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Chapter Text

Prologue - The Fall

You were running through the thick forest of Mt. Ebott, doing your best to bob and weave through the foliage and trees. The moon was suspended in the pitch black sky with stars dancing through the air. Though the dark clouds tried their best to block out everything, slivers of silver light were still able to brighten a bit of the path. The downpour of rain was horrendous yet you forced yourself to continue forward. Booming thunder drowned out the cries of the poor soul who had been forced to try and bring you back to the hell you were running from. Every once in a while, a strike of lightning would temporarily let you see what was before you with more clarity. You probably could have chosen to run away on a night with better weather. However, there was no turning back now.

Taking another step in your mad dash to freedom, you stepped into a rather slick mound of mud. You yanked your foot away in hopes of breaking free yet lost one of your sneakers in the process. While the attempt had been successful, the amount of force behind the action caused you to stumble with your next step. Catching your foot on a vine hidden in the dark, your body pitched forward. Instinct kicked in as you tossed your hands out to catch yourself before face planting against the ground. Instead of feeling the moist ground beneath your hands, the only thing there was air.

Before your brain could process anything, you were falling. Cold rain pelted your back as you desperately flailed around in the dark pit. Trying to find something to grab hold of, your hands grasped at thin air as you continued your descent. It wasn’t long before your limbs were crying out in pain for everything to just stop. You had overexerted yourself enough from running and all this flailing was getting you nowhere. Finally giving in, you went limp as you fell. It felt as if the fall would never end. However, the moment soon came where you smashed your head onto the ground.

It was no surprise that the impact knocked you unconscious.

Practically prying your eyes open, the first thing you saw was the gaping hole above you. Morning came while you’d been asleep and the sunlight revealed just how far you’d falled. You should have died from such a drop yet you only felt sore. It seemed that fate had decided to be merciful enough to let you live longer. Perhaps that was your reward for finally escaping the place you’d once been forced to call home. 

You weren’t naive even though you were 13 years old. Forced to grow up quickly in the presence of adversity, the world had revealed just how cruel it really was. People often sugarcoated things instead of telling the truth to those they thought couldn’t handle it. The world was not a kind and loving place like many tried to make you believe. If you were dealt a bad hand of circumstances, everything could fall apart at the drop of a pin. There was nothing that could stop the world from falling apart. Despite all that, you had never given up hope for a brighter tomorrow. The world was terrible yet there was still good on Earth. Everything had an opposite, two sides of the same coin. You knew that. All you had to do was wait for your moment to finally taste a piece of happiness.

The sound of rustling stirred you from your thoughts. Hearing a small gasp, you finally forced yourself to move. Every muscle in your body screeched to stop as you sat up. Feeling the ground beneath you, it took a moment before you realized that you had fallen into a bed of yellow buttercups. Your hands grazed the flower petals and you took a moment to appreciate the soft feeling of their touch against your skin. Ripping your eyes away from the flowers, you soon caught sight of the being before you. You couldn't help the squeak of surprise that left your mouth.

Before you stood a creature who resembled a white-furred goat. Your eyes quickly caught sight of the small set of sharp horns on her head that curled inwards. Two floppy ears hung down, making it a little past the creature's shoulders. A pair of fangs were visible due to the fact that the creature's mouth was open slightly - probably from the shock of seeing you. Long eyelashes surrounded their soft eyes which were a surprisingly pretty dark red. The monster’s eyes made you feel as if you were gazing into a glass of red wine. The figure wore a long purple robe that displayed some strange symbol. The symbol was a striking white that made it pop out on the robe. Finally dropping your eyes to the paws that the monster had for hands, you wondered if this was some weird dream or perhaps the drop had killed you.

"Another child...?" the creature finally whispered, their voice sounding rather feminine to your ears. You carefully pushed yourself onto your feet even though your body continued to protest. Although you were a bit wobbly, you were still able to stay standing. The monster rushed to your side before you had a moment to speak. Kneeling before you, their eyes met yours as they spoke, "I am sorry, it has just been a while since I have seen a human child. There is no reason to be afraid. My name is Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins which you have fallen into. Could you perhaps tell me your name?"

Taking a moment to get your bearings, you stared for just a moment longer. The woman before you seemed rather kind and you saw no reason to distrust her. Perhaps it was a bad idea but the world you knew followed the 'innocent until proven guilty' mentality. Realizing that you were taking a bit long to reply, your voice finally broke through the silence, "My name is _____."

"_____? What a lovely name. Are you hurt, my dear?" Toriel questioned. Her paw never left your shoulder as she looked you over for injuries. While the weight of the paw was heavy, it felt comforting instead of unnerving. With a small nod, you replied, "My head really hurts and I feel sore. I'm a bit surprised that I'm not worse..."

"Do not fear, my child, I will take care of you. We can head to my home and I will patch you up there.” Toriel stood up and removed her hand from your shoulder only to scoop you up in her arms. Surprised by the action, it took you some time to find comfort in her soft fur and warm embrace. The slight sway in her walk made you feel like were being rocked back and forth. Perhaps it was the comfort that her presence brought or the fact that you were still tired from last night but you fell asleep in her arms.

For the first time in a long time, you finally felt safe. It was absolutely lovely.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1 - The Passing of Time

After your arrival at Toriel's home, you did your best to make yourself comfortable. The woman did everything she could for you. Not only did she cook you food whenever you were hungry but she went out of her way to start sewing you new clothes. While she was a little rusty and the sewing machine was old, she seemed like a natural at the task. Toriel had even been able to find you some shoes. They were a pair of old brown boots and you took the gift graciously as it was the best present you had received in years.

You were living in a small, yet cozy room during your stay. While the floor was wooden just like the rest of the house, there was a rather large carpet in the room. The outer edges of the carpet were lined with triangles while the rest was striped. In one corner, a side table with a small lamp stood beside a drawing of a buttercup that had been pinned to the wall. There was also a dark wooden stool placed beside a desk. A set of shelves lined with toys was pushed up against the wall; a pile of papers and an empty picture frame took up most of the room on the top shelf. While there was a closet as well, all the hangers were empty. You made a mental note to hang up all the clothing that Toriel was making for you.

Continuing to explore your room, you took notice of the two stuffed animals resting near a standing lamp. You weren't sure what animal the stuffed toys were supposed to be but they were obviously a pair. While one was white, the other was dark brown. Drawing your attention to the box of shoes resting at the foot of the bed, you dug around to see if you could find any more pairs that would fit you. Unfortunately, everything was either too big or too small for you. You huffed and grabbed both stuffed animals before hopping onto the bed. Resting your head on the fluffy white pillow, you stayed on top of the soft, quilted blanket. Gently setting the two stuffed toys beside you, you drifted into your own thoughts soon after.

There was evidence suggesting that other children once lived here but you assumed Toriel had once had children of her own. They had probably just grown up and left the house to go start their own lives away from home. Humans did such things all the time. There was also the possibility that there had been other children to fall down before you. After all, Toriel had known you were a human so it made sense that she had seen other human children before. Perhaps they had decided to leave and explore more? It seemed odd since you could never see yourself leaving such a kind woman behind but you didn't know the situation. To each their own. If other children had decided to leave Toriel's home, it wasn't your fault that they couldn't appreciate the love being given to them.

Everything about the place just felt so right. It had been years since you had been shown such sincere affection and it meant the world to you. While at first you had planned to leave so that you were not a burden on the goat monster, the woman quickly reassured you that the company would be greatly appreciated. Time seemed to flow quickly while you were at her side. Being around the kind monster took away all your fears of the unknown. With Toriel at your side, it wasn't a stretch to say that you felt invincible.

You had gotten the courage to call your caretaker 'Mom' after spending a month with her. When she hadn't responded right away, panic had set in as you wondered if you had messed up. Your attention turned to the wooden floor as you tried to talk your way out of the situation. Toriel engulfed your small body in a warm hug before you were able to fumble out an explanation. Your body tensed momentarily before you relaxed into the familiar sensation of Toriel's hug. The fabric of your shirt began to dampen after the goat monster rested her head against your shoulder. Realizing that the woman must be crying, you quickly wrapped your arms around Toriel to return her hug.

"Sorry," you whisper, your tiny fists clenching at the fabric of her robe. You tried your best not to start crying as well, "Did I upset you? I won't do it again.” 

You knew you were jumping to conclusions but it was a habit of yours to assume the worst. Toriel hadn't even said if she was upset or not. Right now, you were doing your best to hold yourself together and not start rambling. You rambled a lot as your own defense mechanism to get out of awkward discussions or topics. However, before you could continue to worry, Toriel lifted her face away from your shoulder. The woman broke the hug to wipe the tears from eyes before meeting your gaze. The caring woman smiled after composing herself, "My child, I am not upset. I am simply overcome with joy. They were tears of happiness, I promise. If it makes you happy, please continue to call me Mom. I would be honored to be your mother."

A grin soon took over your face and you relaxed. Practically launching yourself into the woman's arms, the force was enough to knock Toriel over. Laughter filled the air as you both lay on the wooden floor of the living room. Tightly hugging the fluffy goat, you buried your face into her shoulder. "I love you, Mom!"

For the rest of the day, the two of you did everything together. You helped Toriel cook dinner and did your best to try and learn sewing from her. Although you were unaware of it, your declaration of love for the parental figure in your life was enough to revitalize Toriel's soul. Her soul had been slowly crumbling away for years, breaking a little more every time another child left to face the rest of the Underground. You were the seventh child to fall since the tragedy which had befallen her family years ago yet the woman had a feeling that things would be different.

Toriel had a feeling that you would stay.

Time passed by in the blink of an eye.

Toriel began to trust you with more things as you grew older. By the time you were 16, your mother had already told you all about the 6 children who had passed through here before you. With her vivid memory, the goat painted pictures in your mind with her words. She was a very descriptive soul due to her love for reading and it served her well. While you did wish to know every single detail about the children who came before you, there was no way you could ask her for more. You could tell that it was a sensitive subject for her and you were glad to hear anything at all.

The first human to fall down was a young girl by the name of Gabriella, although Toriel distinctly remembered that the platinum blonde had always preferred Gabby. Gabby had just turned 14 when she fell. The girl had skin that seemed as white as Toriel's fur and her eyes were as blue as the sky. Gabby used a light blue ribbon to keep her hair up in a ponytail. Dressed in jean overalls and a white blouse, the child had taken the time to re-tie her red converse before explaining everything to Toriel. The blonde had been out with her family on a picnic for her birthday. While exploring the woods and pretending to be an adventurer with her toy knife, the girl had fallen down. The child had a light blue soul full of patience, staying with Toriel for a month before leaving. Gabby had left the Ruins on the day that Toriel had decided to sleep in her room instead of on the recliner. The goat monster never had the chance to say goodbye.

Next to fall was a boy by the name of Tyrell. He had a wild mop of curly brown hair that complimented his dark skin. An orange bandanna was tied around his head although it did little to help with his unruly hair. His hazel eyes burned with a fighting spirit as he walked through the Ruins with confidence. Donned in khaki shorts and a red tank top, the boy wore beaten up black sneakers that had seen years of use. It was a bit odd but the boy had a pair of black faux leather gloves that he never took off. Tyrell had never hurt a monster but he did use intimidation to scare off monsters. The young boy acted as if the Underground was just as familiar to him as the world above. His orange soul was full of bravery and he was confident when he knocked on Toriel’s door. Surprised to see a human at her door, Toriel had let Tyrell in. He was quick to explain that he had fallen down while exploring with a group of friends and getting separated. After he had explained everything to her, the 12-year-old had stated he wished to go home. Toriel felt as if she had no right to stop him and led him to the Ruin exit. She still regretted that action despite it being years ago.

The third was a ginger child who called himself Dustin. His hair was a shaggy mess and always hidden under a worn cowboy hat. His sun-kissed skin was covered with freckles. Wearing brown boots that had spurs, it seemed as if the child was trying to fit the role of a cowboy. Blue jeans covered up most of his boots while a loose black vest was tossed over a yellow button-up. Toriel had never witnessed it herself but the child had dusted a few monsters out of fear before she’d found him. When she had first seen the empty gun held in Dustin's hand, Toriel had panicked and nearly lashed out. She couldn’t even understand why a young child would have such a weapon. Dustin quickly put the weapon away once he discovered that Toriel could lead him out. He explained how he had been out hunting with his father when he had fallen down. His father had said he’d come back with help but the child knew his father was terrible with directions. His father would probably be unable to lead help back to the hole so Dustin deemed it his duty to get out all on his own. The ginger had a bright yellow soul full of justice. Once he learned about injustice the monsters had suffered before being locked away, he had forced his way past Toriel. He never knew the two children that came before him but still thought it was his duty to get justice for them. If possible, he also wanted to break the barrier keeping monsters trapped. Though she could never be sure, the goat monster was positive he’d been the oldest child to fall. She’d never gotten the chance to ask his age. Her heart nearly broke when she learned of Dustin’s demise in Hotland.

Alexa was the fourth child to fall to the Underground. Her hair was as dark as the night sky while her blue eyes reminded Toriel of paintings she’d seen of the ocean. Toriel had originally thought that Alexa was injured when they first met due to her unusual skin. The child had reassured her that it was nothing to worry about. Alexa was only 15 but knew a lot about vitiligo. It was the unique condition which caused her skin discoloration and her mother had always made sure the young girl never felt self conscious due to it. Some humans found it weird but she was proud of her unique skin. The town above had tried holding a play on Mt. Ebott in hopes of growing tourism in the area. Alexa had been the main dancer for the show and had fallen before it was to begin. Dressed in her light pink ballet shoes and matching tutu, she enjoyed dancing around to entertain Toriel. The girl was excellent at dodging due to her quick movements. Her dark blue soul was full of integrity. When she wished to leave, she was very truthful about that desire. Toriel had tried to stop Alexa from leaving the Ruins but the girl danced right through her fingers.

Kyle was the fifth to fall and it was a miracle his foggy glasses hadn't broken on the way down. He had a notebook filled with his own observations hidden deep within the pocket of his black sweater. Always on the hunt for new knowledge, he'd climbed up Mt. Ebott in hopes of discovering more about the children who had vanished over the years. The child had gone home with Toriel in hopes of learning everything he could. Though his hair tended to obscure his face, Kyle's green eyes always glittered as Toriel taught him all she knew. His black pants were too long for him and nearly covered up his white sneakers but the goat monster had been sure to fix the length for him. He was only 11 yet knew more about the world above than any of the other children had. Over time, Toriel taught Kyle about the Underground and allowed him to read the books she owned. It was nearly a year before the goat monster ran out of things to teach him. Displeased with this, Kyle started to enter the Ruins to learn about monsters. He killed monsters and ran his own miniature experiments in order to learn more about their deaths. When he decided he'd learned all the Ruins had to offer, Kyle decided it was time to move on. With his purple soul of perseverance, the child continued to push until Toriel allowed him to leave. She'd been unaware of the deaths on his hands until after he'd gone. If the monster had known, Kyle never would have had a chance to leave.

The last child to fall before yourself was a girl by the name of Cindy. The tan child had a love for cooking and was exceptionally good at it. Cindy had been on Mt. Ebott to look for fresh herbs and mushrooms when she had fallen. The girl had curly blonde hair which was styled in a pixie cut and hazel eyes. Wearing a stained white apron over her green sundress, her white flip flops had flowers on them which reminded Toriel of buttercups. Cindy taught Toriel how to cook human food while the monster taught the 12-year-old how to make monster cuisine in return. It wasn't long before the chef learned the truth of the Underground. Although Toriel had tried her best to shield the truth from Cindy, it was inevitable that the girl would find out. She was the child that got along best with the other monsters in the Ruins. One of the other monsters must have told the blonde everything. Her green soul was filled with kindness and it cried out for her to do something . With a heartfelt goodbye, Cindy took a frying pan that she had deemed as her own and left Toriel behind. It seemed that not even Cindy's kindness had been able to stop her own demise.

After listening to everything, you placed your hand on Toriel's in a comforting gesture. It was obvious that discussing it all had been stressful for the monster and you were thankful she'd decided to tell you. Throughout all of Toriel's stories, you had hung off of every single word. It was nice to know that she saw you as mature enough to handle such information. You would make sure she wouldn't regret telling you such a thing. Watching Toriel stand up from her recliner, she said that she was going to start dinner. You spent your time drawing every single child after she left. Working on one large photo, you added yourself amongst the other six children. You weren't the best artist but you spent an hour on the piece and nearly used up your crayons. Proud of your work, you made sure to present the drawing to Toriel at dinner.

Watching Toriel hang it up on the fridge was its own gift.

When you turned 18, Toriel surprised you with an amazing present. It had taken a while but she'd finally been able to get the room on the right side of her bedroom complete. Since the room you had been staying in until now was a guest room, Toriel had given you the new room as one to call your own. It was an amazingly thoughtful gift and you hugged her until she finally stated that she needed to start making your 'special birthday dinner.' Letting go of the monster, you watched her head into the kitchen before finally entering your bedroom.

The room was about the same size as Toriel's bedroom. There was a dark wood desk pushed to one corner of the room with a matching chair. Walking over to the desk, you turned on the small black lamp that rested on it. You took in the rest of the room once the lights were on. The walls were painted white while the ceiling above your head had been painted to resemble a starry night sky. You wondered how this had been done before you remembered the hole you had fallen down so many years ago. The person who painted your ceiling had probably caught a glimpse of the night sky that way. You opened the closet and smiled as you saw new clothes hanging up. You would have to thank Toriel for sewing you more outfits later. When had she found the time to work on clothing without being seen by you? There had never been a time when you heard the sewing machine either. Beside the closet was a large set of shelves which you would fill up with all your personal belongings later. A queen-sized bed was pushed against the wall and covered with a set of dark blue sheets. A cream comforter rested on the bed along with a matching pillow.

Flopping onto the bed, you buried your face into the new pillow and soaked it all in. You finally had a room to call your own. It had been years since you had such a luxury. In fact, you hadn't had your own room back on the surface in a long time. As you got comfortable, you reminded yourself to bring in those two stuffed animals - which you had learned were froggits thanks to Toriel - from the old room. You had grown attached to the set of stuffed toys and you felt like they had become part of your everyday life. Maybe one day you'd be able to give them a good name; for now, those stuffed froggits stayed nameless.

Toriel came to wake you from your nap once dinner was ready. Heading to the table, your mom had whipped up your favorite food. You helped Toriel wash the dishes after devouring all the food on your plate. The surprises only continued when your mom handed you a cupcake with a single candle on top. As Toriel sang you happy birthday, you stared up at the goat monster with a smile on your face. You made a wish and blew out the candle once the song was over.

"What did you wish for, my child?" Toriel questioned, tossing out the used candle. You laughed as you delicately cut the cupcake in half. Cleaning the cake crumbs and frosting off the knife, you dried the item before putting it away. You handed Toriel her half of the cupcake before picking up your own. "If I tell you my wish then it won't come true. It's a human tradition to keep it a secret, Mom."

"Oh alright, I will not ruin your fun," Toriel said. Before you took a bite of the treat, you jokingly tapped Toriel's cupcake half with yours, "Cheers!"

As you two ate your cupcake halves in silence, it felt as if everything was right with the world. You both turned in for the night after hugging one another. Making sure to grab the two stuffed froggits from the guest room, you placed them on your bed before falling asleep.

I wish that I could take Mom to the surface so that she could see its beauty.

When you turned 21, you had taken it upon yourself to help out around the house whenever Toriel was busy. You were unable to go out with her due to the fact that you were human. If you ran into a member of the Royal Guard, there was the potential for an incident to occur. You were disappointed about being unable to see all of the Ruins but you didn't let it hinder you for long. As long as you had Toriel, everything was fine. You didn't need anyone else in your life. Your mom was more than enough to make you happy. She had cared for you ever since your descent into the Ruins. Everything was peaceful and right with the world. For once, you had found a place where you belonged.

Unfortunately, you wouldn't be the only human in the Underground much longer.

At the bed of buttercups you had fallen into 8 years ago, a new human fell. Meeting the flowers head-on, the child's face slammed into the ground. A human child had once again fallen to the Underground. Wearing a blue sweater with two purple stripes running horizontally in the middle, they were slightly swamped in the fabric. It was almost as if the sweater was just a size too big. Along with the sweater, they wore jean shorts and a pair of brown leather boots. Their straight brown hair ended at their chin in a rather cute bob cut. Blunt bangs ended just above their eyes, yet it seemed like they could grow and cover up the child's eyes any day now. Brown eyes glanced around before finally pushing themselves out the bed of flowers.

The Angel had returned.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2 - February 22nd

You spent most of the day deep cleaning the house. From dusting the bookshelves to mopping the wooden floors, you were doing your best to keep on top of all the chores. Toriel insisted that you allow her to do some but you always reiterated that you'd be doing them yourself. She did more than enough for you, a few chores wouldn’t kill you. You took a moment to relax after the floor was glistening. Sipping on a cold glass of soda, you pulled out your phone and checked your messages. You decided to check out your horoscope after making sure there were no messages from Toriel. While you never were one to believe in such a thing, you always found them a bit entertaining to read. It always helped you laugh a little when they were ridiculously off the mark.

"Let's see... February 22nd..." you mumbled to yourself. You took a seat at the living room table with your drink still clutched in your hand. Finally finding your star sign, you raised an eyebrow as your eyes scanned the text. 

This day will become a curse that is attached to your very soul. Beware, for you will soon dread this very day with every fiber of your being. 

You wondered who they paid to write these horoscopes. If they made good money, maybe you’d see if there was an opening to apply to. It couldn’t be hard to fake these things. They just seemed to get more ridiculous each time you indulged in checking the column.

You cleaned the cup and put it away after finishing the rest of your soda. Taking the time to tidy the rest of the living room up, it soon resembled a display you’d see in furniture catalogs. You grabbed a damp rag and moved into the guest bedroom to start wiping down the furniture. Several hours passed as you busied yourself with meaningless chores in hopes of passing the time. Although you could easily sleep the day away if you really wanted to, you found that was a quick way to throw off your sleep schedule and your body wouldn't appreciate that.

The noise of the front door opening caught your attention. Leaving the guest room, you weren’t surprised to see your mother. The groceries in her hands caught you off guard though. You knew that the fridge had been refilled yesterday. The goat monster scurried past you without a single hello and entered the kitchen. Tossing the damp towel you’d been cleaning with onto your shoulder, you glanced over at the entrance to the kitchen. It was impossible for you to tell just what was going on inside despite the fact that you could hear Toriel shuffling around. After rubbing your hands onto the front of your jeans a few times, you deemed them dry enough. Your ears quickly picked up on the familiar tune that Toriel was humming and the tune became clearer when you entered the kitchen. Whenever the woman was extremely excited over something, she would hum without realizing it. It had started to become a habit you picked up as well.

Staying in the doorway of the kitchen, you leaned against the wall and watched in silence as you wondered what was going on. While Toriel had put away most of the food she had come home with, you caught sight of several ingredients that you recognized. You wondered what the special occasion was for her to be making cinnamon-butterscotch pie. Toriel usually made a pie as dessert but cinnamon-butterscotch was only saved for special occasions since it took more work to make. After watching a little longer, you pushed yourself off of the wall and grabbed a hair tie off of your wrist. You tied your hair up as you walked into the kitchen before placing the damp rag beside the sink. Washing your hands, you dried them on the spare towel hanging off the fridge thanks to a magnet. Turning to Toriel, a smile graced your features, "So what's the special occasion this time, Mom? If I remember correctly, the last time you whipped up some cinnamon-butterscotch pie was for my 21st birthday."

Startled by your voice, Toriel's head quickly whipped around to look up at you. Your eyebrows furrowed together in confusion at her reaction. Earlier you thought the kind creature had run past you without a word because she was carrying so many heavy bags; now you wondered if she had even realized you were there. It wasn't often that Toriel was so unperceptive of things, so it was a bit troubling to see her missing your obvious presence. Lightly biting the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from voicing your concern, your eyes never left her face. The surprise in her wine-red eyes quickly turned to joy. She turned her attention to the stove and you watched in awe as she quickly lit the burner with her fire magic. Despite the fact that you had grown up around magic for 8 years now, you were still impressed every time you saw it in action.

"Oh, it is a surprise, my dear! After I finish making this pie, I will be going to pick them up. Would you mind helping me out with the cooking?" Toriel asked, already starting to work on making the pie crust. You raised an eyebrow in confusion at the implication of other people coming to the house. Toriel never had someone come over before and you’d always assumed it was because you were a human staying under her care. Under the assumption that you would be meeting one of Toriel's close friends, your small smile turned into a huge grin. The empty counter space to Toriel’s side became your workplace as you began to make the pie filling. After finishing a large amount of work split between the two of you, it finally came time to bake it. A comfortable silence settled in the kitchen as you set the table for three. You were about to call out to Toriel when a knock at the door caught your attention. Placing the final plate down, your eyes gazed in the general direction of the door.

"I'll get it!" you called out, making sure that Toriel could hear you. You rushed to the door and flung it open with every expectation of seeing another monster. When you saw no one at the door, you paused for a moment as confusion swept over you. Your eyes glanced downward and finally latched onto a sight that you hadn't expected - another human. As you stared at the 8-year-old in stunned silence, they stared right back. You ignored the questions flooding your mind and glanced over your shoulder. Shaken from the appearance of another human, you called out, "Um... Mom? There's someone here that might need some help..."

Hearing some clattering from the living room, it wasn't long before you saw Toriel appear behind you. You moved out of the entrance so that Toriel could see the little visitor that had arrived. The goat monster gasped before quickly closing the distance. Kneeling before the brunette child, Toriel took the child's hands in her own as she began to fuss over them. Toriel examined the young child for injuries while you stood off to the side in silence and watched the scene unfold before you. You bit down on your bottom lip as your mind started to piece things together. For one, it seemed as if Toriel already knew the child Second, you knew that children falling into the Underground was quite unusual. It seemed that the pie must be for the little tot as a welcome gift. Watching Toriel stand up, you left your thoughts to focus on the current situation.

"It seems as if you are unharmed. It was rather improper of me to leave you alone in that hallway even if I did give you a cell phone. I should not have put your life at risk in hopes of giving you a little surprise. I am quite sorry about that, my child," Toriel sighed, a bit disappointed in herself. Your mother ruffled the young child’s hair as a small smile found its way back on her face. Turning the child's attention to your form, your mother explained, "This is my daughter. I am sure the two of you will get along very well! Now then, I think introductions are in order."

Toriel was staring at you expectantly and you went along without any complaint. You gave a warm smile before squatting down to the child's height. You held out a hand for the sweater-clad kid to shake, "My name is _____. Nice to meet ya, kiddo! We whipped up a really nice treat for you, so why don't you come in and give us a name?"

After a moment of hesitation, you watched the child spell their name out in sign language. A wave of confusion swept over you once and your face heated up with embarrassment as you found yourself unsure of what to do. When the child realized that you couldn't understand, they took your outstretched hand and flipped it so that your palm faced the sky. They used their other hand to write the letters out on your hand with their left index finger. Paying attention to what was being written on your hand, you cautiously questioned, "Frisk...?"

The child grinned and nodded their head before giving your hand a firm shake. With a laugh, you shook their hand back before letting go. Toriel walked past you as you held the front door open while Frisk stayed behind. Assuming that the goat monster was going to get the pie, you waited patiently for the child to head in as well. You firmly closed the door and locked it once the child was inside. After making sure it was locked, you turned around to see that Frisk was waiting for you. You smiled at them, "You'll have to teach me sign language when you get the chance so that we can communicate easier. If you'd be okay teaching me, that is."

Frisk vigorously nodded their head at your words with a wide grin on their face. Happy with their answer, you quickly lead the way to the living room. The two of you took your seats while Toriel came back with the pie. Placing the warm pan on the table, the woman cut pieces for all three of you before placing them onto the plates. The three of you ate in pleasant silence as you enjoyed the company and the pie. Once Frisk had finished their slice, a loud yawn left their mouth as they rubbed at their eyes. Toriel was quick on the uptake, "I think it is time for you to get some sleep, young one. Come now, I will show you to your room."

As Toriel left with Frisk, you stood up and began to clean up the table. You wrapped up the pie and put it in the fridge before you went back to gather all the dirty dishes. Sleeves rolled up to your elbows, you fell into a rhythm as you hummed a turn and washed the dishes. You dried every dish off with a towel before putting them back into the cabinet. As soon as the final dish was put away, you turned off the sink. Leaning back against the counter, you closed your eyes. You tilted your face towards the ceiling as you tried to process the entire day.

You hadn't expected another human to fall down in your lifetime. It was nice to have another of your species with you, however, you had to wonder just what an 8-year-old child was doing alone on Mt. Ebott. They were a young child that was mute and there was no way they'd gone onto the mountain with a group of people. Back when you had fled up the mountain, it was already illegal to be on the property. The state government had fenced off Mt. Ebott in hopes of keeping civilians away due to all the missing children reports. In order for Frisk to have fallen, they must have climbed over the fence just like you had. The fence could have been taken down while you lived with Toriel yet that seemed unlikely. Even then, there was no way that a mute child had wandered away easily. People usually kept more attention on those who needed extra help. Just what was going on?

Disrupted from your thoughts by a soft cough, you turned your gaze to the figure standing in the kitchen doorway. Toriel smiled at you and walked forward before placing a hand on your shoulder. Relaxing a little bit, you were about to speak but Toriel beat you to it, "Thank you very much for cleaning up. I must admit, I was a bit worried that Frisk would be more cautious around us. They seem to be adjusting nicely. I believe it will be quite nice to have another soul in this house. We can be like one big family, yes?"

She seemed a bit nervous. Did she think you'd be jealous because there would be another kid around? It was cute that she thought it could be an issue. Maybe it would've been if you were younger, however, you had gotten over your fear of abandonment during your time here.

"Of course, Mom. I'm certain they'll love you just as much as I always have," you did your best to keep your voice low. You didn't want to wake up Frisk. Silence seemed to fill the kitchen once more yet it didn't seem as peaceful as it had been earlier. If anything, the silence felt suffocating. It wasn't long before Toriel's voice broke through the silence, "I cannot allow them to leave the Ruins. If I allow that child to leave, I will once again be sending a youth to their death. You understand that, yes?"

While you could tell that your mother was trying her best to be seen as a strong individual, you understood her worry. She'd told you about all the previous children and the pain in her voice had been palpable. That pain had only gotten worse by every failure she suffered while trying to keep them safe. You gently pulled the fluffy woman into an embrace, burying your face into the fabric near her shoulder. "It's alright, Mom. I'll stick with you through everything, no matter what decisions you make."

Standing in the kitchen, you stayed in one another's embrace. Toriel never made another noise after your final words but you could feel the fabric of your sweater start to grow damp. Feeling something stir within you, you decided that you would stay strong for Toriel. You would do everything in your power to make sure that you could keep her happy.

During Frisk's stay, the child had been a great teacher when it came to sign language. The brunette was constantly teaching you new signs and you did your best to keep up. Throughout the three months that Frisk had been at your side, you had caught onto sign language better than you thought you would. You were decently fluid in ASL by the fourth month of Frisk's arrival. Sometimes there was a sign that you didn't understand but usually you were able to take an educated guess. Toriel was lucky as she had no need to learn sign language. It seemed as if the goat monster's magic would subconsciously connect to Frisk's soul whenever the child would sign. Due to this, her magic would practically read the signs for Toriel. When you had figured that out, it was yet another reason for you to be awed by monsters and their magic.

You could tell that Frisk was getting bored of the Ruins towards the end of their fourth month there. While the three of you had become a happy family while you'd been together, it was obvious that Frisk wanted to see the rest of the Underground. The child was getting antsy and had already explored the entirety of the Ruins. As you watched the brunette get more bored, you began to worry that soon they might begin to ask how to leave. You were always trying your best to keep Frisk's interest. Sometimes the two of you would just stay inside and cook while other days you would set up a scavenger hunt in the Ruins. The two of you had even started taking care of snails so Toriel had a steady supply for her infamous snail pie. It was fun for both of you and the interactions forged a strong bond between the two of you. Soon enough, even those events became boring and repetitive for the 8-year-old.

The once happy and warm atmosphere in the house was beginning to grow cold and tense. Despite everything, you were unable to fix the problems that plagued your small family. Even the once joyous and pun-filled dinners in the living room had become silent. Watching your family fall apart at the seams, it felt as if your own soul was breaking with it. It seemed like your best efforts would be unable to keep everything perfect.

You just wondered how long it would be before everything crumbled.

It was at the end of Frisk's fifth month that everything went downhill. In fact, it started in the middle of the night. You originally woke up to grab a glass of water but you paused in the hallway when you saw Toriel and Frisk in the living room. As the two were illuminated by the fireplace, you watched with a small smile on your face. The two of them seemed so peaceful. Snatching your phone out of pajama pants pocket, you snapped a photo silently. Your mom constantly pointed out that you always had your phone with you but it was so you could snap candid photos like now. Slipping it back into your pocket, you moved to make yourself known. Before you could speak, the air around the two became tense. You kept silent and watched from the shadows of the hallway. It didn't seem like a situation you wanted to join. Watching in silence, your eyes widened as Frisk signed the words you'd dreaded.

How can I leave the Ruins?

Toriel's once warm demeanor turned cold as she closed the book in her hands. Standing up, the hardcover book was tossed onto the armchair the goat monster had risen from. The white-furred monster demanded that Frisk go to bed before she dashed past them. Not wanting to be seen, you rushed beside the potted plant next to the railing of the stairs. You dropped to a squat and held your breath as you watched your mother disappear down the stairs. The darkness hid you from Toriel's gaze and you relaxed slightly. As you stayed there in silence, Frisk soon passed you as well and followed the goat monster downstairs. You stood up and found yourself unsure of what to do. Grabbing the railing as if it was the last thing tethering you to your sanity, you took several deep breaths to calm down.

Despite your better judgment, you shakily made your way into the basement as well. You could faintly hear the echoes of Toriel's voice as you walked down the long purple stone corridor. After an eternity of walking, a horrifying scene greeted you. Toriel had challenged Frisk to a fight in her desperate plight to keep the child in the Ruins. Frisk expertly dodged several flaming attacks while they continued to show your mother mercy. Several minutes passed before Toriel finally gave into Frisk's pleas. The flames dissipated from her hands before she pulled Frisk into a hug. Although you could tell that Toriel was speaking, you were unable to hear anything. Breaking away from the hug, Toriel quickly left Frisk behind. Your eyes caught sight of the glimmer of tears beginning to form as Toriel sprinted past you. Biting the inside of your cheek, you turned your attention towards Frisk once more. You called out just as the young child rested their hand on the large set of doors, "Hey Snickerdoodle, you gonna leave without telling me goodbye?"

Frisk turned at the sound of your voice. Surprised by your presence, the child began to rapidly sign. You made your way towards the small child with a dispirited half smile. Standing before them, you placed a comforting hand on their shoulder and patiently waited for them to calm down. Their brown eyes stared up at you and their signing stopped before their hands fell to their side. 

"I knew you'd end up leaving us eventually. You might be a little kid but your need for adventure is greater than mine. I'm not gonna stop you from leaving but... stay in touch. Toriel sees you as one of her own children and you're my younger sibling."

Frisk leapt into your arms. Feeling yourself begin to topple over, you wrapped your arms around the young child before your back hit the ground. It wasn't a hard landing but the tumble was going to leave a bruise or two. You pushed yourself into a sitting position and did your best to keep Frisk in your arms. Pulling away slightly, you placed a small kiss on the child's forehead. You wiped away a few stray tears that had begun to form in the child's eyes. Whether that was from dirt or sadness, you didn't know. You rocked back and forth as a way to hopefully comfort them. "I'll always be a phone call away. I can let you back in if it gets dangerous. If any human is gunna make friends with monsters, it'll be my funny little Snickerdoodle."

Frisk soon stood up once again and gave a firm nod. Pushing yourself to your feet, you dusted off your pajama pants and watched the child's back. The Ruin doors slowly swung open and a rush of cold wind smacked you in the face. You shivered and wrapped your arms around yourself as you caught sight of the tall evergreen trees. Wide-eyed at the beauty beyond the door, you stared in awe as snow covered everything. Was the snowy weather done by magic? No matter how it was done, it was beautiful. Forcing your eyes back on Frisk, you watched as they walked off into the distance. Their silhouette began to get smaller as the doors slowly began to close. Soon after Frisk disappeared beyond the horizon, the large purple doors closed to once again hide the winter wonderland from your sight.

A puff of air became small white whips when you sighed thanks to the cold air in the room. Turning on your heel, you went back upstairs. Your feet dragged down the hallway as you heard sobbing from Toriel's room. Gently opening the door, you closed it just as carefully in hopes of not startling the woman. You shuffled towards your mother and rested a shaky hand on her shoulder. Surprised by your sudden touch, the woman gasped before her head shot up. The white-furred monster seemed to suddenly go into hysterics at the sight of you. Pulling you into a tight hug, Toriel choked out, "I-I thought... W-When I s-saw you down-n there I... I thought y-you were going to leave as well!"

Realization dawned on you and you shook your head before hugging the woman back. Allowing the woman to sob, you buried yourself in her warm embrace. Your voice cracked as your own tears started to break free, "N-Never... I would never leave you, Mom. This is my home."

Despite the time, the two of you stayed in each other's embrace. Once the tears ran dry, the two of you clung to each other and fell asleep. You held onto Toriel as if she was the only thing that mattered in this world. Her grip on you was just as tight.

During the time that Frisk was gone, you got text messages from them regularly. Sometimes they would send you pictures of themselves or the things they were doing. Watching them traverse Snowdin through the images sent, you were awed by all the snow. You saved all the pictures sent to your phone but some of your favorite pictures were the dogs playing cards at the booth and the selfie of Frisk with two skeletons whom you assumed were related. When you asked about the two, the child was quick to confirm they were brothers who went by the names Papyrus and Sans.

For the selfie, Frisk was squished between the two monsters. Both skeletons were anatomically inaccurate yet distinct in their own ways. The one on the right of Frisk had a skull which was more vertical and geometric than the other. The skeleton was sitting in the snow so that he could get in on the picture since he towered over the other two. With a toothy grin on his face, his pupil-less eyes resembled vertical slits. Despite his lack of pupils, his eyes seemed to sparkle as his skeletal pseudo-brows were raised. You would’ve questioned how bone was moving in such a way if you hadn’t lived Underground for eight years. He wore a white chest plate with gold trim around the edges of the sleeves and hem. The red gloves he donned had gold trim and matched his knee-high boots. While his blue briefs were held up with a golden belt, the final item tying the outfit together was the red scarf around his neck which fluttered in the wind.

The skeleton on the left was much shorter than the other one. However, he was still taller than Frisk by a foot. With a lazy dimpled smile plastered on his face, he looked relaxed in the photo. You’d bet that he was a few minutes away from falling asleep while standing. Though his large eyes were half-closed, his glowing white pupils were focused on the camera as he threw up a lazy peace sign. He wore a blue hoodie with white fur lining the hood; it was easy to see the white t-shirt he wore underneath since he hadn't bothered to zip his jacket. The black basketball shorts with white stripes on the sides seemed ridiculous but it was the pink slippers on his feet that made you snort.

Glad that things were going well, you gave an update on you and Toriel. Your mom was still upset Frisk had left but she was trying to push past it. However, for the time being, she was struggling with it. It didn’t help that some dog had snatched up the goat woman's phone and ran away with it. Frisk got a laugh out of that. They hoped that Toriel would get her phone back soon since the child had been messaging her. Reassuring Frisk that you had been updating your mom, the brunette gave you their thanks.

As time continued to pass and days turned into weeks, Frisk updated you on their adventure. The child was telling you everything that had gone on while they sent photos of Waterfall and Hotland. At first, they had been chased through Waterfall by a fish monster named Undyne. The brunette was quick to state that they were fine and uninjured. Thank goodness they were, you’d almost told your mother so she could scold whoever Undyne was. Frisk had also met with the Royal Scientist named Alphys. Apparently, Alphys was a yellow dinosaur-like monster who had created a robot body for Mettaton. You explained that you had no idea who Mettaton was and got an earful from Frisk for not knowing the Underground's biggest star. They told you that they had appeared on several episodes of his T.V. shows. Once you promised to watch the episodes, the kid was placated.

Frisk had sent you a rather adorable picture of them in Waterfall a month later. They’d been able to successfully win over Undyne and were now best friends. Staring at the picture, you giggled at the ridiculous sight. Frisk was sitting on Undyne's shoulders and had taken a selfie from there. Finally having a picture of the leader of the Royal Guard, you had a face to put with the name. Undyne was an anthropomorphic fish monster. Beautiful blue scales covered her entire body and her long red hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Red and blue striped fins rested on the sides of her head, reminding you of ears. Her face was pulled into a huge grin which revealed her sharp, slightly yellow teeth. She wore red eye shadow though her left eye was covered up by a black eye patch. Her left eye reminded you of a cat's eye with a black vertical pupil and a yellow sclera. She wore a black tank top and blue jeans but it was impossible for you to see her shoes due to the angle. The two were splattered with pasta sauce. In the background, you could see a fish-shaped house burning.

That picture was followed by yet another one. Frisk claimed that it was snapped inside of Alphys' lab. While Frisk was all the way to the right, two more figures were squished into view. A humanoid robot that you recognized as Mettaton took up as much space as he could. The price of being friends with a superstar, he just had to be the center of attention. Mettaton had black hair with long fringe that covered his right eye. His pale 'skin' was flawless and you were almost jealous before reminding yourself that it was all metal. The visible metal segments below and above his left pink eye caught your attention. He had a pink chest piece with what seemed to be a pressure gauge on the left side and a speaker on the other side. His narrow metallic waist had an odd box contraption with a pink cartoon heart inside. The black shoulder guards above his segmented arms were large and could probably poke an eye out. While his hands had white gloves, his long black-clad legs ended in pink high-heeled boots that reached mid-thigh.

A reptilian monster nearly hidden to the left looked embarrassed to be in the photo. Her cheeks were red as her eyes glanced in the direction of the camera. They were surprisingly close to Frisk's height, perhaps only an inch or two taller. She had bright yellow scales and round black glasses which rested on her face. Two teeth slightly protruded from the monster's mouth and thought it looked oddly cute. A matching yellow tail could barely be made out in the background of the photo. The figure was wearing a white lab coat and you concluded that the monster must be Alphys.

You found yourself relaxing with the knowledge that Frisk was getting along with the other monsters. As you texted the child back, you felt an odd yearning in your soul. A soft sigh slipped from your lips and you hit send on your message. You fell back onto the bed and let your phone slip from your grip as you stared up at the ceiling in silence. You moved a hand to rest where your heart would be and closed your eyes. Deep down, some part of you wished to be out there as well. A small part of you craved adventure and friends. However, you wouldn't leave Toriel. She was your mother and she meant the world to you.

Two months later, Frisk stated that they were going to meet the King of Monsters - Asgore.

You were stunned by the news and quick to tell Toriel. Dashing into the kitchen, you caught sight of your mom filling up a ceramic mug with golden flower tea. She picked up the mug only to turn and catch sight of you. Taking in your frazzled form, the monster raised an eyebrow as she took a sip of her tea. You leaned against the wall for support as you tried to catch your breath. Toriel questioned, "Is everything alright, _____? Would you like a cup of tea? It always helps me calm down."

You pushed your hair out of your face and stared at the goat monster. Not thinking of the consequences, you shouted, "Frisk is going to meet the King of Monsters! I kept trying to tell them that it was a bad idea but they insisted it was necessary!"

