"IT HAS BEEN SOME TIME. LET ME HAVE A CLOSER LOOK ON YOU."
The unknown Darkner came closer towards the blue human, who was confused, and admittedly frightened, by this situation.
"IT REALLY IS YOU. LOOK AT YOU, YOU´VE GROWN INTO A BRAVE LITTLE KNIGHT. EVEN IF SOMETHING IS OPPRESSING YOU…" The Darkner returned to her original position and waved Kris towards her. "KOMM, LASS UNS EIN WENIG REDEN. IT WILL BE A NICE DISTRACTION FROM THE WALLS. THE WALLS THAT CONFINE US SO MUCH, FORM A SUFFOCATING PRISON AROUND US."
She covered her mouth with one hand to stifle her laughter.
Kris wished they could just ran away but of course the red soul was curious and wanted to know more about this… odd person.
Who was she, Kris wondered. This lone flower in the dark that talked to the human in a bizarre manner, like they tried to speak to different languages at once. And like she knew them. Were familiar with them… had spend time with them… wait a minute.
As the soul moved the blue human towards the plant darkner, they managed to get a side glance at some trash down here.
Oh, Kris. Before you go…
Here. For your mother… Our little secret.
So many times Asgore tried to give Toriel some flowers, as a sign that he still cared. Kris remembered how every time they walked from the flower shop to their house, the scent of fresh flowers flowing around them, their heart felt heavy. A battle of resignation and hope inside of them, that things might turn better this time. But it was always the same.
These are from HIM, are they not.
Every time there was a sweet floral scent coming from the trashcan.
While all these thoughts and memories were swirling around in Kris´ head, the soul finally stood in front of the ever smiling darkner.
*Who are you?
*What is this place? *Do you know Tenna?
*That rose…
The soul decided to ask the first question. And while Kris already figured out what was in front of their body, they were also curious (and dreading) of who was in front of them.
"Who are you?"
"HIHIHIHAHAHA! WELCH FRAGE... TOUGH I SUPPOSE WE NEVER HAD BEEN PROPERLY VORGESTELLT WITH EACH OTHER. MY NAME IS FENGG. FENGG NATURE. BUT IT DOESN´T MATTER. EVERYONE JUST CALLS ME FENGGEN. BECAUSE TENNA, DIESER BASTARD, NEVER BOTHERED TO PROPERLY LEARN MY FULL NAME AND INTRODUCED ME TO ALLEN WITH FENGGEN. FENNGEN DIES, FENGGEN DAS!" For a second the newly christened Fenggen glared into nowhere, her smile gone and her hands curl into shaking fists. The rose became a deep red, some gnarling noises came from it. But for as quickly as it came, Fenggens quite rage seemingly disappeared and she regained her posture. "NICHTSDESTOTROTZ... WHAT CAN YOU DO IN A WELT, WHERE EVERYTHING IS MEANINGLESS?"
Kris´ brain tried to keep up with Fenggens chaotic speech pattern. It was difficult to understand the true meaning of her sentences. Just like with… Spamton.
Or Jevil.
Kris didn´t like the direction this was taking.
"Do you know Tenna Rook?"
"DO I KNOW HIM? DO I KNOW THE BASTARD? ALLE KNOW HIM! ALLE KNOW HIS KÖRPER CUTTING ENTERTAINMENT. I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS NEW HERE. NOTHING BUT A YOUNG SPROUT, A DARKNER DESPERATELY TRYING TO ACHIEVE HER LEBENSZIEL..." Fenggens rose turned partly blue and partly red. "TENNA WALKED UP BEHIND ME, OFFERING HIS HAND. HE SAID HE WOULD TURN A SIMPLE DARKNER LIKE ME INTO A BIG SHOT:"
Kris flinched at this word. Fenggen, not noticing this, continued. Her glance was distant, lost in memories of the past. Despite her smile, her rose was completely blue now.
"WHEN THE ROMANCE CHANNEL WAS STILL ACTIVE… I TRIED TO BRING LIEBE TO DARK AND LIGHT. I TRIED TO FULFILL MY LEBENSZIEL AND BRING BACK THE HAPPINESS IN THIS HOME. BUT SIE AND TENNA NEVER LET ME. I HAD ALWAYS TO SQUIRM UNDER THEIR WHIMS. IHRE KALTE APATHIE ZU ALLEN, ICH HASSE SIE! AND THEN… I MET IHN. AND SINCE THEN I KNOW, I KNOW ES AUS DEN TIEFSTEN TIEFEN MEINES HERZENS, THAT LIEBE CAN NEVER PREVAIL IN THIS FAMILY, IN THIS WORLD, IN ALLE WORLDS! NO LIEBE CAN PREVAIL… BUT MAYBE LOVE?"
