Fanning the Flames

by welcometothisday

Summary:

In one of many timelines, the Player controlling Frisk either rage quitted, or just stopped playing Undertale for a while after failing to defeat Asgore. When they stopped, Frisk's soul would have been taken, and Asgore invaded the Surface. Since Asgore promised a war, he started one with humanity, who in this version of the story have no idea why he's attacking them.

Three human mages must find a way to create peace between the warring factions before all is lost.

One of those mages is a soul of Bravery, who take POV in this story.

They, You, are an unusual soul that gains the attention of a certain man made of fire.

Notes:

All of the core soul traits have specific abilities. If one goes by the color wheel and/or basic emotional spectrum attached to each other, one can help figure out said abilities of souls.

The primary colors are Blue, Yellow, and Red.

Blue, Integrity, holds gravity or truth in the soul, and has the ability to influence or move others. It means having a strong sense of morality, and to be consistent with one's values. People with Integrity are often the ones that change the world for the better, one person at a time.

Yellow, Justice, is the soul where one can defend and fight, striking at opponents and shielding the defenseless. To utilize true justice means to only struck at an opponent when a wrong occurs, seeking compensation and balance for another’s actions or inactions. It is a path to achieving balance, and equitable.

Red, Determination, is the will to change fate or destiny . To recognize dangers and paths that one desires to alter what lay before them. Past experiences can give a soul filled with Determination strength, allowing them to reflect and fix mistakes in the past or future.
If one goes by secondary or tertiary colors, it's not hard to figure out the rest.

Orange, a combination of Red and Yellow, is Bravery. It is an extension of Determination and Justice, where one faces strife and challenges head on without allowing fear to stop them. People confront dangers head on, prepared to fight, striving to make a difference and do what they believe is right.

Purple, the blend of Red and Blue, is Perseverance. It’s a quality where one has the will and sincerity to keep going no matter the odds. It was the soul that could move through any obstacle in its way, in spite of any limitations thrown at it. It is to endure.

Green, a combination of Yellow and Blue, is Kindness. Kindness shields and heals. To be kind is to hold no intent to harm or hinder. It requires having integrity, and having morals to justify one’s actions. To be kind, genuinely kind, there must be some sense of empathy, or an attempt to empathize.

And Cyan, Green and Blue, is Patience. It is a shade of Kindness, Integrity, and Justice. Patience means having an awareness of what others experience, for better or worse, and the ability to resist based on one’s morals or duties rather than their emotions. It means letting go when need be, and taking action when one can or should.

Keep in mind that it's canon that all humans have some form in Determination in them, and that's what allows their souls to exist after death. How someone uses that power is up to them whether they realize it or not.

Chapter 1: Who and Why

Summary:

Warning: Violence, flirting, sexual innuendos, fluff, etc. below.

Minors, stay away. Adults, we all know why you're here.

Notes:

The first section is deliberately kept vague as it can be used in multiple timelines. Even if people change, there are certain points in life that repeat, similar to events in Undertale. No matter how many little changes one makes in various routes, there's always going to be some sort of consistency.

The feeling of hopelessness was never pleasant.

 

No one knew how the fire started yet, but it was burning fast across old structures that had become less durable over time. Glass shattered, breaking under the pressure of the heat and a firefighter had to duck and cover, a shard cutting their cheek. More than one building had already collapsed, and with how things were going, more than a few people began to think of this as less of a rescue, and more of a recovery.

 

It would be so easy to give up but something needed to be done. Something needed to change. People were going to die and… A human determined to do the right thing, the impossible thing. As long as it was within their power, they were willing to try.

 

Next thing the firefighter knew, their chest began to ache. Tears fell from their eyes as they clutched their chest. Voices around them were muffled, nonsensical until a series of gasps rang out. Looking down, the firefighter saw a floating heart in front of them. It was changing colors rapidly within milliseconds, finally ending on orange. A burst of energy from it filled the air, spreading through the air like ripples in water.

 

The human soul looked forward, instinct driving them as they raced forward, breaking down the door of the flaming building. In their haste, they momentarily forgot where their feet were in comparison to the ground, the sensation of a breeze chasing at their heels. Regaining their footing, they let it pass, not allowing themself to be distracted.

 

Strangely, as long as they kept moving, flame nor heat nor smoke seemed to affect them. It was only when they hesitated or froze that they became hurt. So, they kept moving before finding the trapped family. Speaking the usual spiel to keep them comforted, to grant hope, the human found that the instant they touched the others, the orange energy wrapped around them. Breathing became easier too.

 

Whatever was going on, the human saw the heart again, the brightness of it almost overwhelming. It was confusing, but the human didn’t care for that. Instead, instructions burst from their lips. They weren’t even sure how they knew what to do. All they did was accept whatever was granting them this ability, not allowing fear to cloud their judgement in the moment. Later, the firefighter would learn that they’d only been in the house for a minute, two tops. It had felt like so much longer as they had moved, trying to navigate through the flames and rubble.

 

Once safe, the heart in front of them pulsed once, twice. Any other person would have been bewildered, frightened. Instead, the human found themself smiling, and chuckling while everyone else panicked.

 

They checked on the people they saved, refocusing their energy to do the most they could. They ran into houses that had been caught in the inferno, stretching across old, decrepit buildings with increasing speed. The human didn’t pay heed to the heart that reappeared or the orange glow enveloping their body.

 

With every surface they came in contact with, the world slowed.

 

Instead, they entered as many buildings in their wake, making sure not to give anyone they aided whiplash as they went. At some point, they were faster than the fire. An idea came to them. Recalling their training and everything they’d been taught about fire, their feet didn’t just move over or around the fire, but on it. Thinking of their direction and what it would take to end the destructive flames, they followed the teachings granted to them by those who came before. 

 

They watched as the light dimmed, embers and smolders of ash slowly rising without direction at long last. Breathing in and out, they ran, doing the same thing to all of the fire, smoldering it so that it couldn’t harm anyone any more.

 

It was as if they were taking flight, not just trying to end the fire’s reign but merging with it, making peace with it. Energy filled them. It felt good, it felt natural, and it felt like a piece of them had been returned without knowing how or why it could have not existed in the first place.

 

They were on the grass, the air struggling to chase after them. The camera crews and survivors and other firefighters were looking in the opposite direction, still moving slowly. In fact, it looked like they had barely moved.

 

Panting, the brave soul placed a hand on their hips, cheering with their hands outreached to the sky.