Mortified by your words, Toriel's eyes widened as her grip on the mug loosened. The cute purple mug slipped from her grip and crashed onto the tile floor. Shattering from the impact, ceramic and tea covered the kitchen floor. The goat monster didn’t take the time to clean up and swiftly moved past you. You were right on the furry monster's heels as she flew down the stairs. She pushed the Ruin doors open and started to walk out. Dashing to catch up, Toriel froze when she heard your footfalls. The monster's face was filled with anguish as she turned to face you. Before you could move past her, a furry paw fell onto your shoulder and gave a firm squeeze. Toriel shook her head, "My child, you must stay here. Asgore is... a very dangerous man. He wants to break the barrier and believes he can do so with seven human souls. He already has six and Frisk will be the seventh if I don't get there in time. If... If you come along, he would kill one of you to be the seventh soul and keep the other as a backup soul. Please _____, I beg you. Stay here."

You couldn't believe the words filling your ears. Even though Toriel had told you all about the barrier and its history, you hadn’t realized the king's plans. You bit the inside of your cheek. How had you not put it together? The six children who never returned must’ve become part of the King’s plan to break the barrier. You felt tears filling your eyes as you stared up at Toriel. Letting one of your hands rest on the paw she’d placed on your shoulder, you gave the fluffy appendage a tight squeeze. Desperation filled your eyes, "Please come back with Frisk. I need you two to come home safe."

The goat woman placed a soft kiss on the top of your head. The thumbs of her paws wiped away tears that had begun to flow and she whispered, "I promise, my dear. I will be back before you know it."

The monster turned on her heel and disappeared into the snow. You sat down on the floor and waited in silence after the door closed. Despite how uncomfortable the floor was, you stayed there and stared at the large purple doors in silence. Minutes soon became hours as you tried to pass the time by humming to yourself and playing games on your cell phone. Refusing to move, an entire day dragged by. You grew worried and decided to call Frisk when a text caused your phone to buzz. Seeing it was from Frisk, you clicked on the message. Your eyes widened in shock as you stared at the image.

It was a picture of Toriel and the rest of Frisk's monster friends staring up at the sunset. While all the monsters had been in awe of the sight, the child had taken a picture from behind. The picture became blurry and it took a moment before you realized you’d started crying again. You wiped away your tears with the back of your hand as a shaky laugh left you. Frisk had made your wish come true. You hugged your phone close to your chest and smiled as joy began to fill your being. However, without warning, a flash of white similar to lightning striking obstructed your vision.

Looking up in shock, you watched in an odd mix of confusion and horror as everything around you became white. The white space surrounding you suddenly morphed into black before you could question anything. After what felt like an eternity of floating in nothingness, you found yourself jolted back to reality as you fell onto your bed. You were confused by everything and tried to process just what had happened. Turning your attention to your phone, you tapped the screen. Your eyebrows furrowed together and your eyes squinted as you read the bright screen in the dark. Although you weren't sure why, something deep inside you told you that the date you were reading couldn't be possible.

February 22nd.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3 - Stuck on Repeat

You couldn't fight the odd sense of deja vu that clung to everything you did. From cleaning the house to reading your horoscope, it felt as if it had all been done before. You had experienced deja vu once in a while during your life in the ruins but never so prominently. Even when Toriel dashed past you with food in her arms, your mind wasn't surprised by what was an unusual sight. You were confused by the revelation and moved into the kitchen to bring it up with your mom. However, you were whisked away from your thoughts to help cook up a cinnamon-butterscotch pie before your questions could leave your lips.

The worst part was that even the conversation felt as if it had been done before. Finding the situation more and more frustrating, you fell silent and sunk into your thoughts. You patiently set the living room table with three sets of dining wear. Why couldn’t you shake this feeling of deja vu? Was it because of a dream you couldn’t remember having last night? Before you could try to piece things together, several knocks on the door startled you from your thoughts. You cast a wary glance at the door but called out, "I'll get it!"

Rushing to the door, you flung it open with slight hesitation. You subconsciously shifted your eyes downwards as if you expected a short visitor. Catching sight of the brunette child, you found yourself unable to speak as deja vu ran through you worse than it has before. Your breath was caught in your throat as you continued to stare at the kid. Before anything could be said between you, clattering from the living room caught your attention. Toriel gently moved you out of the entrance so that she could see the little visitor that had arrived. Kneeling before the brunette child, Toriel took their hands in her own as she began to fuss over them. Toriel examined the young child for injuries while you continued to stare in silence. It felt as if you were reliving an entire event. As your eyebrows furrowed together, you slowly fell into a daze. Why did everything feel so familiar ?

When your gaze finally fell back onto Toriel, her concerned look snapped your mind back into action. It felt as if your brain was acting on autopilot as you did your best to give a believable warm smile. You squatted down to their height and held out a hand for the sweater-clad kid to shake. You tried your best to push aside your uneasy feelings, "My name is _____. Nice to meet ya, kiddo! We whipped up a really nice treat for you, so why don't you come in and give us a name?”

The child spelt their name out in sign language without hesitation. Processing what had been signed, your uneasiness skyrocketed. You found yourself unable to talk and the child took your unresponsiveness as a sign that you didn't understand. As the brunette reached out to take your hand, their movement stopped, "Frisk, right? What an interesting name."

Frisk's head jolted upward to stare at you once you said their name. Your emotions were a cocktail of disbelief and unease while their face showed confusion and shock. As the silence started to grow tense, Toriel was the first to react. Perhaps she hadn't picked up on the atmosphere but you were glad that she broke the silence, "I had no idea you understood sign language, _____! It is great to know that you and Frisk will be able to communicate so easily. I was quite worried about the predicament but it seems all that worry was over unnecessary."

"I didn't realize I knew sign language either..." you mumbled under your breath, hands falling to your side and clenching into fists. Frisk seemed to catch what you had said but Toriel was too distracted by her giddiness to hear your words. While Toriel led Frisk inside for some pie, you stayed outside to calm yourself. Leaning against the doorway, you couldn't help the rush of fear that flooded your veins. When did you learn sign language? Throughout your life, there had never been a moment when you attempted to learn the language. It made no sense that you were able to understand Frisk's signs, yet you had and it absolutely terrified you. What was happening to you? Did this have something to do with the constant sense of deja vu?

You closed your eyes and took a few deep breaths to try and steady yourself. It was hardly the time to be freaking out and, even if you did, it would be no help. A sigh left your lips before you turned to go back inside. You closed the door and made sure it was locked, tugging on it twice as a precaution. 

You would get to the bottom of all this - you were certain of that.

At the end of Frisk's second month in the Ruins, the child had been adamant about leaving. You weren't surprised that the brunette was leaving but something inside you felt they were supposed to stay around longer. Unable to face everything going on, you had ultimately locked yourself in your room. You’d tried to piece everything together over the last two months but that sense of deja vu never left. The constant feeling had started to make you nauseous. Despite your initial desire to figure it out, the stress of it all broke you down over time. This argument between your mom and Frisk was just the final nail in the coffin.

You knew that your mom was downstairs with Frisk but you were scared to see what was going on. That constant deja vu made you feel like you already knew what was going on in the basement. It felt as if something was blocking your memories yet they were slowly trickling out. The harder you tried to focus on what you were forgetting, the worse your head hurt.

Soft sobbing from Toriel's room crept into your room after what felt like hours. Pushing yourself to your feet, it didn't take long to shuffle to the goat monster's room. You knew the exact reason that your mom was crying. Sitting beside her, you pulled her into a hug. As your mother held you tight and sobbed into the fabric of your shirt, your eyes stared intensely at the wall. Frisk had made your mom cry twice now and you were a little upset with the child. Had they really felt the need to leave such a kind woman behind twice? Wait...

Twice...?

Confused by your own thoughts, your eyebrows furrowed together as you bit down on the inside of your cheek. There was no possible way that Frisk could have left the Ruins twice. It was impossible for all of this to be happening twice. Perhaps you were more tired than you’d realized. After all, there was no way to re-live a scenario. Right?

When Frisk started to send you photos of their adventures, you had gone from excited to unsettled. You’d definitely seen all of the photos before even if such a thing was impossible. What was more confusing was the fact that you knew the names of the monsters as well as details about them. You already knew that Papyrus and Sans were brothers without Frisk having to tell you. Besides that, you also knew that Alphys was the Royal Scientist and Mettaton’s robot body was one of the shy monster's creations. The fact that you even knew about Undyne's crush on Alphys without the young child hinting at it was the strangest detail of all.

After a month away from the Ruins, the child confided in you that they were going to see the King of Monsters in hopes of destroying the barrier. Knowing it would be impossible for you to convince them not to do so, you wished them luck. You walked into the kitchen to find Toriel filling a ceramic mug with golden flower tea. As she picked up the mug, the monster turned around and smiled at you. There was no way to sugarcoat the announcement so you just showed the goat monster the text Frisk had sent you. When you noticed the ceramic mug beginning to slip from your mom's hands, you took the warm mug of tea into your grasp.

The goat monster swiftly moved past you so she could head down to the basement. After putting the mug down, you turned on your heel and trotted down the steps. Toriel had already pushed the Ruin doors open by the time you got downstairs. Dashing to catch up, Toriel froze when she heard your footfalls. The woman's face was filled with anguish as she turned to face you. You were once again punched in the gut by deja vu as you saw the pain in her eyes. Before your mom could speak, you cut through the silence, "I know it's dangerous for me to go with you so I won’t ask. Please come back with Frisk. I need you two to come home safe."

Toriel stared at you before a soft smile graced her face. The goat monster gave a firm nod, "Thank you for being so understanding, my child. I do not know just what I did to deserve you, yet I am so glad you decided to stay by my side all this time."

She pressed a kiss to your head before leaving for Snowdin. Forced to watch her silhouette disappear over the horizon, you had a sickening feeling that she wouldn’t return in the way you wished. You tried to make yourself comfortable on the cold stone floor despite your anxiety over the situation. Minutes soon became hours as you stared at the Ruin doors for some sign of Frisk and Toriel's return. Refusing to move, an entire day dragged by. You grew worried and decided to call Frisk when a text caused your phone to buzz. 

Seeing it was from Frisk, you found that you were hesitant to check the message. You took a deep breath and forced yourself to open it. Staring at the picture before you, your eyes widened with horror as you recognized the photo.

It was a picture of Toriel and the rest of Frisk's monster friends staring up at the sunset. While all the monsters had been in awe of the sight, the child had taken a picture from behind. All of your missing memories hit you like a freight train as you stared at the image. This wasn’t the first time you’d gone through all of this. Somehow, everything had looped and repeated. The prospect of being forced to live through it all a third time terrified you. You tore up your knees as you scrambled to stand and took off in a mad dash towards the Ruin doors. Reaching out a hand in a desperate attempt to flee from the situation, your palm barely made contact with the stone doors before everything flashed white.

Standing in the bleak nothingness of the white world, your grip on your cell phone tightened. Everything shifted to black and you found no point in staying on your feet. Gravity pulled you down and you collapsed into a huddled ball. Squeezing your eyes shut, you softly sobbed as you murmured to yourself. You soon found yourself on your bed. Grasping onto you two Froggit plush toys, hid your face against them and fell into hysterics.

"Not again... I can't do it again... I... I can't watch Mom get hurt again. She deserves better. So much better... So much..."

Time and again, Frisk would pass through and the same situation would occur. The brunette's adventure began to take less time yet that only made the resets become more frequent. When you had originally tried to bring up the situation with Toriel, the goat monster had taken your temperature and sent you to bed. You quickly realized you were the only one in the Ruins who remembered every single loop and began to keep the problem to yourself. Instead of talking to other monsters, it became much easier to fill your journal with information from every single reset. You numbered every single reset to keep things organized. Sometimes you had a long paragraph of new information, other times it was a short note like “Nothing changed” or “Mom didn’t cry this time.” You made sure the journal was safely hidden in your room so no one could find it. February 22nd was officially the worst day of the year.

Maybe this was punishment for making fun of that damned horoscope.

After the 23rd reset, you began to wonder how long this would go on for. You had tried your best to get to the bottom of things but kept coming up with dead ends or ridiculous answers. At one point, you had considered confronting Frisk about everything but deemed it too risky. You could seem insane if they didn't remember any of the resets. Even if the resets had started once Frisk had fallen, that didn't mean that they were the one causing the resets. The barrier breaking could be what caused everything to restart. You wouldn't put it past the mages to do such a thing as a last resort if the barrier failed.

Throughout your research into the strange phenomenon, you became a recluse in your room. You were always there to welcome Frisk and eat with everyone, but used your free time to focus on the resets. The desk in your room was slowly becoming cluttered with papers. Some of the papers were written notes and instances where you noticed slight differences from other resets, others were simply theories on what was going on. During your investigation, you were quick to notice that you and Frisk didn't seem to have a set pattern. Perhaps that was because the two of you were human? You weren't sure but you wouldn’t give up on discovering the creator of this mess.

It was the 78th reset where things suddenly took a huge change.

At first, everything seemed normal. You set the dining room table up and a knock on the door informed you of Frisk's arrival. Preparing yourself for the beginning of another reset, you wondered how long it would take this time. It had taken only three weeks before the barrier had been shattered in the last reset. If things kept going like this, you wondered if there would be a time when it merely took a week for the young child to make it through the Underground. You shook your head and did your best to clear those thoughts from your mind.

After calling out to your mom, you were quick to open the door. The small smile on your face slowly slipped away as you stared down at Frisk. Your eyebrows furrowed together and you nervously bit the inside of your cheek. It was your Snickerdoodle that had arrived for all the other resets yet something about them put you on edge. Once again, they wore a blue sweater with two purple stripes running horizontally in the middle. The blue jean shorts and a pair of brown leather boots were the same though all their clothing looked dingy. Their straight brown hair ended at their chin in the same bob cut with bangs that could grow and cover up the child's eyes any day now. When you finally took in the child's face, you sucked in a quick breath through your teeth.

Since when had Frisk's eyes been red?

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 - Despite Everything

Stunned by the red-eyed child, you were unable to pull your eyes away from the sight. Locked in a staring contest with Frisk, it felt as if you had been dunked into an ice cold bucket of water. A mix of anxiety and fear seemed to wrap around your body as you struggled to come to terms with everything. The repeats had been going on for quite a while and they had damaged your ability to deal with new situations. Nothing had significantly changed in a long time. However, now that you were faced with a new ordeal, your brain seemed unsure of just how to react. You were absolutely terrified by the sudden change and you wouldn't be surprised if it showed on your face.

Before long, Toriel dashed past you to look over the brunette for any wounds. As you watched the scene unfold once more, it seemed as if everything was going as it always had. Forcing yourself to calm down, you once again played the role you always did. Once Frisk followed Toriel into the living room, you closed the door and took a moment to yourself. You took several deep breaths as you leaned against the door and tried to calm down. Despite the red eyes that Frisk had, everything seemed to be alright. Perhaps you were just freaking out over nothing. There was no need to jump to conclusions and fear the worst.

After you felt that you had calmed down enough, you pushed yourself off the door and headed into the living room. Taking your place at the table, you were quick to start a conversation like you always did. As you and Toriel spoke to Frisk about how they would love the Ruins, you couldn't help but feel as if the child was more reserved than usual. Frisk was usually so expressive and signed throughout the conversation. This time though, the child was eating their slice of pie in silence.

"How do you like the pie, my child? I know you said that cinnamon was your favorite but I hope you are quite alright with the presence of butterscotch as well," Toriel said, a smile on her face as she finished off the last piece of her pie slice. Your eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Cinnamon? Throughout the previous resets, Frisk had always preferred butterscotch whenever they were asked. It was a small change to any normal person but you had been through enough resets to know just how hard it was to switch a single thing during a reset. Just what had caused Frisk's change from butterscotch to cinnamon?

As Toriel stood up and gathered all the dishes, Frisk stood up and dusted a few crumbs away from the corners of their mouth. You took a moment to examine their form a bit more; you don't think you had ever seen Frisk's sweater so dingy. Thought it was the same colors it as always, the colors were a little faded. Not only that but there was something white dusted onto the fabric towards the ends of the sleeves. Whatever it was, a quick wash would be able to get it out. 

Bringing your eyes back up to Frisk, you now noticed that their red eyes lay on your form. A nervous laugh slipped from your lips. There was no way to explain your obvious staring without sounding strange. Standing up from your seat, you scratched the back of your head before letting your hands fall back to your sides. You finally spoke up as your eyes met their own, "Sorry about the staring, just lost in thought. Now then, why don't you hop into the shower? I'll clean your clothes while you shower. We have some spare pajamas you can wear in the meantime."

After some hesitation, Frisk finally signed out an 'okay'. You smiled and gently took their hand in your own. Guiding them to the restroom, you let go of their hand to turn on the water. Checking a few times with your own hand to make sure the liquid was at a warm temperature, you turned to Frisk once you were sure the water wouldn't burn them. You fell back into your usual habits from previous resets and ruffled their hair. "Alright, just tosyour clothes out the door after I leave and I'll clean them up."

Once you exited the bathroom, you kept your back to the door. It didn't take long for you to hear the door squeak open slightly followed by the thud of clothes hitting the floor. Giving Frisk a minute to close the door again, you glanced down at your hands. Your hands seemed to be faintly coated in something and rubbed your hands together in an attempt to get rid of it. It was dust and you wondered just where in the world it had come from. The presence of dust set off some annoying itch in the back of your mind. Unfortunately, you couldn't figure out just what your mind was desperately trying to recall.

Snapping away from your thoughts, you forced yourself to focus on the task at hand. You grabbed the clothes left on the floor before walking outside. You moved to the small wash basin which was often used to clean clothes. Making sure there were no items in the short pockets, you soon washed them and hung them to dry. The sweater was harder to clean up. It didn't take long until you got to the sleeves and found your hands running your hands over a surprising amount of dust. You did your best to wash it off of the sweater. It took a bit more forced than you would have expected but all of the dust soon left the sleeves. Hanging it up, you took a moment to empty and clean the basin before moving back inside.

Scouring the guest room for clothes that would fit Frisk, you paused as you heard the door open behind you. You turned around and saw Frisk standing hesitantly in the doorway with a towel wrapped around them. Their hair was dripping with water, causing the wood floor to be a bit slippery. As they carefully made their way into the room, you continued searching for clothes. You heard a little bit of clattering behind you from Frisk though you were unsure of what they were doing. Once you finally found some clothes that would fit them, you faced the child once again. Frisk sat on top of the closed chest which held several pairs of shoes and you could have sworn that they almost seemed a bit nervous. Flashing them a grin in hopes of helping them relax, you held out the grey sweatpants and red shirt you had found them.

"Here you are, Frisk. These should fit. If they don't, you're free to dig around for something else. Your own clothing should be dry in the morning," you explained, placing the pajamas on the bed. As you glanced at the back of Frisk's head, you found yourself beginning to relax a bit. They were a bit more reserved but Frisk still seemed to be the same child you had grown to know through all the other resets. It wasn't fair to them that you were acting odd due to their different eye color and like of cinnamon. Making a silent promise to yourself to relax around the child from now on, you calmed down considerably and felt yourself falling back into step with how you usually acted. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. "Good night, Frisk. If you need anything, my room is the one closest to the bathroom."

Moving to the red-eyed child's side, you leaned over and placed a soft kiss on top of their head. You turned around and moved towards the door. As you grabbed the doorknob, a soft yank on your shirt cause you to stop moving. You raised an eyebrow as you saw Frisk tightly holding onto your shirt. The towel-clad child released your shirt before signing out 'Thank you'. Feeling your heart soar at the small gesture, you were glad to see that they were talking some more. You reached down to ruffle their hair once more as you smiled. A bit grumpy at the action, Frisk quickly moved to fix their hair.

"Anytime, sweetie. Sweet dreams," you replied, finally opening the door. Exiting into the hallway, you moved to your own room. Shuffling through the door to your bedroom, you closed the door before locking it. You tossed a violet nightgown on before taking a seat at the desk. Starting to jot down all the new changes in your journal, you paused once in a while to chew on the end of the pen. You made sure to gather all of the loose pieces of paper you had written on once you were done. Neatly folding them up, you placed them in the journal before closing it. You then wrapped the journal up in the clothing you had originally come to the Underground with when you were 13. Once it was wrapped, you placed it under the mattress of your bed.

Although you weren't sure why, it seemed as if your clothes from the surface were unaffected by the resets. You'd figured this out on accident during one of the 5th reset. It was during the 5th reset that you'd grown frustrated with your journal of information being empty after every reset and the need to re-write it every single time. In a fit of rage, you had stormed around your room and completely trashed the place. Once your fit of anger had subsided, you hadn't bothered to clean up the mess you made until the next day. During your cleaning, you had put away most of your clothes. Since you had found yourself unable to toss out your original clothing due to the sentimental value they held to you, you found yourself folding up the tiny clothing. Frisk had texted you about them going to meet Asgore before you had a chance to put your childhood clothing away. Tossing your folded clothes on top of your journal, you ran to tell Toriel and waited for the next reset.

When the 6th reset had occurred, you were surprised that your journal was not in the same place it had always been. Turning your room upside down, something fell out of your old childhood shirt with a thud. You realized it was your journal and picked it up with a sigh as you opened it. When the first pages of your journal were filled with black ink writing from the last timeline, your heart had frozen from the shock. A bit skeptical at first, you had begun putting your journal inside those clothes as a way to humor the possibility. However, when the 7th reset had come along and your journal once again held all its writing, you were ecstatic. Ever since that discovery, you had been putting anything important into your journal and wrapping it up in your old clothes from the surface. It was odd and completely nonsensical but you weren't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Once your nightly ritual was complete, you flopped onto the bed and buried yourself in blankets. Letting your eyes slip shut, your mind ran around with several new theories about everything going on Underground. It took a while before sleep finally began to sweep over you. Glad to feel sleep beckon to you, it didn't take much longer before you fell into the darkness with a sigh.

As promised, you had given Frisk back their original clothing the next morning. They seemed much more comfortable in their sweater and shorts. As you and Toriel went through the day with your daily routine, you couldn't help but realize that you hadn't seen Frisk much at all. In fact, it wasn't until dinner that you had actually seen them in the house once again. Welcoming Frisk back, you asked them about their day and received a rather vague answer. Deciding not to let it bother you too much, you settled into the quiet and finished the food on your plate. Once everyone was done eating, you gathered all the plate from the table and moved into the kitchen to clean.

While you busied yourself with cleaning, your ears picked up some chatting from the living room. Smiling to yourself, Toriel's soft voice as she spoke to Frisk was nice as some background noise. You put the last dish away only to pause as you noticed an empty spot in the knife block. Had you misplaced one while you'd been cleaning up? You had been lost in thought, it was a possibility. 

As you began to search the cabinets and drawers, Toriel's soft voice became a bit louder. What had been a normal conversation quickly turned into an argument. Catching onto the familiar dialogue, you felt stuck in place as you paused your search for the missing knife. Frisk was planning to leave now? They had never left the Ruins so quickly in any run before. Hell, the second day of their stay wasn't even finished yet!

Quickly moving out the kitchen, you found that the living room was now empty. Your heart dropped into the pit of your stomac and you dashed forward only to barely catch sight of brown hair near the stairs. Forcing yourself to continue, you nearly tripped over your own feet on your way down the stairs. It took a moment before you regained your balance. Despite your haste, you really didn't want to injure yourself on the stairs.

By the time you were finally downstairs, you could already hear the battle between Frisk and Toriel begin. You caught sight of the two standing face to face. Calming down a little, you took a step forward and prepared for the goodbye you would soon have to give to Frisk. Watching the scene, a glint of light caught your eye once more. Your blood felt like ice in your veins as you caught sight of a knife in the child's left hand. With wide eyes, you propelled yourself forward in a desperate attempt to stop the child.

Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.

In one slash, Frisk cut through Toriel as if she was butter. A stunned look overtook your mother's face as she moved a hand on top of the gaping slash. Toriel looked like she was unable to process just what had happened. Falling to her knees, the goat monster felt tears spring into her eyes as she shakily looked up at Frisk. Pain ghosted her face for just a minute as she spoke between gasping breaths, "I-I see... By keeping you here, I was n-not protecting you... I was protecting all the monsters w-who live beyond this d-door. Y-Yet I... I also put my dear child in danger..."

"You are no better than him ," she spat, her gaze becoming fierce. Toriel's form seemed to become fuzzy as she winced once more. The woman's eyes fluttered shut after a few more aching gasps for air. As Toriel's form disintegrated into a pile of dust on the floor, you watched on in mute horror. A nasty sob left your throat as you stumbled over to Toriel's remains. You ignored Frisk as you fell to your knees beside the pile of dust. Continuing to cry over your mother's remains, that nagging feeling from last night finally hit you full force.

Throughout your 8 years living Underground, you had never seen a speck of dust in the Ruins. There had been dirt and spiderwebs that you were constantly helping your mother clean up but never dust. Yet somehow, Frisk had become covered in dust after being here for only a day and a half. Putting the pieces together, you were forced to realize that the child you had been caring for had come to you covered in evidence of their crimes. Monsters turned to dust once they were killed. It was something you knew, something Toriel had once told you about. It didn't take much to realize that the brunette child had killed quite a lot of monsters before even arriving at your home. You had been caring for a murderer without realizing it. Not only that, but you had helped wash away the evidence without any knowledge of the truth.

Forcing yourself onto your feet, you stared down at Frisk. You bit down on your tongue to hold yourself back from screaming at them. You wanted to throw all your anger at this small child. That wasn't what Toriel would want though, she'd always taught you to show kindness to others. Ignoring the tears streaming down your face, pain seemed to be attacking your very soul. Feeling utterly betrayed by the child you had trusted for so long, you took a step towards Frisk. The brunette didn't seem remorseful at all. In fact, their red eyes seemed void of emotion as they took in your grief-stricken form. After a moment, you finally choked out, "Why would you do this? Did you really hate us that much?"

Instead of responding, the child simply tightened their grip on their knife. Your face contorted into a mixed expression of anger and grief at their reaction. Did they think you were going to attack them or had they already decided to kill you just like they'd done to your mother? Wiping away your tears with the back of your sleeve, you forced yourself to take control of the situation. "I can't let you leave. Toriel wouldn't want you to have the opportunity to hurt more monsters and I won't let someone else feel the grief I do."

You took a few deep breaths to fight back the tears that were trying to force their way back out. Straightening up a bit, you felt something bloom within your chest. Although you were unsure of just what the feeling was, it calmed you down and helped you feel just a little bit stronger. "We'll live in these ruins together. Perhaps one day, you'll understand what you have done wrong."

Hearing your words, Frisk's face twisted into an enraged scowl. The child charged you with a screech before you could react. Pain blossomed from your chest and you realized that the brunette child had just attacked you like they had done to Toriel. Clutching the wound on your chest, you fell to your knees and curled in on yourself. Tears filled your eyes once more as you staring up at Frisk. Taking in their ruby red eyes, a hollow laugh left you. "Was it all just an act? Was all of this a lie, sweetie?"

Although their face stayed stoic, Frisk's eyes started to get a bit glassy at your words. Watching a tear stream down their cheek, you took in the look on their face before closing your eyes. Letting out a sigh, a sad smile graced your face before you finally whispered out, "I see... I would say be safe, but I fear that you're not the one in danger."

A faint purple glow forced you to open your eyes once agaim. Coming face to face with a purple cartoon heart, you stared at it in awed silence. Noticing the cracks littering the object, you realized that this was a soul. You had heard your mother tell you about them a lot, although it had mostly been about the souls of the six other children before you. However, you were finally face-to-face with your own soul. Reaching out with a shaky hand, your soul turned grey and shattered before you could ever touch it. The sound was similar to that of shattering glass and it seemed to echo down the empty corridor. As your soul shattered, your body seemed to lose its life force as you fell limp on the ground.

Once you stopped moving, Frisk walked past you in silence. Pushing the Ruin doors open, the cold air of Snowdin filled the hall as the brunette child left the Ruins. They didn't look back even once.ot once looking back. The Ruins had become void of life. As the Ruin doors closed with a loud thud, the place finally matched its namesake. The shattered pieces of your soul began to glow a faint purple once more.

Despite everything, you were filled with PERSEVERANCE.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5 - Continue

When you opened your eyes, you were floating in a sea of never-ending darkness. As you tried to move, it felt as if the shadows surrounding you were as thick as molasses. After what felt like hours of struggling, you were finally on your feet. Taking in the empty space before you, it seemed as if there was nothing around you for miles. Breathing in seemed to take more effort than it was worth, wincing in pain as your chest seemed to scream from the action. Trying to remember what had happened, it wasn't long before you were forced to face the truth.

"Frisk... They killed Mom," you mumbled to yourself, a frown growing on your features. You brought a hand over where the wound had been on your chest. When you found no blood on your hand, you were rather surprised. Letting your hand fall to your side, a sigh left your lips as you spoke out loud, "I'm dead. I don't know where I am but I know that I'm dead..."

Even though you spoke the words, it seemed as if your brain couldn't process what you had said. After an eternity of standing in silence, you finally forced yourself to move forward. Although walking took a lot of strength, you hoped that perhaps you would be able to find your mother in the darkness. The two of you had died together so there just had to be a chance that you could meet again. Wandering the shadows, you called out in hopes of finding anyone else with you. Despite your best efforts, there was no one to be found. Forced to wander the darkness alone, it was a harsh blow when you finally realized that you were alone.

Feeling tears start to slip down your face, you instinctively brought your hands up to cover your face. Sobbing into your hands, your body started to shake as you leaned over slightly. You screamed into the darkness as you threw your composure to the wind. "I don't want things to end like this! I still have so much to do! I need to take care of the Ruins in Mom's place. If another child ever falls down one day, I want to make sure that I can help them just like Toriel did for me. I want to stop Frisk before they regret everything they've done down here. I can't afford to simply give in and die. I at least need to keep going a little longer…"

Your cries began to get worse as you fell to your knees. Planting your hands on the floor beneath you in hopes of grounding yourself, your body heaved and shuddered with your sobs. You tried to calm down as you took in deep breaths. Although your words had been spoken in desperation, your soul seemed to hum in agreement with your words. A patch of buttercups seemed to grow out of the darkness. Feeling the sudden appearance of petals beneath your hands, your eyes snapped open in shock. You slowly calmed down as you took in the sight of the lively green grass and pale yellow buttercups. Pushing yourself up so that you were sitting on the heels of your feet, your eyebrows furrowed a bit in confusion, "How...?"

Not long after, a bright glow seemed to appear before you. Wincing at first from how bright the light was, you tossed your arm over your eyes in hopes of weakening the blow. Once your eyes finally adjusted to the brightness, you let your arm fall down to your side. You took sight of what lay before you with wide eyes. A singular white word seemed to float before you, proudly displaying the word 'continue' in capital letters. The situation was odd and reminded you of a video game but you were too stunned to question just what was going on. At first, your body hesitated when you moved to touch the word. Your brain just couldn't seem to make sense of the situation, however, your soul was obviously pleased with this development. Deciding to follow your soul, you tossed away your rationalization and placed your hand on top of the word.

A flash of white overtook you, yet you were not afraid. You felt oddly serene instead.

Waking up with a start, you felt the cool floor of the Ruins on the side of your face. Rolling onto your back, you stared up at the cave ceiling as your body gasped for air. While you tried to steady your ragged breathing, the soft sound of sobs seemed to echo throughout the hallway. A bit confused, you wondered if someone had found their way here while you were out. Perhaps another monster? You weren't quite sure.

With shaky hands, you finally forced your body upwards so you could take in the situation. Finding yourself still in the basement of your home, you took a moment to grab your cell phone from your pocket. Even though you had felt as if you had been floating in darkness for an eternity, it had only been a minute since Frisk had attacked you and left. Forcing your phone back into the same pocket, your eyes swept over the area in hopes of finding whoever the crying was coming from. Unable to find anyone else around, you lifted an eyebrow in confusion before catching sight of Toriel's dust. Although it was undisturbed, it seemed as if a single golden flower had found its way beside the dust pile.

Finding enough strength to push yourself onto your feet, you carefully walked over to the dust pile. Kneeling before your mother's dust, you did your best to make sure that the sudden movement didn't cause a breeze and mess with the remains. At your movement, the sobbing suddenly stopped before the golden flower jolted to attention. Spooked by the action, a yelp left your mouth as you fell back onto your butt. Staring at the golden flower, you quickly realized that the flower had a face. While you stared at the flower in confusion, the flower stared back in stunned silence. Before you could speak, the flower beat you to the punch as it growled out, "What are you doing alive? Just a second ago, I saw your shattered soul on the floor!"

Although the flower was trying to be intimidating, you caught sight of a stray tear caught in the corner of its eye. This monster must have been the one crying although you were unsure as to why they felt a need to hide such a thing. You let out a small sigh before giving an uncomfortable half-smile, "Honestly? I have no idea. Anyway, what are you doing here, bud?"

"It's Flowey, not 'bud'." His petals seemed to stand on edge. It reminded you of a cat when they got upset but you decided to keep that thought to yourself. Patiently waiting for the flower to continue, it wasn't long before Flowey spoke, "I'm just here to make sure that everything is going to plan. Lucky for me, everything is going smoothly. Well... everything except for you. You weren't supposed to wake back up!"

"It's _____, not 'you'." While the flower glared at you, you simply met his eyes and stared in silence. Although Flowey had given you his reason for being here, you couldn't help but feel as if he was just trying to cover up the fact that he was obviously upset moments ago. Even without Flowey's help, it was easy to tell that he was upset over Toriel's death. Though you weren't sure how he knew Toriel, you decided that it could wait for another time.

"You idiot! I don't care what your name is! I should just kill you where you stand so that you don't get in the way of Chara and I!" Flowey spat, his face turning into a grim grin. Cackling a bit, several white pellets seemed to surround the flower as he started to grow taller. Never taking his eyes off you, the floral monster snickered. "In fact, I think that's just what I'm going to do. Now then, why don't you just stay still for me?"

Before anything could happen, a sudden knocking on the Ruin doors froze both of you in place. As if in sync, you both stared at the door in silence. Although you were unsure as to what was going on, you could have sworn you heard Flowey mutter something about 'smiley trash bags' under his breath. When Flowey's attention turned back to you, you were quick to force yourself onto your feet. Preparing yourself for an attack, you were a bit surprised to see the pellets suddenly disappear into thin air. Anger laced in his voice, the monster grumbled, "Don't think I'm sparing you, you disgusting pile of flesh! I just have better things to do. I'll end your pitiful existence soon enough."

Unable to react, you watched in silence as the flower disappeared into the earth below him. When Flowey didn't return, you tried your best to make sense of everything that had just happened. You had so many questions flowing through your head and barely any answers. Just who in the world was Chara? What sort of plan had they made with Flowey? Why were the deaths of you and Toriel so crucial to their plans?

With everything being so different from all the other resets, you had no idea what you should do. As you stood in silence and tried to piece everything together, it wasn't long before two more knocks on the door tore you away from your thoughts. You finally shuffled towards the door and couldn't help but feel ridiculously small when compared to it. Trying to find your voice, you finally whispered out, "Who's there?"

For a minute, the hall grew silent as no one answered your question. Perhaps whoever was on the other side of the door had already left. You wanted to open the doors and check, but you were also afraid of just who could be on the other side. What if it was someone else who would try to harm you? If you were to open the doors, what would happen if you were yanked out and unable to return to the Ruins? Who would take care of the Ruins and Toriel's remains? You couldn't risk leaving behind everything due to your curiosity. Before your thoughts could get any darker, a rather deep baritone voice called out, "hawaii."

A bit confused, you felt your eyebrows furrow together in confusion. Was this a knock knock joke? While you were a bit of a fan when it came to dumb jokes, you had only heard Toriel make such jokes before. You weren't aware that other monsters had a sense of humor. Then again, most of the other monsters in the Ruins were unable to speak any human language. However, the thing that bothered you most was that this monster seemed to know of places on the surface. Did monsters all know about the places topside or just this one? Realizing that you were leaving the person on the other side of the door hanging, you quickly fumbled out, "H-Hawaii who...?"

"i'm fine, pal. hawaii you?" questioned the voice on the other side of the door. For a moment, you began to laugh as you leaned your forehead against the cold Ruin doors. However your laughter soon turned to sobs. Of all the times to be asked such a question, of course someone would ask how you were right after your mother had died. Unable to keep your voice steady, you buried your face into the palms of your hands. As you continued to cry, the voice cautiously stated, "you know, usually the person i'm telling these jokes to through the door laughs... i can already tell you're not her just by your voice. so tell me kid, who are you and where's the old lady?"

"M-Mom is... Mom is dust..." you whispered out, forcing your own voice to stay steady. For an awkward period of time, there is silence between the two of you. At first, you wondered if the person on the other side of the door had left after hearing your words. "Are you still there...? If so, is there any chance you can listen to me? I just... I have a warning for you."

When there's no reply, you almost felt like giving in and leaving the door. Instead, you raised a hand and knocked on the door twice. When no one responded to your knocking, you did it once again. You realized that now must be a terrible time to be telling jokes but you feel as if it may be the only way to hear the voice again. After a moment, you felt relief flow through you as the same deep voice softly questioned, "who's there?"

"Icy."

"icy who?"

"Well, you certainly don't see me. These huge doors are in the way." It wasn't long before you heard a chuckle from the other side of the door. Feeling a small smile grow on your face from your success, you wiped the tears away from your eyes. Shifting around so that you were sitting on your butt, you found yourself in a much more comfortable position. After a moment, the voice suddenly acknowledged you again, "icy what you did there. that was a good joke, kid. now then, why don't we talk about this 'warning' you have and the fact that my friend is dead?"

"Of course," you mumbled, the small bit of joy suddenly dissipating from your being. Letting out a sigh, you leaned against the door as you speak, "My mom and I found a child who had fallen into the Ruins last night. Everything seemed fine but... I was foolish and didn't realize just what it meant when I realized their sweater was covered in dust. This child... they killed my mother before trying to kill me. They wounded me but I somehow survived. They left just a little while ago. As long as they continue to go deeper into the Underground, I have no doubt in my mind that they'll try to kill everyone."

Although you knew that you were giving the bare minimum, you didn't feel comfortable going into detail about the fact that your soul had somehow pieced itself back together. In fact, you weren't even comfortable enough to tell this complete stranger that you were a human. Your mother had always warned you against telling other monsters you were human since they could send the Royal Guard after you. It just wasn't something you could risk. Hearing a hum leave the person on the other side of the door, their voice broke through the silence, "who exactly is this child?"

You hesitated for a moment, feeling your heart break at the fact that you were about to sell out Frisk. Biting down on your bottom lip, you finally found your voice once more, "I... I'm begging you, please don't kill the child. If you can just capture them and bring them back here, I'll take them back in and find a way to permanently close the Ruin doors afterward."

"kid, you didn't answer me," the voice growled, obviously getting annoyed at the fact that you were trying to avoid the question. Despite the fact that you had never seen the person on the other side of the door, you were already scared just by the tone their voice had taken. As if frozen in place, you felt a shiver run down your spine as the monster demanded, "w h a t  i s  t h e i r  n a m e ?"

"Frisk. Their name is Frisk. They're just an 8-year-old child..." you whispered, letting your eyes slip shut. Although you felt terrible for selling out the person you considered a sibling, you knew that it was a necessary evil. If you didn't give them away, you would be putting the whole Underground in danger. You wouldn't be able to live with yourself if you let an entire race of monsters die out for one person you cared for that had tried to kill you. Once the name had been spoken, you expected everything to be over. What you didn't expect was the monster to take in a sharp breath of air as if they couldn't believe your words. Before you can question just why the monster seems so shocked, you felt the door suddenly shake as something slammed into it. Completely spooked by the sudden blow, your blood turned to ice as a terrifying voice spit venomous words your way.

"if there's anything I hate more than murderers, it's filthy liars."

Chapter Text

Chapter 6 - Survival?

Violently shivering due to the venom laced in the monster's words, you found yourself unable to make a noise. No matter how many times you opened your mouth, not a single sound passed your lips. Terrified of what may happen next, you scurried away from the door on all fours before pushing yourself back onto your feet. You focused on the sound of your frantic heartbeat in hopes of finding some sort of stability in the situation. Unsure of what to do, you faced the Ruin doors once more and were surprised to see that they were somehow undamaged. You wrapped your arms around yourself as you stared in silence as if the gesture would bring some sort of comfort. While your brain ran a mile a minute, it seemed as if you were still unable to find a way to respond.

"now that i've realized you're a liar, you've finally decided to keep your trap shut? that's certainly no fun, pal," the voice hissed, their last word dripping with sarcasm. Grinding your teeth together in annoyance, your grip tightened on your body. Sick of the way you were being treated, you spat back, "I'm not a liar and there's certainly no reason for me to explain myself to you! I've given you my warning and if you decide not to listen, it certainly won't be my fault. I can't force you to believe me so I won't even bother. No matter what happens from here on out, I'll be able to rest easy knowing that I've done everything I could to warn you about Frisk."

As a tense silence settled between you and the monster, you wondered if they were finally going to leave. Even though you couldn't see anything beyond the door, you could practically feel the magic-fueled hatred rolling off the monster in waves. Although it was unspoken, it was obvious just how terribly you had angered the monster. Their presence behind the door was enough to make you cower, yet you had a feeling that their magic was much stronger than what they were letting on. Trembling in place, you were finally able to find your voice. Of course, you ended up deciding to tempt fate, "The way you're acting... Have you already met Frisk?"

Immediately after the question was asked, you were able to faintly hear the erratic sound of wind. It reminded you of a terrible storm, yet the noise disappeared soon enough. As soon as the noise had vanished, it seemed as if the terrifying presence hanging in the air had gone with it. After several minutes of silence, you realized that the monster on the other side of the door had left you alone. For a moment, you wondered if it had been your question which had sent them away. You had honestly just been curious due to the way they had spoken about Frisk. In your eyes, it had sounded as if their comments had come from past experiences with the child. However, that was impossible. After all, the monster had arrived at the door only a minute after the brunette had left.

From here on out, you were going to have to survive on your own. It was a terrifying realization since you had relied on Toriel's protection for eight years, but now you would have to do it all alone. Of course, it wouldn't be hard to do since Frisk had killed everyone in the Ruins despite the fact that the monsters would have never harmed someone with malicious intent in mind. The monster on the other side of the Ruin doors would be unable to enter without you opening the doors, so you knew he wasn't a problem. As far as you were aware, you only had to worry about Flowey coming to possibly attack you again.

Before leaving the basement, you silently promised Toriel's remains that you would have her go through a proper monster funeral. Of course, that required searching the old monster tomes in Toriel's room for exactly what to do but you were willing to do anything for your mother. Whether she was alive or dead, Toriel would always be the most important thing in your life. She was the mother figure you had always wished for as well as the peace of happiness you had always wanted from life. Unfortunately, it seemed as if Frisk had decided to finally break what little happiness you had finally acquired.

Finally back upstairs, you simply went on autopilot as you maneuvered through the house. Deciding to take a shower first, you took the time to stare at yourself in the mirror. Although you had somehow come back from the dead, it seemed as if your clothes still showed just what had happened. The deep slash made by Frisk had cut through your clothing, exposing the skin below. While the wound had seemingly been healed, the surrounding cloth was still soaked in your own blood. Dirt clung to the blood that coated your clothes and skin, practically covering the area. Struggling to peel off the clothing, you tossed it to the ground before slipping into the shower. Letting the warm water flow over you, you took time to wash away all the grime on your body. Using the shower as an escape, you let your mind become as foggy as the bathroom. For this singular moment, you were going to simply forget everything that had happened. Once the shower was over, you would force yourself to focus back on the task at hand.

This shower would be your last peaceful moment so you just wanted to soak it all in and enjoy it while it lasted. As the water washed over you, your mind wandered back to the conversation you'd had with the monster on the other side of the Ruin doors. Had you really done everything you could to warn that other monster about Frisk?

