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Kris Dreemurr was not having a good night.
Scratch that. Kris Dreemurr was not having a good week.
Really, if you asked them, they'd tell you they weren't having a good the-last-few-years-of-their-life or so, but that was neither here nor there.
Tonight was different, though. An exceptionally shitty night even by the standards of their hundreds of previous shitty nights.
Falling through a pane of glass, going through three different Dark Worlds in a single day, getting dunked straight inside a Titan... that would be enough for Kris to consider their day ruined.
Coming home to find their mother – who they thought was in danger!! – piss drunk with the annoying skeleton from the convenience store was just the cherry on top of this shit sundae of a night.
Having Susie be scared off by the sight of their drunken mother was the cherry on top of the cherry.
Kris sighed at the thought of Susie, sinking deeper into the lukewarm water of the bathtub.
They didn't want to be alone. Not right now.
Solitude was... well, not a friend to Kris. How could it ever be? But it was familiar.
They knew what to expect from it.
Or, at least, they used to.
Now, they were never alone. Not really.
The SOUL in their body ensured they were never alone, reduced to a passenger in their own body, and boy, was it a bad driver. The freaking thing apparently forgot that humans needed things like "eating" or "sleeping" or "using the fucking bathroom".
Sure, Kris might not have had a healthy diet before this, but now they were heading towards their fourth day in a row of only eating a single "meal" per day, not to mention the fact that this was their first bath since freaking Wednesday.
If it were up to them, they would just keep the damned thing locked up in their bedroom, only letting it back in the driving seat when they needed its abilities. Unfortunately, it wasn't up to them, and they couldn't wander too far off or stay too long without it inside them without wasting away.
Turns out humans kinda needed a SOUL to live. Who would have guessed?
So, Kris had to save those fleeting moments they could afford without the interference of the SOUL for the truly important stuff: eating some homemade pie, doing their part in the "conspiracy", dragging their mother's drunk carcass to her bedroom, and taking a bath without some peeping otherworldly entity breaching their privacy.
They sighed again, bubbles coming up from their lips as they submerged themself further under the water.
The rain pelting against the window filled the bedroom with white noise. It hadn't let up since Susie left. In fact, it had picked up strength again, far away thunder occasionally pulling them from their thoughts.
It looked like the weather tomorrow would be dreadful as well.
So much for a fun day at the festival.
Kris groaned, letting themself fully sink into the water.
The fucking festival.
Just the thought of how much they had to do tomorrow already made Kris want to get underwater and not come out.
Their muscles ached, their head pounded with thoughts of the prophecy and the promise and their role and their friends and...
They didn't want this.
They didn't want any of this.
How many hours had they been in the bathtub, stewing, SOULless?
At least it was only a few feet away, shoved inside the cabinet, so they didn't get that weak from being without it.
They had closed the shower curtains for good measure. Angel knows if that thing could still see them, even locked in the cabinet.
A moment without the SOUL. That was all Kris asked.
They were exhausted, hungry, running on no sleep, and they just wanted to rest and relax for a goddamned moment while being alone in their own body.
...unfortunately, it didn't seem like their body actually gained anything from resting without a SOUL inside it.
Just their luck.
Still, Kris could appreciate just being actually alone for a second.
Raising their hand up in the air, letting the water drip onto their face, Kris examined their pruned fingers, their hand covered in tiny cuts.
From their bony wrist down to their elbow, a myriad scars marred their skin, a dirty canvas for the newly added cuts they got from their "adventure" in the sanctuary earlier that day.
They felt pathetic. A broken down, empty body, scarred by injuries both accidental and self inflicted, worn down by years of refusing to take proper care of itself.
If Kris were the SOUL, they probably wouldn't be too happy inhabiting this ugly thing either.
At least it was mostly harmless, if you ignored the whole "controlling their every movement and speech" thing... and forgetting to let them eat or piss or only letting them sleep when it got bored, of course.
Still, Kris needed the SOUL. It was part of the deal. They weren't happy with the whole situation either, but if it was unhappy with their arrangement, well... Kris couldn't care less. Their sympathy well was bottomed out.
They closed their eyes, sinking into the bathtub once more, letting the water drown out the sounds of the rain.
