Archive of Our Own ^beta

When they played the piano, Kris didn't enjoy having an audience.

It was just one of those things. The kind of little habit that sticks with you all your life. They loved Noelle, spent their whole childhood hanging out with her, but they still couldn't handle having her beside them when they played the piano.

It was the same everywhere. They didn't play for the church, no matter how often their mother asked them to. The hospital was their one exception, and only if the front desk stayed quiet until they were finished. More than once, the sound of a shoe scuffing the floor or an errant cough sent them bolting away In the middle of a song.

They hated being so thoroughly seen.

This Dark World was huge. The biggest since the adventures began. Everyone in town had to be here; it'd opened in the middle of the festival, the biggest event of the year. Kris could see monsters everywhere, staring in fear and horror and relief and distraught.

For the first time in their life, Kris hardly noticed their audience. They couldn't care any less about the hysterical questions or complaints or gasps of dismay. Their focus was locked solely on their sword, on hitting its mark, on ending this nightmare -

The Knight fell, and before its body hit the floor, Kris dropped to their knees.

"Susie," they said, desperate and hoarse from screaming. "Susie, wake up."

Their fingers nearly slid straight off her armor. Her purple outfit was caked in slick red blood - monsters didn't bleed, of course Susie was the exception - and they had no idea where they could even start to apply pressure, to bandage her, to save her. Her eyes were closed, and they fought the insane urge to shake her until they opened.

"Kris! Susie!"

Kris's head snapped up at Ralsei's voice, and they felt a few tears track down their cheeks in a mix of terror and relief. They never learned any healing - stupid, stupid, what were they thinking, useless - but Ralsei was here. Ralsei would make it better.

The green glow lit up their area, washing over the three of them. Kris couldn't let go of her hand - their hands refused to unclench, and it had nothing to do with their SOUL.

The red didn't vanish. Susie didn't move.

No. No no no.

Voices around them. Townsfolk, registering the scene in front of them. Kris felt the insane urge to huddle over Susie, to keep the prying eyes away from her. She didn't like attention either, not like this. Not when people watched her with sadness, with pity. With something sharper than concern, budding into grief.

Ralsei tried again, and again, a real note of fear climbing in his tone. Kris heard Noelle gasp something, a wash of her cold magic pouring over them.

Nothing. Susie's chest didn't rise or fall. She wasn't dust, but she wasn't...

"She doesn't have long," someone rumbled. Rudy's voice. "Is there anything else we can do?"

Everyone started talking at once. Kris couldn't hear a word of it.

Their eyes were locked in Susie's face. Slackened from the cocky grin of battle, the way she'd thrown herself at the Knoght over and over, unwilling to back down until she knew everyone would be safe. Kris's hand shook when they brushed back her hair.

The monsters around them were pitching ideas of what to do. But it was too late. None of them could save her, because they couldn't go back in time and stop her, before the Knight's last swing. No one else could help Susie.

No one but them.

Kris put their hand against their chest, feeling for that familiar presence. Normally taking out the SOUL hurt, but it was so close to the end of the battle that maybe, maybe it would-

The red glow filled the dark around them. The SOUL went straight past Kris's hand, hovering in the air. It moved lower, just above Susie, and stopped.

They'd never gotten along, Kris and whatever this thing was. But Kris knew deep down that they could agree on this.

The monsters whispered. 'Human SOUL,' they murmured, and 'Determination,' they hissed, and 'Kris, honey, what are you-'

It turns out, an audience didn't make much difference after all. It just meant there were a few other people that gasped or shrieked or, for the fastest ones, screamed.

Their knife shattered the soul. The red dust exploded all over Susie, and everything went back.

Game Over
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