Part Time Soulmate, Full Time Problem

KRIS'S PAST

To understand Ralsei, we need to explore Kris’s past.

While little is known about their life before being adopted by the Dreemurs, we can infer some things from the idea that Deltarune is Undertale’s parallel story. In other words, we are presented with almost the same characters in different contexts, but leading to similar outcomes.

From that perspective, Kris has certain parallels with Chara: both are the first human child in the Dreemurr household, siblings of Asriel, and share a like for chocolate and knives, and a possible traumatic human-related event.

In Chara’s case, there is much clearer evidence of their anger towards humanity, though the motive is uncertain.

For Kris, this aspect is still debated with only one moment giving us a clue:

I say "debated" because this scene doesn’t necessarily imply that Kris fears other humans, but perhaps feels uncomfortable around other humans for not feeling like one of them. Since I believe Kris has parallels with Chara, I lean toward the first option, which may help explain later events.

Now, what caused Kris to have some apprehension toward humans is very uncertain, but the outcome is known: they were adopted by the Dreemurs.

Why is this important for my theory? Because I believe the art therapy Kris did was not only to deal with trauma related to the Bunker/Dess’ disappearance, but also to cope with older traumas.

And there's an important event in Undertale that happened but has not yet been mentioned in Deltarune - the buttercup flower incident. My theory suggests that Kris, as a child, accidentally poisoned a human in the past. It wasn’t fatal, as it would require a larger amount to cause death, but their guilt was real. Whether it was for revenge, to scare, or simply an accident, we don’t know yet.

This even explains ERAM’s line in ch 4:

This line has always felt strange to me because it implies that Kris is enjoying a game where they have to “kill” representations of their friends. And the Mantle mini-game also mirrors the Weird Route. However, when actually playing the Weird Route, Kris never enjoy it, it’s quite the opposite...

This makes me think these lines might be reflecting an earlier, hidden part of Kris’ past... as if their counscience is nudging them about a darker action they once took.

From what we know about Kris, they were indeed a mischievous child, but suggesting they enjoy the Sword Route or Weird Route would be an exaggeration.

Adding to this, the Dark World in ch 3, set in the Dreemurs’ house, seems to mirror Kris’ traumas, with Tenna reminding them of their adoptive family’s divorce. So these lines from ERAM could, in fact, reflect Kris’ human family past, where the guilt over causing a poisoning (a violent act and a side of Kris we haven’t seen yet) continues to haunt them. In this sense, ERAM functions as Kris’ own conscience, subtly nudging them.

Furthermore, in ch 4 there is a panel labeled “Roots” with a house between two trees, placed right before we find an egg room that reveals Kris’s did art therapy.

This suggests that the therapy was meant to address the deeper roots of Kris’ trauma. Curiously, if it were only about the Bunker incident (where Kris is hesitant even to enter the Mantle mini-game) why is the image of a house used instead of the Bunker?

This implies that Kris’ traumas are more complex and extensive than a single event.

Perhaps the truth is:

The house represents trauma related to Kris’ original family.

The house represents trauma regarding the divorce experienced by their adoptive parents.

The house represents the trauma of seeing how, after the Bunker incident, the Hollidays and Dreemurs were never the same.

Thus, the house symbolizes that the roots of Kris’ trauma are deeply tied to family, while the trees represent the state of their mind before undergoing art therapy. But through art therapy, Kris was able to cover up some of this trauma, symbolically drawing a tree over it.

Yet, as the phrase goes, “you can never wash it all away”. So Kris still has moments when they remember their traumas and regrets.

I'm also inclined to believe that the eggs given by the Forgotten Man represent the traumas Kris tried to suppress. This even connects to the fact that we can store an egg in Asgore’s fridge, which is significant for two reasons:

In the fridge is a photo of Toriel and Asgore’s wedding, symbolizing the trauma of their adoptive parents' divorce

The fridge is situated in a place overrun with flowers, potentially linking back to the regrets in Kris’ past.

Moreover, Kris avoids the Flower Shop in ch 2, smartly claiming they cannot enter because the flowers are in the way, as if it were a significant obstacle...

This could be either because flowers remind them of the buttercup incident, or because with Asgore working with Carol, Kris prevent us from discovering something we shouldn't.

If art therapy were meant only to address the Bunker incident, then ERAM’s lines about Kris’ violent tendencies wouldn’t make sense, nor would Asgore’s behavior. Asgore wants to show the truth in hopes of restoring his family, but if Kris were directly responsible for Dess’ disappearance, he likely wouldn’t pursue this.

Despite distancing themselves, Kris still maintains a good relationship with the Hollidays. If they feel any guilt, it's likely tied to not being able to to help Dess, adding one more regret in their life.

So while Dess’ disappearance may have been a catalyst for Kris’ art therapy, it wasn't the only trauma it sought to address.

HOW THIS EXPLAINS THE NATURE OF RALSEI

As concluded earlier, Kris’ traumas appear deeper and older than we imagined, stretching from childhood experiences with humans to their adoptive parents’ divorce and Dess’ disappearance. Art therapy, therefore, is not only to address the latter event, but the “roots” of their traumas.

My central theory is that Ralsei is a representation of the drawings Kris made as a child. But Ralsei is more than just a “monstersona” or drawing, he is a collection of drawings in which Kris poured all of their emotions.

It isn't necessarily the drawings made during art therapy, but those made to materialize what they felt trapped inside. I believe that art is how Kris learned to express themselves, whether through drawing or playing piano.

Here’s how the “Ralsei = Kris’s drawings PLUS EMOTIONS/DESIRE/TRAUMA” may connect all the points:

1. The most direct evidence of Ralsei’s origin could be the Fangamer Hat Ralsei plush, containing a crayon drawing inside it. In other words, Toby Fox may have given us the answer to Ralsei’s origin a long time ago.

