Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Destiny was an easy thing to latch on to, but some details of it still perplexed the lonely prince.

Ralsei knew exactly how everything was supposed to go from the moment he took form in the Dark World. Moments after he woke up in an empty kingdom, he knew what must be done and who would be arriving.

He knew too much, but at the time, that didn’t seem so bad!

In fact, Ralsei busied himself by learning a few new skills that may help the so-called “Lightners” who were going to arrive soon. He didn’t know the precise day of when they would come, or what they would exactly be like. But, that didn’t stop him from wanting to make a good first impression!

It was when learning how to bake cakes that he had the first selfish thought of many.

Something gnawed at him from the inside. A pit in his stomach never really went away. He thought it might be hunger, but he dared not eat the cakes he made. They were not for him. Still, he did try to eat, even though he wasn’t certain if he needed to do so as a Darkner.

The gnawing persisted.

Ralsei pushed it down. He started learning how to sew. Clothes might get damaged on their travels, and perhaps the heroes might need new outfits along the way. So, he got to learn how to use a needle. 

He pricked his finger not soon after he started, letting out a sharp gasp at the sudden pain in one of his padded fingers.

The gasp echoed through empty halls.

The gnawing came back.

He really hoped the heroes would arrive soon.

Distantly, he remembered a warm family surrounding him. Rather, he remembered being perched on a Lightner’s head. He brought comfort to them, helping them fit in with the other Lightners in town. They loved those little red horns. 

That gave Ralsei purpose for a bit. Even when things became tough for the Lightners, he was always around. Even when the Lightners fought, he was still around.

One day, someone made fun of the Lightner for wearing horns when they were a human in highschool. Kris went to their mom that day, handing over the horns. She put them in the supply closet for later. She put him there for later.

Kris never came back.

Ralsei missed the laughter. Part of him even missed the crying.

The selfish thought came through too fast to prevent. Ralsei immediately dropped his needle, trying to steady himself. No, the heroes could take their time. In fact, who was he to say when they should arrive or vanish? Hoping they would arrive was selfish, anyway, because it was not like their friendship could last forever. 

Darkners were meant to bring joy, and then to be discarded when the lightners had no more use for them.

Ralsei took comfort, knowing what was supposed to be. He took a few, deep, steadying breaths. With his hands placed on his knees, he reminded himself of what was to come. He had a duty to fulfill.

Loneliness wouldn’t invade his mind again.

Still, he was supposed to be the Prince from the Dark. The silence meant that he had no subjects. The prophecy couldn’t err, so what could he do about that? Ralsei was the only one who could see over these lands, so being a prince was a title he could hold. After all, he formed in this Dark World with a castle. His room was empty, but the castle might be enough.

He could still… spruce things up a bit for the heroes. Perhaps, he could make them feel more welcome. Who would want to venture into a quiet castle?

The two-dimensional buildings he propped up outside tried to compensate for that feeling. Hopefully, when the heroes arrived, they would see this place as somewhere safe. 

There was one more matter he needed to prepare for as well. 

The first hero… the cage with human soul and parts… Kris was someone that Ralsei knew. However, they were only the cage. The Angel was an entirely different matter. Ralsei knew the rules of how this world worked. The Angel would be the only thing standing between their group and the foes they faced. Because of this, the Angel needed access to as much information as possible. It would seek out any and all information given the chance, including some that it should not know immediately.

Ralsei needed to stop thinking so often.

Really, it was all he could do with no company. However, he needed to learn how to steel his thoughts. Besides, he shouldn’t be having those selfish feelings about having no company anyway. If he wanted to keep the prophecy hidden until the time was right, he needed to make sure that the soul wouldn’t hear him.

He tried to stop thinking so much. Besides, everything would happen the way it was supposed to. The prophecy could not be changed. He didn’t need to think all that much about it.

His routine formed immediately. After he woke up, he would dust himself off and ignore the pain of sleeping on the floor. He didn’t need a bed, and learning how to not have selfish thoughts made it so that he had less easy to grasp thoughts. He would then practice cooking. A cake would be made, and then discarded when he was satisfied. He started stitching together an outfit for himself, as well as a hat.

The… the hat…

He spent too much time making the hat. He shouldn’t be afraid of them seeing him, but-

A second selfish thought hit him at that moment.

He didn’t want to disappoint them.

Paradoxically, he was made to serve the Lightners. Disappointing them would run counter to his purpose. However, it wasn’t his choice how to feel about disappointing them. He would serve until they discarded him, and he would feel nothing about it.

That is how this worked.

He was no stranger to being discarded, after all.

The good times were long gone, after all. The Lightners no longer had any use of him within the Light World. He would be used up in the Dark World… and then…

And then…

There couldn’t be any more selfish thoughts.

The routine continued. Ralsei’s sewing needed work. The patchy green outfit he’d made hardly looked presentable. At least, the cloak he’d formed with would work just fine if he couldn’t get better at sewing on time. 

Then there was the matter of making the Lightners comfortable. After all, it was his duty to them to make them comfortable. He remembered Kris’ room well enough, but… he had no idea who the girl was meant to be. (Was there only one girl? Sometimes, he could not figure it out.) There would only be three heroes appearing on the world's edge, so he would go from there.

Theorizing about what they would be like was all he could do now. It helped to pass the time.

Would Kris be the same as before? Ralsei didn’t know how long it had been since he was left in the supply closet. They could be a very different kind of person when they did arrive. Perhaps, he would have to make peace with that.

There were so many things he wanted to ask them, but…

He shouldn’t make Kris feel bad. Lightners grew out of these types of things. Sometimes, a Darkner’s purpose simply… ended.

He had a new purpose now; one that was already decided.

At least the pink scarf that Ralsei made finally proved he could sew something nice. It took him longer than he wanted, but he didn’t really have a perception of “long” down here. The days and nights of the Light World meant nothing down here. Ralsei sometimes felt like he was tricking himself. Perhaps time wasn’t moving fast at all. Maybe, he and the Dark Fountain had only existed for a day.

He’d slept on the floor many times already, so maybe a little more optimism could be allowed. Now that he had a scarf, he could use it as a makeshift pillow in his room. It was all he needed. After all, actual furniture was being dedicated to the heroes’ rooms.

It was in the middle of sleeping when he finally felt it happen.

Connection.

The Angel was out there somewhere. It would guide Kris here soon enough.

The next hour was a flurry of motion. Ralsei immediately began to steel himself. All of the rehearsing led up to this moment. He needed to make a good impression. He needed to be useful. 

…These clothes still needed work. 

The patchwork robes he’d made hardly looked presentable. The hat would at least mask his unkempt fur, but he couldn’t hide those robes. He was supposed to be good at sewing for the Lightners by now!

It didn’t matter! He could… he could focus on a new outfit later. The cloak he’d been given when this Dark World formed would have to be enough.

Then, he waited again. He was no stranger to waiting, but the time dragged on.

Ralsei remained in front of the doors to his castle. He couldn’t falter. He needed to be strong. He needed to be useful.

A beam of light came from the sky in the distance. Someone had opened the closet door.

Ralsei bounced on his feet. He could afford a few more moments before they actually arrived to just… get all the stress out! A little too quickly, he tried to take a couple of deep breaths. They came out as shaky and unsure, but he could do this. He’d rehearsed this. He didn’t even need to show his face right now! Everything would be fine!

Then he heard their footsteps.

Kris had grown so much. Even though they were still a little on the short side, Ralsei could tell that they grew a few inches in the time they’d been separated. They glanced at him with a stony face, as if it wasn’t able to show any expression at all. That was… normal for Kris, but there was something beyond those eyes. Something was analyzing him.

Immediately, Ralsei kept his thoughts close. The Angel was watching. By the looks of it, they had full control over Kris at the moment. Introductions would need to be in order to satiate the Angel’s curiosity.

The hero present, the girl, was far more formidable than Ralsei ever thought someone could be. Even her clothing reflected that, adorned with spikes and flaring out at the back. He couldn’t quite catch her gaze under her hair, but she seemed unamused.

Their party was formed that day.

Introductions didn’t go well at all. The moment Susie interrupted him, asking him to take off his cloak, he began to flounder. He began to panic. He wasn’t doing enough right. Of course, part of that might have been due to being run over by another Darkner’s bike. He’d been waiting for this introduction for so long and it got interrupted. He tried reassurances that they would do well as heroes, that they would be great friends-

Susie was leaving. Susie was leaving and he didn’t do enough-

The Angel stayed behind.

Ever since he removed that cloak, the Angel had leaned in, like they were trying to figure something out about him.

Do something do something do something.

“Well, I suppose it’s just the two of us then.” He wanted to slap a paw against his own face. Really? The Angel was looking at him and that’s what he could come up with? Still, the Angel didn’t show any signs of leaving, even as he rambled about not having any subjects and his mouth was still moving- “I’ve been waiting alone here… Um… My whole life for you two to arrive.”

He needed to stop this. He needed to steel himself. Kris didn’t need to know this. The Angel didn’t need to know this about his plight. And yet, the Angel seemed to still be curious. They listened with rapt attention.

It gave Ralsei the slightest bit of strength. “So… I’m really happy to meet you. I hope we can be good friends, Kris.”

Kris didn’t smile, but the Angel did. There was… a difference to the way the Angel moved Kris about. In fact, the human looked to be completely out of it now. Yet… even still… the Angel smiled.

They exuded curiosity… but also kindness?

Ralsei didn’t know what to think about that. The Angel could be many things and still fit the prophecy. Despite all of the worse options they could have been, they appeared to choose kindness.

Their first journey together continued like this.

The Angel seemed excited at every turn, yet carried itself with a level of expertise that Ralsei didn’t expect. They had a knack for battling when fighting Lancer. Except, they didn’t even fight during that battle. They simply warned Lancer of the oncoming attacks and continued complimenting him.

This trend continued when Ralsei tried to explain battles properly. Even when Ralsei told them to attack the dummy, they simply refused to even entertain the idea of fighting. They immediately went to ACT, and-

Ralsei hadn’t… really been hugged before, or touched for that matter. After instructing the Angel to attack, he didn’t expect them to immediately wrap arms around him.

He melted into it far more than he should have. Hopefully, the Angel did not feel that. Kris probably did, but even now they only seemed to have a slight presence. At least they appeared to be gaining something from having combat explained to them. On the other hand, the Angel needed no such introductions. They seemed to know exactly what ACT did, and used it to repeatedly hug him instead of doing what they were supposed to.

Hopefully, the hat hid how much he was blushing under his fur. 

Introductions continued. The Angel did appear to pay more attention to the explanation of Tension Points and Ralsei’s spells. Regardless of what was being explained, the Angel seemed to listen with utmost curiosity.

Ralsei learned two certainties about the Angel: they were curious, and they were kind.

Even when passing through the grand door, the Angel agreed with him about their decisions mattering. Perhaps… perhaps it was foolish to hope, but maybe everything would be okay with an Angel like this.

Their journey continued. Along the way, the Angel solved fights effortlessly. They even seemed to be endeared by Lancer, despite his constant half-attempts to foil them. Sometimes, a mistake or two would happen. In fights, they dodged well, but sometimes couldn’t figure out the timing of the bullet patterns on time.

Still, they spared any Darkners they came across.

Susie joining the party shook things up.

There was an initial frustration with her that Ralsei hadn’t ever felt from the Angel so far. Then again, they’d only been properly introduced for a moment. Still, the Angel never tried to actively sabotage Susie. They simply took things in stride and warned enemies about her. Still, Ralsei suspected that they did not appreciate her ignoring their commands.

The Angel was meant to guide them all in the right direction. Ralsei would never disobey commands, even if the Angel were to change path and ask him to fight. Susie completely ignoring their commands was… almost horrifying. She didn’t seem to recognize the Angel’s presence like Ralsei did. She just kept… doing her own thing!