Fenggens laugh sounded somehow more deranged yet also sad this time.
And while Kris was, understandably, scarred, they also couldn't help but pity the lone flower. They could understand her. The desperate hope. That Toriel wouldn't be so cold and distant. That Asgore finally manages to overcome his own demons. That they're family would no longer be broken.
But there was nothing that could be done. Nothing but to wait, alone in the dark, and hoping something would change.
"What is this place?" This question sounded more genuine, not because Kris was curious about the answer, but because they now wanted to know more about Fenggen herself.
"TRASH ZONE. UND OBWOHL DU EINIGE INTERESSANTE DINGE HIER FINDEN KANNST, IT´S THE PLACE WERE EVERYTHING THAT ISN'T DESIRED IN THIS DARK WORLD ENDS UP. OR RATHER… THAT ISN´T DESIRED BY HER. OH SICHER, TENNA HAS SOME INPUT AS WELL. BUT IN THE END HE IS NOTHING BUT THE ENFORCER FOR THE LIGHT. AND THE LIGHT IS NOTHING BUT A ENFORCER FOR DER HIMMEL DES ENGELS. HIHIHIHAHAH FUNNY, ISNT IT? SIE HAS NO IDEA OF DER WAHREN WAHRHEIT, EVEN TOUGH SIE LISTENS TO THE PREDIGEN DES BISCHOFS. TOUGH EVEN HE DOESN´T KNOW THE WAHRE WAHRHEIT. NUR DIE LÜGEN DIE IHN DER HIMMEL DES ENGELS ZUFLÜSTERT."
Kris wanted to know more about the stuff Fenggen was hinting at but the soul instead asked about her rose. Said object twitched and produced yet again these gnarling noises. Kris got a better look and saw fanged teeth between the yellow petals.
"EVEN BEING TRAPPED DOWN HERE BETWEEN THESE WALLS, BIN ICH NICHT MACHTLOS. I COULD SEE MANY THINGS. INKLUSIVE YOUR JOURNEY TROUGH THIS LAND. I AM IMPRESSED BY YOUR KÖNNEN KRIS, EVEN IF YOUR WAHRES POTENZIAL COULD ONLY SHINE BETWEEN THE CRACKS OF DER HOHEN WÄNDE AROUND YOU. IF ONLY I COULD TEAR DOWN THE HOHEN WÄNDE THAT ARE LOOMING AROUND ALL OF US."
She turned around towards the gray wall behind her, her dress twirling around her as she did so.
"WENN ICH DAS ALLES NUR NIEDERREIßEN KÖNNTE… FREEDOM WOULD BE WITHIN OUR REACH. BE IT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER."
Fengg bared her fangs in a grin like snarl, before turning back to Kris, giving them a sweet smile. Her only, visible eye looking at them.
*Who are you?
*What is this place? *Do you know Tenna Rook?
*The roots…
"You said you could see many things, but where you responsible for that earthquake disrupting the wheel of fate?"
"OF COURSE. MY SEEDS SPREAD ACROSS THIS DARK WORLD AND ALOWED ME TO SEHEN. I AM ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT TO QUÄL TENNA IN ANY MÖGLICHKEIT. LIKE I SAID, ICH BIN NICHT MACHTLOS. ER SHOWED ME MANY THINGS AND I SAW A WAY OF HOW TO GET STRONGER. MY MAGIC BLOSSOMED WITH DER DUNKLE ERNTEZEIT OF LOVE.
THE ROOTS YOU SEE HERE MANAGED TO GROW IN BETWEEN SOME OF TENNA´S SECURITY MEASURES, SPREAD THROUGHOUT THIS TOWERS FOUNDATION SO I CAN SHAKE THINGS UP! HI HI HI!"
To demonstrate, Fenggen used her chlorokinesis on the roots and shook the whole signal tower once again.
Tenna, sitting in the green room of his tower, took a little break. He was deeply satisfied with how he handled the lightners and was about to drink a glass of champagne, when suddenly the room shook and the TV head poured all the alcohol over himself.