 

Time returned to its former state, gazes switching from the extinguished flames to the firefighter laughing excitedly, an orange heart still floating in front of them. Beaming, ignoring the traces of dirt and the leaves in their hair, they called out, “What’s everyone waiting around for? We’ve got work to do!”

 

Exhaustion caught up to them, and darkness consumed their vision. But, they fell into the soft field with a huge grin. They were tired, but happy, and more than satisfied even if they had no clue what was going on.

 

And so, the first mage in centuries, possibly millennia, came into existence.

 

---

Humanity was losing the war against monsters. The latter was apparently real, and for some reason really pissed off at humans. Humans were full of assholes, but you hadn’t thought it was enough for monsters to try and kill everybody.

 

Now humans were desperate, and three mages, the first ones in centuries, had come into existence. Most saw them as a sign of hope. Others saw them as a threat, just like the monsters. And the mages themselves? Including you? You just wanted peace.

 

However, it would require some things first, some arguably underhanded things. Hence, why spy stuff was being talked about.

 

“We need to find a way into the monster camp, to gather intel,” Perseverance grunted, rubbing the back of their neck. It was obvious that they hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep lately. The bags under their eyes were a big indicator. “And it’s not exactly wise to just-”

 

“I’ll go,” you volunteered, shrugging at the other mages’ looks. “I mean, it makes the most sense. I could be in and out quickly, literally. I’ve gotten past monsters without them sensing me. And that’s not me bragging. You both know I’ve gone fast enough on cameras that people can’t see me.”

 

Perseverance bit their bottom lip in thought. It was kind of sexy, but you knew they were off limits. Still, whoever the lucky sap was that could win them over would be one hell of a lucky bastard. You crossed your arms over your head, stretching the limbs laxly. It was just enough to make the muscles feel good.

 

“You think you can get past three of the strongest generals, and the King of Monsters?” Perseverance sighed, pinching the bridge of their nose.

 

You hummed to yourself, thinking. “I mean, I’ve run past the fish lady before. I think her name was Undyne? There’s this spider lady that has webs everywhere so I’ll have to be careful about that, but I’ve also managed to avoid getting into a fight with her. The skeleton brothers are a bit of a complication ‘cause at least one of them controls gravity, apparently…”

 

Listing all the possibilities, you paused when Perseverance raised their hand. “And what about the fire general?”

 

“...Fire general?” you asked, placing your hands on your hips. Right, there was a guy who lit people on fire. The smell of bodies burning was never pleasant. It was mainly the hair that did it. You’d seen and smelled enough from a distance to know that. It’d been part of your job as a firefighter before all of this crazy stuff happened.  Thinking, you pondered what to do. “Well, if all else fails, I’m pretty decent at extinguishing fires. I don’t think I’d kill him, but I could figure something out. Ooh, fire needs oxygen to burn. I could just suck the oxygen from him and he wouldn’t be a threat anymore.”

 

Wait, that sounded bad. The other mages watched you in horror. Kindness pretended to cough. “I thought the idea was to make peace, not more war?”

 

Awkwardly, you winked. “Don’t worry, killing is nowhere a part of my agenda. So, what do you think?”

 

Perseverance held their chin. “You’re one of the best chances we have to help us win. I’d rather not risk you, but to not use you would be a waste. You’ll convince me if you can break through Kindness’ shields.”

 

“Okay.” 

 

That made sense. You’d sparred with Kindness enough times to learn how to avoid gravity magic, and to dodge spears. Breaking through mystical barriers was something you hadn’t done yet, but you could use your brains to figure out a way how. A moment later, Kindness wrapped you in multiple shields, creating a bubble that was difficult for you to break through.

 

How magic worked was still a bit of a mystery, but you knew something they didn’t. You weren’t  just running fast. When it came to scientific theories about how speedsters in comics worked and how they were portrayed in movies, theoretically your body would’ve been torn apart by how fast you’d go. Your lungs wouldn’t have been able to function due to the collective pressure, making it impossible to breathe. Your bones would break, effectively being the same as being deep down in the darkness of the ocean’s abyss, where very little could live.

 

You didn’t know how you could do it, or how it entirely worked, but it was more like you could manipulate time around you.  Sure, you had to take a running start to get it started. Adrenaline was typically the keep to activate those abilities. After activating your powers? You could casually stroll around or move things around, like bullets. You could navigate your way around blasts of magic. And sometimes, you could see things that were supposed to be invisible to the naked eye.

 

Explaining that all was tricky, and more than a bit unbelievable. So, the simplest explanation was that you moved fast.

 

But, one thing you could see that humans, and apparently monsters, couldn’t see? You could see tendrils of magic. You could see whenever a monster was about to start an attack. It wasn’t that your brain could process things faster than the speed of light. It was just, everything else slowed down, giving you enough time to make a proper reaction.

 

Seeing Kindness’ magic? Regardless of the color it took on? You saw the webs and lines that made up the shields. All you had to do was unweave them. You plucked each string, all making a sound like strumming a guitar or playing a piano. You’d never been one to play music before, but you considered taking lessons after all this was done. 

 

One second you were inside, effectively trapped. The next? Kindness’ shields collapsed, and you were on the other side. Man, your powers were way too OP. Arguably though, so were speedsters in comics, but people either usually underestimated them, or didn’t consider the implications.

 

Perseverance had closed their eyes, and grinned once they saw you were outside. They tended to close their eyes often when it came to using magic or listening for any magical entities nearby. Could they hear what you could see?

 

“Kindness, could you sense them?”

 

“... No, ” Kindness reluctantly admitted. Their robotic voice echoed in the room. “ None of my senses could.”

 

Yeehaw. You gave yourself a fist pump. “Yes!”

 

You hoped it wasn’t hubris to find some joy in getting this far with your powers. Back when you first started, you ran into walls and other obstacles all of the time. It wasn’t until you figured out you weren’t merely going fast that you figured out how to change the odds in your favor.

 

“Alright, you can go. But be cautious...And take a few snacks.”

 

Oh right, you often needed fuel after using your powers. They took a lot out of you, but when you didn’t use them you felt like you were gonna explode. You also coughed up blood, and that wasn’t fun. You had theories about how magic worked, but you needed to get more information.

 

Magic was weird, but fun.

 

---

 

From a short distance, enough so that you wouldn’t be noticed, you mentally calculated how many ‘strings’ there were in the monsters’ barrier, having paused time around you. The extent of how much you slowed down around you wasn’t that great, but you were getting better over time.

