Kris barely even had time to react as Susie swung her axe upward, sending an arc of energy at him, one that he was familiar with. Noelle raised multiple ice walls, but the attack carved through them easily, not even slowing down.
Yet Kris did not falter. With determination coursing through his veins, he raised his shield, grunting when the attack impacted it. It drilled into his shield, slowly pushing him back further and further.
His wrist hurt. His arm hurt. His chest hurt.
Yet Kris…did not falter. Persevering through the pain, Kris took a step forward, pushing the attack back with him. Noelle gasped, watching as Kris took another step, before slamming his shield forward with a grunt.
The attack was deflected back at Susie, the color changing from purple to red. It hit the wire, doing massive damage, but not freeing Susie yet. "D-Damn it…I thought for sure that would…" Kris mumbled out.
Noelle stepped beside Kris, glaring Susie down. "Kris, how are you doing?" She asked, and he didn't look away from Susie, eyes glowing with intensity.
"I'm fine. How about you?" He asked, and she nodded, frost creeping up her fingertips.
"I haven't been hit yet, so pretty good." She replied. Kris glanced over at her, inspecting her closely and totally not looking at her butt for an extra second.
"Good. I have an idea, but…I don't know if it will work. It's…dangerous." He said, and her ear twitched. He found it adorable, but the sound of own his beating heart helped him focus.
"This power…the power running through me right now. I don't know what it is…I don't know why I have it." Kris began, before placing a hand to his chest. "But I do." He finished.
Noelle didn't hesitate to grab his hand. Warmth flooded her entire body with a gasp. She remembered feeling a fraction of this power back in the first dark world, but it had clearly grown exponentially.
Power made itself known. She felt his determination as if it were her own, her very soul reflecting his. Susie stepped forward, raising her axe. Kris followed her movement, raising his shield.
The two clashed, Kris's determination increasing not only his strength, but his resolve as well. He pushed her back with a grunt, and Noelle ran forwards, creating a small set of stairs for herself, jumping off of the top step and kicking Susie in the head.
The wire jostled as Susie stumbled backwards, before she swung her axe in a horizontal swing, sending six magical axes flying towards them. Kris changed his shield into a sword, dashing forward and cutting through two of them, getting sliced in the shoulder by the third one.
It wasn't a shallow cut either, he could feel the magical axe burying into his muscle-yet he continued anyways, the pain dulled by adrenaline.
Kris was on the offensive, swinging his sword in numerous different ways, successfully slashing Susie multiple times.
Noelle used her Mecha Saber to try and cut one in half, but it barely even slowed the attack, and Noelle screamed as the magical axe stabbed into her torso.
Berdly and Ralsei stopped fighting against Queen, who had received a sizable amount of damage by now. Queen stopped attacking as well, looking at Noelle in concern.
Kris froze at the sound, the red glow surrounding him dimming. He turned to see Noelle fall to her knees, shakily staring down at the axe embedded in her torso.
Kris dropped his sword.
Susie grabbed the boy by his chestplate, kneeing him in his stomach. He gasped out a breath, before she did it again. Kris cried out breathlessly, before she kneed him again, and again, and again.
Kris spat up blood as Ralsei rushed over to Noelle, who was covering her wound, fingers covered in her own dust. He quickly cast heal prayer, and Noelle's eyes closed as her wound healed, exhaustion present.
Once Noelle was okay, Queen began attacking once more, spawning multiple walking paintings, ones that they recognized.
"Duck!" Berdly shouted, grabbing Ralsei and pulling him to the ground. A stream of fire burst out of the painting, blazing just over them.
Kris gasped for breath as Susie threw him to the ground, trying to get up. She stomped on his chest, forcing her entire weight atop him. Kris couldn't even scream as he felt his chestplate buckle beneath him, pushing down on his ribs and halting his breathing.
He tried to pry her boot off his chest, but he was just so tired. Kris's eyes began to close on their own, his last ebbs of consciousness focused on one thing.
'I hope…Noelle is…okay…' he thought, eyes closing fully. His struggles halted, but Susie didn't stop.
The wire buzzed, the deflected rude buster having destroyed a good amount of the internal functions…including the built in limiter. Susie summoned her axe, holding it over her head.
It was then that they finally noticed what was happening.
Berdly was the first to see it, glancing over to check how Kris was doing, only to see him on the ground, Susie's axe held above her head.
He gasped, summoning his halberd. If he was quick enough, he could-
SLASH!