It was a question that would haunt you.

During the time that Frisk was gone, you had started getting regular visits from Flowey. Whenever the flower visited, he would always start off with tossing a few pellets your way before taunting you about the Underground's impending doom. After that, the monster would update you on Frisk's genocidal path in hopes of making you suffer but it never seemed to have the effect he wanted. Once the update was given, you and Flowey would simply sit around and chat a bit. Usually it would consist of you asking questions and Flowey answering you with some snide remark but you were just glad to have the company. Whenever you asked a question too personal, he would hit you with a pellet before disappearing for the day. A few times, you had actually been able to have a decent conversation with the little devil and he would show some emotion besides hatred. Although Flowey would never admit it, you were pretty sure that you were starting to grow on him a little. If not that, then maybe he just found a little comfort in being able to talk with someone else. Either way, you hated to admit that the crude flower's visits were actually starting to become a daily occurrence that you enjoyed.

Once Flowey had told you about the fact that the child had slaughtered half of Snowdin, you had simply realized that Frisk wasn't going to stop in their path of destruction. Despite the fact that you still felt utterly betrayed by them, you still cared for their well being and hoped that they wouldn't die. For now, all you could hope was that the monster on the other side of the door had finally taken your advice and warned the rest of the Underground. Perhaps the monster would even be able to rally up the Underground and force the young child back into the Ruins like you had hoped. Even though there was a small chance of that happened, you wouldn't give up hope on the idea.

Besides Flowey's visits, it had also become a common action for you to go into the basement and check on the Ruin doors. While you would check several times a day, you never seemed to run into the monster from a few days back. As if it would summon the owner of the voice back, you would sometimes give a few bad knock knock jokes as you had when you originally met. Every time that you were left empty handed, you felt a little disappointed with the situation at hand. Though you wanted to simply dismiss it as bad timing between the two of you, there was no denying the fact that the monster simply didn't plan on coming back to the door. There was even a possibility that the monster had already become a casualty but the memory of just how strong their magic had seemed at your first meeting dismissed those thoughts. Even so, you continued to check every day in hopes of finally hearing from them again.

Fueled by your perseverance, you planned to push forward and continue with your day to day actions until something positive finally came from it.

Once a week had passed since Frisk's initial departure of the Ruins, Flowey had informed you of the fact that the child had eradicated everyone in Snowdin except for one monster that had seemed to be able to escape. When you asked which monster that was, the flower had once again muttered something about 'smiley trash bags'. Remember that was what Flowey had called the voice from the other side of the doors, you were glad to know that the monster you had confided in had successfully survived. Even if they hadn't believed you at first, it was nice to know that your message still had a chance of getting out there. Perhaps the monster would finally follow through with what you had asked, although you weren't very confident in such a thing happening. Despite the fact that the monster you had spoken with was still alive, that didn't mean they had the time or opportunity to inform others of what was happening.

Several times you had considered going out on your own and trying to help the monsters, but the fear and rationalization in your head stopped you from doing so. Not only were you scared of Frisk and the voice that had accused you of doing the killings, but there was also the fact that you were a human. With you being a human, it wouldn't be surprising if monsters attacked you due to what Frisk was doing. If a young child was going around on a genocide, you could only imagine what the monsters might believe a mature human would do. If you went out now, you would only scare the monsters more and possibly die in the process. It just didn't seem like a good idea in the long run.

It wasn't long after that you were told about the defeat of Undyne which was soon followed by the purging of monsters in Waterfall. Flowey explained that Frisk had killed Undyne once before the fish monster had somehow pulled herself back from being dusted. Even Flowey wasn't sure how the red-haired female had done such a thing, yet he was quick to dash your hopes and tell you that the brunette child had simply offed the warrior a second time. Knowing that Frisk had killed off the leader of the Royal Guard, you were rather terrified for the rest of the Underground. Not only had the monsters lost their hero to a young child but now they were also being hunted by the same beast that had dusted their ideal savior. Knowing that the brunette had gotten strong in such a short amount of time, you were terrified to know just how much worse they could get. It seemed that Frisk didn't care if they were killing off people who had been their friends in past resets, which strengthened your belief that the child couldn't remember previous timelines. After all, certainly no one would purposefully hunt down people who had been friends with them in previous timelines.

Two weeks passed before Frisk had finally finished off the monsters in Waterfall and moved onto Hotland. Although Frisk never came across Alphys, they had found Mettaton as their next adversary. Fighting the mechanical star, it seemed as if he should have had the upper hand since he had been made to kill humans. In a cruel twist of fate, it seemed as if Mettaton had been easier for Frisk to defeat than anyone before him. Flowey had found the situation quite hilarious but you just thought it was another terrible death on the pile of bodies slowly being added to Frisk's murder spree. As an offhanded comment, Flowey had explained that Mettaton was just a ghost attaching himself to a mechanical body. Even though the mechanical body had easily been killed, Mettaton himself had survived since he was a ghost and it was impossible to harm his form. Though you wondered just where the ghost might have gone, the golden flower admitted to having no clue to the monster's whereabouts.

It wasn't until Frisk had been gone for an entire month that you finally felt the odd shift. One moment you had been cleaning the dishes and the next moment you had been back in the dining room without any warning. Completely confused, you stood in silence before you started to move again. However, it didn't take long before you were randomly standing in the living room once again. Once the sudden disturbances had started, Flowey had come in without any warning. When you questioned just what was going on, the golden flower seemed surprised by the fact that you had realized the sporadic little resets. Being rather vague with everything, the flower simply stated that Frisk was dealing with a rather tough opponent and was repeating the battle a few times.

Although Flowey hadn't flat out said it, the information was enough for you to know that Frisk had something to do with the resets. It made you realize that the little beast remembered resets just like you did. Feeling hope swell in your chest at the realization that you weren't alone, your face lit up in a grin. Before you could question the flower any further, he scurried away and disappeared into the ground once more. Deciding that you could always interrogate the flower when he got back, you decided to head back down to the basement. Although you doubted that the monster you had spoken to long ago was still alive, it had become an odd part of your daily ritual.

Surprisingly, you were able to get downstairs without anything being reset. After sitting there for a few minutes, several resets started up again. You hadn't been sent back to the living room though. Perhaps you'd gotten downstairs before the fight had started again? There was no way to know.

Frowning a bit, you decided to simply sit down in the basement and wait for all the resets to end. Truthfully, it was starting to get a bit nauseating to move around only to be dropped back in the place you had been moments before. In this moment of random small resets, you were glad that you had been keeping up with your journal daily. With all these sudden resets, it would have been a pain to try filling it in now. Resting against the corridor walls, you spent your time messing around on your phone and absentmindedly counting just how many tiny resets would happen.

It wasn't until the resets were in the hundreds that they finally stopped. Finally feeling comfortable to stand up, you forced yourself onto your feet and brushed the dirt off of your clothes. Before you could head back towards the stairs, two knocks on the door caught your attention. With wide eyes, you quickly scurried to the door. Without hesitation, you questioned, "Who's there?"

"dishes..."

The voice sounded weaker than you had ever heard it before. A bit worried for the person on the other side of the door, you bit down on your bottom lip. Before you could respond, you could hear several shuddering coughs from the other side of the door. The coughing had stopped soon after although you were still rather concerned. Resting a hand on the Ruin doors, you softly called back, "Dishes who?"

"di-dishes a rather bad apology..." Their joke was quickly followed by several more nasty coughs. Their voice was shaky and you could hear the fact that they were struggling to breathe. Giving a rather pathetic laugh, you admitted, "You know, I stopped by every day in hopes of hearing from you sooner. I even told some pretty bad jokes. Are... Are you alright over there? You honestly don't sound too good."

"don't w-worry, 'm fine. 'bout to visit my bro is all..." Not very confident in that answer, you were about to speak when the monster beat you to the punch, "listen kid, i don't have much time left. just... take care of yourself, 'kay?"

Hearing their words, you didn't hesitate on your next actions. Desperate to remember the face of the person you had been speaking to all this time, you pushed on the Ruin doors with all of your strength. Even though it was against your better judgment, you felt the need to have a way to remember this monster besides bad jokes and a voice. Putting all your strength into it, you barely opened the doors in time to watch the horror unfold before you. Although you were unable to take in the full appearance of whoever was on the other side of the door, you caught sight of the huge yet painful smile plastered on their face. The hazy white figure turned to dust before your very eyes just like your mother had. Letting out a heart-rending sob, tears freely spilt from your eyes as utter despair filled you. Staring at the dusty blue jacket and red scarf that lay before you, it seemed as if the world had come to an end. Covering your face with your hands, you let your emotions run wild as you fell into hysterics.

It wasn't long before the world turned dark once more and you were once again thrust into a true reset. However, despite your best efforts, your mind simply couldn't forget the image of the fuzzy smile that had awaited you on the other side of the door. As you floated in the darkness and waited for the torture to start again, you wondered just who it had been that you were speaking with. No matter who it was, you knew one thing was certain. The dust of everyone beyond that door wasn't just on Frisk's hands, but it was on you as well. While Frisk might have dust on their hands, the weight of that dust rested on your mind.

Though you may not have done the killing, you hadn't gone out and tried to stop Frisk. Even though you had warned a monster about the child, they hadn't believed your words. When you realized that the monster hadn't believed you, you should have gone out yourself and tried to warn others. Instead, you had hidden behind the Ruin doors due to your fears of Frisk and the voice that had threatened you. In the end, you had failed the Underground and you hadn't even been able to learn the face of the monster that had listened to your plea. Perhaps you were being harsh on yourself yet you couldn't help putting the blame on yourself.

You would have to try harder next time because you weren't giving up, even if your soul felt like it was being torn to pieces.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7 - Erased

As you floated in the dark abyss, you slowly began to grow anxious as time continued to pass on. Although you couldn't be sure just how long you existed in that empty space for, you knew that it was longer than any reset had taken. Though you had assumed that the darkness consuming you was due to a reset, perhaps something else had occurred. With all the changes in this timeline, you wouldn't be surprised if it had ended with something besides a reset. Perhaps this was the end of it all and you would be forced to exist in the void for an eternity. The inky dark around you wrapped you up in its embrace. While time continued to move forward, it seemed as if there was no escape from the dark. Slowly giving into the soft whispers and tight embrace of the shadows, your eyes fluttered shut as a soft sigh left your lips.

Once your eyes were closed, it felt as if you became part of the abyss itself. Your mind felt empty yet there was a slight buzz in the back of your head that gave off a warning. Ignoring the buzzing in your brain, you simply sank into the numbness that surrounded you. Before your form could be completely consumed by the void, another form appeared by your side. As the figure reached out, its hands grabbed onto your form before pulling you free from the darkness. Snapped back to your senses by the gentle force of the tug, you instinctively opened your eyes to figure out just who had grabbed you. You practically froze at the monster that stood before you.

Looking into the empty sockets of a skeletal face, two small white eye lights focused on you. Staring at the white bone before you, there were prominent cracks in the monster's face. While the one of the left side of his face went down from his circular eye socket and ended a little bit above his mouth, the other crack went upwards from his half-shut eye and seemed to trail all the way towards the back of his head. The figure was draped in the shadows that surrounded you both yet you could catch a hint of a white shirt hidden beneath the black cloak. Realizing that the skeleton still had you in his grasp, you glanced down to look at the hands on your forearms. Although the white bone hands had large holes in the palms, they seemed to be functioning just fine. The monster had never released his hold on you but it wasn't unnecessarily tight. His grip gave you a sense of being grounded back into reality. Staring at the figure, you found it in yourself to speak, "Who... are you?"

"𝑑ₒ 𝑛ₒ𝑡 𝑓ₑₐᵣ, 𝑦ₒᵤ𝑛𝑔 ₒ𝑛ₑ. ᵢ 𝑑ₒ 𝑛ₒ𝑡 ᵢ𝑛𝑡ₑ𝑛𝑑 𝑡ₒ 𝑐ₐᵤ𝑠ₑ ⲏₐᵣ𝑚 𝑡ₒ 𝑦ₒᵤ. ⲏₒｗₑᵥₑᵣ, 𝑦ₒᵤ 𝑚ᵤ𝑠𝑡 ⲕₑₑ𝒑 𝑦ₒᵤᵣ𝑠ₑԼ𝑓 ᵢ𝑛 𝑡ⲏᵢ𝑠 ᵣₑₐԼᵢ𝑡𝑦. ᵢ𝑓 𝑡ⲏₑ 𝑑ₐᵣⲕ𝑛ₑ𝑠𝑠 𝑐ₒ𝑛𝑠ᵤ𝑚ₑ𝑠 𝑦ₒᵤ 𝑑ᵤᵣᵢ𝑛𝑔 ₐ 𝑡ᵢ𝑚ₑԼᵢ𝑛ₑ ₑᵣₐ𝑠ᵤᵣₑ, 𝑦ₒᵤ ｗᵢԼԼ 𝑏ₑ Լₑ𝑓𝑡 𝑏ₑⲏᵢ𝑛𝑑 ᵢ𝑛 𝑡ⲏₑ ᵥₒᵢ𝑑."

The skeleton before you was speaking yet the voice that left him was garbled and sounded like a mess of static. You couldn't make out a single word being said, confusion growing on your face as you stared at his mouth. You were hoping to possibly read his mouth and figure out what was being said yet the task was impossible due to his lack of lips. As if realizing your inability to understand, the skeletal figure before you seemed downtrodden.

Before you were able to speak, the darkness surrounding you was finally starting to thin out. When the monster before you realized this, he released his grip on you and took a step away. The skeleton stared at you and raised his hands for a moment before pausing. As if deciding to drop the idea, he let his hands fall back to his side before straightening up a bit. Watching you in silence, the figure's mouth opened once more.

"ｗₑ ｗᵢԼԼ 𝑚ₑₑ𝑡 ₐ𝑔ₐᵢ𝑛. ｗᵢ𝑡ⲏ 𝑡ⲏₑ ₐ𝑚ₒᵤ𝑛𝑡 ₒ𝑓 𝒑ₑᵣ𝑠ₑᵥₑᵣₐ𝑛𝑐ₑ ᵢ 𝑠ₑ𝑛𝑠ₑ ｗᵢ𝑡ⲏᵢ𝑛 𝑦ₒᵤ, ᵢ ₐ𝑚 𝑠ᵤᵣₑ 𝑡ⲏₐ𝑡 𝑦ₒᵤ ｗᵢԼԼ 𝑏ₑ ₐ𝑏Լₑ 𝑡ₒ 𝑚ₐⲕₑ ₐ 𝑑ᵢ𝑓𝑓ₑᵣₑ𝑛𝑐ₑ. 𝑑ₒ 𝑛ₒ𝑡 ₐԼԼₒｗ 𝑓ₑₐᵣ 𝑡ₒ 𝑐ₒ𝑛𝑠ᵤ𝑚ₑ 𝑦ₒᵤ. тᵢ𝑚ₑ ｗᵢԼԼ 𝑔ᵤᵢ𝑑ₑ ᵤ𝑠 𝑏ₐ𝑐ⲕ 𝑡ₒ𝑔ₑ𝑡ⲏₑᵣ 𝑠ₒₒ𝑛 ₑ𝑛ₒᵤ𝑔ⲏ."

Still unable to understand the words buried beneath the static, you frowned as you desperately tried to pick up on anything. As a light seemed to break through the darkness, the skeletal figure disappeared from your sight. Looking around in confusion, your eyes caught sight of two tiny forms off in the distance. Although it seemed as if the light was coming from the direction of the two figures, you were unable to move from your spot. The world flashed white and the familiar feeling of a reset jolted through your being. Blinded by the light, your eyes squeezed shut as you waited for the inevitable.

Waking back up in your bed, you found yourself unable to move from your spot. Staring up at the ceiling in silence, it took some time before you forced yourself out of bed. Instead of starting your usual routine, you simply walked over to your door and locked it. You slumped against the door soon after and curled in on yourself. Silently crying to yourself, you wondered just how you were going to act natural for this timeline. Beyond this door, you would have to face all of the monsters that had been killed in the previous timeline. While you were glad that everyone was alive once again, it was too emotionally exhausting to face them all and pretend as if they hadn't been dead. Just how in the world were you going to look at your mother without breaking down? However, that wasn't the worst thing.

The worst thing would be facing Frisk and pretending that you hadn't watched them kill your mother. You would have to smile at the child who had gone on a genocide in the Underground. In fact, they had tried to kill you too and you still weren't exactly certain why you had lived. You were pretty sure that would be another problem to solve all on its own, yet you had a decent idea as to why you might have survived the attack. If you opened the door and saw red eyes again, you weren't sure just how you would react. Just the thought of going through another timeline like that was too much for you to handle.

After sobbing for a few minutes, your tears finally ran out. You ignored the dull throbbing pain from your bloodshot eyes and got ready to face the day. Although you went through the same act you always had, it seemed as if Toriel had picked up on your somber mood. When your mother had asked just what was wrong, you had simply told her that you had a rather bad nightmare last night. It wasn't completely the truth but he kind monster accepted the reason and gave you a hug before you both started cooking cinnamon-butterscotch pie. Letting the silence consume you, it wasn't long before you heard the dreadful knocks on the door. Calling out to your mom, you ran to the door and prayed for the best.

Coming face to face with Frisk, you let out a sigh of relief when you were met with brown eyes once more. Soon enough, everyone was at the table eating the freshly-baked pie. As things went on, you easily picked up on the differences in this timeline. For one, the conversation at the table was entirely different that it had ever been before. Although Frisk had been silent for most of the discussion last time, it seemed as if they just couldn't stop signing this time. However, the other thing bothering you was the fact that it felt like you were simply a third party watching the conversation. It almost felt as if Frisk and Toriel had forgotten that you were at the table. Even though you tried to join in several times, one of them would talk over you or you would just be ignored altogether.

When everyone had finished eating, you stood up and picked up the dishes. Silently fuming to yourself, you watched Frisk run down the hallway and towards the restroom. Turning your eyes back to the table, you picked up the plate in front of Toriel. The goat monster's head jerked up to look at you as if startled by you actions. Watching confusion flash in her eyes, you raised an eyebrow as you waited on her. As if it was some sort of sick joke, the white-furred monster asked, "When did you get here, _____? Oh, forget that question. It does not matter right now. Have you met Frisk yet? They are such a sweet child. I am sure the two of you would get along!"

Freezing up at her words, you felt a sharp pain in your chest. If this was supposed to be a joke of some sort then you weren't appreciating it. In fact, it was rather cruel and you were definitely wounded by her words. Piling her empty plate in your hands along with the rest of the dirty dishes, you frowned before whispering, "I've been here all day, Mom. We made pie together and everything. I answered the door when Frisk got here and I've been at the table the entire time..."

"Oh! I am sorry, my child. I could have sworn you have been in your room all day though. Perhaps I am just being forgetful today. It happens to monsters sometimes when you are as old as I am." There was an apologetic look on her face as Toriel stood up from her chair. After pressing a kiss to the top of your head as an apology, the goat monster left to go help Frisk get ready for bed. Moving to the kitchen, you cleaned the dishes in silence as you contemplated everything that had just happened.

Once night rolled around on the third day of Frisk's stay, you found yourself unable to sleep. You focused on filling your journal up with everything that had happened so far since you were unable to sleep. Ever since Frisk had arrived, it seemed as if your presence was buried beneath the child's existence. Whenever Frisk would start speaking with your mother, it seemed as if the monster would completely forget that you were there. Once the child would leave Toriel alone, it would be as you were visible to your mother once more. It had begun to get so frequent that you had finally decided to lock yourself in your room. Whenever it came to meals, you would simply eat in your room and clean your dishes alone when done. Watching your mother forget you time and again was just too hard on you, so you decided to stay out of the way until the brunette child finally left. You couldn't figure out exactly why this change had started but you assumed it had something to do with your extended stay in the darkness or the genocide timeline itself.

In the middle of the night, you heard noise coming from the hallway and paused in your writing. The noise confused you and you put your pen down before getting up from your desk chair. Silently opening your own bedroom door, you caught sight of Toriel heading down the hall and towards the stairs. You decided to pursue her once you saw her head downstairs. As you walked through the cold basement, you wondered just what your mother could be doing down here so late at night. It wasn't long before you caught sight of Toriel standing next to the Ruin doors. Hiding in the shadows of the corridor, you were silent as you listened in on what was going on.

"knock knock."

Hearing the familiar voice from the last timeline, you blocked out the conversation and bit down on your bottom lip. This was how Toriel knew the voice on the other side of the door. You suddenly felt as if you had stumbled upon something private. While you had considered coming back to the doors and hopefully meeting the voice again, it seemed as if that was an idea that you would abandon. Whoever stood on the other side of the door seemed to make your mother happy with these private joke nights. However, this scene reminded you of the fact that the voice hadn't been there for you in the last timeline. No, they had been there for Toriel and you had simply been the bringer of bad news. You didn't want to interfere with something that had never been meant for you, so you silently promised yourself to stay away from the doors from now on.

Staying in the shadows for a bit longer, you leaned against the wall and closed your eyes. Listening to the jokes exchanged between the two, you focused on ingraining the deep voice of the unknown monster into your brain. You never planned to speak with them again but you still wanted to remember the voice of the one who had died while giving you an apology. After several minutes had passed, you decided that you had intruded on the private moment long enough. You turned your back to the scene and headed into your room. Falling onto your bed, you fell asleep with a heavy heart.

When Frisk left, you were there to comfort your mother once again. Unfortunately, this time your comfort just wasn't enough for the goat monster. Watching your mother fall into her sadness, it she was constantly on edge. If she wasn't out of the house, Toriel was down in the basement speaking with the unknown monster on the other side of the door. The monster would give your mother updates on Frisk's well being which was something she was constantly grateful for. If the topic wasn't about Frisk, the two would simply exchange knock-knock jokes or silly stories. Though you were upset to see your mother in such a state, you were glad that someone was able to cheer her up since you were no longer able to.

With Toriel in such an upset state, it seemed as if she had practically forgotten your existence. Blinded by grief, the monster never spared you a glance or word. Whenever it came to food, she would forget to cook for you and only make enough for herself. You found yourself making all the meals so that there would be food for both of you. No matter what you did, it seemed as if Toriel would never acknowledge you. It absolutely terrified you and you feared that you were losing your mother to the child who had ruthlessly killed her in the last timeline. Were you just not enough for Toriel anymore? Was Frisk better than you could ever be?

It hurt to think about.

Most of your time was spent locked in your room. Since Frisk had ignored you during their entire stay, you no longer had their number. Without their messages, you had no idea how their journey was going or when to warn Toriel of their plans to meet with Asgore. Due to all the complications starting to pop up, you were unsure of just what to do. Just when you were starting to give up on this timeline, you had decided to head out of the house for the day. During your walk through the Ruins, you had been lost within your own thoughts. You were soon jolted out of your mind when a sharp pain shot up your ankle. Letting out a cry, you bit down on your bottom lip and tossed your hands onto the wound. Searching for the person who had harmed you, you paused when your eyes caught sight of some yellow petals.

"Flowey...?" After a moment of silence, the flower suddenly appeared before you. Locked in a staring contest, the silence was practically palpable as it dragged on. Confusion was plastered on the golden flower's face as he stared up at you. Deciding he was done, Flowey finally broke the silence, "How in the world do you know my name? We haven't met yet! There's no way you could know it unless... Oh! I see! You remember timelines too, huh?"

"You... You remember too?" you questioned, a little stunned that you weren't alone. Sitting down on the ground, you felt relief flood through your being. As tears sprung to your eyes, you ignored Flowey's protests as you pulled him into a gentle hug. Sobbing before the flower, you didn't care how pathetic you looked or the fact that Flowey may attack you instead. For once, you finally had someone who understood just what you were going through. Simply staying in that position, it took a while before you finally wiped your eyes and apologized. Although the flower did hiss at you and smack your leg with one of his vines, it seemed as if he was going to let you off this once.

Ever since that event, you were once again subjected to Flowey's daily visits and updates. Whenever the little monster would show up in your room, you were always glad for the company and info on Frisk's progress. While Flowey certainly didn't consider you a friend, you had started to see him as such. It was pleasant to finally have another person who would remember everything you did. However, there were times that you felt as if the flower was hiding things from you. Whenever you would ask if anyone else remembered the other timelines, the little bugger would give a vague answer or simply leave altogether. You desperately wanted answers but held back from forcing anything out of him since you didn't want to be left alone again.

When the world was reset again, you weren't prepared for it at all. You usually got a message from Frisk with a picture of everyone on the Surface but you never got the picture due to how everything had happened in the Ruins. Once you woke up on your bed, you simply locked the door and stayed in your room the entire time. For Frisk's entire stay, you simply hid in your bedroom and only left to get food when everyone was sleeping. After hearing Frisk and Toriel argue about leaving the Ruins, you heard two sets of feet heading down the basement. Sitting around for a little bit, you exited the your room once you had decided enough time had passed. Heading downstairs, you went to see just what sort of timeline it would be this time. When you saw Toriel sobbing before the Ruin doors, you once again went to comfort her.

From there on out, that had become your routine for every reset. Hiding out in your room, you would wait for Frisk to leave before assessing just what had been done. Sometimes you would find Toriel crying while other times, you would simply find a pile of dust. In the end, it always ended up with you either being a shoulder to cry on or crying by yourself. Whenever you found the dust pile, you would sometimes wait around and see if the voice from the other side of the door would return. Unfortunately, it seemed that you were either missing them or they just weren't stopping by anymore.

After hundreds of timelines had passed by, your presence had simply been covered up by everything. While Toriel was there for you when Frisk wasn't around, your mother would simply ignore you once the brunette child came into the picture. Frisk had either forgotten you completely or just didn't care enough about you to bother finding out what had happened to you. In the end, the only person you really had left was Flowey. Despite the fact that he was crude and terrible, it felt as if the two of you had grown some kind of bond throughout the flood of resets. While you might not understand just what sort of connection it was, you were glad to have anyone at all.

Despite everything, it seemed as if your time to be happy was finally over. Everything had shattered when Frisk had fallen down and now you were simply nothing but a part of the background. When Frisk was around, you simply didn't exist anymore. It was heart-rending to watch your mother forget you again and again, yet you treasured the moments you had with Toriel before Frisk's arrival. Sometimes you would go out of your way to put obstacles in Frisk's way so you would have more time with Toriel, but the child always arrived sooner or later. It seemed as if there simply wasn't a place for you in the Underground anymore.

You had been erased and Frisk had perfectly filled in the space you left behind.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8 - Knock Knock

Despite the flood of resets you had been forced to live through, you had somehow been able to keep count of them all. Writing down everything from each reset, you had gone through several journals during the process. Though you had been reliving the same events, you knew that all the reset time had been worth at least a year or two. Without the resets, you probably would have been 23 by now. However, it seemed as if that was not meant to be. Instead of time moving forward, you were now on the 298th reset.

Currently, it was Frisk's eighth night at Toriel's home. For once, they were staying much longer than they had for the past twenty resets. While you weren't one to complain, it just meant that you had to hide in your room for a longer period of time. Throughout several timelines, the brunette child had attempted to enter your room. Since you had made it a habit to lock the door, they had never been able to enter. Even so, there had been some times where you had panicked due to the child at your door. Whenever they would knock on the door, you would wonder if they had suddenly remembered your existence. Those moments were some of the most nerve-wracking, for you would wonder if it was the red-eyed child coming to attack you once more or the brown-eyed child hoping to speak with you again. After the 200th reset, the child had seemingly given up on ever entering your room, which was a comforting thought for you. You honestly weren't sure if you would be able to handle interacting with Frisk, regardless of if they were the kind one you had cared for once upon a time or the murderous child with a knife in hand.

Earlier that day, Flowey had stopped by once again to talk with you. For a while, both of you had complained about how it was taking Frisk forever to move onto Snowdin. While Flowey was just grumbling about how it was boring to follow Frisk around in the Ruins, you were groaning about your inability to freely roam around the house while the child was around. The two of you had moved on from your complaining and had started cracking jokes about the eight year old. Flowey's jokes were much more abundant since he had been watching the brunette for several timelines, but your comments were way funnier whenever you found a way to weave them into the conversation. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the flower stated that he had to go check on something and left you alone for the rest of the night.

Ever since he left, you had simply stayed at your desk and worked on more theories. Your theories always seemed to fall short or something just wouldn't add up no matter how hard you worked. You had tried your hardest to piece everything together but it seemed as if you were just missing something that was blatantly obvious. Holding back a groan, you looked at the time on your phone. You raised an eyebrow in confusion before placing your phone back down. By now, Toriel usually went downstairs to joke with her mysterious friend for an hour or two. However, you could hear her light snores in the room beside your own. Biting your bottom lip, you slowly began to contemplate your options.

While you had promised yourself to no longer attempt speaking to the monster on the other side of the door unless Toriel had been dusted, now seemed like a perfect opportunity to talk again. However, you knew that they would be expecting Toriel to respond to their puns. Not you. The mysterious monster was the only one who could cheer up Toriel now and you would feel terrible if you ruined a friendship between the two by interfering. Even so, you were desperate to speak with someone again. You had Flowey to speak with but you wanted to have a conversation with someone who didn't remember timelines.

Decision made, you pushed yourself out of your desk chair and took a moment to stretch. After changing into some warm pajamas, you snatched up your blanket and wrapped it around your body. It was always colder near the large doors and you didn't feel like freezing. Pulling the blanket around your body, you silently slipped out of your bedroom and closed the door. You locked your bedroom door and placed the key into your pajama pants pocket. Shuffling down the stairs, the walk to the Ruin doors filled your mind with doubts. As you stood before the door, you reconsidered your decision entirely. The large doors loomed before you, dwarfing your form as if they were trying to intimidate you. You reached forward and placed two sharp knocks onto the door.

Nothing but silence filled the air surrounding you. Perhaps you had been too late coming downstairs and the monster had already left. Of course, there was also the possibility that the monster had no intentions of coming today and that was why Toriel was sleeping. Biting your bottom lip, you held back a sigh as you tightly grabbed onto your blanket. About to leave, you were stunned when you heard a voice call out, "who's there?"

"Egg!" A grin was already plastered on your face as you stood there in silence. You were already excited by the fact that the mysterious monster was here. It was nice to hear their voice again, relaxing a bit to know that the monster that had apologized to you so long ago was still alive and well. The last time you had heard their voice was on the 79th reset when you'd followed Toriel down the stairs. Since then, 219 resets had occurred without you ever hearing their voice. Even though you knew there was no way for the monster to remember your first encounter from so long ago, you were just glad to hear their voice again.

"egg who...?" Their tone sounding a bit unsure about everything going on. They were probably just confused that it wasn't Toriel on the other side of the door. After all, he had been meeting your mother at this door for who knows how long. For someone else to suddenly arrive and break the cycle must have been weird, especially when you were aware for the fact that Toriel had told this monster that she lived alone. She had done it before Frisk had ever arrived, almost as if it was another way to keep you safe from any royal guards trying to come and search her home for humans. Making sure to continue the joke before things got awkward, you questioned, "Eggcited to hear from someone new?"

Your joke was enough to earn a laugh from the monster on the other side of the door, although their laugh had seemed a bit more tense than it ever did when Toriel told them a joke. Refusing to let that revelation bother you, you took a moment to comfortably sit on the ground. You buried yourself in your warm beige blanket and let out a small sigh as you leaned against the door. Closing your eyes, it wasn't long before the monster on the other side of the door started his own joke. For a while, the two of you simply exchanged jokes and laughs. Making someone laugh and hearing some hilarious jokes in return was enough to reignite the perseverance in your soul. Smiling to yourself, you finally felt content for the first time in a while.

"so am i gonna get a name or are you going to be as mysterious as that old lady who usually shows up?" Pausing for a moment, you were a bit surprised that Toriel hadn't given her name. Usually she introduced herself to anyone knew she met. However, now that you thought about it, she never seemed to speak with anyone that wasn't from the Ruins. This one mysterious monster was the only exception. Nibbling on your bottom lip, you frowned as you stared up at the ceiling, "It doesn't matter if I give you my name or not, you'll forget it soon enough..."

"sounds like you're trying to beat that lady in the mysterious game," the monster deadpanned, causing you to give a bit of a strangled laugh. Biting the inside of your cheek, you fell silence as the monster continued, "seriously though, be a pal and give me a name here."

Rolling your eyes, you take a moment before deciding you'd give them something to call you by. After a moment, you simply give the monster the first letter of your name. It seemed to be enough for them, since they soon stated, "the name is s. mind telling me why you're the one here instead of the old lady? she's doing alright, yeah?"

Pausing for a moment, you could have sworn that they sounded concerned. If they were, you weren't sure why they would suddenly be so on edge at your appearance. It wasn't like they remembered the one time you had told them about Toriel's death so long ago. Certainly they wouldn't have been so kind if they remembered that timeline from forever ago. Back then they had seemed so angry at you until they had finally apologized in their final moments. "Mom is fine, she's just sleeping in her room. Our little guest probably tired her out today. Last I heard, they were out snail hunting all day."

"for someone that lives with these people, you sure don't seem to know what they've been doing in their free time." Just by their tone of voice, you were sure that S had raised an eyebrow at your response. Letting out a soft sigh, you curled in on yourself and rolled your eyes. "I didn't realize I was gunna get interrogated tonight. Can't we just go back to the terrible knock knock jokes?"

For a moment, everything went silent. Assuming that the monster had finally left, you pushed yourself onto your feet. Gathering your blanket into your arms, you aired it out in hopes of getting all the dirt off of it. Two knocks seemed to echo through the room before you could announce your departure. You glanced up at the door before letting your annoyance subside a little. "Who's there?"

"honey bee."

"Honey bee who?"

"honey, bee a dear and give me your name."

"No way. It's not like you're going to need it." Your smile sunk a little as you remembered the meaning behind your words. Once again wrapping your blanket around your shoulders, you explained, "I don't plan on coming back to this door, S. It was a one time thing. Mom would have a heart attack if she realized I had been near this door. I'd get locked up in my room for the rest of my life."

'I already lock myself up in my room enough. That's besides the point though...'' Before your thoughts could get any darker, S spoke once again, "c'mon kiddo, you've punned your way into my life. gimme a number to contact you by or something."

Despite how much you wanted to have a way to contact S again, you were sure your heart would be unable to handle getting closer to the monster only for him to forget you in the next reset. You gave a curt goodbye to S before starting to walk away. The silence was broken as S hesitantly called out a number. You could only assume it was their cell phone number. As you continued to walk away, you pulled out your own cell phone and stared down at it. Despite your better judgment, you typed the number in and saved it under the name S. It wasn't like you would contact him even if you did have his number. If it came down to it, the number could be used in case of some emergency with Frisk. That was all it was. An emergency line to warn the Underground about a possibly genocidal child.

At least, that's what you kept trying to tell yourself.

Ever since that last meeting with S, you had been wrapping your phone up with your journal as well so that you would have their number even if a reset occurred. While you continued to tell yourself that it was just so you could warn the Underground about Frisk if they killed again in another reset, even you knew that your reasoning was lame. The truth was that you saw that simple phone number as a lifeline of sorts. Seeing that number in your phone made you feel as if you hadn't completely been forgotten in this world, even if you knew that wasn't true. Even if you had S' number, it didn't mean he remembered you like Flowey did. When a reset occurred, the monster on the other side of the doors would forget you once again. Despite all that, you still clung to that number as proof that not everyone would ignore you just because of Frisk's appearance in the Underground. Perhaps it would seem like false hope for other people but it was enough to keep you going.

You never told Flowey about your meeting with S. In fact, you never once mentioned that you had spoken with the monster. While you were usually against hiding things from Flowey, you knew that he was keeping things from you. Plus, you felt as if telling the flower about the monster on the other side of the door would cause problems. You still remembered all the times he had called the monster a 'smiley trash bag'. Along with that, you still had no idea just who Chara was. Although the flower kept stating that he was Chara's best friend and was working to help the person, the little monster refused to give more details on the person of interest.

Though you had gone through several more resets, S' number was now a permanent part of your cell phone contacts. Just in case it was erased from your phone in a future reset, you had been sure to jot the number down in your journal. It was becoming a bit of a hassle to wrap your phone up with your journal at night, so this had been your best option. Throughout several of the resets, you had considered sending a message and just pretending that you were trying to prank the monster. However, you found yourself unable to even type a single word before giving up on the idea. With Frisk being rather peaceful during the recent resets, you had no reason to warn S of the child's presence and simply messaging the monster for no reason seemed selfish.

Flowey was the only one who would come around and keep you company. Last reset, the little flower had told you that he were starting to get a little scared of Chara. When you had questioned why, the monster had kept their lips shut and not replied. Ever since then, you had avoided the topic of the flower's 'friend' so that he wouldn't act so timid around you. Truth be told, you were a little worried about who could scare Flowey. He always seemed like such a confident and strong monster despite his small size. You were sure that he could crush anyone in his path if he really wanted to, so it was hard to believe that someone could terrify the golden flower. Honestly, knowing that Flowey was scared of someone made you afraid of whoever it could be.

Recently, you were starting to get a little worried about the world around you. Flowey was starting to push you towards leaving the Ruins, although he wouldn't tell you why. You wondered if this was some new plan that he had made with Chara but it seemed a bit unlikely. Through every single reset, the golden flower had always reassured you that Chara simply wanted you out of the way. Due to that, you had always been safe as long as you locked yourself within your room and didn't come out. If it wasn't a plan with Chara, you wondered just what in the world it could be. You fiddled with your phone once more as you tried to figure things out.

Next time you saw Flowey, you were going to get answers out of him. You were done with being in the dark and he obviously knew more than he was letting on. If he wanted you to leave the Ruins, the golden flower was going to have to let you in on what was going on. If not, there was no way you were going to leave the safety of your room. Sure, the resets were ruining your life and you hated the fact that your mother constantly forgot you once Frisk showed up but at least you were safe. Safety was the most important thing, right?

Unfortunately, your soul seemed to disagree with your thoughts.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9 - One Step At A Time

Sitting patiently in your room, you finished up writing in your journal before wrapping it up and putting it back in its usual hiding spot. It was now the 302nd reset and Frisk had exited the Ruins last night. You had heard Toriel sobbing through the night yet you hadn't gone to comfort the sad goat monster. Your attempts of cheering your mother up had already stopped working quite a long time ago and you couldn't find it in yourself to go to her. If you had gone to the woman's side, you would have hurt yourself emotionally once again. It would have been too much for your heart to handle. Anyway, it wasn't as if Toriel had acknowledged you once since the brunette child had come and gone. Once again, you had been cast into the background of the world.

Before you could sink any further into your rather depressing thoughts, a familiar popping sound announced the arrival of a familiar friend. Not needing to look back to know just who it was, you instinctively jumped out of your chair and hit the ground. As usual with your guest's arrival, several white pellets struck the chair that you had been sitting. You pushed yourself off the ground and rolled your eyes before dusting off your gray tank top. Turning around to face your attacker, you placed your hands on your hips and raised an eyebrow. Despite the fact that you were trying to seem annoyed, you were unable to keep a smile off of your face. "Last time I checked, I distinctly remember telling you that there were rules in this room. One of those rules was definitely the fact that you weren't supposed to be firing off attacks. You could break something!"

"You might have made the rules but I never agreed to follow them," the yellow flower spat, a smug grin on his face. The small exchange between you two was a running joke at this point. Flowey would throw a few 'friendliness pellets' your way and you would dodge them only to complain about him breaking something in the long run. It could've been the start to a TV comedy sketch. Letting the topic drop, you snatched one of the pillows off your bed before dropping it beside the flower monster. Sitting on the pillow, you made yourself comfortable on the hardwood floor before facing Flowey. You heard the satisfying crack of your joints as you stretched before letting your arms fall back to your side. Flowey shivered in disgust at the sound on your joints popping. "That sound is so gross."

"Get used to it, buttercup," you teased, moving your hand to smooth out the flower's ruffled petals. Flowey bit down on one of your fingers in an instant and held it in his maw. Letting out a laugh at the action, you easily pulled your finger free and held back the urge to roll your eyes once again. Without looking at your finger, you already knew that it was perfectly fine. Flowey had bitten you several times before and he had never really left any damage. At this point, you were beginning to think that all his hatred towards you may be a show despite his protesting otherwise. Wiping your finger on your blue shorts, you hummed, "Alright, I'll drop the teasing. Anyway, great to see you again. What's the topic for today?"

"I'd say it's great to see you too but I don't appreciate talking to trash as a way to pass the time." Flowey rolled his eyes as he simply stayed in place. Taking a moment to contemplate where he wanted things to go, the golden flower seemed rather serious on what he wanted to talk about. While you waited for the monster to speak, you had a feeling that you knew exactly what was going to be brought up. Flowey only made that serious expression when it came to one particular topic. Before you could voice your objection, the flower cut you off, "Let's talk about what you should be doing with your life in the Underground. Specifically, the fact that you should exit the Ruins for once."

You groaned with annoyance and halfheartedly batted at the flower monster with your hand. Of course, Flowey easily avoided your hand before hissing like a cat. You crossed your arms over your chest and stared at the flower. "We're really going to have this conversation again? You bring this up every time it's your turn to pick a topic! Why are you so insistent on me leaving the Ruins?"

"We'll have this conversation as many times as I want," Flowey grumbled, resisting the urge to throw another attack your way. If there was one thing he could commend you on, it was your stubbornness to stay in the Ruins. Toriel no longer paid attention to you whenever Frisk would arrive yet you were still reluctant to leave your mother's side. It was sweet but it was starting to piss the yellow flower off. Meeting your eyes, the flower growled, "After 302 resets of Frisk doing whatever they please, this world has started to get a bit repetitive. Even you must admit that you're starting to predict what will happen in each timeline."

That was true. After hundreds of resets, it was all starting to grow prefictable. Frisk usually fluctuated between a genocidal freak or a pacifist darling. Once in awhile, they'd kill only one of their closest friends to see what would happen. Flowey ruined your train of thought as he spoke up, "Remember that time they only killed Toriel and let everyone else live? Oh, your anger was radiating off you back then. It was nearly a bit scary. I'd never seen so much rage in one human before."

Of course you remembered that timeline. It had been the 254th reset when the child had come through the Ruins and spent nearly a week with your mother. Everything had seemed fine and the two had sounded happy together. You had heard the instinctive fighting before you heard two sets of footsteps head downstairs, yet Toriel had never returned. The situation confused you and you'd gone downstairs to see if she may be crying in front of the Ruin doors. Instead of being greeted by the sight of a sobbing goat monster, you had stumbled upon the horrifying sight of a dust pile. From then on, Flowey informed you that they had gone through Snowdin without killing anyone. Your rage had only grown as Flowey continued to inform you of Frisk's journey and the lack of dust being spilled. No matter what you did, you found yourself unable to understand just why Frisk had done it. Why kill only Toriel? She had been nothing but sweet to the brunette child. It was something you were never fully able to comprehend and you had spent the rest of that timeline destroying Toriel's home in a fit of rage. The house had held too many memories of the time you had spent with your mother and a kind child during the first timeline, so you had torn in all apart until you were left with nothing but broken furniture and a shattered heart.

"Why bring that up now? What point are you trying to make?" you whispered, clenching your eyes shut in hopes of banishing the terrible memories. If the flower monster was aware of your pain from remembering that timeline, he certainly didn't care. He instead continued on with his ranting, "It's beginning to become monotonous and I'm tired of it. You certainly must be sick of it as well. Just how many times have you been forced to face the fact that an 8 year old went and killed your mother for no reason? How long have you hidden behind this door because you feared for your life? Can you really continue to live like this when you constantly blame yourself for the fact that Frisk continues to kill monsters? I've seen the looks you give me whenever I come and tell you what's going on. Iknow just how you feel about everything going on."

