Questing Takes Your Whole Heart

Frisk spent the next morning working on their letters to Eleanor and their parents. If they were going to find a way back to the Underground, then they needed to tie up as many loose ends as they could beforehand. The one to Eleanor seemed almost easy to finish. It wasn't personal, but they made their thanks known. This school made them feel as happy as they could on Earth, at least when they were still feeling things.

Keeping up the barrier in their mind was a lot easier after a night of sleep.

Inside the letter to Eleanor, they made sure to include requests. Not anything that she wouldn't have done anyways, but how to respond to their parents in case they tried to pull them out of school or if they decided to start using their real name while they were back in the Underground. It would just be to buy them some time to come back to Earth before they dealt with it themselves.

Their parents were harder. They weren't sure yet if they'd write one letter or two. Should they write one general letter? Or many to cover each potential action their parents could take? Or each action they might take…

That's enough of that train of thought. Perhaps just one letter with a paragraph outlining what they wanted to say in each circumstance. But that might look too premeditated. Maybe just a general letter with ambiguous wording? That would probably be for the best. If they said they were running away, well, that could have more than one connotation.

The next question was whether they'd write one for Kade. They figured that they probably should, but his letter would be pretty similar to Eleanor's. Maybe more personal though. Kade was her friend, not the adult in charge. Though him taking over some of the administrative work did push him closer to the adult category.

In any case, the Underground wasn't taking them back yet, so they had a little time.

Once they were satisfied with Eleanor's letter, they decided to go outside and do some light practice with their knife before lunch. They made their way to their usual spot in the trees and saw Cora sitting and staring at the pond in the middle of the yard. In their opinion, the pond probably wasn't big enough to make a Door in it, but what did they really know about the Doors? That girl who went to the insect world had to knock on the Door with her pinky finger to get in. Compared to the size of a fingernail, that pond was huge.

Since it was the only proper bit of water on the property, Frisk figured Cora would take what she could get. The other drowned girl was the same way. Instead of watching the water, that girl watched the turtles or jumped into it.

They were glad that she'd found something to do with her time. Staring into a pond didn't accomplish anything, but if she wanted to cling to hope, then who were they to stop her. They were going to do something to earn their place in the Underground, just like Susie did. If that meant spending all their free time working on their magic and combat skills, then that's what they'd do. Monsters started fights with them frequently, so learning to defend themselves properly would help a lot. Besides that, they found the steps almost meditative. It was a good way to relax. They thought they were getting pretty good too.

When a girl with candy corn-coloured eyes dropped out of the sky and into the pond, it broke them out of their thoughts. Apparently, this girl Rini was Sumi's daughter. The same Sumi that Jill killed. The daughter that Sumi hadn't had yet. Time wasn't a linear thing in Confection, nor was distance. Cora and the other girl brought Rini to Eleanor and Kade while Frisk watched from a distance. Whatever was going to happen now, it wasn't any of their business.

Even when Kade tried to make it their business, they refused.

"Rini has a device that can take us to other worlds! We can use it to get Sumi's soul back and save both her and Rini. You can see souls, so it would be a big help if you came along." Kade requested. Despite being a stickler for the rules most of the time, he seemed awfully willing to break the rule against questing. He approached Frisk with Cora, Christopher, Rini, and that other girl who was with Cora at the pond.

Frisk gave him a blank stare. "Do you know how many yellow souls there might be? Even if you find the right Underworld or Netherworld, how would I be able to tell Sumi apart from the rest?"

Cora took the opportunity to jump in, "You could see my scales! You could see my orange soul and my scales even though you barely know me. You knew Sumi longer, and probably better than you know me. So maybe you'd be able to see whatever candy body she has attached to her soul?"

Frisk shook their head. "That's not a guarantee. I didn't know much about Sumi besides her soul colour and the name of her world. I also don't really understand what my powers can do. I don't know what I'd see from a soul that isn't attached to a body. Even besides that, I don't want to go."

"You could be a real help to us, though. Please?" Kade asked.

"No." Frisk shook their head again. "Confection is on similar axes to the Underground. Where the Underground is probably on the Linearity minor direction, Confection is probably on the Reason minor direction, right? Otherwise, the Nonsense and Virtue are the same. I don't want Confection to tempt me. I don't know if Confection would be close enough to the Underground that it might not let me leave. You four should be safe, though. Three of you are from Logic worlds and one of you is from a Mortis world. Confection won't want to keep you. You wouldn't fit."