Susie swung her axe before he could even move.
Kris's body flinched, his eyes opening for a second. Pain and fear were present in them, before realization…then anger…then sadness…then…
Nothing.
Kris's breathing stilled. Kris's breathing stopped.
"N-No…" Berdly mumbled, paling like he had seen a ghost. "K-Kris?" He asked, alerting Ralsei to what had just happened. The boy gasped in horror, eyes widened behind his glasses.
Queen tilted her head, before looking over at the fight between Susie and Kris and-
"Oh My Goodness Susie What Did You Do!?" Queen shouted, sounding far less jovial than before. Susie didn't react to her, raising her axe again.
Someone blocked it before she could hurt Kris even more.
Noelle breathed haggardly, holding her Mecha Saber up in a true defensive stance.
Her hair covered her face, hiding her expression. "No…no more." She whispered, before raising her head, glaring furiously at Susie. She swung her Mecha Saber as hard as she could, knocking Susie back.
Ice crackled from the carpet beneath them as a light dust of snow began to rain down above them. "No more!" Noelle repeated.
"I'm done sitting back and watching my friends get hurt!" She spat, swinging her Mecha Saber at Susie again, who blocked it with her axe. An ice statue of Noelle rose from the ground, moving as fluidly as if it were the girl herself.
Noelle growled, her ice copy swinging a whiffle bat made of ice, hitting Susie in the side. Susie flinched, and Noelle followed the attack up with a swing to the head, knocking the wire loose.
Berdly, Ralsei, and Queen had stopped fighting entirely, instead focusing on helping Kris.
Queen was surprisingly the quickest to make it to the boy, scooping him up in her arms. She frowned sadly down at him, her visor lighting up with a red grid. "Vital Signs Are Low, But…He Isn't Dead. Not Quite Yet." Queen spoke, dead serious. She looked back at Ralsei, and the boy flinched.
She…actually looked like a ruler now. Not some fun computer mom who just wanted to have a good time. "Do Your Best To Heal Him While I Go Fetch Swatch. I Won't Take Long." She ordered, sprinting away.
Ralsei bit his lip, casting heal prayer on Kris. Green sparkles circled around Kris, an aura of healing surrounding the boy and healing his wounds…
But he didn't move.
"K-Kris?" Ralsei asked hopefully. "I-I healed you now…you can get up." He whispered, getting absolutely nothing in response.
"Kris, Noelle is fighting for you! Are you really going to let her fight alone?" Berdly asked, trying to rouse him from his inaction.
Nothing.
Shakily, Ralsei swallowed, before he reached for Kris's chestplate, removing the leather straps. He gasped upon seeing the boy's chest. It wasn't moving.
Kris wasn't breathing.
"O-Oh my god…" Ralsei whispered, covering his mouth.
Berdly pressed his head against the boy's chest, hearing a heartbeat. "N-No! He's alive! Listen!" He told Ralsei, who blinked, before doing as he was told. He froze, hearing a small thumping noise from within.
"It's…It's his SOUL." Ralsei whispered, making Berdly pause.
"H-His soul? Doesn't that…persist after death?" He asked, making Ralsei nod.
The two looked back down at Kris, wondering what he was seeing.
---
Darkness.
All he could see was darkness.
Floating silently, eyes closed…
Kris wondered where he was.
He was so cold.
So cold.
"Interesting."
What was that?
"Very…very interesting."
Kris could hear someone, within the darkness.
"Death should have claimed you…yet here you are, floating in limbo."
What were they talking about? Limbo? What…was limbo?
"...I see. You bare the RED SOUL. DETERMINATION is the reason for your persistence."
Determination? What…red soul? We're…all human souls not red?
"You will live, child. Yet it comes with a cost. You will see them more. Feel them more. I cannot stop it."
Kris felt a shiver go down his spine. He didn't know who this mysterious person was talking about, but the mere mention of them made his skin crawl.
"Wake up, child…and remember…"
A pair of eyes appeared in the darkness, and the only reason Kris could even discern them was because they were somehow darker than the void around them. Looking into the figure's eyes, he was swallowed further by darkness, the feeling of ascending brushing past his skin.
"I'm always with you in the dark."
---
Kris awoke with a gasp, sitting up and nearly hitting Berdly in the head. "Wha-hey! Watch where you're…oh." Berdly mumbled, realizing that Kris had just come back to life. "Uh…how did-" he started, only for Kris to get up, summoning his sword and bolting towards Susie.