Thirty more minutes. That was all they needed, all they could afford. They still had to sleep, after all, but thirty more minutes of forgetting everything in the water would be more than enough.
They were so tired.
As Kris stayed there, they thought about how easy it would be to just... stay underwater. It would hurt a bit, yeah. It definitely wouldn't be their preferred method to go – drowning was one of the few things that actually scared them – but... it would all be over. No more dealing with the SOUL, no more dealing with the prophecy, no more dealing with all the bullshit they were tangled in, no more dealing with... being Kris.
They couldn't. They knew they couldn't. They still had their promise to fulfill. They had the world to save. They had Susie and Ralsei and even Noelle. They had their brother and their mother and even their father. They knew suicide wasn't the answer. They made that mistake once before; they couldn't bear hurting their family like that again.
But God, was it tempting...
Just a minute and...
They saw it before they heard it.
Even behind their closed eyelids, Kris could see the night turn to day for a fraction of a second and, not a moment later, even under the water, they could hear the deafening thunderclap of a nearby lightning strike.
With a startle, Kris emerged from the water, blood going cold as they realized they could see nothing but the faint red light coming from the cabinet.
'No no no no no no NO...!!'
The power had gone out.
The house was dark.
They were in the dark.
Alone with it.
With it.
Kris covered their mouth with their hands, trying to keep as still and silent as possible.
They were hidden behind the shower curtains.
They would be safe as long as it didn't notice them.
They hoped.
A single step echoed through the dark bathroom.
Another one.
Another one.
Heavy.
Lumbering.
They prayed.
The creaking of the cabinet door echoed through the dark bathroom.
The red light coming from it bathed the room.
Their heart, their physical heart was hammering against their ribs, painfully, without a SOUL to shield their chest.
With wide, panicked eyes, Kris dared to look.
The red glow barely illuminated the shadowy figure behind the curtains, holding the SOUL in its hand.
They kept their mouth covered.
The light dimmed, slightly, as it pressed it against its chest, to no effect.
Of course it wouldn't work. The SOUL was bound to Kris now.
That fact did not bring them any comfort.
Kris shut their eyes.
If they just wished hard enough, it would leave.
If they just hoped hard enough.
If they just prayed—
They almost jumped out of their skin as the shower curtains were hastily thrown open, the figure now towering over them by the bathtub.
Kris had no time to react as cold, gray hands pushed their head underwater with enough force for them to hit the porcelain at the bottom.
In their surprise, the back of their head stinging, Kris tried to scream, only for water to rush into their open mouth.
THIEF
Words that didn't sound like a voice – or a voice that did not sound like words – echoed inside their head like tinnitus.
GIVE IT BACK
Kris flailed around wildly, their hands grasping at the edges of the tub as they tried to pull themself up.
MY SOUL
Before their forehead could even breach the surface, the creature pushed down at their chest with its whole weight, their back hitting the bottom and sending shockwaves through Kris's spine, its other hand crushing their face against the porcelain.
Kris gasped in pain, but that only made their lungs fill with water, burning with panic.
Their legs kicked blindly, hitting the tub walls painfully and splashing water everywhere. Their muscles burned, but their skin felt frozen every time it breached the water. Their eyes darted everywhere, but they couldn't see anything.
Kris was going to die.
'No no no no no please please please...!!'
Kris was dying.
'Azzy...'
Kris would die at the bottom of a bathtub. No assailant would ever be found.
'Susie...'
They cried, from pain and desperation, their lungs screaming and their consciousness fading.
'Dess...'
A suicide, the police would rule. Not surprising. It was only a matter of time.
'Aunt Carol...'
No one would miss them. A silver lining, if there was any.
'...anyone... please...!'
Mom would wake up in the morning, hungover, and when she finally managed to open the locked bathroom door, she would find...
'Mom...!!'
Their flailing hands finally managed to grasp something and, in a last ditch effort to not drown, Kris pulled down as hard as they could, slamming its head down on the edge of the tub hard enough to stun it for a moment.
Kris emerged from the water, trying to take their first breath like a newborn babe, but all they managed to do was cough their lungs out, slumping over the edge as they threw up bile and bathwater.