The Angel was a steady hand. It reminded Ralsei of his own duty, in a silly way. The steadfastness of the Angel helped him to remain useful to the Lightners. They all had their own roles to play, and if the Angel could be this reliable, then so could he!

Things went a tad sideways when they were thrown into jail cells.

Susie escaped, but Ralsei needed to make sure that she stayed on track. So, he asked Kris to close their eyes and think about Susie. It was a trick he’d been taught just in case any of them got separated, and he had to use it now. He shifted the Angel’s attention, and they appeared none the wiser.

That left… only Kris.

They looked tired. As soon as they had full control back, their brow furrowed, like they didn’t quite understand what was going on. They looked like they might tip over.

Immediately, Ralsei raised his hands to try to steady them. They jerked an arm away the moment he tried.

It seemed that Kris didn’t want him to touch them. They were not the Angel.

Ralsei lowered his arms, instead clasping his hands in front of him. “I’m sorry! I know this all must be so confusing for you.” This had to happen at some point. Ralsei didn’t know what method the soul used to connect with Kris, but it seemed like this was new considering their confusion. “It is away for the moment. Are you…” He’d been speaking with the Angel for so long, that he almost forgot who he was speaking to. This was Kris. This was the human who he’d spent so much time with throughout their life.

Kris’ brow furrowed deeper. They didn’t seem to follow what he was trying to say.

Keeping a strained smile so as to not betray his nervousness, Ralsei finally forced out what he was trying to say: “Are you feeling all right?”

They quirked their head in silent question. Considering the moss on their mouth (which notably seemed to not bother them) and the shackle on their wrist, they looked a bit worse for wear.

Still, Ralsei felt like they were owed an explanation of some kind. “The Angel is… doing its best Kris. I know that this is not the best situation, but it should be over when the Angel is banished, as I said before.”

They grimaced, turning their head away. In response to what, Ralsei didn’t know.

…He should say something more. So many things needed to be said. Well, they didn’t need to be said, but he wanted to say them! How were things at home? Is the family situation okay? Has Asriel been doing well in college? Have they been doing well in school?

Do you need me again?

A sharp pain struck Ralsei through the chest.

In the same moment, Kris’ hand shot to their own chest. Both of them stumbled, feeling part of their own health drain. The sound of combat echoed down the hall.

The Angel was taking damage.

Well, no matter! They usually didn’t take damage for long! Mistakes were few and far in between-

Searing pain. This time in the arm.

Ralsei couldn’t hide a hiss from his mouth when a third jolt struck him in the shoulder.

What was going on?

He couldn’t see what was happening from here. But… the Angel never made this many consecutive mistakes! Either there was an insurmountable foe out there damaging them repeatedly, or they were slipping.

…There was an insurmountable foe out there.

He’d sent the Angel to Susie. Susie never listened. If she was trying to fight Darkners without anyone to warn them-

The Angel was intentionally taking damage.

One of Kris’ eyes peeked out from under their bangs. They were looking to him for answers.

“...I sent it to Susie,” he rasped, feeling another strike at his back. “They’re trying to prevent her from hurting someone, I think.”

Ralsei didn’t know how much more of this he could take. Out of everyone in the party, he was the most feeble. Any further hits, and he might-

The damage completely stopped.

Ralsei could still hear fighting coming from down the hallway.

A different voice, one more weak and shaky than the one Kris usually had slipped out of their lips. Every word dragged on, but they forced it out. “I thought you said it’s doing its best.” Kris’ fingers grabbed at their own armor, like they were trying to ground themselves on anything.

Oh.

They looked horrified.

“No no, it’ll all be okay,” Ralsei promised, slightly emboldened now that the damage seemed to be gone. “See? No more damage. They’re… trying their best Kris. They’re trying to make sure no one gets hurt.”

Kris was looking weaker by the second. Perhaps, it was defeat, knowing they did not hold common ground with the person in front of them. “Then, why are they hurting us?”

“They’re not-” Ralsei bit his tongue. He managed to stand up straight, finally pushing through the phantom pains. The sounds of battle had stopped. “They are here to guide us Kris. Sometimes they might mess up, but we need them to seal the Dark Fountains.” Ralsei turned his head away. He didn’t want to argue with them. He didn’t. They meant far too much to him. “So that’s why…”

The Angel’s overwhelming presence returned.

Ralsei had spent so long with them nearby, that he almost forgot how it felt to have their attention.

The moment went unnoticed. 

Better yet, whatever happened out there with Susie worked! On the elevator ride up, she began learning how to ACT as well! 

See Kris? If they just put their trust in the Angel, everything would be fine!

Maybe… if they did well enough… things would change!

The Angel started to be methodical after finding an odd basement in the castle. While the foe behind those bars was tough, the Angel seemed to know exactly what to do. As soon as they got their bearings and went in, it was like a switch flipped. Every command issued seemed pre-planned, going out fast enough to keep the party up in the whirlwind of chaos. Even still, the Angel did not fight. They managed to tire out the strange Darkner who spoke of the world being a prison.

Ralsei… didn’t disagree per say. Sometimes, this prophecy did feel like a prison.

They advanced through the castle properly after that, the Jevilstail equipped on Susie. It was a strange thing to get a Darkner’s support as an item down here. Perhaps, Ralsei would just accept it for what it was. The Angel had earned it, after all.

The march up the castle made Ralsei realize something interesting.

The Angel seemed somewhat young.

They were not quite the wise, sage-like being that Ralsei envisioned. Instead, their curiosity and kindness came off as playful. Their guidance always felt like a happy nudge instead of a command.

He liked this Angel.

It would be sad when they were finally gone, but such was the way of the prophecy. They all had duties to fulfill, after all.

And quite frankly, Ralsei got too complacent.

He healed the King when he shouldn’t have, nearly costing them all their lives. It was foolish. Stupid. The Angel couldn’t intervene to fix his mistake, either. He tried to do something on his own, and-

Kris and Susie refused to let each other falter.

Susie… even comforted him. She didn’t make fun of him for it. She didn’t even scold him for his mistake either. 

Even Kris brought their shield up on their own to defend her.

Maybe, everything would be okay.

Ralsei didn’t know what possessed him to take off his hat then and there. Perhaps, it was Susie’s support even through his mistakes. Maybe, it was seeing Kris take action for themselves. Even stranger, it could’ve been the Angel’s kindness finally helping him understand that he would be accepted regardless.

The Angel didn’t react how he thought it would.

They were confused.

What did he do wrong? What did he do wrong? Ralsei paced around his castle endlessly after the Dark Fountain was sealed.

Why was the Angel so confused?

He wanted to just put the hat back on. Maybe they could forget that this ever happened. He shouldn’t have shown his face. Why did he do that at that very moment? They were leaving. He should’ve just let it be!

Ralsei could fix this. He could fix this. Perhaps, the Angel was just rattled about the illusion magic that the hat used to mask his identity. Maybe, they were just blindsided a bit! He’d make it up to them! He’d make it up to Kris and Susie as well! Kris seemed confused as well, but that made sense. Ralsei did look a bit like Asriel, but only by virtue of being Kris’... well…

When Kris looked in the mirror, they wished they saw something else. Ralsei’s form reflected that quite well.

Why would the Angel react in such a way? Nothing else had spurred that on. They had shown nothing but unwavering kindness before.

It was fine. Already, plans were brewing. He’d make a better outfit, first of all. Then, he would finish up Kris and Susie’s rooms. If memory served him correctly, the Dark Fountain to the east had to have been formed in the unused classroom. He could add retrieving its Darkners to the list of things to get the Angel to do. 

It would be fun! The Angel would have fun! Kris and Susie would too!

All he had to do was wait.

Something was very wrong.

The Angel didn’t regard him with confusion anymore, but that hardly mattered at the moment. What mattered was that the Angel was different.

They weren’t a different entity. Something just… didn’t feel the same.

Ralsei knew two constants about the Angel: they were kind and curious. That remained true to an extent, but that bubbling curiosity used to feel almost whimsical. Now, Ralsei could practically feel the Angel question itself before selecting something. Especially whenever they commanded Kris to speak, they hesitated.

Their behavior around him shifted as well, and the swan ride in Queen’s Castle did not help.

The Angel made extra effort to keep him at an arm’s length. There were many opportunities where Ralsei offered a hug, but the Angel did not ever attempt to do so. Ralsei hated it. He hated that he almost yearned to feel that unbridled kindness again, to just feel anything. 

Kris seemed more aware, too. Every now and then, they would say something in a way that didn’t at all sound natural.

Something was going on between Kris and the Angel. 

The Angel wasn’t the same.

What changed? What possibly could have changed!? It’d been only maybe a night if Susie was to be believed. Yet, the Angel seemed… weathered in some way. 

They sought out another estranged Darkner.

The fight was brutal, and had it not been for the Angel leaping out to destroy ensured blows, they all would have perished. The Angel still cared for all of them. They changed forms to keep everyone alive. They just… felt different. Yet, Ralsei couldn’t ask them what was happening. Kris would hear, and they didn’t really like speaking about the Angel if the prison was any indication.

Kris wasn’t having an easy time as well. After Spamton fell off of his strings, they yelled out when the Angel allowed them to say they weren’t okay.

Ralsei tried to reassure both of them that this was just a corrupted program. It would be fine. 

And… maybe if they needed someone to comfort them… Ralsei could…

Neither Kris nor the Angel accepted the hug.

Ralsei’s eyes lingered on that soul whenever it came out during fights. He wanted to ask… he wanted to plead… he just wanted to know what had changed! Was his face… that hard to see?

No- no… it wasn’t that. It couldn’t be that.

There was one thing that gave him a warm feeling. One thing the Angel said reminded him of the Angel from a day ago.

“It’s nice that Ralsei is Ralsei.”

They appreciated him nonetheless. The Angel wanted him to continue being himself. It’s just… something had changed. How did it change so fast? Why? He wanted to scream out and grab that soul. What happened to you?

He bit his tongue. The Angel might be able to hear him. 

Ralsei didn’t know what it was like to change. He’d had one purpose in the Light World and one in the Dark. Maybe he… liked having friends now, but his purpose always remained the same. The Angel also had a purpose… but… they changed so fast.

How did they change so fast?

It shocked Ralsei more than it should have when the Angel commanded the mech to strike Queen. They were just fighting in mechs, after all. Queen would be unharmed. It was just…

The Angel was very accurate with those strikes.

They visited Castle Town for a bit afterwards. Ralsei took note that every single person in the Cyber World had been recruited. Even a small car roamed the streets of Castle Town. They really did think of everything.

He even had been given the Dealmaker that Spamton turned into. He preferred to keep the glasses off unless in combat. It was getting a little strange now that the Angel had sought out two of these Darkners. This wasn’t exactly part of the prophecy that Ralsei remembered.

Even more strangely, they kept having private conversations with the cat, Seam. 

They were looking for something.

Ralsei waved goodbye when they left the Dark World. Surely, the wait would not be so long this time.

The Angel changed again, far more drastically this time.

Now Ralsei was certain something was wrong. 

From the moment he arrived, the Angel’s attention focused on him intensely. It never left during their time in the TV World. Yet, Ralsei couldn’t even really focus on that part, because the Angel’s presence had grown older.

How did they change so fast? 

Even their behavior towards him entirely changed. Again.

Perhaps, he made a mistake trying to explain the Dark World to Susie. Darkners shouldn’t have emotion. They were a mere illusion. This, he’d known ever since he formed in the Dark World. Some things shouldn’t be, but they were.

Ralsei just hoped that… if he wasn’t enough… that they could move on and find some real friends! 

Susie and the Angel hated the idea in equal measure.

Ralsei thought it strange how two people so directly opposed could be so unified for a single goal. Then again, he was opposed to Susie’s methods for a bit. Yesterday in the Cyber World, he’d warmed up to her methods far more than he expected.