Noelle swiped at Susie with her Mecha Saber, barely burning her jacket. She was running out of energy, but she could barely even feel it over her own determination…or was it Kris's.
She couldn't tell, but with every strike-every swing, she felt herself get stronger. "Every day I let Kris get hurt-get belittled and bullied by everyone! I did nothing while he was alone!" She cried, her rage boiling over like a tea kettle.
"Even now-even when I have the power to stop it-I still didn't!" She continued, her ice clone hitting Susie in the back, and Noelle followed it up with a swing to the stomach, her Mecha Saber burning through Susie's tank top and irritating her skin.
Susie used her axe head to catch hold of the Mecha Saber, ready to rip it out of her grip, but six arms made of ice extended from her robe, grabbing onto the axe and taking it from Susie instead.
"I'm sick and tired of just watching!" She yelled, dropping the Mecha Saber, which retracted on its own. The arms of ice began to crumble to shards, which floated around Noelle, before clumping together in front of her.
She grabbed the clump of ice shards, which solidified into a glistening blade, made entirely of red and blue ice. She could see her own reflection in it, and she gasped upon seeing Kris dashing towards them. "Kris!" She gasped, before he jumped over her, moving faster than even she could.
His visage was a blur as he slashed at the wire controlling Susie, a red shine surrounding it.
His blade faced no resistance, cutting through the wire like butter. A red slash of energy was created from his attack, flying forward and vanishing into particles after travelling only a few feet.
Kris landed behind Susie, panting tiredly. He fell to one knee, a sharp agonizing pain ringing in his chest. "Shit…" he growled, before he covered his mouth with his hand, a concerning amount of blood rocketing out of his mouth.
Noelle's joyous smile vanished when she saw Kris hunch over, blood dripping from his hand. She took a step towards him, and he removed his hand as he retched, a puddle of blood pouring from his mouth.
He nearly collapsed, but caught himself just in time. Noelle hurried over to him just as he got to his knees, the girl falling and embracing him tightly.
Despite the blood dribbling down his chin, she nuzzled her face into his, crying soft tears of relief. "T-Twice?" She whispered, laughing in disbelief. "How?" She continued. "I know what I saw."
Kris looked down, placing a hand to his chest. Even through his armor, he could feel it. The pounding of his soul, brimming with determination. Was it really true?
"I…I met…something. I was in the same black void as last time…but…someone started speaking to me." He told her, earning a gasp.
"W-What? What did…they say?" She asked, and Kris frowned, watching as Susie flinched, before ripping the plug off of her face. She hurriedly looked around, spotting Kris.
"I-I…I didn't…" she stammered out, and Kris grunted, standing up. He smiled at her, patting himself on the chest.
"I know. I'm stronger than I look, after all." He said. Noelle blinked, before she rose to her feet as well.
"Kris, you should take it easy! You just…you know…" Noelle murmured, and Susie stumbled backwards.
"I'm sorry…I-I'm sorry…I never should have-"
"Hey. Stop that, I mean it." Kris interrupted. He stepped forward despite Noelle's protest. "If it weren't for you, Berdly would be the one that we had to fight. You took one for the team…whatever happened after that wasn't your fault." Kris told her, before looking back at Noelle.
"Right?" He asked.
Noelle blinked, staring at the boy in shock.
What…what happened?
Earlier today, Kris…Kris hated Susie. He spoke nothing but poorly of her, and…she understood why. The girl was a bully. She may have had a reason to bully, but she was a bully nonetheless!
So why was he so supportive of her? He was treating her like a friend. When did Kris get so…heroic?
"R-Right…" Noelle mumbled. Susie looked away, flinching once she realized she was holding her axe. She dropped it like it burned her, reflexively stepping away from it.
Berdly and Ralsei finally made their way over, the former checking on Susie while the latter spoke with Kris and Noelle.
"Susie, are you alright!? Kris got you a few times, but I hope he used little force!" He said, making Susie laugh uncertainly.
"H-Ha…yeah, I'm uh…fine. He didn't hurt me. I…I hurt him, though." She whispered. Berdly hummed, rubbing his chin.
"Yet, here he stands. Honestly, his resilience is impressive. Multiple times, he has shown to be able to take some serious damage but not falter. It's…well, it's impressive, really." Berdly spoke, before sighing.
"Oh, to be made of flesh and bone. If I had his muscles, I would have bested you easily!" He exclaimed, making Susie snicker.