This line of questioning made you want to throw something in a fit of rage. When had this flower gotten so good at reading you? Feeling something rest on your leg, your eyes snapped open before you directed your eyes to the area. Flowey had one of his vines resting on your thigh as if he wastrying to comfort you. Staring down at the golden flower, you took a moment before you cautiously asked, "Just what are you expecting from me? I've never been in a fight before. All I know is to show mercy but I can barely defend myself long enough to do anything. The one time I tried to show mercy, Frisk nearly killed me. Even though I want to fix things, there's nothing I can do. I'm too inexperienced with the way the Underground works even though I've lived here for 8 years. There's no way I could survive outside of the Ruin..."

"Well..." Flowey contemplated your words, trying to figure out a solution to the problem. The monster grinned before he oddly chirped, "What if I travel with you? Then you won't be alone and I can show you the ropes for how the Underground works. C'mon _____, think about this for a moment. With the two of us working together, we could probably fix the Underground in no time! Things would certainly get more interesting."

Interesting. Of course that was why Flowey wanted you to leave the Ruins. He was always complaining about how bored he was getting as more resets occurred. You felt rather disturbed by his happy appearance. You'd never seen Flowey so joyous before and something about his smile seemed a bit off. Soaking up his words, you nibbled on your bottom lip. Having Flowey as a guide in the Underground would certainly put your mind at ease. Plus, your mother was too caught up in her grief about Frisk leaving to even notice your disappearance. Flowey's words had a ring of truth to them as well, seeing that there may be a chance for you to change things if you left the Ruins. You had never attempted to do so before and the action would certainly throw the timeline for a loop. After a moment, you let out a soft sigh, "I see where you're coming from but... there's still something bothering me."

"And what would that be?" Annoyance laced every word he said as this conversation continued to drag on. Biting on the inside of your cheek, you pushed forward, "You know more about these timelines and resets than you're letting on. I need answers. Who in the world is Chara and what plans have you been making with them? If they're your best friend, why did you tell me that they were starting to scare you? Does Chara remember resets too? Does anyone else remember resets besides-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold up!" Flowey yelled, his face contorting in anger. You glanced at him with a bit of fear in your eyes as you realized you might've pushed him too far. You were waiting for the flower to disappear as he always did whenever you brought up Chara, yet this time he seemed to stay. The monster let out a huff of annoyance. Glancing away from you, he mumbled, "I guess you have a point. I've been keeping quite a few secrets from you, that's for sure. So... How about we make a deal? You leave the Ruins and I'll answer whatever questions you have. One question a day. How does that sound? A fair deal, if I do say so myself."

You watched as Flowey moved his vine off of your thigh and held it out to you as if to shake hands. While you were accustomed to seeing his vines with thorns on them, he had retracted them for the time being. You weren't even aware that was something he could do.

What was the worst that could happen? If the world did reset again, you would just end up in your room and Toriel would never realize you had left. Repeating Flowey's deal in your head, you gave a small nod before reaching out and gently taking his green vine in your hand. Giving a firm shake, you flashed a small smile, "It's a deal. I'll start packing and we'll leave as soon as I'm done."

Listening to your words, the flower grinned back before he suddenly wrapped his vine around your right arm. Once he was sure that you would stay still, Flowey popped his roots out of the ground and attached himself to you. Safely wrapped around your arm as if it was a lifeline, the yellow flower adjusted himself so that his face was next to your shoulder. Feeling his golden petals graze your face, you raised an eyebrow in confusion. The plant pouted and avoided your gaze as if embarrassed. "Don't take this the wrong way! I don't enjoy your presence but it'll be easier for me to keep up with you if I'm wrapped around your arm."

"You don't need the nutrients from the earth or anything?" Grabbing the pillow you had been sitting on, you tossed it back onto the bed before snatching your pale green rucksack. While it was a little old and worn from age, it was still surprisingly sturdy and hadn't fallen apart yet. The dark brown straps of the bag never seemed to give and it was large enough to hold quite a bit. Your favorite part of the bag was the fact that it had a hidden pocket inside that made it look as if the bag was shallower than it really was.

"Of course not!" Flowey hissed, seemingly insulted by your question. "I may be a flower but I'm still a monster. I eat food for things like that! The ground just makes it easier to escape from things and move around. When I'm just clinging to objects like your arm, it feels as if I'm floating in the air. That was your question for the day. Just saying."

Damn, you'd have to be more careful when asking questions. Flowey would probably try to get out of answering as many serious things as possible by claiming other things you asked as your question for the day.

Tossing the bag onto your bed, the first thing you did was snatch your wrapped up journal out from its hiding spot and slip in into the hidden pocket of your bag. You zipped the pocket shut before heading to your closet. After putting a few sets of clothes into the bag, you laid out some clothes on the bed for you to wear before heading out of the Ruins. From what you knew, Snowdin was cold and you didn't want to die of hypothermia on your first trip outside the Ruins. You exited your room cautiously and headed into the kitchen. Seeing that Toriel wasn't around, you snatched up some food before moving back towards your room.

As you passed by the fireplace, you hesitated for a moment as you stared at the empty recliner. You let out a sigh before placing the food down on the ground. Moving towards the recliner, you ignored Flowey's questioning gaze as you used your left hand to dig between the cushions. Feeling around for a few moments, it wasn't long before your hand found what you were searching for. You yanked the object free and opened your palm to stare at it A small red coin sack with a brown drawstring rested in your left hand. Toriel had told you about the hidden money a while back, telling you to only take it in case an emergency arose and she couldn't make it to you. Though you hated to take the gold from Toriel, you were sure that you would need it when you left. Pocketing the gold, you turned around and picked the food back.

Placing the food in a separate pocket from your clothes, you slipped the coin sack out of your shorts pocket and held back the urge to put it back where you had found it. You instead slipped the pouch into a small side pocket on your rucksack. Once that was done, you took the time to snatch up some pens from your desk and toss them into your bag as well. Deciding you had everything, you closed your bag before placing it on the ground. Asking Flowey to give you a moment so you could get changed, you placed your hand on the ground and waited for him to get off. Snatching up your clothes, you headed to the restroom to get changed.

Slipping on a pair of dark blue jeggings, you pulled on a pair of white toe socks before wiggling your toes for a moment. You pulled on your favorite white turtleneck sweater and sunk into the warm fabric. Decorating the bottom hem of the sweater was a vibrant violet hydrangea with a few petals scattered around. Toriel had hand embroidered the design for you a while back. You tossed on your plain black capelet coat before shoving your feet into a comfortable pair of black combat boots. As you exited the bathroom, you silently thanked Toriel for her great sewing skills and well as the people who had found and sold her yours boots. Without any of the clothes you had, you probably wouldn't last a second out in the cold.

Silently entering your room, you grabbed your cell phone off your desk and slipped it into the right pocket of your coat. You closed the button of the pocket before you turned on your heel and snatched your rucksack off of the ground. Tossing it onto your back, you tightened the straps so that the bag hung comfortably against the small of your back. You knelt on the floor and held your hand out to Flowey. As the monster once again wrapped himself around your arm, he made sure that he was underneath your coat so that he would be hidden from the cold. Once at your shoulder, the flower grumbled, "It took you long enough! For a minute, I thought that maybe you drowned in the toilet or something. Guess I'll forgive you this once."

"Oh yes, thank you for your forgiveness, your highness!" you laughed. The flower scowled at your laughter but you were sure he was trying to fight back some sort of smile. Even if the monster never stated how he felt about you, you were pretty sure that he saw you as some sort of friend. Perhaps the flower monster was unaware of it himself but you were positive that the two of you were definitely friends by now. If anything, you definitely saw Flowey as your friend.

Moving towards your desk once more, you grabbed the key to your room before turning off the desk lamp. Heading towards the door to your room, you glanced back at the room you had spent so much time in. After a moment, you exited the room before locking the door behind you. Placing the key in the same pocket as your phone, you took a deep breath before pushing yourself to move forward. Heading downstairs, the walk was rather silent. As you approached the Ruin doors, Flowey spoke up, "Listen _____, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone about what I tell you. As you're already aware, not everyone realizes the resets when they happen."

"Of course, Flowey. You had my word that I'll keep silent." Hesitating for a moment, the golden flower continued, "I'll probably hide from some of the monsters we meet, so I'd appreciate it if you don't mention me. As you might expect, not everyone can appreciate my true talents."

It other words, your flower friend had enemies. Not surprising. He could be a little shit sometimes. Giving a nod to show that you understood, you stared up at the tall doors. Staring at the black insignia on the doors, you wondered why you had never noticed it sooner. It was the same symbol that was on Toriel's dress yet you had never wondered what the symbol was Storing that in your memory as another question to ask Flowey in the future, you decided that it was time to stop stalling. You reached out with both hands and put all your strength into shoving the door open. Stumbling over your feet in the process, you quickly fumbled through the doorway before catching your balance. As the door firmly slammed shut behind you, your eyes widened as you took it all in.

Before you was a winter wonderland in every sense of the term. On both sides of you were tall tree trunks with branches covered in snow. While you wondered just how in the world such large trees could be growing underground, you looked up at the ceiling to see icicles hanging from above and glittering in the artificial sunlight. As snow seemed to continue its slow descent, you decided that it must be some form of magic making this entire world possible. Eyes glittering with excitement at everything happening, you took a moment to breath in the cool air. Readjusting your rucksack, you decided to ask Flowey your daily question later on. Right now, all you wanted to do was explore the world around you.

For now, the beauty of the Underground was enough of a reason to keep moving forward.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10 - One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Walking through the winter wonderland of Snowdin Forest, your pace was rather slow as you took time to look at everything. The sense of peace in the seemingly empty expanse of snow and trees before you, there wasn't a moment of hesitation in your steps. Since Flowey had decided to hide from the cold in the right sleeve of your jacket, there was no conversation between the two of you. The soundtrack of your journey was filled with crunching snow and whistling wind. Sometime during your walk, your eyes would trail away from the trees and find the snowy ground. Trying to find some hint of Frisk's path, you were a bit surprised that there were no footsteps in the snow. While you hadn't left right after the brunette had, you found it hard to believe that the falling snow would cover their footprints in an hour and a half. Being in the snow for the first time meant you had no knowledge of the normal rate of snowfall. How were you supposed to know how quickly shoe prints were usually covered up?

With a sigh, you were about to pull your eyes upwards when you caught sight of something brown partially buried in the snow. Stopping before it, you squatted down and reached out a hand towards the object. The snow chilled the skin of your hand as you dusted off the object, revealing a broken stick. Smiling a bit to yourself, you assumed that the stick must have been broken when Frisk was walking by. it was nice to know that not everything had been covered up yet. The child was probably only a bit further ahead. Pushing yourself back onto your feet, you shoved your hand into the pockets of your capelet coat and picked up the pace.

It wasn't soon after that you found yourself facing a rather large wooden gate that was positioned in the middle of a bridge. Cautiously walking onto the wooden bridge, you bit down on you bottom lip as you heard the bridge creak beneath your feet. Honestly a bit terrified by the noise, you stumbled forward in your haste and grabbed onto one of the large pillars supporting the gate. Finding the gaps between the bars to be large enough for you to easily walk though, you kept your grip on the pillar as you walked. Once you were on the other side of the gate, you quickly dashed back onto solid ground. When you heard the crunch of snow beneath your feet once more, you took a moment to calm your rapidly beating heart. Hands on your knees, you hunched over slightly as you took in several deep breaths. Though you weren't usually one to be scared of heights, the wooden bridge had definitely freaked you out. Not only was it without guard rails but it also seemed rather old, making it seem like a disaster waiting to happen. It didn't help that the last time you'd been in such a high place, you'd fallen right into the Underground. You were just glad to be off of that wooden death trap although you were pretty sure you heard Flowey mutter something about you being a wimp.

As your heart began its steady beat once more, you straightened up before taking a few more steps forward. Entering a clearing, your eyes first caught sights of an oddly shaped lamp to the left of you. With it's dark purple body and light blue shade, the object definitely stood out in the mix of dark brown trees and white snow. As you wondered just why in the world a lamp would be outside in the snow, your attention was soon caught by the wooden station a bit away. Swiftly moving towards it, you nibbled on your bottom lip as you went behind the counter. Finding several bottles of assorted condiments, you raised an eyebrow in confusion. While all the other condiments were full and standing tall, there were three empty ketchup bottles that were hap-hazardously tossed to the corner of the station. Finding nothing of interest to take with you, you simply turned on your heel and moved forward.

"Hey Flowey," you whispered, finding yourself at a branching path. Hearing some grumbling coming from the flower, you patiently waited for the monster to answer you. As the right arm of your jacket shifted slightly, you did your best to muffle your laughter as the flower moved to pop his head out of the collar of your jacket. The shifting of his vines had tickled but the soft brush of Flowey's golden petals against your cheek was surprisingly comforting. It felt like the flower was unconsciously leaning towards you in hopes of sucking up the body heat radiating off your skin. You doubted he noticed. If he had, there was no way in hell that the little devil would admit to it.

"What?" Flowey snapped, annoyed that he had to remove himself from the warmth of your jacket. The monster surveyed the area around you and made a face before you could answer him. The flower hissed, "Are you seriously lost already? You really are helpless out here. I'm only going to explain this once. Snowdin is a straight path for most of the walk. It's pretty desolate unless you're actually in town so exploring would be a waste of time. We should be more focused on getting to our objective anyway."

Listening to Flowey's words, you ignored the path to the left and started walking forward. AYou could always backtrack and look at the side paths some other time. Raising an eyebrow as you walked, you cautiously question, "Objective...? I just thought you wanted me to leave the Ruins and see if it would switch up the timeline at all. If there's some ulterior objective that you have in mind, you better inform me now or else I could ruin it without realizing."

Contemplating your words for a moment, the flower monster fell silent as he crossed his leaves in thought. As you waited for Flowey to respond, you passed by a small wooden box resting near a sign. Stopping to look inside the box, you were a bit disappointed to find it empty. You closed the box ans sat on top of it. Before the silence could become awkward, the monster sighed, "Fine, I guess I can explain it to you. It's probably too complicated for your tiny brain anyway."

"If you weren't so close ro mt face, I'd throw something at you," you grumbled, a little annoyed at the situation. With a snarky grin on his face, the golden flower snidely remarked, "Just listen up you utter moron."

Resisting the urge to give Flowey a rough retribution smack, you bit the inside of your cheek and glared. Holding back a laugh, the flower straightened up before glancing around. There were no other monsters around. It was desolate just like he'd said. The little devil moved so that he could whisper in your ear, "Our objective is to find a way to snatch up the reset ability for ourselves. If we can do that, we'll be able to control the timelines once and for all."

"Flowey... I don't know about this. No one should have that much power. It's wrong." You looked around the snowy area for anyone that may be coming. Not giving up on the idea, the flower monster pushed, "C'mon now, just think about it for a moment. With the ability to reset, we could do some good for this world! _____, imagine the possibility of being able to bring Toriel to the surface like you always dreamed of. She would certainly remember you then. Not only that, but you would definitely become a hero to all the monsters trapped below. With all that glory, certainly you wouldn't be part of the background anymore. All the people you've met would remember you and your mother would finally get to enjoy the pleasures of the Earth without it all restarting.”

As you listened to Flowey's words, you found yourself being further drawn to the idea of gaining the ability for yourself. Falling deeper into your thoughts, you opened your mouth to reply before pausing. You shook your head before standing back up. This was a terrible idea. Why had you thought traveling with the monster would be a good thing? Flowey might as well be the devil on your shoulder in some terrible Sunday morning cartoon. Shoving your hands back into your jacket pockets, you whispered, "I'll consider it. If we end up finding something you need for your objective along the way, I'll help you. After all, we're..."

Cutting off your own sentence, you fell silent before beginning to walk once more. While Flowey pestered you to complete the sentence, you found yourself ignoring him. The flower realized you had zoned him out and tightened his vines around your arm before hiding in your right sleeve once more. While you were certain that your arm would have a pattern of bruises matching his vines thanks to the squeeze, you weren't bothered by it. There were more troubling things to worry about. Now that Flowey had brought it up, you were aware of the fact that resetting time was an ability that a person could gain. You had to wonder just who it was that currently had that ability. Flowey must have been in control of it at one point, for he seemed to have an adept amount of knowledge on the topic. You had to wonder just who was in control of the timelines. Unfortunately, you wouldn't be able to ask Flowey that question until tomorrow.

Walking past a cardboard box that seemed to resemble the sentry station from earlier, you glanced at it before walking past it. You mad it to the next station and noticed that the wooden building was empty. Pausing for a moment, you were surprised to see that there was a smoking dog biscuit left abandoned on the counter. Biting the inside of your cheek, your foot ended up kicking a few burnt treats left in the snow. Before long, you ran smack into an invisible wall. You rubbed your assaulted nose as you glared at the space before you. Stretching your arms out, your hands hit the invisible wall with a dull thud. Feeling your way through the maze, you were sure that you must have looked quite idiotic. Luckily no monsters seemed to pass by and spot you. However, you found the lack of monsters around to be unnerving.

The passing of another bridge lead to two more dog houses, and in the middle of the main path was a sheet of paper. Picking it up, you were a bit surprised to find an unsolved puzzle. Shrugging to yourself, you folded the paper up and slipped it into your bag before continuing on. When you found the plate of spaghetti and an unplugged microwave resting on the table, you were honestly a bit upset that you couldn't eat it. Now that you were looking at food, you were finding yourself quite hungry. What was supposed to be a short walk turned out to be longer than expected due to the exploring and sightseeing.

Soon enough, you found yourself passing a spike trap that had already been solved. Walking over the bridge, you paused as your eyes caught sight of something that you certainly hadn't expected. The heart stopping and breath choking feeling made you stop in your tracks. The sudden weakness in your legs made you fall to your knees.  Your hands hovered above two piles of dust that rested beside one another. Hands that trembled from shock, your brain tried to figure out just what was going on. The sudden stop of the rhythmic motion of walking caused Flowey to pop out of your jacket to complain.  Flowey had paused when he caught sight of what was going on. Without any remorse, the flower stated, "Well, would you look at that. I guess Frisk ended up killing some monsters after all. Maybe they only plan to clear out Snowdin this time?

"But I thought..." You curled in on yourself and tried to catch your breath. Trying to fight back your tears, you bit down on your bottom lip. "They had brown eyes so... I thought they wouldn't be killing anyone. Frisk let Toriel live but..." Looking back on it now, you hadn't seen any of the other monsters in the Ruins. Perhaps they were all dead too? Your theory that Frisk's eyes would be red if they were to kill people in a timeline must've been wrong.

As you began to hyperventilate, the flower monster rolled his eyes. Flowey moved to wrap a vine around your shoulders. Although he refused to look at you, the little tag-along stated, "Stop freaking out. It's not like they'll be dead forever. They'll be back in the next reset with no recollection of what happened. C'mon now!"

Somehow Flowey's odd pep talk was enough to calm you down. As your soul began to hum loudly with its perseverance, you wiped your eyes before forcing yourself to your feet. With a new fire lit in your eyes, you nodded your head before walking past the dust piles. Head held high, you were unaware of the purple glow emanating from inside your jacket. However, Flowey had noticed your perseverance. The flower felt a grin bloom on his face. Before long the monster fell back into a slumber knowing that everything was slowly falling into place.

Easily traversing the rest of the forest, you were sure to pick up the pace as you pumped your legs into a slight jog. While traversing through the snow was difficult, yet pushing limits as you continued the journey. Fortunately, all the puzzles were already solved so you did not have to constantly stop and figure things out. The path forked and to the right there was a long snowy bridge hidden by trees. An unknown attraction pulled your soul, and would have caused you to side step your journey. Promptly ignoring the force had caused a swell of pain upon continuing onward.As you dashed past the area, you silently promised to go back down and figure out just what was calling your soul back there.

Now standing before a rickety suspension bridge, you cautiously grabbed one of the ropes on the right side. With great caution while attempting to ignore the rocking motion, you took one step at a time. While your steps were slow, there were several times where the bridge would swing roughly due to a gust a wind. During those moments, your hands would tighten on the rope as you would squat down and close your eyes. At one point you had made the mistake of looking down and you saw the dark chasm below. When you finally made it to the other side with trembling knees you pondered on how the bridge hadn't crumbled beneath you. It was the most unstable bridge you had walked across while down here. You were surprised to be alive.

With a few more steps, you found yourself standing before a paper banner. The banner has sparkling Christmas lights with that was painted in blue and red. Dusting the snow off to get a better look at the banner had caused you to grin from ear to ear. "Snowdin Town, huh?"

Entering the town, you were surprised to find the place rather empty. You ventured forward with great caution to avoid hitting any dust piles, biting down on your bottom lip with a sigh as you shook your head. After passing a shop and an inn, you had paused as you stood before a rather tall Christmas tree. Staring at the glittering lights and shining metal star on top, you felt sorrow for the monsters that had lost their lives to the brunette child behind it all. As your foot lightly hit a beautifully wrapped red gift with a golden ribbon, you sat down beside it and gazed up at the icicles frozen to the ceiling of the cave. There you saw the artificial light make the long ice shards sparkle like stars, and you wondered just how lively this place must have been with actual people within it.

Your mind began to wander and conjure images of how the town must have looked before Frisk came around. You laid down in the snow and heard it crunch under your weight. As the snow beneath you melted and slowly began to soak into your jacket, you ignored the uncomfortable feeling it left behind. When his vines were touched by the soaked area of your jacket, Flowey shifted so that he was wrapped around your waist and further away from the cold water. You were snapped back to your thoughts as your ears picked up on the crunching of snow. Before you were able to sit upright, a shadow blocked out some of the artificial sunlight from your view. Looking up at the figure that loomed over you had caused you to be filled with a sense of dread.

Just when it seemed as if you had finally done some good by leaving the Ruins, it seemed like the world was out to kill you.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11 - Side Stitches

As your eyes took in the figure towering over you, it took all your self control to not scream. Fear pulsed through you and kept you still, but only until you recognized the monster. Though you had never met the monster personally, you distinctly remembered Papyrus from one of the photos Frisk had sent you long ago. Dressed in the same outfit he had worn in that selfie from a past timeline, the skeletal figure wore a smile that seemed plastered to his face. What grabbed your attention the most was the bold red scarf around his neck, a familiar piece that was seen in all those selfies. You were sure that you had seen it in person but you couldn't remember exact details of when. The memory was there but reaching for it felt like sand slipping between your fingers. Before you were able to let out a word, Papyrus broke the silence, "HELLO THERE, LARGE HUMAN! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! WHO MIGHT YOU BE?"

You continued to stare up at the happy skeleton in silence. After seeing all the dust piles scattered throughout Snowdin, you had been positive that the skeleton brothers would have been dusted by now. From all the pictures Frisk had sent you during the first few timelines, you had gotten a general idea of where all their friends lived. Long ago, you had noticed that all the pictures with Papyrus and Sans had been in the snow, so you had made the conclusion that they lived in Snowdin. Now aware of the fact that Papyrus was still alive, you felt hope bloom in your chest. If Frisk hadn't hurt Papyrus, perhaps the tall skeleton had changed the child's mind about hurting everyone.

"AH, I SEE! YOU ARE STUNNED BY MY PRESENCE! DO NOT FEAR LARGE HUMAN, I WILL BRING YOU NO HARM!" Papyrus chirped, snapping you out of your thoughts. A red-gloved hand was offered to you and you gave him a smile in return. You put your hand in his without hesitation. Papyrus tightly held your hand before easily yanking you out of the snow. With the force the skeleton had used, you found yourself in the air for a moment. As a sense of weightlessness hit you for a fraction of a second and you broke into a fit of giggles. It was simply fun. You couldn't remember the last time you'd done something besides hide in your room. When your feet finally hit the ground once more with a satisfying crunch, you released Papyrus' hand. "My name is _____. Thanks for helping me back up."

"WELL THEN, HUMAN _____, ARE YOU HERE WITH FRISK?" Papyrus questioned, taking you by surprise. The moment Papyrus said Frisk's name, you could feel Flowey tense from his position around your waist. Although you were concerned by Flowey's reaction, you decided that you could figure it out later. It seemed your travel buddy wasn't going to show his face around Papyrus. Deciding to take the opportunity presented, you grinned, "Actually, you're right! My mom sent me out to look for Frisk since they left something behind at the Ruins. Do you know where they are?"

“I'M SUPPOSED TO BE MEETING FRISK AT MY HOUSE SOON FOR OUR DATE! YOU CAN COME WITH ME AND MEET UP WITH THEM THERE!" the large monster stated, obviously pleased with his plan. You remembered the 'dates' that Frisk had told you about long ago and held back a chuckle at the silly memories from a timeline forgotten. You gave a small thank you and it was not long before the two of you started your walk to the house. While walking you were unable to shake the fact that the town still seemed so desolate. Papyrus seemed to catch your unease and tried his best to put on a smile, yet it seemed as if the emotion didn't make it to his eye sockets. Perhaps he was just as nervous to see an adult human as you'd been when you'd left the Ruins. After a moment of silence, you jokingly asked, "So how was Frisk able to convince you for a date?"

"OF COURSE YOU'D BE CURIOUS ABOUT HOW FRISK WAS ABLE TO GET A DATE WITH ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! THAT WILL BE A STORY FOR ANOTHER TIME AS WE ARE ALREADY HERE AT MY HOME!" Papyrus announced, waving a hand over to his home. Turning your attention to the dark wood two-story house, your eyes caught the glistening of Christmas lights lining the snow-covered roof. There was a small balcony on the right side of the second floor. You wondered if you could get up there at some point because it must have a lovely view of Snowdin. Noticing that there were also lights wrapped around one of the wooden pillars near the door, you soon spotted the wreath nailed to the door. On the left side of the house were two red mailboxes. One seemed to be overflowing with junk mail while the other remained empty. There was some sort of shed made of light wood on the right of the home. Between the two buildings rested a rather small igloo, although it seemed a little out of place.

"NO NEED TO BE SHY, COME ON IN!" the lanky skeleton called out, already opening the door to the house. Flashing Papyrus a smile, you easily dashed up the stairs before entering the home. It was definitely warmer inside and you were grateful for the heat. If it weren't for Flowey, you would have peeled off your capelet since the wet fabric of the coat was starting to bother you. While you were busy taking in the room, Papyrus stated that he needed to do something in his bedroom and would be back shortly. You gave the skeleton a nod of acknowledgment and watched Papyrus enter his room. Now onto important business.

Quickly removing your jacket and letting it drop to the floor, you looked down to see Flowey still wrapped around your waist. Once both of your eyes met, the monster seemed to get the idea before you even spoke. Almost offended by your unspoken words, the six-petaled being hissed, "Oh no! No no no! There is no way you can even convince me to put my vines on your gross human skin and hide under that sweater of yours! You put that coat back on right now and suffer the consequences of lying down in the snow!"

"Flowey, please!" You didn't want anyone overhearing your conversation, especially since the flower had practically sworn you to silence before agreeing to travel with you. Pouting a bit, you held out a hand towards Flowey before continuing, "If I put the coat back on, I could overheat with how hot it is in here. What if I pass out? Then we'd be wasting time that could go towards your objective or whatever. Plus, my skin is probably warmer than the jacket will ever be."

Warily glancing at your hand, it took a moment before the flower let out a huff of defeat. Flowey wrapped himself onto your hand before moving under the sleeve of your sweater.  He would hae to get used to it since it probably wouldn't be the last time this happened. Soon enough, your travel companion had made himself comfortable around your left arm. There was found an odd comfort in the feeling of Flowey's vines on your skin, you felt as if you were grounded to reality. You whispered a small thank you and it didn't take long before Flowey snapped back, "Yeah, just don't make me regret this! If your gross flesh messes with my petals, I'll get revenge. Don't you dare complain about my vines hurting you either, since you asked for me to hide here."

"Yes, of course. It'll be the stupid human's fault if she gets hurt because of her dumb request." Though Flowey grumbled about your sarcasm, you caught the slight smile that seemed to be on his face if only for a moment. Once Flowey had quieted down, you snatched your jacket off the floor before folding it up and resting it on your right arm. You took some time to examine your surroundings while Papyrus was still in his room.

The living room held a rather large television, which rested on a small wooden table with a single drawer. Next to the television there was a sock covered in sticky notes, which you ignored your curiosity to examine them. A rather large green couch rested across from the television with a small circular side table near it. On top of the side table rested a joke book with a quantum physics book inside, causing you to raise an eyebrow in confusion. Moving on, there was a large table near the door which held a rock covered in sprinkles.  While the floor was covered in a blue and purple zig-zag carpet, the walls were a rather dull red.

Catching sight of the kitchen, your eyes instantly locked onto the ridiculously tall sink with a large storage space beneath it. You gave a small laugh at how funny it looked. Right next to that was a simple white fridge that seemed to be only a little bit smaller than the sink. Entering the kitchen, you soon spotted the small trash bin in the right corner. Looking to the left, you noticed the four-burner stove and long white counter top. The warm rich colors of the kitchen were homey, yet it seemed to match too much as the dark red walls were paired with red and orange tiles.

Once again entering the living room, you placed your folded jacket beside the rock on the large table before hearing someone rush down the stairs. Turning at the sound to face Papyrus, you took in his new outfit for a moment. Dressed in a white shirt with yellow trim, you were able to read the bold black letters which read 'Cool Dude' on the front. Along with this, there were basketballs which were somehow staying on his shoulders. Donned in blue basketball shorts with yellow buttons on them, you soon caught sight of his long white socks and red sneakers. Placed on his head was a red baseball cap which was worn backwards. Despite the different outfit, the skeleton was still wearing his red gloves. Before you could ask what he was wearing, Papyrus replied, "MY DATING HANDBOOK SAYS THAT YOU HAVE TO WEAR SPECIAL CLOTHES ON DATES! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY OUTFIT?"

"It's certainly something special." That technically wasn't a lie. You just couldn't tell him that the outfit was a bit ridiculous. With your words, Papyrus' face seemed to light up with joy. Without any warning, the skeleton picked you up and pulled you into a tight hug. Practically dangling in Papyrus' grasp, you grabbed onto the skeleton's shoulders in hopes of not falling to the floor. As the skeleton swung you around in a hug, you found yourself bubbling up with laughter. Once your feet were back on the floor, Papyrus stated, "THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT, LARGE HUMAN! I MADE THESE CLOTHES MYSELF!"

"Wow, really? You did a really good job!" While the outfit might seem a bit ridiculous together, it was obvious just how well made the clothing was. After a moment of silence, it seemed as if the lanky skeleton finally remembered something. "YOU SHOULD MEET MY BROTHER BEFORE MY DATE WITH FRISK STARTS! THAT WAY YOU'LL HAVE SOMEONE TO TALK TO WHILE FRISK AND I ARE ON OUR DATE."

"Oh no, that's fine Papyrus! I can just sit on the couch and wait or look around town a bit more. I wouldn't want to impose on your brother," you interjected, hoping to simply have some alone time. Unfortunately, Papyrus wasn't going to let you be alone. The skeleton placed a hand on your head and ruffled your hair, "THAT'S NONSENSE, YOU WOULDN'T BE IMPOSING AT ALL! ANYWAY, MY BROTHER IS A HUGE LAZY BONES SO HE WOULD BENEFIT FROM INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE."

No matter what you said, it seemed as if you were only delaying the inevitable. There was no possible way you were going to get out of meeting Papyrus' brother. Letting out a sigh of defeat, you finally gave a single nod of agreement. Overjoyed that you had finally submitted to his idea, the tall skeleton's eyes were practically sparkling. Papyrus cupped his hands around his mouth before shouting, "BROTHER, COME MEET MY NEW FRIEND! THE LARGE HUMAN APPARENTLY KNOWS FRISK!"

There was nothing but silence after everything had been said. Once a minute or two had passed, you began to wonder if Papyrus' brother was even in the house. Just as you were about to voice your thoughts, a sudden slam caused you to jump in surprise. Your eyes quickly jolted back to the second floor only to see that the door further down the hall had been flung open and hit the wall. Another skeleton monster stepped out of the room. Taking in the monster for a moment, you easily recognized Sans from the same selfie that you knew Papyrus from. You specifically remember Frisk telling you that they had been brothers. That little tidbit of info seemed silly to forget but after such an expanse of time it was only natural. You'd been much more focused on avoiding Frisk and surviving the countless resets.

Watching the short skeleton walk down the stairs, you felt your blood run cold as you laid eyes on his jacket. You felt as if you had been tossed back to the first genocide timeline. Memories rushed through your mind as if watching a movie. You found yourself staring down at a blue dust-covered jacket beside a red scarf resting in the snow. Just as quickly as they had come, the terrifying memories were gone and you were back in the home of the skeletons. You did your best to keep a level head as you gave a nervous smile. Soon enough, Sans stood before you with a tense smile plastered on his face. With the two of you standing face to face, it became obvious that you were at least a head taller than the big-boned skeleton before you.

An awkward silence filled the room for a moment as you and Sans seemed to have a staring contest of some sort. Papyrus was oblivious to the tension in the air but you could tell it was there. In fact, the tension that was seeping out of Sans seemed thick enough to be cut with a knife. Before you could break the silence, the shorter skeleton seemed to have the same idea. Holding out his right hand, the jacket-clad monster stated, “c’mon kid, don’t you know how to properly introduce yourself to a new pal?”

“Oh! Sorry,” you fumbled out, moving your arm to return the gesture. Before Papyrus could stop you, your hand had already connected with Sans’ skeletal one. With the obnoxious noise of a whoopie cushion filling the air, all the tension seemed to be blown out of the house. It wasn’t long before you released Sans’ hand and doubled over. Arms wrapped around your stomach, your laughter shook your body as you tried to catch your breath. Your sides were in stitches and pain seemed to shoot through your abdomen due to how hard you were laughing. It certainly wasn’t a very funny joke but the fact that such a dumb act had seemingly brought normality back to the room was enough to crack you up. Perhaps you were laughing so hard since it'd been so long since you'd felt anything but worry.

“the ol’ whoopie cushion in the hand trick is a classic. seems like you found it humerus,” Sans commented, his smile seeming to relax a bit as he shoved his hand into his pocket. With a wink, the monster continued, “name’s sans. tibia honest, i didn’t catch your name a second ago. mind repeating it?”

“BROTHER, STOP USING YOUR INSUFFERABLE PUNS ON OUR GUEST! AT THIS RATE, YOU’LL SCARE MY NEW FRIEND AWAY!” Papyrus scolded, obviously trying to fight back the growing smile on his face. Hands on his hips, the tall skeleton leaned over slightly to look his older brother in the eyes. Doing his best to give a stern expression, the younger brother stated, “DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?”

Before Sans could reply to his brother, you decided to cut in by clearing your throat. With the attention of both of the brothers on you, your decision was made before you even spoke. Not one to back down to a challenge, you gave a smile before replying, “I would be telling a fibula if I said I had mentioned it to you. My name’s _____, nice to meet you. I’d tell a femur puns at your expense but I don’t want Papyrus to get sternum with me over them.”

After taking a moment to process what you had said, Sans’ grin seemed to widen before a snort escaped him. Meanwhile, Papyrus’ expression was one of utter betrayal as he stared down at you with dismay. A scream of annoyance left the tall skeleton as he stomped his foot, “SANS, YOU HAVE CORRUPTED THE LARGE HUMAN WITH YOUR TERRIBLE PUNS! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO RETURN THE LARGE HUMAN TO FRISK WHILE SHE IS IN SUCH A PUNNY STATE!?”

“I'd blame my mother for my 'punny state' but it seems that you got infected too.” You tried to cover up your giggling as Papyrus thought over his previous words. Papyrus seemed confused before a look of dismay took over his face. The tall skeleton easily picked up Sans and started to shake him. While Sans looked as if he was being swung around like a rag doll, Papyrus bellowed, “BROTHER, YOUR HORRIFIC PUNS ARE INFECTIOUS! YOU HAVE RUINED ME!”

“paps please, stop with the shaking! if you keep this up, i’m gonna be ill." Sans honestly looking a bit dizzy. Soon enough, Papyrus stopped before gently putting his brother down on the couch. While the tall skeleton seemed to fret over the stout skeleton, the soft squeak of the front door caught your attention. The smile on your face slipped away as a young brunette child stepped into the doorway. As you stared at Frisk, the first thing you noticed was that their eyes were an odd mix of brown and red. While the brown was the dominating color in their eyes, the underlying red gave them a rather unnerving tone.

Turning completely to face the child, a cold breeze swept through the house as the door was left open. As you had a staring contest with Frisk, you watched the emotions on their face go from confused, then to recognition, and lastly worry. Knowing that the young child wouldn’t remember who you were, you tried your best to give a believable smile. Unfortunately, with all the terrible memories you had of the child, it was a hard feat. You were somehow able to pull it off.

“SMALL HUMAN, YOU HAVE ARRIVED IN TIME FOR OUR DATE!” With a smile on his face, the tall skeleton continued, “WHILE I WAS OUTSIDE FIGURING OUT IDEAS FOR OUR DATE, I RAN INTO THIS LARGE HUMAN! APPARENTLY HUMAN _____ IS FROM THE RUINS AND CAME SEARCHING FOR YOU!”

With all the talking Papyrus was doing, you suddenly wished that you hadn’t told him so much about yourself. You had hoped to do most of the talking yourself but now it seemed like you wouldn’t get the chance to speak. The more Papyrus rambled about you, the worse Frisk seemed to look. The young child seemed to tense up and stare you down. Hoping to defuse the situation, you opened your mouth to speak. You never got the chance to say a single word.

Without warning, red became the dominating color in Frisk’s eyes before they lunged at you. At first, you were in stunned disbelief that the young child would actually attack you in front of the two skeleton brothers. In fact, you were practically praying that it would be some kind of sick joke. That simply wasn’t the case.

Watching in horror as the young child pulled a familiar knife from the pocket of their shorts, panic filled your being as you tried to figure out just what to do. Papyrus and Sans had yet to notice the knife since the brunette hid it with their sweater sleeve. Worried that Frisk would harm one of the brothers if you tried to dodge the attack, you stood your ground and readied yourself for the blow. You glanced around for anything to grab before realizing everything nearby was too soft. Frisk had cut through you so easily before, a pillow wouldn't block anything. You made sure to guard your left arm by tucking it behind your body. Flowey was still wrapped around your left arm and you didn’t want him getting hurt.

You were positive that the perseverance in your soul would bring you back like it had before if you took the hit from Frisk. It still sucked that using your ability had to be painful. Couldn't you have gotten something better? Like a shield? However, if either of the brothers were struck down, they would simply turn to dust. You would gladly take the role of human shield to stop more dust from spilling.

After all, you felt as if it was the least you could do for allowing the genocidal child to rampage through so many timelines.

You had thought that dying at the hands of Frisk had been painful the first time but now it was definitely ten times worse. The blade of the knife easily cut through your white turtleneck sweater before digging into your skin. A deep gash was cut into your body, starting from your right shoulder before stopping above your left hip. Every part of you was in pain with that one strike and you were pretty sure that any normal person would need stitches for a wound like this. Your blood began to turn the pure white sweater red as you moved your right hand over the wound. You stared down at the small child before you. Flashing Frisk a grimace, you found yourself at a loss for words as you stood there.

Somewhere behind you, a gasp seemed to resonate from one of the skeleton brothers though you were nearly positive that it was Papyrus. It seemed as if they had finally realized what had just happened. It was certainly too late to stop anything though. You didn’t look behind you, refusing to let the two monsters you had just met see your face twisted in pain. You reached out with your right hand and cupped the left side of Frisk's face. As the child stared up at you in shock at such a caring gesture, you did your best to put on a smile. Letting your thumb caress the young brunette’s cheek, you ignored the blood you were smearing onto their skin. “I shouldn't be surprised but that cut hurt worse the secone time.”

Frisk seemed confused by what you were saying, not understanding just what you were referencing. You should have known that they wouldn’t remember the other timelines yet you had brought it up anyway. Feeling your strength dissipate, you fell to your knees as your soul once again popped out of your chest. Letting your eyes be drawn to your glowing purple soul, it took a moment before the cracks began to form. Not soon after, two red gloves came into view as they hovered around your soul.

Papyrus stood to the right of you, desperately trying to figure out how to keep your soul together without touching it. He was seemingly shouting, yet for some reason it seemed as if the world around you was on mute. Orange tears ran down the skeleton’s cheeks as he became frantic, constantly swapping his attention from you to Frisk and Sans. It seemed as if Sans had pulled Frisk away from you sometime after you had fallen. To the far left of you, the brunette child was surrounded by light blue magic and seemed to be stuck to the floor. Sans was practically looming over the child, his back turned to you and Papyrus as he kept Frisk under control. Glad to know that the brothers were safe, you let out a small sigh of relief.

Turning your attention back to Papyrus, you gave him a shaky smile. You honestly felt terrible about the fact that the sweet skeleton was practically being forced to watch you die but it wasn’t like you had much of a choice. The tall monster was trying to say something to you but you just couldn’t hear anything. Instead, your ears were just filled with some obnoxious ringing noise. The sound reminded you of static in a way and it was just a little painful to hear. Using the rest of your strength, you forced your right hand to rest on one of Papyrus’ hands. You just wanted to reassure him that you’d be alright, you would be back soon. Making sure you had the younger skeleton’s attention, you forced out, “Don’t worry… I just need a minute…”

Not long after those words were spoken, your eyes lost focus and were overcome with darkness while your soul faded to gray and shattered.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12 - Get Back Up

When your eyes opened, you found yourself staring up at the darkness that devoured the space around you. Pushing yourself into a sitting position, your hands once again found comfort in the small grassy hill which rest below you. Your shaky hands searched your chest for a wound that should be there. After giving yourself a once-over and not finding any injuries, a wave of relief washed over you. Before you knew it, you were sobbing in your little sanctuary within the darkness. You curled up and allowed yourself this moment to let all your emotions run free.

The first time you had died, the attack had been substantially weaker and there had been no one to cry for your loss. Back in the Ruins, you had died alone with no one to watch. There had been no one to mourn your loss, for everyone was already dead. Not only that, but Frisk’s attack had been out of the blue. By the time your soul was shattering, your brain barely had the time to register the pain your body was in. You had been too busy with the emotional pain of being betrayed by a child you had trusted with your entire being.

This time was different though. You had been absolutely terrified when Frisk had lunged at you. The sting of the knife been worse than you remembered and watching Papyrus fret over you was heart-wrenching. You had already introduced yourself to the skeleton brothers before dying before their very eyes, leaving behind people who would possibly mourn your death. Thinking it over, you had probably scarred the brothers for life with your death, especially with you dying in the middle of their living room. However, you were just glad to know that you had protected them from such a terrible child.

Once your tears had finally dried up, you wiped away the tear tracks with the palms of your hands. Making sure not to squish any of the buttercups surrounding the area, you stood up and dusted yourself off. Before you stood a familiar word, glowing white in the inky black of the surrounding void. A grin slowly made its way onto your face. Instinctively listening to your soul, your body didn't hesitate with its movements like it had last time. Slamming your hand onto the word ‘continue’ in capital letters, your soul began to overflow with PERSEVERANCE.

A flash of white overtook you once more, sending a wave of familiarity through your being. It was time to pick up where you had left off.

Forcing your eyes open was a feat of its own, yet you found yourself able to do so. Staring up at the ceiling, you took your time as you wiggled your fingers and toes. You were on the old green couch in the skeleton brothers' living room, a reminder that you had successfully continued. You found that you were still wearing the same clothes you had been attacked in except your shoes had been taken off. Your sweater was still sliced open and red with blood yet the wound was no longer there. Shifting around a bit, you paused when you felt something tighten around your right calf. Letting your feet hit the carpet floor, your voice dipped low as you softly whispered, "Flowey...?"

