Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Doctor W.D, one of the greatest royal scientists in history was stumped.

On his desk was a container, containing was looked to be darkness at a quick glance.

But this was something more.

For one, it emitted darkness. That certainly wasn't normal. Any light was absorbed and replaced with pure darkness.

It's photon readings were even negative.

Any room it was in became darker than dark. He'd only been able to observe this phenomenon for a few seconds, as his assistants had immediately contained it.

It was all very, very interesting. 

Ah, well. Gaster really wanted to stay and experiment, but he'd already been gone far too long.

His sons almost certainly missed him.

Wingding held down a button on the table in front of him and spoke into a microphone.

"Mono, could you please report to my labs?"

Not even ten seconds after Wingding asked, Mono barrels through the doorway.

Mono was a reptilian monster, skin yellow, a tail and no arms. He'd been allowed to join WD in his research after developing cybernetic arms for himself.

Aside from his pants, Mono wore a plain white lab coat. Unlike WD, who also had a plain black suit on as well, there was nothing else underneath Mono's lab coat.

"You needed me, sir?" 

"Yes. I require you to watch over this. As you already know, we’ve no idea if it presents a threat.. I wish for it to not leave it's container, not for any reason. I also do not give you permission to experiment with it until I get back. Am I understood?"

"Of course, sir! I would never disobey an order from such brilliance!"

"Good. I shall take my leave now."

WD swiftly teleported home before Mono could speak again.

…

“Entry Number Fifteen. The darkness- No, no. Not good enough.”

Wingding stood back in his lab. He had only been able to spend a day with his sons before he had to return to the labs. He just had to find out what the darkness was.

“Phineas, we need more results. The king is demanding it. What do we do? Do we release it?”

He looked back towards one of his most trusted assistants, desperate for answers. Phineas was a short man, with orange skin, and an odd one to. All he cared about was results and answers, similar to himself. He was able to join due to his help developing the core, one of the most important creations in the underground’s small history.

“This absorbs light, right? So perhaps if we hit it with a light strong enough, it won’t do anything.”

A solid hypothesis, for sure.

“But where would we get a light bright enough?”

Another one of Wingding’s assistants spoke up, and did propose a good question.

His name was Bremer. One of the oldest monsters on his team, Bremer specialised in mathematics and the such. An important asset to have on a team of scientists. He looked almost feline, with fur and cat ears.

But he already knew. He knew what could stop this darkness.

“I… need to do something. Please, Bremer and Felix. Notify your associates. Tell them to take the day off. Then, you can retire yourselves home.”

“But…why, WD?”

“…All you must know is that I am giving you the day off. Please, leave.”

“But, sir—”

“I SAID LEAVE!”

The assistants left immediately after.

…

Wingding Aster, the greatest mind the world had ever seen, prepared himself.

After this, he would have the answers he needed.

He picked made sure the door was shut, locked with a password.

It was. Nobody would be able to interrupt.

He picked up the glass vial, and dropped it.

As soon as the glass shattered darkness began to fill the room.

But, to his confusion, so did sound.

“ENTRY NUMBER SEVENTEEN.  

DARK DARKER YET DARKER.”

He didn’t recognise that voice. Nor did he recognise that entry.

“THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING.

THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER.”

Aster thought he was the only one who made entries. He’d found it a simpler way to report his findings to the king.

“PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE.

THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT.”

The darkness continued to flood the room, and barely any light remained.

It was time to pull out the ace in his sleeve.

“SEEMS

VERY

VERY

INTERESTING.”

Aster pulled out Chara’s soul, and immediately the sounds changed.

They went from cohesive words to garbled screams.

“Yes! It work—”

Tentacles came from the darkness and ripped the soul out of his hands.

The light dimmed, and the shadows consumed the soul.

“No! What? What are you?!”

To his surprise, the darkness answered.

“A COPY OF A COPY.

SAID TO BE A FRAGMENT.

OF THE ORIGINAL.

TRAPPED IN DARKNESS.

