#aaaaughh

Ooooouuughhhhhhh...

See, the thing is, I 100% believe that Ralsei would stick by Kris, no matter what... even if he was angry at them. The emphasis on his character is very much that he's becoming a version of Ralsei that's entirely his own, and yet I believe there's still this tiny thread of codependency that binds him to Kris, that would make the thought of abandoning them so terrifying to him that he'd rather ally himself with them against everyone else. Even if it would go against his desire to become his own person or to transcend his darkner-hood...

That's already tragic on its own, but it gets even worse, because how would Kris react to this? Kris, who knows it's all gonna come crashing down sooner or later; Kris who gives absolutely every indication that they don't intend to survive the end of this adventure; Kris who seems to be struggling to make their peace with keeping themself at a distance from their friends, so that when the time comes it'll hurt them less... and even after all of that, Ralsei would refuse to leave their side. Having to watch the being who was once part of them, who had begun to develop his own likes and dislikes, throw all of it away for their wretched sake, would hurt them greater than any hate or anger ever could.

So... would they accept this? Or, in a misguided attempt to protect their last true friend, would Kris lash out and attempt to drive Ralsei away, so that he too can be spared feeling bad when they're eventually used up...?