2. Ralsei’s name is an anagram of Asriel, and his appearance is similar to Asriel, although Kris denies it.

This resemblance could reflect Kris’ childhood wish to grow horns and be a monster like the rest of the Dreemurs and Hometown. So, when creating Ralsei, Kris based him on their brother, with whom they had a close relationship, resulting in an idealized version of themself.

3. Kris’ fast, detailed denial of the resemblance might come from knowing exactly what inspired Ralsei, what they altered, and what Ralsei developed on his own. After all, who could know Ralsei better than his own creator?

4. Kris initially seeming distant from Ralsei may be from how much he reminds them of the past. But as Ralsei develops his own personality, Kris begins to see him more as an independent being and even encourages him.

5. Ralsei firmly states that if there is something he likes about himself, it’s his own face. This makes sense since his face was given by a Lightner (Kris), who poured their hopes and dreams while creating him.

6. Ralsei’s knowledge of the prophecy and the game’s mechanics may not be random or just a way to create a “Flowey” counterpart in Deltarune. Instead, it could represent Kris’ desperate desire to better understand the world of Deltarune and the Dark World itself. If Dess is truly the one lost within the game’s code, then Kris might have manifested not only their regret over being unable to prevent her disappearance (because they didn’t understand what was happening) but also their longing for the knowledge that could help them find her.

There is even a suggestion that Kris have been in a Dark World before we arrive in Deltarune:

It means that Kris already have a pre-existing save file, despite this supposedly being their first time in a Dark World.

7. Toby Fox’s twitter: “Ralsei shirt!!! He's always getting mixed up with flowers, isn't he ... (that hasn't happened)” may even be an allusion to the confusion we feel at the beginning of Deltarune, when Ralsei serves as a tutorial and even delivers lines similar to Flowey’s. However, their philosophies are different:

Flowey believes the world runs on “kill or be killed.” Ralsei, on the other hand, discourages the use of FIGHT and believes the purpose of Darkners is to serve Lightners.

Flowey initially presents himself as harmless, only to reveal his true intentions later. While Ralsei, suspected to be secretly malicious in the previous years, has proven instead to be someone who simply struggles with the heavy burden of knowing the prophecy's outcome.

Toby Fox also stated that“it didn’t happen yet”. In this sense, another crucial flower-related reference from Undertale that could resurface in Deltarune is the buttercup incident. And Kris may have manifested their remorse through drawings of flowers, placed within the same pile of drawings where Ralsei appears. In this way, Ralsei is quite literally “mixed up with flowers”

8. All of Kris’ drawings that eventually gave rise to Ralsei were probably stored by Toriel in the school closet. We never actually see this closet in the Light World, but it’s possible that the pile of Kris’ drawings was the only thing left outside cabinets and drawers. If so, this would make Ralsei the only Darkner there = the Lonely Prince of that Dark World.

And there's even more evidence for this, when Kris and Susie opened the door to this Dark World, many drawings were scattered across the floor.

Notice also that the closet seemed long abandoned. That’s why, when Kris and Susie entered, they first encountered dust-like imagery and Titan eyes, symbols of how dark and forgotten the place had become.

9. Ralsei may also be connected to the green crayon, perhaps Kris used it specifically, or it was simply their favorite and most used color. This would explain why this crayon is missing from their drawer in the Light World, yet coincidentally appears in the Dark World drawer, organized by none other than Ralsei himself.

In other words, Ralsei knows Kris expresses their feelings most clearly through art. That’s why, in the Dark World, a place where Kris is meant to “forget” their problems, Ralsei left behind a drawer full of green crayons.

10. Ralsei’s ability to travel between different Dark Worlds may stem from the same reason he says that his Dark World fountain is made from pure darkness, allowing him to enter any Dark World without turning to stone.

11. I’ve never been convinced that Ralsei is an item Kris or even Susie carries. After all, Ralsei seems to remain in Castle Town even after Kris leaves the Dark World and stays with Susie

Even if he didn’t stay there, it would be impossible for him to continue reforming Castle Town without Kris or Susie being there.

12. As a drawing, this also explains certain mechanics:

Why he can become a horse in ch 4:

And why, when he loses all HP, he drops his clothes on the floor. It’s because he turns back into a sheet of paper.

13. Castle Town can house all Darkners without them turning to stone may be due to it being a place of pure darkness. Or perhaps because it's, quite literally, a closet, making it a easy environment for Darkners to adapt to, since a closet's very purpose is to store things.

CONCLUSION

Is Ralsei Kris’s monster-persona? Yes, but with the added detail that he also embodies Kris’ emotions, expressed through their drawings, as well as possibly other sketches stored in the closet.

Is Ralsei Kris’s headband horns? Almost certainly. Kris’ desire to grow horns and be like the rest of their adoptive family manifested in the form of giving Ralsei horns.

Is Ralsei the green crayon? Indirectly, yes. The green crayon may have been Kris’ favorite and/or most frequently used crayon for their drawings. That's why this crayon isn't in the Light World drawer and, by an incredible coincidence, it’s the one we find in their Dark World drawer, organized by Ralsei himself.

In short, Ralsei is the manifestation of Kris’ childhood drawings and desires:

The dream to be a monster like the Dreemurs and the rest of Hometown.

The wish to grow horns.

The hope to gain knowledge to find Dess.

The remorse from the buttercup incident.

All these emotions and drawings were stored by Toriel in the school closet, where darkness gave them forms and as a result, Ralsei was born as the Lonely Prince of this long-abandoned Dark World made of pure darkness.