Dread surrounded them. Kris could could feel the choking fear creeping down his throat like a reverse sickness, and looking at his friends, he could tell they thought the same.
King was the first to move, stepping forward far faster than someone his size and punching Kris in the face before he could defend himself. "I can already see it." He growled, before grabbing Kris's shield from Noelle's hand as she tried to bash him in the back with it.
He picked her up by the shield, stabbing his harpoon into it and denting it in the middle, as well as sending Noelle flying backwards. "The heroes of the prophecy lying dead at my feet!" He laughed.
Kris got to his feet, his nose bent in the wrong direction. Blood drizzled out of his broken nose, and King effortlessly deflected a magic fluffball from Ralsei, grinning down at the human. King shot his harpoon out at Ralsei, who jumped to the side, shooting another magical attack at King, whose cape deflected it on its own.
Noelle got up, gasping upon seeing the shield's damage. She then heard the harpoon stretching closer and rolled out of the way just as it hit the shield, snapping it in half and making it vanish into hammerspace.
Noelle could barely even move before she was grabbed by the throat and lifted into the air by the grinning king, his dark blue hood hiding his eyes completely, just as Lancer's did. "You're weak. Uncoordinated. CHILDREN! GAHAHAHAHA! YOU THREE THINK YOURSELVES HEROES!?" He roared, holding Noelle up as she struggled, trying desperately to get out of his grip.
"Let her go!" Kris shouted, sprinting towards him and slicing at King with his spookysword, only for the shadowy cloak to wrap around the blade, snapping it apart with ease. Kris flinched, but didn't let up, trying to punch the king, who grinned in amusement as his fist bounced off the tyrant's stomach harmlessly.
Kris was grabbed by the face, his entire head encompassed by King's hand. "KRIS! LET HIM GO! LET HIM GO-PLEASE!" Noelle begged, and King's monstrous grin somehow got wider.
"The little Lightner still thinks she can command me? Oh, how adorable." He hissed, tightening his grip. Kris grabbed at King's wrist, punched at it, even tried kicking at it, but it did nothing.
Ralsei tried using his scarf to attack the King's head, but the much larger cloak draped around the king wrapped around Ralsei's scarf, lifting it in the air and choking Ralsei around it. The king looked at the three of them, sticking his tongue out in glee.
"It seems the battle…is already over. I must admit, I'm quite disappointed. You three heroes can't do a damn thing!" He laughed, and Noelle cried out again, begging for King to let Kris go.
The king paused, before smiling. "Very well." He muttered, before raising Kris into the air and slamming him into the ground, head first.
Noelle stopped moving. Ralsei stopped moving. Kris stopped moving.
The deafening silence was pierced by Noelle's scream. King grinned as a pool of blood slowly grew around Kris, his long bangs stained with his very lifeblood. Noelle's scream lowered to a dull whimper, softly whispering Kris's name.
"Kris…please…Kris…Kris…Kris…" she whispered, just staring at his still body. He wasn't breathing. He wasn't breathing. He wasn't breathing he wasn't breathing he wasn't breathing he wasn't breathing
The king turned around, smiling down at Ralsei. "The prince of the dark. Ha. You are no Darkner, betrayer. You're with them. Now…you will die like them." He growled, before pausing. Was…it getting colder?
Noelle stared at Kris's body, her pupils the size of pinpricks. She didn't notice as her shaky breaths were becoming visible, or how the ring on her finger began to emit a dull white powder.
All she could think about
Was the cold
Unending
Rage.
Noelle turned to look at the king, raising her palm. The tyrant looked at it, his hood raised in a confused stare.
KKRING!
A boulder of ice encased the king's entire upper torso, and he dropped her onto her knees, stumbling backwards. Ralsei fell onto his back, gasping for breath. Kris didn't move.
Noelle got up, walked over to Kris and fell to her knees, touching his back. Kris didn't move.
She whispered his name, cried it, screamed it.
…
Kris did not move.
She heard the shattering of her magical attack from earlier and stood up, looking back at the king, who loomed threateningly. He shot his harpoon at her, and she waved her hand, her eyes as cold as ice.
KKRING!
The king roared as his harpoon fell to the ground, locked in a block of ice. She growled, tears falling down her face, her hair covering her upper face in shadow. King waved his hand with a shout and dozens of spades were sent hurdling at Noelle, who simply glared at the onslaught, a wall of ice rising from the ground and protecting her from all of them.
Frost crept from her ring to her fingers, and she couldn't escape the shiver that followed. She glared nonetheless, screaming as she dropped the wall, hurdling twice the amount of projectiles that he did.
King growled, covering himself in his mantle. He growled as sharp shards of ice pelted him over and over again, digging into his skin through his cape and drawing a small amount of dark smoke from his body that dissipated in the air.
He growled angrily, seeing his essence damaged by a Lightner. He screamed, moving his harpoon despite the weight and using it as a club, hitting Noelle in the back with it. She gasped, hitting the ground with a loud thud, the growing storm of snow gathering above her beginning to dissolve.
King exhaled, his breath visible in the cold air. "That…was closer than I should have ever allowed it to be. You got lucky, lightbringer…but your luck has run out!" He spat, punching the ice around his harpoon and shattering it. He grinned, sending it at Noelle without another word.
It blurred as it shot through the air, the mouth on it laughing gleefully, only for a ball of fluff to interrupt it, sending it veering off course and making it hit the ground. King growled, looking at a panting Ralsei, who was rubbing his neck beneath his scarf, a hint of white fur peeking through the shade of his hat.
"You won't…kill the heroes! Not while I'm still…breathing!" He rasped out, charging up another mint green ball of fluff in between his hands, before adding three more fluffballs to the mix.