The silence was deafening as you waited for some sort of reply. Just when you had begun to believe that Flowey had abandoned you, the feeling of movement around your leg got your attention. You began to hear a familiar voice mutter as vines popped out of the right leg of your jeans. Not long after, Flowey was slipping out from under the material and crawling up your leg. By the time the flower was at your waist, you could see just how annoyed he was. Quick to help your travel companion, you held out your left hand and waited for him to climb on. It wasn't long before the monster had wrapped himself around you wrist and set his eyes on you."Hey buddy, you doing alright?"

"Of course I am," Flowey hissed. Even though he was trying his best to seem indifferent, you could have sworn you caught a hint of worry in his eyes. The two of you were simply in a staring contest. You were trying to think of what to say, yet the words simply wouldn't come to you. Before you could speak, the buttercup monster cut in once more, "You have no idea how hard it was to hide from those empty-headed skeletons! I had to keep moving from place to place so that the obnoxiously loud one wouldn't find me while he kept checking you for wounds. You better be grateful that I decided to stick around instead of ditching you. You're so troublesome that it's annoying."

Listening to Flowey rant about how terrible it was to suffer in the house thanks to Papyrus' booming voice and Sans' terrible puns, a grin grew on your face.You moved the angry flower closer to your face. His ranting paused as he questioned just what you were doing. Ignoring the little flower, you placed a little kiss on the monster's face. Flowey began to protest as you smothered him with little kisses. Soon enough, you stopped with the kisses and simply snuggled your face softly against him. Unable to stop your smiling, you teased, "You totally care about me! That's too sweet. I thought this was a one-sided friendship."

Flowey fell silent at your words and simply allowed you to continue your actions. While you continued to smother him with love, the flower seemed to be thinking through everything as he stared at you. The monster just couldn't understand why you would protect him out of all people. He could understand your need to protect the skeleton brothers because they had been kind to you from the moment you had met, however, he had been nothing but cruel and rude throughout all of your interactions together. Flowey was constantly throwing attacks at you and berating you for no reason, yet you has still called him a friend. It wasn't like he had a soul to have feelings with, so all your affection and feelings towards him were simply meaningless.

After some time had passed, the flower pouted before grumbling under his breath. Rolling his eyes at your antics, the monster finally question, "Are you alright? Frisk got you pretty good. I don't think I've seen them panic like that in a long time. It was pretty funny to see their composure break. However... With how bad they got you, there's no way you should be alive. So... what's that about?"

You hesitated to tell the flower just how you were alive. However, after having spent so many resets with the little bugger, you had grown to trust the monster. The fact that he knew about resetting meant that your claim about your powers wouldn't make you sound insane. Flowey was likely the only one you could mention your ability too without sounding like you had a screw loose. "I  have theories but no solid evidence. My best bet is that it has something to do with my soul. When I die... I wake up surrounded in darkness and there's just a word standing before me. I just hit the word 'continue' and wake back up. Toriel explained souls to me but she never told me about human souls having powers so I'm just making guesses here."

"That makes enough sense. It was human mages that sealed us underground. All human mages were people with strong souls. That's the only explanation I can think of," Flowey replied, seeming content with your answer. "We should leave while those dumb skeletons are gone. They took Frisk to Alphys in hopes of getting them a 'check up' for their fit of rage. They think something's wrong with the child, as if Alphys would be able to help that brat. Those idiots don't know what they're dealing with."

With a nod of understanding, you shoved yourself off of the couch. You stared down at your sweater and sighed. You certainly couldn't go out looking like this. A ripped sweater soaked with blood wasn't going to protect you from the cold. Remembering that Papyrus made his own clothing, you wondered if you could perhaps find some sewing supplies in his room. You slowly moved upstairs before pushing open the door to his bedroom. Confusion crossed Flowey's face as he hissed, "What are you doing? I said we should leave, not explore some more!"

"I just need to fix my shirt really quick," you reassured the flower, closing the door behind you. Turning your attention to the room, you took a moment to take it all in. To the left of room was a red racecar bed with some blue bedding. Near the bed was a long wooden table with several action figures placed neatly atop it. A pirate flag flung on the wall across from you with several papers pinned below it. Beside the flag was large bookshelf with books of all sizes about puzzle creation as well as a collection of children's books. On the right side of the room, there was a computer that seemed to be blocking most of the window behind it. Along with that, there was a box of bones that rested in the right corner near you. Directly across from you was a door which you could only assume led to a closet.

You opened the closet door to see Papyrus' clothing hanging up neatly. On the floor of the closet, there was a sewing box that was tucked away in the corner. Carefully grabbing the red and black box, you pulled it out of the closet before sitting on the floor. Searching through the box, it took a while before you found a spool of white thread and a needle. Not caring if Flowey saw anything, you slipped your turtleneck over your head before resting it in your lap. You stared at the ruined sweater and shook your head. This wouldn't work at all. Even if sewn up, your sweater was completely ruined.

Putting the needle and thread back in the sewing kit, you shoved the box in place before standing up. Searching through Papyrus' clothes, you soon found a shirt that looked like it would fit you decently. Pulling the pale green tunic off the hanger, you stared at it for a moment before shrugging. While it certainly wasn't something you would normally wear, you didn't have the time to be picky. You tossed on the shirt and took a moment to smooth out a few wrinkles before frowning a bit. The shirt was rather long on you, coming to the middle of your thighs. The tunic hung off of your body in several areas as well. It made sense, Papyrus was significantly taller than you. The breeze could easily get underneath your shirt which was rather uncomfortable for you, especially with the chilly air. Muttering to yourself, you started digging through the closet again before finding a long black ribbon. Tying the ribbon below your bust, you decided that would have to do. You wouldn't have to worry about the breeze getting under your shirt as easily as it had before. You simply hoped that the rest of the Underground wasn’t as cold because you certainly weren’t going to enjoy shivering beneath your coat.

Closing the closet door, you scooped your turtleneck sweater off the ground before exiting the room. Taking the stairs two at a time, you folded up your shirt on the way down. You tossed your ruined sweater into the trash before picking up your capelet coat from the table. Once your coat was on and buttoned up, you waited for Flowey to make himself comfortable. The flower had once again made his home around your left arm. He was hidden below the sleeve of your tunic in case you decided to take off your jacket again at some point. You were grateful for his consideration towards your comfort, though you knew he wouldn't admit to caring.

Opening the front door to the house, you quickly dashed down the stairs only to collide with something sturdy. You fell backwards with a yelp and landed on one of the snow covered steps. Wincing in pain, you rubbed at your forehead and prayed that a bruise wouldn't form. Wondering just what you had run into, you looked up only to come face-to-face with two very surprised skeletons. Unable to pull your gaze away from them, it tokm a moment before you meekly waved. "Hi?"

Almost immediately, you were swept up into a hug by Papyrus. The large skeleton was crushing you against his rib cage as he swung you around. Fearing that you may slip from his grasp, your hands quickly grabbed onto his shoulders as a safety measure. As you stayed in the tall skeleton's embrace, you felt something wet hit your shoulder. Tilting your head upwards, you were surprised to see orange tears spilling from the skeleton's eyes. "LARGE HUMAN, IT IS SUCH A RELIEF TO SEE YOU ALIVE AND WELL! WE WERE UNSURE OF WHAT TO DO AFTER THE TINY HUMAN HAD HARMED YOU! THERE WAS SO MUCH BLOOD AND... AND YOUR SOUL HAD... IT HAD... WELL, THAT'S BESIDES THE POINT! ALL THAT MATTERS NOW IS THAT YOU ARE HERE WITH US NOW!"

Feeling your gaze soften, your grip on the skeleton's shoulders slipped away before you fully embraced him in a hug. For a monster that you had just met, Papyrus was just too kind to stay anxious around. It was as if the tall skeleton had a way of melting away your anxieties and worries. He certainly cared for your well-being and it was rather reassuring to know that they hadn't forgotten about you during the time you had been dead. Resting your forehead against Papyrus' battle body top, you whispered, "Sorry for worrying you. I told you that I only needed a minute and I'd be back."

"THAT IS TRUE, YET YOU WERE OUT FOR SEVERAL HOURS! OF COURSE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DID MY BEST TO CARE FOR YOU BEFORE LEAVING TO HELP MY BROTHER WITH FRISK! AFTER ALL, I COULDN'T LEAVE MY NEW FRIEND ALONE WITHOUT MAKING SURE THEY WOULD BE ALRIGHT," Papyrus explained, leaning down to place you back on your feet. Once you released Papyrus from your grasp, you straightened up and fixed you coat. Feeling another set of eyes on you, your attention quickly turned to Sans.

The stocky skeleton was staring at you rather intensely, eyeing you as if you held the secrets to some unsolvable mystery. There was a smile on the short skeleton's face but it was definitely grim. Whatever small amount of friendliness you had earned the first time you met Sans, you certainly no longer held it after rising from the dead. Unsure of how to deal with the problematic situation, you stood there like a deer in headlights. After what felt like an eternity, you watched Sans shove his hands into the pockets of his blue jacket. As the comedian raised an eyebrow, he questioned, "where were you off to in such a hurry? don't patella me that you were planning on leaving without telling us you were alright. you certainly wouldn't do that, right?"

Your brain was yelling that you were somehow stuck in a dangerous situation. Sans was definitely suspicious of you. With no knowledge of how to con your way out of this mess, you felt stuck. Warning bells were going off in your head, telling you to lie and play along with it. Trying your best to make up some believable story, you sputtered out, "Of course not! I just didn't know where you two were and I was worried. I was hoping that if I went out then I'd be able to find you two. Frisk attacked me and then I woke up to you two missing so..."

It wasn't a total lie so you didn't feel terrible about it. Even so, you could tell that Sans wasn't buying your story. Sans' smile suddenly grew wide as a flash of some indiscernible emotion flickered through his eye lights. Without warning, the short skeleton walked towards you as if he was a cat that had caught the canary. Swinging an arm over your shoulders, the monster's voice seemed to be coated with false kindness. "well then, now that you've found us, certainly we can all head back inside. you can tell us all about how you know the kid and paps can whip up some spaghetti. maybe you can even let us know just how you survived a dance with death. yeah?"

Knowing there was no way to escape, you nodded your head in agreement. If you had tried to speak, you were positive that your voice would have cracked with fear. At your nod of affirmation, Sans' smile twisted into something that clearly let you know he had gotten what he wanted. The grip of his arm around your shoulders seemed to tighten as he led you back inside the house. Glancing over your shoulder, you watched in utter dismay as Papyrus closed the front door behind you. You felt as if your fate had been sealed. For the time being, you were stuck with the skeleton brothers until you found an opening to escape. You just hoped that Flowey wouldn't get too annoyed.

For the time being, you would be able to figure out just where the skeleton brothers had taken Frisk and if the child was alright. However, in the process of all that, you would also have to be careful and dodge whatever questions were thrown your way. There was no way you could be truthful of everything that had happened. There was no way that the skeletons would believe your claims about a 'continue' button in a dark void and hundreds of timelines.

You just hoped that you could make some convincing lies cause if Sans caught onto you, you had a feeling that you'd be in for a bad time.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13 - As It Should Be

Awkwardly standing in the skeleton brothers’ house, the weight of Sans’ arm around your shoulder was causing you to slightly lean towards him. He was shorter than you and that only made this position hurt a bit. In fact, you were pretty sure that your back was starting to cramp. You hesitantly grabbed Sans’ arm with both hands before removing it from around your shoulders. Almost immediately after, you released your grip on his arm and took a step away from him. The entire interaction was extremely uncomfortable and you were just ready to get it all over with.

“LARGE HUMAN, PLEASE GO TAKE A SEAT IN THE LIVING ROOM! YOU MUST STILL BE RECOVERING FROM SUCH A TERRIBLE INJURY! I’LL GRAB YOU SOMETHING TO EAT! FOOD IS IMPORTANT FOR RECOVERY!” Papyrus chirped, flashing you a genuine smile. At least one of the skeletons were happy to see you up and about. That was nice. Giving the energetic monster a small smile in return, you nodded your head. After watching Papyrus dash into the kitchen, you turned on your heel and left Sans near the front door.

You sat on the couch and curled up on the right side before beginning to peel off your damp socks. In your haste to leave the skeleton brothers’ home, you had foolishly forgotten to put your shoes on. The shoes still sat beside the couch undisturbed. Tossing your socks onto the boots, you wondered just how you planned to make it through this interrogation. Papyrus was too trustworthy to lie to and Sans was too smart to accept your lies. All in all, it was going to be an extremely difficult challenge. You had no experience with lying yet you knew that speaking the truth would be disastrous.

Feeling the couch beneath you shift slightly, you glanced upward to see Sans sitting on the left side of the couch. You hadn’t seen him walk past you on his way. How he had gotten there? Noticing something in his hands, you paled when you recognized the ruined sweater you'd tossed in the trash. Were you really so suspicious that the older brother would willing dig through the trash can? The can had been mostly empty when you'd tossed the sweater in but it still took some effort to dig it out of there. How'd he even move around that fast?

The stout skeleton was examined the blood-soaked top, as if trying to find answers in the seams of the fabric. Quickly tearing your eyes away from the lazy skeleton, you nibbled on your bottom lip in hopes of distracting yourself. This was terrible. Absolutely horrific. The thought of bolting from the house crossed your mind but that wouldn't work. Sans had somehow held back a blood-thirsty Frisk and it would probably be easy to do the same to you.

The house was silent except for the clattering of Papyrus in the kitchen. Soon enough, the clattering of pans turned into the booms of explosions. You weren’t exactly sure just what the tall skeleton was making but those noises were starting to worry you a bit. You considered getting up to check on Papyrus but it seemed like you didn’t need to. Before you could stand up, the joyful skeleton walked into the living room with a large plate of pasta in his hands. After dropping the plate of food into your lap, the skeleton took a seat on the floor. “WHILE I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO MAKE YOU SPAGHETTI FROM SCRATCH, I HAD TO HEAT UP SOME OLD PASTA INSTEAD. WE'LL DEFINITELY HAVE TO MAKE SOME BEST FRIEND SPAGHETTI TOGETHER. IT’LL ONLY MAKE OUR FRIENDSHIP STRONGER!”

“I’d love to make spaghetti with you sometime." Picking the fork out of the pasta, you wondered just why the food seemed to glisten unnaturally. Edible glitter? It would be an odd choice for pasta but it wasn't impossible. You didn't care as long as the food tasted good. Giving a small shrug, you dug in without a second thought. While the pasta had certainly looked odd, it tasted pretty good for something that was apparently reheated. After taking a few bites, you took a moment to give Papyrus a thumbs up. "It’s really good! Did you make this yourself?”

“OF COURSE I DID!” For a while, the two of you simply tossed small talk back and forth. Sans didn't participate at all. He was just silent as he observed everything. It felt like you were under a microscope. During the chit-chat, you were sure to finish your food before placing the empty plate on the floor. With all the chatting going on between you and Papyrus, you were desperately hoping to avoid questions on how you came back from your soul shattering. Sans wasn’t going to let you escape the conversation though.

“so kiddo, why don’t we start off with a simple question,” Sans stated, cutting off the conversation between you and Papyrus. Tearing your eyes away from Papyrus, you stared at the shorter skeleton before sighing. You gave a simple nod as you waited for the monster to continue. As Sans examined your face, he questioned, “how do you know the tiny tot?”

Easy. That was definitely a question you could answer without having to lie. You would have to omit a few things but that was easier than trying to make up a story. If all the questions were going to be this simple, perhaps you wouldn’t have to worry at all. “I was already in the Underground when they fell down. We met in the Ruins when they came to my mother’s home after wandering around for a while.”

“I REMEMBER YOU MENTIONING YOUR MOTHER WHEN WE FIRST MET IN SNOWDIN!” Papyrus cut in, an innocent grin on his face. You noticed that the taller skeleton seemed to be hesitating. Giving the kind monster an encouraging smile, you nodded slightly as a sign for him to continue. You hadn't told the tall skeleton much when you first met. How could his participation in the talk make anything worse? Noticing your nod, Papyrus wasted no time in talking, “I WAS CURIOUS WHO YOUR MOTHER WAS BUT I GOT DISTRACTED WHEN YOU MENTIONED YOU WERE LOOKING FOR THE TINY HUMAN! DOES THAT MEAN THERE’S ANOTHER HUMAN IN THE RUINS?”

Almost instantly, Sans froze up at the possibility of another adult human in the Ruins. It would be best for you to cut that line of thinking quick. "As far as I know, Frisk and I are the only humans in the Underground. My mom is a monster. I've been living with her for... eight years now? Might be getting close to nine.”

“YOUR MOM SOUNDS NICE. WITH THE ROYAL GUARD ON THE HUNT FOR HUMANS, NOT MANY MONSTERS WOULD STICK THEIR NECK OUT FOR A HUMAN AND TAKE CARE OF THEM!” Your eyes wandered over to Sans, it was easy to tell that he was interested in the identity of your mother as well. At least following this route might steer the discussion off course and let you avoid speaking of what had happened. You nibbled on your bottom lip before thinking things over. You didn’t see any harm in telling the skeleton brothers about your mother. Toriel had never said anything about keeping her a secret. Even if she had been keeping her name hidden from her knock-knock buddy, it wasn't like Sans would remember this conversation once the timeline eventually reset.

“My mom's name is Toriel." A smile graced your lips as you thought about the kind monster. Whenever you spoke of Toriel, your heart always fluttered and it felt as if your body was wrapped with warmth. She was your guardian and an absolute angel in your eyes. Even if she couldn’t remember you whenever Frisk would show up, you could never blame her for it. Toriel was everything you had always wanted in a parent and more. While there was no such thing as a perfect being, you always thought that Toriel was the closest that someone could get to perfect.

Pulling yourself out of your thoughts, you felt as if you had suddenly been stuck under a microscope. You could feel Sans’ heated gaze on your back at the mention of Toriel, yet you paid him no mind. You were aware of the visits that Toriel would get from S. While you hadn’t had a face to the name, you were starting to piece everything together and the answer was becoming clear. All the evidence was starting to line up. From the blue jacket to the joking nature, you were certain that Sans was your knock-knock buddy S. You couldn't be positive but Sans’ voice resembled the voice of S so closer that you'd be surprised if they weren't one in the same.

Now wasn’t the time to voice these thoughts of yours. You weren’t sure if there ever would be a time for you to bring this up with Sans. Perhaps your observations and questions would always stay locked away within your head, yet you really did want answers. However, if Sans really was S, you knew that he couldn’t remember you from the first genocide route. Flowey had already informed you that barely anyone remembered the timelines. While Flowey and you were two of the people who remembered the timelines, he'd teased that only three more people were able to recall the past timelines. Of course, your flower friend had to withold just who those three were because he found your frustration hilarious. It was infuriating that you were in the dark about who else remembered everything going on.

Turning your attention to Papyrus, you continued to speak about your mother while doing your best to avoid giving away unneeded details, “Toriel has been taking care of me ever since I came to the Underground. When I saw her crying cause Frisk left, I decided to bring Frisk back home. Guess that idea is getting tossed in the trash.”

“how in the world did you survive that attack from frisk?” Sans tossed your ruined sweater into your lap to emphasize his question. Staring at the torn and bloodied fabric resting in your lap, you took in into your hands. You ran your fingers over the dried blood-stains and found it impossible to look over at the short skeleton. Refusing to take your silence as an answer, the stout skeleton continued, “i had to explain to papyrus that you were bleeding since it’s not a thing that monsters do. you better start explaining.”

Fear shot through your body as you heard the anger practically dripping from the skeleton’s voice. It was becoming increasingly obvious that Sans was very protective of Papyrus and the fact that you had basically subjected the tall skeleton to watching you die hadn’t earned you any respect. In fact, you were nearly positive that the jacket-clad skeleton was blaming you for any mental trauma that Papyrus might end up with due to seeing your bloody demise. You couldn’t blame Sans for that but at the same time you were rather insulted since you had died to make sure that neither brother would take the hit. It was impossible to please everyone all the time.

You realized that your hands were shaking. In an attempt to calm down, you covered your face with your hands and tried to think of things that made you happy. Memories of cooking in the kitchen with Toriel and nights spent by the fireplace fill your mind, calming your frantically beating heart and shaking hands. How were you going to get through this? If you tried to lie through it, you'd certainly get caught. It just had to be true enough without giving enough of an explaination. You turned to face Sans with the most serious expression you could muster. You gave the lazy skeleton your best jazz hands, “Magic.”

Well… it wasn’t a lie. However, that definitely wasn’t the answer that Sans wanted to hear. In fact, if looks could kill, you were pretty sure you’d be dead by now. Before either of you could speak, Papyrus seemed to beat you both to the punch. The tall skeleton let out a groan, “LARGE HUMAN, PLEASE DON’T START USING THE SAME TERRIBLE JOKES THAT MY BROTHER DOES! THEY’RE NOT EVEN FUNNY ENOUGH TO BE CALLED JOKES.”

Seeing this as an opportunity to avoid more questions, you did your best to recall all the skeleton puns you had heard spoken in the conversations between Toriel and S. Quickly sending the entire conversation off course, you grinned, “Oh c’mon Papyrus, how bad could Sans’ jokes possibly get? The ones he already told me seemed pretty humerus. I bet The Great Papyrus could do much better than a lazybones like him. Surely you’ve got a funny bone in you somewhere, right?”

“IS THAT A CHALLENGE HUMAN? I CAN BE FUNNY IF I WANT TO BE!” Papyrus stated seriously, crossing his arms before falling into his thoughts. Everything was silent except for the soft snickers of Sans in the background. It seemed your slew of skeleton puns had gotten the skeleton to lighten up a little bit. As you waited for the tall skeleton to say something, you mentally gave yourself a pat on the back for escaping the situation without lying. “ALRIGHT, I’VE GOT IT! HOW DID THE SKELETON KNOW IT WAS GOING TO RAIN?”

Oh, you had heard this joke from Toriel before. With a confident grin on your face, you leaned into the couch for a moment and looked up at the ceiling. You pretended to think about the joke intensely before turning your attention back to Papyrus. “Could he feel it in his bones, Papyrus?”

You could hear Sans chucking in the background, though you had a feeling that he had probably said this joke once before. The look on Papyrus’ face turned to one of disbelief before he quickly shook it away. With an excited grin on his face, the tall skeleton seemed to vibrate from his seat on the floor. “OF COURSE NOT. HE READ THE WEATHER REPORT, YOU DOOFUS.”

It took a second for the joke to land before you fell into a fit of laughter. Practically falling off the couch, you hit the floor with a dull thud as you curled in on yourself. Grinning from ear to ear, you tried to stop laughing as you wiped a few tears away from your eyes. You couldn’t see Sans but yu could hear his genuine laughter in the air as well. Soon enough, Papyrus joined in on the laughter as well.

After what felt like an eternity, you were finally able to calm down enough to push yourself into a sitting position. Now on the floor with Papyrus, you leaned against the bottom of the couch and smiled at the skeleton. You were still a little red in the face from all your laughter, “Nice one.”

“NYEH HEH HEH! IT SEEMS THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS ONCE AGAIN THOROUGHLY JAPED A HUMAN!” Papyrus was practically glowing as he struck a pose from his position on the floor. Glad to see the kind skeleton so happy, you gave a small round of applause before letting your hands fall back into your lap.

“man paps, that was sansational. you always make me so proud,” the smaller skeleton replied, giving his brother a wink. Papyrus let out an annoyed groan yet it was easy to tell that he was trying to fight off a smile. As the brothers continued to banter, you simply watched in silence. It seemed as if your distraction had been enough to have them ignore you completely.

You hadn’t even left their presence you had been shoved into the background again. Just like it had been with Toriel, both brothers seemed oblivious to your existence. While you had wanted to bring the conversation off topic from how you had survived the encounter with Frisk, you hadn’t meant for the skeletons to forget you completely. The fact that you had been so easily forgotten stung, wounding you mentally as you were forced to stay there in silence. Why was your presence so easy to forget now? Was it because you'd hidden for hundreds of resets? The odd occurance when you'd nearly gotten swallowed by the Void during a reset?

All you had was theroies and nothing else.

Now that everything was back to your version of normal, you took a moment to look around. Finding your ruined sweater on the floor, you picked it up and tossed it back into the trash. Grabbing your socks, you were glad to see that they were dry once more. You were quick to put on your socked before you shoved your feet back into your boots. You walked towards the door before pausing in your stride. Glancing over your shoulder, you engraved the scene into your mind.

Sans was still resting on the left side of the couch, practically sinking into the dull green fabric. The sight was almost comical and you faintly wondered if he wished to become a part of the couch. Meanwhile, Papyrus was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and his back straight. While Sans was very minimal with the amount of movement he did, Papyrus was avidly waving his arms and hands around as he spoke. While the two were definitely brothers, they were polar opposites in many ways. You had tuned out to what they were talking about, yet you could tell that the two were clearly enjoying themselves. The skeleton brothers were full of brotherly love for each other, basking in each other’s presence. The scene was complete, warm, and full of life. In a sense, it was perfect in every sense of the word.

There was no room for you here.

You weren’t needed in this home. In this world, you were simply a visitor who came into their lives and left just as easily. All you had done was set Frisk off and cause them to lash out, risking the lives of the skeleton brothers in the process. While you had been around to take the blow, that was all you were needed for. Papyrus and Sans didn’t need you in their lives. While the taller skeleton had been kind to you and accepted you with open arms, it was obvious that you were simply another guest in his eyes. While he had easily claimed that you would be your friend, he had forgotten you so easy. Meanwhile, Sans had seemed a little nervous around you before opening up if only slightly. However, after taking a killing blow from Frisk and coming back from the dead, it was obvious that the stout skeleton was on edge around you. You weren’t sure how to fix his unease around you and, now that he has seemingly forgotten your existence, you weren’t sure if you ever could make things right between the two of you.

With a soft sigh, you reminded yourself just why you were here in the first place. You had only left the Ruins to stop Frisk and save any monsters you could along the way. Right now, you were doing terrible at both those things. While you may have saved the brothers, there were still tons of monsters who had already died at Frisk’s hands. You'd failed at stopping the child when face to face. While making friends had been nice, it was something that didn’t last fot you. You would love to make friends and forget the horrors that the brunette child was committing, yet it wasn’t meant to be.

Bringing your attention back to the door, you set your hand on the cold doorknob and took a deep breath. Turning the knob silently, you carefully opened the door only to be greeted by the wicked wind whipping into the room. How had the skeletons not been alerted by the sound of the wind? You didn't have a clue. You slipped out the door and closed it quietly behind you. Staring at the shut door for a moment, you rested your right hand against the wood before whispering a small goodbye. Your words were swept away by the wind, yet it was enough to know that you had said it even if the brothers never heard it.

Shoving your hands into the pockets of your jacket, you walked down the stairs before standing in the snow. You looked up and stared at the frozen stalactites that glittered due to the artificial light. Snow danced around your form before touching the ground. Along the way down, some snow got caught in your eyelashes or tangled within your hair. The wind seemed to whisper unknown words in your ears and make your hair flutter with it. Your nose and cheeks were a little red from the temperature yet that didn’t bother you much. As you stood there in the snow, a single thought came to your mind.

Through your entire life, you had never felt more alone.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14 - Wander Through Serenity

You quickly turned on your heel and walked away from the skeleton brothers’ house. Making your way past the snowy igloo and dingy looking shed, you soon found yourself moving through rather heavy snowfall. Throwing your right arm up to shield your eyes from the snow, you squinted in hopes of clearing up your vision slightly. You found yourself glad that you hadn’t fallen flat on your face with how badly you were stumbling around in this weather. With the luck you had been dealing with throughout all these resets, you wouldn’t be surprised if you tripped and fell face-first onto a rock. After what felt like hours trudging through shin-deep snow, the snow finally dissipated. Catching sight of a cave in the distance, you forced yourself to speed up and make it there. Your legs felt as if they were on fire due to the resistance the snow had against your run but you finally made it into the cave. Shaking the excess snow off of your boots, you were glad to be in a place that was a little warmer.

Turning your attention to the cave you had walked into, you were surprised to find a small river to the left side of you. Assuming that it must be melted snow from Snowdin, you were still in disbelief by that fact that the Underground had free-flowing water. Due to the dark color of the riverbed, the water resembled a dark shade of indigo. Your eyes caught sight of the tiny gemstones that were scattered throughout the navy cave walls. The stones provided natural lighting for the cave area with a soft celeste glow they gave off, making the area around look absolutely stunning. The ground beneath your feet matched the color of blueberries and had small mushrooms that rested near the edge of the water.

While the area was beautiful and serene, the air within the cave was another story entirely. With every breath you took, it felt as if you were weighed down due to the muggy atmosphere. Your clothing seemed to cling to you like a second skin and made it impossible to feel comfortable. Almost instantly, you stripped your heavy capelet coat off and tied it around your waist. You did your best to roll your the legs of your jeggings up a bit so that your legs could get a breather. Straightening up a bit, you decided that your first move would be to find a place to change. Now that you weren’t rushing to get away from the skeleton brothers, you remembered that you had packed a few spare sets of clothes in your bag. You instantly knew that Flowey would throw a fit for wasting time going through Papyrus’ closet when you had clothes in your own bag. A valid complaint but you'd just woken up from another death and had been a little dazed. Of course you'd be hazy on some details at first.

“Hey Flowey, do you know if there’s an area around here that’s well hidden? I want to get into some comfortable clothes that won’t drag me down,” you explained. Flowey popped his head out of the collar of your tunic. Holding back a laugh as his petals tickled your cheek, you turned your head to try and look at him. While your travel companion glanced around, you found yourself scouring the area as well. Spotting a small pile of dust in the distance, your heart sunk as you realized that you may be too late for the people here as well.

“You… had clothes on you the entire time?!” Flowey questioned, his voice a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. Nodding your head in embarrassment, you quickly explained that you had forgotten about them in your rush to leave Snowdin. The little plant rolled his eyes, “Stop trying to explain yourself. There should be a small river ahead that we’ll have to walk through. If you walk up to the waterfall, there’s a room behind. Just make it quick. I’ll keep an eye out while you change.”

“Thank you, Flowey." The small monster didn’t reply to you but hid himself within the sleeve of your shirt once more. Starting to make your way forward, you paused when you caught sight of an empty sentry station in the distance. Once you got closer to the station, you found yourself drawn to a rather tall electric blue flower that was hidden near the corner of the area. While the flower seemed to be glowing, what caught you off guard was the terrifying scream the flower released when you touched it. Stumbling back from the flower in shock, your wide eyes finally caught sight of the dust pile beside the strange flora.

You were horrified and found yourself unable to stay there any longer. If you continued to linger near the dust and flower, you would either cry or lose the food that Papyrus had fed you. You quickly dashed away from the area. Passing up a small wooden box during your escape, you wasted no time when stepping into the river. Easily side stepping some of the rocks that fell down the waterfall, you found the hidden opening behind the wall of water. Stepping through the water, the cool liquid against your skin was a pleasant experience.

After stepping through the waterfall, you untied your jacket from your waist and tossed the clothing near one of the two mushrooms in the room. Squatting down, you rested your left hand on the ground and let Flowey plant himself back in the earth for the time being. Without needing to ask, Flowey moved over to the opening of the room with his back to you. Shrugging your backpack off, you knelt beside it before digging around for some clothes. You snatched up the first thing you got your hands on before shutting the bag once more.

Stripping your old clothes off, you instantly slipped on a new pair of undergarments. Tossing on a plain periwinkle bohemian blouse with long angel sleeves, you flattened out a few wrinkles with your hands. With the long yet billowing sleeves, Flowey would still be able to hide around your arm without you getting overheated. Along with that, the blouse also had a simple lace back to allow airflow as well. Slipping on a pair of high-rise blue jean short, you buttoned them up before smiling to yourself. After putting on a new pair of socks, your shoved your feet back into your black combat boots before folding up your old clothes. Once your old clothes and your jacket were in the bag, you tossed it onto your back again.

“Alright, I’m dressed,” you called out, moving your wet hair out of your face. Flowey gave a small nod before making his way over to you. Sitting down on the ground, you held your hand out and watched as the little monster easily made his way up your arm. Wrapping himself around securely, his head popped out beside your own once more. With a smile on your face, you stated, “I guess we should probably keep moving.”

“We need to get a move on if we want to catch up to Frisk. We’re lucky that they’re stuck with that pathetic excuse for a scientist but we don’t know how long that stuttering fool can keep them there for,” Flowey replied. Before you could question what was going on, the flower moved so that he could tangle himself within your hair. Resting himself over your left ear, it made it seem as if Flowey was simply a buttercup that you had stuck in your hair. The monster quickly hissed, “I can see better from here and tell you anything without having to be loud. It's getting claustrophobic in your sleeve."

“Whatever you say,” you did you best to hold back a few giggles. You quickly made your way through the waterfall before moving to the other side of the water way. Pushing through some rather tall grass, you soon found yourself picking up some seeds at Flowey’s instruction. Placing four of them in a row into the water, you watched in wonder as they suddenly sprouted to life. Staring at the flowers in wonder, they reminded you of water lilies due to their light pink petals. Once your travel buddy told you that the flowers would easily hold your weight, you walked along them before making your way into the next area. "Could you tell me about the different types of flowers here? I’ve never seen anything like them before.”

“Just because I’m a flower, it doesn’t mean I’m an expert on the subject!” As you began to pick up the seeds and toss them into position, you frowned when you messed up. Unsure of what to do, you awkwardly stood there as you stared at the ruined flower bridge. Flowey rolled his eyes and sighed, “See that yellow flower hanging on the wall? It’s called a bell blossom. If you ring it, the magic in the bridge flower seeds will cause them to reappear in their original location."

Part of you wanted to make a joke about how he "wasn't a flower expert" but you kept it to yourself.

Giving a curt nod, you made your way over to the corner of the room and rang the bell blossom. When you rang the flower, you were surprised to hear a high pitched ring leave the plant. Turning around, you watched in wonder as the magic of the bridge flowers caused the seeds to disappear from the water and reappear on the ground. With guidance from Flowey, you were able to correctly complete the puzzle this time. Walking over the flower bridge, you soon entered a room with held several of those glowing blue flowers from earlier as well as a telescope. Wondering why there would be a telescope in a room that had nothing but earth above it, you looked up only to gasp. Glittering above you were thousands of crystals, each giving off their own soft cyan light. Unable to tear your eyes away from the sight, you simply gazed in absolute wonder.

“This is the wishing room. These crystals are the closest thing to stars that most monsters ever see. Sappy monsters come here to make wishes. It’s not like they’ll ever come true. Those tall blue flowers are called echo flowers since they repeat the last thing they’ve heard. If you touch one, you’ll probably hear someone’s ridiculous wish,” the little yellow flower explained, obviously finding the sedimental value of this room to be dumb. Hearing your companion’s explanation, your mind was instantly drawn back to the screaming echo flower you had first encountered back at the beginning of Waterfall. With a hesitant hand, you reached out and brushed the petals of the first echo flower to the left of you.

“A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you hopes with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling…”

Frowning a bit to yourself, you moved onto the next echo flower. On and on you went until you had finally interacted with four of the five flowers in the room. Listening to their words, you felt as if a heavy weight had been set down in your heart. All of these words seemed so sad and downtrodden, it was as if the hope of these people had been sucked away. Standing silently in the wishing room, it felt as if all the words that had been echoed were bouncing around on the walls.

“Thousands of people wishing together can’t be wrong! The king will prove that!”

Of course these people were relying on their king to finally see the sky again someday. Did the monsters Underground know what their king was doing to all the humans down here? Were they even aware of the atrocities and horrors that the king had committed? You had assumed that they knew since Toriel had been able to inform you of the children the king had killed but perhaps you were wrong. The words of this monster just seemed so hopeful and innocent that you could practically feel his ignorance to the terrible acts going on.

“C’mon sis! Make a wish!”

“I wish my sister and I will see the real stars someday…”

All these monsters wanted to do was bask in the light of the sun and gaze upon the beautiful stars. The humans who had done this could never imagine how woeful it must be to live a life where you have never felt the warm rays of the sun on their skin or seen the glory of the stars sparkling above them. There were children down here who had never stared at the blue sky or watched clouds lazily make their way through the sky. What right did humans have to lock up these monsters? Who thought they had the right to strip the monsters of such simple pleasures?

“C’mon, we need to get a move on. The wall over there is fake. Just walk through it and enter into the next area,” Flowey explained, pointing over to the wall with one of his vines. Glancing over at the last echo flower, you let out a soft sigh before getting a move on. While at first you thought that Flowey may just be tricking you in hopes of watching you run into a wall, you were rather surprised when you actually did walk through it.

You stepped onto the royal blue wood of a dock with a dull thunk. While it was hard to tell, there was dark water all around you as well as below the dock you stood on. Throughout the water, there were plants that reminded you of the cattails you had seen on the surface. Seeing the plaques that were screwed onto the cave walls, you found yourself drawn to them. Letting your hands graze the words engraved on them, you were soon piecing together a story that you had heard from Toriel when you were a young child. Letting your eyes skim the words from every plaque, it wasn’t long before you were reading the familiar story of The War of Humans and Monsters.

“Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed as if they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster just to equal the power of a single human soul. But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL. its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death. If a monster defeats a human, they can take its SOUL. A monster with a human SOUL… A horrible beast with unfathomable power.”

The final plaque held a drawing of some sort of monster. For some reason, the crude image seemed to terrify and unsettle you. Nibbling on your bottom lip, you tore your eyes away from the image. _ou had heard of the event from Toriel but this account of the war seemed much more biased against humans. Then again, you couldn’t blame the monsters for feeling resentment against the humans that had trapped them beneath the mountain. Due to your life from before you fell, you knew how it felt to be locked up against your will.

Quickly shaking the unwanted memories out of your head, you continued your walk on the dock. The entire time that you walked on the dock, you were filled with an odd sense of foreboding. It felt as if someone else should be there, yet you found yourself alone for your walk. No matter how long you walked, you never ran into another monster. Your troubled mind told you that Frisk must have already killed everyone in Waterfall, yet you didn’t want to believe it. However, as you stepped off the dock and shoved your way through overgrown grass, your heart grew heavy with grief as it started to agree with your mind.

Passing by an odd piece of crystallized cheese on a table and another echo flower, you soon found yourself near another telescope. Staring at it for a moment, your hand hovered above it before finally touching the object. Glancing at the eyepiece, you raised an eyebrow at the red paint that seemed to be smeared onto it. Easily wiping it all away with your thumb, you rested your right eye against it to get a better look at the crystals above. After a moment or two of gazing, you decided to get a move on before Flowey scolded you. Moving away from the telescope, you walked past yet another box and an opening to another area before freezing up.

Staring at the landscape before you, it took some time for you to process that the sight before you was real. The water that had once been a dark indigo was now glowing an amazing electric blue that seemed to light up the entire cave brighter than it ever had been before. The crystals embedded in the cave walls seemed dim in comparison to the water. Tall cattails seemed to rise up and above the water while lily pads in a variety of blues seemed scattered throughout the water. Spotting a black bridge to the right, you took your time walking across it as you continued to take everything in.

The once blueberry colored earth beneath your feet was now black as you entered this completely new section of Waterfall. The black earth was strange but the small glowing blades of turquoise grass that grew in small patches throughout it was beautiful. There were still stones embedded in the walls yet far less than there had been earlier on. Along with that, there didn’t seem to be any crystals in the ceiling that you could see. Glancing to the left, you were able to catch sight of three glowing trees that reminded you of smaller versions of the evergreen trees you had seen in Snowdin Forest. These trees had glowing trunks that started off as a pure white but faded into a lovely shade of baby blue the higher up the trunk you looked. As for the faintly glowing leaves, the lower ones were also a pure white while the leaves higher up gradually shifted into a dark oxford blue.

“Where are we?” Your voice was soft in an effort to not disturb the peaceful quality of the area. Standing in place, you silently wondered if you had fallen asleep at some point of your journey and this entire area was a dream. Maybe you had dozed off at that waterfall you had gotten changed behind and Flowey had decided to let you rest? Scratch that. That sounded like more of a dream than this scenery. Despite how friendly you were with your travel buddy, you doubted he would ever let you take a nap unless he allowed it.

“I guess now is as good a time as any." Moving some of your hair to make himself more comfortable, your companion finally stated, “Welcome to the real beginning of Waterfall. Everything before this was just a weird mesh between Snowdin and Waterfall. From here on out, the area is going to get way more complex and difficult to navigate. Try not to trip. Anyway, as long as you listen to my directions, we should be able to traverse this area in no time. So don't mess it up. Got it?"

“Listen, I don’t want to sound like a jerk but I’ve literally been killed by a genocidal child twice. I think traversing Waterfall is going to be a cakewalk compared to that,” you replied. The flower seemed to mutter something under his breath as he rolled his eyes. Adjusting your backpack, you took a deep breath before starting forward into the unknown. Oh, if only you could have know how wrong your words would be.

'Maybe one day I'll learn to stop jinxing myself...'

Chapter Text

Chapter 15 - When The Past Comes Back

Not long after you had begun your travel through the real Waterfall, you found yourself at another black wood bridge. While the one you had crossed over a moment ago was much thinner, this bridge was wider. Taking a moment to walk over to the edge of the bridge, you knelt down and stared into the luminescent water. Noticing that there didn’t seem to be any fish within the water, you found yourself slightly disappointed. Reaching down with your right hand, you let your fingers glide through the breath-taking river. Although the water was a bit cold, it simply couldn’t compare to the chilling temperatures of Snowdin.

Standing back up, you dried your wet hand on the front of your shorts before crossing the bridge completely. Almost instantly, you heard the rushing water from a small waterfall near the edge of the area you were in. It seemed as if there was a small elevation drop a few steps away from where you were, yet it wasn’t large enough to cause any harm. Taking notice of the two echo flowers near the bank on the river, you were drawn to them in an instance. Standing before the one closer to you, your fingers brushed over its petals before you moved onto the other flower that was a few paces away.

“So? Don’t you have any wishes to make?”

“... hm, just one but… It’s kind of stupid.”

While the words from the first flower had been easy to make out, it had been harder to hear the other echo flower since it rested rather closer to the small waterfall. From what you could make out, it was a conversation between two people - most likely children. There was no way for you to tell what gender they were based on voice alone but that didn’t matter. However, you found yourself curious of the relationship between the two. From the way they spoke, it seemed as if the two speakers could possibly be siblings. The first voice had sounded a bit younger than the other but not by much. If anything, you guessed they were probably only a year or two apart.

Continuing your journey forward, you soon noticed that the small waterfall from a moment ago fed into a rather large lake. From this lake, there were two thin waterfalls that seemed to fall into the deep abyss below. Following the winding path, you were sure to be careful while crossing over the two small waterfalls thanks to the bridges. After all, you really weren’t in the mood to fall into the abyss down below. While your soul could somehow bring you back from the dead, it couldn’t get your ass out of a seemingly bottomless pit.

In the back of your mind, you felt someone should have been smart enough to build guardrails while creating these bridges. All the bridges you had seen in the Underground so far had absolutely no way of protecting someone in case they tripped and fell. The lack of a guardrail was definitely going to cause some problems on of these days. Truthfully, you wouldn’t be surprised if some people had already died due to the lack of railings on these bridges. Maybe when all of this was over, you would bring up the idea with someone because you were pretty sure the lack of guardrails was a safety violation.

Letting those thoughts leave your mind of the time being, you soon stumbled across another echo flower. This one rested in front of a small pond that was connected to the river. Glancing to the left, you spotted the two echo flowers from moments ago just across the river. It seems as if you had simply made one big U-turn which made you question there wasn’t just one bridge connecting the two sections of land. Rolling your eyes, you brushed the petals of the echo flower and listened carefully.