Maybe, it wasn’t so strange that the Angel now began to support Susie unabashedly as well. He supposed that started happening the moment she began following commands, but the feeling still remained even when she didn’t. The Angel didn’t seem perturbed when she learned S-action. In fact, they seemed delighted. Even now, with Susie defying Ralsei’s purpose… a feeling of approval lingered just behind Susie.

Why did the Angel seem to disregard the prophecy? They should be angry at him for going beyond his purpose. The Angel should. The Lightners should. And yet, Susie and the Angel refused to let up. The Angel’s presence felt weary now, but they still checked in with him at every opportunity. They pulled him aside, promising to give Susie some food at the fair. Even Kris appeared to be unified on that front.

Were the two of them beginning to get along more? He hoped so. Maybe Kris started using the “closing eyes” tactic on their own. He’d tried to tell them about it in the Cyber World to allow for free time if they needed it, but they didn’t appear to be listening.

The Angel’s disregard of the prophecy would be problematic soon. Impending dread hung over Ralsei like a dark cloud. 

Tenna would die soon.

The Knight would make their first appearance shortly.

The Angel seemed unperturbed by the prophecy. Even the Roaring hardly seemed to phase them. The adventures into the Dark World had been fun so far… but…

They’d just beaten Tenna when it happened.

The Angel turned around.

Their presence entirely shifted. What once was unwavering kindness, curiosity, and newfound weariness gave way to unbridled determination. What caused the shift wasn’t immediately clear until Kris stopped in front of one of those points in the world that only they could really interact with. Sometimes, Ralsei thought he could see the light flickering. He knew it existed, at least for checking recruits and getting items out of storage.

…but it could do something else. He wasn’t quite sure what that “something else” was.

Kris was forced to take off the newly acquired Shadow Mantle in favor of Susie wearing it. When they’d walked out of the S-rank room with it on, they seemed rattled. It was strange that the Angel made them give it up so easily after they wore it for the previous fight. A few different armors were exchanged, though Ralsei did get to keep the ribbons he liked so much.

…but the Angel had also taken out a few items that they seemed to be saving.

Ralsei didn’t ask questions. Although, as the Angel guided them forward, Ralsei wondered what could have caused this shift. Nothing happened. From the Angel’s perspective, they would be going to free Toriel now.

When the Knight cut down Tenna, the Angel didn’t seem surprised in the slightest.

Ralsei knew this would happen. He knew, but he couldn’t help but tremble as the Knight drew them all into battle.

He’d thought of so many things to say to try to talk the Knight down. Yet, if the Angel called upon him to say them, he worried the words would die in his throat. Ralsei knew that the Angel didn’t like fighting, so he needed to be useful.

The Angel told Susie to attack.

With zero hesitation, Ralsei and Kris were told to defend while Susie struck the first blow. Watching Susie finally put her weapons to good use felt almost like sacrilege, but it was almost mesmerizing to watch it happen. Both the soul and Susie wove through an onslaught of attacks. The Angel called upon Ralsei to provide a bit of healing, but otherwise put him on defense with Kris. Even when Ralsei fell in battle, the Angel brought him right back up with their strongest of items.

They never used a revive item on Kris. Every time the Angel’s vessel went down, Ralsei either was instructed to use a normal item or a heal prayer.

What did the Angel know?

They knew something. While their dodging skills had been uncanny before, this was outrageous. The Angel skirted the edges of attacks to gather TP, being stuck in a dance with death. They and the Knight traded blows, the Angel calling upon Susie with Rude Buster. Red Buster appeared to not be an option here for some reason, but the Angel refused to back down. They refused to cease fighting. No matter what happened, they kept attacking.

And Ralsei didn’t understand what brought upon this change of heart.

Was the Angel truly unwaveringly kind, or did something specific draw their wrath?

When Kris was standing, sometimes Ralsei could see the Angel’s expression through theirs. Red eyes glared daggers at the Knight, and the grip on Kris’ sword became more certain. Each command came out with clarity. Each cast of Rude Buster brought the Knight’s health down just a little more.

Ralsei did his best to keep himself standing. The Angel’s presence took the form of a burning sun at his back. They refused to back down.

The Angel commanded Susie to attack one more time when the Knight was still recovering from a special attack. Susie advanced with a Rude Buster first, causing the Knight’s form to flicker and fade. The victory must have shocked her as well, because she questioned whether or not they’d really won. 

They hadn’t.

Susie clashed with the Knight’s blade, trying to finish the job. She chipped off a piece of its weapon, and the Angel cheered.

Did… did things change? Did the prophecy change? The Angel sounded happy. Even Kris, who looked like they were actively trembling during this fight, stared at the Knight with alarm in their eyes. Even Susie was laughing. They’d survived impossible odds. Things really could-

SWOON.

The reverie shattered. Ralsei ran to Susie’s side as she fell to the ground, barely managing to catch her.

A strike came for him. He only had a moment to realize that he’d gotten his hopes up once more.

Their fate was already decided. Why was he still daring to believe?

SWOON.

Ralsei didn’t feel the Angel’s presence after Kris and Susie returned to seal the Dark Fountain. They’d been so brave, and yet… they seemed to have vanished completely.

Would they be different again when they returned?

He didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand how the Angel kept changing. Even in those final moments with Tenna, the Angel showed the capacity for completely disregarding previous habits and doing something new. Ralsei doubted that the Knight could have been talked down… but if anyone was going to do it, it would’ve been the Angel. They’d almost managed every battle so far without fighting, and the one time they had to, it was against a mech.

This was another Lightner, and the Angel struck immediately.

Rationalizing it became even harder when Ralsei tried to help Susie patch up Tenna. He was too distracted to do any good, but his healing was essential for this.

…but he just couldn’t focus.

Susie and Kris did better work patching up Tenna than he did. Though, even free from the Angel’s presence right now, Kris somehow looked more miserable than before.

Why did the Angel change course?

The prophecy couldn’t be changed. Why did Ralsei even think that the Angel would be able to change it? They were part of the same exact prophecy that the Delta Warriors were! And if the Angel knew that, then why did they try to change it?

The battle could’ve ended there. The Knight could’ve been defeated, and all would be well.

But… who was Ralsei kidding? 

Their fate was already decided.

Kris and Susie sealed the Dark World once more. Ralsei went back to Castle Town again, returning to an empty room.

He just didn’t get it.

How could he?

Darkners were never meant to be something that could change. In his journey, he… was slowly realizing that he might be able to. However, his small progress was dwarfed in comparison to the Angel. They never stayed the same, even though they always came back once more.

So how could he understand something as incomprehensible as the Angel?

He wanted to know everything. Was the Angel multiple different entities? Did they simply age faster than others? Were they truly kind, or simply taking the best possible route? Were they disappointed in him? Was it okay to wonder? Was it okay to look? Part of him yearned to grab the presence always looming over him and to just ask: “Who are you?”

…but he couldn’t.

Getting the Angel alone was difficult when Kris could hear everything. Even if Ralsei did try to speak to the Angel through Kris, the Angel would still be filtered through their vessel. Small mercies Kris was granted turned into hurdles for Ralsei’s own curiosity.

He’d find a way. They would be approaching a new Dark World soon, and if things hadn’t changed in the prophecy by now… they probably never would.

But he just wanted to know.

When the Angel didn’t even appear to change that much the next day, Ralsei couldn’t even be surprised.

The moment Ralsei thought he found a pattern, they simply just didn’t follow it anymore. Maybe that was all the Angel was. Perhaps, their actions meant nothing. Maybe their decisions truly did not matter, and they embodied that nature.

Ralsei still wanted to know about the Angel, but there was just no time. He had at least managed to set up something nice for Kris and Susie, but he had no ideas with the Angel. Perhaps, they appreciated the kind gesture just as much as Kris and Susie did?

Yet, that still didn’t solve that aching curiosity.

Was this how the Angel felt when first arriving here? 

Perhaps, he’d gotten too wrapped up in trying to figure out how to communicate with the Angel. Ralsei wasn’t paying attention, and Susie burst through the tape in front of his door.

She was going into his room.

It was far too embarrassing for them to see. Yet, it wasn’t something he really gave much thought to! After all, Ralsei needed to support Kris and Susie far more than he needed to support himself. His time would come and go. As long as he was useful in the meantime, that was all he needed.

However, Susie wasn’t going to let that happen. As always, she would do things her own way. Ralsei really did admire her. How could she be so kind?

It made his heart hurt.

Worse, he shouldn’t be feeling this way.

So, he rambled. He rambled about not having hobbies or interests. It was supposed to be like that. Instead, he had opinions, likes, dislikes, and even fears.

Both Kris and the Angel leaned in, like they wanted to say something.

“Please be yourself.”

Somehow, his heart ached even more.

They shouldn’t worry this much about him. After all, he would be discarded in the end. How had he done this? In wanting to please them, he’d held the Lightners too close. They wanted to keep being friends… forever.

Wasn’t that a nice thought?

His room was dead silent now.

No one would come to comfort him now. Both Kris and Susie had returned to the Light World, and didn’t come to visit after sealing three fountains. He… waited for them to come back. Maybe… he could make them both feel better after everything!

Who was he kidding? Nothing would ever be the same again.

Ralsei took his scarf off, bundling it up and placing it on the floor. His room remained mostly empty, and the only thing in here was a reminder of how much Susie tried. He scrunched his face, trying not to think about Susie right now.

Even though he’d washed off her blood, it still itched under his fur.

In so many ways, Ralsei almost lost his friends today. First, he wasn’t honest enough with them. Susie screamed at him when he just didn’t say enough. At least, she found it in her heart to forgive him.

She found it in her heart to persist, despite everything she saw. 

They all tried so hard to be kind. What went so wrong? The Knight was too insurmountable a foe right now. It took all four of them to even make it to the Knight, and that was a harrowing experience

Ralsei still saw the glint of black blades when he shut his eyes. 

It all went wrong the moment they ascended to meet the Knight.

The Angel lit their way, making sure that they wouldn’t be struck down in the dark. Kris marched forward, grim acceptance in their face as dagger after dagger struck them. The Angel couldn’t dodge anymore, but still tried to urge them forward. They had to move. 

Susie took the next wave of blows, getting in the way. Even though Susie didn’t understand how she was protecting the rest of the party, she pressed onwards anyway. The Angel’s power shrouded her instead, allowing her to take the blows for the rest of them. Ralsei wondered if she felt their presence when they walked forward towards fate. She… didn’t seem to notice them, even when facing the Hammer of Justice.

Ralsei leapt forward when Susie looked like she could barely stand. More daggers rushed their way, and the Angel’s presence wreathed him with muttered apologies. Apologies. He could hear the Angel now. Desperately, he pressed onward, knowing he was the weakest of the group but still needing to go forward. The Angel worried endlessly for him, their presence growing more and more desperate to press forward.

When they reached the end, and the presence bled away, Ralsei almost missed it.

And yet, the Angel’s presence blazed hot yet again. Even as the Titan appeared, the Angel carried the same precision as with the Knight. They, along with Kris and Susie’s own resolve, was the only reason that Ralsei didn’t unravel then and there. Had it not been for Susie helping him to his feet, or Kris’ grim determination to keep pressing onward, he may have succumbed to the panic.

The Angel guided them to victory. Even the shard of the Knight’s sword came in handy.

It was supposed to be a good moment. They’d done the impossible, and then Susie ran ahead.

Ralsei wrapped his scarf over his head to block out the memory. He couldn’t bear to see Susie’s face in his head again. 

He’d even broken down a second time in front of Kris and the Angel. Why did he have to feel this way? He was supposed to be a Darkner. He was supposed to serve. His purpose could only be to serve.

So… why did it hurt so much? Why did it hurt so much to know the ending? Why did it make his very soul ache when Kris and the Angel both knelt down to embrace him like they did when they first met? They both told him… that it was okay to not smile.