King hummed, whipping his harpoon out of the ground and piercing Ralsei's attack with it, almost stabbing through his head, if not for the lack of range. King scoffed in annoyance as Ralsei jumped backwards in fear, before he sent three spades at the prince, piercing him with two of them and sending him to the ground, screaming.
The tyrant turned around, walking slowly towards Kris. He smirked as he gazed down at Noelle, before stomping on her right leg, snapping it like a twig.
She screamed, her voice breaking as her scream dissolved to a pained sob. She geabbed-clawed at the ground as King removed the pressure from her leg, revealing the crippled, broken mess of a limb. He chuckled darkly, before continuing towards Kris.
Noelle stared at her broken leg, her own screams drowning out her heartbeat, before she focused on Kris.
Why was he…glowing?
Despite lying still, Kris's body thrummed with a dull red glow, the color deepening as the glow got stronger. King paused, tilting his head in confusion.
Suddenly, Kris's finger twitched.
A second later, he was standing, his eyes glowing through his bangs. He held his alabaster sword, completely repaired from its time in his inventory. By all means, Kris should have been dead. His neck should have broken the moment he hit the ground and he should have suffocated in minutes.
But he didn't.
He persisted.
Kris slouched forward, blood dripping down his forehead, exhaling shakily. He gripped his sword in his hands, eyes alight with determination.
He would not die here. He still had so much more to do. So much more to say. The king glared down at him, chuckling deeply. Kris growled, gritting his blood stained teeth, stepping forward.
He vanished from sight, and the king froze, before shouting in pain as two diagonal slashes cut into him. Kris stood behind him, body shaking. He couldn't keep this up for long. He was so tired-but he had to do this.
For Ralsei.
For himself.
For her.
Kris screamed in fury, jumping at the king and trying to slice him down the middle, but the monarch grabbed his harpoon deflecting Kris's blade with his own. King tried to knee him after deflecting his attack, but Kris used the reflexes he knew he didn't have, flipping over the king's leg and slamming the pommel of the sword into the giant's head, making him stumble backwards.
King was barely given a chance to catch himself as Kris jumped at him again, slashing at his belly another three times. Hissing in pain and anger, King successfully backhanded Kris, taking him off his feet and launching him backwards a few feet.
Yet he persisted.
Kris got up as quickly as he could, having just enough time to parry King's harpoon with his sword, the sound of steel and bone clashing ringing through the air. King licked his fangs, multiple wisps of darkness leaking from his wounds. "There you are. The prophesized heroes. Did I startle some strength into you? How hilarious!" He roared, before grabbing Kris by the chest.
The boy stabbed King's hand with his sword, and the tyrant grunted, before slamming him into the ground. Kris gasped as the breath was forced from his lungs, his eyes widening. King raised him up and slammed him into the ground again with a vicious grunt, and Kris felt his chestplate crack down the middle.
King raised him again, his teeth glinting in the moonlight. "Die." He commanded, before slamming him into the ground one last time, shattering his chestplate. Kris gasped for breath that wouldn't come to him, his lungs damaged. He couldn't breathe anymore, his lungs-his lungs-
A green glow surrounded him. Both Ralsei and Noelle held their hands up, healing Kris. 'Fight, Kris! You can win!' Ralsei thought, using the rest of their TP to heal him.
Noelle was far more soft, her consciousness waning. 'Kris…please…don't die…please…' she thought, before passing out, her eyes closing with a flutter.
Kris could breathe again, and oxygen had never tasted so sweet. The red glow that had started to dim came back in full, a burst of power coming from the boy. King growled in annoyance, his hood blowing around from the power that Kris's determination exuded.
Kris tightened his grip on his sword, swiping at King's face and forcing him back, allowing Kris to escape the tyrant's grip. Using his brief moment of breathing room, he pulled a dark candy out of hammerspace and tossed it to Ralsei, nodding at him.
Ralsei nodded back, hurrying over towards Noelle while King was occupied. Unfortunately, it seemed the ruler had caught onto their plan, looking over his shoulder and seeing Ralsei kneeling over Noelle. "Sneaky little brat…" he grumbled, not expecting Kris to grab his harpoon and swing his sword at the thin bone connecting it to his body.
The king screamed in pain as his nerves were rocked by cold hard steel. While Kris may not have sliced through it, he definitely cut into it, based on his struggle to rip his sword out. King summoned a dozen spades, six on each side of Kris.
The boy's eyes widened, before he closed his eyes, bracing himself as they shot towards him-
KKRING!
Two walls of ice arose from the ground on his sides, the spades digging into the ice walls but not going any further. Kris looked back to see that Noelle was limping towards them, her leg mostly healed. Before the king could do much else, Kris pulled his sword from the ruler's harpoon, leaping backwards.
King scowled furiously, grabbing the twin walls of ice and launching them at Kris, who sliced them in half. His hair floated from the wind, revealing his bloodied face and determined eyes.
Noelle limped to Kris's side, and Ralsei to hers. The three stood opposed from the mad king, who glared angrily at all of them. "Roaches! Pests! Insignificant WORMS! I'll turn you to dust!" He spat, throwing his harpoon at Ralsei, only for Noelle to raise up six ice walls, halting the attack with only four of them.
Kris looked at her, seeing that she didn't look scared, or apprehensive. She looked determined. Just as he did. Ice crystalized on King's harpoon, spreading from Noelle's defenses into King's body. He grimaced, tugging on his harpoon, yet it didn't budge.
Kris dashed forward, striking when the king was distracted. He slashed at the tyrant's arms, inflicting several shallow cuts across his arms and making more darkness spew from him.