 

Anyways, there were a lot fewer strings to mess with than Kindness’. But, you could also be underestimating the strength of the barrier. Monsters had great control over magic, as if they were made of the stuff. There were guards surrounding the barrier, each an equal distance from the others. Not far from you were the skeleton brothers, who could wield gravity. One was napping, but you suspected it was a ruse of sorts. It was suspicious.

 

Then, there were a ton of dogs in armor that were in need of a good petting. You grinned to yourself, recalling how once on the battlefield you paused time, just so you could pet one. You pet them faster when you saw how far their neck extends. They looked so confused and happy once you left them alone. What? It was hard to resist. And you didn’t get caught so no one had to know a thing.

 

The other monsters you could get past, but you wanted to avoid the skeleton brothers as much as possible. You weren’t a genius, but you could read. Before monsters attacked, you read somewhere that time and gravity were tied. Something about a gravitational field being a curve of space and time? Yeah, you weren’t gonna risk that.

 

A lot of people thought you were stupid and overly reckless. You knew that was bullshit so you didn’t care much for their opinion. Yeah, you could be a little impulsive, but you didn’t understand why people held back so much. Responsibility and patience were great things, but how one used it was what mattered. 

 

Besides, while you weren’t a scientist, some parts of life weren’t that hard to figure out. For instance, if someone liked another and found them attractive, one shouldn’t need to hide it as long as they were polite and considerate about it. Or trying to hide how you feel just led to miscommunication and typically made everyone miserable, which sucked. As for yourself, as long as something made sense or could have some sort of explanation, you didn’t let much bother you. What was the point of that when there was so much to do and explore. Life was already short enough.

 

So, you moved farther away from the skeletons. When you deemed it safe, you started a run, making it to the barrier with little difficulty. Tugging at the strings with delicacy, you entered the area. Everything was slow as you made your way into the camp. No one looked in your direction, not noticing your presence.

 

You smiled sadly, not liking one of the downsides of your powers. No one could see you. You couldn’t interact with anyone. If you did, you had to be careful not to harm them. You wondered if as the rest of the world slowed down, you aged quicker.

 

...Your time really was running out the more you used your powers.

 

Whelp, better make the most of it.

 

Walking through the camp, you saw monsters that were unbelievable to view. There was a walking volcano, a lizard lady, a badass in armor with red hair that had been flowing in the breeze…

 

You found Asgore accidentally. How easy would it be to take him out if you wanted to? A snap of the neck? Some poison? You could cripple him if you wanted to, the time difference between your existence and his would make it easy.

 

However, you weren’t here to harm. And it sickened you to think of killing anybody. You were too weak to do that.

 

It wasn’t hard to find the tent where maps and plans were laid out. There were flags and details everywhere. Taking them would be suspicious, so you just copied as much as you could. Unfortunately, you needed to eat something to maintain your abilities, so you stepped to the side, away from the table and to the outside so as not to leave crumbs in an obvious place.

 

Blinking, you saw him . Watching fire whenever it slowed was beautiful, but he was living fire. When fire slowed, one could see every ember flickering in and out, the light dissipating only to be born anew. The colors always changed, mini-explosions and bursts of light going through a spectrum. Shadows followed closely, only highlighting the strange borealis-like mix.

 

Oh, and the fire guy was shirtless, taking it off as he changed out of his armor.

 

You averted your eyes to prevent yourself from being hypnotized by his beautiful hotness any more. Gods, there were so many times you could’ve taken advantage of your powers to do whatever you wanted, but this was so messed up. You didn’t mean to see certain... things .

 

Being a prude wasn’t your intent, but neither was being a pervert. You backed away, the flush on your cheeks continuing to burn as you ate your snack. The world had begun to speed up again, and the last thing you needed was being caught in the monster camp. It would doom everything you and the mages were trying to accomplish. You ate fast, not afraid per se, but remaining cautious.

 

For a second, before the world became far slower again, the fire guy had begun to turn around in your direction. He effectively turned into a blazing statue once more, his eyes half-opened as he blinked. That only made your cheeks, and some areas burn a little more in mortification. Your heart was pounding furiously as you saw his liquid fire eyes.

 

If you thought his shirtless self had been gorgeous, you couldn’t have guessed how striking his gaze was. You doubted even he knew, since you were the only one you knew of who could see details like this with your powers. His gaze was a burning inferno, light and life resonating from his eyes.

 

...It was so tempting to touch him, to see if you really could get burned with his heat. Inhaling and exhaling, you knew it wasn’t the time for that. You needed to complete your mission. Besides, good looks aren't everything. For all you knew, he could be a complete asshole. He burned people to death, and playing with fire was a stupid thing to do.

 

You weren’t ashamed of being attracted to a monster. You were just mad at yourself for getting distracted.

 

Walking away, you glanced back once, the floating orange heart in front of you pounding you more than it should. At least it wasn’t loud enough that it would attract attention. You always needed to be cautious when it came to making sound. You found out the hard way that the smallest taps could be like gunfire or fireworks when you weren’t careful.

 

Shit, the skeleton was by where you had opened the barrier now. Good thing it had already resealed. Thinking quickly, you walked back in another direction, far away from the skeleton who could wield a power that could detect you. 

 

Heh, you were defying gravity. You hoped it wouldn’t bite you in the ass later as you faced the skeleton, flipping him off repeatedly as you retreated. He wouldn’t know, right?

 

Shit, he was starting to turn his head in your direction, his eyes thankfully closed as he was starting to blink his eyes. Focusing, you ran on light feet, not taking a chance. You only paused when you reached the other side of the camp, plucking the strings in the barrier to creating an opening. Running out, you were breathless, sweating a little as you reentered the human camp.

 

Kindness called out your name, asking if you were okay, and if you were caught or seen. You panted, tossing the plans and makeshift figures to the table, reconstructing everything from memory.

 

“No, I wasn’t caught or seen, but it was close. I thought I was way too OP, but those skeletons are fucked up.”

 

You began relaying everything you saw and found, not mentioning how the fire general was stripping in front of you. Nope, you were not gonna get the hots for the hot guy right now. You couldn’t afford to be distracted.

 

Curse you and your horniness.

 

---

 

The next time you saw Flameo Hotman, was when it was nighttime. There was a literal ring of fire near the center. You had just left the monster’s camp again, having stolen some more plans. You could guess who made the fire walls- Heh, firewalls - and at first you were just gonna pass him by.

 

And your stupid self decided it should stick around after delivering the maps and plans. So, like an idiot, you came back. It was a beautiful night, so you also grabbed a sleeping mat for yourself.

