Chapter 2: Back in Black
"The old road will take you to hell, but in that gaping abyss, we will find our redemption."
-The Ancestor (Darkest Dungeon)
Noelle watched from a distance as Kris and Susie were engaged in conversation. She had spent the past several minutes thinking of a way to question them about what she had overheard. Truth be told, she strongly doubted everything they had said, but the way they spoke about it made it seem so real... and if Kris truly was possessed, then he needed help.
Whatever the case may be about this dark world, she had to know for sure.
The only problem was her lack of confidence. Noelle was never very good at initiating conversations, especially one such as this. How was she supposed to talk about something she accidentally overheard, to the very people having the conversation she accidentally overheard?
Her mind raced with possible outcomes. On one hand, they might be completely willing to share all the details. On the other hand, they could be trying to keep this dark world a secret. Kris would probably appreciate her concern for him, but how would Susie feel? She was always notorious for her aggressive attitude. Then again, Kris had mentioned how 'surprisingly nice' Susie was...
'Why does this have to be so complicated?' she thought.
"Oh, hey, Noelle," Kris' voice shook her from her thoughts.
"Hi, Kris," she returned the greeting.
"Susie, this is Noelle," Kris said. "She's a friend of mine. I don't think you two have met yet."
Susie chuckled, "I didn't think you had friends before me."
"Well, you thought wrong. I'm not that much of an outcast."
Grinning, Susie extended a hand toward Noelle, "Nice to meet you."
"Um, n-nice to meet you, too," Noelle stuttered as she returned the handshake. She began to blush. Whether it was from nerves or her crush on Susie, she couldn't tell.
Susie smiled at her, "Why so nervous? You're not afraid of me, are you?"
Noelle's blush intensified, "N-no! I'm just..." her voice lowered to a whisper, "I'm just a little shy..."
"I can tell," Susie smiled. "I don't know why, but I kinda like you, Noelle. I think you and I will get along just fine."
"You're certainly n-nicer than I expected."
"What did I tell you, Noelle?" Kris chimed in.
"You were right."
A silence fell over the group for a moment. Noelle began to consider taking this opportunity to mention what she had heard. She was still nervous, but Susie's surprising friendliness definitely helped calm her nerves, as did Kris' willingness to introduce the two to each other.
'Well, the worst they can do is say nothing, right?' she told herself.
Breathing deeply, Noelle summoned the courage to speak, "Listen, Kris, I need to ask you about something."
"What is it?"
"Well, I... I kinda, accidentally... I overheard you and Susie talking outside."
They both seemed surprised.
"Then you know about the dark world," Susie said. It was more of a statement than a question.
"And my, uh... problem," Kris added.
"Well, not really," Noelle clarified, "Forgive me, but... it's a little hard for me to believe."
"Well, no one's gonna fault you for that," Kris commented. "I can barely believe it myself."
Noelle continued, "I just need to know what's happening. If you're really possessed, Kris, I want to help you. And if there's really a portal to another world in the school..."
"You want to see it for yourself."
"...Yes."
Kris and Susie stepped aside and began to whisper to each other.
"What do you think, Kris?" Susie asked.
"I think we should take her to the dark world with us."
"You really think we should just open the dark world up to the public?"
"C'mon, it's just Noelle."
"You really think she can keep a secret like this?"
"Hell, I'd trust her with my life. Besides, I think we'll need all the help we can get."
Susie glanced over at Noelle, then back to Kris, "Alright, I trust your judgment."
"Alright, we'll take you with us," Kris said, turning to Noelle. "Just, please promise me you won't tell anyone else about this."
Noelle nodded.
"Okay," Kris continued, "meet us by the supply closet after class. You know, the creepy one that seems to absorb light from the surrounding area."
"We'll tell you everything you need to know once we're actually there," Susie added.
"Okay, I'll... see you there, I guess," Noelle responded.
Later...
Kris and Susie stood outside the supply closet, waiting for Noelle to arrive. The sun had just begun to set, so the halls of the school were empty. They were eager to return to the dark world, but both of them wished it was under better circumstances.
"So, Kris," Susie said, "you think Ralsei will be able to get rid of that demon of yours?"
Kris shrugged, "I don't know, but I think he's the best chance we've got."
"Yeah, probably."
Chara herself chimed in, "You don't actually think you can get rid of me that easily, do you?"
Kris responded aloud, "Well, I was hoping."
"It'll take a lot more than some basic healing magic to accomplish that. I'm a part of you now, Kris, whether you like it or not."
"Whatever you say, chief."
"Who are you talking to?" Susie asked.
Kris simply tapped his forehead. Susie nodded in understanding, and the conversation ended there. The two were silent until Noelle finally arrived.
"Nice of you to join us," Kris greeted her.
"So the way to the dark world is in the supply closet...?" Noelle asked.
"Yep," Susie confirmed. "It doesn't make sense to us either."
Kris threw the doors of the closet open. "Ladies first," he said with a mock bow.
Susie stepped into the closet, with Noelle following timidly. Kris shut the doors behind him as he entered, cloaking the room in complete darkness.
"Stick close," Susie told Noelle. "This place doesn't have any walls."
"W-what happens now?" Noelle asked.
"We wait," Kris said. "Don't worry, there's no boss fight in here."
For a minute, nothing happened. Then, the floor began to vibrate intensely and crumble away.
"The floor's collapsing!" Noelle began to panic.
"Yeah, it does that," Susie was completely calm.
Noelle let out a scream of terror as the floor collapsed. The three began to fall, and everything went black.
When Noelle awoke, she found herself at the edge of a cliff. She glanced around at her surroundings. Over the edge, she saw nothing but black nothingness. The cliff face was dotted with several holes, each leaking a viscous, black liquid. They, along with the several eyes painted alongside them, created an unnerving atmosphere. Noelle shivered with fear.
"Hey, you, you're finally awake!" a voice from behind her broke the silence.
She turned around to see Kris and Susie, and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Welcome to the dark world," Kris said. "Trust me, it's not usually this creepy."
"And don't ask about the outfit changes," Susie added. "We don't understand it either."
"I was wondering why Kris had full plate armor," Noelle said. She glanced down at her own outfit: a simple red coat with green accents, black leather boots, and steel bracers. Fitting. Her eyes returned to Kris and Susie, and only then did she notice their weaponry.
"Where did those come from?" she asked.
"Oh, this?" Susie drew her axe. "Hell if I know."
"We just had them when we got here," Kris explained. "By the way, it looks like you have a crossbow."
Noelle reached for the weapon on her back. Sure enough, it was a wooden crossbow, loaded and ready to fire. She also noticed the quiver at her hip, filled with additional crossbow bolts.
"Don't worry, you probably won't have to actually use it," Kris mentioned. "In this place, it's pretty easy to talk your way out of fights."
"Although that approach almost got us killed," Susie sneered.
"That was one time, and I'd rather get through this without a kill count."
"Fine, you're the boss. Lead the way."
"Where are we going?" Noelle asked.
"We're going to see a friend of ours," Kris said. "You heard us talk about Ralsei, right?"
He watched them from a distance, the three 'heroes'. They seemed blissfully unaware of his presence. They seemed even less aware of the damage the human's mere presence in this world was causing... the damage her presence was causing.
The Demon That Comes When She is Called.
Standing at the top of the mountain, he drew his blade, the silver blade reflecting what little light there was. It would be so easy to stop her, to prevent her malignity from taking root. But...
If they were going to visit Ralsei, he could kill two birds with one stone.
'Later, then,' he thought to himself, sheathing his sword.