The king was starting to look tired now, not used to fighting such opponents. "How is this possible!? You were nothing! Trash! I WAS DESTROYING YOU! HOW ARE YOU SO POWERFUL!?" He screamed, furious, but there was an edge of fear in his voice.
Kris exhaled a shaky laugh, his eye twitching from exhaustion. Truly, he didn't know. He didn't understand how he could move despite having no energy, how he could swing his sword despite having no strength left.
Truly, it didn't make sense.
Yet here he stood, strong, fast, and alive.
"You may be bigger than us…you may be stronger than us…" Kris started, his eyes glowing with power. "But there's one thing that I have that you never will." He continued, before smirking at the king, a bright light coming from his chest.
"Hair." He quipped, before a brilliant red glow coming from his chest. Both Noelle and Ralsei gasped as a small red heart floated in front of Kris pulsing with power.
The light of his SOUL glowed, shining a bright light in his comrades.
Noelle gasped as light and warmth filled her very being. Strength filled her tired body and soul, and she heard Kris's will telling her what to do.
Without hesitation, she raised her hands, and green sparkles surrounded the heroes, completely healing them. The adrenaline that Kris had given her with his soul had dulled the pain of her leg, but now it was as if it was never even damaged.
Ralsei gasped as his wounds were healed, the marks on his neck vanishing. He exhaled softly, feeling the power of a human soul resonate within him. It was…incredible. Ralsei felt like he had found a part of himself that he didn't know even existed. In the moment, he nearly grew addicted to the feeling, but grasped himself before he could.
This was not his power. This was Kris's. Ralsei smiled, floating forward and launching a large red fluffball at the king that exploded into multiple smaller magical attacks, all of which exploded on impact.
Kris gaped in surprise, looking back at Ralsei, who grinned at him. Multiple shards of red ice then whizzed past, expanding to crystalline shackles that further tired the king. Noelle walked up to Kris's side, frost spreading with every step she took.
The king panted in exhaustion, before falling to his knees and lowering his head, his cape fluttering off of him and flapping away, into the darkness. "...Ah. So…this is how it ends…at the hands of you." He growled, cuts, bruises, and ice littering his body.
Ralsei smiled kindly at the ruler, clasping his hands behind his back. "We don't want to kill you, King. We just want to seal the fountain." He explained, and the King growled, clenching his fists.
"So that you can leave us in the darkness again!? No! I refuse-" he started, only for a pink blade to be pointed at his face. Kris, fully healed but still bloody and tired, glared at him.
"Don't even think about it." He said, and Ralsei sighed.
"You…don't have to be left here either. I have a dark fountain that you can stay in. I can…make a room for you in the castle if you would like." Ralsei proposed, and the king lowered his head.
"I would rather die than accept your mercy." He muttered, before grinning, his tongue slithering out of his mouth. "That way, my son will see you for the scum you are." He hissed, chuckling darkly.
Noelle clenched her fists, glaring at the king. "Shut up." She gritted out, surprising both Kris and Ralsei. "You don't get to talk about him like that! Not after what you tried to do!" She yelled, before a shard of ice appeared in her hand.
"You were going to kill him!" She screamed, throwing the shard of ice at his face, which bounced off, piercing his skin lightly. "Y-You…how could you even say that!?" She cried, before she grabbed Kris's hand, making the boy blush, but he didn't take his glowing gaze away from King for a second.
"You almost killed Kris! You think you can call us scum!?" She asked, only for Ralsei to place a hand on her shoulder.
"Noelle…he's not going to listen. Just…go seal the fountain with Kris. I'll make sure he doesn't follow you." He mumbled, and Noelle lowered her head, fists shaking.
However, she paused, simply stopped her shaking entirely…before exhaling. "...Fine. Let's go, Kris." She whispered, walking past the kneeling king, leaving a trail of ice in her wake. Kris looked back at Ralsei and the king, and the former smiled at him.
Kris sighed, walking forward and entering a dark room with no ceiling. He looked up, seeing nothing but darkness. When he looked back down, Noelle was standing off to the side, back turned to him and arms crossed.
When Kris saw her shoulders twitch, he realized she was crying. He frowned worriedly, walking up to her and placing his hand on her shoulder. She didn't flinch, didn't jump, she didn't even make a noise.
She just turned around and hugged him, grabbing his head tightly and holding him close to her. His eyes widened in surprise, before he heard her shuddering breaths, feeling her tears falling atop his head. "I-I thought…I thought you were…" she stammered out, and he frowned sadly.
"I think…I was." He muttered out, hearing Noelle's sharp intake of breath, and continued. "I-I don't know what happened, but…everything went dark for a moment. I couldn't see anything…I couldn't hear anything…I couldn't move…I couldn't…I couldn't think." He whispered, allowing a few of his own tears to fall.
But once he allowed the first to fall, he broke down, the realization that he had just died hitting him like a truck. What else could it have been? That didn't just…happen. But it did…yet his soul persisted.
"Then I heard your scream." He whispered, making Noelle flinch. "It was the only thing I could hear-and it…did something…something to my soul. I got up, and…I felt it. I felt it burning, Noelle." He told her, knowing he didn't need to explain what it was.
She knew it was his soul.
"I think…you saved me. E-Even if you didn't mean to…and if it was by…getting your uh-leg crushed." Kris said, his voice growing quieter as his blush grew. Noelle stared down at him, blinking a few times, before she smiled.
That smile evolved into a snort, and that snort into a laugh. Soon, Noelle let go of him, falling backwards as she held into her sides, laughing hard. Kris stared down at her, mouth agape and face bright purple. "I-I…Noelle?" He asked, confused.
She giggled a few more times, tears staining her fur, before she looked up at Kris, a wide smile on her face. "S-Sorry, heh…that really g-got me." She panted, and Kris held a hand out, which she grabbed. Pulling her up, Kris looked away, still embarrassed.