 

Getting past the wall wasn’t all that hard. It was a lot like opening Kindness' or the monsters’ barriers. Sure, there was the concern of the heat and getting burnt, but you slowly waved your hand, putting it out so it’d be easier to handle. After all, fire needs oxygen to ignite and stay alight. Without it, fire went poof.

 

Inside the circle, the hot man was asleep. He was kind of cute when asleep, snoring a bit as he lay on his back. Glancing up and laying down beside him, you took in the view. Without all the smoke and exhaust from the cities, it was really pretty out. Turning your head to look at the fire guy, you were entranced by his fluttering eyelids and his fabulous cheekbones and-

 

You turned off your powers, patting your cheek so that you didn’t make a loud noise and wake him up. Still, it had to be uncomfortable sleeping the way he was. All that armor was jutting out, and he was on rocks. And he still wore his glasses. Sighing softly, you took out your mat, and gently moved him onto it. You hadn’t intended for him to roll onto your lap, and you began internally screeching.

 

You weren’t scared, but gods this could be embarrassing. It felt like you were taking advantage of him somehow, guilt pooling in the pit of your stomach. And then, he mumbled something inaudible, leaning against you and burying his face into the meat of your thighs, his arms starting to wrap around your waist before then fell, one accidentally touching your butt.

 

Why? Just, just why? What did you do to deserve this?! Was it hubris? Stupidity? Recklessness? All of the above?

 

Carefully, you moved his hand away from your butt, flushing when you heard something he said. “Smells good.”

 

...You were never going to tell him what he just did. It was cute and terrifying all at once. Was it bad that you kind of liked it though? Yep, you were fucked up in the head.

 

Inhaling and exhaling, you removed his glasses, causing him to relax more. With the way he was holding you, it wasn’t as if you could just pull away. So, you guess you’d be with him until the morning came. You were going to have to stay awake the whole night. You were just fortunate, or unfortunate, that your mind would run rampant processing the current situation, and fight to avoid going into all kinds of fantasies that would be really nice.

 

You really hoped he wouldn’t burn you to a crisp. That would definitely suck.

 

---

 

He woke up when dawn erupted, groaning in a way that was practically sinful. Or at least it was to you. Curse you and your horniness.

 

The hotman blinked, squinting as he reached up to touch where his glasses would have been. His vision was likely blurry without his glasses. Seeking to fix that, you placed his glasses back, and smiled down at him so that he wouldn’t panic. You were not successful in your attempt seeing his wide eyes.

 

You weren’t the shy type, but you didn’t want things to be awkward. Rubbing the back of your neck, you said, “Sorry, I figured it couldn’t be very comfortable to sleep with your glasses on, or on the ground, or...ya know?”

 

He blinked once, then twice, cautiously, slowly sitting up. Your lap felt both cold without his presence, and a lot less numb from the constant pressure. Flameo was tense in fight or flight or even freeze mode. His stare switched between you, and the mat, questioning. Trying to act nonchalant, you stood up, dusting yourself off. Stretching, you found him staring at you, his eyes trailing up and downwards.  

 

Your mouth moved before your thoughts did, “See something you like?”

 

He stayed silent, an eye twitching. Yeah, this was really awkward and you hated it. The silence you didn’t mind, he didn’t seem to be the talkative type. It was how he was silent that bothered you.

 

“...Why?”

 

Holy shit, he could talk. You shrugged. “I don’t like fighting people unless they are at their best. And you were pretty exhausted. I can’t imagine that being in the position you were in would’ve let you get a good rest either. I mean, I’d rather fight, and hopefully not kill, each other like civilized people.”

 

You doubted he’d catch the Princess Bride reference.

 

Flameo Hotman glanced around, seeing that the barrier he’d constructed was still up. Undoubtedly, he was trying to figure out how you got past his walls. There was a long pause, but the fire lowered, the fields around you cool and gentle on your skin.

 

And how he controlled fire like that? Hot, literally. “Awesome. I wonder what other tricks you can do.”

 

Shit, you didn’t mean to sound flirty again. What was wrong with you? Best to keep smiling as if nothing were wrong. Nope, everything was dandy. He grimaced, and you realized what was going on. Your smile wavered. 

 

“I guess you really are gonna kill me like a civilized person, huh?”

 

“...I’m not civilized,” he responded, conflict in his tone.

 

You tilted their head, recalling all of the fantasies you had last night. “I sincerely doubt that. I can imagine you'd be pretty good in a vest or a tux. Or, maybe nothing at all but-”

 

Bad brain, bad brain! You didn’t blame him when he started throwing fireballs at you. Instinctively, you made time slow. His irritation and annoyance at you was painfully clear, making you flinch. You messed up really badly, didn’t you?

 

He started to say something. Since you were safe, you allowed time to resume.

 

“Bravery.”

 

Huh? What the heck did that mean? Well, at least his cheeks darkened now in what you guessed was a blush. Maybe you could use that fact later against him. It was certainly a fun idea. Heck, maybe flirting wasn’t such a bad idea after all. You should try it more with him.

 

“What? Am I too hot for you to handle?”

 

You could see the magic around him gathering as you slowed time. Even his attacks were beautiful. His pose? Stunning. Feeling mischievous, against all logic where you should’ve just run away and left him there, you walked behind him, and let time resume. Against where you guessed his ear would be, you whispered, “As a heads up, our leader’s gonna be seeing King Asgore, real soon.”

 

It was true. With all the plans discussed and set in place, Perseverance was going to be seeing Asgore any moment now to propose a peace treaty. His flames wavered, and this time, instead of fireballs, you had to sidestep a wall. Raising an eyebrow, impressed, you stood in front of him. Again, it was fair. It was only after he tried to kill you that you understood what you said could be a bad thing.

 

Damn, you really needed to think things through more, especially when it came to interacting with people.  “Okay, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Jeeze, I seriously don’t get what you monsters have against us. We’re not as bad as you think. Well, some people are complete assholes, but I’m pretty sure everyone’s got their share of them.”

 

The last few sentences confused him, so you just smiled again.

 

“Next time, I hope we’ll be holding hands instead of you trying to kill me. I think it’d be nice, being friends with you.”

 

You slowed time, but before you left, you grabbed a flower from nearby. Walking up to him, face to face, you placed the bloom in the earpiece of his glasses. You wanted to kiss him on the cheek, but figured that’d be a bit much.