Their nose stung, their ears were clogged up, their throat burned as they cleared out their lungs and stomach on the bathroom floor, but Kris had no time to recover.
As swiftly as before, it grabbed Kris by the hair, slamming them face down on the edge of the tub, their nose cracking with a sickening crunch and a scorching sensation.
YOU STOLE IT
Kris punched blindly as it tried to push them underwater again, their fist making contact with its "face" once or twice, but it didn't let go.
They managed, somehow, to bit its thumb as it grabbed at their face. Even with all their strength, it simply did not bleed, but it did recoil.
It wasn't until, in a moment of sheer, pure luck, when they tried to grab on to the curtain for leverage, that the curtain rod gave out, falling squarely on its head, clanging loudly to the floor and giving them some respite.
Taking advantage of that moment of distraction, Kris jumped – crawled – out of the bathtub, slumping on the bathroom tiles.
Before they could gather themself, it was already on top of them, pinning their body down, and Kris got a good look at their assailant, lit by the red glow of the SOUL.
A complete mockery of their own form, gray and misshapen, its face blank, no eyes through which it could see, though it did; no mouth with which it could speak, though it did; only a nose with which it could draw breath and pretend to live. Its hair, as long and stringy as Kris's, fell down its face as it straddled them, trying to choke the life out of the human.
Kris let out a strangled gasp as they clawed at its arms, trying desperately to free themself.
With a wild swing, they managed to land a punch square on its face. Then another one. And another one.
GIVE
IT
BACK
It didn't give up.
Feeling their windpipe crushing under the assault, Kris, desperately, reached for the fallen curtain rod and swung it.
With a loud clang, it was thrown straight to the floor as the rod crashed against its head, allowing Kris to finally get the upper hand.
Quickly, Kris straddled its lap, still coughing up water and blood.
Now that they could actually breathe again, their blood boiled.
MY SO—
Kris punched it as hard as they could before its screeching non-voice could resonate in their head.
It was the one clawing desperately now as Kris punched it again and again, pummeling its face with all their strength, tasting the blood as it dripped down their nose and onto their gritted teeth.
A gray fist collided with their cheek, thumb driving into their eye, and Kris screamed.
Pulling back, holding their face, Kris saw red, literally and figuratively. Before they could resume their assault, it hit them square in the ribs, making Kris double over in pain.
IT IS MY SOUL
With their face in reach, it punched again, hard enough to bust a lip. With its other hand, it grabbed at Kris's hip, fingers digging into their flesh before raking their nails slowly up their side, making the human contort and hiss in pain.
With each hit to Kris's body, the SOUL momentarily grew brighter, as if it had been hit itself.
NOT YOURS
Kris grabbed it by the throat, winding up another punch.
As they hit it again, it let go of their side, grabbing Kris's face, their blood staining its gray skin as it pushed against them while trying hard to pull their hand off of its throat.
SO GIVE IT BACK
Another punch, strong enough that Kris felt their knuckles crack, strong enough for the glow coming from the SOUL to make the blood coming out of their fist seem like it was glowing.
Strong enough for its face to hit the cold tiles below, laying on its cheek, exhausted.
GIVE ME BACK MY SOUL
It yelled inside their head, reaching for the weapon to its right.
But Kris was quicker.
Before it could grasp the curtain rod, Kris let go of its throat, stealing the metal pipe at the last second.
It tried to defend itself, but Kris was too fast.
With teeth gritted in fury, Kris struck its forehead with the tip of the rod, the back of its head bouncing harshly off the floor.
"...shut up...!!" Kris growled, eyes wide and frantic as they raised the rod over their head.
It threw its arms up in a vain attempt of shielding itself, but it only resulted in Kris bashing its fingers and wrists in with each strike.
"...shut up... shut up... shut UP!!" Kris struck it over and over again, their own wrists screaming with each hit, until it couldn't hold its arms up anymore.
"...you think i like this...??" a strike to its forehead. Two. "...you think i wanted this...??"
MY SOUL...
They hit it hard enough that they felt the impact in their elbows.
"SHUT UP!!" Kris barked, pushing its face against the floor with the tip of the curtain rod, "I DON'T WANT YOUR FUCKING SOUL!!"