Noelle smiled endeared by Kris's shyness. So, taking a risk, she leaned forward and…
Pek!
Kris froze as he felt Noelle press her lips to his cheek, feeling a sliver of her adorable buck teeth touching his skin. He got multiple shades deeper of purple, locking up entirely. Noelle giggled, her own cheeks red. "Thanks for protecting me, Kris." She whispered, turning around and walking through the doorway.
Kris still didn't move even after she left, still thinking about the feeling of her soft lips on his cheek. That was…just a thank you, right? That's what she said it was, and that's what made sense. That wasn't a kiss, that was a thank you. Stop thinking about it.
…
He didn't stop thinking about it.
---
Walking into the next room, he found Noelle gazing up at the dark fountain, a look of wonder in her doe eyes. He stepped up to her side, gaining her attention. She looked at him with a smile, the smile she used to give him when they were kids.
"Are you ready, Kris?" She asked, and he looked down. Everything that had happened today…he could safely say he was ready to go home. He idly thought back to the two key pieces in hammerspace, but didn't dwell on it. It probably wasn't too important anyways.
Kris nodded, before he placed his right hand against his chest.
It was as if his very soul was glowing…
Then they heard a scream.
Both Kris and Noelle looked at each other, a panicked stare on their faces. "Ralsei!" They cried in unison, turning around and running back to the rooftop to find-
A pile of fluff on the floor, the king standing over it, fully healed. Ralsei must have been tricked by him while they were away!
"Oh, it was all too easy." He rumbled, turning to face the others "Sympathy is a weakness! I played that boy like a fiddle, and the last thing he saw was my harpoon. GAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed, shaking the rooftop.
He gnashed his teeth together like an animal, casting a threatening shadow on the Lightners. "This is my world, rats! MY DARKNESS WILL BE YOUR END, HEROES! GAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed again, before the sound of heavy footfalls made him pause. "What's that sound-GAH!"
Dozens of soldiers poured out onto the rooftop, hoisting the large king up on their shoulders and crying for revolution. "WHAT!? WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS-PUT ME DOWN YOU FOOLS!" He roared, only for Lancer to come spinning out, riding the crowd like a wave.
"Haha, not this time! It's time we overthrew you so that I can be the dad now! Now go to time out!" He laughed, pointing back into the castle, where the soldiers carried him.
"LANCERRRR! YOU'RE GROUNDED!" The king yelled, his voice growing weaker as he was carried further away. Lancer hopped off of the crowd, rushing over to Kris and Noelle.
"Heya, pals! Thanks for not killing my dad!" He said, and Noelle laughed nervously, remembering a certain ice shard that she had thrown at his face. If she was only a little off with her power output, she could have ended the guy.
"N-No problem, Lancer." She said, smiling down at him. The child turned to Ralsei, humming dramatically.
"You should heal this guy! He doesn't look too good." Lancer told them, prompting Noelle to jump into action, casting heal prayer. The pile of fluff poofed back into shape, and Ralsei flinched.
"Woah! Oh…hey, guys. Why isn't the fountain sealed yet?" He asked, and Noelle frowned at him.
"We heard you scream and rushed back to find King standing over you. Did…he trick you into healing him?" She asked. Ralsei blushed, looking down in embarrassment.
"...maybe." he mumbled, making Kris smirk.
"Well, it looks like we're all done here. Now let's-" he started, interrupted by a familiar voice calling from the stairwell.
"Not so fast, you three." Seam said, using a large wooden staff with a rotating ball of shadow at the tip as a walking stick. "There is still one thing left for you to do before you leave this land. You only found two of the three key pieces…and you haven't met my friend down in the dungeon of this castle." They told them, and Kris paused.
Ralsei opened his mouth to interject, but a knowing look from Seam stopped him. "You do not want to miss this chance. My friend is…special. I believe you will get the most out of the meeting." They continued, smiling at Noelle.
She looked at Kris, who shrugged. Seam chuckled, before they waved their staff, the ball of shadow warping. A doorframe was created, similar to the ones that Kris had seen throughout their journey, yet they were just that. A doorframe.
However, once it was fully constructed, a pool of color filled it. "Journey to the field, just before the great board. Journey upwards to find your prize." They hinted, and Kris paused, before he walked towards the colorful door.
The splotchy mess of color shifted to the familiar grass of the field they had explored before. He walked through the doorframe, the vertigo of travelling a large distance a second making him nearly trip. Hearing Noelle's groan told him that she felt the same thing he did.
They really were back in the fields. The doorframe they had passed earlier was now full of color, just like the one back at the castle. Huh. Neat. They walked forward, finding the great board, and…how the hell had they not seen that path upwards before?
"Um…was this here before?" Noelle asked, and Ralsei nodded.
"Yep! Wait-you two didn't see it? I thought you just wanted to skip over it!" Ralsei said, and Kris shook his head.
"No, I…really didn't see this." He mumbled, walking up the path. It led to another one of the stone slab puzzles, and Noelle read the sign next to it.
"The order of Card Castle's rooms? You won't know if you haven't been there." She read aloud, before smiling at Kris. "I guess it's a good thing we didn't see this earlier, huh, Kris?" She asked, and he nodded, slotting a diamond in the first slot, before hitting the switch button and placing another diamond in the next slot.
He switched it again, placed a spade in the third slot, switched it again, and put another spade in the last spot, completing the puzzle and causing the spikes in front of them to lower, revealing a chest.
Ralsei opened it, taking out the final key piece. It shook in his hand, and Kris felt the other two pieces leave hammerspace in their own, spinning in between them all, before connecting with a high pitched laugh.
