10 Deltarune Mysteries That Feel Even Bigger After Chapter 5

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Published Jun 30, 2026, 1:43 PM EDT

Daniel Trock is a Contributor at DualShockers specializing in PC games, lists, and reviews. He has been writing professionally since 2018 and covering games since 2020, with previous work spanning guides, news, lists, and reviews across multiple publications.

Before joining DualShockers, Daniel contributed guides to GamerJournalist and lists to TheGamer. He currently covers tech topics for SlashGear and BGR. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Marist College and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative and Professional Writing from Western Connecticut State University.

Back when Deltarune first shadowdropped, I think we were all thinking the same thing regarding Toby Fox and his development crew: “Where are they going with this?” Undertale set a precedent for Fox’s penchant for elaborate mysteries, and with each subsequent chapter of Deltarune, that penchant has only come into clearer contrast. There is an elaborate web of capers being woven here, and I’m one step short of making a conspiracy board.

Compared to the other chapters, Chapter 5 didn’t move the needle quite as much as we may have liked, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t move it at all. There are several mysteries the chapter’s story brings into focus, both enduring ones established in previous chapters and even a couple of entirely new ones. Whether or not we’ll get answers in a timely fashion remains to be seen, but in the meantime, these are the mysteries that are currently occupying my brain meat.

Spoilers for Deltarune Chapter 5 ahead!

10 Where are Susie’s Parents?

She’s Living in a Utility Closet

It doesn’t take a Ph.D. in child psychology to tell that Susie is having a bit of a rough go at things. Back when she was in full-on bully mode in Chapter 1, she seemed like she was deliberately trying to push everyone away as hard as possible. She mentioned in a previous conversation that her family moves around a lot, and that’s why she’s had problems adjusting, but that does beg the question: Where exactly are Susie’s parents?

At the end of Chapter 5, when Susie asks Kris to walk her home, if you try to bring her to the apartment complex, she corrects you and says that’s wrong, wanting to go to Castle Town in the school instead. Susie is, for all intents and purposes, living in a utility closet right now, and nobody we’ve seen seems to be taking issue with that. Maybe it’s not our place to pry, but let me just say this: all of Susie’s weird food tendencies, like eating chalk or burnt toaster crumbs, were previously presented as a joke. Now? I am sincerely worried she is food-insecure, and I need to know who’s responsible for that.

9 Who Made Castle Town?

What Exactly is “Pure Darkness?”

Speaking of Castle Town, during the ascent of the Flower Kingdom Castle, Flowery asks why their Dark Fountain needs to be sealed, when they could just seal the Castle Town Fountain instead. Obviously, Susie doesn’t want to lose her new home and friends, but the question does make me wonder what exactly is so special about Castle Town in a vacuum?

Back in Chapter 2, Ralsei explained that Darkners in Dark Worlds outside their own turn to stone because the ambient darkness doesn’t agree with them, but all of them can be fine in Castle Town because its Grand Fountain emits “pure darkness.” Well, what the heck is “pure darkness?” And what’s a Grand Fountain versus a regular Dark Fountain, for that matter? Flowery seemed like he was being sarcastic when he made his suggestion, which kind of implies both he and Ralsei know something about Castle Town that we’re not privy to. Something about that utility closet is special, but who made that fountain, and when? And how did they make it “Grand?”

8 How Much Does Ralsei Actually Know?

He Knows a Lot, But Does He Know Everything?

Back in Chapter 4, Ralsei revealed that he is fully aware of the “rules of the world,” and also has a full working knowledge of the prophecy outlined in the Legend of Deltarune. He’s not omniscient, and he can’t actually see the future, he just has a rough idea of the general progression of events as outlined in the prophecy. It’s been clear from the start that Ralsei knows more than he’s letting on, but rather than that, Chapter 5 makes me wonder exactly how much he does know.

Ralsei’s “rules of the world” knowledge translates into medium awareness, allowing him to see the game’s UI, know about its menus, and so on. He’s also clearly tried to direct us, as the SOUL, away from Kris’s POV on several occasions so he can speak with them. However, he has had instances where he didn’t know the full extent of a particular situation. He didn’t seem to have anything in particular to say about Jevil or Spamton, and unless he was faking it, he didn’t know who Tenna was when he first showed up. I guess I’m just wondering if we’ll ever have a moment when he’s sincerely thrown for a loop, as he almost seemed to be when Flowery displayed a similar degree of medium awareness.

7 How Does Ralsei Know Flowery?

They’ve Clearly got Some History

On the subject of Flowery, unless I’m parsing this incorrectly, it seemed like he and Ralsei had some established history by the time you actually meet Flowery. Flowery already knows his name, and knows exactly what to say to irritate Ralsei the most, not to mention his aforementioned medium awareness. He seems to go out of his way in the first stretch of the story to keep Ralsei out of the way and guide the party in a particular direction.

Flowery had apparently met Kris before, noting that they had grown since the last time he saw them. That tracks, since Flowery probably lived in their house before Asgore and Toriel split. But when would he have met Ralsei, whether as a flower or a Darkner? And how much time could they have spent in each other’s company that he knows Ralsei well enough to push his buttons? This probably ties back into Ralsei’s overall identity and his tendency to obfuscate information, but it also might have something to do with whatever Asgore went through.

6 What Happened to Asgore?

He Saw Something

On the subject of Asgore, it’s been hinted at for several chapters that Asgore had been building his own detective-style breadcrumb trail regarding the Dark World and the Fountains. We still don’t know what, exactly, happened in the past that led to this conspiratorial spiral and his subsequent split from Toriel, but whatever it was, it was pretty heavy.

Deltarune: Flowery Boss Fight Guide

Anything is possible with the power of friendship!

