Thetarune: Book One

Chapter Nine | Towering Further

Author's Note: Hey. This chapter weren't through a lot of rewrites and took goddamn forever and feedback is very appreciated. Thank you.

Susie held Kris in her arms for long enough that their tears dried up and the heaving stopped. Kris' awkwardness and discomfort had melted away, but guilt was still gnawing in their chest. She held them tightly, placing her head on top of theirs. Eventually, Kris started to wiggle out of her grasp a little, so she set them down next to her. Kris wiped their face with their robe and began to tug at it.

"Are...are you ok?" She asked, resting her hands in her lap. Kris sniffled a little, and looked down at the ground. Their hair was covering their right eye as it rustled in the breeze. Kris felt better with their hat.

"N-no...Susie...I'm n-not ok..."

"Is this about the airship?" Kris' grasped their knees, tightening their grip on the green robe wrapped around them.

"O-of course!! I killed people! W-We killed people! Oh m-my god...I..." Kris was gagging, and the tears returned to their face. Kris' cheeks reddened as they shouted. Susie's heart fell.

"K-kris...we didn't know they were on the ship..."

"I-IT DOESN'T MATTER! I STILL KILLED THEM...ah fuck!" Kris shouted, lurching over. Vomit splattered against the concrete, their feast of chips and chocolate being expelled. Susie walked over, and placed her hand on Kris' shoulder. Kris jerked away, wiping their mouth with their robe and holding an upset but plain expression. Susie retreated, frowning. Kris stepped away.

"It d-doesn't matter. We have something to do right n-now." Kris said, before sitting down against a nearby wall away from the other party members. Susie didn't agree, but she didn't want to push it. Susie looked around. Rouxls was curled up in a quivering ball on the floor muttering to himself. Ralsei leaned against a building, stifling every tear and sounding like a malfunctioning washing machine.

"You ok?" She asked, lightly touching his arm. He pulled back, covering his face and wiping his nose on his coat.

"N-not important...Kris is right, we got shit to do..." Ralsei said, his voice strained.

"Of course it's important, Ralsei. Whatever the hell you saw in there...it wasn't good...right?" Ralsei stiffened, and some rogue tears dripped from his eyes. He gritted his teeth, and pulled his hood all the way down his face. Susie moved in for a hug, but Ralsei pulled back.

"N-no...Susie...I j-just...I can't...just...don't." Ralsei sounded like he was on the verge of tears. She didn't comply, instead pulling him into a hug. Ralsei pushed back, escaping the hug with an angry look on his face.

"F-fucking stop! Just...just don't...alright?" He hissed, his face uncloaked, bearing tears and anger. He grunted, wiping his face with his arm and hiding it again. Kris bent down with their small hand outstretched to pull Rouxls up. He was still shaking, curled into a ball on the floor.

"R-Rouxls? Are you ok?" Kris asked, tapping his shoulder softly. Rouxls shot up with a mad scream, grabbing Kris' shoulders and making them shout too. Kris stared into his mad eyes and saw nothing but fear.

"HE IS COMING! THE FALSE GOD BRINGS THE DEVILE'S HELL, KRIS! DON'T YOU SEE?" Rouxls was screaming at the top of his lungs, and he violently jerked Kris around to face the Tower. The Drain radiated from behind the clouds, softly illuminating them and casting shadows across the district. "HE IS THE BEAST! ARMAGEDDON! THE END OF DAYS! HIS ARMIES WILL SWARM ACROSS THE EARTH AND CAST US ALL DOWN!" Rouxls stared into Kris' face with eye contact strong enough to shatter glass with a single gaze. Kris pulled back fearfully, unable to escape Rouxls' grasp. Susie and Ralsei turned at the sound of the screaming, and Susie rushed over and shoved Rouxls off of Kris, and he fell to the ground in a heap. He scuttled backwards on his hands and feet, rushing back-first into a nearby wall. He leveled an accusatory finger at Susie.