The three of them shivered, feeling a pair of eyes on their backs. The completed key slowly floated down, and Kris grabbed it, feeling it in his hand. It was as light as a shadow, and vanished into hammerspace on its own.
"Um…are we…really sure about this?" Noelle asked, and Kris nodded, curiosity burning in his eyes.
They walked back to the door, teleporting back to the castle. Seam was still there, grinning at them. "You did it." They said, they knew. "Take the elevator in the room before the throne. Find the other one on the right side of the foyer. I believe…you have already found it." They rasped, before walking through the doorframe with a dry laugh.
Kris exhaled, walking down the steps and making his way past the throne, and into the room prior. Noelle placed her hand on Kris's shoulder before he could touch the elevator button, smiling nervously at him.
"Kris? W-What do you think…who do you think is going to be down there?" She asked, and he swallowed thickly.
"...I don't know." He admitted, looking down. Noelle nodded, before smiling comfortingly.
"I trust you, Kris. Let's go." She said, nodding resolutely. He smiled at her, calling the elevator and riding it down to the first floor.
The three easily located the creepy elevator they had found before, stepping inside it hesitantly. There were three buttons on the main console, but only one spoke out to Kris.
???
Kris pressed it with a baited breath. The elevator began moving, travelling downwards, downwards, downwards. It felt like it never stopped. Noelle played with her hands nervously as the elevator kept descending, the light growing dimmer and dimmer.
Ralsei pressed his face further into his scarf, looking around nervously as a slow, haunting melody drew close.
Kris tensed up, looking up to see if there were any speakers in the elevator. There weren't.
"I-Is that…circus music?" Noelle whispered, her fur standing on edge. Kris nodded, goosebumps rising on his skin. The elevator finally stopped, the doors opening.
Yep. That was definitely circus music…and it was coming from outside the elevator. Kris was the first one to move, stepping outside the dark elevator, and into the even darker room.
Kris could vaguely make out a staircase in front of him, and he turned around, grabbing Noelle's hand with a boldness that surprised the both of them. "B-Be careful…it's a staircase." He mumbled out, glad that it was dark enough to hide his blush. Curse his stupid stammer, though!
Noelle gulped, nodding silently. The only illumination they had were Kris's glowing red eyes. Finally, they reached the bottom of the stairs, and the music was loud now, but not overly so. A set of bars separated them and the prison cell, nothing but darkness on the other side.
"It's so dark down here…I can barely see anything." She mumbled, her voice echoing in the room. Suddenly, a pair of golden eyes glowed in the darkness of the prison, a set of similar fangs following.
"Uee hee hee! Visitors, visitors! Oh, it has been so long since I've seen a Lightner, hee hee hee!" A high pitched voice giggled, and Kris recognized it as the laugh they heard when the key was formed.
"W-Who are you?" He asked, and the glowing teeth opened in an insane laugh, one that sent a shiver down his spine.
"Who am I!? Oh, who am I-who am I! Who are you, is what I wish to know, uee hee! I know so much about me, but not about thee…why don't we fix that, friends?" The voice asked, giggling maliciously.
Noelle shivered, taking a step back, only to pause, schooling her face into a confident one. She stepped forward, stomping her hoof on the ground. "Why are you locked in there!?" She shouted, wincing as her voice echoed.
The voice groaned like a child, sounding bored. "Blah blah, such simple questions you Lightners ask! If you must know, I saw the frivolity of my existence, and all others too! I sought to solve my dilemma by freeing them of their mortal shackles! At least that's what I told the kings! Uee hee hee!" He laughed, his purple tongue sticking through the bars.
Ralsei shivered, looking at Kris. "K-Kris, this guy is clearly insane, can we please leave?" He asked, more than a little uncomfortable.
"I know about the prophecy, prince from the dark. I know what happensss~!" the voice giggled, staring at them with amusement in his eyes, as if they were toys to him.
Ralsei froze, before glaring at the voice, looking shaken, even in the dark. "Kris, we're leaving." He whispered, but Kris didn't move. He stared at the voice, and Noelle did too. They were curious.
Ralsei bit his lip, gripping his cloak nervously. "That's more like it, hee hee! Now, it's my turn to ask a question, question!" The voice pleaded, purple mittens grabbing onto the bars.
Kris swallowed, before nodding. "Tell, me human…are you…free?" The voice whispered, as if it were a sin. Kris blinked, confused.
Free? What did he mean by that? The voice laughed, sensing his confusion. "Free, free, free! All of us are locked up, even me! I may be outside, but there are only so many walls I can break, break!" He laughed, looking at you.
Noelle tilted her head in confusion. "But…we're the ones outside. You're in prison." She said, and the voice laughed, laughing harder than he ever had before.
"UEE HEE HEE! Such a simple minded thought, simple, simple! You see only what's in front of you, not what's around you! My body may be imprisoned, but my mind is free, free!" He laughed, insanity lining his tone.
Noelle frowned, watching as the figure inside vanished into the darkness, laughing to himself. "Kris? Maybe Ralsei's right…he's speaking nonsense." She told him, and as if to prove her point, he began listing off the months of the year.
"January…February…March and April…" he sang, nothing but a voice in the dark now. "May, June, July…August…September." He continued, smiling to himself.
He then ran back to the bars, slamming into them with his teeth gnashing at them. "OCTOBER, NOVEMBER…uh oh? WHERE'S DECEMBER! UEE HEE HEE! UEE HEE HEE, HEE HEE HEE!" The voice cackled, and both Kris and Noelle froze.
The voice stopped its cackling, gazing at the two with a smirk on his face. "Oh? A nerve was struck? Don't tell me…cousins?" He asked, looking at Noelle, who grit her teeth.