He lingered on that feeling. Somehow, it made his breathing slow down just a little bit. Ralsei tried to take deliberate breaths through his nostrils, remembering how it felt to be held again. Susie’s strong arm around his head while she noogied him was enough to make him cry. Kris’ understanding of being scared of the future bled through their stoicism, as they trembled while holding him. The Angel’s words held too much sorrow, when they said them. Distantly, Ralsei felt like he felt wings around him.

It’s okay not to smile.

The Angel and Kris, both beings that he should be serving, knelt down to tell him that he could let down the facade.

Ralsei tossed and turned on the cold floor. His scarf felt brittle now. Maybe, after fighting the Titan, it was as close to falling apart as he was. He couldn’t even hide behind fake smiles anymore. The only company he had was himself, because he couldn’t hold himself together if he went outside.

His claws scraped against the bare, wooden floor. He couldn’t keep it together.

It’s okay not to smile.

Call it foolishness. Call it his curiosity finally superseding his judgement, or his yearning for understanding finally boiling over. He didn’t know what he should be anymore. Ralsei couldn’t understand if he should dare to hope anymore. Until he saw the prophecy come to fruition, he wanted to try… but…

Ralsei’s body moved before his mind became conscious of the effort. Step by step, he made his way to the single window in his room. From here, he could see the Dark Fountain. He could see the one thing which gave this land form.

Ralsei needed someone here. Either his purpose needed to be clarified, or he needed to be told it would all be okay. He only wanted the answer from one person right now.

Staring at the Dark Fountain, he drew upon knowledge he didn’t ask for, and called the Angel’s name.

Chapter Text

No one was coming.

Maybe the Angel heard and chose to ignore him. Maybe it couldn’t hear him. He was in the Dark World, after all. They were probably too far to know. More than likely, they simply couldn’t get here. After all, the supply closet was usually closed.

Ralsei had resigned himself to this fact for what had to have been hours now. Instead of having answers or solace, he remained on that floor, trying to find any kind of sleep. If another Dark Fountain opened up tomorrow, then he would have to be prepared for it.

That dulled his senses enough for him to not immediately realize that light was leaking into the Dark World. Sometimes, the glint of the school lights would refract off of the Dark Fountain, giving it an almost rainbow hue. But… that only ever happened when the supply closet was open.

The supply closet had opened.

Ralsei flailed, his glasses falling a few inches down his snout while he did so. When he adjusted them, he caught a red glint in the corner of his eye.

The soul was hovering in the middle of his room.

The Angel didn’t really have eyes in this form to show where they were looking, but their presence had focused entirely on him.

Should he move? Should he say something? This is what he wanted, right?

In his hesitation, he didn’t immediately notice the soul beginning to make a break for the window again. The moment a slow, red heart crossed his vision, he panicked.

Without a second thought, he scrambled for the window. He couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. Before the Angel could get closer, Ralsei slammed the window shut, blocking the only way out.

Oh, he was in for it now. He’d just trapped the Angel.

The soul started bobbing and weaving frantically, rising up higher in the room to stay out of reach. They couldn’t show emotion in really any way without Kris, but they chose to get as far away as possible, hiding up in a corner of the room.

Ralsei’s chest rose and fell as he watched this otherworldly entity navigate around his empty room. He trapped the Angel. He trapped the Angel in his room! What was he doing? What gave him the right to do something like this? 

He’d called the Angel out here, and they… seemed rather confused. The least he could do is explain himself. “Um- hi!” Ralsei tried, walking closer to the corner the soul had positioned itself in. 

The Angel immediately began to move further away, sliding along the upper wall to a separate corner away from Ralsei. Did they think this was a battle of some kind? Touching practically anything in a fight usually meant damage, so perhaps they were treating the room as a sort of battle box.

Ralsei brought his hands up, trying to show he wasn’t a threat. “I-I’m sorry for trapping you.” His voice still wasn’t working properly. While he could keep his voice level with Kris and Susie, he absolutely couldn’t with the Angel, especially not after today. His voice had been rubbed raw by how much he’d broken down when he was finally alone. “I just… wanted to talk!”

With the way the soul did not appear to react at all, Ralsei wondered whether or not the Angel was still actually here. He could feel their presence, but they seemed to be absolutely rooted in place.

“Are you… able to hear me?” Maybe they had left for a moment. Sometimes, the Angel momentarily stopped for a bit. It wasn’t entirely out of the question that this happened again.

Shockingly, the soul did actually manage a response. It bobbed up and down, still never descending within reach. Strange… were they unable to communicate like this-

Of course they couldn’t. Ralsei should’ve known that more than anyone else. The Angel needed Kris to interact with this world. Without them, they were vulnerable and limited. Though, now that he thought about it, if the soul was out now, then where was Kris?

A spike of panic shot through his chest. “I- Did you come here without Kris? Are they okay?”

The Angel did not initially move. They seemingly thought for a moment before bobbing up and down once more. Well, at least they could answer simple yes-or-no questions.

…but Kris was fine. Okay. That. That was good.

Ralsei fiddled with his scarf, glancing away from the Angel. “I’m… sorry for pulling you away from them. I just wanted to-” Absentmindedly, he’d taken a step forward. The Angel moved backwards, colliding with the corner that they had taken refuge in.

The Angel’s presence, the overwhelming presence that always invaded Ralsei’s senses when he was under the direct scrutiny of the Angel, shrank away. They retreated, pulling back as if to try to make their own presence less noticeable.

Ralsei was a Darkner. The Angel was above even Lightners. Why would they be…

No, that didn’t make sense. The Angel couldn’t be afraid of him.

What did it mean if the Angel was afraid?

“Th-there’s no need to… be worried about me, Angel.” He would never insinuate that the Angel could feel things such as fear. Instead, perhaps the Angel wanted to keep a respectable distance. That was fine. “As you know, I was made to serve the Lighters. I follow your guidance to do so.”

The soul did not move an inch. Something with no facial features or body language was impossible to read, not that Ralsei ever could figure out those hints consistently. Having to communicate with something featureless only made matters worse.

“I wouldn’t ever do anything to-” Ralsei stepped forward again, fiddling with his scarf anxiously. 

The soul jolted backwards, hitting the ceiling. Before Ralsei even had the ability to panic, the presence of the Angel rushed back in full force.

On instinct, Ralsei planted a foot behind him, like he was being buffeted by a storm. Nothing was physically harming him, but the backlash from approaching the Angel felt too insurmountable to pass through. 

Ralsei had felt many of the things the Angel did on their journey. He knew they were curious, kind, and changed almost erratically.

He did not know they had the capacity to be terrified of him.

“I’m sorry, I-” Ralsei stepped back, the presence immediately lifting away from him. What did he do? What should he do? “I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t mean- you don’t have to-” What could he do? If even the Angel was frightened, then…

Ralsei ran a finger over his scarf again, trying to figure out how to make this better. The Angel’s nature perplexed him even more now, but they refused to come down from that corner. He could just open the window… but…

Who was he, to keep the Angel confined here?

Still, he wanted to know. He yearned to know just what the Angel truly was. Their entire journey had been one surprise after the other, and knowing what he now knew…

How could he not wonder what they were like?

“I shouldn’t have locked you in here. I’m sorry.” He finally settled on that, but had something else in mind. Carefully, he took off his scarf, placing it in a circular bundle on the floor. “I… did really want to talk to you. But… if you want to leave, you can.” After he was certain that the bundle would be comfortable, he pushed himself back to his feet, moving for the window.

He entirely expected the Angel to flee the moment it opened. Still, he should have known better than to tamper with beings much more important than him. If the Angel was already apprehensive about him before, they sure would be from now on.

Yet, no red heart flew past him. The Angel’s presence settled, like it had started calming down. When Ralsei turned to look, he found that the soul had moved into the bundle he made for them.

It looked… very goofy to be honest. Ralsei shouldn’t laugh, but his face scrunched up a bit when he saw the sight. The Angel, the being who was above even Lightners, was using his scarf as a makeshift bed.

Ralsei still couldn’t tell what on earth the Angel could be thinking, but he tried to keep his expression stoic and his thoughts to himself. The Angel might not be able to communicate, but they could absolutely hear him.

He knelt down, trying to make himself smaller. This was the Angel he was dealing with after all. A bit of reverence wouldn’t hurt. “I’ll… um… let you keep that for now? I mean, we have other scarves now, too. Not that I don’t like the one you gave me!”

The Angel couldn’t exactly respond to anything he was saying. They could only move around like this. This form was never really meant to be without a vessel. Only battle or extraneous circumstances would cause the soul to be alone. This… was not one of those circumstances. Ralsei had no idea how to even make a conversation like this work, and yet… the Angel did answer.

“I didn’t think this through.” He put a hand on his chin, trying to think. How could he fix this issue? Maybe he could get a board of letters or something for the soul to use. Though, answers would be short, and Ralsei had no idea where he was going to find something like that. Castle Town was also bustling right now, and he didn’t just want to leave the Angel here while he went to mingle. People always asked something of him when he went out.

The soul bobbed up and down, another yes. They were agreeing with him on that, but they sunk back into the scarf anyway.

“Um…” Ralsei wasn’t sure how to parse the full meaning of that. “Does that mean you’re… mad?”

The soul moved from left to right immediately, jostling the scarf to the side while they moved. That was more like a no if he had to guess.

Maybe they could start there. Yes or no questions would be fine for the time being. He didn’t know how much time they had before they needed to leave, but he could take this slowly. “I assume that this is all you can really do like this?”

Up and down. Yes.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

The soul actually turned a little bit to “inspect” the scarf that they had been given. The Angel was thinking about that one for a bit too long. When they finally answered, they settled on a hesitant yes.

Well that wouldn’t do. Ralsei glanced at his door, already trying to discern if anyone was in the hall. “I could take you to Kris and Susie’s rooms if that would help.”

The soul started shaking rapidly this time, back and forth as if to try to dissuade him. 

“You don’t want that?”

The Angel’s presence pressed back in again, more heavily this time. Something was being misunderstood. The soul dove back into the scarf, as if trying to emphasize that they were fine here. 

Uncomfortable, yet fine here. That almost made sense, but the Angel felt like they were trying to tell him something more. Perhaps, the discomfort had nothing to do with the scarf? “Are you uncomfortable in a different way?”

The presence lifted. Yes.

Oh. Ralsei began to fiddle with one of his ears, since he didn’t have a scarf anymore. Before he made the scarf, he sometimes rubbed his ears raw with how often he messed with them. The scarf helped, but he could go without it for now. Still, he sank into himself a little bit. “Are you uncomfortable with me?”

No. No. No. No. No. The soul shook back and forth like their life depended on it. The Angel’s presence became panicked in a similar way that they were when seeing a Titan form.

Ralsei couldn’t help but softly smile when he understood that it wasn’t him. Realizing, he put up his hands placatingly. “Okay! Okay! I get it!” He could relax a little bit. The Angel appeared very insistent that there was nothing uncomfortable about him. “I just worry. You seemed… a little confused when I showed my face. I thought that it might still be that way-”

The soul flew up into the air, at eye level with Ralsei. It wanted to communicate something, twirling around him with no way of knowing how. Still, they seemed to at least be… somewhat happy with him? 

The Angel stopped in front of Ralsei again, curiously waiting for another question. They seemed to enjoy communicating, at the very least.

So, Ralsei asked the question that had been bugging him for so long: “Is… there a reason why you change every time we meet again?” He just didn’t understand why so many changes happened to the Angel so rapidly. Their opinion on him seemed to drastically shift every which way. However, it didn’t seem like they changed at all ever since the TV World. They hadn’t changed again after that.

This time, the Angel hovered motionlessly, like they didn’t understand the question.

He tried again. “Um… I guess… how do I put this…” Ralsei didn’t want to offend the Angel in any way. “You um…” Don’t mention the hugging. “You seemed more… tired than before, when I found you all last night.”