"Yeah right. If you had his muscle, nothing would change! You're both scrawny!" She barked, laughing loudly.
The sound brought some levity to the situation, and Kris smiled despite the lingering pain in his chest.
They could finally go home-
BOOM!
"Oh Wow How Convenient"
BOOM!
"Everyone's Safe And Sound And Perfectly Grouped Up For Me To Grab"
BOOM!
A towering robot shaped like Queen stood over them, grinning at them. Kris took a shaky step backwards, staring up at the robot in shock, hearing his friends do the same. He could just barely make out Queen through the visor.
"I Was Really Worried About Kris For A Moment (Glad To See You Awake KrissyKins No Hard Feelings Okay) But Seeing As He's Fine"
Kris, Noelle, and Ralsei all yelped as they were grabbed, Berdly and Susie getting snatched in her other hand.
"I'm Going To Explain My Super Duper Awesome Plan" Queen finished, before she turned, taking a step forward, her large mech's legs submerged in pitch black water.
"The Knight Shaped This World" Queen began, a hologram of a blade appearing in front of her giant robot. "With Their Will Coursing Through Them They Stabbed The Earth And Created Our Dark Fountain" she continued, before the hologram shifted into Susie.
"It Was Then That I Realized That All Lightners Have This Power" she paused, lowering her head. "If One Were To Have Enough Willpower" she paused again, for dramatic effect. "Enough Determination"
More holograms appeared before her, one of each of the Lightners. "We Could Cover The World In Darkness" she exclaimed, saying it as if it were a good thing.
"There Would Be No More Loneliness" she spoke, and Berdly looked down, gazing at his wing silently. He…certainly wasn't a nobody here. He had magical abilities and a high tech weapon! He was a hero here!
"No More Neglect" Susie clicked her tongue, looking away nonchalantly, but if one were to see her eyes, they would see how conflicted she was.
"No More Illness" Noelle paused, thinking to herself. Could she heal her father? The idea never came to her before…and she couldn't believe it hadn't. If she…created a dark fountain in the hospital…could she…
"No More Tragedy" Kris growled in anger, glaring up at Queen. Ralsei struggled in Queen's grip, trying to shimmy an arm out.
"Let us go!" He shouted, with Ralsei screaming the same along with him, making Queen hum.
"But You Are Over Water You Will Drown" Queen observed. Kris struggled in her grip, and she sighed. "You're Acting Like I'm Hurting You When All I'm Doing Is Making A Better World For You All" she continued, and Noelle frowned deeply.
Ugh. Queen sounded like her mom.
Suddenly, this whole plan sounded a lot less solid to Noelle. Making a dark fountain was bound to come with consequences. Innocent people would definitely get hurt, and she didn't even know if heal prayer could heal illnesses.
"None Of You Know Any Better You're All Just Stupid Children" Queen laughed, and Noelle felt her anger rise even further.
She was finding a lot of similarities between Queen and her mother now that she thought about it.
Neither of them listened to anyone, neither of them had any sense of self awareness at all, they both seemed to think they were smarter than everyone…
And they both.
Thought they knew what was best.
Noelle gripped Queen's large robot hand, frost spreading throughout the mechanical fist. "Oh my god will you just shut up already!?" She shouted, surprising everyone-even herself for a moment.
However, now that the floodgates were open, she couldn't stop herself. "All my life, you've been saying the same thing! I know better, you're just a child, I'm just doing what's best-well what about what I want!?" She cried. Kris sent her a sympathetic look, understanding her plight well.
Queen looked around, confused. "Wait Is She Talking To Me I've Known Her For Like 10 Hours LOL" she laughed, but all it did was make Noelle angrier.
"SHUT UP!" She screamed. "You just don't listen!" Noelle continued, and Kris gasped as a pale glow appeared around her, something within her shifting.
"All you ever do is make excuses! Excuses for why you're right! Well I'm sick of it!" Noelle shouted, angry tears prickling at her eyes. "I just want to live my life! It's my life-why do you think you can control everything!?" she spat.
The back of her robe bulged out as something emerged from her back. "I'm done being your perfect little princess! I don't give a darn if I get a B once in a while-and neither does anybody that actually cares about me!" she spat.
A pair of wings made entirely out of ice burst through her robe. Ralsei and Berdly gasped, Susie laughed in disbelief, while Kris grinned in pride.
"We're not covering our world in darkness! You can't make us do what you want, Queen!" Noelle shouted.
"Yeah! I'm done taking orders from you, clanker!" Susie laughed, with Berdly cheering alongside her.