 

You had already messed with him enough for one day, and you looked forward to messing with him on another one.

 

Notes:

In the original story, Bravery is called a speedster or is "fast". However, there have been real life scientific theories on how that works, and a major one is how it is more about the partial control over time than it is going super fast.

In the newer X-Men and Marvel movies, Quicksilver quite literally pauses time, and Flash can time travel whenever he uses the Speed Force.

So, yeah, in some versions speedsters can somewhat control time. Hope it doesn't seem like too much for the first mage in god knows how long.

Chapter 2: Bravery and Bonding

Summary:

This is a fairly calm chapter that does a lot of worldbuilding and there's some fluff as well as angst.

Notes:

Warning: Reader nearly gives Grillby a heart attack from flirting and sexual innuendos...And just being fluffy/adorable.

Reader can be a bit oblivious and too honest at times.

You arrived just in time to see Asgore and Perseverance talking, a white flag in the latter’s hand. Where Perseverance carried a symbol of peace, Asgore held a trident. You were prepared to step in if need be, even if Perseverance could handle themself pretty well. There were plenty of reasons Perseverance was in charge of the mages after all.

 

The king of monsters glanced over at you and Kindness. Grinning, you gave a wave, much to his bafflement.

 

You wondered what his expression would be if he found out you accidentally walked in on him and a few soldiers changing out of uniform. For some reason, those views hadn’t affected you like the flaming fighter did.

 

Kindness gave you a look, and you nodded, using your powers to move around Perseverance and Asgore at quick enough speeds that Asgore couldn’t sense you. The words were annoyingly slow, but you wanted to be ready in case. This moment could be life or death, peace or war. Just Perseverance, leader of the mages, and the leader of monsters, could change the lives of countless individuals.

 

“Who are you? Why are you here?”

 

Holy shit the fluffy goat-man had a deep voice. And it had an effect on Perseverance, barely. They only paused shortly before speaking. “I am an emissary from the leader of this country. They would like to meet with you for the sake of peace between humans and monsters.”

 

It had taken a lot of convincing for human leaders to be convinced to attempt peace. One of the contributing factors was Perseverance’s past, and why their losses in this war mattered. In all honesty, the leader of the country had become more of a figurehead, and Perseverance? Perseverance was the organizer, the strategist, and the one in charge of all of this.

 

In your mind, they shouldn’t have bowed to Asgore because they were of equal positions. The Monster King just didn’t realize it, yet.

 

It took a great deal of control for Perseverance to speak as calmly as they did. They were burying too many emotions, and so much grief. To speak as they did to the King of Monsters? You didn’t know how they could endure it all.

 

 “Why would humans seek peace?”

 

You had a strong urge to slap the monster king, but figured that was a bad thing. Perseverance’s retort was a good answer. “...Why do monsters seek war?”

 

Perseverance was always good at getting to the heart of the matter. They made people question every little thing. But, you could tell from the anguish and grief in their tone that they, along with the rest of humanity, wanted the answer to that question. Why did monsters appear from Mount Ebott, and why had they attacked humanity? Why start this war at all.

 

There had to be a reason, some kind of logic behind the behavior. People don’t just start wars because they feel like it, not anymore at least.

 

Asgore’s answer stunned you, only confusing you further. “We don’t.”

 

Monsters were the ones who started all of this?! How could they not want war when they made all of this happen? Perseverance opened their mouth and closed it repeatedly, trying not to strike at the absolute bastard that had taken so much.  “I doubt my words will ever matter to you. Please, at least consider our leader’s offer. I’ll see you again in two days, provided you don’t kill me first. ”

 

After uttering the location and time that the humans were waiting, Perseverance turned their back, utterly vulnerable if he tried to do anything.

 

Returning to where Kindness was, you stood next to Perseverance.

 

“...Did you catch everything?”

 

“Yeah,” you murmured. “Why did Asgore say monsters don’t want war, when they’re the ones who started this?”

 

Perseverance raked back their hand, closing their watering eyes. They looked even more tired than usual. You wished you could find a way to make things easier. Clearing your throat, you asked, “Once we’re out of view, do you two want me to carry you back to base? It’d get us there faster.”

 

“No, you two go on ahead. I need to clear my head.”

 

While you didn’t want to leave Perseverance behind, you knew they could handle themself. So, you brought Kindness back to camp. There, a child with purple eyes greeted you, asking where their parent was. Smiling, you picked them up, placing them on your hip while pulling out a book. It was from the monster camp and you felt a little guilty, but there’d been two copies so…

 

“Hey, wanna bedtime story? This one is called ‘Peek-A-Boo With Fluffy Bunny’.”

 

You had already glanced over it, and figured it was age appropriate. And, you were planning on returning the book, eventually. For now though, it might help a poor, traumatized kid go to sleep a little more easily. You tucked them in, and spent nearly an hour reading the book. It was unexpectedly long and you started to find yourself drifting into snoring territory. At least the kid was fast asleep. You hoped they’d get some sleep.

 

Perseverance probably wouldn’t be able to tonight.

 

You checked on them, unsurprised to find their fists covered in wounds, likely from hitting something. There were tear-marks down their flushed cheeks. You knew they didn’t want Kindness to be bothered by healing them, so you grabbed the first aid kit that had gone neglected since Kindness became famous for their healing abilities.

 

Your friend remained silent as you cleaned and bandaged their hand. As you worked, you spoke of how Perseverance’s toddler was, commented on how the story was, and little things that seemed like absolute nonsense. When you were done, you tried not to show how sad you were by the sight of their empty gaze, their mind lost elsewhere in a fog. Or more accurately, trapped in memories of smoke and fire. Recalling just how Perseverance convinced the leader of the country to try making peace? What Perseverance said earlier about doubting their words would matter? They were so wrong. Their very words were beginning to move a nation, possibly two, towards change. Heck, if everything went well, they technically would’ve saved the world just by advocating for peace.

 

For all the magic in the world, sometimes it paled in comparison to the smallest actions that made the most powerful ripples.

 

“...It’ll be okay,” you said softly, squeezing their hand carefully. “We’re gonna get through this, everyone will. And the world will be better for it.”

 

They didn’t respond. All you could do was hope that they heard even a bit of what you said. You helped them lay down to sleep, leaving painkillers and a glass of water on the small table by their bedside.

 

Outside the tent, you ran into Kindness. Kindness, who’d been torn apart and pieced together. Even if you couldn’t exactly see behind the mask they wore, you knew they were frowning. You began walking away when Kindness said, “ Thank you.”