“Don’t say that! Come on, I promise I won’t laugh.”

Rather surprised to be hearing the same voice from the first echo flower you had interacted with in the real Waterfall, you wondered just what was going on. Now that you were listening to the same voice for a second time, you found that this one reminded you of Toriel’s in some odd way. While they didn’t sound the exact same, this voice had a few of your mother’s speaking mannerisms - such as her odd habit to hold out her o’s a bit longer than needed - yet it sounded slightly more masculine than her own. With that in mind, you decided that this voice must belong to a young boy. Perhaps they were a goat monster as well. However, would that mean this voice could belong to someone related to Toriel?

Walking away from the echo flower, you crossed another bridge only to find a slight indent in the path. Catching something glint in the space, you moved into the small space only to find another plaque that had seemingly been hidden on the wall. Raising an eyebrow, you allowed your fingers to trail over the words as you read to yourself. It seemed to be a continuation of the plaques from earlier that had spoken of The War of Humans and Monsters.

“The power to take their SOULs. This is the power the humans feared.”

Furrowing your eyebrows together, you found yourself nibbling your bottom lip. While you could understand why humans would fear the fact that monsters could take the soul of a dead human, you didn’t feel as if it justified the start of a war. If monsters had begun to kill humans and take their souls, that was definitely a reason to start a war. However, it they simple had the ability and had never used it than there was no reason to start violence.

It was human nature to be terrified of things that they simply couldn’t understand. Fears of the unknown lead to clouded judgement and rash decisions, yet it was hard to fight against the nature of your very being. Even if it was wrong, it was the nature of humans to fight when they felt that their lives were in danger. It was certainly wrong and you didn’t find it right that the humans had done such a thing but you could easily see their reasoning since you were one yourself.

With a heavy heart, you questioned just why your mind always seemed to fill with thoughts whenever you read these plaques. Exiting the small space, you finished walking down the hall only to enter a room with a large lake of water. This water was the same dark indigo as the place that Flowey claimed to be an odd mix of Snowdin and Waterfall. Walking the long hall alone, you found yourself glancing at the lake of water occasionally. Though you were surrounded by water on both sides, there seemed to be nothing within it at all. Once again, you felt as if there was someone else meant to be in this large empty room yet no one ever came. The entire room was desolate and eerie without a single monster or noise to fill the silence.

When you finally exited the room, you found yourself glad to be in an area with noise once more. Glancing to the right, you watched as a rushing waterfall came from above and fell into the abyss below. The sound of rushing water filled your ears as it did so and you were glad for the noise. Looking around a bit, you were surprised to notice that the cave walls were now black while the earth was once again the color of blueberries. Deciding not to question the sudden change, caught sight of another plaque and made your way towards it.

“Don’t bother reading that one. It’s not about the war. It's just plain stupid,” Flowey suddenly spoke. Deciding that the flower monster wouldn’t lie about something so trivial, you ignored the plaque and simply went the direction that your companion told you to. When you spotted two more plaques on the walls of the hallway, the little flower didn’t stop you from reading these ones.

“This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster’s SOUL. When a monster dies, its SOUL disappears. And an incredible power would be needed to take the SOUL of a living monster. There is only one exception. The SOUL of a special species of monster called a “Boss Monster.” A Boss Monster’s SOUL is strong enough to persist after death… If only for a few moments. A human could absorb this SOUL. But this has never happened. And now it never will.”

A power with no counter? That would certainly be terrifying to anyone who heard of it. Even so, you were more concerned about the fact that monster souls were so weak. Had monster souls always been so weak or had things changed throughout centuries to make them so weak? You weren’t sure if you would ever get an answer for that. However, you were nearly positive that you had an idea of what a boss monster would be. You were sure that King Asgore had to be one, yet you wondered if there were any more. While boss monsters were stated to be a special species and could be assumed as rare, you doubted that there was only one. Perhaps you could bring up boss monsters to Toriel in the next timeline before Frisk came to the house.

Soon enough, you found yourself frozen as you stood before a statue. Staring at the monument in awe, drizzling drops of water from a hole above the statue hit the piece before trailing down its form. There was also a beam of light which seemed to shine down on the statue. The ancient statue before you was chiseled out of gray stone and cracking in a few places due to weathering. Donned in a long robe with flowing sleeved, you were able to make out the Delta Rune which had been faintly chiseled onto the chest of the robe.  The robe had a large collar which seemed to have been popped outwards to and slightly framed the being’s head. There were also shoulder pads that seemed to protrude outwards before curling back slightly. However, what caught your eye was the heart-shaped locket which had been added with extra care.

The statue seemed to be of a goat monster, having a slightly similar facial structure to your mother. Their sharp fangs seemed to slightly pop out of their frowning mouth while his eyebrows were furrowed together. There were two distinct jagged marks that were on the monster’s cheeks. The goat monster had long ears that seemed to droop a little past their shoulders due to their bowed head. On top of their head, there was a set of long horns which seemed to curl outwards.The figure’s eyes were a slightly smaller than Toriel’s eyes and much more angular. While the pupils were sharp, there seemed to be sadness within the carved eyes as they stared downward towards their arms. If you looked close enough, you could spot the small carved tears that seemed to be stuck in the corners of the monster’s eyes. The goat monster’s arms were cradled as if they were holding something in their arms. In fact, the figure had been carved so that they were kneeling and slightly curled around the something in their arms in a protective manner. Whatever or whoever had been in the monster’s arms had been smashed when the small area above had caved in. Due to this, there were broken pieces of ceiling and stone scattered around the ground.

“The statue seems so sad." While you had expected to hear some snide comment, you were surprised when nothing came. Though you couldn’t see your travel companion since he was in your hair, you wondered if the sight of this statue was upsetting him for some reason. Deciding not to push the flower monster, you continued, “It makes me wonder what happened to the figure. I really wish that it hadn't been damaged by the cave in. Maybe there will be time for us to piece it back together later.”

“Let’s get a move on,” your companion whispered, completely out of his usual character. You frowned before giving a simple nod and continuing onwards. Heading into the next room, you found a sign beside a small trashcan full of umbrellas. Reading that the sign asked for you to take one, you grabbed a red umbrella before thinking back to the statue. You quickly made your way back to the other room. Almost instantly, Flowey was complaining. “Where are you going?! We don’t have time for you to be backtracking!”

Ignoring the grumpy flower, you stood before the ancient statue once more. It took you a moment or two before you were able to position the umbrella in a way that it would stay standing and hide the statue from the rain. With a grin on your face, you took a few steps back before placing your hands on your hips. Admiring your work, you paused when the slow, soft melody of a music box began to play from within the statue. Listening in silence, you were about to speak before Flowey beat you to it. “Can we… stay here for a few minutes?”

“Of course,” you whispered, finding yourself unable to deny Flowey such an innocent and pure request. The flower had never asked you for something nicely before and for him to do such a thing must mean that this was important to him. Taking a seat on the floor, you weren’t sure how long to rested there for. Listening to the music box repeat over and over, a small smile made its way onto your face as time went on.

Soon enough, your companion had stated that he was ready to move on. With a simple nod, you stood up once more before continuing forward. Grabbing yet another umbrella, you opened the purple one up before continuing into the next room. Walking in silence, you did your best not to kick up any water from the puddles as you walked. For a while, only the sound of rain hitting the umbrella seemed to fill the silence.

“You’re not going to ask me why I wanted to stay around and listen to the statue?" Flowey asked, breaking the peaceful silence. Pausing in your stride, you looked down at the puddle you were currently standing in. Using the puddle to look at Flowey, you tried to read the emotions on his face. The little monster was doing an amazing job at hiding his feelings since you had not idea just what he was thinking.

“We’ve known each other for 224 resets. I started to consider you a close friend even if the feeling isn't mutual. I’d like to think that you’ll tell me when you’re ready." Your eyes meeting Flowey’s thanks to the puddle. After a moment more of silence, you turned your head to the trail ahead before starting to walk once more.

After what felt like an eternity to walking in the rain, you found yourself breathless at the sight before you. Staring out at the horizon, you were able to catch sight of the large light gray castle off in the distance with its three distinct towers. All three towers were topped with a light blue roof, making it the only splash of color on the otherwise dull structure. While the color scheme was bland, the overall design of the castle was stunning. You could faintly hear Flowey saying that the castle belonged to the king but you didn’t really care. Above your head, thousands of gems glittered with light and reminded to of the starry sky you used to gaze at when you lived on the surface. The scenery looked like something straight out of a fairy tale and you found yourself wanting to stay in this moment forever.

“I wanted to stay near the statue because of the music box,” Flowey admitted. You patiently waited for the monster to continue speaking. Your companion never was once to speak about himself and you didn’t want to rush him when he was finally beginning to open up. Moving around a bit, it wasn’t long before the monster shifted so that he was in front of your face. While he was still tangled within your hair, the flower had been sure to be careful with the way he positioned himself so your hair wasn’t tugged harshly. After a moment, the monster continued, “My mom used to sing that lullaby to my sibling and I. Hearing it brought back some memories. That’s all.”

Just from the look on his face, you could tell that it took a lot out of him to be so honest to you. You leaned forward and placed a friendly kiss on his petals. For once, your companion didn’t complain or groan about how gross you were. In fact, he seemed a happy with the small gesture although he was obviously trying to hide it. With a small nod, you stated, “Let’s keep moving.”

Flowey quickly got back into his old position while you continued forward. Spotting another trashcan up ahead, you put the umbrella in it before looking as the wall about you. After several failed attempts, you were finally able to climb up the ledge and make it onto flat ground once more. Dusting your hands off on your shorts, you huffed and pushed a few strands of hair out of your face. Walking forward, it wasn’t long before you spotted two plaques on the wall. Without hesitation, you were once again reading them.

“The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy. In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust…”

Were the monsters really calling such an event a war? No way in hell could such an act be classified as such. If anything, this ‘war’ was closer to a monster genocide led by humans. The monsters had already suffered through one genocide on the surface and had lost the ability to roam the earth due to it. Countless years had passed and now the monsters were once again facing a genocide at the hands of an eight year old child. How cruel could the world be if it was subjecting monsters to the same horrid act twice? It just wasn’t right and the thought of all the monster lives ended by the hands of humans made you sick to your stomach.

However, even with everything that had happened in the past, it was wrong for Asgore to kill the human children that had fallen below. All the children that had fallen came from long after the time the war had been. There was no way to connect any of the six children to the genocide that had happened long ago. Killing human children now was no better than what the humans had done to monsters long ago. Surely Asgore wasn’t so blind that was unaware of this, so he had to be doing it with the consequences in mind. You understood that he was getting souls to free monsters, but couldn’t he just let the children live their lives Underground and then take their souls once they had passed from old age? There had to be another way to gain these human souls besides murder.

You turned on your heel before making your way forward. Stopping before a bridge that seemed to go on into the horizon, you gulped before making the mistake of glancing down. While there was another bridge beneath this one, it was a little hard to see due to the distance between the two. After that, you were staring into nothing but the dark abyss of nothingness.

Almost instantly, your nerves were on edge at the fact that you could possibly die on this bridge. There were no support beams holding it up, so you had no idea just how this seemingly never ending bridge was standing. While you would usually use magic as the answer, that idea wasn’t helping you calm your nerves this time. Once again, you found yourself mentally cursing whoever the idiot was that didn’t put guardrails on these bridges. Your mind started to wonder just how many monsters had possibly fell off the bridge and fallen to their demise, yet you forced your mind off that train of thought.

After quite a bit of coaxing, Flowey was finally able to get you to step onto the bridge. Doing your best to stop yourself from shaking, you took cautious and steady steps as you traveled on the royal blue bridge. Though it took a little bit of time, you soon found yourself relaxing at the situation you had been placed in. Without warning, you watched at several spots around you began to glow electric blue. Standing in place, your eyes widened in horror as glowing spears made out of electric blue magic shot out of the places that had been glowing moments ago. Unable to hold back a scream, you found yourself unsure of what to do as the spears stayed there for a moment before fading away. Soon enough, several spots of the bridge began to glow once more - including the area under your feet.

“RUN!” Flowey shouted. He didn't need to tell you twice. You dashed out of the way in the nick of time. If you had stayed there a moment longer, you certainly would have been impaled. Taking off, you stared at the maze of a bridge that lie before you. As you made your way towards the beginning of the intertwined bridges, only one thought came to mind.

‘I can’t  believe I jinxed us!’

Chapter Text

Chapter 16 - Failing, Falling, Fading

You broke into a run as you tried to escape whoever was causing all the blue spears to rise from the wooden bridge. As you dodged and weaved your way through magical attacks, you found yourself getting lost through the intertwining paths of the bridge. Some paths would just lead you in a circle and others were dead ends. In fact, if it wasn’t for Flowey then you probably would have fallen off of the bridge by now. Whenever you got too close to the edge of the bridge, your travel companion would use his vines to nudge you back towards the center.

Every step you took was precise as you did your best not to lose your balance. You couldn’t waste any time and if you fell over, it could result in yet another death. If you died this time, you had a feeling that the monster wouldn’t simply leave you alone. Certainly, whoever was attacking you would try to take your soul once you were dead. You weren’t exactly sure just what would happen if a monster took your soul before you continued and now definitely wasn’t a good time to find out.

With labored breaths, you did your best to keep your eyes on the road ahead. Your lungs ached for more oxygen and your limbs cried for some rest as your body felt like it was burning. The slight small smack from the bag on your back was a reminder that you were carrying around extra weight. If you ditched the bag, there was a possibility that you could get away quicker. Even so, you knew that you couldn’t simply toss the backpack since your journal was within it. If someone got their hands on your journal and learned about the timelines, you had no idea just what would happen. You couldn’t risk such a thing happening so you continued your escape with the weight of the bag slowing you down.

You could hear the heavy footfalls of metal clanging against wood yet your eyes were unable to catch sight of anyone else of the bridge. You thought back to the bridge you had been able to see beneath this one when you had looked down earlier. Though it may seem like an odd idea to entertain, it seemed like whoever was attacking you must be working from there. The only thing you could do for the time being was run. If things worked out, hopefully you would be able to make it without too many wounds.

You weren’t a fool and knew that with your lack of actual encounters, there was no way you would get away unscathed. While Frisk had gone through these situations over hundreds of timelines, you had never been in a true fight before. You had only been in one-sided battles with the young child where you were killed due to your refusal to harm them and harmless situations where Flowey threw pellets your way as his odd way of welcoming you during your times spent talking back in the Ruins. Even Toriel had kept you away from battle throughout your eight years in the Underground. None of that had prepared you for true combat with a monster. Clearly, you were outmatched.

Your train of thought was broken as a glowing electric blue spear shot out from the right of you. As the weapon made its way up, it ripped through the sleeve of your blouse only to slice your upper arm and nick your ear. With a cry of shock, you continued to run as your left hand grasped the wound on your right arm. From your elbow to your shoulder, there was a deep vertical gash that had been left behind from the spear. Blood oozed from the wound and slipped through the cracks of your fingers while the sleeve of your shirt rested uselessly against your side. The small slice on your ear wasn’t much of a problem. Painful but nothing major.

“ Do me a favor and focus on not dying!" Flowey shouted, still resting beside your left ear. Giving a short okay, you didn’t falter as you continued your dash to safety. You found yourself on a singular path as all the other branches of the bridge disappeared behind you. With a grin on your face, your heart soared with hope at the idea of a successful escape.

You stopped just before the end of the bridge. With wide eyes, you were met with another dead end and the pitch black darkness of the abyss below. Taking a step back, you desperately searched the area around you for some switch or lever. Certainly this couldn’t be the end of the road! This had to be some sort of puzzle. You were surely in the right place because everything else had been circular paths and dead ends. You weren't sure if you were talking to Flowey or yourself at this point, “We’ve gotta go back! This must be the wrong way!”

Turning on your heel, you took a few steps forward only to stop as a figure approached you. Frozen with fear, it wasn’t long before the monster which had been attacking you stopped. It was impossible to discern just what the monster was due to the armor they were clad in. From head to toe, the monster’s metal armor reminded you of what a knight might wear in medieval times. The only thing about their armor that stood out was their helmet. The helmet reminded you of a piranha poised to strike. Other than that, the bright red hair that seemed to fly from a hole in the back of the helmet was eye-catching.

Staring at that fiery red hair, you were reminded of the spunky anthropomorphic fish monster that had taken a picture with Frisk in front of a burning house. You had never seen Undyne in armor before but remembered the young child telling you that the fish woman was captain of the Royal Guard. With that thought in mind, you were positive that the armor-clad figure before you was Undyne. You knew that you were outmatched but there was no way you were going down easily.

Back when Frisk had attacked you, you had never made a move to defend yourself or stop them. You had always been focused on saving others and not worrying about what happened to you. You'd ended up becoming a punching bag for the person you were desperately trying to stop. From here on out, you refused to simply stand there and take it any longer. Even if your best wasn’t enough, you were going to try your hardest to come out on top.

“You thought you could just run away from what you’ve done? For the sake of monster kind, I’ll strike you down where you stand and take your soul!” Undyne's voice echoed throughout the empty air of Waterfall. She thought you had killed everyone in the area. All the dust piles left behind showed that monsters had been killed, yet it seemed that the fish monster had never seen the true culprit.

Without warning, the monster summoned a spear into her right hand and threw it at you. Dodging to the left, you did your best to keep your balance while making sure that Flowey wasn’t harmed. You clenched your hands into fists as you yelled back, “I haven’t harmed anyone! There’s another human Underground and they’re the one causing all the harm. I’m trying to stop them.”

“Another human? You’re probably trying to stop the other human from taking all the kills as their own. After your demise, I’ll kill the other human and we’ll have a spare soul so that King Asgore can become a god!” 

As Undyne continued to fire spears at you, you did your best to keep up. However, you eventually made a fatal mistake. As a spear made its way towards you, you found yourself unable to dodge to the left or right. In hopes of getting out of the way, you stumbled backwards only for your foot to catch the edge of the bridge. Before you could regain your balance, Undyne used your moment of weakness to launch a spear into your right shoulder. With a sickening thud and a nauseating squelch, the glowing spear made its temporary home within your shoulder as black dots flashed through your vision due to the excruciating pain. The force of the spear sent you tumbling over the edge of the bridge and you found yourself falling once more.

While your body was dragged downwards due to gravity, the spear in your right shoulder dissipated into thin air. Blood began to flow freely from the wound now that the spear wasn’t keeping the it shut. As the blood slowly soaked into the shoulder of your bohemian blouse, the periwinkle fabric turned red. The freefall reminded you of the day you'd come to the Underground eight years ago. You wondered if you would wake up back in the Ruins and this would all be some crazy dream. Every single reset just a string of nightmares instead of real life.

Lost in a woozy state of mind due to the rapid loss of blood, you found yourself drifting in and out of consciousness. It wasn’t until Flowey’s screech reached your ear that you remembered you weren’t alone. Temporarily snapping out of your woozy state, you snatched the flower monster out of your hair with your left hand. As your travel companion securely wrapped himself around your hand, you watched on in silence. Your crumbled form curled around the tiny buttercup in hopes of sheltering him from the fall. Holding back your tears, you weren’t sure if your voice would reach him as you whispered, “I’m sorry, Flowey. I messed up again.”

“You idiot, it’s not even-!” started Flowey, yet his words were cut off as you smashed into the ground below. It felt as if there was cotton stuffed in your ears as an obnoxiously high pitched ringing wouldn’t leave you alone. The world around you began to mesh into a glob of colors, making it impossible for you to figure out where you were or what was around you. As you blacked out from the fall as well as the current state of your body, you found only one thing at the forefront of your mind.

You really hated whoever forgot to add the guardrails on the bridge.

Your body was floating in the void once more, the inky darkness soaking into your very consciousness as you simply stayed where you were. In this world, it seemed as if the wounds you had retained from your battle with Undyne were gone. While your right arm had been quite mutilated moments before, it now looked as if your limb had never been injured. Your tattered shirt was enough proof to show that you had been in combat moments earlier. The fight with Undyne had been real, which left you to question just where you were.

Whenever you were about to continue, you would end up in different area. You were used to waking up on your small, buttercup-covered hill with the bright ‘continue’ button waiting for your touch. Also, this darkness was not calming and serene like it usually was when you awoke here after experiencing death. This was some place entirely different from the welcoming darkness you were used to. In fact, the nothingness you were currently in felt quite foreboding.

There had only been one time that you had woken up in such darkness and that was before you had learned of your ability to continue. In the back of your mind, there was something that was trying to get to the surface of your thoughts. It was as if your brain was trying to remember another time that you had been tossed into this terrible darkness, yet you couldn’t recall anything no matter how hard you tried. It was frustrating, yet you knew that there was no way for you to force yourself to remember.

"ᵢ𝑡 𝑠ₑₑ𝑚𝑠 ｗₑ 𝑚ₑₑ𝑡 ₐ𝑔ₐᵢ𝑛, 𝑦ₒᵤ𝑛𝑔 ₒ𝑛ₑ. ᵢ 𝑚ᵤ𝑠𝑡 ₐ𝑑𝑚ᵢ𝑡 𝑡ⲏₐ𝑡 ᵢ ｗₐ𝑠 𝑛ₒ𝑡 ₑₓ𝒑ₑ𝑐𝑡ᵢ𝑛𝑔 ᵤ𝑠 𝑡ₒ 𝑚ₑₑ𝑡 𝒒ᵤᵢ𝑡ₑ 𝑠ₒ 𝑠ₒₒ𝑛. тⲏₑ𝑛 ₐ𝑔ₐᵢ𝑛, 𝑡ᵢ𝑚ₑ 𝑑ₒₑ𝑠𝑛'ᵣ ᵣₑₐԼԼ𝑦 𝑓Լₒｗ ᵢ𝑛 𝑡ⲏₑ ᵥₒᵢ𝑑 𝑠ₒ ᵢ𝑡 𝑚ₐ𝑦 ⲏₐᵥₑ 𝑏ₑₑ𝑛 Լₒ𝑛𝑔ₑᵣ 𝑡ⲏₐ𝑛 ᵢ 𝑡ⲏₒᵤ𝑔ⲏ𝑡. тᵢ𝑚ₑ ᵢ𝑠 ᵤ𝑛𝒑ᵣₑ𝑑ᵢ𝑐𝑡ₐ𝑏Լₑ ⲏₑᵣₑ..."

With the garbled and static-filled words echoing through the void, your ears rang as you did your best not to wince. Turning around, you came face to face with another skeleton monster. As you took in his features, the cracks trailing from his eyes sockets seemed faintly familiar to you. The deja vu you had been feeling moments ago seemed to grow stronger, yet you were still unable to remember. “Have we met before?”

The skeletal figure was silent as he seem to stare you down. Your question seemed to have upset him slightly, yet you were unsure just why it had. After a moment, the monster looked like he was about to answer you before stopping. Instead of using any words, the monster clad in a black cloak simply nodded a confirmation. “I’m sorry, it’s the other way around.”

"ᵢ𝑡 ᵢ𝑠 𝒒ᵤᵢ𝑡ₑ ₐԼᵣᵢ𝑔ⲏ𝑡. ₐ𝑓𝑡ₑᵣ ₐԼԼ, ᵢ ₐ𝑚 ᵤ𝑠ₑ𝑑 𝑡ₒ 𝒑ₑₒ𝒑Լₑ 𝑓ₒᵣ𝑔ₑ𝑡𝑡ᵢ𝑛𝑔 ₐ𝑏ₒᵤ𝑡 𝑚ₑ ₑᵥₑᵣ 𝑠ᵢ𝑛𝑐ₑ ᵢ 𝑓ₑԼԼ ᵢ𝑛𝑡ₒ 𝑡ⲏₑ ᵥₒᵢ𝑑. ⲏₒｗₑᵥₑᵣ, ᵢ𝑡'𝑠 𝑐ₒ𝑛𝑐ₑᵣ𝑛ᵢ𝑛𝑔 𝑡ⲏₐ𝑡 𝑡ⲏₑ ᵣₑ𝑠ᵢ𝑑ₑ𝑛𝑡𝑠 ₒ𝑓 𝑡ⲏₑ ᵤ𝑛𝑑ₑᵣ𝑔ᵣₒᵤ𝑛𝑑 ₐᵣₑ 𝑠𝑡ₐᵣ𝑡ᵢ𝑛𝑔 𝑡ₒ 𝑓ₒᵣ𝑔ₑ𝑡 𝑦ₒᵤ ｗⲏᵢԼₑ 𝑦ₒᵤ ｗₐԼⲕ ₐ𝑚ₒ𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑡 𝑡ⲏₑ𝑚. Ｐₑᵣⲏₐ𝒑𝑠 ᵢ𝑡 ᵢ𝑠 𝑏ₑ𝑐ₐᵤ𝑠ₑ 𝑦ₒᵤ ｗₑᵣₑ 𝑛ₑₐᵣԼ𝑦 𝑡ₐⲕₑ𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ⲏₑ ᵥₒᵢ𝑑 𝑑ᵤᵣᵢ𝑛𝑔 𝑡ⲏₑ 𝑓ᵢᵣ𝑠𝑡 ₑᵣₐ𝑠ᵤᵣₑ. ᵢ𝑡 ｗₒᵤԼ𝑑 𝑏ₑ ₐ𝑛 ᵢ𝑛𝑡ₑᵣₑ𝑠𝑡ᵢ𝑛𝑔 𝑡ⲏₑₒᵣ𝑦 𝑡ₒ ᵢ𝑛ᵥₑ𝑠𝑡ᵢ𝑔ₐ𝑡ₑ ᵢ𝑓 𝑡ⲏₑ 𝑠ᵢ𝑡ᵤₐ𝑡ᵢₒ𝑛 𝑑ᵢ𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝒑ₒ𝑠ₑ 𝑠ᵤ𝑐ⲏ ₐ 𝒑ᵣₒ𝑏Լₑ𝑚 𝑓ₒᵣ 𝑦ₒᵤ."

“I’m sorry but… I can’t really understand what you’re saying. Do you possibly know sign language?” you questioned the monster, your brows furrowed together in confusion. The skeleton lifted up his hands before beginning to sign something. As you watched his ivory hands make symbols, you found yourself staring at the holes in the palms of his hands. While the monster continued to sign, you found yourself unable to recognize a single word. Feeling your frown deepen, you shook your head. “It seems that we learned different sign languages. Frisk taught me ASL but I'm not too sure what sign language you’re using.”

"ᵢ 𝑠ⲏₒᵤԼ𝑑 ⲏₐᵥₑ ₑₓ𝒑ₑ𝑐𝑡ₑ𝑑 𝑦ₒᵤᵣ ᵢ𝑛ₐ𝑏ᵢԼᵢ𝑡𝑦 𝑡ₒ ᵤ𝑛𝑑ₑᵣ𝑠𝑡ₐ𝑛𝑑 ｗᵢ𝑛𝑔𝑑ᵢ𝑛𝑔𝑠. тⲏₐ𝑡 ｗₐ𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑚ᵢ𝑠𝑡ₐⲕₑ, 𝑦ₒᵤ𝑛𝑔 ₒ𝑛ₑ. Ｐₑᵣⲏₐ𝒑𝑠 ᵢ ｗᵢԼԼ 𝑡ᵣ𝑦 Լₑₐᵣ𝑛ᵢ𝑛𝑔 𝑡ⲏᵢ𝑠 ₐꜱԼ 𝑦ₒᵤ 𝑠𝒑ₑₐⲕ ₒ𝑓. тⲏₐ𝑡 ᵢ𝑠 𝑛ₒ𝑡 ₐ 𝑐ₒ𝑛𝑐ₑᵣ𝑛 𝑓ₒᵣ 𝑡ⲏₑ 𝑡ᵢ𝑚ₑ 𝑏ₑᵢ𝑛𝑔. ᵢ𝑓 ₐ𝑛𝑦𝑡ⲏᵢ𝑛𝑔, ᵢ𝑡 ᵢ𝑠 𝑡ᵣₒᵤ𝑏Լᵢ𝑛𝑔 𝑡ⲏₐ𝑡 𝑦ₒᵤ ₐᵣₑ ⲏₑᵣₑ ₑᵥₑ𝑛 𝑡ⲏₒᵤ𝑔ⲏ 𝑦ₒᵤ ⲏₐᵥₑ 𝑛ₒ 𝑛ₑₑ𝑑 𝑡ₒ 𝑐ₒ𝑛𝑡ᵢ𝑛ᵤₑ. тⲏₑ 𝑑ₑ𝑡ₑᵣ𝑚ᵢ𝑛ₑ𝑑 ₒ𝑛ₑ ₑ𝑛𝑑𝑠 ᵤ𝒑 ᵢ𝑛 𝑡ⲏₑ ᵥₒᵢ𝑑 𝑠ₒ𝑚ₑ𝑡ᵢ𝑚ₑ𝑠 𝑏ᵤ𝑡 𝑡ⲏₐ𝑡 ᵢ𝑠 ₒ𝑛Լ𝑦 ｗⲏₑ𝑛 𝑡ⲏₑ𝑦 𝑑ₑ𝑐ᵢ𝑑ₑ 𝑡ₒ ᵣₑ𝑠ₑ𝑡. тⲏₑ𝑦 ⲏₐᵥₑ 𝑛ₑᵥₑᵣ ₐᵣᵣᵢᵥₑ𝑑 𝑏ₑ𝑐ₐᵤ𝑠ₑ 𝑡ⲏₑ𝑦 ｗₑᵣₑ ᵤ𝑛𝑐ₒ𝑛𝑠𝑐ᵢₒᵤ𝑠. ᵢ'ԼԼ ⲏₐᵥₑ 𝑡ₒ Լₒₒⲕ ᵢ𝑛𝑡ₒ ᵢ𝑡."

Before you could speak up again, the world around you began to change from its sticky darkness and fade towards a light gray. Looking around in a panic, it felt as if the world around you was shifting. Quickly turning your attention back to the skeleton monster, you were surprised to see just how calm he seemed. “What’s going on?!”

"𝑑ₒ 𝑛ₒ𝑡 𝒑ₐ𝑛ᵢ𝑐. 𝑦ₒᵤ ₐᵣₑ ｗₐⲕᵢ𝑛𝑔 ᵤ𝒑, 𝑡ⲏₐ𝑡 ᵢ𝑠 ₐԼԼ. 𝑏ₑ 𝑐ₐᵣₑ𝑓ᵤԼ ₐ𝑛𝑑 𝑡ᵣ𝑦 𝑦ₒᵤᵣ 𝑏ₑ𝑠𝑡 𝑡ₒ 𝑠𝑡ₐ𝑦 ₐԼᵢᵥₑ. ₑᵥₑᵣ𝑦 𝒑ₒｗₑᵣ ⲏₐ𝑠 ₐ 𝑐ₒ𝑛𝑠ₑ𝒒ᵤₑ𝑛𝑐ₑ. ｗⲏᵢԼₑ ᵢ ⲕ𝑛ₒｗ ｗⲏₐ𝑡 ｗᵢԼԼ ⲏₐ𝒑𝒑ₑ𝑛 𝑡ₒ 𝑡ⲏₑ 𝑑ₑ𝑡ₑᵣ𝑚ᵢ𝑛ₑ𝑑 ₒ𝑛ₑ ｗⲏₑ𝑛 𝑡ⲏₑ𝑦 𝑠𝑡ₑ𝒑 𝑡ⲏᵣₒᵤ𝑔ⲏ 𝑡ⲏₑ 𝑏ₐᵣᵣᵢₑᵣ, 𝑦ₒᵤ ₐᵣₑ ₐ𝑛 ₑ𝑛ᵢ𝑔𝑚ₐ. ᵢ𝑡 ｗₒᵤԼ𝑑 𝑏ₑ 𝑏ₑ𝑠𝑡 𝑛ₒ𝑡 𝑡ₒ ᵣₑԼ𝑦 ₒ𝑛 ₐ𝑛 ₐ𝑏ᵢԼᵢ𝑡𝑦 𝑡ⲏₐ𝑡 𝑛ₒ𝑛ₑ ₒ𝑓 ᵤ𝑠 𝑐ₐ𝑛 𝑡ᵣᵤԼ𝑦 𝑐ₒ𝑚𝒑ᵣₑⲏₑ𝑛𝑑."

“Wait!” you cried out, trying you best to reach out to the monster. You didn’t want to leave this monster alone in the darkness that you found unnerving. Despite your efforts, it seemed the monster was already aware of something that you weren’t since he didn’t even try to grab your hand. The skeleton simply gave a small smile and a wave of goodbye. Though you tried your best to reach out to him, it was impossible as the world around you flashed white.

As the bright white light wrapped around you, the sensation reminded you of a hug. It felt as if you were within the arms of your mother back when you were a young child. You weren’t entirely sure just what the light was from but you felt safe. Letting your worry die down, your eyes once again slipped shut as you allowed the light to take you back to where you belonged. You wanted to stay and help the monster who seemed to be a resident of the darkness, yet this was not the time for that. For now, you had a child to catch up with.

Hopefully Flowey could forgive you for taking a nap without his okay.

Chapter Text

Chapter 17 - Left Behind

As you slowly awoke from your unconscious state, the sound of steadily flowing water echoed through the area. You stared up at the black cave ceiling above you. Due to the stone stalactites hanging above you, drops of water sometimes trickled down on you. Shifting to look at your left, your eyes caught sight of the waterfall that took up the entire wall. The indigo water pooled around you on the ground, slowly soaking into your clothes and hair. While the cool water felt calming against your skin, the rippling water against your wound caused excruciating pain and a wave of nausea seemed swept over you.

Unable to use your right arm due to your potentially broken shoulder, you securely placed your left hand against the soft ground beneath you. Using all the strength you had left, you slowly pushed yourself into a sitting position. Groaning in pain, you slightly curl in on yourself as you take in the rest of your surroundings. Scattered around the ground are several pieces of royal blue wood as well as a cluster of buttercups beneath your body. Running your left hand through the flowers, a small smile makes its way onto your face as you roll your eyes. Of course you’d wake up on more buttercups, they seemed to be every place you needed them. From your initial fall into the Underground and first experience continuing to your most recent tumble from the bridge, the buttercups had always been there to cushion the blow.

Sitting in the small group of buttercups, you stared at your left hand for a moment. Running your fingers through your tangled hair, you paused when you didn’t feel Flowey buried in your hair. With a quick intake of breath, you froze up for a moment before a sense of dread started to fill you. Desperately searching through your clothes, you were unable to find your travel companion anywhere on your person. Scanning the surrounding area for any sign of your friend, the place seemed void of his presence.

Panic began to set in as you started to assume the worse. Perhaps you shielding Flowey from the fall hadn’t been enough to save him. There could be a possibility that the force from him hitting your body had turned him into dust. If he had dusted, the water could have washed it all away and left no trace. He could be dead right now and you’d have no idea until there was another reset and you found Flowey once again.

As tears sprung to your eyes, you found yourself slightly shaking as you tried to steady your breathing. Wiping away your tears with the back of your left hand, you took a deep shuddering gasp for air before letting your hand fall to your side. You couldn’t allow yourself to think like this, especially in your current situation. Certainly Flowey was still alive and well. In fact, you wouldn’t be surprised if he had gone off ahead to try and get you some help. There was nothing to worry about, all you had to do was catch up with him.

Taking a deep breath, you prepared yourself to stand up. Bracing your left hand on the ground beside you, it took a moment before you placed your feet firmly against the floor. Pushing off the ground, you wobbled for a moment before finally catching your balance. You realized just how much that had taken out of your damaged body as you struggled to catch your breath. Glancing around on the ground, you caught sight of your rucksack resting against some of the wood. Grabbing it with your left hand, you couldn’t find the strength to place it on your back. Instead, you simply let it hang by your hand as you turned to face the hallway before you. You finally called out, “Flowey, where are you?”

There was no response.

You sighed before pushing forward with your journey. Stepping into the water, the cold liquid came to your ankles. Due to your combat boots, there wasn’t much water getting inside your shoes and soaking your socks. Since you despised wet socks with a passion, this little detail felt like a gift for all the pain you’d recently gone through. With every step you took, your boots kicked up some water and caused ripples.

Passing by several piles of garbage, you were a bit surprised to notice several of the brands tossed away. While the air had smelled fine at first, a putrid smell started to permeate the air as you walked deeper into the dump. Tossing your left hand over your mouth and nose in hopes of saving yourself from the scent of decomposing fabrics and spoiled food. As you entered the next room, you found yourself with a waterfall on each side. Though the one on your left was simply bringing more water into the area, the one to your right seemed to empty into the bottomless abyss below. Once in awhile, a rock or piece of trash would fall from the first waterfall before falling down into the endless darkness. Steering clear of the drop, you quickly moved out of the room. You were terrified of experiencing yet another fall with your already damaged body.

A small part of you wished the fall had killed you instead. Then you wouldn't be suffering througu so much pain. At least when you continued, your body was like new. It was a morbid thought and you forced it into the back of your mind. Entertaining that idea was the last thing you should do.

Moving into the next room, you take a left as you start dragging your feet through the hall. Passing more garbage, it isn’t long before your catch sight of a green bike to your right. Its rusty form and bent back wheel show just how much it was used before being tossed aside. Out of curiosity, you squeeze the bike horn with your left hand only for it to give a sad wheeze of defeat. After wiping the dirt and grime from the bike off of your hands and onto your shorts, you shield your mouth and nose once more.

Passing by a beat up white computer which was covered in rust, you catch sight of an obnoxiously bright orange cooler. The cooler seemed brand new and showed no signs of use, which seemed quite odd to you. If anything, it was the newest item in this dump. Glancing inside the cooler, you were a bit surprised to catch sight of a bar of freeze-dried food wrapped up securely and left inside. Though you usually wouldn’t eat food out of the dump, you took it out of desperation. You knew that you had placed food inside your bag a while back but after the fall you had taken off the bridge, you weren’t sure if it was even edible anymore. For all you knew, the food could have made a mess all over your clothes.

Ripping the bar of food open with your teeth, you placed the trash inside the cooler before taking a huge bite. Glad to have food in your stomach, you continued to munch on it as you walked forward. While the food certainly didn’t taste as good as Toriel’s pie or Papyrus’ spaghetti, it certainly helped you fight off your hunger. Once you finished the small bar of food, you noticed that the pain of your right arm had seemed to dim slightly. Though it was still a terrible pain, it was no longer so strong that you felt the need to puke.

After passing up a DVD case for an anime, you finally stumbled across a dummy that seemed to have been left within the middle of the hall. The dummy was covered in slashes as stuffing seemed to pop out of its seams. With black button eyes, the object seemed to stare blankly into your soul as you stared back. Unable to keep eye contact with it, you looked away before slowly walking around it. Your feet hit land once more and you left the dump behind.

Entering a large room, your find yourself facing three different passageways. Along with that, there is one passageway on both your left and right sides as well. Stopping before the small pond of indigo water in the middle of the room, you take a moment to glance at your surroundings. Once again, you find that the earth is the color of blueberries while the walls were a navy blue. To your left, you catch sight of some glowing electric blue water as well as a patch of black earth and turquoise grass scattered within it. As you kept staring, you catch sight of a splash of yellow against the glowing blues and dark black. Thinking it was Flowey, hope fluttered in your chest as you swiftly moved towards the object. As you got closer, you soon realized that the object was a small yellow duck. It seemed to be offering to fly you over the long stretch of glowing water, yet you declined for the time being and gave the duck a small pat on the head as thanks.

Turning on your heel, walked around the small pond of indigo water once more. Ignoring the three passageways to the left of you, your main focus was on heading deeper into Waterfall and finding Flowey. Wandering past a wooden sign which you didn’t bother reading, you soon come across a small shop to your left. Stumbling into the shop, a small chime went off as you nearly tipped over before finally catching your balance once again. A deep laugh came from deeper in the store, “I’ll be there in a moment!”

It seems like you’d been pushing yourself too hard. Your body didn’t have much time to recover before you had stood up and started moving again, so of course it was starting to backfire on you. Bracing yourself on the counter that seemed to be carved out of navy stone, you found yourself staring at the glittering stones embedded within the walls. While these crystals weren’t like the glowing blue ones you had seen earlier, they were still beautiful. Gems ranging between different shades of blues and pinks covered much of the walls, however the thing that caught your attention the most was a dark black symbol painted on the wall. There were three triangles with the one in the middle being slightly bigger and upside down. Above that, there was a circle with a pair of large wings on its sides. You recognized it as the symbol that was always on Toriel’s robe, yet you had never realized it was a symbol that you could find around the Underground.

Hearing the steady footfalls of someone walking forward, you finally face forward only to catch sight of a monster that resembled a tortoise. He seemed to be incredibly old for a monster, especially with all the wrinkles he had. Dressed up like an archaeologist, his tan button-up shirt and dark brown pants went nicely with his olive skin. With a tan pith helmet on, the monster held a magnifying glass in his right hand as he made his way towards you. His white pointed beard seemed to be rather long and swayed from side to side as he moved. Though his teeth were crooked and yellow, the large shell on his back was a pristine dark brown with a pale cream rim. His right eye seemed to stay shut, making you wonder if it had been damaged somehow. He pleasantly greeted, “It’s not often that I get humans 'round here. Name’s Gerson. How can I help ya?”

“I… Um... “ you fumble, unsure of just why you had come in here. At first you had a set plan in mind but everything in your head was getting rather hazy. You finally questioned, “Do you have any medical supplies? Like, bandages or pain pills. Even hydrogen peroxide would be find. Just… anything, please. I have cash, I can pay whatever the price is.”

“Lil' Lady, I think ya need more than jus' medical supplies. Come round back and I’ll help ya out. Y’can return the favor later,” Gerson replied, moving around the counter to offer you a hand. Placing your hand in his own, the tortoise helped keep you steady as he guided you around his messy shop. The items in the store were scattered about but there seemed to be a system to it. You just couldn't figure out what that organization system was. As the monster led you to the back of the shop, he opened a side door that led into a singular bedroom.

The bedroom was rather small and only filled with the bare necessities. Besides the bed that was pushed into the back left corner, there was a desk and chair resting within the front right corner. Other than that, the room was void of any personal effects. Once Gerson made sure you sat down in the small chair, he grabbed your bag from your hand and placed it beside the chair. He moved over to look at your right arm, “I haven’t seen wounds this bad since The War of Humans and Monsters. Course, that’s mostly 'cause it’s much easier for us monsters to heal our wounds than ya humans. Monsters are'd much more likely to lose limbs this damaged. It's simply turn to dust and become irreparable. That’s what happened with this old eye o’ mine.”

“You were in the war?” Your eyes were wide as you stared at the old monster. As the tortoise gently took your mutilated arm into his hands, you winced in pain and took a sharp breath. Gerson’s eyes swept across your right arm, taking in the gash that trailed from your elbow to your shoulder. The wound was still bleeding but he rate of blood loss had slowed down as it started to scab. Meanwhile, the huge hole in your shoulder from the spear you had taken was still steadily gushing. The fabric of your shirt was stuck to the wound, making it look like a total mess of blood, clothe, and muscle. If the old monster used his magnifying glass, he was able to see the fragments of shattered bone that were stuck within the destroyed muscle.

“Indeed I was! Back then, I was the Hammer of Justice. Part of the front lines so I saw these sorts o' wounds on our enemies all the time. Never did get over how gruesome it all looked.” Moving a hand to your right ear, he checked the wound there. Luckily, it was just a small nick and it had already scabbed over. Letting his hands fall to his side, Gerson stated, “I’ve got a first aid kit under the counter that we can use. We need to disinfected it first. Have to get your shoulder back in place to make sure it’ll heal up right. Monster food will do the rest o' the heavy liftin'. It’ll take a while to get yourself back at full health so you’re free to stay here 'til then.”