"We could make sure to take you with us. That device needs to be operated manually. We could just grab you and pull you away." Kade offered.

"I still have to refuse. I might not want to leave, even though I would have to. On top of that, I'm not interested in playing the hero or going on quests. I want to go back to the Underground to fix a mistake, not to change the world. I don't want to leave Earth unless it's back to the place that made me feel right for being myself; the Underground. And I don't think I'd be anything but a hindrance. Good luck on your quest." Frisk replied. Nothing would change their mind.

Christopher looked like he wanted to say something, but Kade stopped him with a look. Frisk walked away and the group of five didn't follow. Rini opened the portal, and they all disappeared. They weren't worried about the others returning safely. If Rini could travel to a place that she would never belong to, then the Doors would let the rest return to the place they came from. None of them would fit in Confection.

The hardest part of their quest would be the first part: finding Sumi's soul. The group thought it was in Nancy's world, since the two were roommates and maybe friends? It was a gamble, but Frisk hoped it would work out in the end. If not, they would do their best to help Cora when she returned. If the girl could get so easily invested over someone she'd never met, Frisk could only try to imagine the fallout of failure.

They hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Two days later, Kade, Cora, Christopher, and Sumi return to Earth. The other drowned girl isn't with them.

Cora tells them about her adventure later in their room as she folds her clothes and puts them into her suitcase.

"Nadya chose to stay behind. The Lord of the Dead required one soul to stay as payment for releasing Sumi's soul, and their river apparently borders on Belyyreka. The Lord of the Dead agreed to let her leave if a Door opened for her, but only for that reason. At least she has turtles there, but I hope she found her way home." Cora spoke with great animation.

Her time spent traveling to worlds not her own had certainly left a mark. It was scary and exhilarating and dangerous and addictive. Christopher almost died, Nadya was left behind, and Sumi wasn't really human anymore. Her soul looked like it was baked into her being, like chocolate chips in an oatmeal cookie. They had all almost been trapped in a world spun from sugar and baked into being. Despite that, Cora was still brave enough to yearn for an adventure to prove she was worthy of the Trenches.

Frisk was scared for her but didn't say anything. What could they say when she had such a firm belief? They had no proof that adventuring wouldn't bring her closer to the Trenches, but there was no proof that it would help either. She could end up stranded in a world worse for her than Earth, but she didn't seem to care.

"If the lakes weren't strawberry soda, perhaps it would have felt more like home. I'm definitely not made for the Nonsense of Confection. Nothing there is made as it should be, and distance and time are meaningless there. Everything in that world is created by the Baker. The Baker bakes life into the world and shapes it as they will. Residents are made to need what they make and it's generally a nice place, but it's not for me. If the Baker could bake me an ocean, I'd love it. But with sugar being a requirement, I don't know if I could ever find the saltiness I crave on my tongue when I breathe and talk."

Frisk let her talk and talk until the dry air forced her to stop.

They gave as genuine a smile as they could when Cora had finished. "I'm glad your adventure ended well. I'm sorry about Nadya, but I'm glad you all made it home safe."

"Me too. It was kind of close there, for a bit." Cora said. She paused a moment in consideration before continuing. "After all that, I'm going to be moving in with Sumi. Her Nonsense doesn't mesh with my Logic, like Eleanor would want, but after that adventure, I think the shared experience will matter more."

Frisk nodded. Why did she feel the need to announce this to them?

"You're okay with that, aren't you?" Cora asked.

"Yeah, why not?"

"I dunno. You just seem kind of lonely. You don't really talk to anyone and spend a lot of time by yourself. If that's the way you like it though, that's fine. I'm just checking in." Cora shrugged.

"I don't mind being alone. It doesn't bother me. Stay with whoever you like. Even if I was lonely, you shouldn't put my needs before your own. Especially when it's not your fault, and I could easily solve the problem myself by asking for a new room assignment." Frisk stared at Cora, "Value yourself a bit more, okay?"

Cora's face went slightly pink, and she looked away. "Sure. Thanks Frisk. I guess I'll see you around?"

Frisk nodded and let Cora go. Once again, they had their solitude. It was easy to fall behind the barrier in their mind and just let time pass them by. School started up again their one-year anniversary at the school came and went without fanfare. It was just another Monday.

