Come on, it... it was just a bad dream...

Noelle told herself this over and over again at the end of the hallway, yet she was still shaking. The lamplights flickered above her, the humming of electricity still breaching her ears. She felt cold. So very cold.

Even so, it was so real, I can't get it out of my mind...

Images of Berdly flickered into mind. Clear images of what transpired, what she did, only for a white snowstorm to block her view. She felt so cold.

...that voice, telling me what to do. A voice unlike Kris's... a terrifying voice...

She tried to recall why. What was wrong with that voice? Why was she so scared of it? It was so different than Kris's. It felt, detached. Cold. She closed her eyes to try to recall that voice. She felt her chest growing heavier as she remembered.

"Do you blame yourself?"

Noelle jumped, startled. She turned to see that thing, Kris. It was standing in the hallway with her beneath the lamplights before it went completely out. Only the corridor adjacent to the hallway was illuminating this room.

"What? Kris? How long have you been standing there?" Noelle put up an uneasy smile. A smile that she long practiced in front of everyone, especially her dad. What was it? What was wrong with that voice? Noelle's brain went into overdrive as she pondered what was it. It was Kris's voice. It sounded like them. Yet, their tone. It was different. So very different.

Why were they here? What did they want?

"Do you blame yourself?" Kris stood there, unflinchingly. Their bangs drooping over their eyes as they leaned against the wall.

"What?" Noelle uttered, her eyes struggled to maintain eye-contact with Kris. Her ears and smile drooped down in response to that question.

"Well it's quite common in this situation for a monster to feel some kind of... guilt." Kris took a small step forward while motioning their hands. The glint of a silver watch reflected against Noelle's eyes.

Noelle stood back against the wall. Kris's shadow extended towards her as they took yet another step forwards. Her hands pressed against the wall behind her, the cold painted concrete felt hard against her skin. "W-What situation?"

And when did Kris have my watch?

Kris paused for a moment, before smiling. "The Accident."

Accident? What did they mean by-

Then she remembered. She recalled what happened after the blizzard. What happened before that. And what events lead to it. She remembered falling into a dark well with Berdly during their library study. She remembered waking up and encountering Queen. She remembered being separated and having to make a truce with Kris. She remembered what Kris told her each time they encountered a problem.

"Proceed."

Noelle's eyes darkened as she knew why Kris had her watch. What she had done to Berdly, and why he didn't wake up back at the library. She held her chest as it started to hurt.

"It's very common for people to invent blame or relate a causality when in reality," Noelle felt her shoulder being gripped. Her eyes darted to where Kris' hand was placed on her. Her silver watch ticked clearly as she felt her entire body sweat. "it was completely out of your control."

Noelle took some time to remember, to register what Kris had said.

Out of my control.

Noelle thought about this, and Kris was right. She didn't have any control. That voice, that voice in her head. She remembered how it wouldn't stop telling her to... to freeze Berdly. Even after Kris was downed, Berdly's voice was still drowned out by that voice. It didn't make any sense!

Noelle's eyes slowly drew from Kris's hand towards them. Their expression, it didn't make sense. Kris was smiling, but she could clearly see tears glistening down their cheeks. It didn't make sense. It was clearly their fault! Kris ordered me, but... no that voice did. That voice-

Color drained from her eyes as she realized what Kris meant. It wasn't their voice. It wasn't theirs in the first place. It was something else. Something that... Kris had no control over. "It was completely out of your control."

Kris's grip became stronger. Tears kept streaming down their cheeks as pain etched into her shoulder. Noelle was a lost for words. She couldn't say anything. All of this was insane, but Kris... Kris was in pain. She knew this. But, she couldn't help them.

Kris then suddenly gripped Noelle's hands, trembling as wet droplets dripped onto her. She felt something hard against her fingers, a handle. Something else shimmered against the light as her eyes widened from the realization. "Kris! When did you get a knife!?"

"My choices don't matter..." Kris uttered, a flood of emotions went into each syllable. Something red illuminated in front of her. A heart shaped object appeared in front of Kris's chest, where Kris was pointing the knife in her hands. "But yours do."

"Kris!" Noelle tried pulling the knife away, but Kris's hands still were locked together in a death grip. Water trickled into her fur as Kris continued to tremble in her view. "No, no, Kris!"

"Please Noelle." Kris's voice muttered through their shaking voice. His hands tried to pull the knife back towards his chest as his Soul beat at a rapid pace.

"No Kris, I can't! I can't! No I can't!" Noelle didn't understand. She didn't know why Kris was acting like this, or if this was Kris at all. She didn't understand. Why was Kris telling her, making her do this!?

"I can't do it myself. Noelle please. Save me." Kris stepped towards the doe. The knife barely pierced the skin of their soul.

"No no no, I c-can't Kris. Don't make me-" Kris took another step toward into Noelle, pressing her back against the wall again. They leaned towards her on the knife, Noelle closed her eyes as she couldn't prevent what was happening. She didn't want to. She didn't, she couldn't-

Slam!

"Okay what the FUCK is going on here? I heard screaming-" Susie froze in place in front of the door as she came to witness something horrible.

Noelle was slouched on the ground as Kris laid on the floor. Blood was everywhere as Kris was on the ground with a knife in their chest. Noelle was covered in it too. She simply sat there, eyes completely dull as she held both hands together.

"N-Noelle." Susie took a slow step back at the scene, taking it all in. A few seconds passed before her fist gripped tightly, and she finally asked. "What happened?"

Noelle lifted her gaze to meet Susie's, her eyes still void of light and kindness she always held when she was around her. "An accident."