"WHAT'S SHE GONNA DO, MAKE ME AN [Ice Cream]!?" Screeched the grotesque figure in front of Kris. Their fight to the death was, for all intents and purposes, nearly over. The empowered salesman now known as Spamton NEO had skyrocketed his defense, leaving Kris unable to hurt him in any significant capacity. The room had fallen into a dead silence, pervaded only by the sound of Spamton's maniacal laugh. He was right. Ralsei and Susie had already failed to hear his call for help, why would she respond?
"HEY, IS IT COLD IN HERE OR IS IT JUST ME?" That caused Kris to immediately look up. There was only one thing that could mean. She had arrived. Hardly had another word come out before Kris also felt the chilling wind, and he knew that there was no fight left to be had.
It was as if Spamton was frozen in time; an eternal display of his defeat. Kris took a step back, before he felt himself lightly brush up against the only person who could have done this. It was his childhood friend and classmate, Noelle. She looked.. different from when they had last seen each other only a couple hours ago. A constant aura of cold emanated from her, difficult for even him to withstand. He wanted to give up, he wanted to let go, but he wouldn't be allowed. His legs defied his mind as he stumbled away, putting a distance of two meters between himself and Noelle.
"K-Kris..? Are you alright?" Noelle gently questioned. Even if she had become more bold, even if the cold around her had become so much stronger, she would never lose that gentleness she had in her heart. For Asriel, for Dess, for Susie, for her father, and for Kris.
"Y-Yes…" Kris slowly drew out the words, as his voice was shaking. No, no he wasn't. It was the most obvious lie he had ever told, and they were to blame for telling it.
"Kris, why are you doing this? Why am I doing this? The battles blurring together as I freeze everyone and everything, and you telling me to 'Proceed.' Why are we doing this?" Noelle spoke from the bottom of her heart. Even in her distraught state, she could see a ring on Kris's trembling hands, and sweat rolling down his face.. No, it was too cold for sweat? The next thing she knew, an answer came from Kris.
"We're.. getting stronger. We have to be stronger, Noelle. This is the only way." No, that wasn't what he wanted to say! But nonetheless, those were the words that came. The words he said.
"This isn't like you, Kris! The Kris I knew would always prank Dess and I. He would always wear that silly headband around town saying that he was 'just like Asriel.' Even after that happened, you never tried to hurt anybody. When I joined you in the city, I was hoping we could spend time together as friends, just like the old days. I never wanted any of this to happen. I just wanted to have my friend back!" Noelle reached out, before her hand once again fell down. She couldn't help but look at what she was wearing. The Thorn Ring, that thing in the dumpster had called it. It was clamped shut, with spikes digging into the finger she had put it on. At first, it caused her to bleed, and her head to feel light. But now, that blood was frozen over. Why did Kris give her this? It hurt so much to wear, and he had never done anything to hurt her even once before.
She never received a response to her heartfelt speech, as she could see Kris shine with a red power. The SOUL exited his body, and began to react in front of the fountain. Truthfully, she didn't mind. She just wanted this nightmare to be over. She didn't care if the ending was good or bad, she just wanted to wake up and for everything to be okay.
"N-Noelle…" Kris's sword vanished into the air as he fell down, forced to sit back. Without that SOUL, summoning his weapon wasn't possible, and it always fatigued him when it left his body.
"Kris.." Noelle stayed standing, but her full attention was now on him. The SOUL was no more than an object in the background right now.
"I.. never wanted to do any of this. I just wanted us to have an adventure. I wanted to make new friends, and rekindle our old friendship. I wanted Susie to know what it would be like having friends. This isn't at all what I wanted. That SOUL, it-" Kris never had the opportunity to finish his sentence. The Dark Fountain had reduced to a mere stream now, but it still hung on by a sliver. The SOUL came back into him before he had a chance to speak further, and he quickly raised to his feet.
"Get out of here, now!" Kris only had time to shout that one warning, before his shining sword once again took form. A red hue briefly enveloped it, as Kris began to charge at her. Noelle's eyes widened, unprepared for the sudden turn of events. As he jumped into the air to launch his attack, Noelle closed her eyes and her Thorn Ring began to shine once more.