They were probably approaching their fourteenth birthday now, whenever that is, exactly. It seemed unlikely that their birthday would still be in the summer. Ninth-grade classes were different from their eighth-grade ones. The material was presented more quickly and there was extra homework. Standards were higher too. All in all, it wasn't that bad though. Even if their body was eleven-almost-twelve, their brain was fourteen-ish. This is what grade they would be in anyways, if they had experienced time linearly.

Outside of school, they remained reclusive. They followed in Susie's footsteps and worked on honing their skills. Bit by bit, their dexterity and agility improved. After performing their drills for the self defense club, the leader okayed them to participate in practice spars. There was a feeling rolling behind their barrier, but it couldn't touch them. Frisk just nodded and accepted the judgement. Practicing against a proper opponent could only help them.

Shortly before the last outdoor education camping weekend of the year, Christopher and Sumi were seen running around and making a commotion. Frisk didn't see it, but enough people were a witness to it that the rumours spread fast. Most people seemed to believe that another quest was on the horizon. One of those quests that were strictly prohibited here.

When Cora pulled them aside to talk, Frisk could only agree with the sentiment. They didn't know what she wanted, but this is exactly what happened last time when there was a quest waiting for some brave and bold adventurers. Cora led them down to the basement to Christopher's room where, besides the students, a familiar face was lying on the autopsy table in the corner, and a large girl was watching with worry.

Frisk focused their magic sight on the two new people. The large girl had a green soul and a green outline of herself stitched to her skin with purple threads. Two layers of thread, it looked like. Or at least, two sets of stitches. It was a bit difficult to tell since they looked a bit frayed. It was strange. Almost as strange as the familiar body on the table. Externally, this was Jill. Her thin figure, pale clothes, and delicate, bare hands all screamed Jill, but Jack's soul was stitched loosely to the body around the chest, where the heart would be. The outline of glasses, lab coat, gloves, and the brilliant purple her that soul displayed were a dead giveaway.

"Why's Jack here? Didn't she find her way home?" Frisk asked.

Everyone in the room stared at them, shocked. Christopher was the first to voice the question that the others were all thinking. "How do you know that's Jack? We all thought it was Jill until Alexis told us otherwise."

Frisk turned their bright red eyes and looked around the room. Between Cora, who had lived with them, and Kade, who had asked them in detail about their abilities, they thought that one of them should have guessed the answer. Sumi was smart, but they didn't expect her to figure it out. They had hardly interacted with her at all.

They pointed to their eyes in response to the question.

"Right!" Sumi snapped her fingers, "The little monster kid can see souls!"

Frisk nodded. "Jack's a purple soul, Jill's a cyan soul. Very easy to distinguish."

"That certainly proves your claim then." Kade said, speaking to the large girl, Alexis. "Can you tell us what you need from us?"

Alexis signed a few things to Sumi, who translated. They needed to wake Jill up so that she could recharge Alexis and open a door back to the Moors. And that was what they did. Frisk stood off to the side, unsure whether they should leave or not. At the same time, it was fascinating to watch Jack at work.

Jack set up a complicated machine and… electrocuted her girlfriend? What the heck? Frisk had forgotten to release their magic sight and watched with detached fascination as the stitches that held Alexis to her skin tightened and smoothed out. The previously frayed stitches now looked like they were made of fresh wire. Instead of looking pained by the electricity running through her body, Alexis looked relieved. Suddenly, she could speak too.

Jack and Alexis explained in more detail about what had led them here. As they were wrapping up their tale, Kade returned. When had he left? Frisk hadn't noticed.

"Eleanor gave us permission to go. It took some convincing, but she's allowing the quest just this once. Who's coming?" Kade asked.

Christopher, Cora, and Sumi all immediately volunteered. Frisk stayed silent.

"What about you, Frisk? Wanna come along? The Moors is high Logic and high Wicked. Antithetical to the Underground in just about every way. There's no reason to decline this time." Cora smiled at them. They hadn't really talked in the last two months, but it seemed like the girl still wanted to be friends.

Frisk wasn't sure how to feel about that. At least their barrier was in place. It made rational judgements much easier. And they wouldn't even feel bad about disappointing the others either. All those annoying feelings were tucked away.

"I'm staying behind. The Moors may not want me, but that world is a horror movie. I can fight, but not against vampires or wolves or any other creatures that might want me because I'm small and easy to take. I can't see my soul magic being helpful either. You already know the method to switch Jack's and Jill's souls back to the right bodies. I'd just be in the way." Frisk explained.