"Sorry, Queen, but it looks like the Lightners don't want the world to be covered in darkness." Ralsei said, smiling kindly at Queen.
Kris was the next to speak, smirking up at Queen. "This is the end, Queen! It's time for you to let us go!" He shouted, and Queen paused, before grinning at them.
"Or I Could: Not Do That" Queen said, earing her arms back, making everyone yelp. She then clapped her hands together, creating a loud metallic thud.
Kris screamed as a crushing pressure was applied to his chest again. Everyone else was in pain, sure, but Kris?
Kris was in agony.
Queen laughed loudly, squeezing them harder. Noelle continued to struggle, the ice that was sprouting along Queen's hand and wrist spreading faster.
Her wings of ice flapped on their own, a cold breeze blowing around her. "STOP IT! YOU'RE HURTING KRIS!" Noelle screamed, but Queen didn't let up.
Finally, Kris went as tense as a wire, before roaring in pain.
Noelle didn't even know what had happened to him.
All she could hear was his scream…and that was enough.
Snow and ice rained from above.
Queen noticed it first, looking around in confusion. "When Did It Start Snowing" she asked.
Power coursed through Noelle, power that she didn't know she had. She didn't even realize that in her struggle…
Her ring had fallen off.
Yet it was still snowing.
Her wings were still there.
Her power was still there.
With an elemental ring, one could take magical power and concentrate it into attacks, like placing a dam in a river.
However…the ring didn't give the user any power.
So without an elemental ring…
The monumental power inside Noelle flooded to the surface, the dam broken.
Noelle screamed in a mixture of anger and exhilaration, feeling her magic fuel her. Queen's already freezing hand was completely frozen through with Noelle's shout, making the giant mech adopt a look of surprise.
"Well That's Not Good" Queen said, before Noelle's wings flapped desperately, seeking freedom.
Berdly grunted in Queen's grip, getting a wing loose. "Aha! I've freed a singular arm!" He cried, before swiping it through the air, three green teal tornadoes flying through the air, heading directly for Queen's frozen hand.
The magical tornadoes sliced into Queen's hand, the frozen metal creaking with instability…before it cracked.
Queen's entire left arm shattered into pieces, and Ralsei used his cloak to catch the air, his fluff helping keep him afloat.
Kris, however, fell, his right arm hanging limply at his side. The bone had snapped in two places, leaving a grizzled sight of his bent and warped arm. He was unconscious, a pained look still on his face.
Noelle dove down, her wings spread out wide to gain more speed. She narrowed her eyes, extending her arms and catching Kris just as he was about to impact the water.
Noelle's wings flapped hard as she soared towards Ralsei, avoiding an overdramatic kick from Queen. She shifted Kris in her arms, grabbing his good arm so that she could catch Ralsei as well.
Noelle flew in place, panting in exertion. She could feel her wings. These weren't a construct, they were part of her.
Queen laughed loudly, the sound echoing throughout the entire area. Noelle narrowed her eyes, and Ralsei spoke up.
"Bring us over to the roof! I'll focus on healing Kris, you just keep Queen occupied!" He shouted. Noelle quickly flew towards the mansion, but a red laser beam flew at her, tagging her wing and tearing a hole through it.
Noelle yelped in both pain and fear as she flapped her wings uselessly, shakily diving down. She would have missed the mansion, if a random gust of wind didn't blow them upwards.
Noelle looked back, seeing Ralsei had his arm extended. "GO!" He yelled, making Noelle smile.
She was given just enough height to land on the roof, falling to her knees. She panted in exhaustion, letting go of both Ralsei and Kris.
Even with her exhaustion, Noelle cupped Kris's cheek, swiping some hair out of his face. He still looked in pain, even now.
"I'm sorry I'm always late to protect you, Kris…you keep getting hurt because…I'm not brave enough." She whispered. Ralsei frowned at her, but she continued before he could interrupt.
"You're safe now, Kris…I promise." She murmured, before pressing her lips to his forehead.
Her lips were cold, and he was oh so warm. She didn't want to leave, to be honest. She wanted to stay against him forever.
Yet she knew, knew that she was the only one that could do this.
Noelle got to her hooves, turning around and glaring at Queen, who approached. The hole in Noelle's wing began to close, reforming with ice.
"Noelle Sweetie Honey Bunny Love Will You Pretty Please Make A Dark Fountain For Me Now" Queen asked, holding Susie and Berdly in her grip.