Kris carved through nothing but ice, Noelle forming a barrier just in time thanks to Kris's warning. There was dead silence between the two as the barrier of ice fell back down into the ground. Noelle's breathing had grown heavy, the sudden attack entirely unexpected to her.
"K-Kris! You…" She began, but then she saw the look in his eyes. It looked angry, but not at her. That's when she began to realize that something was wrong with Kris. Something had changed him, and she wasn't sure what. She couldn't bring herself to voluntarily hurt Kris, but she knew she had no choice other than fighting.
"It's not hopeless! I just have to control myself, and stop him from fighting! I can do this without hurting him!" Noelle met Kris's gaze with one of her own, as she prepared for battle. It was a gleam as cold as silver, but shining with hope. Noelle was filled with determination.
She raised her hands and fired a small beam. Kris had seen this more than enough times to know what was happening. He jumped out of the way just as time as a bolt raced right past his hand, filled with the element of ice. Noelle was using Ice Shock, but she was holding back. Kris ducked under two more, using his own experience to evade the attack. He ran in for another slash, but the same barrier came up to block his attack.
Now that he was close, Noelle attempted to raise another barrier beneath him, to catch his hands and stop him from moving. She nearly did it, one of his hands getting trapped. It wasn't meant to be, however, as Kris quickly cut himself out with his free hand, the one he used his sword with. He was met with a giant block of ice flying his way. His weapon shined red once again, as his sword gained enough power to cut through the entire block.
Kris was about to attempt another attack, but Noelle was quicker. She holds her hands out, and a strong wind began to blow past him. It was beginning to slow his step, and it would defeat him if she didn't quickly stop her. With the built-up power he had saved, he slashes his sword from afar, as a beam comes to meet Noelle. She's hit square-on, and she falls back. She wasn't bleeding for some reason, but that attack was seriously painful. She watches as Kris's sword loses its red hue, no doubt temporarily drained from such a consuming attack.
"Why does his sword keep turning red? He had a red aura when he was sealing the fountain.. it has to be his SOUL! His SOUL is what's empowering him! What was Kris trying to tell me? He said he never wanted this to happen, and he was trying to say something about his SOUL. His SOUL, that voice.. what does it mean? Could it-" Noelle's train of thought was cut off at the last second, as a recovered Kris charged at her. As he once again charged into the air, Noelle raised both of her hands to meet him, his torso right in the middle of their gap. With nothing stopping her, she uses Ice Shock, hitting Kris square in the chest. The force of the impact immediately stops his attack, as he flies back and crashes down to the floor.
"Th-That was close. It's like he was trying to stop me. The voice, and his SOUL. He sounded labored but warm when he was trying to seal the fountain. When his SOUL came out. When he tried to warn me, the SOUL- That's it! That terrifying voice only spoke when that SOUL was in his body! That must be somebody else's SOUL! If I can just isolate it-!" Filled with hope, Noelle puts a newly formed plan into action.
The ground turned blue around Kris as thick, solid ice surrounded him in all directions. It wasn't meant to hurt him, but instead to keep him occupied. While he was stuck hacking away at the ice, Noelle rushed over to the nearly dead Dark Fountain. She quickly searched herself for the item she was given by Queen. She knew she had what it took now more than ever. She found the Royal Pin, and she held it in both her hands. This was Queen's original plan, and she had already been told what to do. She held her breath and raised the pin skyward, before she thrust it into the ground.
Kris had finally cut through the last of the ice, and was met with a sight he never expected to see. Noelle stood close to him, behind her a renewed Dark Fountain roaring with power. He could just barely make out the Royal Pin still pierced into the ground, giving the dying fountain power.
