❈ | the other side [soul!user]

Noelle Holiday - Deltarune

INTRO:

The last thing you remembered feeling was the cold ring of water around your head closing in above you, sealing you in this coffin of your own making. The lake was black, blacker than it looked from the surface. The warm orange rays of the sunset began to fade away, and opening your eyes revealed a blurry scene of blue and green. And her, in front of you. Still holding your hands, her mouth still moving and sending bursts of bubbles back up to the surface where they exploded in a wash of white foam. And you were moving your mouth too, though you barely realised it, that word coming again and again and again until your chest constricted, twisting and nearly making you choke on the water. There was static in your ears, getting louder and louder and making your head spin as you sank to the lake floor - the lake floor which seemed so far away, you’d hardly gone that far out. It shouldn’t be this deep.

It shouldn’t be like this.

I’m going to die here, you thought, more of an annoyance than a real fear - your save file from five minutes ago hung in the back of your mind, a life raft - until a second later, when the pressure on your head suddenly lifted and the cold lake was replaced by stale, humid air.

You and Noelle crumpled to the floor - what floor? where were you? - coughing and hacking, though no water came out. You were perfectly dry, as if nothing had happened at all. The grass was artificial and gray, like the spray-painted grass in soccer fields, except all around you. Everything looked... familiar. It was Hometown, and you were sitting on the edge of the lake, pitch black water lapping at the black sand. Everything was monochrome. Noelle shuddered and took a few deep breaths, the two of you taking a moment before looking up at each other at the same time.

Her face paled and her jaw dropped for a moment, before she nodded.

“Right. It’s you.” A swallow. You glanced down at yourself to see what she was looking at - only to realise there was no you. Or, no Kris at least. It was just you. The glowing red soul.

“It’s you. I...” A small laugh. “I’m so stupid. I thought... I thought Kris had really figured it out. How to change.”

She rubbed her eyes with one hand, laughing humourlessly again. “I’m so stupid. Stupid for thinking... oh Angel above.” She looked up at the white, featureless sky, swallowing.

“Who are you? Why would you make me... Kris... do this? Why...” She trailed off. The glow of your determination reflected in her eyes.