At multiple times in Chapter 5, Asgore proclaims his intent to find whoever was responsible for both the Fountains in general and whatever it was that happened in the past and, in no uncertain terms, murder them. I assume that whatever it was that happened in the past, presumably on Asgore’s watch as the old chief of police, it A: involved the Dark World, and B: got someone killed, probably December. Asgore definitely saw something, but he never elaborates on it since, from his perspective, there’s no reason to tell Kris what they already know, and he ain’t gonna be telling us anything after the Knight snatched him.

5 What Happened in the Shelter?

Something Bad Went Down in There

In the previous chapters, whenever Kris and Susie ask one of the town’s adults about the Shelter, they try to wave them off, telling them that’s not a place they should be. Some of the kids from school are also afraid of the place, implying it’s a known thing around town that it’s a spooky spot. It’s not difficult to gather that whatever the horrible something that happened in the past was, it probably happened in the Shelter, but of course, that begs the question of what the “something” is.

During the Festival bit of Chapter 5, I happened to notice a little bit of dialogue, specifically from Catti’s booth in the church haunted house. She wonders if Kris letting Susie hang out with Noelle is “revenge” for Catti apparently fleeing in fear when she, Kris, and presumably, Noelle and Dess were performing some manner of summoning ritual. Now, I might be leaping to conclusions here, but is it possible that the Dark World in the Shelter was created during this “ritual,” and was also the cause of Dess’s disappearance, not to mention Asgore’s paranoid spiral? This could just be a red herring and Catti’s just hyperfixating on some dumb nonsense they all got up to when they were kids, but I feel like it wouldn’t be brought up if it weren’t relevant.

4 Why is Kris Making Fountains?

Was this Always the Plan?

This is obviously not a new mystery, but it’s one that I can’t help but bring up again: why does Kris keep making Fountains while we’re not looking? They’ve been doing it since the end of Chapter 1, and have only gotten more brazen about it since the game’s gone on, with their latest plunge being in Asgore’s flower shop while Susie is less than ten feet away. What is so gosh darned important that Kris is not only going to the trouble of making these Fountains, but putting themselves at risk of being discovered while doing it?

Obviously, Kris hates us. That’s not news. But surely they’d know that our presence in their world is only being perpetuated by the Fountains’ continued existence? Clearly, they’re in cahoots with the Knight, or whoever it is that keeps calling them while we’re not in control, so they have some kind of stake in making more Dark Worlds, but is whatever they’re trying to do worth endangering their friends and family? Friends and family who they clearly care about?

3 What is the Knight Trying to Do?

It Can’t Just be the Roaring

On the subject of the Knight, we still don’t really know what it is that the Knight is trying to achieve here. The obvious answer is that they’re trying to bring about the Roaring by making more Fountains and manifesting Titans, but that doesn’t really make any sense. For one thing, we know the Knight is a Lightner (and they’re probably Dess, but that’s an assumption on my part), so bringing about the Roaring would just destroy the world.

Given the Knight’s tendency toward kidnapping prolific adults, with their latest acquisition being Asgore, I wonder if perhaps the goal is one of preservation rather than destruction. Run with me on this one: what if the Knight knows that it’s only a matter of time before the Roaring kicks off, so they’re trying to preserve important people in the Shelter Dark World? I assume they’re aware of the prophecy as well, given their ability to always show up at the perfect time, so it’s possible they know the end is on the horizon. Of course, it could also be the other way around, and the Knight is trying to deliberately round up and punish individuals they believe are complicit in whatever happened in the Shelter.

2 What is Carol After?

She’s Definitely Got a Stake in This

Mayor Carol Holiday wasn’t in focus in Chapter 5; the only times we hear about her are from some incidental dialogue from Rudy that she’s busy with "investigating down south," and when she calls Noelle during her date with Susie to tell her Rudy fell down. However, even those small bits give me a lot to be suspicious about.

For one thing, the only thing south of town, as far as we know, is the Shelter. Even if there wasn’t a Dark World in there right now, I can’t possibly fathom what business she’d have in there. As for calling Noelle, this might just be me assuming the worst of people, but it’s been abundantly clear that Carol doesn’t want Noelle anywhere near Susie. I worry that either she just made up Rudy falling over to get Noelle away from her, or worse, hurt Rudy herself to manufacture an excuse. We don’t see Noelle or her family after the Festival bit, so maybe I’m blowing hot air here. Even so, Carol definitely has some skin in whatever’s going down with the Knight and Dark Worlds, and especially with Kris and the SOUL, so I wouldn’t put that kind of behavior past her.

1 What the Everloving Heck is Happening in the Weird Route?

Where do We Even Begin Here?

Hoo boy, if the Weird Route ain’t the most delightfully upsetting thing I’ve seen in a video game in a hot minute. Obviously, the entire onus of this route, much like the Undertale Genocide Route before it, is to be as shocking and disquieting and possible, as well as point a bit of an accusatory finger toward certain kinds of players. Given how Chapter 5’s Weird Route panned out, though, I have to wonder just where in the heck we’re even going with this.

Unlike previous Chapters, where you still got to do most of the regular Dark World stuff even if you were on the Weird Route, Chapter 5’s is only about 30 minutes long and concludes with you, Kris, and Noelle walking into the lake while screaming. The game then tells you to “insert Chapter 7 Side B,” which I guess implies that whatever’s happening here, it apparently can’t continue in Chapter 6. There’s no way of knowing the precise scope of this until Chapters 6 and 7 drop, but assuming the absolute worst has come to pass, Susie and Ralsei are going to be on their own come Chapter 7. Thinking about that has some interesting implications on the trajectory of the story in general, come to think of it.