 

“Hey, we’re all in this together, right? Get some rest. The next few days are gonna be chaotic.” you replied merrily, only letting yourself frown once you were out of sight.

 

Deciding to do a barrier check, you took out some earphones that you’d managed to scrounge up from the ruins of a building. One of the pieces worked, and the other was functional, even if the sound quality was crap. Placing a music player on your side, you plugged in the earphones. Every time you did, you wondered about the day the functioning one would just stop working.

 

Playing the music that remained, you winced as the earphone scratched to life. The sounds were distorted, but not so much that you weren’t against listening to it. In a way, the broken parts melded with rhythms, and made a calming effect. It made what surrounded you easier to process.

 

One problem with your powers was that there was a lot more input than when you didn’t have them, and you sensed way too much before. Suddenly being able to see the world in a whole new light the way that you did? Sometimes it was just too much, and your brain needed a break.

 

Looking out, you began walking. During this time you tried to avoid using your powers and just, just be yourself. Even with all the cool, fancy powers, there were moments you missed feeling human. To humans, you were similar to a monster, the people who killed and attacked their families and loved ones. To monsters, you were a threat, and they hated you more than they did other humans without you knowing why.

 

You let yourself slow down, and just take in everything.

 

 “Why would humans seek peace?”

 

 “...Why do monsters seek war?”

 

“We don’t.”

 

There had to be a reason for all of this. People just don’t go willy nilly killing and striking fear. That was for truly evil individuals, and with everything you’d seen, from monsters sharing drinking rounds to affectionate doggies booping noses and a skeleton reading Peek-A-Boo With Fluffy Bunny, you knew they couldn’t be all bad. Kicking a rock, you put on your best smile again when you passed some of the guards.

 

The instrumental part of the song was done, the lyrics warbled but oddly nice to listen to. It was like hearing someone trying to talk while surrounded by rain or during a windstorm. So, you gather your breath, and began murmuring the lyrics, your steps becoming a bit more energetic instead of dragging themselves along.

 

“Merrily we fall out of line, out of line.” You were no singer, but you enjoyed having a moment like this alone. “ I'd fall anywhere with you, I'm by your side. Swinging in the rain, humming melodies. We're not going anywhere until we freeze.”

 

There was a crack of a tree branch, but you knew it was either a chipmunk or a small rabbit. Again, you sensed no magic.

 

“I'm not afraid anymore. I'm not afraid.”

 

Then, there was a flicker of light in the corner of your vision. You recognized the type of magic from when a certain someone tried to attack you the other day. Pretending as if nothing was wrong, you kept singing, while casually  also following where the lines were.

 

“Forever is a long time , but I wouldn't mind spending it by your side.” Ah, he was just over a nearby hill. Thinking carefully, you ran back, writing a note as you went and left it with Kindness, who in turn would strengthen the barrier or be prepared for a fight while you returned to where your hot little acquaintance was. You would try to avoid a fight since peace was the goal, but you'd also defend yourself if necessary. With that, you just kept going, knowing he’d probably strike you as soon as you got close enough. “Carefully we'll place our destiny. You came and you took this heart and set it free. Every word you write and sing is so warm to me. So warm to me I'm torn, I'm torn to be-”

 

With a mischievous grin, you leaned over the hillside, your face so close to his that you felt the heat off his skin. He was absolutely still as you beamed at him, your weight on your elbows while he started to fall backwards in shock.

 

“- Right where you are.”

 

He was staring at you, caught between attacking you, and blowing his cover to the rest of the human camp. He didn’t know it, but Kindness was well aware he was there, and might call reinforcements if you didn’t respond within a certain period of time. It was always best to notify people before you did something absolutely stupid or crazy. Playing with fire? That sort of counted when he was a fire monster that could burn people’s faces off.

 

“Didn’t take you to be a voyeur, but I guess you did say you weren’t civilized, right?” you snorted. Aw, the way he blushed was so cute. You really did love messing with him. When he said nothing, you unwrapped a granola bar and chomped it with the side of your mouth, mimicking a famous cartoon character as you said, “Eh, what’s up hot stuff?”

 

“...Am I supposed to get that reference?”

 

Shrugging, you nonchalantly watched as he stood up, oddly not getting into an attack position. Glancing about, you saw no other signs of magic, but there was always the chance you were wrong. Good thing you let the camp know there was someone out here.

 

“Holy shit you can talk,” you chuckled, continuing to eat in front of him. You'd already known that, but he did it so little that you felt the need to point it out. He tensed when you said that to him. Feeling friendly, you offered your granola bar. “Want some?”

 

He slowly shook his head, watching you with narrowed eyes. With a mouth full of food, you talked, hoping to lull him into a false sense of security, or just to annoy him. 

 

“You’ve got massive trust issues.”

 

“What?”

 

Finishing your bar and placing the wrapper in your pocket so you wouldn’t litter, you dusted off your hands. You only spoke when there wasn’t food in your teeth anymore. “Well, I said my leader would be talking to your king soon, and you automatically assumed that meant murder. I give you a few compliments, and you try to kill me. And here you are, outside our base, when the races are considering options for peace. Honestly, it doesn't look good.”

 

Folding your arms, you leaned against a tree, not minding when he began walking towards you, fists clenched.

 

“You phrased it...Strangely. I thought you were threatening Asgore.” You were tempted to tell him that technically with your powers, you could’ve killed Asgore without the monsters’ knowledge. That’d be bad though. He awkwardly leaned against a tree across from you, mimicking your pose. That was adorable. Or it would’ve been if you weren’t wondering how those embers floating from him didn’t catch the trees on fire. Cool. “Those compliments , as you called them, felt disingenuous, to say the least.” Ooh, disingenuous. Fancy words from the fire man. You raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. “And, I doubt humanity’s intentions.”

 

Sighing, you closed your eyes, lighting tapping your head back onto the bark. Using your powers, you went back and left another note for Kindness, letting them know you were safe for now and that Flameo Hotman was just being a bit paranoid. Er, understandably nervous about interactions between humans and monsters. Returning to the same space, you laid your head back, letting the echo of the sound of your skull hitting the tree resonate a bit. It wasn’t loud, just noticeable and would drive away attention from the fact that you were gone for a millisecond in real time. Normally you just fidgeted or found a way to divert attention, but you wanted to seem calm and relaxed around the monster that irritatingly made your heart flutter for no damned good reason at all.