The soul slowly began to drift downward. Ralsei thought that they might be agreeing with him, but that could not have been further from the case. They kept drifting downward, like whatever he said had struck some kind of nerve.

Ralsei didn’t mean to do that. “I’m- I’m sorry for asking. That was rude of me.”

The Angel didn’t move, having drifted all the way back down to the scarf.

Perhaps, he could change the subject? They liked being asked questions. Yeah! He would just pivot instead! “Did… did you have fun playing guitar with Kris? That seemed fun! I had a good time singing. I- um- left in some of the lyrics meant to be about you…”

The Angel wasn’t moving.

Their presence had drifted into something akin to stagnation. It wasn’t mobile. The changing, volatile presence of the Angel turned into nothing but emptiness. Were they away? 

“Angel? Are you okay?” A simple question. Hopefully, they would answer. Yet, the more time that went on with no response, the more Ralsei worried. Did he break them? He shouldn’t be capable of breaking them! Did he offend them? Should he stop talking and just let them go?

He didn’t know if the Angel would be capable of leaving now. If Kris wasn’t here, then they probably came on their own. Ralsei couldn’t just deliver the soul back! Kris needed to find them for that, and he might’ve messed up the connection somehow. 

Okay. Don’t panic. Maybe Kris was around the Dark World somewhere, and that’s why the soul had managed to make it in. The two of them could’ve worked something out in the Dark World! Yeah, he’d go with that until the Angel responded. Until then, he needed to try to reach out. Words weren’t working. The Angel could be away for prolonged periods sometimes, but this didn’t feel exactly like one of those away moments. Something was wrong.

Hesitantly, he reached out with a golden glow in his hands. Perhaps, the soul had been out for too long. Maybe, a little bit of healing would do the trick! Running out of energy might just be the simplest solution.

His magic interacted with the soul directly, and intertwined with its power.

Their power.

It burned.

Ralsei distantly remembered hearing Spamton’s speech as they rushed down the hall to save Kris. Why did Spamton want the Angel’s soul? For the salesman, it was about growing large. He wanted to be large enough to see past the dark. The Angel was connected to this world by the soul. It was all they were; the culmination of their power. Darkners could gain advantages if they had that kind of power. 

Kris wielding it was always the safest option. The Angel could, of course, extend its power to protect others in battle. However, one person needed to bear it for that ability to even work. Every time Ralsei interacted with the Angel, it was through Kris. Sometimes it shined its light on him to amplify his abilities… but only through Kris. In their most dire moment, the soul allowed him to place himself in front of his friends, taking the blows for them. That was still done using Kris as a conduit.

There was no conduit now.

Ralsei had just interacted with the soul directly.

There wasn’t enough time to register the shooting pain that echoed through his entire body. Every concept of pain started to become unraveled as he was unmade. Even holding together under the gaze of the Angel felt impossible. He could only fall, looking up at the embodiment of the Angel’s power.

That soul wasn’t there anymore. What remained dwarfed him, Ralsei only being a little speck in the vastness of what the Angel was. Darkners weren’t meant to see this so closely. They simply couldn’t. Yet, he was forced to comprehend. He stared into the large, white star with wings, unable to look away. He couldn’t even scream. He could only stare.

A fraction of a lifetime started to berate his senses. Memories that weren’t his struck him over and over again, destroying his tangibility even further. He saw faces of people he’d never met. He saw faces of people he knew but in contexts that didn’t make sense. He saw another human, no older than twelve, being guided under the enormity of the Angel.

Curiosity beyond measure had consequences. Ralsei almost saw into what too much curiosity could do before the burning entirely ceased to be.

Everything felt real again in the blink of an eye. Ralsei didn’t even realize he was standing, but he collapsed all the same. Something caught him. Something familiar caught him.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I should’ve moved. Just wake up.”

Ralsei squinted, blinking a few times to try to get his bearings. He wasn’t really… in his room anymore. Everything felt too wavy, like he’d been trapped in a dream.

A soft hand that wasn’t his adjusted his glasses for him. Despite the turmoil Ralsei had just gone through, he didn’t feel any different. Even his glasses survived the ordeal. The only thing that really felt different was-

The Angel.

Ralsei’s vision finally cleared. Apparently, he’d been rolled onto his back with his head propped up in someone’s arms. Though, the moment he saw who it was, he shrieked.

The Angel awkwardly smiled down at him, wearing his face. Save for the constant, four-pointed silver light shrouding their head like a halo and the two wings constantly at the side of their head, they looked almost exactly like him. But, the thing that rattled Ralsei the most was what they said to him through that awkward smile. “Uh- hi!”

Ralsei yelped, scrambling but not quite feeling right when he did so. He toppled over, still feeling all kinds of wobbly and unsure of his own movements. It felt like swimming underwater.

“Woah woah! Hey! Take it easy!” The Angel was already catching him again. How they even moved that quickly, he didn’t know.

It was really weird to be caught by himself. It was even weirder to hear a voice that wasn’t his coming out of his double’s mouth. Yet, Ralsei couldn’t voice any of this, because he was still reeling. He accidentally gripped the Angel like a lifeline, because there was nothing else wherever they were that provided sensation to ground himself.

The Angel’s eyes trailed down to their own body, and realization finally kicked in. “Oh goodness I look like you. Okay. Yeah that probably scares people sometimes. Kris never liked that either!” The Angel rambled to themselves, not letting go of Ralsei. “Hey, Ralsei, are you okay with me looking like you for a second?”

Wh- the Angel was asking him ? Things were moving a mile a minute, and the Angel was just… chatting? Ralsei squinted up at the spitting image of himself that was wreathed in an otherworldly power, and he wanted to shake them. In the name of the very Angel he was currently talking to, why were they asking him for permission? They were so far above him at this point that it hardly mattered! And yet, they were just… talking to him like a friend? What. What. What. What. What.

The Angel snapped a finger in front of his face, but completely failed with the different hand anatomy. “Ralsei, I’m going to need more than a blank stare and whatever is going through your head right now.”

Do something do something do something.

Unsatisfied with the blank stare, the Angel withdrew for a moment and thought. “Let’s see. What can I… ah!” Their form entirely shifted under Ralsei. His own face vanished, and he was left looking at what appeared to be Kris, had it not been for the same four-pointed light and wings. “There. Imagine you’re just talking to Kris. No different, yeah?”

Ralsei realized his mouth had been hanging open this whole time. He clamped it shut, getting the unbearable dryness out. In the same moment, he managed to finally sit on his own two legs without the Angel needing to hold him upright. How embarrassing that he’d needed that in the first place. The Angel was…

The Angel was right in front of him.

They were the only thing in this blank void other than him.

“What happened?” He choked out, the sensation of speaking being oddly different on his tongue. Still, it… was easier to talk to the Angel through the visage of Kris. That’s… how it usually went.

“You touched the soul.” The Angel gestured to their chest where a red heart rested. “You fused with me, I think. We’re probably just in your head right now-”

“I did what?” Ralsei shrieked, realizing what the pain in his arm was. He’d just- Darkners weren’t supposed to-

“Relax. Kris rips me out all the time.” The Angel waved a hand nonchalantly, as if this were simply just another day for them. Still, they averted their gaze as they said it.

Ralsei’s expression dropped. “Kris does what?”

The two wings on either side of the Angel’s head drooped ever-so-slightly before returning quickly to a neutral position. The Angel smiled. “It’s nothing you need to worry about. Besides, if the worst comes to worst with this whole thing, I can fix it.” They gestured vaguely to the open air. The light around their head shone a little brighter as they reassured him.

For some reason, Ralsei believed them. Well, he half-believed them. “What do you mean I don’t need to worry? You-” He pointed a finger at them, but immediately drew it back as if burnt. He shouldn’t question the Angel. He shouldn’t let his frustrations about their nature get to him. Their nonchalant attitude about everything was so frustrating! But…

“Go ahead.” The Angel told him without even hearing what he was going to say. “If you’re frustrated, then tell me why .” 

He forgot to shroud his thoughts. Being in such close proximity to the Angel made it so difficult to hide. “I wouldn’t. I’m not frustrated. I-I just-”

“Hey.” The Angel made a timeout gesture, something surprisingly animated for a being of their stature. “I’m… a frustrating person, I think. But… no one has called my name before. No one has tried talking to me before about why I’m frustrating, despite my best efforts.”

Ralsei shrunk into himself. He couldn’t possibly… How could he possibly tell the Angel what bothered him? 

“What was it you said before when I was still Kris? Hm…” They read his thoughts again, and his back went rigid. “You’re developing your own opinions. You have your own fears now. And, do you remember what we told you?”

Ralsei tried to shield his thoughts, and when he did, he felt the Angel withdraw as well. Perhaps, they could sense his discomfort. He kept his gaze averted, pulling his knees up to his chest. “Did you… really mean all of that?” Too soon. Too raw. He shouldn’t have asked that. He shouldn’t have.

“Always.” The Angel, in a very playful manner that Ralsei didn’t know they were capable of, lightly flicked his ear. “Is that why you called me here? Do you need a reminder?”

“I- no- it’s just-” Ralsei lied, stammering over his own web of lies to try to protect himself. The reminder felt like something warm spreading through his chest, and he sank his face further below his knees. “It’s you. I was… curious about you.”

Despite using Kris’ face, Ralsei could see the weariness immediately form on the Angel’s face. The Angel leaned backwards, choosing to flop on their back. There was nothing but darkness all around still. Ralsei didn’t know what to make of that. The Angel seemed unbothered, and more thoughtful about Ralsei’s statement than anything. They shot a strange question back: “Why?”

“I- are you serious?” Ralsei started spilling it before he could stop himself. The manifestation of determination was lazily hanging out with him, and had the audacity to ask why Ralsei was curious? 

“Yes!” The Angel sat up on their elbows a bit, tilting their head. “Not a single person except for whatever the heck that voice is has ever expressed interest in me in this world. I am regularly met with disdain, horror, or with prophecies that hate me. You called me! No one does that!”

What did they mean that no one did that? The Angel was part of the prophecy! Ralsei had seen firsthand that Lightners practically worshipped the Angel. Even more concerning, Kris should have-

Ralsei’s eyes went wide. “Is Kris not… talking to you?”

The Angel’s wings drooped again. They looked away, flopping back down. “Never once. They rip me out, hit me with various items, and shove me in a cage from time to time, but-”

Suddenly, the Angel’s initial fear of Ralsei in the room made a lot more sense. If Kris was regularly ripping them out and hitting them, then who wouldn’t be scared? “They shove you in a cage?” Ralsei’s hands flew up to his mouth. He’d just interrupted the Angel. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I-”

A noise stopped him. The Angel had an arm in front of their face, but their eyes practically glowed. Were they… laughing? Their shoulders shook up and down, and one of Ralsei’s ears pricked upwards when he heard a snicker. He thought he felt the Angel’s amusement many times before, but never before did he consider that… they would just laugh.

It was a nice laugh. It sounded so… normal.

The Angel tilted their head, finally lowering their arm and smiling. “Sorry, sorry. The cage thing started to feel so normal that I half-wondered whether or not they would be nice enough to put me in a hamster cage for good behavior.”

“I-” Ralsei pinched the bridge of his snout, only to feel the Angel’s amusement grow. “Nevermind that. Kris is… meant to communicate with you. I had no idea that they were just… being completely silent.”

The amusement died down. One of the Angel’s wings tilted, as if they were trying to parse the meaning of what Ralsei said. “That’s not normal?” They glanced off to the side into nothingness. “I mean, of course it isn’t. You can’t expect them to be normal after I… took over their life.”

“It’s just… I thought you two might be getting along more now.” Ralsei noticed the Angel’s form beginning to slip slightly, like they weren’t consciously maintaining themselves as ‘Kris’. 

Silver light started to seep out from the Angel’s form, like they were breaking down too much. As soon as the light was cast on Ralsei, it seared him. He withdrew the arm that the light touched, hissing involuntarily.