A strike.
Two.
Three.
Kris heard bone cracking.
"...i don't want your fucking soul...!" they sobbed, grip tightening, "...i don't want it... but i need it..."
"...i need it..." they looked down, the creature under them writhing pathetically, blurry through their tears and swollen eye, "...i had no choice... i had to..."
"...so don't..." Kris lifted the rod above their head, panting heavily.
"...ACT LIKE I'M THE BAD GUY!!" they yelled, bringing the metal rod down against its skull with all their force.
Their wrists gave out on impact, dropping their weapon on the floor, but it didn't matter.
It wasn't moving.
It wasn't breathing.
Kris knew it wasn't dead. It couldn't die. Without a SOUL, it wasn't even really alive to begin with.
Then again, neither was Kris.
It would be back to haunt them another time.
It was always with them in the dark.
Regardless, it was all too easy for the irrational part of their brain to convince itself that they had just murdered a person.
They panted heavily, tears streaming down their face and mixing with the blood.
Kris fought the urge to vomit. Instead, they slowly pushed themself off of the not-corpse on the floor, climbing to their feet with great difficulty.
Wincing, they limped towards the SOUL. It had stayed uncharacteristically still during the whole ordeal, perhaps observing their scuffle.
Perhaps finding it amusing.
Amusement seemed to be its main motivation, after all.
Carefully picking up the heart shaped object, Kris weakly tossed it on the countertop, letting the red glow illuminate their reflection.
Reluctantly, they turned their face up and stared into the mirror.
The red light made them look like death. The blood smeared across their face and dripping down their nose and chin made them look like a corpse, emaciated and dirty. Their nose was clearly broken, their lip busted, their left eye swollen and red, no white in sight. Their ribs were bruised and there were angry scratches up their side.
Kris leaned over the countertop, wincing. The pain was everywhere. Breathing hurt. Their ears were clogged with water and their head felt like it was being drilled into.
They let out a hacking cough, blood and water painting the sink as their lungs tried to exit their body. Every cough made their ribs scream, their lungs burn, their head pound.
Tears were streaming down their face, but even crying was too painful. They gripped the countertop to avoid falling over, but their wrists felt like they were broken, their knuckles stinging from the repeated impacts.
Slowly, they turned on the faucet, cringing as their tender palm made contact with the cold metal, the sound of the rushing water mixing with the rain tapping against the window.
With a wince, Kris splashed some water on their face, hissing as it made contact with their injured skin before coughing painfully again. They tried their best to wash the blood off, but they were still bleeding. This was sure to look even worse in the morning. They knew they could hide most of the injuries pretty easily, but as for their face... Kris would have to think of a damn good excuse. Or several.
They sighed, though it quickly turned into a groan, which quickly turned into a pained moan.
Kris was so tired. They didn't ask for this. They didn't ask for any of this.
Staring down at the blood being washed away in the basin, they couldn't form any coherent thoughts besides "I want this to stop. Whatever it takes."
They just wanted it all to end.
They just wanted to...
A rustling noise ripped them from their thoughts.
As Kris glanced up at the mirror, they froze, eyes wide, blood running cold.
They saw it in the mirror, barely visible under the faint red glow of the SOUL, standing right over their shoulder, curtain rod in hand, poised to strike.
Kris shut their eyes tight, bracing for impact.
Time seemed to stand still, their heartbeat in their ears the only thing they could hear.
They were about to die, Kris was sure of it.
An instant later, after what felt like hours of waiting for the end, they felt metal hit their shoulder limply before the sound of the rod hitting the floor jolted them alive.
Kris opened their eyes.
The power was back.
The bathroom was bright again, uncomfortably so.
The SOUL's faint glow was barely visible now.
It was nowhere to be found.
Kris was alone in the ruined bathroom, panting naked in front of the mirror, dripping with water, blood and sweat.
They were alive.
Kris fell to their knees, hands holding the sink in a death grip as they slammed their forehead on the cabinet doors, shaking.
A sob mixed with a cough echoed as they did the only thing they could do in that situation:
They cried.
Kris Dreemurr was not having a good night.