Chapter Text
The day started like any other. Kris woke up to their mother telling them they were going to be late, so they quickly got out of bed, went to the bathroom, and got ready for school.
Well... not really. It wasn't Kris doing all that. For years now, they have been a passenger in their own body, only getting brief faltering bouts of freedom by violently ripping their own Soul out.
Arriving at school, they prepare for another unremarkable day. A group project has been assigned before they got there, so Kris talks to their classmates, trying to find a partner to no avail. After a while, Ms. Alphys finally realizes she should be doing her job, standing up from her chair to address the class.
"H-hey class. We have a new student arriving later today, so make sure they get a warm welcome, a-alright...?"
That is wrong. Kris knows it. Deep down, somehow, Kris knows that that isn't supposed to happen. They feel the Invader stir at those words as well, dread rising in their gut.
When it takes interest in something, it never ends well...
Their train of thought is interrupted by Susie slamming the door open. This feels like they're back on track.
Susie and Kris are told to grab some chalk from the supply closet. Their body is moved by the Soul, intrigued by the new change.
Nothing interesting happens, though. Not to say the dark world and it's denizens aren't baffling, Kris spending a lot of time trying to wrap their head around what is even happening, but the Invader is moving with purpose through the Card Kingdom, almost like they know what's going to happen.
Meeting the prince and the... oddly round bad guy. Combat. Puzzles. Buying items from Seam, all of that is regarded by the Soul as familiar. Almost boring.
Eventually, Kris and Ralsei are confronted by the Dark Fun Gang, who have built the machine the Invader designed, only to blow it up and get ready for combat the old-fashioned way. Kris has no choice but to respect the commitment to the bit with a smile, even as their body moves into combat stance on its own.
The battle isn't hard, but the Soul is clearly distracted, about to get run over by Lancer's bike when he suddenly steers off-course, almost crashing into Susie as a throwing knife struck him in the side.
"Don't you dare hurt my friend!" An unknown voice says from the forest. Stepping out into the light, the figure is clad in leather armor with a metallic breastplate, a hood covering their face. In their hands are throwing knives, ready to attack again if needed. They quickly pull the hood back, revealing the fact they're a human of about Kris's age. Short brown hair frames their face, their skin similarly blue-shifted to Kris's.
The Invader feels an intense flurry of emotions in the span of a second. Shock, happiness, and pride all flash through it as it, for the first time since coming into Kris's life, smiles. It tilts its head slightly to the side, and the human immediately falls in line next to Ralsei, who is just as surprised at these events as everyone else.
"Who the HELL is this?" Susie asks, brandishing her ax. "Kris barely has any friends, and I've never even seen you around town!"
They glance at Kris, and the Soul gives them the slightest of nods. "I'm Frisk. I just moved in yesterday. I know Kris... from a long time ago." As they say this, they look down slightly.
"So uh... are we still going to fight?" Lancer asks impatiently, his bike starting to run out of fuel in the midst of the conversation.
( Frisk joined the party! )
The group suddenly launches into combat once again. With the added manpower, they are quickly able to put Susie to sleep and convince Lancer to stop fighting, Frisk immediately acting on the Invader's commands, as if it's second nature.
"Well, you didn't BEAT US, because you cheated by getting a new member in the middle of the fight, and you ganged up on Lancer with uh... kindness.
"But if I HAVE TO, I guess I'll go back to your side. But DON'T expect me to do anything but FIGHT." Susie asserts, moving next to Kris.
"Well, we're happy to have you back, Susie. And it's also nice to meet you... Frisk, was it?" Ralsei says, extending a hand towards the newcomer.
Frisk shakes his hand, nodding. "Any friends of... Kris are friends of mine!" They exclaim with barely restrained glee. Kris doesn't trust them. The Soul has been nothing but a curse to them for years, and if this person is as great of friends with them as they suggest, they must be bad news.
"So, uh, Kris... what is this place?" Frisk looks around at the surroundings. "I mean, it's nice and all, but I don't know how all this fits into the supply cabinet."
Ralsei launches into an explanation as the group walks through a path in the forest. Frisk doesn't take their eyes off Kris as they go.
"Wow! This is cool! I've never been on such a big team before!" Lancer says after Ralsei finished his loredump.
"Don't you have a legion of various guys?" Ralsei asks.
"Yeah, but my dad forced them to listen to me, so they don't like me very much..."
While Lancer, Ralsei, and Susie talk among themselves, The Soul moves closer to Frisk. "I... thought I'd never see you again." It says through Kris.
"Come on, like I'd ever let you explore cool places like these without me!" They say with a smile. "We make a great team, after all."
The Invader is silent for a few moments. "How did you know to get here?"