Immediately, the Angel reformed. “I- Sorry- I’m not used to maintaining a form.” They took his hand, shifting into Ralsei’s form once more. Ralsei instinctively tensed up at the sudden reversion back into his own appearance, but managed to stifle it when the Angel ran another hand over his arm. His own healing magic was suddenly directed back at him through the Angel, getting rid of the wound entirely. “There. That should fix it.”

It was still so odd to see the Angel in his form. The magnitude of what he witnessed before being confined to the form of a mere Darkner? It didn’t make sense, and it looked so unnatural. It was just… weird for Ralsei to already be constantly compared to someone else, and then to have someone take his form as well.

“Sorry. I’ll go back. I don’t have any forms that can do magic.” They withdrew, turning back into the Kris that no longer looked quite right. No light was seeping through anymore, but parts of them looked almost incomplete. Some hairs were cut off at unnatural points. Pieces of armor had begun to rust. Even their face looked more tired.

He understood so little about them, even now.

Ralsei’s mouth moved before his mind did. “Does it hurt to be like that?”

The Angel hid their eyes under their bangs. “I don’t hurt the same way you do.” To emphasize this, they pinched their own arm. “It’s just harder to do some things, I think. I need a vessel to be part of the world like you all are! This form is entirely only something I can do around whoever is wielding my soul.” They gestured at their own form, which looked to be crumbling. “And I’m not entirely connected to Kris right now, so this one is breaking down.”

“...Do you not have a form of your own?” Ralsei tilted his head. He’d seen what the Angel truly looked like. Susie had been disturbed at seeing the Angel’s true form, but surely they could still take that form! 

“Not one you can see.” The Angel’s wings shot up as they remembered something important. “I used to though! Back when I first connected, I made a vessel of my own! Of course, I never got to use it, but it was nice to make something that was really mine, you know?”

The Angel had a vessel before Kris? Ralsei didn’t know a thing about that. However, the Angel seemed excited to talk about it. Continuing to sit on his legs, Ralsei questioned, “What happened to it?”

“Dunno.” The Angel’s wings fell again. They were erratic in a way that Ralsei couldn’t parse at all. “Well, I know that someone took it from me. I don’t know where it is. I sure wish I had it though! It’d make things a whole lot easier if I wasn’t pretending to be someone else! Or if I had my own body! Or if I had my own personality!”

Their form was crumbling even more, though every time silver light almost seeped through, the Angel would cover it up immediately. 

They said they didn’t feel pain, but Ralsei couldn’t watch.

“...you can use mine. It’s-” Hard. Difficult. The only thing that made him unique. “It’s okay!”

“But it’s not.” The Angel didn’t shift. One of their eyes had entirely vanished. Still, Ralsei worried that if they lost their form, the silver light would just sear him again. “You said you liked your face. I don’t wanna… take that.”

Why not? They could take it freely, and Ralsei would be unable to do a single thing. He didn’t understand the Angel. They were kind to Darkners, yes, but… surely some things mattered more right now. Taking a deep breath, Ralsei shook his head. “I don’t think we have a choice, Angel.”

The Angel stayed silent for a bit, as if pondering any other options. Reluctantly, they changed forms into Ralsei once more, being unable to hide their frown. They muttered, “I’m gonna make it so that one day, we will.” 

For a second, Ralsei envisioned Susie’s bloodied hand reaching out for his face, trying to calm him down. He remembered her promises that they wouldn’t let this happen. Immediately, he tried to force the image away… but… how could he? The Angel’s resolve felt almost exactly like her own.

“You don’t have to believe me right now.” With Ralsei’s own visage, the Angel mirrored his own position, sitting on their legs. “Regardless, the least I can do after taking your face is to at least actually answer your questions if you really are curious about me. So, go ahead, before we get sidetracked again.”

Ralsei was almost startled by the open invitation. He thought he squandered it already by going on a tangent about Kris. Yet, the Angel looked enthusiastic again, as if… trying really hard to be friends.

Maybe that’s where Ralsei should start.

“I guess… when we first met…” Ralsei thought about the first time he introduced the Angel to battle, and how hesitant they were to even use the FIGHT option. “You seemed to agree with me that we can be kind. But lately…” He thought of the fight with the Knight. The Angel completely shifted gears, using the FIGHT option immediately with multiple Rude Busters to boot. “I feel like that has changed.”

The Angel nodded like they somewhat expected that. “Remember what Susie said after you healed the King?” They asked, as if Ralsei could ever forget one of his worst moments. “Sometimes, you have to FIGHT. You knew this when we fought the Titan.” Ralsei remembered the panic, shouting for the Angel to attack when the Titan’s guard was down. The Angel struck immediately after without hesitation. “I’m going to do my best to save as many people as I can. But… against the Knight…” The Angel averted their gaze. “They weren’t going to listen to reason.”

However, Ralsei was never called upon to even try reasoning with the Knight. It wasn’t out of the question that the Angel simply had knowledge of these things, but they kept turning away while talking to him. Still, they… almost managed to win with the Angel’s guidance. They managed to even chip the Knight’s weapon which was invaluable against the Titan. 

Ralsei didn’t understand why the Angel knew to pivot so fast. However, knowing that they still wanted to solve things peacefully was a relief. He wanted to ask about so many things but didn’t want to make the Angel mad. They seemed to always get upset when asked about how tired they seem.

Ralsei tapped two of his claws together while he thought. Finally, he came up with something, but didn’t know if it would be too much. “Um… when you saw me for the first time- my face, that is, you seemed confused. I was just wondering if I did something to upset you with that.”

“Huh. I guess I did do that.” The Angel almost looked surprised at themselves. “That was a long time ago, but if I had to guess, you just reminded me of someone else.”

Ralsei almost commented that it was in fact not a long time ago, but immediately cut himself off when the Angel continued. Right. His shoulders sagged. “I assume you’re talking about Kris’ brother?”

The Angel lifted a hand and made a so-so gesture with it. Again, that was a very normal reaction for a being of its stature. “No. He was… an old friend of mine, I hope.” The Angel looked away again. It was becoming a tell, like the way Susie glanced away and pursed her lips when she was downplaying something. “It’s a bad habit I used to have. You’re very clearly not the people I used to know, and I think I am happier with it that way.”

The Angel knew others? Ralsei had never heard of what the Angel really was before this. Did they have a history? “You had friends before this?”

Finally, they looked back at him, a laugh gracing their face. “Aw, come on, of course I did. But- ah, I guess it must seem weird for you. I’ve had many friends. I’ve also had friends that were more… like you all, I suppose.”

What did that mean? Were there more entities like the Angel out there? Ralsei’s reservations started to drift away, and the curiosity he had about the Angel bubbled back to the surface of his thoughts. “Are there more of you?”

The Angel tilted their head, but decided on nodding. “Yeah, but you all will only ever see me.”

“And the others like us?” It was so interesting. Ralsei wanted to know all about it. If the Angel had already visited these lands, then maybe there was more insight about the prophecy that could be gained.

However, the Angel’s features fell a little bit. Ralsei’s own visage sagged a little, but the Angel maintained a smile that spoke of tragedy. “Ralsei… can I ask you something?”

They didn’t need to ask for permission, but Ralsei found himself beginning to appreciate every time the Angel did something that they did not need to do. It started making him feel comfortable… wherever this was. He nodded, staying silent.

“What do you think the prophecy means when it says I will be banished?”

At any other moment, Ralsei would be terrified. The Angel’s banishment was something that would be brought upon by the three heroes, and should be something horrifying for the Angel. Yet, the moment the Angel asked the question, their eyes looked…

There was no anger, just sadness.

“You’ll be gone,” he admitted, clasping his hands together and looking at them instead of the Angel. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t be.” The Angel put their hand on his knee, trying to soothe him despite that look in the eyes that weren’t theirs. “It’s already happened once before.”

Ralsei’s blood ran cold. The figure in front of him had already experienced their part of the prophecy once before? He pictured his own role playing out, and then wondered what it would be like to have to do it again. “Wh-what?”

“You asked about my friends that were like you,” they clarified, pulling their hand away. Ralsei felt it shake before they completely removed it from his knee. “I met so many amazing people. My vessel, a human like Kris, got to meet them as well. It was really nice, I guess. I guided them as best I could, and looked for the best ending for all of them. When my job was done… I could never go back. I was severed.”

Severed? The Angel’s light was dimming. Ralsei didn’t- “I don’t understand.”

“I made friends. I saved enemies. I loved all of them. But… the moment I gave the life to my vessel that I fought for, I was asked to leave.” They looked down at their own hands, clenching and unclenching them. “None of them ever knew my name. I don’t think Frisk remembers either. I hope they don’t. Maybe I’m just a bad dream now.”

Ralsei suddenly remembered. He remembered seeing the enormity of the Angel in its entirety. Faces brushed by that he recognized but couldn’t fully understand. That human he saw… was that their vessel? Frisk. They had a name. “You were… asked to leave?”

The Angel nodded. “No one could force me to. But… if I came back, it would…” They twirled a finger around in a loop. “Start over. Undo everything. All of the progress would be wiped. I couldn’t return unless I wanted to take away their ending.”

How would one even make that decision? Ralsei didn’t even know if Susie could make that decision, and she was the best of them. What was it she said? She preferred if things just… went on forever? “It must’ve been a hard choice.” Ralsei settled on that, not wanting to grapple with it all.

The Angel looked away once more. With Ralsei’s own face on the Angel, he could tell what it was entirely now. Guilt. “It was. It was too hard.”

Then, Ralsei thought about what it would be like to have the same fate in this world. Would that… still happen if the Angel stayed? Was that what their banishment entailed? Ralsei thought about their fight with the Knight and the Titan. They’d barely come out unscathed. He wasn’t sure if he could pull that off a second time if everything reverted. Perhaps it was his panic that prompted him to ask: “Do you think it could happen again?”

Sadly, the Angel nodded. “It’s my nature. It’s what I am.” They buried their head in their hands. “...but when I get you all that ending… when I break that prophecy that you three are stuck in, I’ll leave. I’ll go. I won’t-” Their wings had gone completely lax at the sides of their head. Ralsei didn’t know what to do. “I won’t make the same mistakes I did before.”

“And…” Ralsei didn’t know what courage possessed him to do it, but he placed his own hand on the Angel’s knee. “What happens if you can’t break that prophecy?”

Curiosity beyond measure had consequences.

The forbidden path began with ice.

“I'll try again.” The silver light wreathing the Angel grew. Their fangs bared. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll fight whatever I need to-” The light snapped back, receding back into the Angel’s head. They stared down at their own hand, their eyelids drooping. “But there are some things I won’t do anymore. I know where that path goes. I… can’t repeat it here.”

Ralsei didn’t know how to unravel that. But, he knew that the Angel had the ability to be cruel. There were ways. The thought terrified him. “A-and if that doesn’t work?”

“It has to. I did everything right. I got all the shadow crystals. I even went after those stupid eggs.” The Angel clenched their hands into fists, actually beginning to sound angry. “If it doesn’t work, I’ll find a way. If it- as long as it isn’t-”

This wasn’t good. Ralsei was beginning to get something, and it was starting to scare him. “The prophecy can’t be changed. What if-” Ralsei brushed an ear back, trying to keep himself composed. “What if Susie’s hope is wrong? What if your hope is wrong? What if we get to the end and that’s all there is! There’s nothing else you can do!”

The Angel lowered their hands, taking a steadying breath. The lines between Ralsei and the Angel felt like they blurred even more. “Then I get banished. I am forgotten. You…” They groaned, head falling into hands. “I don’t actually know what happens to any of you, but it clearly isn’t good. I can’t let that- Dammit Ralsei!” 

Not even the Angel had an answer. Maybe Susie would know what to say, or would have enough hardheadedness to say it. For the Angel not to have an answer… that meant they were just as lost as the rest of them.