"Shut the hell up, control freak!" Susie spat, before looking down at Noelle. "She's not gonna stop, Noelle! You have to freeze as much of the robot as you can!" She yelled down at Noelle, who narrowed her eyes.
"Queen." Noelle began, and the mechanical woman tilted her head, listening. "I know…you think you're doing what's best for us…but we don't…want this." She explained.
"We have lives-and families that we need to get back to! We can't…just cover everything in dark worlds. That's not living your best life, that's…that's just running away from real life." She continued, before she looked down, clenching her fists.
"I…I don't want to hurt you. I really don't. I honestly kind of…enjoyed some of the crazy things you made us do today, but this…this isn't one of them. Look at Kris, Queen! He's hurt. You did that." Noelle told her, pointing at the boy in question.
Queen's gaze visibly shifted to Kris, and no small amount of guilt was plastered on the mech's face. "When Susie hurt Kris…that was your fault too. If you hadn't tried to forcefully control one of us…Kris wouldn't have ever gotten hurt!" Noelle yelled, before calming herself.
"Just…listen. For once. Not as a computer-or as a ruler…but as a friend." Noelle began, before frowning sadly at Queen.
"Please…just let us go."
Silence ensued for the next few seconds, and Noelle looked down worriedly. She really didn't want to have to hurt Queen, but…
Suddenly, Queen lowered her hand, releasing Berdly and Susie. The two landed on their feet, and everyone stared at Queen in shock.
"I Understand Now." Queen spoke, almost solemnly. "I Thought I Could Solve Everyone's Problems By Creating A World Where There Were None…Yet Here I am, An Obstacle In Your Way." She said, genuinely remorseful.
"When Did I Become The Problem I Wished To Rid You Of? I Did Not Think…That I Could Be…Wrong." She then whispered out. The mechanical head opened up, and Queen stared down at them from inside.
"I'm Sorry For How I Treated You All. I Would Like To Continue To Be Your Wacky Friend, But I…Understand If You Have No Such Desire." Queen said, hopping down to her mansion below. Her smile was gone, replaced with a guilt-ridden frown.
Noelle smiled at her, nodding. "Of course we'll still be your friends!" she told the woman. Susie and Berdly stared at her, eyes wide and jaw slack.
"Oh Sweet That's Pretty Cool LMAO" Queen laughed, going back to her normal demeanor. "Anyways Go Seal The Fountain I guess I Heard You Had Your Own Dark World So Just Take Me To That One When You're Done" she said, before walking away. "Ta Ta Now Don't Get Lost" she laughed.
As she was walking away, Ralsei cast heal prayer for the final time, finally healing Kris to full health. Noelle smiled, getting to her knees. As if on command, Kris's eyes fluttered open.
"Hey." He greeted, the first thing he saw being Noelle kneeling over him. She beamed, hugging him tightly. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her, his hand brushing up against one of her wings.
She flinched as the wing fluttered, a spine tingling sensation rushing through her. Kris paused, pulling away. "Sorry, did that hurt?" He asked worriedly, and Noelle chuckled softly.
"Haha…no. Um…the opposite." She mumbled. Kris blinked, before he blushed.
"Oh. Noted." He murmured back.
Noelle giggled, hugging him again, nuzzling her head into his. "I love you, Kris." She whispered, inhaling his comforting scent. She could feel herself calm down more and more with every breath.
"I love you too, Noelle." Kris whispered back, closing his eyes and leaning forward, pushing his head into her neck. He breathed her in too, and the world around them faded as they enjoyed each other's presence.
"Hey, freaks! Jesus, you two are damn near sniffing each other's hair out!" Susie laughed, making both Kris and Noelle blush hard.
"Wh-Susie-I-s-shut up!" Noelle shouted, burying her face in Kris's head, out of embarrassment this time. She still absolutely snuck in one last inhale.
"We saw that." Berdly snickered, and Noelle squeaked, covering her face in embarrassment. Her wings fluttered softly, and Ralsei stared at them, a small frown on his face.
'So…she is the Angel. I thought she was, but…to actually see proof?' he thought to himself.
The Angel, banished, will finally meet its desire.
Ralsei tilted his head, pausing to think.
Had…had that already happened? Was Kris the Angel's desire? It would make sense…but banished? Banished how? Banished when?
A sinking feeling made itself known in Ralsei. He really hoped it had already happened.
The alternative…Ralsei didn't finish the thought.