“Thank you,” you whispered, flashing the old man a warm smile. Returning the gesture with a smile of his own, the tortoise exited the room and left you to your own devices. It wasn’t long before he returned with the first aid kit as promised. Setting the kit on the desk, Gerson popped it open before snatching up the hydrogen peroxide and a pristine hand towel. Dumping some of the peroxide onto the towel, the tortoise started to lightly dab the gash on your arm. Though the disinfectant stung slightly, it wasn’t enough to cause you any pain. If anything, the sensation was more of a minor discomfort.

“It’s better to dab a wound instead of wipe. Wiping can open old wounds or pull off scabs,” Gerson explained, moving to clean up the large wound in your shoulder. As he methodically cleaned it, time passed before he finally put away the disinfectant and towel. Grabbing a pair of tweezers, the tortoise began to pick out the pieces of clothing that were stuck to your wound. “Judging by these wounds, this was Undyne. She’s grown from when she used to be a lil' urchin. Used to follow me everywhere - even when I was beating up bad guys! Undyne was a little fireball of justice, lemme tell ya. Always said that she’d help me catch the bad guys, though she usually just ended up attacking the mailman or something.”

You began to laugh and Gerson ended up joining in. As the laughter died down, Gerson put away the tweezers and went to put your shoulder back in place. Instructing you to take a deep breath and count to three, you only got to two before the monster popped everything back into place. Letting out a cry of pain, you bit down on the inside of your cheek in hopes of distracting yourself from the jolt of agony running through your arm. Taking several deep breaths, you started to calm down as Gerson spoke, “Course, I haven’t seen Undyne since she beame captain of the Royal Guard a few years back. Seems like she doesn’t have much time to spend on an ol' geezer like me anymore. Sorry 'bout that, Lil' Lady. Best to not have ya brace for the pain since it can set the shoulder wrong.”

“It’s alright.” As Gerson began to wrap your wounds with the bandages, he continued to speak, “Undyne’s always been one to act first and think later. If she'd taken the time to think, she would’ve realized it'd be impossible for ya to be killin' anyone. You don’t have a single point of EXP.”

Listening to his words, you closed your eyes. “It’s nice to know that not everyone will think I’m the murderer if they take a minute. Guess there isn’t a lot of monsters left to worry though. I’m trying to stop the one who’s doing all of this, though I guess you can tell that I’m not doing a good job.”

“You’re tryin' and that’s more than most people can say,” Gerson replied. He made sure to wrap up everything securely before placing the bandages to the side. The old monster took a seat on top of the desk. Resting his hands in his lap, the man glanced down at his hands before meeting your eyes. “Perhaps this is out of line but if you could find it in your soul to forgive Undyne, it would mean the world to me. She’s practically my granddaughter. I couldn’t stand the thought of somethin' happening to her.”

It took a moment before you rested your left hand on top of his. “Gerson, you don't need to apologize for Undyne and ask for me to forgive her. It was a good deed done wrongly, there is nothing to forgive. Humans above ground would wrongly hurt others when scared for themselves or others they cared for. This is just a similar situation.” Those human on human fights didn't include magic attacks and suits of armor but there was a need to mention that.

Eerything was silent before Gerson finally stood up. With a smile on his face, the tortoise gave a laugh and ruffled your hair. “You’re a good kid. Just sit tight while I find some monster food for ya to eat. Sooner you eat, sooner you’ll be feelin' better.”

Once Gerson left the room, you found yourself wandering your own thoughts. It seems that you hadn’t been the only one left behind by someone who you cared about. While Flowey had left you behind for a short amount of time, it seems that Gerson had been missing Undyne’s presence for years. Letting yourself sink into the deepest parts of your thoughts, you found yourself continuing to stumble upon one detail. No matter how much time was given, it always hurt when you were simply left behind and forgotten.

You hoped Flowey would come back soon.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18 - Answers

After what felt like an eternity, Gerson stated you were all patched up and ready to go. The man had fed you enough monster food for a small army, effectively causing the terrible wound on your shoulder to close up. The monster had made sure you were aware of the fact that your shoulder was not completely healed. Your shattered shoulder was still sore and incredibly weak so it was easy to feel that it wasn't at 100%. It would take at least two weeks for the damage to completely heal and until then, you were to try and avoid putting strain on it. As for your right arm, the gash was bandaged and would heal within a day or two. There wasn’t much that could be done for the nick on your right ear as it had already scabbed over before you had arrived but Gerson reassured you it was healing nicely.

The kind monster had left you alone in the room so you could change into something that wasn’t soaked in your own blood. Tossing your ruined shirt into the trash can next to the desk, you picked up your backpack and placed it on the chair. The first thing you did was change your undergarments. After that, you grabbed a simple lavender tank-top and pulled it on. While it didn’t exactly cover your arms, it was too damp to wear anything warmer and there was no need to hide Flowey when he wasn’t with you. If it came down to it, the flower could always hide in your hair again once you found him. As for your shorts, you simply switched them out for a pair of black shorts. You really didn’t feel like walking around in damp shorts the entire time. Lucky for you, your combat boots had kept your socks dry.

You were glad to find that none of your possessions had been damaged. After placing everything back in its place, you scooped up your backpack and rested it on your left shoulder. With a soft smile on your face, you exited the small room and made your way back to the store front. Finding Gerson at the front, you made sure to give the old turtle a hug before back away. “Thanks for the help, Gerson. You sure you don't want any money for your services?”

“If ya wanna repay me, do me a favor and stay safe. Stop by sometime and see me again. It was nice to have some compaby." Gerson leaned against the top of the counter. For a moment, you thought that he may have winked at you but it was impossible to tell when he only had one eye. Maybe he was just blinking. “Now get on out there and continue your journey. I’m sure ya need to get going.”

You waved goodbye to Gerson before exiting the shop. Taking a left, it wasn’t long before you once again started coming along plaques against the walls. Running your fingers against the plaque, you quickly noticed that it was another continuation of The War of Humans and Monsters. With wide eyes and a frown on your face, you were quick to take in all the information.

“Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a power SOUL can leave.”

Engraved in the plaque were the answers to how you had ended up here eight years ago and why monsters were unable to leave. The magicians had never included a safety net so that humans were safe from entering the Underground. If anything, it seemed as if the magicians had purposefully made it possible for humans to come to the Underground whether the person intended to or not. As for monsters, they were unable to leave due to having weak SOULs. You could only imagine what would happen if a monster tried to force their way out. Perhaps a monster would simply turn to dust if they even attempted such a thing.

Continuing forward, the navy blue walls suddenly went back further than they ever had before. In fact, the walls were so far away that you couldn’t seem them in the darkness. While the floor stayed the color of blueberries, you continued forward on your path. In the background, you could hear the sound of rushing water while the path seemed to be lit up by echo flowers and nothing more. Before long, you came across another plaque that seemed to be hovering in the air this time.

“There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human SOULs, attacks the barrier… It will be destroyed.”

Reading just how the barrier could be broken made you feel sick. Was this the only way that the spell could be broken? There had to be a different way. Even if this was the only way, there was nothing saying that the SOULs had to be extracted from the humans they belonged to. All of the humans could have been kept alive and lived below until the barrier was broken. Killing a child just for their soul without explaining anything was disgusting and made nausea flow through you. If it wasn’t for the fact that you had to keep moving on, you might have puked and gone back to Gerson to calm yourself down.

Coming to a waterfall, you took a step forward only to be up to your knees with water. Holding back a groan over your soggy shoes and soaked socks, you continued trudging through the cool clear water. Once out of the water, you kicked your feet around to get out as much water as possible. Finding another plaque soon after, you quickly began to read it.

“But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever.”

That statement caused you to pause for a moment. Had these plaques been made before the first human had fallen? If that were the case, they had to be several decades old. After all, six humans had already been through the underground before you had come around. At least, that was what Toriel had told you and your mother had never lied before. Letting the new information roll around in your head, you continued pushing forward.

Passing through another waterfall, you tried to ignore the water in your shoes this time as you walked. Soon enough, you took a right only to be taken into a place that was completely dark. Due to the lack of light, you were unable to seen the walls and floor or perhaps they were both black in color. You honestly couldn’t be sure since both possibilities seemed likely. Instead, the only thing before you were the familiar glowing blades of turquoise grass and a small cluster of glowing white mushrooms up ahead. There were also more of those glowing trees that had been around earlier. The evergreen trees with their ombre colors and lovely glow took your breath away no matter how many times you saw them.

Walking up to the mushroom, you bent down to touch it. As soon as your fingers grazed the fungus, more turquoise grass seemed to suddenly spring to life. A little shocked by the sudden development, you stood up and glanced around. Without Flowey, you were unsure of which path to take in order to continue forward. Deciding to take a chance, turned left and continued your journey from there. When you reached the next mushroom, you quickly touched it before continuing forward. While walking, you were surprised to come across yet another plaque. By now, you had thought that the story was over.

“Without candles or magic to guide them Home, the monsters used crystals to navigate.”

It seemed as if this had nothing to do about The War of Humans and Monsters. Just as you were wondering what this had to do with anything, the room suddenly faded to black. After a moment, the room was once again lit up. Taking a second to look around, you noticed the mulberry colored gems that were jutting out of the ground in small clusters. They seemed to be a type of amethyst, though you could be mistaken. Using the flickering lights of the crystals to make your way through, it took a while before you were finally out of the room.

The floor once again turned to the color of blueberries as the wall got close enough for you to notice they were black. Stepping into a deep puddle of water that came up to your knees, you paused as you took notice of something ahead of you. While there was a singular echo flower at a dead end ahead of you, what caught your eye was a smudge of yellow beside the echo flower. Quickly picking up the pace, you called out, “Flowey?”

Startled by your voice, the small yellow flower seemed to straighten up before snapping around to face you. With a uncertain look in his eyes, the flower stayed there in silence as you quickly made your way to him. Stopping before the small buttercup, you knelt down and flashed a grin our partner. For a while, it seemed as if the flower was taking in all your injuries as his eyes scanned over the bandages. Flower finally spoke, “I thought you would still be back at the drop out… Are you alright?”

“Could be better but I’m not really bleeding anymore. What are you doing all the way out here?” It was odd to see Flowey caring about you, especially since he always came off as rude. The flower hesitated at first as if unsure of how to answer your question. It was troubling and you almost considered telling him to not worry about answering the question but never got the chance to.

“I was following that obnoxiously loud fish to see if I could get any information. When she was talking on the phone, I overheard that Frisk was still stuck at Alphys’ lab. That big lizard is trying to figure out what’s wrong, as if she can fix the little psychopath. Undyne was on her way over,” Flowey explained.

Accepting the explanation, you held out your left hand to the flower with a smile. Almost instantly, the flower wraps itself around your hand. Lifting the hand up to your face, you give Flowey’s petals a soft kiss as a welcome back. Crawling up your arm, it wasn't long before the buttercup made himself at home in your hair. Without another word, you walked forward and brushed the petals of an echo flower.

“Behind you.”

Taking in those words, fear caused your heart to hammer and you turned around quickly. There is no one behind you. With a deep breath, you calmed down before walking forward. Turning right to go down the path you had ignored, you stepped through a small patch of turquoise grass before being knee deep water for what felt like the umpteenth time. Continuing forward, you touched the five echo flowers you passed by.

“...hmmm… If I say my wish… You promise you won’t laugh at me?”

The second echo flower gave the voice of a different person. These echo flowers caught the conversation of two people. Friends? Maybe siblings?

“Of course I won’t laugh!”

“Someday, I’d like to climb this mountain we’re all buried under. Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around… That’s my wish.”

For a moment, the fourth echo flower laughed before someone spoke.

“... hey, you said you wouldn’t laugh at it!”

“Sorry, it’s just funny… That’s my wish, too.”

Pausing for a moment once the last echo flower spoke, you silently wondered if these two monsters were still alive. Perhaps one day soon they would finally get the ability to fulfill their wish together. Letting out a sigh, you look up only to come face to face with another plaque. Unlike the last plaque, this one seemed to be in reference to The War of Humans and Monsters.

“However… there is a prophecy. The Angel… The One Who Has Seen The Surface… They will return. And the underground will go empty.”

Reading those words, dread filled you as your mind made a horrible connection. This angel… was it Frisk? That could be the case. Throughout so many resets, the child had freed monsters from their imprisonment. The Underground could also go empty in another way - death. The mute kid had slaughtered everyone in sight as well. No matter how you read it, Frisk was the most likely person to be this prophesied angel. They were the one in control.

Frisk was the one who had the power to reset. There wasn't a doubt in your mind.

Clenching your hands into fists, you held back the anger growing in you. All this time, you had been fooling yourself into believing that Frisk coming to the Underground when the resets started was a coincidence. How could you be such a fool? Of course the young child was behind it. It seemed that Frisk, Flowey, and you were the only things in this world to ever change. Everyone else was set in a repeating loop otherwise. That had to be because you were aware of the timelines. You had let the young child you once loved like a sibling play you.

How idiotic.

Turning right, you trudged forward as you tried to fight down your anger. You once again ended up before an indigo bridge. Fear filled you as you remembered the incident that had only happened hours earlier. Finding yourself unable to move, it took a moment before Flower finally moved next to your ear. Letting his vines spread out a bit, he sensed your fear. "I’ll make sure we stay far from the edge. You have to move though.”

With a small nod, you slowly made your way across the bridge. After a few minutes, you were finally across. Picking up the pace to put some distance between yourself and the long bridge, you could feel Flowey readjusting himself in your hair. When you came across another bridge with no railing, you considered running over it because it was such a short distance. However, you once again took your time before finally ending up on the other end of the bridge.

Standing before the large rock formation, you took in the sight of the jagged indigo rocks that formed a grand exit from Waterfall. It was impossible to see through the over side of the cave due to how dark it was. Unsure of just where you would end up next, you took a deep breath before letting your anger leave you. You would push through this and come out on top. This timeline was going to be yours to win. There was no way you could allow Frisk to do this anymore.

With Flowey by your side, you stepped into the dark entrance to the next area and prepared for the unknown.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19 - This Totally Isn't Stressful

Entering the large cave, the place seemed much darker than outside had been moments before. While you continued forward, you soon noticed that the cave was heating up as you made your way deeper inside. As you walked down the dark corridor, you were taken by surprise when red light suddenly swept by your left and momentarily bathed the hall in its bright hue. Pausing in your stride, you turned to face the wall to your left. Staring at the large, green-edged LED screen that covered the wall, you were surprised to see such a thing in the Underground. So far, much of the tech you had seen here was rather old but the LED screen seemed fairly new. As you stood there, red text which read ‘Welcome to Hotland’ scrolled past you.

“Hey Flowey,” you ask, turning on your heel to continue into the cave. Making a face as it continued to heat up, you were nearly positive that you were going to hate whatever was up ahead. There was a possibility that she could actually pass out from heat exhaustion here. “Just how hot is Hotland?”

“It’s called Hotland for a reason, stupid." Flowey's voice practically oozed with annoyance. Holding yourself back from rolling your eyes, you felt a small smile grace your lips. You should have known that your companion would go back to his snide ways. After all, it wasn’t often that the flower monster showed kindness in general. Before you could speak, the flower hidden in your hair continued, “It’s absolutely terrible and I hate the damned place. My leaves get all crispy and my petals droop all over the damned place.”

Well shit.

You certainly hadn’t expected that the place would be hot enough to actually mess with Flowey. If it was going to be that bad, you needed to mentally prepare to suffer in the heat. You soon saw a light at the end of the tunnel. By the time you finally stepped into the next area, sweat was already starting to form on your brow. The air around you seemed to weigh you down and cause your clothing to stick to your body. Taking in deep breaths, it felt as if your lungs were struggling to deal with the humid air surrounding you. If you had to compare it to something, you would think it reminded you of a really shitty sauna.

Letting your eyes sweep the area, the first thing you noticed was that the floor had shifted from the color of blueberries to an odd shade of squash orange. The walls of the cavern had shifted to a slate black, making it feel as if the heat was being trapped within the stone and radiated back towards you. A light wood bridge stood before you, connecting to yet another piece of land that was farther off. Glancing to the left, you had to double-take as you saw a sentry station similar to the one that was in Snowdin. What surprised you about the little building was the fact that there was snow on the roof.

“What in the world…?” You stared up at the snow in envy. How was it even possible that there was snow in a place this hot? Practically glaring up at the snow, you walked up to the empty sentry station and tried to reach the roof. When you found yourself unable to reach the snow, anger grew in your eyes before you went to the other side of the station. Pushing yourself onto the table of the station, you soon stood on your tiptoes as you tried to touch the snow.

“Hey! We don’t have time for you to be messing around like a fucking idiot! Get off this shitty creation of glue and wood and get a move on!” Flowey snapped, his yell catching you off guard. Losing your balance from the sudden surprise, you fell to the ground and took the station down with you. Muttering a few curses, you quickly pushed yourself off the ground and stared down at the remains of the sentry station. Catching sight of the roof, you were surprised to see that there was still snow on it. Hoping to be cooled down momentarily by the cool flurries, your face scrunched up into a look of seething rage as realization overtook you. Resisting the urge to kick the already ruined building, you grumbled, “I should’ve known that it was fake snow!”

Frowning as you walked away, you did your best to ignore the cackling laughter of the little monster hidden within your hair. It was hard to block out the laughter when he was right beside your ear. Making your way to the bridge, you nearly flipped out when you realized that there was once again no guardrails. Taking a step onto the bridge, you felt more heat radiating below you. Eyebrows furrowing together in confusion, you glanced down and nearly had a panic attack. While you were hanging around on the worst bridge you had ever seen, bubbling magma was slowly oozing around below you. Not wanting to be on the bridge any longer, you practically dashed to the other side.

“Who's the psycho who decided not to put guardrails on any of these bridges? They’re deadly accidents waiting to happen! I fall off this bridge and fall into magma, there is no way in hell my soul will be able to continue. I’m not even sure how my soul magic stuff works but I’m not dumb enough to think I can survive my entire body burning into a crisp ,” you shouted, still overcome with anger at both the fake snow and the lack of guardrails. Were you complaining to Flowey or just yelling to let out all the frustration that'd built up since you left the Ruins? You weren't even sure of the answer to that.

“Stop screaming before you give me a headache,” your companion complained. You walked over to the water cooler before grabbing a cup and getting yourself some water. After letting the refreshing liquid cool you from the inside out, you refilled the cup and held it up near your hair. The cup was snatched from your hair. While you couldn't see what was going on, some of your hair ended up a bit wet. Some of the water must've spilt. With how hot it was here, those wet strands of hair were quickly drying. You caught sight of the cup from the corner of your eyes as it was tossed into the magma. It wasn’t like the plastic cup would mess anything up since the magma would probably just melt it.

Soon enough, you came to a three-way crossroad. Before you could even guess which way to go, your companion was already telling you to continue going forward. You listened to his directions and it wasn’t long before you ended up stopping before a wall of metal. While the silver metal before you seemed to steam from just how hot it was, you were surprised that it hadn’t started to morph in some way. Above the metal door, there was a plain plaque that read ‘Lab’ in bold, red letters. Walking up to the door, you were a bit surprised when it slid open without any prompting on your part.

Striding down the hall, the first thing you noticed was that the lab definitely had air conditioner. Practically thanking the heavens for the sweet relief, you held back from crying out with joy. Entering the open space of the lab, you soon took notice of the pale green wallpaper and baby blue tiled floors. It was an odd combination but it somehow worked. An old, brown desk in the shape of an ‘L’ seemed to be barely keeping itself together as it held the weight of an old IMB computer and piles of papers. Beside it was a rather hefty but sturdy grey refrigerator, standing tall as it hummed. There was a large grey screen where there seemed to be a monitor placed securely in the middle. While there was a control panel in front, you had no idea just what it did. All you knew was that the screen was currently focused on one person - Frisk.

Frisk was strapped down to a rather old looking bed, obviously angry as their red eyes glared at everything around them. Around the bed, you could make out the shapes of several other people around them. None of them seemed to be trying to hurt the child. At least, none of their actions seemed threatening. Biting down on your bottom lip, you desperately tried to figure out if there were any key features that could tell you just where the child was.

“Enter the bathroom, it’s an elevator that leads to the true lab below. That’s where that pathetic excuse of a scientist is keeping Frisk as they try to ‘fix’ them,” the buttercup stated, popping his head out of your hair. You were dashing to the bathroom in an instant, practically shoving the door in before slamming your hand on the button in the elevator. It felt as if the elevator was going way too slow for your liking but you couldn’t exactly force it to go any faster. Practically bouncing in place as you tried not to panic over everything going on, you bit the inside of your cheek.

The moment the elevator doors opened, you were stumbling over your own feet to get out. Not bothering to take in the sights around you, all you did was follow Flowey’s directions. As soon as you stepped out of the elevator, you took a left and made your way quickly down the hall. Taking another left soon after, it wasn’t long before the paths before you branched off. Going to the right like Flowey said, you nearly cursed as you saw the door was closed shut with a metal door. Before you could turn around to try and find another way through, Flowey’s vines were forcing their way between the middle of the door and pulling the two halves apart slowly.

“As if some shitty ass metal like this can stop me! The sooner we get that brat, the sooner I can finally get what I want." Flowey was cackling as he made an opening big enough for you to get through. Continuing down the hall, it wasn’t long before you finally entered the room. Finally taking a moment to look around, you noticed rows of beds with purple sheets covering them. The walls and tile floor were both a dark green, though the color may have been from the low lighting in general. Strapped down to a bed in the middle of the room was Frisk, struggling against the brown leather straps keeping them in place.

Surrounding the bed were three monsters that you recognized instantly. While Alphys was trying to figure out why Frisk was suddenly lashing out, Undyne was there for protection as she stared down the little brunette for any possible escape. As for Sans, you really couldn’t tell just what he was doing. The skeleton was just glaring at the child with his white eye lights. Watching them for a few moments, the three seemed to mutter amongst themselves. They were speaking too softly for you to hear anything. Surprising really, you thought you'd at least hear Undyne's voice. You realized that the three still didn’t realize that you had busted into the room. You guess for once it was a good thing that you were constantly forgotten wherever you went. You never thought you’d be grateful for such a shitty thing.

“All we have to do is go over there and take the little runt. Just let me handle everything else." You could practically hear the grin on Flowey's face as he hid in your hair once more. Frowning a bit at his words, you whispered, “Is it really such a good idea to take Frisk out of here? Maybe they can help them…”

“Those shitty monsters aren’t going to be able to help at all. You really think that devil is going to let these idiots go free after trapping them in this place? They’re going to kill all of them the second they find a way to get free,” the buttercup explained, keeping his eyes on the scene ahead. Taking a deep breath, you stood there in silence for a moment.

You didn’t feel like it was a good idea to just take Frisk and run. After all, if they somehow escaped your grasp, the child could kill more monsters. However, you also knew that Flowey was right in some regards. The moment that Frisk got out of those binds - and you were sure they eventually would, even without your help - the child would kill the three monsters and continue their slaughter. It was only a matter of time. After all, you knew how conniving the child could be. In the end, the decision you made could ultimately determine the fate of the timeline entirely. Now then, just what were you going to do?

Oh yeah, this totally wasn’t a stressful decision at all. This was going to be so easy to figure out. No pressure at all. Yep, no pressure.

You’re screwed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20 - Ruining Your Day

Still standing in the doorway of the room, it took a moment before you silently made your way into the dark corner of the room. Back pressed against the cool wall, the sensation caused a shiver to roll up your spine. Once you were positive that the monsters were still unaware of your presence, you took a seat on the tiled floor and simply watched from afar. For now, you’d take the time to examine just how the group of magical beings planned on helping Frisk. However, in the end, you were already aware that you would follow through with Flowey’s idea to take the brunette child.

While you weren’t exactly sure of what the buttercup had in mind, he had informed you in the past that there was a plan he intended to follow through with. Flowey’s plan had been vaguely mentioned back when you first left the Ruins. The menace had stated that the both of you were going to get your hands on the ability to reset so that things could be brought back to normal. Well… you wanted things back to normal but Flowey had admitted that he wished to control the timelines.

Honestly, at this point in time, you rather have someone else in control of the timelines instead of Frisk. Thought you believed that no one should wield such power, there currently wasn’t an option for the power to simply disappear. Until you could find a way to destroy the ability to reset completely, you would rather it be in the hands of someone who was constantly by your side. Even if you didn’t fully trust the golden flower, at least he was always within arms reach so you could try to stop him if he tried to do something drastic.

Shaking the thoughts from your head, you focused on the scene playing out before you. There had never been a moment when you thought that your easily forgettable personage could be good but it seemed like a blessing now. As long as you kept to yourself and stayed mostly out of sight, the other monsters were oblivious to your presence in the room. It still hurt to know that you were part of the background no matter what but at least you could use the ability to your advantage for once.

Time ticked by slowly as you sat in the cold corner of the room. At some point, you had started zoning out all the words the monsters were saying. After all, you were pretty sure they’d started repeating their conversation at some point. It was just the same conversation spoken in different ways and it was starting to make you doze off. In fact, a nap was sounding really good right about now...

Of course, there was no way that Flowey would let you fall asleep. Every time your head would bob, the flower would slightly tighten his vines around you to wake you up. It was starting to get a bit annoying but you could understand why your companion was trying to keep you awake. That didn’t mean you were happy about it though.

After what must have been an hour or two, the trio of monsters finally left the room. Even though you had seen them walk out the door, you didn’t move until their voices had faded off into the distance. Pushing yourself onto your feet, you slowly made your way towards Frisk as if they were a trapped animal that could lash out any moment. The child didn’t seem to notice your presence at all. In fact, the brunette was too busy thrashing about to notice anything going on around them.

Once you were beside the murderous entity, you simply stared at them. All at once, you found yourself second-guessing this entire plan as a small voice in the back of your head seems to scream at your idiocy. Perhaps if you turned around now and simply went back to the Ruins, you could pretend this never happened. You could simply close your eyes and act as if you had never left the safety of your room. From there, the child would eventually do whatever it was they wanted before the inevitable reset came about.

However, a larger part of you was ready to end it all. Though it may be foolish, you’d come this far with Flowey and there was no turning back now. Together, you two would finally strip Frisk of their reset ability and put everything the way it should be. Toriel would get the happy ending she deserved, whether she remembered you or not. There would no longer be a need to worry about a genocidal child. Maybe they’d disappear for good or perhaps it had been the power that had sent them over the edge to begin with. Either way, things were finally coming to a close.

“Frisk,” the flower hissed, popping out from your hair. Hearing their name, the child paused in their struggle to look up. Despite their usually cold eyes, the child seemed rather surprised to see the two of you there. For a moment, no one spoke as the silence wrapped around the odd group. However, Flowey was quick to break the silence, “Either reset the timeline or we’re taking drastic measures.”

For a moment, the child simply stared at the buttercup as if processing the words he had said. It was then that Frisk did something they had never done before - vocally laugh. Taken by surprise, you hesitated as you found yourself unsure of just what to do. All the time that you had known them had been filled with silent laughter and wide grins. For all 302 resets, you’d been under the belief that Frisk was mute because they were unable to talk. However, now it had been shoved in your face that they could speak but simply didn’t want to.

Before you could finish processing everything, the child spat, “Drastic measures? From you? Don’t make me laugh! As if I could be scared of a pathetic little weed. Get out of here before you ruin my plans again, Azzy.”

Azzy…? Why in the world would they call Flowey by such a name? It was becoming increasingly obvious that you were missing something. Despite the fact that you were part of the conversation, it felt more like you were an outsider looking in. The child hadn't even acknowledged your presence. There was history between these two, something that your monster companion had kept hidden from you. Though you opened your mouth to speak, you were cut off by the flower, “I’m sick of all this! _____, knock them out.”

“Knock them out? Flowey, I don’t even have something hard enough to do that!” You fumbled and glanced around the room for an item. Desperately scanning the area, you saw a pale green dog bowl on the floor. You picked it up and dumped the food onto the ground. It was sturdy enough as it was made out of metal. As long as you didn’t swing too hard, you should be able to knock out the child without harming them too badly.

Quickly making your way back to their bedside, you raised the bowl over your head. Hesitating as you stared at the child, you found yourself remembering the few happy times you had with them. Why had it come down to this? Certainly there could have been some way to stop all this from happening in the first place. It was too late though, Frisk had already ruined so many timelines and something had to be done.

You simply hoped they could forgive you once it was all over.

Swinging the metal bowl down, it hit the side of the child’s head with a thud. Wincing at the noise, you made sure Frisk had been knocked out. Silently apologizing for your actions, you dropped the makeshift weapon before asking, “Now what?"

“I have a plan." Flowey crawled down your arm and flopped onto the bed before straightening up. Turning back to you, he stated, “I’m going to take Frisk to the Judgement Hall. We should be close enough to the barrier to have a chance of stripping them of their power. I can only take one person with me whenever I move through the earth. That means you’ll have to meet me there. It’s a straight shot to the Judgment Hall from here so there's no possible way you could get lost. Do you think you can make it alone?”

It didn't sound like you had a choice in the matter. Giving a nod as a response, you found yourself believing in the future to come. There wasn’t much time left before you and Flowey would finally be able to fix all of the mistakes Frisk had made. Helping your companion with the straps trapping the brunette to the bed, you grinned with excitement as the last buckle came undone. Neither of you could have expected the piercing alarm that started to blare once the straps were all undone. Paired with the blinking red lights that started soon after, it felt as if you were a spy caught in a cheesy movie heist.

Staring at Flowey with wide eyes, realization struck you as the alarm continued to blare. Alphys must have set it us so that an alarm would go off if Frisk escaped. Without realizing it, you two had given yourselves away to the monsters upstairs. You took a deep breath in hopes of calming yourself with the alarm continued. Letting the little bravery you had take over, you tried your best to shout over the piercing wails filling the air, “Get out of here! I’ll meet up with you!”

It seemed that Flowey must have heard you because he was quick to wrap his vines around the unconscious child and break the tile with some others. Watching him sink into the earth, you were left alone to fend for yourself. Quickly turning on your heel, you headed for the door that you had originally entered from.

You found yourself unable to hear anything besides the screams of the alarm as it covered up even your footsteps. Unable to rely on your hearing, the only way you would know someone was near would be if you saw them. However, that meant that they may also end up seeing you. Shaking the thoughts from your mind, you did your best to backtrack. All you needed to do was get to the elevator and then you would be home free.

You just had to hope that no one would be getting out the elevator when you got there.

There were several times where you swore you saw something move from the corner of your eye. However, no matter how many times you looked, there was never anything there. Hoping that it was simply paranoia messing with your mind, you continued on your path to freedom. As you were dashing down the final hallway which led to the elevator, panic filled you as you heard a shout over the alarm.

Unsure of what else to do, you quickly backtracked on yourself. Panting as you ran, sweat started to bead on your forehead as your heart went into overdrive. As you once again entered the room with the odd door and vending machine, you nearly threw yourself into a corner. You could only hope that you would once again blend into the background as you pressed your back against the wall.

All you could do was hold your breath as you waited for whoever had yelled to make their way over. It wasn’t long before Alphys and Undyne ran into the room. While the scientist seems flustered and panicked over the entire situation, the warrior of the Underground was armed with a recognizable glowing spear. Just seeing the weapon that had pierced through you before sent shivers down your spine and caused your body to ache.

For a moment, you were fearful that they’d see you with ease. After all, it wasn’t as if you were in a good hiding spot. You were simply relying on your forgettable personage for cover. Seemingly unaware of your presence, the two ran past you and towards the room where Frisk had been held captive. Letting out a small sigh of relief, you pushed yourself off the wall and made your escape.

Standing before the elevator, you impatiently waited for the doors to open. Tapping your foot rapidly against the ground, you kept glancing behind you as if someone would be there at any moment. The elevator soon bathed you in white light as the doors finally opened. As if you’d just been granted a pardon from a death sentence, you ran into the small safe haven. Slamming your hand onto the close door button, you weren’t able to relax until the doors finally shut.

Practically collapsing against the back wall of the elevator, you let loose a breath you were unaware you’d been holding. You closed your eyes as the hum of the elevator moving upwards surrounded you. The cries of the alarm were slowly dying out as you moved closer to freedom. Positive that you were home free, you gave yourself a moment to relax and prepare yourself to journey towards the Judgement Hall. You’d made a promise to meet Flowey there and it was one you intended to keep.

Before you had time to truly relax, the elevator shook and you crashed onto the floor. Fear shot through you as the lights went out and your vision went black. Struggling to get back up in the dark, you fumbled around as you tried to find a wall. Once your hands touched the solid surface of a wall, you stood there as desperately waited for the lights to come back. It felt like an eternity before the lights flickered back to life. Almost instantly, you wished they had never come back on as you stared at the figure standing before you.

Terror made your knees give out on you and you quickly fell to the ground once more. Staring up at the figure who had somehow gotten into the elevator, your eyes were unable to leave the empty voids of his sockets. In that moment, the silence between you two felt like the loudest thing you had ever heard. Trying your best not to hyperventilate, you prayed that you were simply seeing things. However, you found yourself unable to deny the reality of the situation as the monster finally spoke.

"just when i thought i'd dealt with the most pressing problem, another one shows up and ruins everything i've done so far. just how many of you roaches are running around?"

Chapter Text

Chapter 21 - Confrontation

The elevator wasn’t moving, as if some force was keeping it from continuing its path up. Staring up into the empty sockets of the stocky skeleton monster, you knew that he must be the cause for the sudden stop. Though it had felt like an eternity ago, you could remember the time back at the skeleton brothers’ house when Frisk had been held down by blue magic of some sort. You’d been in too much of a daze back then from the rapid blood loss to think much of it but now you knew it must’ve been Sans’ magic. It wasn’t a big leap to think that perhaps he could control gravity, especially with how easily he’d held Frisk down back then.

“do you really think you have the luxury of staying silent right now? s t a r t  t a l k i n g . how’d you get down here without us noticing?”

It felt like the walls were closing in on you as you struggled to calm your heartbeat. There was nowhere to run and no possibility of blending into the background with Sans staring you down so intensely. Your mind was racing, struggling to open your mouth and say anything.

Did he remember you dying? Did he remember you at all? No, surely that couldn’t be the case. You’d melted into the background so many timelines ago that the possibility of being remembered seemed like an impossible dream. All the anger and suspicion radiating off of the skeleton had to be from the fact that you were a human - an adult human - in the Underground.

The silence was growing longer by the second. All the air trapped within the tiny elevator seemed to be getting thicker, slowly suffocating you with the overwhelming feeling of magic. It was as if Sans was trying to show off just how easily it’d be to finish you off. Even if you knew that you couldn’t truly be killed due to your ability, being slaughtered over and over seemed like an even worse route. At least most people would just die once and never feel the pain again. Meanwhile, you were oh so lucky to be able to come back and suffer as many times as you pleased to get the outcome you desired.

How fun.

“I just walked in and took the elevator down. It’s not like there was anyone to stop me from coming in." Your heart was still rapidly beating in your chest. It was the truth too. Back when you’d taken the elevator, everyone else had already been downstairs. The only bit of force that had been used was Flowey’s doing. Not like that could be blamed on you. How could a human like you rip open a metal door?

Though Sans was shorter than you, it felt as if he was towering over your form. Trying to stand up was an impossibility with how uncooperative your body was being. There was no strength in your form as it took everything you had just to keep your eyes on the skeleton. Squatting down, he grabbed the front of your shirt before yanking you forward slightly. Empty sockets stared you down as he spoke, “what’d you do with the kid? don't play games and i'll make your death quick.”

“Never saw them." Your words were quick, spewed out in a desperate attempt to cover for yourself. You’d never been the best at lying but even you knew just how terrible that attempt had been. You’d responded too fast, as if you’d been preparing for that question ever since the monster first appeared in the elevator.

Sans released the front of your shirt and straightened up, staring you down before his left eye socket flared to life. Cyan and gold swirled together, spewing from the area like a wildfire as a force threw you to the left. Gasping in pain, it felt like your brain was ratting inside your skull as you struggled to grab onto something. There were no railings inside the elevator though, just smooth metallic walls and tile floors. The skeleton tossed you around a few more times before the magic enveloping your body dissipated.

Pain throbbed throughout your body as you curled in on yourself. It definitely felt as if you’d broken your left arm after being treated like a rag doll. Without even checking, you were sure that your skin would be blooming with splotches of blue and purple. Forcing yourself to look back up at the monster, it was clear that Sans wasn’t completely focused on you anymore. He was still on guard and aware that you were in the room, yet part of his mind was already racing to figure out what to do next.

Sweat was dripping down the side of his skull, something you hadn’t realized the skeleton could do. Sure, he was a monster, but bones didn’t sweat. At least, that’s what Toriel had taught you during the science lessons she’d given during your years growing up with her. He was muttering under his breath, his mind rushing in a race against time to find Frisk before they could ruin things even more.

“i’m wasting time here. even with how odd things have been this time, things have to play out similar to how they usually do. the underground is a straight path, the kid must be trying to head out.”

Glancing back at you, the skeleton was fell silent as he weighed something in his mind. It wasn’t long before he spoke again, “i’d say don’t go anywhere but i doubt you can right now anyway. undyne’s gunna have a hell of a time once she gets here.”

Without more of an explanation, the skeleton simply vanished into thin air before your very eyes. For a moment, the lights flickered before the elevator began to hum once more. It slowly began its ascension after having been stuck for so long. Trying to pull yourself back together, you slowly pushed yourself back onto your feet. It was hard to stay standing and you’d taken to leaning against the wall for support. As much as you’d love to simply stay put and sleep, it wasn’t a luxury you could afford.
Flowey had Frisk and Sans was trying to get the murderous tyke back. That meant the plant monster was in trouble. Even though you knew that the flower had some strength, there was no way it could compare to the magic the skeleton had just displayed. Trying to compare the two was like comparing a car battery to a power plant - just a laughable attempt.

Once the elevator stopped moving and the door slid open, you stepped back out into the lab. Keeping close to the wall in order to support yourself, your steps fumbled as you struggled to move without pain surging through you. You had to get to Flowey as soon as possible, there was no way he’d be able to handle Frisk is Sans swooped in and go in the way.

Walking out of the lab, the heat hit you full force as you began to limp forward. There was nothing left to lean on, making every step a struggle to stay balanced. Taking a left, it wasn’t long before your feet hit rosy metallic cylinders and your eyes stared out to the sea of conveyor belts in the distance. Without even continuing forward, it was becoming increasingly obvious that this entire area was set up to be one huge puzzle. In your current state, you weren’t sure if you’d be able to make it through without falling off the edge and into the magma below.

You took the time to assess the damage that'd come from getting tossed around in the elevator. It was mostly bruising. Splotches in ugly shades of purple covered parts of your skin. Nothing was broken though, you'd take that. The shoulder that Gerson had patched up for you felt horrible after the one-sided smackdown with Sans but at least it'd stayed in its socket. You just had to be content with small victories.

Mentally preparing yourself to push through the pain and continue forward, you nearly jumped as something wrapped around your ankle. You watched as vines broke through the metal pipes and wrapped around your legs. Flowey was quick to show his face, a scowl on his face, “You look like shit.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. Perhaps it was the heat getting to you or maybe your sanity was finally crumbling after everything that had happened this timeline but the flower’s blunt statement was the tipping point. Laughing hurt you but it was a better alternative to crying. “I feel like it too. Getting tossed around in an elevator does that to you.”

“Speaking of that idiot’s magic,” Flowey started, “That trash bag just had to show up and ruin everything. Him and the brat are fighting. You were taking too long and I can’t handle both of them myself. I thought I might as well come and get you. They can wear each other out and then we’ll make the final strike! It’s perfect.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Good. Now try not to squirm. It’s already bad enough that I need to touch your nasty skin,” he grumbled, his vines releasing your legs. Before you could question him, Flowey’s vines extended from the ground. Wrapping around the two of you like a cocoon, all you could see was the dark green of his thorns before he was swallowed into the ground and you went along with him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 22 - Parallels

You’d instinctively taken a deep breath when Flowey's vines wrapped around you like a cocoon. All you could see was darkness as the ground beneath you began to shift. Though you couldn’t see just what was going on around you, it was hard to ignore just what you were feeling. Things around you were beginning to shift as it felt just like you were back on an elevator, sinking down into the ground before suddenly being jolted to the right. The shaking made it feel like you were in a dryer set on the spin cycle. You fell against the vines surrounding you due to the unexpected shifting. Instead of trying to get back up, you simply stayed sitting inside the little pod of vines.

There was no way for you to tell how long you’d been there but with the current situation, you were sure Flowey was moving as fast as possible. It wasn’t long before you felt the shifting around you stop. Things were silent before there was a strong upward force. The vines peeled away soon after, leaving you in an unfamiliar place.

“Don’t expect that to happen ever again. Traveling with someone Frisk’s size is bad enough so trying to move you around was a shit show,” the flower spat, popping up to the left side of you. A small smile made its way onto your face before you rolled your eyes, “As much as I’d love to sit here and argue with you, I think it’s time we put your plan into action. How'd Frisk even wake up?”

You expected a snappy answer just like he always gave so it came as a surprise when Flowey stayed silent. The familiar feeling of vines wrapping around your left arm helped you feel a bit more grounded. It wasn’t long before yellow petals popped up from beneath the strap of your tank top, brushing against your cheek. The flower wasn’t looking at you, instead gazing out ahead at the current scene, “The brat must’ve woken up when I was moving them."

It made enough sense seeing as how you’d been tossed around a bit on the way here. You didn't think it was possible for someone to stay asleep through that unless they were in a coma. Your eyes turned away from your partner to take in the new area. Almost instantly, you were swept away by just how breathtaking the place was. Sure, all the areas in the Underground had been beautiful in their own ways but this was on a whole other level.

Checkered tiles in shades of honey and tangerine covered the floor of the hall. Those warm orange tones went well with the dandelion yellow walls and the large, ornate pillars that seemed to be made of sandstone. The thing that really set the hall apart from the rest of the Underground were the seven stained glass windows set within the wall, each one with the Delta Rune in a golden hue. Sunlight streamed through those windows, bathing the area in a warm glow.

Your vision started to blur, confusion filling you for a moment before you brought a hand up you your eyes. Fingertips touched below your eyes, coming away wet. Tears… you were crying? Staring down at your hands, tears began to stream down your cheeks as your emotions hit you full force. Just how long has it been since you’d seen sunlight? When was the last time those golden rays had touched your skin? You’d been 13 when you’d fallen down… that was 8 years ago. All those years with Toriel had filled you with joy but it wasn’t until now that you’d realized how much you’d missed that sunlight. For you, it had only been 8 years but these monsters had spent a century without it. If 8 years without the sun could bring you to tears at the sight of it, just how much were the residents of the Underground suffering? How many monsters had been born and passed away without ever seeing the glow of the sun? The starry sky?

You didn't want to think about it.

The room began to shake as an explosion went off, taking you away from your overwhelming emotions. You reminded yourself that you were here to fix things. There was no time to get caught up in your emotions. Wiping your tears away with the heels of your hands, you were quick to spot Frisk and Sans facing each other in the middle of the hall. The two were in the midst of a fight, the brunette clutching their knife with a grin on their face while the skeleton tried to hold them off with his magic. It seemed like neither of them had noticed you yet, a small blessing. It would give you some more time to set Flowey’s plan into motion… whatever it was. It’d really be easier if he’d just tell you.

Sure, you knew the basics - steal the power to reset from Frisk. However, you still had no clue just how he planned to do it. Flowey had said that he could do it and you trusted him yet it was still troubling to not know everything. Perhaps he thought you’d screw it up if you knew? It was a little hurtful to think that may be the case.

“Listen up,” Flowey stated, his voice low and close to your ear, “I’m going to grab something we need for this plan to work. You distract the smiley trashbag and the little murder baby. I mean, they’re distracting each other enough as it is but either one of them dies then it’ll put a wrench in the plan. Got it?”