"I... had a bad feeling when you two didn't come back after first period ended, so I snuck off to the supply closet to see what happened. I fell into a hole... and woke up not long after close by to you guys." They shudder as they recount.
The Soul slowly wraps a hand around their shoulder in a never before seen show of affection. "I'm sorry you had to go through that again..." It says sorrowfully.
They walk like that in comfortable silence, tuning back in to the conversation happening behind them. The Fun Gang talks about fruit and friendship, Lancer's dad and the Fountain. Lancer suddenly excuses himself, rushing ahead. Susie and Ralsei start running, trying to keep up.
Frisk and the Invader pick up the pace as well. They are noticed by the Rudinn Rangers, who quickly start shooting magical projectiles at the duo. They look at each other with a smile as they break into a full sprint, quickly dodging the diamonds coming towards them.
They catch up to the group just as Lancer enters Card Castle, locking the gate behind him as the Rangers surround them, their bullets closing in-
Everything goes black.
When Kris regains consciousness they are in a prison cell with Ralsei and Frisk, who are also slowly getting up.
"Heheheh... You poor Lightners... We were told to keep you imprisoned for eternity... too bad! Would have loved to see you guys punished!" A Rudinn says before walking away.
"Ow... well... this is a fine how-do-you-do, isn't it?" Ralsei asks. "Imprisoned for eternity... That sounds like it might take a while... and Susie! Where's Susie?! We have to find her before she gets hurt!" He exclaims, springing to his feet. The Invader tilts their head at him. "We have to find her before she hurts someone else..?" He corrects, earning a nod from it.
Susie eventually comes to their rescue, the Soul helping out with the puzzle to let her out.
"Kris, are you worried about Susie?" Ralsei asks suddenly. "She'll be fine." The Invader responds.
"Regardless of how you feel, I don't think it'd hurt to take a moment to close your eyes, and think about what she's doing now..."
Kris gasps in a breath like they've just come up for air after being underwater. They're... they're in control again! It's gone!
"How... how did you do that?" They ask, slowly stretching their arms.
"I could see that they were making you uncomfortable, so I wanted to talk to the real Kris."
Frisk hums, slowly approaching Kris. "Nice to meet you." They extend a hand towards them, but Kris doesn't accept it. "I don't trust you. You're way too buddy-buddy with the thing that's been possessing me for years."
Frisk's mouth turns into a scowl. "Ungrateful. You have almost limitless power through them, and this is how you repay it?"
Kris's fists tighten. "You don't-"
"Guys! Guys!" Ralsei steps between them, hands raised. "We don't have time to argue! I'm sure everyone has reasons for why they feel the way they do, but right now, we should focus on sealing the Fountain! We can talk it out afterwards!"
Reluctantly, both humans back off, avoiding looking at each other. After a few more minutes, the Soul and Susie come back, opening the door. Frisk smiles slightly at the return of their friend, moving into step behind the party.
They move through the prison, eventually settling in for a long elevator ride back up the castle.
"Hey. Ralsei." Susie breaks the silence. "You know Lancer's dad... The King?"
"Yes..?"
"When we meet him... You think we'll have to... hurt him? I mean, I could EASILY smash him, but..." Susie casts her eyes downward, her words trailing off.
"From what I've heard, he's very set in his ways..." Frisk speaks up, their voice even. "People like that aren't able to be persuaded." They share a knowing look with the Invader.
"It will only hurt him for a moment. Just think of it like... a visit to the dentist."
"...a visit to the dentist." The Invader echoes, speaking the last words alongside Frisk in solemn recognition.
"Okay, that's creepy as hell. Did you guys rehearse that or something?" Susie crosses her arms while Ralsei looks at the two with curious eyes.
"I'm sure we can resolve this peacefully! With Susie and Frisk now with us, there's no challenge we cannot face!" He smiles confidently.
( Susie joined the party for real. )
Right as the group exits the elevator, the Soul turns around and steps back inside. With puzzled looks, everyone else follows as it presses a button they could swear wasn't there before.
They quickly arrive at their destination as the Invader moves down the gigantic staircase with practiced ease. Faint carnival music fills the air as they travel deeper, deeper, yet deeper.
At the bottom, they find a jail cell. Inside sits a dark figure dressed as a court jester, monologuing about freedom. His words dredge up uncomfortable memories for Frisk, an expression that both Kris and the Invader immediately notice.
"Find the key, and I'll let you be free, free." The jester says, all sanity visibly having abandoned them long ago.
"It's hidden from the eyes. The old shopkeeper knows a secret."
The Soul nods, quickly turning to go back towards where they came from with a determined look, leaving the rest of the group to exchange puzzled glances, unsure about what just happened.
But Frisk smiles softly. They finally found their friend, and they'll never let them go again.