"Come on, we should go seal the fountain right now. There isn't anything else you wanted to do here, right?" Ralsei asked.
Kris was about to nod, before he remembered something.
That puppet man that he and Noelle had met…didn't he want them to meet him in the trash site?
"Actually, there is something Noelle and I wanted to do." He said, standing up. Noelle blinked, looking at him in confusion. "Remember Spamton?" He whispered, and she gasped.
"Oh crackers, I completely forgot!" She gasped. Susie blinked, looking at Berdly.
"Oh crackers?" She whispered, earning a shrug from the bluebird.
"Oh, well…did you want me to accompany you? I'm sure whatever you need to do will be easier with the three of us!" Ralsei said. Noelle smiled, about to nod.
"Nah, we've got it handled." Kris responded instead, surprising her. Ralsei paused, looking a little downtrodden. "Besides…I think our new members could use some knowledge about this place…and who better to deliver it than you?" Kris asked, smiling at the prince and placing a hand on his shoulder.
Ralsei brightened up considerably, nodding resolutely. "Of course! Susie, Berdly, come with me! I believe it's time you see a dark fountain up close!" Ralsei called excitedly, guiding the two towards the fountain in the distance.
Susie followed, clasping her hands together behind her head. Berdly hummed, nodding at Kris and Noelle as he departed, entering the next and final corridor.
Now alone, Kris and Noelle made their way backwards and to the elevator that read 1F. The moment Noelle entered the door after him, Kris began inspecting her folded wings, lightly brushing his fingers against the icy feathers.
They were cold to the touch, but not freezing. It was strange, feeling solid ice that didn't stick to his skin like normal. Noelle shivered, wondering how she had nerves inside of her new ice wings.
Noelle mumbled something soft, and Kris hummed, entranced with her wings. "K-Kris…you really like those, huh?" She murmured, earning a nod.
"Of course I do. They're a part of you." He responded, not even hesitating. Noelle squeaked, looking away with a red hot blush.
"Kriiiis…stop teasing me." She demanded with a pout, only to shiver when he grabbed one of her feathers, metallic gauntlets sliding against the cool ice. "H-Hah-Kris…stop…" she whimpered, and the boy chuckled.
"Alright." He said, taking his hands off of her wings…and placing them on her sides. He leaned forward, almost brushing his lips against hers, but stopping at the last second.
He grinned like the little gremlin he was when she tried to connect the kiss, pulling back before she could. Her eyes were half lidded and everything. "Sorry, let me check my breath." He teased.
"I'll do it for you." She bit back, grabbing his chestplate. Kris blinked, before she slammed her lips into his. He barely even had any time to react as she forced his body against the elevator wall, dipping her tongue in his mouth.
Kris groaned unexpectedly, his hands grasping at nothing. His eyes nearly shut on their own, but Noelle pulled away just before he could fully lean into the kiss.
She giggled at his dim expression, still gripping his chestplate.
"Tastes fine to me." She purred, before the elevator came to a halt. Noelle pranced out like nothing happened, leaving Kris a pile of mush.
"Huh?" He murmured, rather dumbly. After taking a few seconds to compose himself, he followed after her, spotting her looking strangely at Swatch, who was bustling about in the main loft.
"Ah, hello, young masters. I heard that there was an incident at the rooftop involving you, but I am glad to see that you are alright." Swatch said, nodding at Kris.
"Yeah, I recovered pretty quickly." Kris mumbled, standing awkwardly. Talking about his own death and subsequent revival was still strange.
"Um, Mr. Swatch?" Noelle began, making the bird butler man…thing look at her, and Noelle realized just how…similarly this man dressed to Spamton. "D-Do you know a way to the trash zone from here? We have some uh-business there." She asked.
Swatch slowed down, eyeing the two cautiously. Noelle swallowed nervously, fiddling with her hands. Her wings unfolded on their own, and Noelle frowned at them, annoyed.
"The…trash zone? Why do you want to go there? What…business do you have?" He asked. Kris cleared his throat, and Noelle was thankful for him answering the question instead of her, allowing her to fold her wings back up slowly. She was still getting used to them, after all.
"Someone asked us to meet them there. They told us it was important…and we've already to put it off for a while. If you could tell us the fastest way to get there-"
"I refuse." Swatch interrupted, surprising both of them. "I apologize, but I would like to end this conversation short. I already know who you're talking about…and I advise you not to even think about him." He said, turning and heading back into his shop.