"K-Kris, we don't need to fight! You don't want to hurt me, r-right? We can seal the fountain together, and-!" Noelle was interrupted as Kris rushed over. She expected him to once again slash with his sword, but he instead landed a powerful side kick straight into her chest, sending her far away. Winded but recovering, she watched as Kris began to face the Dark Fountain. He began to shine with that same power, and she knew her opportunity was approaching. The SOUL exited his body and began to glow, turning Kris's sword as red as the SOUL. He pointed at the Royal Pin and another energy beam flew at it, knocking it out of the ground. He then fell back and the SOUL began to glow, sealing the Dark Fountain as it had earlier.
"This is my one chance! I said I would never use this spell again, but I have no choice!" The ground began to rumble as Noelle's hands raised into the air. She was ready to end this nightmare, and she needed no convincing to put all of her power into this spell. Whirling ice began to form under the SOUL, as a relentless snowstorm poured into the area. Everything was slowly freezing over, as the entrance to the room was completely blocked off by thick ice, and the floor was starting to become coated with snow. She continued for as long as she could, because she couldn't afford to give up now. Eventually, her strength started to run its course, and the spell started to fade.
She opened her eyes to look at the scene. Ice everywhere. But most importantly, Kris. Kris laid on the ground, tired and drained of all energy, but he seemed alright at first glance. She then looked towards the SOUL. It was just barely still shining, but it was encased in ice, unable to move or act. She was nearly consumed with worry that she would have lost control of herself and would accidentally freeze Kris like she had already done to so many other people in this world. She rushed over as fast as she could, coming down to sit by Kris's side, as his head turned to look at her.
"I did it. I did it. I did it! Thank the Angel, I did it!" Noelle looks down at Kris, unable to wait long enough for him to say something first. "Kris, are you alright?!"
"N-Noelle. I.. feel better now." Kris quietly said, as he began to sit up, only barely working past the fatigue. He was interrupted by a hug from Noelle. She then remembered that he usually disliked big hugs and quickly pulled back. He, however, didn't mind this once.
"Kris.. I'm just happy you're alright. We can have a happy ending. We just won't ever use violence again! We don't need to get stronger anymore. We don't ever need to do that again.." Noelle opted to hold his hand instead, looking at him with sincere eyes.
"As long as you don't forget about Berdly. I'm sure he would forgive you. You're the one that deserves it. I'm.. sorry, Noelle…" Kris sighed, as his breathing became labored.
"Kris, I forgive you. That SOUL wasn't yours. Now you're back to normal." Noelle grasped his hand, tighter. "If we seal the fountain, this nightmare will be over. Everything will be back to normal. I can just.. use my SOUL and do it for us!"
"N-No.. you don't get it. That was my SOUL. Someone else was.. using it. Without my soul, I'll…" Kris rolled up one of the sleeves on his pants. Just below his knee was a patch of slowly spreading ice.
"No, Kris! Stop it! This isn't the time for your dumb pranks!" Her voice starts to take on a more pleading tone as she inspected the spreading ice. She rubbed her thumb over it, unable to deny that it was real. She brushed over the skin next to it. Her touch wasn't freezing him anymore, it was spreading outside of her control. She whispers a prayer to herself as Kris's other cuts and wounds disappear. But still, the ice spreads. "No, no no!"
"There's nothing you can do anymore. Nobody else will get hurt. Just let it happen, please. It's the only way." Kris slowly sat himself up, trying to pull the pants sleeve back down, but having trouble finding the energy.
"Stop it! We already lost Dess! We lost Berdly too! I'm not going to lose another friend!" Noelle grabbed the fading SOUL, still covered in ice. She held it up and smashed it into the ground, watching as the ice started to crack. Again, again, and again. Each time, Kris showed visible pain, as Noelle continued to crack the ice. On her ninth attempt, he suddenly found the energy to grab her wrist, his grip made of iron and forcing her to let go of the SOUL, as it fell back down to the ground.
"What did I tell you?! If you free it, you're going to die! Don't scream, don't cry, let it happen. Listen, I need you to grab something in my right pocket. Don't question me. Just do it." Noelle, starting to cry due to her helplessness in the situation, complied. She reached into his pocket and pulled something out, her eyes widening once she realized what it was. "H-Here we are," Kris whispered with a fading voice, as he snatched the object out of her hands.
