kept, but such measures had been nearly abolished under Lancer; Darkners were free to visit whenever they liked, and Lightners too. Susie was quite thankful for it.

A short time later, and an elevator ride to boot (shorter than the trip from their adventure, given they had started in the dungeon), they had arrived at the throne room. The two entered, and were met with the sight of Lancer, in conversation with Rouxls Kaard. But when he sensed their presence, he turned his head, and his eyes lit up.

"SUSIE!"

Lancer sprinted for the pair, and with extended arms, he attached himself to Susie's leg in a (attempted) bone-crushing hug. A chuckle escaped her, and she reached down to give him a pat on the back.

"How're you doing, little man?"

Lancer pushed himself away, ending the brief embrace. He smiled, the same toothy grin as always. "I'm doing great! A lot better than last week." He shifted his gaze to Kaard, and offered a thumbs-up; with a bit of amusement dancing across his face, he returned the gesture. "We're planning big things for the kingdom. Things are gonna get a lot better for everyone, now that Old Dad can't mess it all up!"

Susie chuckled. "Sounds like it'll be interesting around here. Can't wait to see what you've got in store."

He nodded with vigor. Then his eyes turned to Ralsei, who'd been quietly watching the conversation unfold between his two friends; he offered a wave, and Ralsei smiled a bit.

"What brings you guys here?"

Lancer's question instilled a renewed sense of purpose within Susie. Straight to the point, she said, "We're going to the Light World again. Do you want to come?"

Lancer gave her request some thought, but after such time, he shook his head. His smile had fallen mute, a rather neutral expression taking its place. "I think I'll stay. I've already been away for a while, I should be here for everyone."

She nodded, Ralsei as well. "Yeah, I get it. We'll come visit you soon, okay?"

Another thumbs-up from Lancer, to the two of them.

"You bet! It'll be fun to have you here at the castle."

Susie grinned. With that, she turned to Ralsei, and gestured to the throne room door. "Should we get going? We'll have to use the Warp Door again."

Ralsei affirmed with a nod. But just before they left, he then looked to Lancer, and offered a kind smile. "We'll be back before long, Lancer. All of us."

Lancer reciprocated the smile with his own.

The journey to the Fountain was brief.

With all loose ends taken care of, Susie and Ralsei made their way to the Warp Door with haste. From there, it was back into Castle Town, and through the courtyard to the Fountain of Darkness. Conversation was fleeting, and Ralsei didn't need to collect any supplies. All he brought was his notebook.

After the time spent traveling, the two came to the edge of the Fountain. The same blend of colors from last time permeated the scenery, the room awash with ever-changing hues. But there was little time for admiration, and Susie knew it. She tilted her head to look at Ralsei. "You ready?"

He nodded.

Susie put her fingertips over her heard. With her prior return trips to the Light World, muscle memory served to guide her: after a moment's hesitation, a small, white heart appeared in her palm. Her own SOUL. She looked it over, studying its form.

Then she held her hand out. Her SOUL began to glow. She closed her eyes, and felt Ralsei's hand come to her shoulder.

A light breeze overtook them. Susie felt herself lose her footing. She wasn't falling, just in empty space, floating along...

A loud clash against metal cabinet doors shattered the silence. A rubber duck squeaked.

"... Is it always this rough of a landing?"

Though she couldn't see Ralsei in the dark, Susie grunted. "Yep. It sucks, dude."

Ralsei said nothing more. Even in the darkness of the unused classroom, however, she could sense him stumble to his feet, and she did the same. But instead of looking for the light switch, she instead carefully went to the nearest wall, and felt around for the door. From there, she went for the handle, and opened.

Light streamed through the open doorframe. With a new frame of reference, Ralsei gained bearings of his surroundings, and came to Susie's side. She gave him a quick inspection, and saw his Dark World outfit had again been swapped for Lightner clothes.

With everything settled, she stepped into the hallway. Her eyes first found the closet, in the distance, and discovered Kris had vanished.

"Kris?"

No reply at all. With a slight frown, she began down the hall, and Ralsei trailed on her heels. She rounded the corner, eyes scanning every detail, and then snapped to the front doors.

Leaned up against the wall nearest the doors, Kris sat curled in a ball. Their face was buried in their arms, obscured to the point of non-visibility; they were entirely motionless, save for the slow roll of their breathing.

Susie and Ralsei swapped glances. Uncertainty lining both their expressions, Susie decided to approach. Kneeling at Kris' side, she gave them a slight nudge.

"Kris? You still alive?"

Kris lifted their head. Her attempt at humor was not lost on them, and a small grin adorned their lips. "No. I died of boredom."

Relief flooded through her, that Kris hadn't fallen asleep and entered a new nightmare. But she scrunched her eyebrows in annoyance all the same. "Boredom? It was only ten minutes. Or around that."

They pointed to the nearest clock, on the opposite wall. The time was a quarter past nine. Her eyes nearly burst from her skull.

"An hour?! When the hell did that happen?" She shook her head. "Damn... guess we lost track of the time. Sorry, dude."

Kris shrugged. They then shifted their stare away from Susie, and moved it down the hallway. The first sight to come upon them was Ralsei, approaching with muffled footsteps. He smiled behind his scarf.

He knelt at Kris' side. Establishing eye contact, he put his hand on their shoulder.

"Hi, Kris..."

Kris was silent. All they could do was stare into Ralsei's eyes, unblinking, frozen in place.

And then, without warning, Kris lunged forward. They took Ralsei in the tightest embrace they could manage, and buried their face in his shoulder. A light gasp escaped him, but he made no effort to shy away.

He returned the hug in full.

Ralsei felt Kris shiver in his arms. It was quite similar to the hospital, when all their emotions came spilling out, and they needed him for support. Just as he did then, he knew he would be there for them. Ralsei sighed, and set to gently rubbing their back.

The hallway fell quiet.

After time untold, perhaps minutes or hours, Kris at last lifted their head, and came free of the embrace. With clarity, they took a moment to look over Ralsei's features, and he did the same.

He saw the cold, steely red eyes of the dream were nowhere to be found. All that remained was those concerned, warm eyes he always recognized, and cared for so deeply. This was the Kris he knew. Not the one from the vision...

And speaking of.

"I hear we both had a rough night."

His statement was entirely unexpected to Kris, confusion emerging within them. Nevertheless, they found themself summoning a slight, dry smile, and their eyes fell to their lap. "Yeah... I had a bad dream. What about you?"

"Me too. It was the same one."

Kris felt their blood freeze. Fear swelled within them, eyes widening, and almost involuntarily, they looked up.

Ralsei showed no resentment, nor anger. Rather, he merely watched them with sympathy, and a slight, sorrowful curl of his lips. "I've done some more reading on SOULs, Kris... I have a lot I need to tell you."

Susie had watched their conversation quietly. But at this, she saw an opportunity, and stood. Both Kris and Ralsei turned their heads, and she gazed upon them. "Guys, let's get out of here and talk. Who wants to be in school?"

Irregardless of their mood, Kris couldn't contain a snort of amusement. They too came slowly to their feet, and offered a hand to Ralsei. He accepted, and again at eye level to Kris, he looked them over. A deep frown had settled on their face, and their gaze ducked his own.

"I'm sorry, Ralsei... it was a terrible dream. I didn't want to hurt you."

Ralsei shook his head. "I don't think it was you, Kris. There's more at work here, factors beyond just yourself."

"Like what?"

He turned to the door. Susie had stepped outside, and the door had shut behind her.

"I'll explain when we leave. Come on."