“So I just gotta play babysitter for a few minutes? Seems easy enough. Not like they can really kill me.” You watched as the two continued to clash and wondered how you could compete with that. Flowey didn’t respond to your words, simply unwrapping himself from your arm before hopping onto the tile. He was gone in an instant, sinking into the ground without another word. It was strange enough that he hadn’t said a word before leaving and you found it stranger that he’d even bothered hopping onto your arm if he was just going to leave a few minutes later.

Maybe he was growing more attached to you? How cute. 

Focusing on the task at hand, all you could do was wait for an opening during the ongoing fight. Frisk was constantly rushing at Sans to try and get a swing in. However, the supposedly lazy skeleton was dodging every slash of the blade with ease. For every attack from the kid, he reacted with an attack of his own. Hundreds of bones were thrown at the child along with an occasional summon of some odd dog-skull like creature that shot out cyan beams of light. The entire fight reminded you of the over the top fight scenes that always dominated the few cartoons you’d ever had the chance of seeing.

In a way, it was almost as if Sans had seen this scene play out before. He was always one step ahead of Frisk, teleporting out of the way with ease. Taunts and puns were leaving his mouth despite the sweat dripping down the side of his skull. That was impossible though. There was no way he remembered the resets too… right?

It was then that there was a small stutter in the fighting as Sans tried to catch his breath, clearly exhausted from the nonstop fighting. Frisk saw an opportunity in that moment and moved to lunge at the skeleton. Adrenaline filled your veins as you rushed forward, not willing to stay passive and watch another monster turn to dust before your eyes. Even if Sans had tossed you around like a rag doll just moments ago, you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you did nothing.

Anyway, Papyrus had shown you so much kindness during the short amount of time you’d spent with him. He’d cared for you and fed you after being killed by Frisk before his very eyes. The tall skeleton hadn’t even bothered to try and interrogate you about how you’d survived, simply pleased with the fact that you were alive.

You would save the punny skeleton for Papyrus' sake if nothing else.

Throwing yourself in between Frisk and Sans, you grabbed the straps of your backpack and swung it around. Holding it up like a shield, you ignored the throbbing pain in your right shoulder as the murderous child’s knife easily sliced through the fabric. The large tear was enough to cause the food at the bottom of your bag to tumble out, bags and cans making noise as they hit the tile.

Gerson had said that it’d take a week or two for your shoulder to completely heal after having that spear pierced through it yet you were already straining it. It didn’t help that you’d been tossed around earlier either. You weren’t sure just how long you’d be able to keep this up without ruining all the work the old turtle had done to patch you up.

Meeting with those blood red eyes, you were quick to speak, “You know, it’s not very nice to kick someone when they’re down. Guess you lost your kindness a long time ago, right, Snickerdoodle?”

Wow, it'd been a long time since that nickname left your lips.

The child seemed surprised that you were there, taking a few steps away from you with wide eyes. They clearly weren’t sure just what to do as you’d never even left the pseudo-safety of your bedroom . Frisk had been so used to you staying there that they’d forgotten about you for hundreds of resets. It hadn’t been until that time in the skeleton brothers’ home that they’d even remembered your existence. Now you were showing up and scolding them as if you were part of some family?

How stupid.

“i didn’t need your help,” Sans stated, his eyes set in a glare as he stared at your back. He couldn’t figure out how you’d gotten here so fast. Had you avoided Undyne? He’d certainly done some damage when he’d tried interrogating you back in the elevator. It just didn’t make any sense.

“I don’t remember asking for your permission,” you replied, not bothering to look back at the skeleton. If you took your eyes off Frisk for even a moment, you were sure they’d take the opportunity to strike you down. They’d shown no hesitation when trying to dust Sans. You added, “Gotta admit that I'm a little confused. How'd you get your ass handed to you back then with magic like that, S?"

You couldn't see his reaction when you'd called him that way. In the back of your mind, you knew it was dumb to be doing this now. Part of you had decided to call him S to see if he actually did remember timelines. It would've been better if you did it when you could see his face though. This was a big shot in the dark. If you were wrong, you'd just sound crazy to him.

"you..."

Frisk rushed you again. Taking a step back, you threw the remains of your backpack at the child. The distraction was enough for you get some distance away from the brunette. A scream ripped from the child's throat and they shredded your bag with the knife. You made a mental note to pull your journal - or whatever remained of it - out of that bag once this was all over. It wouldn’t be good if someone got their hands on that.

Sans brough a hand up to wipe away some of the sweat dripping down his skull, “usually i’m not the type to trust any person just showing up outta the blue but it doesn’t seem like i got much of a choice right now.” His voice sounded hesitant though. You glanced at him to try and make sense of it but your confusion only grew instead. As the skeleton looked at you, his browbone was a bit furrowed. His expression made it seem like he was struggling to remember something. As if there was information at the back of his mind that kept slipping through his fingers. Odd but there was no time to question it.

A chill ran down your spine as an oppressive amount of magic seemed to fill the air. Without looking behind you, it was obvious that it was coming from the stout skeleton. All this magic felt the same as the elevator had once he’d appeared inside it. Voice dripping with venom, he stated, “if you try to attack me though, you'll be in for a bad time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you mumbled. A war cry left Frisk’s mouth as they lunged forward in a rage. The sudden attack had taken you by surprise as you stumbled backwards. Just as it seemed like the blade would catch the fabric of your tank top, the child was wrapped up in a familiar blue glow. They were thrown backwards like a speeding bullet before slamming against one of the sandstone pillars. Watching the glow fade away, Frisk was motionless as they laid within the wreckage of the crumbling pillar. Sans stepped forward to stand beside you, his left eye blazing with magic. “Thanks for the save.”

“consider it repayment for earlier. besides, it’d be bad for me if that kid gained any more exp. they might’ve not killed everyone but they’re still pretty damn strong.”

Before you could respond, Frisk was back on their feet. It was clear that they’d taken quite a bit of damage. Blood was dripping from a gash on the left side of their head and they were covered in dust and bits of rubble. They were glaring you two down, anger in their eyes before they spat, “Why the hell aren’t you dead?!”

“well kiddo, you haven’t landed a h-”

“Not you! Her! I know I’ve killed her this timeline. It was the only time that killing anyone was any fun, there was finally some blood spilling in this place. None of this dust brings such a strong adrenaline rush quite like blood does,” they yelled, cutting Sans off.

You were still trying to get used to hearing Frisk speak as the only other time they’d ever spoken was back at the lab. For hundreds of timelines, you’d always assumed that the child was mute until today. That wasn’t the shocking part. Not at all. The fact that Frisk had mentioned the timelines in front of the skeleton sent your mind reeling. You had already out together that Frisk remembered everything. However, you didn't think they'd be spouting stuff about timelines in front of others.

Then you realized that Sans hadn’t even reacted to the mention of timelines. He seemed rather calm. Confusion spread across his face before a mocking grin took over. "you sure that all these resets aren’t just starting to overlap in your mind? i always knew you were a murderous little brat but i had no clue that you were going insane too.”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I know I’m not wrong! I killed them in your house! In front of you and your loud-mouthed brother!” they screamed, stomping their feet on the ground. It was embarrassing to realze that this was the person who'd committed genocide for so many timelines. They were throwing a temper tantrum. It made Frisk seem more like their age and you struggled to decide it that was comforting or eerie. On one hand, they looked more like a child but it also meant that such an immature person had slaughtered without a care in the world.

“You’re right. You did kill me." If the two of them were comfortable talking about timelines, you saw no point in trying to hide that you remembered too. You'd already been trying to feel out if Sans remembered and it was clear both of them knew what was going on. At your comment, two sets of eyes snapped to your form. Not missing a beat, you continued on, “Did you think you were the only special one down here? That’s pretty conceited.”

“what the hell?” muttered Sans. The disbelief on his face was obvious, eyes scanning you as if searching for a hint to show you were lying. There was no lie to find though. That meant that somehow, he'd forgotten that another human had been slaughtered in his home. Sans knew that something had happened in his home and that was why Frisk had been taken to the lab but he couldn't remember what had occurred. The memory was hazy. The more he thought about it, the stranger it was. Why was his memory so foggy when it relates to anything about this other human? He couldn't even ask questions since the kid wouldn't shut up.

“Only one person can have the power to reset. That’s a fact! The most determined person is the one that gets the power and that’s me. Even Azzy has never been able to take it away from me unless he had all six souls.”

“Who said I could reset?” The longer you spoke, the stronger you began to feel. Confidence slowly started to fill you up as you stared Frisk down. If anyone was going to put this rampaging child in their place verbally, it was going to be you. You were so sick of being passive - tired of standing on the sidelines as they killed your mother over and over again. You would never be the type to resort to violence but your words were a different story. 

“Resetting is for little kids like you that can’t own up to their mistakes. You can’t face the consequences of your actions; that’s why you constantly overwrite them. You never get scolded, never get put in your place. You’re a child who’s too scared to take their punishment.”

Frisk tried to speak up but you cut them off before they had the chance. The anger was radiating off them in waves yet you couldn’t find it in yourself to care. All the anger inside you was spilling out. The damn had broken. You were grinning the longer you spoke, “I’m different from you. I can face the consequences of my actions. Hell, before I fell into the Underground, it felt like I only ever got punished. Being in the foster system does that, y’know. It’s not always great but those few times where you end up in a good home feel like dreams. That life is what gave me the strength to keep going. I don’t give up, I push through all the hard obstacles that end up in my path. You might restart things… but I continue them.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 23 - Deep Wounds

“Bullshit! You’re lying. You have to be,” the red-eyed child snapped, their face taking on an angry snarl. Their grip on the knife tightened as they tensed. They were in denial, unwilling to believe your words because that meant there was someone who could rival them. Sans had always been the hardest obstacle and - though it took many many tries - they had always succeeded. One hit and the skeleton would be dust, it was as simple as that.

Knowing that there was someone roaming the Underground who seemingly couldn't stay dead terrified them. How could they win a fight if the opponent could just come back? It was a mix-up to the rules that had been set in stone throughout hundreds of resets. There had never been such a curveball before this. Sure, every reset was a little different but this was game-changing. 

The rules that both Frisk and Sans had been playing by for years had been shattered.

You opened your mouth to question what you'd gain by lying about such a thing but you weren’t given the chance. The brunette child rushed you, a scream leaving them as they raised the knife over their head. Survival instincts took over as you backpedaled and narrowly dodged the swing. The knife ended up embedded in the tile floor, making you wonder just how strong such a small child could be. Had they truly become that strong from slaughtering monsters or was the hall shoddily made?

Phantom pain from the slash they’d drawn across your chest back in the skeletons’ home gave you an unspoken answer.

Bones flew past you, some getting close enough to kick up a small whirlwind around you but none touching your skin. The bones got embedded in the ground, narrowly missing the small child as they struggled to yank their weapon out of the tiles. The knife finally came free with a strong tug yet it came with a price. Three long bones pierced Frisk’s stomach as they stood and the child coughed out blood. The protrusions disappeared quickly after making their mark yet that only caused the blood to flow freely as red began to stain their shirt.

“hey, i know you’re trying to help out here but can you do something beside dodge?” Sans questioned, his eye still flickering cyan and yellow as he looked towards you. A nervous laugh left you as you felt stray strands of hair sticking to your sweat-covered neck, “Is now a bad time to mention that I’ve never been in a fight before? Wait, that’s not exactly true. It’s more accurate to say that all the fights I’ve been in were one-sided. Haha… Ha… Sorry.”

The skeleton was silent as the magic faded from his eye, white pinpricks of light reappearing in his sockets. He scanned you over silently as if waiting for a punchline. None ever came. Sweat began to bead on the side of his skull again, “fuck, you’re serious. usually i’d be pretty glad to hear that but in this situation it just puts us at a disadvantage.”

Another soft sorry passed your lips but it was lost to the world as a cry of pain left Frisk. Your eyes instantly found the brunette, watching as they pressed their right arm firmly against the wounds on their stomach. Their left hand plunged into their pocket, pulling out a couple pieces of monster candy. The child didn’t even bother trying to unwrap it and shoved the candy into their mouth. Crunching of hard candy mingled with the crinkling of cellophane as Frisk devoured it all, their wounds healing enough to stop the bleeding.

“You’re gunna regret giving me the chance to eat.”

From there on, the fight continued. Sans focused on attacking and you did your best to play distraction when it came to Frisk. Your words about your power had enraged them because they were rarely aiming for the skeleton at this point. The brunette’s focus was entirely on you, wild swings and stabs flying in a desperate attempt to land a hit. Your dodging was clumsy yet you’d been doing a good job so far. The few times you’d stumbled, the child had managed to get a few hits on you. Sans always ended up flinging the child away before it could become fatal.

You had no idea how long the fight had been going on for. Time passed by in a blur as you fought for your life. Well, more like Sans’ life. You would come back if struck down here. For your temporary partner and the few monsters who had escaped the child’s genocide though, there was no second chance. The longer this fight went on, the less likely it would be for you two to win. Sans was clearly getting tired, his attacks coming slower as he struggled to keep his eyes open. As for you, sweat had soaked your clothes, running down in small trails as your breathing was labored. You’d never been the most athletic person and the fact you’d kept it together this long was honestly a miracle.

It was hard to gauge just how much longer both of you could keep this up for but it certainly wouldn’t be enough.

Where was Flowey and what was taking him so long? The fact that he hadn’t shown up yet was beginning to worry you. He was the only reason you’d left the Ruins in the first place, putting hope in his whispers of finding a way to stop all the resets. You had been skeptical back then but throughout all your traveling together, you’d like to think you two had gotten closer. However, now it seemed as if you’d simply been tricked and left for dead. That wasn’t the case, right?

As if to prove you wrong, the red-eyed child ran at you once more. You moved to dodge but all the fighting had finally caught up with you. A dizzy spell hit you hard as black spots overtook your vision. Tripping over your own feet, you fell to the ground with a thud. Whipping your head around to look over your shoulder, wide eyes stared in horror at the glittering metal that was about to pierce your skin.

It was then that the ground shook before vines shot out from the tiles. Shards of ceramic flew and familiar thorny vines wrapped around Frisk and threw them away from you with ease. Relief flooded you as Flowey popped out in front of you with his attention turned to the brunette. Shakily getting back onto your feet, you were about to move towards your travel companion only for a skeletal hand to grab your forearm. Glancing at Sans in confusion, your eyebrows furrowed together at the grim look on his face. “wouldn’t get too close to that, kid. hate to break it to ya since the thing just saved you and all but that weed is bad news.”

Yanking your arm away from Sans, you didn’t bother to respond to his words. Who was he to judge your friend like that? Flowey had stuck with you throughout all of this. Meanwhile, all Sans had done was throw you around due to his constant suspicions. He had helped you out a little with Frisk during this fight but it was more for his benefit than anything else. After all, he hadn’t wanted the kid to get any more EXP - he'd said so himself - since he was already struggling to hold his own.

“I was so worried you weren’t coming back,” you admitted, rushing over to the buttercup’s side. Holding a hand out to Flowey, a small smile made its way onto his face as he retracted the thorns on his vines. The flower monster wrapped around your right arm with ease before resting himself in the crook of your neck. You guessed that Flowey wasn't going to hide his presence anymore.

“You did better than I thought you would with making sure these idiots didn’t slaughter each other. Nice job." The buttercup looked between Frisk and Sans to gauge the situation. Frisk was pretty beat up and Sans was covered in sweat but neither were dead. You were injured though nothing was fatal, something that the flower was surprised about. He’d assumed you’d be covered in more blood than you currently were just from the previous experiences he had with you in fights. You and fighting mixed like oil and water - terribly. Flowey guessed he had the smiley trashbag to thank for your slightly injured form instead of some mutilated mess. He’d never voice that aloud.

He hated that damn monster.

“A compliment from you? I must be dying!” you laughed, teasing the buttercup holding onto your arm. Before anything else could be said, the skeleton behind you cut in, “you know this monstrosity?”

Looking over your shoulder, you saw no need to keep quiet anymore. You had promised not to mention him to other monsters but Flowey had already revealed himself. That must’ve made the deal null and void, right? You nodded your head, “Obviously. Who do you think convinced me to leave the Ruins? I haven’t stepped past those doors during all 8 years I’ve been down here - not including how many years passed through all those resets. If it wasn’t for Flowey, well… To be honest, I’d probably still be there.”

The lights in Sans’ eye sockets disappeared like he’d blown a fuse. He must’ve been shocked by the fact that there’d been a human in the Underground for 8 years. A human that no one had known about besides Toriel. A human that had grown into an adult under the care of a boss monster. Turning your attention back to Frisk, you prepared yourself for their next attack. It never came. Instead, the child started laughing.

Their laughter pierced the air and caused a shudder to rush down your spine. It felt like the child was detached from the situation, not truly processing how terrible what they were doing was. Sure, you’d gotten that into your head a while ago. Frisk was killing monsters without a care in the world. However, they’d always been angry or emotionless never joyful like this. They were laughing at all this and it was disgusting.

“So what? You’ve decided to betray me now, Asriel?” they questioned, their grip on the knife firm. A twisted smile graced their features, “C’mon now. You’ve never been able to stop me before. What makes you think that now will be any different?”

Without a word, more vines shot out of the ground. You hadn’t even been aware that your partner could control vines within the earth if he wasn’t in the ground himself. Within these vines were brightly colored cartoon hearts - no, not cartoon hearts. You recognized them just like you recognized your own. These were souls of all different colors. The flower pulled these vines close to your body, allowing them to hover around the two of you. Blue, green, light blue, orange, purple, and yellow glowed around you, the souls radiating just a little bit of heat. They felt so alive despite the lack of bodies.

These children were radiating life in a desperate attempt to be acknowledged.

Of course, you recognized them even without a body. They were the children that had come before you, the ones that Toriel had told you about. Gabby, Tyrell, Dustin, Alexa, Kyle, and Cindy were all right here. This was what had become of them, their fate after leaving the Ruins. Your mother would be torn apart with grief if she saw this or perhaps she’d already known what would happen once they left. Maybe this was why she’d been so adamant about making sure Frisk didn’t leave.

These children hadn’t just died. No, they’d been killed and then unable to move on. Their souls had been trapped down here and they’d been forced to continue their time here. Just how long had these souls been forced to stay stuck in this odd limbo? Unable to die yet unable to truly live either? It must’ve been hellish.

Your eyes were drawn to the purple soul most of all - to Kyle. You couldn’t help but wonder just how that child had died. Just like you, his soul trait was perseverance. Had he not been able to continue like you were able to? If that were the case, then what was it that constituted if you were able to use an ability or not? It was too confusing to think about, especially with this stressful situation.

“Oh, I’m so scared,” Frisk sarcastically replied, rolling their eyes, “So what, Asriel? You’ve never been able to defeat me using the six souls before. What makes you think that this’ll end any differently? I’ll still have more determination than you! You can’t win! Just give up and dust already. You’d be more useful to me as EXP.”

Sweat ran down your skin as your nervousness began to get the better of you. Your eyes flickered down to look at Flowey as you whispered, “I’m really not liking our odds right now. Sans seems to hate you and whatever temporarily alliance I had with him is definitely over after you showed up. Frisk is still planning to slaughter all of us in cold blood. Just what did you have in mind?”

The child adjusted their grip on the knife before beginning to walk towards you two. Clearly, they were ready to fight the flower still holding onto you and end this entire spectacle. However, they paused when Flowey began to snicker. It took you by surprise, seeing how your companion had completely ignored your question and acted as if they'd heard some hilarious joke. The flower’s entire face split in half and morphed into a horro show that you'd never seen before. "You idiot! Have you forgotten how to count, Chara? I don’t have six souls. Oh, no no no. I have seven.”

Frisk’s - Chara's? Was that who red-eyes really was? - eyes widened at that statement. Their eyes locked onto you as they finally understood just why you were really here. Why Flowey had gone through the effort to have you leave the ruins. Confusion and unease stewed within you as the souls began to move around erratically. They were clearly unhappy with whatever they’d heard, making you wonder if the consciousness of those children were still locked within their very being. Kyle’s soul somehow broke free from Flowey’s vines, flying into your face as a single word seemingly radiated off of him. 

R     U     N

A piercing pain shot through your chest and forced a scream from your lungs. You fell to your knees as the shock of it all sent your body into a panic. The sounds around you were muted, as if tons of cotton had been shoved into your ears. You thought that you might’ve heard someone shout your name - or at least, the first letter of it - but that seemed unlikely. There was no one in the Judgement Hall who'd care for you. The world around you was fading in and out of focus, black spots slowly beginning to overtake everything. You forced yourself to look down at your chest only to spot vines speared through you. They’d skewered you just like Undyne’s spear had done to your shoulder.

Those vines were wrapped around your soul, keeping it trapped within their thorny grasp. Everything felt so cold and blood was rushing out of your body like a faucet. Your shaky hands came up to grasp you soul yet they fell short. One hand landed on a vine still through your chest and impaled itself on a spike. Through the haziness of your mind, you faintly realized that Flowey had betrayed you. There had never been a friendship there. You’d simply been a tool in whatever plan he had concocted. He’d played you like a fool.

As everything faded to black, all your mind could focus on was that you’d truly be alone again.

Chapter Text

Chapter 24 - Seven Souls

Your eyes were greeted by a familiar inky darkness that made up the world around you. A soft sigh left your lips as you simply lay there and let everything sink in. Flowey had betrayed you, pierced through your chest with such ease. There hadn’t been a hint of hesitation in his actions. From the beginning, this must have been his plan. You’d been played like a fiddle, practically groomed for the role he wished you to fill. Whatever friendship you’d believed was blooming between you two was non-existent. It'd been a delusion you'd whipped up all on your own.

What a fool you’d been.

A heavy weight trapped the bottom half of your body, causing your eyebrows to furrow together. It was a new sensation from this place. All the previous times you’d ended up here, your body had felt lighter than air. Just what in the world could it be?

Moving to rest your hands on the ground beneath you, a hiss left your lips as something pierced your skin. You were quick to jolt your hands away and rest them on your chest. A quick turn of your head was enough to reveal just what had harmed you - vines.

There were vines everywhere. They weaved around the grassy hill you’d grown so fond of and covered up everything. Those green vines brought back a sense of betrayal as Flowey’s face flashed into your mind. Shaking the thought from your head, your eyes focused on the thorny vines once more. It reminded you of a snake pit in some odd way. They moved slowly, consuming everything in its wake and it was all slowly making its way towards you.

Realization struck you hard as you felt the weight trapping the bottom half of your body shift slightly. Ignoring the thorns that pierced your hands, you forced yourself to sit up and confirm your suspicions. A glance down revealed the vines trapping your legs. It was as if the damned things were trying to make you become one with the hill. Panic seemed to lodge itself inside your throat as your hands quickly came to claw at the vines. It was easy to ignore the thorns that sliced your palms as desperation kicked in. There was no way you’d allow yourself to give up now. Not after you’d come this far. Your soul was perseverance for a reason and you would continue this life no matter what.

The more you tore at the vines, the less pressure there was on your legs. You were quick to slide them free from the constrictive prison the moment you had enough movement, wincing as vines ripped parts of your shorts and sliced through skin. Standing up was easy as you found footing on the only spot of the hill that had yet to be overtaken with vines. Your eyes snapped over to where that glowing ‘continue’ always was.

Just like everything else, that familiar glowing symbol was covered with green vines. Thorns dug into the word as the constrictive grasp caused hairline cracks to spread throughout it. If those vines stuck around much longer, you feared that your only chance to come back would be shattered before your very eyes. 

Stumbling through the thick vines, your eyes stayed glued to the word that brought you so much hope. There was no way you were going to let it break. If all of this had taught you anything, it was to keep going no matter what hardships were thrown your way. All that time hiding in your room as resets passed you by had done nothing. Leaving the Ruins and finally exploring the rest of the Underground had opened your eyes to so much. You’d finally started to change things, to move forward and use your power to bring on a timeline you missed so much.

All you wanted was to see your mother smile again, to watch the warm sunlight hit her fur as she watched the sunset. Was that so much to ask?

Bloody hands grabbed onto the vines wrapped around that glowing word as slithering vines tried to trip you. As if the vines sensed your grasp on your ticket to reawakening, they wrapped around your ankles before slowly starting to climb up your legs. It was like a physical time limit as you felt the thorns cut and dig as they moved. Adrenaline rushed through your veins as you were quick to start tearing through the vines. As long as you could make a hole big enough for your hand to fit through, you could get back. 

The vines were thicker than your arms as you ripped chunks out of them, unable to tear off entire vines with one go. Your nails dug into the hard outer shell as you continued to shred through them with difficulty. Chlorophyll dyed your hands a faint green as blood seeped from your torn up palms. 

Those vines that had snatched your ankles started to crawl past your legs and wrap around your waist before continuing upward. In the back of your mind, a small part of you found it funny that a once comforting sensation now brought terror. Your hands moved faster as the vines gained traction, making themselves at home around your throat. They started to constrict from there. It was harder to breathe as you continued to fight for freedom. As your vision started to go hazy, you finally caught sight of a hole within the wall of vines that seemed just big enough for your hand to slide through.

The lack of oxygen was making it hard to control your body well. Keeping one hand on the vines wrapped around that glowing beacon of hope, you dragged yourself forward as you reached your other hand inside. Feeling the palm of your hand press against that familiar ‘continue’ brought a sense of relief flooding through your body. Your eyes finally slipped closed as a flash of white overtook you.

The first thing you felt was pain searing through your body like electricity. All the times you’d continued before, you had been good as new. This pain felt unnatural and made you feel like an alien inside your own skin. The epicenter of all the pain came from your right eye and your hand instantly reached up to put pressure on it. All you wanted was for the pain to s t o p.

“What the-?! Why isn’t my body listening!?” a voice screamed out before something bit down on your hand. Yanking your hand away from your right eye, you finally caught sight of it from your left eye. Vines weaved throughout your arm, parts of them bulging slightly from just beneath your skin. You were quick to move your other hand into view only for horror to fill you at the sight. The entirety of your left arm was made out of thorny vines and significantly bulkier than your human arm. That horror slowly started to morph into anger before you practically growled out, “Flowey, what have you done?”

It was as if the world froze once your voice rang out.

You dropped your arms and finally looked up to figure out just what was going on. Vines of all sizes had overtaken the hall you’d once found so beautiful. It felt as if you’d disappeared into the black void with that familiar hill for a century instead of a few minutes. Razor-sharp thorns made it deadly to even try and tear them away, some of those spikes a similar size to traffic cones. Frisk and Sans were both across from you yet standing far away from one another. It was a three-way face-off and it seemed that Flowey - you? - was winning. 

A look of horror overtook Sans’ face as he realized that you were somehow back and now stuck sharing a body that the yellow flower had woven into like a parasite. He’d literally watched as the plant had skewered you before sinking his vines into your skin like it was a new patch of earth to grow into. Flowey had seven souls under his command and the skeleton had truly thought this was the end of it all. There’d be no more resets because Flowey would never let them escape this torturous timeline. 

Yet you’d come back.

It should’ve been impossible but somehow you’d done it. Apparently your talk about being special and having the ability to continue hadn’t been a lie made up to tick off the little brat standing far to his left. 

“_____, how did you…?” the monster who’d made himself at home in your body - who’d settled his flower face into your right eye as if the socket were a cave - spoke up, disbelief obvious in his voice. That anger within you became red hot as you resisted the desperate urge to rip him out of your body even if could potentially kill you again. How dare Flowey take that tone with you. After killing you with his own power, he thought he had the right to speak to you? 

No, you wouldn’t accept that.

“What do you think?!” you spat, grinding your teeth together, “Did you think that you’d kill me and I’d simply let you have my soul? You’ve seen me die again and again and again only to get back up without a reset. I finally left those Ruins because I believed in a chance to stop all these resets. There’s no way I’m giving up until this is all over, you absolute idiot.”

Laughter left Frisk - no, Chara - as a grin overtook their features. They nearly doubled over and wrapped their arms around their midsection. The knife was kept firmly in their grip before they let their words tumble from their mouth, “This just keeps getting even more interesting! Oh, this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Let’s keep this game going. I’m always up for a little more blood. After all, you’re the only one down here who can provide me with that pleasure.”

Your eye snapped to Chara before you glared them down, “I don't know who the hell you are but it sure isn't Frisk. I’m putting an end to all of this. Now.”

The vines weaved within your body tensed up at your threat. You could feel the power of the other six souls radiating through your shared body, a hum of excitement overtaking them. A hum to show that these six young souls agreed with your decision. It was as if they were in tune with your own soul and perhaps they truly were. You wouldn't let them down. As long as you were here, your soul belonged to you and not the monster you’d once considered a friend. 

You could feel it within you, the void where only a fraction of a monster soul resided. Flowey had been betting on your inability to come back if his vines were dug into your soul but he’d been wrong. Your perseverance was your driving force, the thing that’d carried you through all the hardships you’d gone through during your journey. There’d been times when you’d stopped and read whatever you could, immersed yourself in part of the culture of the monsters that you’d never had the chance to learn.

Like all the information about the war and monster souls.

Monster souls were weaker than human souls. So even if Flowey had a complete monster soul, he wouldn’t have been able to fight against yours. The fact that he seemed to only have a piece of one made this exponentially easier. In this body that the two of you shared, the one with all the power was you. A smile slowly made its way onto your lips as that sunk in. The golden flower had made a fatal error and now the power to reset wasn’t his - it was yours.

“The one who has seven souls isn’t you, Flowey. It’s me.” 

Chapter Text

Chapter 25 - Torn Asunder

Your words sunk in and then all hell broke loose.

Flowey tried to seize control of your body once more yet was unable to. His sliver of a monster soul was nothing compared to seven human souls. There was also no way for him to escape, his vines had become one with your flesh to form a new sort of monster. The power and control he'd wanted had been snatched away in an instant. He'd underestimated you, thinking that you wouldn't want to come back after being betrayed by the monster you'd once considered a friend.

Chara rushed at you with a wide grin on their face and bloodlust in their eyes. Raising your left arm, your fingers weaved together into a sharp point before the entire vine grew and stretched rapidly in an attempt to hit the brunette. You weren't sure how you'd even done it. The entire motion had happened on auto-pilot yet you knew it hadn't been Flowey's doing. Perhaps it'd been the other six souls? They'd been active while the buttercup was initially trying to slaughter Chara and Sans so they could've learned through that.

The child dodged the sharp point of the vine. Before they could move though, you swung your extended left arm towards them. The thick foliage struck Chara's side and launched them across the hall. They slammed into the wall and slid down it, knife somehow still clutched in their hand. You weren't sure just how long that'd keep them down for. When they'd been fighting Sans, the psycho had gotten back up from worse.

You could hear Flowey cursing you as he tried to regain control of the body. He clearly wasn't pleased that his plans were being ruined. In the end, you never really had learned what his plan had been. It clearly hadn't been to reset things to the beginning. If it had, you wouldn't be in this situation at all. You'd be back in the Ruins with Toriel.

Ignoring the noise, you closed your eyes and tried to focus. The learning curve for all this magic flowing through your veins was large but you needed to figure it out quickly. Being in this horrific form was painful and it only got worse as time passed. You desperately searched within yourself for that familiar feeling, the one that always made you feel light as air. There had never been a time where you went into the dark of your own volition. Every time you'd opened your eyes and woke up on that hill, it'd been after you'd died.

Now you had to find a way to get there all on your own.

Your ears picked up on the sound of footsteps on tile as it got closer. There was a knife inches from your face once you opened your eyes. Preparing to feel the sharp pain of metal once more, it took you by surprise when Chara was suddenly wrapped up in a blue glow. The skeleton stepped into view as he pulled the child away from you and tried to keep them within the grasp of his magic. He'd been so silent that you'd forgotten Sans was here.

The child screamed and thrashed as they tried to escape from the blue magic. From the exhausted look on his face, you could tell that Sans was reaching the end of the line. He was giving you this one chance to turn things around. You couldn't be sure if he trusted you or simply wanted this timeline to be over but you'd take the help either way.

It was then that you felt it. That sensation that reminded you of home. It was comforting, calling out to you. A feeling of hope soared within you as you realized that you had a fighting chance. That there was still a way for you to reset it all. Your soul grasped onto that singular point in space and pulled . 

The Judgement Hall melted away as darkness took over. Unlike usual, you were not alone. You'd dragged Chara, Flowey, and Sans into this small sanctuary of yours. It was still the way you'd left it. Vines overrunning everything, devouring the buttercup-covered hill that you loved. The word 'continue' wrapped up with vines but it wasn't as tangled up as before, a potential side effect of you taking back control from Flowey. The hairline cracks were still there but they weren't getting worse.

Before your eyes, the word began to glitch and flicker. It was back and forth between 'continue' and 'reset' as if unsure of which one was meant to be there. The sound of static filled what was usually a quiet and tranquil place to rest. You wondered how long it would take for that to resolve itself. Did you need to stall for time? There was no way to know.

That flickering word was enough to set the genocidal child into a panic. With his magic finally exhausted, Sans dropped the kid and waited for the moment he'd turn to dust. It never came though. Chara had their eyes focused on something else and they left the skeleton behind. White eyelights followed them in confusion until he finally understood the situation.

Your back was to Chara and Sans, the light from the flickering word illuminating your monstrous form. It was as if the glitching had attracted you like a moth to a flame. All of your attention was focused on it, the rest of the world gone from your mind. Sans knew he couldn't catch the kid. He didn't even have enough magic to fight back if he somehow got there in time. 

His voice was loud as he called out the first letter of your name, trying to grab your attention. It surprisingly worked. Your eyes were wide as you turned around to face the skeleton. Desperation clenched your heart as you searched for some sort of sign. Did he know? Had he remembered? Why now ? For a skeleton, he was very expressive. There was realization on his face, recognition in his eyelights. You didn't know how but he'd remembered you. 

That was enough to make your heart soar.

If the skeleton could remember, perhaps you could do the same with your mother back at the Ruins. There had to be a way to revert it all back. Some method so that you no longer faded into the background. A smile made its way onto your face at this revelation. As you continued to stare at the skeleton and bask in this new discovery, you caught sight of another emotion. Fear.

Sans shouted once more and pointed in an attempt to make you look elsewhere. It'd taken the little energy he had left to yell that loud and his eyes soon closed as he dozed off into a nap. The skeleton had left the rest of this battle to you. Turning your head, your eyes met Chara's as they took a swipe at you. The knife cut into your right arm before you shoved them back. You'd been distracted by the fact that Sans remembered you and it'd given the child enough time to close the distance. That was foolish on your part.

You brought your right hand up and summoned some smaller vines from the ground. Inside your body, you could feel Flowey trying to fight back against your control. There was no way to tell if this resistance was to help his friend Chara or because he would rather die than let you hold power over him. Either way, it was futile. A snap of your fingers was all it took for those vines to rush at the child. While the brunette did their best to hack away, the plant life never stopped coming. Vines wrapped around and trapped Chara as if they were a fly in a spider's web. The glint of metal on the ground let you know that their weapon had slipped from their hand.

You'd finally won.

The buzzing static that filled the air dissipated in an instant. Turning around, you were pleasantly surprised to see that the flickering of the words had stopped. 'Reset' was lit up and beckoning for you to press it. It didn't need to tell you twice. You took a step towards it, ready to send things back to the beginning.

Free them

The request of one of the souls within your body made you pause. Free who? Chara? As the other souls within you began to clamor, your eyebrows furrowed together as you tried to make sense of it all. All the souls tried to speak over one another and it felt as if you were stuck in a room full of attention-seeking children.

Three to one, one to three, three to two

Pull them apart

Save them

Don't reset yet

Change the story

Fix it all

Pull them apart

Pull them apart

P U L L  T H E M  A P A R T

You faced Chara once more and watched as the child continued to struggle within the web of vines. It was as if they were feral, not flinching even though the scuffle was only causing them more injury. Everything else fell away as you focused on the child. Really focused. There was something here that you were missing. The souls were trying to tell you even if they could only speak in fractured thoughts. 

Focus

Look inside

Deep inside

More than it seems

Don't leave yet

Save them

The vision of your eyes shifted. No longer were you looking at Chara, it was their soul instead. Perhaps you had this ability because you'd morphed with a monster or maybe the six souls were trying to show you what they wanted. None of that mattered though. The important thing was what was going on inside that small child's body.

There were two souls stuffed within a single vessel. Something else was there too, an inky mess that was neither human or monster. Just the sight of it wriggling about made you feel sick to your stomach. Understanding just what the six children wanted, you moved until you were standing in front of the brunette. You couldn't see the look on their face but you could hear them shouting. They were yelling at you to get away, that they'd slaughter you.

The vines wrapped around Chara tightened. One around each extremity, making sure they were unable to escape. It was then that the vines began to pull. Guttural screams left the brunette as vines continued to do so, Flowey's cursing and cries mixed into the noise. It seemed that he really did care for Chara even if there was some sort of bad blood between them. The tugging didn't stop and you watched on in silence. Part of you was fearful of this, that perhaps the six souls were leading you astray. This was a child even if they had slaughtered tons of monsters. Now you were here and forcing them to scream their throat raw from the pain. Didn't this make you just as bad as them?

Just when it seemed like the child would be ripped apart, a flash of red overtook them.

One became three. There was no longer a fight for control over a single body. As your vision became normal once more, your eyes scanned the web of vines to see the new inhabitants trapped within it. There were two children that looked similar. One was obviously Frisk. You could tell it was them even without a good look of their face. Beside them was another child but this one looked a bit older. They had the same brunette bob cut as Frisk. Their sweater was green with a singular yellow stripe wrapped around the middle and their pants were brown. Was this Chara? Unless they woke up, you could only speculate. You gently placed the two unconscious children onto the ground before turning your attention to the third thing .

It was neither human nor monster. Dark, darker, even darker. There was no true form to it, just an ever shifting inky goo that slowly seeped between the spaces of your vines. It fell to the floor and was slowly absorbed by it. The void was taking back what was theirs, though you were uncertain if this was a good thing. You still weren't sure what it was. Part of you knew that it wasn't good. That thing - whatever it was - didn't belong to this world.

It'd be best to keep an eye out for anything similar.

There were no more words spoken by the six souls. Their request had been granted, things had been resolved as they wished. You turned your back to the children and stepped up to the 'reset' that sparkled before you. Bringing up your right hand, you pressed the button without a second thought. The world turned black and washed you away. It was time to start anew, another timeline awaited you all.

•••••••

••••••

•••••

••••

•••

••

•

At the bed of buttercups you had fallen into 8 years ago, two new humans fell. 

Act 1 End

Chapter Text

Chapter 26 - Abyss

Dark.

Darker.

Yet darker.

It was consuming you more than ever before. You were floating, you were sinking, you were stuck in an odd sense of limbo. Were your eyes closed or was it so dark that it was impossible to tell the difference? There was no way for you to know. The longer you were there, the more everything seemed to fade away. 

It was trying to swallow you whole and part of you wanted to give in. Why should you continue to suffer through countless timelines? Watching your mother die over and over again, walking through the underground as an invisible existence, being betrayed after you’d found someone you thought you could trust. It was all too much.

Sure, you’d spoken big when facing Chara but that was done now. You’d split the two children into seperate beings before resetting the timeline. Couldn’t you leave everything to Frisk now? Countless timelines had left you exhausted, your soul bordering on the edge of impoverished. Just how much more of yourself could you give?

There was a feeling of arms wrapping around your body. It felt warm yet unfamiliar. You didn’t know this embrace but it rang something in the back of your mind. That warmth you felt, it reminded you of a parent’s love. A sense of protection and safety that only came from a parent.

With a bit of effort, the arms wrapped around you were able to pull you free from the void you’d unknowingly sank into. The void had been trying to devour you entirely - to take every piece of you and make you become one with it. Until there was nothing left but inky black nothingness. Once again, you’d been saved before it could take you entirely.

You forced your eyes open only to meet a familiar skeletal face. Dark empty sockets with cracks, the man who you could never understand had pulled you free and held you close. At that moment, you wondered if this skeleton had ever had children of his own. The gaze on his face felt fatherly,  somehow radiating off the skeleton despite his empty sockets.

The more you found yourself in the void, the more you began to remember from your time there. It was now that you could remember how this was not your first meeting. There had been several encounters before. This was simply the first time you’d actually remembered any of it.

“You… why?”

"𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝐼 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝐼 𝒷𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑒𝓋𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓈𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝑒 𝓂𝑒𝓉. 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒹𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝒶𝓇𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈. 𝒯𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝐼'𝓋𝑒 𝓈𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒶 𝒽𝓊𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝒾𝓁𝒾𝓉𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝒶 𝒮𝒪𝒰𝐿 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓈𝓃'𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝑜𝓌𝓃.”

A frown graced your features once again. Unlike the other encounters, you could actually understand some words this time. It wasn’t enough for you to put together what he was trying to say and that only made it more frustrating. Why could you understand bits and pieces now? Everything he’d said in your previous encounters was nothing but a garbled mess until now.

"ᵤ𝑠ᵢ𝑛𝑔 𝑡ⲏₑ ₐ𝑏ᵢԼᵢ𝑡𝑦 𝑡ₒ ᵣₑ𝑠ₑ𝑡... ᵢ𝑡 ᵢ𝑠 ₐ𝑠 ᵢ𝑓 𝑦ₒᵤ ⲏₐᵥₑ 𝑐ₒ𝑚𝒑Լₑ𝑡ₑԼ𝑦 𝑑ₑ𝑛ᵢₑ𝑑 𝑦ₒᵤᵣ 𝒑ₒｗₑᵣ 𝑡ₒ 𝑐ₒ𝑛𝑡ᵢ𝑛ᵤₑ. ｗⲏᵢԼₑ ᵢ ᵤ𝑛𝑑ₑᵣ𝑠𝑡ₐ𝑛𝑑 𝑡ⲏₑ 𝑛ₑ𝑐ₑ𝑠𝑠ᵢ𝑡𝑦 𝑓ₒᵣ 𝑦ₒᵤᵣ ₐ𝑐𝑡ᵢₒ𝑛𝑠, 𝑠ᵤ𝑐ⲏ ₐ 𝑑ₑ𝑛ᵢₐԼ ₒ𝑓 𝑦ₒᵤᵣ 𝑠ₒᵤԼ 𝑐ₐ𝑛 𝑐ₐᵤ𝑠ₑ ᵤ𝑛ᵢ𝑛𝑡ₑ𝑛𝑑ₑ𝑑 ᵢ𝑛𝑡ₑᵣ𝑛ₐԼ 𝑐ₒ𝑛𝑓Լᵢ𝑐𝑡. тⲏₑᵣₑ'𝑠 𝑛ₒ 𝑡ₑԼԼᵢ𝑛𝑔 ｗⲏₐ𝑡 𝑐ₒᵤԼ𝑑 ⲏₐ𝒑𝒑ₑ𝑛.”

As he continued to talk, your eyes began to feel heavy. It was as if something was pulling you deep into the recesses of your mind. You were being called to slumber, to close your eyes and relax. The droning voice of the skeleton you could only partially understand felt like an odd lullaby. As you continued to doze off, his words continued on. It was as if he was speaking aloud to himself instead of to you.

"𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓀𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝒶𝓃 𝑒𝓎𝑒 𝑜𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝐵𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓊𝓈. 𝐹𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝓌𝒶𝓇𝒹𝓈, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒸𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝒾𝓃 𝒶 𝓌𝒶𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓃 𝐼 𝒶𝓂 𝓊𝓃𝒶𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓉."

As your consciousness left you, a thought slipped from mind so quickly that there was no time to process it. That familiar whiteness that came from your ability had never come to grace you, it’d been nothing but black.

Dark.

Darker.

Darker still.

Would you ever see that familiar white again?