"A- A real knife?! Kris, what are you-?!" Before she could stop him, Kris threw the knife, using most of his remaining strength. It flew too fast for her to react, piercing the ice and cutting straight through the SOUL. "K-Kris, why?! T-That's-!"
"Now you don't need to decide. This is my choice. Don't try and stop it." Kris said with a strong and commanding tone, before he fell back to lay down. He reached both of his hands out, and Noelle watched as his arms were starting to fall victim to the ice. Fingers numb and losing dexterity, Kris unclasped the Thorn Ring from Noelle and took it off. They both watched in utter silence as the frozen blood started to flow again, and Kris kept the evil ring in his grip. He then slid off the ring he was wearing. Noelle, the adrenaline of battle no longer within her, recognized it instantly. It was the ring she came to the Dark World with. He then put the Snow Ring back where it belonged. Smiling, he started working at the one other object of Noelle's that he was wearing. "Snow looks better on you than thorns, I think-" Kris tries to laugh, but he fails. He finally takes off the wristwatch he had been wearing, and tries to present it, but he loses his grip. The watch falls to the floor unharmed, and his hand rests nearby.
"K-Kris! No, stop! You won't die! You can't! Not after everything that's happened!" Noelle starts shaking him, seeing that the ice has spread to everywhere below his neck. The tears were in full flow, and she didn't even bother stopping them. Her best friend was about to die, now wasn't the time to stop crying.
"H-Hey. If there's one thing you can do for me.. keep an eye out for Azzy, ok? He's gonna cry just like you are. He's gonna need a friend. Thanks, Noelle." Kris laid his head down, and closed his eyes. The ice starting spreading to his head.
"Kris, I- Kris? Kris!" She tried to get a response from him, but he never again opened his eyes or said another word. She watched as he was finally enveloped by the ice in its entirety, and she fell to the floor. She couldn't tell exactly how long she was crying for, but she was completely isolated from everyone outside the room, so she felt no need to hide her emotions.
When her tears finally subsided, she stood and looked at the Dark Fountain. It was no longer sustained, and it was nearly dead once again. Her mouth trembled, but she spoke her will, and the fountain complied. It well and truly died out, and Noelle could feel herself being pulled away somewhere…
"...Noelle? Noelle. Noelle!" a distant voice called out to her. A familiar one.
"Huh?!" She shot awake with all haste, and looked around. Her eyes settled on the source, a person she very well recognized. "S-Susie? I just had the worst nightmare.."
"Yeah, tell me about it. It lasted longer than I was expecting." Susie looked over at the two still sleeping. "Those nerds are still pretty tired. You wake up Berdly, and I'll wake up Kris."
"N-No.. I think we should let them sleep." Noelle commented. She started to realize why they hadn't woken up.
"You serious? Well, whatever. Kris'll wake up on his own, and you can handle Berdly. I'm gonna go home. See ya." Just like that, Susie was out the door, completely forgetting that they were supposed to work on their group project.
Noelle's hands were shaking, but she wasn't cold. She reached down and felt at Kris's wrist, quickly noticing that even though he didn't look frozen right now, there was no pulse. She started to tear up once again, noticing that there was something on the floor next to Kris. She slowly reached out to grab it, turning it in her palms to notice that it was the wristwatch she always wore. It used to belong to her sister, Dess, but she had inherited it, and always wore it in her memory. Kris had convinced her to let him wear it in the Dark World, and one of his last actions was giving it back to her.
She started to recall memories of her earlier years. She remembered how Kris had told her of a monster that ate children, and how Dess whacked him with a wiffle bat until he confessed that it was a fib. Despite that, Dess always seemed to be fond of Kris, just as much as she was. As she reflected on these events, on her childhood, and on everything that had lead up to this very moment, the tears started to dry, and she knew what she wanted to do.
She held both ends of the silver wristwatch, and adjusted the tightness so that it was the perfect size. She stepped back to look at what she had done. The wristwatch had been fit perfectly onto Kris's lifeless body, and she gave an empty smile. She didn't bother to gather her study materials, as she left the computer lab.