She held her hand out, and Kris pulled the key out of hammerspace, glaring through the bars. The golden eyes widened in excitement, fangs laughing victoriously.
Kris placed the key in Noelle's hand, and she placed it to the gate's lock, only for a door to form in the gate, surprising the three of them. Ralsei sighed as they pushed the door open, stepping inside. The door behind them closed, before vanishing…leaving them locked inside with…
A small jester? Wearing black and purple clothing with golden highlights, the small Darkner laughed, clapping his hands together.
"Yay, yay, yay! Now it's time to play a numbers game, game!" He laughed, and Noelle narrowed her eyes.
"How do you know her name?" She growled, and the Darkner laughed.
"Impatience does not look good on angels!" He laughed cryptically, and Kris felt his glare intensify. Was he…flirting with Noelle!? Kris drew his blade, and the Darkner grinned.
"Here are the rules!" He began, before reaching into his mouth and pulling a large scythe with bells at the back of the blade out of it, slicing at the three, creating a wide arc of purple energy that all three of them dodged. "If your health runs to zero, YOU LOSE!" the jester laughed.
Noelle clasped her hands together in front of her, and Ralsei commanded his scarf to be on guard. The platform around them began to spin, nearly throwing the three of them off balance, yet the jester remained unaffected.
"Uee hee hee! Let the games begin!" He laughed, dancing in place. Kris and Noelle moved in sync, the former dashing forwards and slicing at the jester with his sword, only for him to spawn his scythe out of nowhere, parrying his blow and slicing vertically at him quickly.
Kris transformed his sword into a shield, blocking four slashes in a second. The jester floated in the air, avoiding multiple shards of clear ice from Noelle, who raised her hands, creating two pillars of ice around the jester, trying to close them around him.
He simply laughed, spinning around and slicing the pillars to ribbons, zig-zagging through the air and trying to cut Noelle in twain.
Luckily, an incoming fluffball hit the jester in the back, and he laughed, turning to face Ralsei, swiping his scythe through the air and sending dozens of tiny spades at him. Ralsei gasped, covering his body with his scarf, only for the small spades to easily pierce through it, stabbing into his body.
He screamed, and Noelle gasped, dashing over to heal him, only for the jester to hop in front of her, laughing maniacally as he swiped his scythe at her, Noelle just barely ducking in time to not have her antlers sliced off.
She then used ice magic to freeze the jester's feet to the floor, and Kris jumped down at the jester, slicing at his head. A thick spring coiled up, and his head launched upwards like a jack in a box.
Noelle healed Ralsei as quickly as she could, helping him to his feet after. Kris swung at his head a few more times, knocking his head upwards more and more, until he finally broke out of the ice, sending magic hearts at them, like Hathies could.
"I can do anything! Even what you can!" He laughed, before he swung his scythe at them, a frosty chill emanating from it. Noelle gasped, creating ice walls in front of her and her friends, blocking the wave of ice magic.
"This isn't good, guys!" Noelle yelped, and Kris grunted behind his wall of ice, feeling the cold chill encroaching. He growled, trying to think of something he could fight back with-when he saw it. His eyes widened as he saw it, grabbing it and throwing it over the ice wall.
He heard the loud clang of his shield, along with seeing the jester's head shoot up in the air with a laugh. "Now!" Kris yelled, running out into the open. Frost spread on his arms, but it was a small amount and he didn't have time to dawdle.
Scooping up his shield, he bashed the jester in the head as Noelle launched shards of ice at him, Ralsei throwing his own fluffballs at the Darkner. Despite being overwhelmed with attacks, the jester looked like he was having fun.
"Uee hee! So much fun, fun! Now to show you three what I can really do! METAMORPHOSIS!" He cried, his body transforming into a larger version of his scythe and duplicating three times.
The four weapons bounced around the spinning room, one of them slicing Kris's cheek. He inhaled sharply, allowing himself to dip into his soul's power. His eyes glowed with his will as he leaned out of the way of an incoming scythe, transforming his shield back into a sword and knocking one of them out of the air.
It vanished into shadow, before the other three scythes got bigger and faster. Ralsei gasped as he was sliced on the arm, and Noelle yelped when she was cut on the leg. Kris grit his teeth, rushing over to his friends and using his heightened reaction time to bat any incoming attacks away.
Soon, only one scythe was left, and it transformed back into the jester, who fell back to the spinning platform. "You lot are strong, stronger than you think! I might just have to try against you three, uee hee hee!" He laughed, before four floating clubs appeared, shooting projectiles at all of them.
The jester then waved his hand through the air, creating magical hearts and spades that flew at the heroes as well. Kris did his best to defend his friends, but there were so many projectiles and all of them were taking more and more hits the more it went on.
Noelle's robe was full of tiny holes now, showing the soft fur underneath and the subsequent dust that fluttered from her wounds. Ralsei had multiple scratches, where darkness leaked from him, making him shiver.
Kris was bleeding heavily, stuck with enough spades to make a spade cushion. He panted deeply, one of his eyes half closed. The jester giggled, twirling his scythe expertly. "Done already? What a bore! I was just starting to have fun with you three…I don't like disappointments!" He laughed, swiping at them again, but Kris blocked the attack with his own sword, gritting his bloody teeth.
The jester tilted his head, the bells on his hat ringing, ringing. "What's wrong, human? You look angry, uee hee!" He giggled, before dozens of diamonds burst from the ceiling and floor.
Kris flinched, hearing Ralsei and Noelle's pained screams behind him. He looked at the jester, who pushed his sword down, his strength increasing with every second. "Does the story end here? Do the heroes fall!? Oh, it's all so much fun, so much fun! I hold your story in my hands, Lightners, I wonder if that makes me the author!" He laughed, holding his stomach and cackling.