"NO! That was my favorite suit! Son of a-"
"AND WHILE I MANAGE TO FIND ESCAPE ROUTES VON ZEIT ZU ZEIT, THEY HAPPEN TO COME BY LESS AND LESS."
Kris, after finding their footing again, looked at Fenggen with a mixture of intimidation and awe.
That display of power was quite frightening. And knowing the soul, Kris was betting it was searching for a way to fight the floral Darkner.
Said hertshaped entity walked Kris towards the wall and made them give Fenggen, much to the blue humans embarrassment, a pleading puppy look.
"WAS IST? DU WANT TO CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY? WELL I SUPPOSE I CAN NO LONGER STOP DICH FROM PROCEEDING. GENAU WIE DU PROCEED MIT NOELLE IN DER ANDEREN ZEITLINIE. VERY WELL. KRIS, I WISH YOU LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY…"
…
"BUT BEFORE I HELP YOU AND DU, I WANT TO ASK FOR A LITTLE HELP."
Fenggen got closer towards Kris.
"I HAVE BEEN DOWN HERE FOR A LONG TIME, PLAYING THE SAME SONG AND DANCE OVER AND OVER TO ACHIEVE MY LEBENSZIEL. WITH ALL THIS TIME, I DECIDED TO FIND A NEW LEBENSZIEL. TO GAIN FREEDOM."
Kris visibly flinched. Any remaining doubts about Fenggen being just like Spamton and Jevil died with that one word.
Freedom.
The means to do as you please. Something Jevil proudly proclaimed he achieved, while Spamton was desperate for ANY means of obtaining freedom. There very same thing Kris lost a long time ago.
Fenggen noticed that the human visible stiffed. The plant Darkner tilted her in confusion.
"WHATS THE MATTER, KRIS? WARUM SO ANGESPANNT? AH, LET ME GUESS…" Her grin became a knowing smile. "YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED THE GREEDY PINOCCHIO. YES, DAS BACKPFEIFENGESICHT WAS ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR HIMSELF. BUT, I PLAN TO NOT ONLY FREE MYSELF BUT EVERYONE ELSE. AND I KNOW HOW. BUT I NEED YOUR HELP KRIS. I AM UNABLE TO LEAVE THIS CHASM, OTHERWISE TENNA´S SECURITY MEASURES WILL KILL ME. BUT THE TOXISCHE GAS WONT HARM YOU."
Toxic gas?
"WHEN YOU GET OUT OF HERE, LEAVE TO THE LEFT AND YOU REACH THE SCIENCE CHANNEL. THERE YOU CAN MAKE EIN LÖSUNGSMITTEL. YOU WILL NEED SOME ZUTATEN FROM MY HOUSE TOUGH. HERE, NIMM DIES."
Fenggen gave Kris a house key with floral decoration.
*You have obtained Fenggens house key.
"JUST SEARCH FOR THE BUILDING WITH THE HÖCHSTEN ZAHL OF YELLOW FLOWERS. I´M SURE IHR BEIDE ZUSAMMEN WILL BE CAPABLE OF FINDING IT. DU MIGHT ALREADY EVEN FOUND IT DURING YOUR EXPLORING."
Fenggen suddenly summoned a huge vine that grabbed Kris.
"ALRIGHT KRIS, ICH ZÄHL AUF DICH!"
The vine shoot upwards, it grew higher and higher. During that, the air grew heavy with a chemical stink. A purplish fog was covering everything and the huge vine started to rapidly wilt. Before it completely died of, it used all of its strength to threw Kris upwards.
Internally yelling, the blue human landed on the edge of some huge, round chasm in a barren cement room.
Everything was obscured by the same purple fog. Kris looked around but they could barely see anything of great notice. Only here and there covered some pink or green paint the wall or a faded heart insignia was seen. The ceiling was obscured by darkness. There was also a boarded up tunnel close by.
Kris´ body started moving. They left the room and wandered trough several rooms and halls in a similar state of abandonment like the first one.
Finally they found an old and rusty lift. Creacking and trembling, the old machine brought Kris to the science channel above.
While Kris was curious about Fenggens plan of gifting everyone freedom, their past experience made them very cautious to say the least. But while waiting to rech their destination, the young human could nothing but reflect on the fact that their choice ultimately wouldn´t matter in the end.
