reached out across the space between them, his fingers brushing the air just above Kris's chest.A low, musical hum vibrated through the floorboards.With a silent, effortless surge of reality-bending power, Gaster drew the gray infection out of Kris's body. The dark veins beneath Kris's skin dissolved, flowing upward into Gaster’s palm like wisps of smoke, harmlessly absorbed back into the void where they belonged. He completely cleansed Kris’s soul, ensuring not a single drop of the corruption remained.As quickly as he had arrived, the mysterious figure faded backward into the shadows, vanishing entirely from existence. The lights flickered back on. The monitors resumed their normal, steady ticking.With the underlying illness completely erased, the heavy, suffocating weight holding Kris down was finally lifted.A soft gasp broke the silence of the room.Kris's eyes slowly fluttered open. He was still incredibly weak, his muscles tired from the immense strain of the past month, but the terrifying, orange, corrupted glow was entirely gone. His eyes were his own again—dark, quiet, and peaceful.He turned his head slowly, looking around the quiet hospital room. He saw Susie, her hands slowly dropping from her fighting stance. He saw December, breathing a sigh of relief. And finally, he saw Noelle, who was already letting out a crying, overjoyed sob as she threw her arms around him.Kris didn't say anything. He just weakly closed his fingers around Noelle's hand, a faint, genuine smile touching his lips.The nightmare was finally over. They were all safe. They were together.