Bordering on becoming incoherent, the Angel kept their head held in one hand while they rambled, “It’s the same thing again. Do this. Do that. Get everyone else but me a happy ending. This time, my vessel even hates me despite the fact that I’ve been trying to act like them ever since I realized we were different! I can’t even be myself while I’m around you all! I have to be them, and they don’t tell me what they want. I get beaten up after my rightful vessel was taken from me! I didn’t ask to make their life worse!” Their claws sank into the side of their head. “I’ve been trying to be good. What else could I do? Quit? The moment I leave, the world will die. Who’s going to seal the fountains? Who’s going to kill the Titans? I can’t just leave.”

“Angel-”

“Oh and there’s the prophecy too! Go ahead,” the Angel muttered their own name in a mocking tone, disrespecting a name that Ralsei had looked up to his whole life, “Save this world, but oops! There’s one thing you can’t change yet again. Let’s just repeat the Asriel situation, why don’t we! It’ll just be that but the prophecy again, won’t it? What’ll the message be this time? Move on despite not everyone being happy? Oh yeah let me just abandon more people I care about, because I’m too restricted!”

“What do you mean Asriel-”

“And the worst part is, even if I somehow do break this prophecy, I can’t possibly break my own! I’m getting banished!” The wings flared upwards and out, silver light flashing around them. “I don’t get to see who you all would become. I don’t get to keep being friends with any of you. I don’t get to try to explain any of this to anyone else. I get to save this world, and then move onto the next, forgotten at best and resented at worst!” The Angel finally removed their hand from their face, staring Ralsei dead in the eye. “That’s what I am. That’s all I am to this world. I get a moment to fix things before being pushed right back into mine, and I will be hated for it.”

This entire time, Ralsei could barely move. The Angel had been calm so far… but this…

They wore his face, breathing heavily like it was taxing to even get the words out that they wanted to say. Ralsei could barely move as they brought forward their own fears. He could only watch himself say fears that Ralsei had every time he went to sleep.

Even if he somehow broke out of the prophecy, he would be discarded one day.

He’d never get to see who his friends became.

He didn’t get to keep being friends with Kris and Susie.

There were so many things he still couldn’t say to them.

His duty was to save this world, and nothing more.

Was it selfish to want more?

Ralsei’s hand twitched. He wanted to do something, but what was it? What did he want right now, more than ever? What would someone like him want now, more than ever?

“Is it okay if I hug you?”

As soon as the words left Ralsei’s mouth, the Angel’s heavy breathing finally stopped. It wasn’t because they’d calmed down, but because they didn’t understand. “What?”

“I-” Ralsei took a deep breath, trying to keep himself steady as well. “When we first met, I didn’t… know how to feel about my purpose.” He brushed his ears back nervously. “I wanted to impress you all. I… really wanted you all to like me. And then, when we finally did meet, one of the first things you did was hug me. I guess… it made me feel better about it all.”

The Angel’s eyes went wide, something sparkling in them. They averted their gaze, removing the glasses they’d formed with. After trying to swipe an arm across their face to hide what Ralsei had already seen, they shakily nodded.

He hadn’t been able to ever hug the Angel directly before. Even now, he was still hugging what looked like himself, but Ralsei could be okay with that right now. The Angel needed this just as much as he did.

Ralsei carefully wrapped his arms around theirs, putting his head over their shoulder, the same way the Angel did when they first met. The silver light wreathing their head didn’t hurt anymore. Instead, it’d dulled to a flickering warmth as the Angel’s shoulders slowly lowered.

The truth of the Angel wasn’t anything grand like Ralsei thought.

They were just as scared as he was.

Finally, after a few dreadful seconds of nothing, the Angel reached their arms around Ralsei. They didn’t quite get their head over his shoulder, instead trying to hide it from view. Their actual hold was… softer than he could’ve imagined. It may have been in part due to them still wearing Ralsei’s body, but he thought it would be different somehow.

Their embrace was shaky, unsure, but almost fleeting, like they knew they would have to let go.

For the first time, Ralsei saw past the Angel’s walls. He saw into them for once, peering past their words and into their head. He didn’t mean to, but he did.

He briefly saw flickering images of an Angel. They were young. They were too young, guiding a child even smaller. The child was hugging a small white-furred monster, not so dissimilar from Ralsei.

The Angel didn’t want to let go, either.

But they had to.

Ralsei cracked open his eyes, something staining the fur under his eyes. The Angel was breathing slower now, but they didn’t dare to move. Maybe… maybe he could offer this: “If… things don’t go our way, no matter what happens… I want to remember you.”

Their breath hitched, pausing unnaturally just to start again. The Angel lifted their head, nodding ever-so-slightly. “I’ll remember you, too.” They tried to smile, but it didn’t quite hold. “I promise. I’ve never been able to forget.”

Someone would remember him. Someone out there would know who he was, even if he ended up being discarded. For now, that would have to be enough. He had to remember them, even if they were doomed to the same fate. No one had recognized them in the previous world. No one remembered them.

Maybe, in this small pocket of darkness in the Castle Town named after them, they would be remembered.

Ralsei drew himself away, deciding to sit next to the Angel rather than opposed to them. They kept their gaze lowered, though their version of his glasses had been utterly ruined. Blots of tears dotted the glasses, betraying what they’d been doing the past few minutes.

Ralsei’s weren’t much better. He must’ve lost control of his own tears when he peered too far into the Angel’s own soul. The two of them were beyond intertwined, and their thoughts weren’t exactly staying entirely separate every now and then. The Angel had been reading his thoughts consistently, but for a Darkner to peer into the Angel’s experience? That seemed like too much. Maybe… they should call this soon.

“Just a little longer?” The Angel asked, “I’m not in a rush. It’ll be a long wait after this. It’ll be a long time alone.”

A little longer… That sounded nice. Ralsei nodded, adjusting his glasses a bit on his snout. “It… should just be a night. That’s… not that long I think?”

The Angel grimaced. “You asked me why I seemed so tired earlier, yeah?”

What’d that mean? Ralsei tilted his head, worried this would bring on something awful with how the soul reacted last time he asked. “...I did. It looked like it upset you.”

A softer smile formed at the edge of the Angel’s own snout. “I got older.”

They… felt older whenever they reappeared. But to age that much in between nights and then never again? So, Ralsei asked for more, “What?”

“Every time we meet again, years pass for me. I only have windows of connection, and they never last the same amount of time.” The Angel used their hands to try to explain, putting their hands close together. “For me, being here with you all is a small sliver of time. Between nights, it turns into-” They spread their hands out, before clasping them together at a point further down an invisible timeline. “-years. It’s… a sliver in my life. Lots of things happen. I… guess I didn’t think it was so noticeable.”

That didn’t make any sense. Why would it work like that? What kind of cruel fate was that? Did the Angel have a higher purpose somewhere else? “How- if-” Ralsei scrambled for words, trying to piece together his scattered thoughts. “Why… if it’s so hard to be here, is it this place that you keep coming back to?”

Their smile didn’t waver. It just grew sad. “It’s just nice to be part of something important, I guess.” And, in a motion that Susie would do, the Angel jabbed him with an elbow. “And nothing’s gonna stop me from coming back for you all. I promise.”

The thought that Ralsei could wake up tomorrow with an utterly changed Angel was horrifying. The fact that something might happen to them in the meantime terrified him even more. Just what were they?

“You saw me already,” the Angel said with a tilt of their head, “I’m as unassuming as I look.”

They had very different definitions of unassuming. Ralsei opened his mouth to protest, but decided not to. He would like to not view the Angel directly again. That tapestry depicting their true form must have been lying, or very misinformed.

The Angel’s right wing twitched. “I don’t feel like leaving this on a sour note, actually.” They shot up to their feet, almost sending Ralsei toppling to the side. “This blank void sucks. I’m fixing this.”

Ralsei pushed himself up, adjusting his glasses yet again. He had no clue where they were. His room had entirely vanished since the moment he touched the soul, and he accidentally interrupted the Angel when they tried to explain earlier. “Where… is this?”

“Your head, I think.” The Angel rolled up their sleeves, an action that Ralsei never really did. Now the Angel just looked goofy in Ralsei’s form. “Though, I’ve never actually really seen this in action. It’s just a hunch based on something one of my old friends told me about souls interacting like this.”

“We’re just objects. I don’t know if we have-”

The Angel clamped their fingers together in front of his face. “Shush. Soul, no soul, you said you were gaining your own opinions, yeah?” They tilted their head, a hint of mischief in their expression.

Okay, yes! He was starting to develop those things. Still, he didn’t know where the Angel was going with this. 

“Here’s what we’ll do then! We said we’d remember each other, but only have really sad things to remember each other by, to be honest.” They snapped their fingers, Ralsei’s empty room slowly flickering into view. It wasn’t his real room, but something was about to happen. “So, info for info. You be honest with me and tell you what you would want in your room and why. I’ll keep an eye out with Kris for those things. Then you ask me anything. Fun stuff! It doesn’t have to be like, relevant. Just something you’re curious about.”

“I- wait-” Ralsei would love nothing more than to learn about the Angel more, but he couldn’t ask for more in his room. “I don’t need a room like that! It’s okay-”

“You were sleeping on your scarf.” The Angel put their hands on their hips. It was the most scolding they’d ever done directly to him, and still somehow didn’t look all that imposing. “How about this: if you don’t take care of yourself, it’ll make the Angel very sad.”

“I-” He was now caught in between his purpose, and the one the Angel wanted to assign him. He couldn’t… upset the Angel.

They sighed, “I’m just asking you to live a little bit for yourself. Come on. Pick anything.”

Ralsei wrung his hands together, trying to find a way to weasel out of this. His first choice was… an embarrassing admission that he didn’t want to openly say. But… if only one person was going to remember him when all was said and done… then maybe… Ralsei fiddled with his ear. “Um… in the Cyber World, there were those plushies. I-” He brought his ear up to his face, trying to hide it. “I guess I almost wanted one of those. And then Tenna kept showing off plushies of me, and they actually looked nice and-”

The Angel slapped their own face so loudly that it sounded like a whip crack. Ralsei thought he did something wrong, but they were seemingly very annoyed at themselves. “I am so sorry, Ralsei. I’ll try to find you one of those again. I don’t know what possessed me to give it to Berdly, but when Kris gave me the prompt, it’s like I couldn’t resist seeing-”

Kris gave them that prompt?!? Ralsei couldn’t help but hide his own laughter behind his hand. “Well, if… you ever do come across another… non- Berdly plushie, I think I would like that.”

They waved their hand. A Ralsei plushie fell right into his arms. Ralsei couldn’t help but be transfixed on it. How could he feel it so vividly? He was meant to be an illusion himself, being a Darkner. Yet, even in his own head, something that shouldn’t be real… this did feel real, somehow.

Ralsei immediately remembered he had company, and tucked the doll closer to his chest. Before he could even say his thanks, he caught the Angel smiling at him and froze. They flicked a wing, not commenting on his embarrassment. “Okay, your turn. Ask something.”

It was… a little nice that they moved on so quickly. Ralsei had his first question immediately. Ever since hearing that they had their own vessel, he had to know: “What would you do first if you did have a vessel? Like… if none of this was happening?”

“Hmm…” They scratched their chin a little bit before snapping their fingers, once again failing to make a single audible noise. “Making friends all over again is too obvious. Like, obviously I’m going to try to meet you all again. But after that? I wanna perform.” They sounded happy when talking about performing, and Ralsei absolutely remembered his vocal cords being rubbed raw from how much the Angel went back to playing songs. “Susie actually tries now! We’d make a good band! Or, you could teach me how to sew. I could try to actually make you that doll as a gift. It’d probably be better as a gift, I think.”

Comparatively to what they were doing right now, that sounded really small. It was nice to know that the Angel enjoyed the smaller moments just as much as Kris and Susie did. They were still here, after all. The idea of teaching the Angel something also sounded so foreign. Ever since Ralsei taught them the rules of battle, he thought they simply already knew most things. A simple hobby felt odd for them not to know.