He paused, looking back at the two and lowering his glasses. Two different sized eyes stared back at them, beady, but holding a wisdom matched only by Seam.
"It's for your own good. Spamton is nothing but a tactless thief…and there are…things that you don't want to know about him. Trust me. Please." He begged the two, before closing his shop doors.
Kris frowned, glaring at the shop door. Well that was useless. "Um…Kris?" Noelle asked, making him turn back to her. "...We're totally not listening to him, right?" She asked, smiling hopefully.
He grinned back at her, swiping his hair out of his face. "Of course not. We're gonna go visit Spamton and at least see what he wants from us." He answered. Noelle giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.
"I thought so! Honestly, I don't know why Mr. Swatch was so cautious. Spamton's kind of funny!" she laughed, earning a nod from Kris.
The man was charismatic…in a way. He definitely wasn't a good salesman, Kris could tell just by looking at the guy. He was literally living in a dumpster. That…didn't scream success.
Kris turned around, flinching at the glowing doorway that definitely wasn't there before. "Uh…Noelle?" He asked, gaining her attention.
"Yeah-woah. I…that wasn't there before, right?" She asked, confused. She thought it hadn't been, but…seeing it there made her unsure.
"No, it wasn't. Do you…think this will take us to the trash zone if we want it to?" Kris asked. Noelle bit her lip with her buck teeth, before shrugging.
"I…I guess it wouldn't…hurt to try." She murmured.
Hesitantly, the two stepped through the doorway, visualizing a vague representation of the trash zone.
The next thing they saw was an empty alleyway with heaps upon heaps of garbage around. "Yeah, we're definitely in the trash zone." He mumbled, before spotting a green digital arrow with a shaky dollar sign next to it.
It pointed to their right, and both Kris and Noelle shared a look. "I wonder where that could lead." he joked, making Noelle giggle as they began walking in the direction of the arrow.
"Portal to hell." She responded, and Kris barked out a laugh, not expecting the immediate response.
"P-Portal to hell? What?" He asked, and Noelle blushed, looking away as she fiddled with her robe.
"Y-You know? That…that video of that guy? With the…the chickens?" She asked, and Kris only laughed harder. "H-He takes them out of a bucket…and um…shoves them in a pipe…" she murmured out, face now so red that even her ears were tinged with color.
"A-And he says…portal to hell…every time he…p-pushes them in…" she squeaked. Kris finally stopped laughing, but it was only to take a breath so that he could continue laughing.
Noelle covered her face with her veil, even though it barely hid her embarrassment. She then paused, remembering a voice over that someone had done of the video. She smirked, knowing exactly how she could turn this around.
"Oh, well…someone made another version…it wasn't all that different, but I think you would like it a lot more. It has a certain…bloody hedgehog? You used to love that story, didn't you Kris?" Noelle teased.
Kris shut up, his face instantly flushing purple.
"You said you would never bring that up again." He grumbled, and it was Noelle's turn to cackle. Despite his embarrassment, Kris smiled. He liked Ralsei, he really did…but it was nice to spend some more time alone with Noelle.
"Do you want to play with me?" Noelle mocked, twiddling her fingers as the wall they were walking next to ended, replaced with tall fencing. Kris blushed even harder, tossing his cape over his shoulder dramatically, as if offended.
"H-He had red eyes and blood, okay…I thought I was the only person to have those-s-so that's why I liked it!" Kris defended, and Noelle smirked at him.
"Sure, Kris. Isn't that why you spent like an entire day talking about another, even edgier version of him? What was his name again? Lord-"
"Okay, I get it! You win, just stop talking!" Kris snapped, earning another laugh from Noelle.
"Oh, you're adorable." She whispered. Kris grumbled out something unintelligible, before Noelle pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Well, even if you still talked my ear off about edgy soul stealing video game characters, I wouldn't hesitate to listen." She told him.
Kris looked at her after a second, smiling. "Really?" He asked, hopeful. Noelle snickered, covering her mouth.
"If course I would listen! You sound a little excited though!" Noelle teased, and Kris blushed.
"...Lord X is cool, okay?" He murmured, the two arriving at a dead end. Inside the fence was a door, one that had multiple green arrows pointing to it, along with digital pop ups that read things such as "Buy", "Sell", and "Big Shot!"
"Huh. This has to be it, then." Kris mumbled, and Noelle wrung her hands together nervously.
"It almost looks abandoned…" she murmured, and Kris walked forward, placing his hand on the doorknob.
Slowly…he opened the door.