Kris took a brief second to feed Ralsei a darkburger and Noelle two dark candies, healing them both enough to stand. He looked at Noelle worriedly, visibly afraid. She smiled softly, dust falling from her robe. "I-I'm fine, Kris…I-I think we're getting somewhere!" She said, looking at the jester.
He grinned, sticking his tongue through his teeth. "Indeed, indeed! Even Devilsknife is smiling!" He laughed, transforming into said weapon and bouncing around again, only this time, there was an extra one directly targeting each of them as well.
Kris narrowed his eyes, pulling his shield out and blocking two scythes at once, while Noelle dodged another. Ralsei used his fluffy magic to knock two more out of the air, leaving two bouncing scythes and the special one.
Kris slid behind Noelle as the Devilsknife targeted her, blocking it with his shield and making her smile. She then narrowed her eyes, shooting an ice shard at another bouncing scythe, freezing it in place and making it fall to the floor, shattering on impact.
The last scythe froze, transforming into the jester who yelped, part of his body frozen. "Yowch! Cold, wrong, taboo! Ice magic is where the forbidden path begins, uee hee hee!" He laughed, unfreezing himself somehow.
The line sent a shiver down Kris's spine for reasons he didn't know, and he leapt at the jester, who threw a chaos bomb at them, the box of symbols exploding out into a vast array of magical attacks. Ralsei was struck by a stray spade and sent to the floor, while Noelle luckily dodged all of the attacks, shooting multiple shards of ice at the jester just as Kris swiped at his head a few more times.
The jester suddenly slowed down, as did the spinning platform. He slouched down, touching the ground, yawning dramatically. "Oh, so tired I feel…you kids really tuckered me out!" He said, floating lazily as diamonds slowly floated towards them, easily avoided.
Noelle then healed Ralsei, who got back into the battle as soon as possible. The jester grinned, the platform spinning faster than ever now as his dancing began to blur together.
"Just kidding! Now face my Final Chaos, uee hee hee!" The jester shouted, before transforming into Devilsknife and vanishing from place.
Kris, Ralsei, and Noelle flinched as over twenty scythes rained down from above, the platform stretching up high above what it should have. The three of them nearly fell to the ground as they started to ascend.
Kris steadied himself just in time to roll out of the way of one of the falling scythes, which created a fissure of light where it landed. Noelle avoided two of them, while Ralsei avoided the one that went for him.
From then on, it was a pattern of scythes falling, which was actually easier for Kris and Noelle to dodge, but Ralsei got tagged by one of the attacks, taking massive damage and falling to the ground.
Once the onslaught ended, Kris and Noelle looked up, their jaws going slack as a massive version of Devilsknife fell towards them.
Noelle screamed in effort, creating as many shields of ice as she could to slow down the descent of the weapon, which barely even did anything. Kris grit his teeth, grabbing Noelle by the waist and making her blush, before he pulled her over to Ralsei, turning his sword into a shield and doing his best to cover the three of them.
The pressure of the gigantic attack finally hit the shield, and Kris growled, a red outline faintly glowing around him again as he once again tapped into the power of his soul.
Noelle pushed upwards with her powerful legs, trying her best to help hold back the attack, before the pressure suddenly vanished, and the ground stopped moving.
Noelle was the quickest to stand, looking over at the jester, who seemed to have slowed down. He looked tired, having pulled out all the stops for that last attack. Kris slowly got to his feet, using his sword as leverage.
Noelle closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and raising her hands to the sky.
A serene calm washed over her, as if she knew exactly what to do. A small ball of blue fog began to build up in her hands, and the jester smiled. "It seems…this battle is over." He whispered, before the fog exploded out into the room, specifically around the jester.
He breathed it in softly, and the three watches his eyes begin to slowly close. "Hehe…you three are…strong. Yet you are no match…for the Knight." Jevil whispered, floating lazily. "They will cut you down if you face them like this…but I see something in your eyes, angel. I see chaos!" He whispered, before his eyes snapped open with a golden glow.
"And snow." He finished, before laughing excitedly. He lowered his head again, and Noelle gazed determinedly at him. "You asked how I knew her name. December." He started, making Noelle gasp softly.
Could this be it? Her chance to finally know-finally learn what happened to her dear sister? Jevil smiled to himself, holding up his hand. A small snowflake made of card magic appeared, and he looked at it.
"The angel searches for the missing piece, but doesn't find it where she expected. Your sister is with him. Everywhere and nowhere. She's not dead…but she isn't alive either. Is it too late to save dear old Dess?" Jevil whispered, before he lowered his head.
"I've already said too much. I enjoyed our little game, Lightners, but now it's time for me to rest, rest!" He laughed, and Noelle gasped, not even realizing she was crying.
"N-No, you can't leave now! Y-You need to tell me more!" She cried, and Jevil ignored her, fading in and out of view.
"You earned my aid, heroes! Now take my Jevilstail and do your best chaos bomb!" He laughed, before shifting into a small attachable tail, falling to the ground with a soft noise.
Noelle lowered her gaze, falling to her knees. "...no…please…" she whimpered, and Kris knelt down next to her, placing his hand comfortingly on her shoulder. The two sat there for a few minutes, a somber silence encompassing them.
Noelle took a shaky breath, finally grounding herself. "A-Alright…I know more than I did yesterday…that's all that matters." She whispered. Kris nodded just inside her peripheral vision, tightening his grip on her shoulder ever so slightly.
"Noelle? Would you like to rest for a bit?" He asked softly, and she shook her head with a shuddering breath.