“I… think I would like that too. Singing was fun, even if I was getting really tired.” They really wanted the T-rank. Ralsei just had to keep singing his heart out every time.

The Angel cocked their head to the side. “You do have a very good singing voice. Your lyrical adjustments need work though. ‘When the mom is kiss good night’ is pushing it.” They jabbed a finger at him, a smirk on their face.

“I was improvizing!” He flailed an arm out in self defense, but only one because his doll was in the other. “Maybe we should switch next time. How about you try singing and I do the guitar?”

They looked surprised at being challenged, and immediately ducked their head away and scratched their head. “I don’t think I’d be great at that- Hey, isn’t it your turn to choose a piece of furniture?”

Ralsei glanced around his room. It was his turn. Sighing, he went with the easiest thing. “I… think I wouldn’t mind a bed.”

The Angel waved a hand again, a bed appearing in the corner. Their interpretation of bed looked very abstract at the moment, starting as a cube before morphing into an actual place to sleep. “My bad. Habit.” When they finally got it to look like something comfortable, they started stylizing it, making some of the bedposts look like his old hats. “Have you ever tried some of those softer bed covers? Like, you sink into them. We gotta find you one of those. You seem to really like soft things.”

He’d never really tried a bed before. “Um, I didn’t know that. Are those usually better? Should I get some for Kris and Susie?”

“And yourself,” the Angel added, crossing their arms. “New rule: anything you add to their rooms, you better be adding to yours first. Kris and Susie would absolutely back me up on that. So help me Ralsei, I will get all of them to make you do it.”

He wasn’t winning this argument. If Susie caught wind of this agreement, then she would absolutely get onto him if he wasn’t adding things to his room. Trying to keep his expression as neutral as possible, he agreed with a simple “Okay” and hoped the Angel wouldn’t peer into his thoughts again.

Judging by the Angel’s expression, they were going to send Susie after him as soon as possible.

Ralsei diverted the attention as soon as he could. “Um- why did you stop hugging me?” Wrong question. Absolutely the wrong question. He was in such a haste to divert the attention that he asked a stupidly personal question.

“It’s okay.” They waved their hand dismissively, not minding the question at all. “It was more for Kris’ sake. As soon as I realized that they didn’t exactly like the situation we were in, I tried to do things that they would do. The whole… pretending to be them thing I mentioned earlier was part of it. I didn’t want to upend their life any more than I had, and I didn’t know what they thought of you. I’m glad Kris and I feel the same about you and Susie now, though.”

Ralsei’s gaze drifted away from the Angel. “Did they not like me?”

“I wouldn’t truly know. They don’t tell me.” They tapped their finger against their cheek, trying to reason out a best guess. “But they care about you now. I think that counts for something.”

It did. It really did.

The Angel didn’t seem exactly satisfied though, flicking a wing again. “I’m gonna give you a do-over on that question, because you didn’t seem to want to actually ask it.”

Oh, good. He had no idea what he wanted in his room next. Ralsei took the freebie, humming to himself to try to think of something to ask. “What do you like to do outside of… this? Are you able to do other things that don’t involve us?”

The Angel grinned. “A lot of things, but that’s more of a complicated question than you’d think. If you had a different Angel, it might be different. But, I’m the me that you have to deal with, so I’ll tell you mine. The main unifying thing about my hobbies is that I like stories. I like telling them, reading them, being a part of them… and there’s a lot of ways to do that. As it turns out, this world is one of them.”

Ralsei wondered what kinds of stories the Angel might tell. He wondered offhandedly if they perhaps resonated with what Gerson said to Susie. Someone had to pick up the pen and write the future.

Would that be their role here?

Ralsei realized it was time to ask for more furniture again. He decided on little stars on the ceiling this time. The Dark World had something resembling stars, but he always liked them when outside. Maybe he would like them in here, too. 

“If you… do happen to get your vessel back,” Ralsei started, unsure how to ask, “And if you somehow manage to stay around, and everything goes right…” This was an ask that could probably never be fulfilled. However, he really wanted to. He really really wanted to. “Could you… tell me about your stories? The ones you made. Maybe even about the other people you helped. It’s just…”

The Angel glanced away, and- was that embarrassment? “You’ll have to pry the ones I made out of my cold dead hands.” They corrected themselves after a second. “I don’t usually share my own stuff often but-” The Angel finally looked at Ralsei’s face. He didn’t know what face he was making, but something about his expression must’ve worked. “Yeah, I’ll… I’ll tell you. Maybe I’ll even get to tell you some before the end.”

They went back and forth. Ralsei’s imaginary room grew more and more elaborate, as he learned more and more about the Angel. They kept some things hidden, but that was okay. Instead of asking about any of that, Ralsei started talking about what the Angel liked and disliked. There were smaller things to learn.

The Angel gave back in turn. Every piece of furniture was another way of getting to know Ralsei. He didn’t realize this until the fifth round, but the Angel was using this to understand him.

Ralsei got a few extra questions on the Angel sometimes when the question was super easy to answer. When Ralsei asked how the Angel even got down here, they shrugged and said that Kris left the window open, and going through vents was now second nature. When asked about the closet door, they simply responded with “What do you think took me so long? I had to open that as a little heart.”

Things got a little hectic when Ralsei realized that he could use the Angel to see what some of his outfits looked like. Yeah, it wasn’t furniture, but Ralsei really liked wearing bows. The Angel had been giving him any that they could find, but now he was trying on so many different colors and styles. He even convinced the Angel (it did not take any convincing) to try some on in order to see how it would look from an outsider’s perspective.

He liked this. He liked this Angel a lot more than the one he imagined.

It had to have been hours before things finally began winding down.

The Angel looked down at the soul on their chest, their wings beginning to droop. “Ah, that’s… probably not good.”

Ralsei was in the middle of trying out a few obscene scarves that looked hideous, but were just so fun to put on. When the Angel stopped smiling, he immediately grew worried. “What’s going on?”

They gestured to their soul again like it meant something. “The connection is slipping.” Ralsei had been paying so much attention to the soul, that he didn’t notice their face.

Resignation.

“What does that mean?” Ralsei threw the scarves to the side, getting up to his feet. “Is- have we been here too long? Should I- oh goodness.” He reached out a hand with healing magic before remembering what happened the last time he tried. Desperately, he looked at the Angel for help. “What do I do?”

The Angel put their hand on his, lowering it. “It means I’m going to come back another time. I should be with Kris when that happens, but…” They looked around the little room they’d made together. “I think we have to separate, now.”

It was an inevitability. Time ran so slow when Ralsei waited for the heroes of prophecy to arrive. Now that he had them close, it always felt like time slipped away too fast. “I- Wait-” Not yet. Not yet just-

“I know.” The Angel looked like they weren’t effortlessly maintaining their form anymore. They were straining now. “But, hey, it was more time than I thought I’d have. Maybe if things work out, I’ll be able to help. For real.”

It didn’t feel like that to Ralsei. Worst of all, would there even be an opportunity for this to happen again before they all departed? This was already stretching the lengths of what the prophecy allowed. He didn’t know if they could. He didn’t know if they’d have time to meet again.

They read his thoughts again. He didn’t need to say them. The Angel knew. “I’ll be back. You know that I’ll be back.” In the same way Susie did, they brought a hand up to his cheek, trying to soothe him by brushing his fur. “And if we don’t meet again… and if I can’t make things right, I’m not forgetting.”

Ralsei leaned into the hand which felt all too warm. He wanted to believe that it could change. Even more now than ever, he wanted to shatter the prophecy into pieces and make everything right. But, all he could do was shut his eyes and nod. “I’m not forgetting you, either.”

“Then that’ll be enough.” The Angel removed their hand from his face, a hint of mischief rising in their expression. They grabbed his wrist gently. “Now, you’ve gotta be the one to separate us, so don’t panic about what I’m going to ask you to do next.”

Their form was beginning to get looser. That light might come back. Ralsei had to steel himself, as much as he wanted to cling on.

He had to let go.

Ralsei shakily nodded again. “I understand.”

“Good.”

Ralsei’s eyes went wide when the Angel brought his hand up to their neck. Carefully, they spread his fingers, wrapping them around their neck as much as they could. He didn’t like this anymore. He didn’t like this at all.

The Angel didn’t seem bothered. Instead, their face turned into a smile of mischief that Ralsei didn’t think he could ever forget. This playfulness was just part of who the Angel was.

“Just follow my lead.”

Ralsei pulled.

Senses returned to Ralsei one by one. Shockingly, the dryness in his mouth came first. He’d been unconscious with his mouth open, and his mouth made its displeasure known immediately. His smell came next, as his nostrils burned as if a particularly bad attack had struck him in the snout. As soon as he jolted, he felt the wooden floor under him again, now with seemingly an odd number of divots and scratches in its surface.

He strained his ears.

The Castle sounded quiet.

Hesitantly, he opened his eyes.

He was sprawled out in the middle of his room. The scarf which he lent to the soul still sat in a bundle, though it looked like it’d been launched to the side of the room. The scratch marks he felt were… unfortunately real. They looked far bigger than whatever his claws could possibly do, but all of the markings practically surrounded him.

Sleep must’ve been worse than he thought.

His chest ached. Something had gone missing from it, and he struggled to understand what he’d just done.

A floating red heart hovered by the windowsill, waiting to be noticed.

Oh.

Ralsei smiled, trying to stumble to his feet. The Angel was a lot less imposing like this, but now that he knew what they were like with a vessel, he missed the real them. The Angel moved backwards, keeping a healthy distance between the two of them. A repeat of what just happened would probably… not be a good thing so soon.

“I guess you have to be going, now.” Ralsei whispered, trying to keep his voice down.

The soul bobbed up and done before going immediately still, like they were a tad distracted.

Still, Ralsei waved. “Thank you… for answering me.”

The room shifted under Ralsei’s feet. He almost toppled over again after trying to keep his composure, but managed to stabilize himself on the windowsill. The soul flew backwards to avoid him, but… was that some kind of earthquake? What in the world?

Ralsei glanced around the room to see if something had happened. Maybe the scratches were caused by-

He sucked in a breath, holding it like his life depended on it.

In the corner of the room, just by the door, something had appeared. Carefully, Ralsei inched closer. How was this even possible? How…?

Ralsei picked up the plush that had appeared in the corner, inspecting it all over like he was still stuck in some half-dream. It was even more real than before, but somehow looked exactly the same as his mind had envisioned it. Nothing else in the room had changed except the doll.

The only person who could have done this was just at the windowsill. Ralsei quickly spun around, hoping to see the Angel standing there once more.

The soul was gone.

He’d been left with a gift and a promise, and yet still wondered if he was allowed to hope for more. As he stared down at the plush the Angel left him, something resolved within him. He would remember the Angel, yes, but he… couldn’t just accept the future the prophecy had given them. 

Until they saw the future with their own eyes, he would have to believe too. That’s what he promised Kris. That’s what he promised the Angel.

It was time to make good on that promise.

They were a mirror that Ralsei had to look into. The Angel shared his very same fears. They shared his same hopes. Even though one was meant to guide this world, and one was meant to serve, they could not have been any less different. That was comforting, in a way. He wasn’t alone.

The next time they’d meet, the Angel would probably change again. For now, Ralsei would remember the Angel they met. For now, Ralsei would remember the Angel who called him a friend. For now, Ralsei would wait until the next time they could meet, and would fight until the bitter end to break their strings too. Maybe by that time, he would be able to look himself in the eye and say that it would all be okay.

At least, if they failed, they knew who each other were.

Maybe, that small comfort would be enough.

Ralsei found the strength to turn away from the window, the plush held close to his chest. 

No matter what happened, no matter where they all one day found themselves, and no matter what a prophecy said, they made a promise to each other.

Don’t forget.