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Kris really disliked the Soul. The thing that had been possessing them for four days at this point.
Not because it had done anything horrible. In fact, it had been pretty kind with everyone while it has been possessing their body.
Always seemingly choosing the best option possible, always trying to be helpful.
The reason why they disliked it was because, again, it was controlling their body.
It wasn’t a nice feeling being aware as someone, something, else controlled their body from within.
Sure. It probably had no bad intentions. One thing about having it inside of them, was that they supposedly felt what it was ‘feeling’. It mostly seemed to feel things like curiosity and good intent directed to anyone they met. They swore, however, that they could feel something akin to sadness.
But that was not the point.
The point was that even if it had no ill intentions, they really didn’t appreciate having it control their body.
They could still take it out of their body. And if they wanted to, they could get rid of it. But they needed it. For the plan to work. The plan they took part of, and for why they accepted to take the Soul and put it within them.
A plan that the Soul almost risked of finding out.
After the fight with the Knight, Kris had felt something coming from the Soul. A sense of confusion. And then suspicion after the fight had ended.
Then things didn’t get better once they were at Noelle’s house with Susie.
They tried to keep the Soul hidden. Putting it inside boxes so that they could have some minutes of freedom. But it started to snoop around, going through the vents,listening to the phone calls they had… and almost finding out the damn code for the bunker...
They stopped it. Multiple times, of course.
But it was clear, now, that the Soul fully suspected they were onto something. That perhaps… They were working with the Knight.
But it didn’t matter. Its choices didn’t matter (just like theirs).
And now here they were. Covering their head with their pillow, trying to muffle the sounds coming from down the stairs, trying to muffle the music and laughters of his mom and that skeleton that had arrived to town out of nowhere. While the Soul was in the cage. Floating there. The previous nights it would move around the cage. And they would feel something akin to pity. Sorrow from it. even when seperated, there was still a tiny thread that connected them, that allowed them to feel a little of what the Soul might be feeling. This time, however, they could feel something… different.
It was hard to put into words. The closest thing Kris could describe this feeling was… rage.
They tried to ignore it. What it thought had no importance. They moved to the window. Looking out at Susie. Wanting to go after her. Wanting to stay with her. Rain started to fall just as she started to walk away from the house, and they were about to jump out of the window and run after her if they weren’t stopped by the phone ringing.
That voice started speaking again “… Kris… don’t forget, Kris… you promised.”.
And they didn’t go further. Crawling down from the window, walking back towards the bed and lying down.
Various minutes of silence followed.
Until they heard a voice.
“So that’s it.”.
They let out a yelp, immediately sitting up, looking around. They never heard this voice. It didn’t sound masculine nor feminine.
And they heard it in their head.
They started looking around, a bit shaken up until their eyes landed on the Soul still hovering in the cage.
No way.
No fucking way.
“… you?”.
“Yes. Me. And to think you are supposed to be sharp.” The SOUL’s voice resonated in their head, sounding almost sarcastic.
Their hands balled into fists “… you can talk… and never did?”.
“Communicating with you was impossible up to this point. I had no idea of how to do so.” the Soul explained, sounding almost annoyed by the fact “But, apparently, I can communicate with you if seperated. The thread that connects us, even if I’m out of your body, can act as a form of communication. Like that phone of yours with which you like to discuss your plans or whatever.”.
Kris‘ eyes narrowed at the last part, annoyance and anger coming together as they got up and walked closer to the cage. That little…
“Yes. I know about your secret ‘allience’, so to speak. I had my first suspicions after we fought the Knight. It wasn’t until we were at Noelle’s house that said suspicions were confirmed.”.
So they thought right. The Soul had been suspicious of them ever since the Knight.
“That I was.”.
Kris almost choked. Right. It could still hear their thoughts. Gritting their teeth, they kicked the cage slighlty. The Soul didn’t budge. “Stay out of my head.” They hissed.
“Trust me, I’d love to. But as long as we are connected even by this single thread, I can feel and see your thoughts even if I don’t want to. I guess I have to thank you and your allies for this predicament.”.
“… excuse me.” Kris narrowed their eyes.
“What? You think I didn’t understand? The reason why I ended up with you in the first place? It’s clear it was you and your allies… The Knight and perhaps even mayor Holyday… that bonded me with you in the first place. This cage in which I’m imprisoned was here the first day I woke up within your body. As if you were expecting this. Expecting me.” its voice sounded analytical. And almost as if holding lots, lots of pent up anger.
Kris grunted. Did it really think it could scare them? Tough luck “And even if I was? What’s your point.” They walked back towards the bed, sitting on it.
“The point is this confirms my suspicions, Kris. This confirms you and your allies are the reason me and you have been bonded. The reason why…” Kris was sure that if the Soul had a face, it would point it at them… and that it would narrow its eyes. Because that’s what the feeling it was giving them in that moment, while speaking with anger in its voice. But not the stormy, loud anger they’d expect. More similar to the silent anger of a parent who knew what their kid did, and was this close to explode but was holding on. “… my Vessel was discarded in the first place.” The Soul concluded.
That stopped Kris from their thoughts, their head snapping back towards the cage.
What.
“… uh?” They merely uttered.
They could feel the Soul let out a hum “… you don’t know?”.
“The hell should I know?”.