"Are you certain?" Jack asked, "Your input could be invaluable. Though between myself and Dr. Bleak, our understanding of how to harness lightning is near perfect, a third-party opinion wouldn't be unwanted."

Frisk shook their head. "No thanks. I'm not much for science. Besides, if you can't do or see soul magic in the way that I can, why bother studying it at all?"

"External sources could lead to further understanding. And perhaps it would be an inspiration for further improving methods of resurrection." Jack answered immediately.

"Nope. Sorry."

"Then before we leave, I must ask one question. I have resurrected Alexis twice. What does it look like to you?"

"When I first saw her, it looked like a bad sewing project, tying her soul and her soul projection to her skin. The stitches were frayed and uneven. When you electrocuted her, they neatened up and the frayed thread became smooth wire. You may not have magic in the Moors, but it looks like pretty strong purple magic to me."

Kade snapped his fingers. "Purple magic has adhesive qualities."

Frisk nodded in response.

"Interesting." Jack said with minimal inflection, "But you are ultimately correct. You'd be of no help to the scientific process. Give Eleanor my regards, though. I'll return these three as soon as I reclaim my body. I gave Jill her second chance by reviving her in the Moors. I will not make the same mistake again."

Jill summoned a door to the Moors and the five of them walked through. A quest had begun, and they could only hope that the four who weren't made for that world were returned relatively unharmed. In particular, Frisk was worried for Cora. The Trenches were a Wicked and Logic world. Kade's world was Logic and Virtue, Sumi's was Nonsense and Virtue, and Christopher's was Neutral and Mortis, maybe leaning a bit towards Nonsense. Those three should be able to leave easily enough, but if Cora got caught, the Moors might not let her go.

Frisk went to Eleanor and explained what had happened. As the head of this establishment, it was something that she needed to know, even if she didn't necessarily want to hear it.

They supposed they should feel worried, but all those feelings were behind their barrier. Even though their friends and their friends' friends were on a dangerous quest with real threats of death and only a slim hope of success, Frisk felt nothing. They slept normal hours, maintained normal magic and knife practice, and had no troubles focusing on classwork. It was yet another reason to keep their barrier strong. Life was so much easier like this. The only regret they had was not asking Jack how she got back to the Moors. If she could summon her door, then they should be able to summon theirs too. It was extremely unlikely that Jack would ever return to Earth though. It was even less likely that any of the others would think to ask Jack about that either.

Kade didn't want to go back to Prism, Sumi was already guaranteed to find her way back to Confection eventually, Christopher believed he'd get back to Mariposa when he died and became a skeleton himself, and Cora believed that the Trenches would call for her when the time was right. None of them would think about asking what method could be used to get back sooner.

For better or worse, just like the last quest, the group returned after a few days. Their quest had been successful. Jack killed Jill after tricking Jill into switching their souls back to the correct bodies, and then summoned a Door back to Earth for the others. Kade, Sumi, and Christopher looked tired, but Cora was distraught. Though they felt nothing at their friend's (acquaintance's?) distress, they figured that they should at least check in on her. Not right away, but tomorrow. It was possible that she'd only need the night to calm down and process whatever had happened in the Moors. Besides, she'd have Sumi with her for the night.

So Frisk did just that. The next evening, about twenty-four hours after the quest group returned, Frisk made their way to Cora's new room. She hadn't emerged since returning from the Moors.

They knocked on the door to be greeted by Sumi. If you could call it a greeting, that is.

"Thank god! Someone else to deal with this mopey crap. I'm gone, good luck!" Sumi said as she ran off. That was as much of an invitation as Frisk thought they were going to get.

They went in and saw what a mess Cora's room had become in just a day. She kept her stuff neat and organized while they were rooming together, so the chaotic state of the current room was a bit of a shock. Sumi had been bringing food, at least. It didn't seem to be to Cora's taste, however. It was all super sweet, sugary stuff that was half-eaten at best. Pancakes with icing sugar and maple syrup, whipped cream, chocolate, and candied fruits were sitting on the desk. A jam sandwich with cinnamon bread and a chocolate pudding cup were on the floor beside the bed. Only one bite had been taken from the sandwich. Perhaps Frisk should have thought to bring supper for her, but it was too late now. The best they could hope for was Sumi getting supper now, and perhaps picking up food for Cora that wasn't pure sugar.