AND SOON…

SO WILL YOU.”

The tentacles began pulling him into the dark, and Aster desperately resisted.

He summoned blasters, and fired into the thing, hoping to produce some small amount of light that would drive it away.

“Help! Please, anybody!”

“BUT.

NOBODY CA-“

Suddenly, Jeremiah burst into the room. He also had no arms, but unlike Mono, he lost his in an accident. He used an implant in his eye to interact with technology, and was excellent at hacking.

Running in after him came all of Aster’s other assistants.

“TELL ME, PLEASE…

WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK OF THIS, MONO AND PHINEAS?

YOU KNEW.

YOU WERE TOLD.

BY WHISPERS FROM A FERRYMEN.

‘BEWARE THE MAN.

WHOM SPEAKS IN HANDS.’

YOU REALLY SHOULD’VE LISTENED.”

The darkness filled the whole room, and pulled everyone into its depths.

They never had a chance.

Chapter Text

"I truly am sorry, Chara. Despite the odds, despite all of humankind's cruelty, you were kind."

Gaster used the syringe to extract blood.

"I wish it didn't have to come to this."

He grabbed a vial of white liquid and put it into a new needle.

"This will only hurt for a moment"

Chara attempted screaming, but the gag on their mouth proved useful.

The screams were muffled.

"Goodbye, Chara."

Gaster lowered the syringe. It was filled with an extremely potent poison. It would look like she'd simply dropped dead.

No one would suspect the royal scientist.

The needle pierced their arm.

"It was nice knowing you.

A red knife appeared in the air.

"How interesting."

The world was still for a moment.

"I suppose you're a mage, then?"

The blade flew into the syringe.

Chara quickly summoned more blades, and aimed most of them at the scientist so he couldn't attempt anything else.

"Now, now. We can talk--"

The blades moved towards him before he could even finish a sentence, but he'd been prepared.

Gaster used his magic and conjured five hands to catch each blade.

"A pathetic attempt, truly. Did you think I would just stand there and take it?"

Gaster turned to see the look on the human's face, expecting fear or anger.

Instead, he saw confidence.

"What? Do you know something I don't?"

Gaster only noticed the glowing knife in their hands when it was too late.

Chara leaped off the table and sprinted for the door.

Knowing all of Gaster's arcane hands were occupied, they threw the blade in their hand at him.

Gaster effortlessly dodged and simply watched as Chara left.

"You won't make it far, you know. Even if I didn't administer a full dose, a small amount of that liquid has made its way into your body."

If it worked, he would never see them again.

If it didn't?

They'd be dead in minutes.

"A shame. It seems I'll need another 'volunteer'."

...

"Somebody please! I need help!"

Chara ran through the halls of Asgore's castle, desperately screaming for help.

They could already feel their consciousness fading.

It seemed the mad doctor was right.

They were going to die.

Huh.

Looks like they got what they'd wanted.

Falling down the mountain really did kill them.

"Hah...hah hah ha!"

They should be happy.

This is what they'd wanted when climbing up that mountain, right?

This is what they deser-

Their thoughts were interrupted as they ran into someone.

Someone with furry feet.

They looked up, and saw the face of their father.

"Dad! Help, please, Gaster tried to kill me, he said it was only another experiment-"

"Guards."

Asgore spoke, and only then did they realise he looked concerned.

"Leave me, for a moment."

Two armoured monsters Chara hadn't realised were there left.

"Now, human. I'd like to know how you got here."

"Dad? It's me, your--"

"Why do you call me dad? I have one child, and they certainly aren't human."

"Dad? What--"

Chara felt themselves fading again, and she noticed she'd stopped feeling that way after bumping into dad.

Chara tried to speak, tried to understand, but before anything could happen, the world faded to black.

…

Chara awoke in a place of nothing.

A world of pure black.

At first, they’d thought their eyes weren’t open.

But no.

It was just an endless expanse of emptiness.

“Hello?” They called out.

Seconds later, their words echoed back.

…

They’d been walking for what felt like hours.