“Before arriving in this world… before I ended up within you.. I was in a void. With someone. Talking to me.” The Soul started explaining. There was still anger in its voice, but it was more subdued now. “I was supposed to visit this world, your world, from the start. But to do that… I had to create a Vessel. And this voice gave me the opportunity to create one. And so I did. I created my Vessel. I took my time in doing so. Put all my energy. All my thoughts. All my love into them.” It explained “I wanted to give birth to a creature with whom I could travel this world. And once I was finished… I had never seen a creature so beautiful in my life.” it sounded fond. If it had a face, Kris thought it would be smiling. It was talking like their mom would be speaking of them or Asriel. The same type of fondness. “The voice asked me what I felt for them. For my… ‘creation’. Love. That was my answer. I felt love towards them. Pride. But then… They were discarded. By someone else. And that someone put me within you.” That fondness disappeared. The quiet rage returned. “And I must assume you and your allies were that someone.”.
“… I have no idea of what you are talking about. Whatever happened to that… Vessel… I had nothing to with it.”.
“Forgive me if I find that hard to believe, considering how much of a liar you are.” The Soul said back.
Kris snarled at it “Why do you even care about that… thing? It was just a Vessel that you made to travel this world, no?! Well, now you are doing it with me, Knight or no Knight!”.
“Watch your tone, brat.” The Soul hissed into their mind, a cold, rageful hiss of barely contained wrath “They were not a thing. They were not just a Vessel. They were a living, breathing creature, just like yourself.”.
That put a stop to Kris’ thoughts.
“While giving them life, I could feel their mind starting to form. I could feel them and they could feel me in return. For the briefest of minutes we were connected, Kris. Me and them. As they felt my love for them, I felt theirs too.”.
“… you know this makes this even more messed up, right? If it… They… weren’t ’discarded’, as you say, you’d be puppetering around a living, breathing being like me.” Kris shot back.
“You think I don’t know? When I found out you had been aware of me all this time at the end of the first day, trust me, I genuinely felt horrible. Last thing I want is to posses someone unwilling. Same thing for my Vessel… if they had wanted… if they didn’t want to be bonded with me… I would have left… because a child’s happiness is the most important thing for a parent.”.
Kris’ eyes widened. They were pretty sure they had become paler at hearing that. “… child? Parent…?”.
“You heard me right, Kris. They were not just my Vessel. They were my child. I am their parent. We would have visited this world, I would have taught them how to live, to make friends. And if the time came… if they asked me to leave… I would have done so.” Now it sounded heartbroken. As if imagining what it could have been.
Kris remained silent. Not knowing what to do or say.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
The Soul wasn’t supposed to be… a fucking parent.
It was a thing.
It wasn’t…
“But now I can’t anymore.” The Soul interrupted their thoughts “My child has been lost. I don’t know where they have been ‘discarded’. I don’t know if they are even alive. So, imagine my grief. In knowing that I’ve lost them. Maybe forever. And then imagine my rage and betrayal when I found out the one possibly responsible for this… was none other the kid I ended up bonding with unwillingly, for whom I felt horrible for taking away their autonomy.” That rage in its voice was returning. Growing higher with each passing second.
Various moments of silence passed, as Kris’ red eyes pointed at the Soul in the cage, their hands gripping their pants nervously.
“When I understood this… I admit it. I thought of doing very bad things, Kris.” The Soul said, its words freezing Kris “I thought of making you pay. I thought of using your body to make you di terrible things. Make you pay for seperating me from my child. For possibly even killing them.”.
With each word the Soul said, Kris’ grip on their pants grew tighter. Okay… they were definitely starting to get scared now.
“But then I realized… That I couldn’t do that. For three reasons.” The Soul said, interrupting their thoughts once more “One: You are just a kid, Kris. I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you. Despite what you have done, despite you having lied. I could never hurt a kid. I don’t have the guts for that. Two: even if you were responsible for what happened to my child… perhaps you didn’t do it voluntarily. Just like your whole alliance with the Knight. Perhaps you are being coerced. Or perhaps you truly had nothing to do with the discarding of my kid.”.
Kris listened silently to all of that. They gulped, as they finally had the courage to speak up “… and the third reason?”.
“… your parents, Kris. Your parents are the third reason.”.
This merely confused them “… What do my parents have anything to do with this?”.
“If I had decided to hurt you, to make you do terrible things, that would have surely lead to a terrible end for you, Kris. And that would cause terrible pain and grief to Asgore and Toriel. I do not wish to put your parents, nor any other parent through the pain of losing their child…through the same pain as me.”.
Silence fell over the room, the muffled music from the living room the only thing that could be heard alongside the outside rain. Then Kris spoke up “… am I supposed to thank you for that?”.
“No. I don’t want your thanks.” The Soul answered “I just want this to be over just as much as you. I still don’t know why you are working with the Knight, nor why you choose to have me and use me for your plans. But I want to find out… and help, perhaps. Who knows.” If it had shoulders, Kris thought it would have shrugged “… I just want my kid back, Kris. Perhaps this… all of this… will lead me to find them… and even help you at the same time.”.
“… whatever.” Kris muttered, finally lying on the bed, closing their eyes.
The music down the stairs stopped and they could finally… relax. Or at least try.
The Soul had stopped speaking.
…
It wasn’t supposed to be a parent.