Besides the plates of food around the room, her half had clothes and blankets strewn across the floor. Cora herself didn't look much better. She was in bed, face down, covers only partly covering her. Her hair was messy and dry and had started clumping together. Her skin was dry and flaking, and her clothes were dirty with salt stains. They knew she wasn't asleep because her breath was too fast and uneven.

There was a feeling beating against the barrier, but the barrier held. Frisk wanted to care, but they weren't sure that they could tear down that barrier now, even if they wanted to. Still, they did their best to show worry on their face and convey concern in their voice when they spoke.

"Hey. It's Frisk." They said, "Sumi let me in. I just wanted to see how you were doing. You've been back for a day, and no one's seen you."

Cora didn't reply.

"I guess that's not quite true. Sumi's been bringing you… food… dessert? I understand if you don't want to eat it though. I've still got a kid body and that looks too sweet for me!" Frisk chuckled. It sounded empty, but they were hoping some silly talk would at least make her want to look up.

It didn't work.

"I heard Kade and Christopher talking though. Your quest was a success! You got Jack back into her body and made it back unharmed. You all survived! And no one got trapped this time. You guys seem to be getting better at all this now. Maybe Eleanor will even get rid of that "No Quests" rule that she has." They rambled.

"No." Cora stated. It was hollow and quiet, but at least it was something.

"No? What about?"

"Everything."

"Can you explain more? I don't understand."

"You don't need to understand."

"So… I know Jack got her body back. But you're saying that you all didn't make it back unharmed? Or that you didn't survive? Did Jack need to revive any of you? Because I haven't seen the soul-stitches on any of you. Or you don't think Eleanor will get rid of that rule? You may be right about that. She's old, so she might not be used to changing her mind, but she is a Nonsense person so maybe she'll be flexible. So-"

"Just. Shut up Frisk!" Cora exclaimed. She sounded a little angry now. "Why can't you just let it be!"

Frisk waited a second before responding. They spoke quietly and put as much feeling as they could into their voice. They imagined Susie as they spoke and used her as inspiration. "Because we're friends, right? Or at least former roommates? Even if we aren't, you said we're all in the same situation. If you need someone to listen, I can shut up and be an ear."

Cora huffed. "Yeah, but I'm older than you. I'm not dumping shit on you when you're just a kid! Besides, your world is Virtue and Nonsense. It's a magical place, probably colourful and kind and a bit silly. I can't say you've never been hurt, because that's obviously wrong, but it's not the same! I'm not throwing my feelings at you and putting that on you when you didn't sign up for this!"

"I'm older than I look. I might even be fourteen by now. What's the big difference between fourteen and fifteen anyways? And I'm signing up for it now."

"Do you even know what you're signing up for? How can you agree to anything when the terms aren't clear?" Cora argued.

Frisk grinned. "Nonsense. I'll figure it out. If nothing else, I think Nonsense makes a person more adaptable to whatever ridiculous circumstances they might find themselves in. If you need an ear, or a wall to scream at, or someone to scream with you, or a teddy bear to squish or a koala to squish you, I can be whatever you need me to be. I just need the determination to make it so. So tell me what you need from me."

"You can't be what I need."

"Why not? Tell me what you need, and I'll do my best."

"I need someone who understands!" Cora shouted. She was fully angry now. "I need someone who is willing to do anything to get home. You say you're determined to find a way back, but have you tried everything? What are you even willing to do to get home?"

Frisk opened their mouth to respond, but Cora kept yelling.

"You don't even know how I found my door the first time! I. Hate. Everything! My life on Earth sucks! There's nothing left here for me! I walked into the ocean because that's the only place I even felt just a little okay about myself. I was ready to be dragged away and instead found a door in the seaweed. I didn't care if it was my brain playing tricks on me and showing me some oxygen-starved hallucination. It didn't matter if it was real or not. I just needed to not be here anymore! And I can't expect you to be someone who understands any of that." Cora had tears running down her cheeks and was breathing hard. "Jack didn't revive me, but I drowned in the Moors. I was held on the cusp of death for the Drowned Gods. They were calling me. They still call me. It wasn't the Trenches, but it was as close as I could get. And I did it. I said that if I could go home, I'd throw myself off the nearest cliff to never have to breath the air again. So I did it. I did it and Kade tried to stop me and watched as I attempted to kill myself again."