There was no light in the void, no way to tell time, so Chara had no real way of knowing.

Finally, after all this time, they saw a light in the distance.

“Please! I need help!” They desperately screamed as they sprinted towards the faint light.

Nobody answered, so they just kept running.

And, soon enough, they made it.

The light was coming from a computer screen.

Blocking the screen was a man, sat in a white chair, typing on a keyboard.

“…Hello?”

The man startled at the sound of their voice, and fell out of their chair.

“YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE, DREEMURR. I WONDER HOW IT IS YOU MADE IT HERE? NO MATTER. I MUST CORRECT THIS MISTAKE.”

And, at a snap of the man’s fingers, they returned to reality.

With no memory of what happened.

…

“EXPERIMENT HAS YIELDED UNFAVOURABLE RESULTS. THE OBJECT DISSAPEARS, BUT DOES NOT RETURN. WE’VE NO THEORY AS TO WHY YET, BUT SANS THINKS IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FACT IT ONLY MOVED THROUGH TIME, NOT SPACE.”

…

“EXPERIMENT HAS YIELDED THE SAME RESULTS. WE MOVED IT THROUGH TIME, ALONGSIDE SPACE, BUT THIS CHANGED NOTHING. THE OBJECT NEVER RETURNED.”

…

“I HAVE DECIDED THE ONLY WAY THIS WILL WORK IS WITH LIVING TEST SUBJECTS.”

…

“DARK DARKER YET DARKER. THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING. THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER. PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE. THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT SEEMS VERY VERY INTERESTING. WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?”

…

“it all went wrong so fast. The doctor had gotten into the machine without our knowledge. he’d even connected the core, for more power. We only made in time to see the disastrous results.

the doc made it back, alright. he was a melting monstrosity, babbling about ‘timelines’ and ‘determination’. none of it made any sense.

and then everything began to shatter.

cracks appeared, showing nothing but pure darkness. an unearthly screeching came from the darkness.

before we could stop him, gaster leaped into a crack.

his last words were ‘I am sorry.’

…

then i woke up, at home, like nothing had ever happened.

nobody can even remember him.   

no-one except me, that is.”

…

“AH.

SO THAT.

IS WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU.

CURSIVE.”

“I’d rather not talk about it, Wingding.”

“AH.

I AM SORRY.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN PAINFUL, YES?”

“…

It was.”

“…

IT SEEMS.

THAT WE ARE BEING LISTENED TO.”

“By who?

…

Oh.”

“YES.

HELLO, READERS.

I HAVE.

SOME INFORMATION.

I’D LIKE TO GIVE.

‘THE REAPER WATCHES AS ALL DIE.

DEATH IS INEVITABLE.

AS AM I’.

…

DO WITH THAT AS YOU WILL."

Chapter Text

OUR FIRST EXPERIMENT FAILED.

IT FORMED A SMALL BODY.

WE COULD DO NOTHING BUT WATCH IT DIE, LEST RISK AN OVRDOSE.

I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL RESPONSIBLE FOR IT'S DEATH.

PERHAPS IF I'D DONE SOMETHING DIFFERENT, MAYBE RISKED THE SERUM, IT COULD HAVE SURVIVED.

...

THE CHILD'S DEATH HAS CAUSED ME TO GAIN LV.

...

I COULDN'T SAVE THIS ONE, EITHER.

I GAVE IT TOO MUCH OF THE SERUM.

IT OVERDOSED.

BEGAN TO MELT, CRYING IN PAIN.

I MUST KEEP TRYING.

...

THIS ONE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE LUNGS. 

IT DIES OF SUFFOCATION AFTER A FEW MINUTES.

...

HE WAS IN PAIN FOR EVERY SECOND OF HIS LIFE.

WE GAVE HIM A QUICK AND PAINLESS DEATH.

...

THIS ONE COULDN'T FORM A BODY.

WE TERMINATED IT.

...

HAD LITTLE TO NO MAGIC.