"N-No. No. I don't…I'm alright. Thank you, Kris. I just…needed a second." She whispered, before she stood up, walking over to Ralsei to heal him. Kris gave her one last worried glance, before turning around and making his way over to the dropped item, picking it up off of the ground.
However, there was one more thing beneath it. Something he hadn't seen before. A tiny black crystal sat on the ground, and Kris gasped softly to himself, gazing at it.
Looking through it, he swore he could see…
The unused classroom?
That was strange, but nonetheless, he picked it up and sent it to hammerspace. Once he turned around, he saw Ralsei on his feet and Noelle turned to him, smiling sadly at him. He hated the way it didn't reach her cheeks.
"Let's go home, Kris." She whispered, and he nodded, stepping outside the spinning room. They were back in the dark prison floor, yet it seemed…brighter, now. Like a shadow had been lifted.
Brushing the shiver that went down his spine, he walked back up the stairs and entered the elevator, pressing the 1F button. Noelle mumbled something about the ride being much shorter on the way back up, but she was clearly distracted by the experience she and her friends had just gone through.
Ralsei nervously played with his hands, looking down. "Um…can I…ask something?" He muttered, and Kris smiled at him.
"You just did." He joked, trying to lighten the mood. Ralsei chuckled awkwardly, and Noelle didn't laugh at all. Kris winced, before nodding at Ralsei. "Who…Who's…December?" He asked.
Kris flinched, looking back at Noelle, and she smiled at him. "It's…It's okay. December…was my sister. She…disappeared, three years ago." Noelle explained quietly, looking down. Ralsei frowned sadly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, Noelle. I-If there's anything I can do-" he started, and Noelle shook her head, the same fake smile she always wore plastered on her face again. It had been hours since Kris had seen it, she had been so happy.
"There isn't." She whispered, her soft tone indicating that she didn't want to talk about it anymore. Stepping out of the elevator, Kris spaced out as they rode the other elevator to the throne room, moving on autopilot.
What was that all about? How the hell did Jevil know so much? He obviously knew more about things than King did, which only prompted more questions. How did he know so much compared to the one that talked to the Knight?
Unless…King never did talk to the Knight.
Shaking his head, he realized they were on the rooftop again, and Ralsei smiled at the two. "I…suppose this is goodbye for now. Um…it was really great to meet you guys, and-" he started, fumbling with his hat and gloves.
Noelle smiled patiently, but Kris could tell she just wanted to go home. "Ralsei, I can't hear you underneath your hat." She reminded him, so the dark prince took it off.
Both Kris and Noelle flinched as Ralsei smiled at them, pink horns on display. His round glasses were exactly as Kris imagined them, and he resembled a goat. In fact, he looked frighteningly similar to his brother, especially with the glasses, which was what prompted the Lightners' reaction.
"-and I hope we can see each other soon!" He finished, smiling happily. Noelle blinked, before smiling back, trying to hide her shock.
"Uh…yeah, me too! Alright bye Ralsei come on Kris." She said, grabbing Kris's hand and dragging him into the next room. Once they were alone, Noelle let go of her hand, looking at Kris with wide eyes. "Alright. So. That." She mumbled.
"HE LOOKS JUST LIKE HIM!" Kris shouted, making Noelle wince.
"Not so loud, Kris! He could be listening…well, we should seal the fountain first anyways. We have been putting it off since we beat King…so I think it's time." She told him, and he nodded, gathering himself.
After a minute, he took a deep breath, walking through the doorway.
The fountain stood in front of them, the pale colors shifting beautifully. "This really is pretty." She mumbled, with Kris nodding in agreement, a smile on his face. "Maybe…I can take Susie to one of these some day." she whispered, just barely loud enough for Kris to hear. He resisted flinching, the cold truth of reality slapping him in the face.
None of this was even the real world. He was going to go back into the light and lose everything again.
His strength.
His confidence.
…Her.
For a moment, Kris hesitated, looking down. Noelle caught it, giving him a concerned look. She frowned at him, tilting her head. "Kris? What's wrong?" She asked, and he bit his lip, turning to her. She was surprised to see him move his bangs out of the way, looking up at her sadly, his lips wobbling worriedly.
And he asked a question that just broke her heart to pieces.
"If…if we go back to the real world, you won't…leave me, right?" He whispered. He couldn't look her in the eyes after he asked the question, a pit in his stomach. "I'm sorry, that's selfish." He whispered, before freezing as Noelle grabbed his hand.
"I already told you, Kris…I'm never leaving you again. You're my best friend…and nothing's tearing us apart again, okay?" She asked. Kris looked at her, his eyes wide, before he shivered.
Tears began to form in his eyes, and he shuddered as one of them fell. Noelle frowned sadly, embracing Kris and pulling him into her. He tried to hold it back, but it was no use.
Kris choked out a sob, ugly crying into Noelle's chest. She didn't mind, lightly scratching a pattern of a star against the back of his head to comfort him. He gripped at her robe, his knuckles turning white under his gauntlets as he poured out all of his fears to her, sobbing loudly.
It was ugly. It was undignified. Some would even call it gross.
But she just smiled, humming softly as scratched his head, her soft voice oh so soothing. Kris closed his eyes, almost lulled to sleep by her soft whispers, but he stopped himself.
…
God, he loved her. He inwardly cursed whatever deity had cursed him to desire something he could never have, departing from the embrace. Noelle smiled at him, and it was full of warmth and care, care that he was still afraid would be gone once they left.
However, Noelle had a life to live. It would be unfair to take that from her.
So Kris took a step towards the fountain, placing his hand to his chest…
And it was as if his very soul was glowing.
With a red glow, his soul floated out of his body, and Noelle watched it with wonder in her eyes as it floated towards the fountain, before coming into contact with it.
The moment it did so, a bright light consumed them…