 

“Y’know, I can back off if I make you uncomfortable.” An evil thought came to mind. You didn’t think you’d use this, or at least weaponize the knowledge so soon, but… “I just figured it was fair play since you grabbed my butt and said I smelled good when you slept with me. Er, on me.”

 

Wow, now you were really curious as to how the fire guy hadn’t sent the forest ablaze with the intensity of his heat, and how his flames flew upwards. Shit, actually he did light something. It was one of the heavier branches. It’s limb looked like a lightsaber went through it. There were no embers spewing forth, and you didn’t see any signs it could spread. Normally, you’d pause time and just hit or kick the thing away. But for some reason beyond comprehension, you pushed the general out of the way. His arms wrapped around you and you instinctively held the back of his neck to shield it. The heat should’ve stung you, but it didn’t. Instead, the two of you landed on a flatter piece of land. You grunted, rubbing the back of your head until you looked up.

 

Your eyes met his as you realized the position you were in. He was kneeling above you, one of his knees between both of your thighs. His hands were by the sides of your head. You furrowed your brows, wondering if he was a thigh guy or an ass guy. Better not ask that question, at least not yet.

 

“Oi, at least buy me dinner first.”

 

He backed away from you, arms almost flailing, and you stood up, dusting yourself off. Sighing, you offered your hand to him.

 

“Sorry if I came across as creepy. I’ll try to stop, okay?” He reached out for you, pulled back, and then his palm met yours. You lifted him to his feet, reconsidering what you said. “Actually, can I say one more thing? It’s been on my mind for a while and I really need to get it out.”

 

He looked away, unable to meet your eyes, but nodded. He clenched his fists, prepared for the worst.

 

Watching him and any micro expressions he had, you confessed, “ Your voice is like the fireplace I used to sit by whenever it was dark and cold. It's comforting. Your embers flicker  light with endless colors. And, sometimes it's hard to look away. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

 

With every word, he had moved to face you, and all you did was smile, though it was a bit sad. You weren’t ashamed of what you said. It was the truth. You just wished you hadn’t made him so uncomfortable.

 

“Anyways, if you’re intent on taking a peek, why not take in the whole view?” Your words confused him until you clarified, “I meant our camp?”

 

Why was he blushing again, and hiding his face a bit? What’d you say this time? There was nothing sexual or flirty about it. But, you also weren’t good when it came to judging certain social interactions, so he could’ve heard something you didn’t? Oh well.

 

Refocusing your attention, you added, “ I’d just ask you to steer clear of one of the kid’s tents? They uh, their house burned down so they have problems when it comes to fire. I mean, we can temporarily have them see their parent if you really want to take a gander-”

 

He raised his hand, shaking his head. Shit, he looked so upset now. “...I don’t understand you.”

 

Trying to keep up your smile, and to cheer him up a bit, you said, “Most don’t. But I don’t really care how they see me. I just want everyone to be safe and happy. I can’t ensure that last bit, but maybe I can do something about the first?” You offered your hand, not bothered when his eyes widened. You beamed, telling him your name. “I’m a weirdo, and I hope we can be friends. Or at least that you’ll tolerate me.”

 

If he had the desire to kill you, he would’ve tried already. He could definitely try, but you were fairly certain you could take him if you wanted to. Tentatively, his palm met yours. He had calluses, which you imagined was difficult for a being made of fire to have. You wondered how your hands felt to him. Were you cold in comparison? Or icky because humans were like, seventy-something percent water? You forgot the exact amount. Wait, was he against water? This was all really confusing,  but it was okay because you were gonna try to figure it out.

 

You let his hand drop, keeping in mind how firm and cautious his grasp on you was. He was staring at you again, and you considered teasing him for it. Ultimately you just decided not to. You made him uncomfortable as it was.

 

“...Grillby.”

 

Your grin turned into a smirk, “Grillby? As in, like grilling stuff?”

 

“Some monsters aren't very creative when it comes to naming things. Parents included,” he said defensively.

 

What would his parents look like? Would they have his eyes or-

 

“Don’t worry, it suits you,” you said, cutting off your thoughts before they could wander aimlessly. “And I shouldn’t find it funny when there are human kids out there literally named LOL or Banana.”

 

“...LOL?”

 

Damn, how far out of touch were these monsters from human society? Then again, they came out of a mountain so they probably didn’t have a lot of experience with human culture or paraphernalia. “Uh, it means Laugh Out Loud.”

 

“Ah.” He hesitated. He might’ve just been trying to be polite considering how weirdly you two interacted, but what he said was still nice. “I think I like your name better.”

 

Stupid butterflies. “I like yours too.”

 

You both stilled as you saw that your music player had been damaged in the fall. And, the working earphone was burnt, smoke floating from it into the air. Sighing, wistfully, you took it off. “What is that?”

 

“It’s a music player, kind of like-”

 

“A miniature jukebox?”

 

Huh, so monsters did know some things. He sounded a bit like an excited kid when he made his question.  You still grinned like an idiot, unable to control the feelings bubbling up in you at his growing enthusiasm around you. You weren’t sure if you wanted to.  “Yeah, you can say that. Most of the ones I find are damaged so it was nice to find one that partially worked. I guess it’s spare parts now.” Putting it away, you felt Grillby’s hard stare at the device. You asked his name in confusion, and he looked away, clenching his fists. “Spare parts can be good. It means making something new from something broken. It’s reborn in a way, breathing with new life.”

 

He was staring at you again, but this time when his eyes were half-lidded, it wasn’t because he was mid-way through a blink. He was just looking at you. The silence wasn’t that disturbing this time. It was nice, just you and him under the moon and stars by the woods. The moon’s soft light just brought out more of his glow, the shimmer of his flames. It, he, really was hypnotic.

 

The two of you abruptly looked up when shouts came from opposite directions. Someone was calling for Grillby, and someone was calling for you. Grillby’s gaze was pleading. Rolling your eyes at his nervousness, you yelled out, “I’m good! Need anything? Supplies? Coffee? A cup of sugar?”

 

You really, really needed to stop confusing the poor man made of fire.

 

“Just making sure you’re not dead!”

 

“Not yet!” you responded playfully, giving Grillby a curious look. You were silently asking how he wanted this to end. He said nothing, and the monster from the other direction had gone silent, realizing you were there. Patting Grillby’s shoulder, you said, “You might want to check on your friend. I hope they didn’t get a heart attack.”

 

Grillby’s laugh was like a crackling fire, and it was the nicer kind that didn’t kill people.  It was unlike the intense heat that you used to have to fight in your previous occupation. His laugh was warm, and like a hug. “They’re fine. They’ll just be interrogating me for the rest of the night.”