TERMINATED AFTER POOR RESULTS.

...

I WILL SAVE US.

NO MATTER THE COST.

...

TOO MUCH MAGIC. IT COULDN'T CONTROL IT'S POWERS.

TERMINATED.

... 

the rest i couldn't decode; it was a bunch of nonsense text.

Chapter Text

ENTRY SIX.

THE SPECIMEN...

...

IT HAS ONE HP.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN NUMBERS SO ASTRONOMICALLY LOW.

IT'S A MARVEL HE DIDN'T DIE BEFORE HIS BODY FORMED.

HOWEVER, HE IS EXTREMELY ADEPT IN MAGIC.

MY ASSISTANT HAD CALLED ME OVER AS THE SUBJECT HAD FORMED IN RECORD TIME.

I'D PREDICTED A FEW WEEKS, AND YET IT TOOK MERE HOURS.

HOW INCREDIBLE.

IF WE CAN FIND A WAY TO POWER HIS SOUL WITHOUT DEATH.

IT MIGHT JUST BE ENOUGH.

Chapter Text

ENTRY SEVEN.

I HAVE DECIDED TO CREATE ANOTHER CREATURE.

WITH SUBJECT S' LOW HP, HAVING A BACKUP COULD PROVE USEFUL.

FOR NOW, WHILE THE NEW SOUL GROWS, ME AND MY ASSISTANTS HAVE BEEN TEACHING THE SUBJECT TO USE MAGIC.

IT CAN ALREADY SPEAK, THOUGH IT DOES NOT KNOW MANY WORDS.

THAT IS LIKELY DUE TO THE GROWTH ACCELERANT I USED.

SUBJECT S CAN MANIPULATE GRAVITY WITH THE USE OF THE BLUE SOUL MODE.

HIS ATTACKS ARE INCREDIBLY WEAK, BARELY DAMAGING THE TRAINING DUMMIES.

BUT THAT IS FINE.

WE MUST ALL START SOMEWHERE.

Chapter Text

ENTRY EIGHT.

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE MY LAST ENTRY.

BUT THAT IS MOSTLY DUE TO THE LACK OF INTERESTING THINGS.

I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN WAITING FOR THE SPECIMEN TO GROW.

TODAY, THIS HAS FINALLY HAPPENNED.

THE SUBJECT FINALLY FORMED A BODY TODAY.

IT TOOK SHORTER THAN MOST, BUT FAR LONGER THAN SANS.

I HAVE ALSO SEEN HIS HP.

IT IS INCREDIBLY HIGH, ALREADY AT ONE HUNDRED AND TWENY.

ABOVE AVERAGE FOR MOST.

I HAVE ALSO BEGUN TEACHING HIM TO SPEAK.

SOON, WE SHALL BEGIN THE TRIALS.

Chapter Text

"Only one chance... c'mon, Flowey, you can't mess up now!"

Flowey quickly looked at his surroundings to check if anyone was there. All he saw was the familiar grey hallways of the true lab, nobody in sight. Perfect.

That meant he wouldn't be interrupted.

Flowey used his vines and moved under the tiles. Now all he needed to do was--

"Bingo!"

The Memory Heads were above him; he could hear the weird sounds they made.

Flowey forced his vines out from the tiles and wrapped them around one of the creatures.

"NO!!!-ISN'T--WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK?--"

The Memory Head was speaking, but Flowey didn't care. He'd gone too far to stop.

Flowey emerged from the ground and looked up to the DT Extractor.

The thing that would bring the doctor back.

All he had to do was--

"PLEASE!!--NO!!!--ISN'T--GOOD MAN."

Flowey continued to ignore its cries and instead shoved the thing into the Extractor.

Then, he launched himself into the machine while using a vine to pull a lever.

As soon as he entered the machine, the pain hit.

He could feel his mind slipping away as the DT giving life drained out of his body.

He just had to last a little longer.

He just had to last a little longer.

Just... a little...

...

After all was said and done, all that remained was a small, motionless flower and a strange skeleton monster.