Cora cried silently and Frisk sat quietly. They gave her time to calm herself down and collect her thoughts as they felt their barrier crack. Feelings that they didn't want to feel were starting to leak through and they couldn't have it. This was about Cora. They needed to be strong for her.

After a few minutes, Cora spoke softly, "So you see? I can't ask you to do anything for me. I need someone who knows what it's like. Someone who is willing to die to escape because they know that nothing on Earth will help them. Making friends is impossible because all their peers are bullies. Parents who don't understand because they think you work so hard and are such a nice girl and so special that of course you're great. Parents that don't understand but try in their own way, even if it's all wrong. They love me but they don't see that I'm meant to be a mermaid, not a human. I can't ever be what they want, but they can't admit that I'll never be the daughter that they imagined. They'll pay for therapy or meds or even for me to stay away, and they'll miss me when I'm gone, but they won't have any guilt. They did what they could and I'm still such a fuckup and a misfit that it doesn't matter. They'll be sad, maybe my old bullies might feel a bit guilty, maybe they'll even grow up into better people, but that only proves that if I left forever, it would only help people. Staying on Earth in any capacity is just a problem for me, so I was almost able to stay in the Moors forever as a subject of the Drowned Gods. I could have lived there and belonged. I only left because the choice was taken away from me when Jack made a bargain. I can't expect you to get that when you only want to return to the Underground for a while. Not even forever! You can't understand, and that's okay. That's probably good, even. But you're not what I need, so you can go now."

The barrier started splintering. Without their permission, their face got hot, and a few tears fell from their eyes. They couldn't tell what they felt in that moment, but some feelings were trickling through. Their body was filled with a weird manic energy that needed a way out. The medium of escape didn't matter, so they just started laughing. It was better to laugh and pretend everything was fine, than to cry and break down, right? Maybe it was inappropriate, but it was the best they could do. Anything to make those tears stop falling as they laughed and watched the damp spots on the clothes on the floor grow larger as they blinked.

"Fuck off Frisk!"

"Why should I? I'm not what you need? Fair enough. I know that too well. That's what everyone's told me since I entered kindergarten." They said through the laughter, "But if not me, then who? Who else is going to understand what you're saying when you just described my life in my last year on Earth. The last year before I found this school as another escape."

They were still laughing on the floor, but the tears wouldn't stop coming either. "Wanting to die doesn't make you unique here. Before I moved in with Susie last year, I had no friends either. You're brave though. You tried to live until you were fifteen. I wasn't even twelve before I ran away, climbed a mountain, and let myself fall into seemingly bottomless darkness."

They stared at the damp clothing on the floor and their laughed turned into hitched breaths. They didn't dare to look up at Cora or even wipe their eyes. They just let the tears fall. If they let their emotions fall off their face like this, then maybe their barrier would stop leaking and they could patch it back up. They could maybe get back to that comfortable place where they couldn't feel anything again.

"Frisk… I'm sorry." Cora said softly. She started laughing softly too, "Isn't this just like that first night I was here? We're both here, making assumptions and hurting each other because we weren't willing to share upfront? Two stubborn people, aren't we?"

Frisk snorted in response. It was appropriate, wasn't it? They started laughing along with Cora, soft at first. Her laughs fed theirs and theirs fed hers. Together, they were soon laughing with their entire bodies. The tears weren't sad anymore, but empathetic and forced because they couldn't get enough air to breathe properly.

Cora stood up from her bed and walked over them. She sat beside them and leaned against them gently. Frisk returned the gesture and leaned a bit of their weight against her too. This friendship or acquaintanceship or whatever they had was a bit messed up. No, it was more than that. They were maybe fourteen. They were old enough to swear. This was fucked up and it only made them start laughing again.

Why couldn't the two of them just talk normally? They had plenty in common, for all of their differences, but still kept making assumptions and hurting each other by accident. Frisk knew that they could never be as brave as Cora, but they could still appreciate her courage and try to emulate it. She jumped off a cliff, not just to find a way home, but to get to a place that was only somewhat similar. They only had the determination to go to the Underground, their one true world, but Cora would work for anything in the vicinity. She would be brilliant when she finds her way back to the ocean, some day. They could feel it in their gut and with their magic. Cora would make it back to the Trenches some day.

Now they just needed to find the determination in themselves to find the Underground again. They didn't know if it was even possible, but red souls were all about making the impossible a reality, weren't they?

Once their laughter had calmed a bit, they asked Cora again. "Tell me about your quest?"