 

He sounded tired, and a bit sad. Maybe you could fix that? Or at least make the load on his shoulders a little lighter? Making sure your allies were gone, you leaned past Grillby and called out to the other monster, “You know you guys can come over at any time as long as you like, ya know, don’t kill us? I’ll give you a tour myself!” Grillby was gaping. Or at least you thought he was. It was sometimes a bit hard to read his expressions with him being made of fire and all. “And go easy on Hot Stuff! He’s broody enough as it is!”

“Hey!”

 

You weren't sure if he was offended by you calling him Hot Stuff, or if it was because you said he was broody. It could be both. But that was the first time you’d ever heard him raise his voice, and it cracked in his flustered state . He really was cute. You just winked at him, and went on your merry way, humming the song you’d been listening to earlier.

 

If you had looked back, you would’ve seen Grillby smiling after you.

 

---

 

It was roughly two days that Perseverance returned to meet Asgore.

 

You and Kindness stayed close, monitoring the situation from a visible distance. Asgore glanced at you, and you gave him a friendly wave once more. He blinked, but otherwise didn’t react, his attention mainly focused on Perseverance. As soon as he looked away, you began running back and forth, managing the time flowing around you so you could hear the conversation and relay it back to Kindness.

 

“I told them to stay behind. They’re worried you might, and I quote, ‘shish-kabob’ me,” Perseverance said, glancing at his crimson spear with brief curiosity. “They’ll leave once they’re sure I’m safe.”

 

You were the one concerned about your friend getting shish-kabobed. That trident was really, really pointy and sharp. And he hadn’t exactly been all that friendly the other day. You tried not to attack the king when he said, “I won’t harm the messenger, I promise. You’re just following your duty.”

 

Perseverance paused as they took the scrolls, their fists clenched. What little expression they had vanished. Perseverance obviously wanted to say something, but kept silent. Their rage went unspoken for the sake of peace, for a better future. They were possibly the strongest person you’d ever come across. You went back to your post, aiming to distract the King from your friend. “Everything good? You’re taking a while!”

 

There was a moment where Perseverance and Asgore shared a look, but then they began walking back, a mountain-full of scrolls and papers sealed with wax in their arms. You gratefully took most of them, prepared to undergo one of the longest runs you’d have to experience.

 

Kindness would be the one to deliver to the three strongest monster generals as they could withstand monsters’ wrath better. Perseverance would return to the humans and arrange for the armies to retract their forces, leading the way for everyone.

 

As for you? With how far the war had expanded across the country, you were gonna have to not just go to the battlefields, but to capitals and places where politics reigned supreme. You were also gonna have to go to many monster camps. Good thing you got the info from behind the lines on where they’d be to better minimize bloodshed. Well, it was for that and a few other things.

 

Listening to Perseverance’s instructions, another thought came to mind. If there was no war, then a certain man of fire would have no reason to wanna murder you. Excitedly, and loudly, you exclaimed, “Nice! Ooh, I can see the hot boy again! Maybe he won’t try to kill me this time!”

 

Asgore, who had been watching from a distance, squinted in confusion. He probably heard what you said. That was okay, you didn’t particularly mind. You stretched, cradling the cargo in your arms, and ran for it, ready to change the world.

 

...And of course you received a message that you needed to undergo a rescue operation in the middle of all this.

 

Crap.

 

Notes:

There will be more scenes to show why they have the soul trait as their core. As for Reader and Perseverance, I hope their traits are clearer as I write.

Next chapter will have more action as it's part of a rescue mission. In it, we'll see more of the mages' powers and how dangerous they can be if they wanted to.

PS The Reader has seen things in the monster camp and has excellent blackmail material for later on. Writing Asgore doing a spit take is a delight.

Chapter 3: Freedom and Fear

Summary:

Some badassery from mages three.

Notes:

This whole story is meant to be from the Reader's point of view, so there is limited information or details when it comes to differing perspectives. However, if you can imagine how the Reader acts from another's POV, it'll make things more angsty after a certain point in the chapter.

Damn it, you and the mages had put in so much work trying to make peace between humans and monsters. And now? Some ragtag group of idiots had to go and try to ruin it.

 

You were the last of the three mages to arrive, sweat covering your brow as you panted.

 

“What’s the situation?” you wheeze, trying to collect your breath.

 

Kindness’ green healing energy came over you, making it a lot easier to breathe. Your lungs weren’t burning anymore, which was nice. Perseverance grimaced, examining you from a distance. After a moment, they gestured with a nod towards a small abandoned building where a fire pit lay out front.

 

“Kind of obvious of them, dont’cha think?” you said.

 

“It’s a trap meant to get monsters to attack,” Perseverance replied, lifting their wrist to read their watch. “And we don’t have much time. Intel says that the three top generals are making their way here. Once they get here, humans can claim another unprovoked attack, and monsters will say it’s completely justified.”

 

“So, to stop some bad humans, they’re gonna need some good ones? Or at least, relatively decent ones?” you asked. “Great, so what’s the plan?”

 

“Scout it out, and report back. The fewer casualties there are, the better this goes. If you can get past monsters without getting caught, you can get past some idiots with guns.”

 

That definitely sounded easier than it really was, but you hadn’t let anyone down yet. This time around, since you were facing humans, you took out your own mask, one that mimicked Kindness’. Where Kindness wore theirs for very personal reasons, you wore yours as protection when dealing with fellow humans. That and, though it could seem stupid sometimes, it made you look a lot scarier. Wounds and scars could be temporary pending how they’re treated. Physiological damage? That was forever.

 

The first time you’d done it people weren’t exactly impressed, wondering what the mask was for. It felt like you were part of some rotten comedy that made no sense. Then, you broke all their weapons while they blinked. More than one guy peed his pants.

 

Yeah, you could be scary when you wanted to. You could be damned scary.

 

Oh, and the mask had multiple functions, including making it easier to breathe if there was too much debris or even certain gases. You had made the three mages similar gear based on your old uniform and comic books. Each mage had their own contribution. Perseverance was good at dealing with fabric, you had the designs and gathered materials, and Kindness helped piece it all together.

 

Wanna know what’s even more fun? Lately, at least before the monster and human war really kicked off, some firefighter gear had prototypes of something really awesome . You couldn’t explain it all, but basically there was a camera, an AI, and thermal imaging. Everything physical, people or objects, were outlined in green.

 

You were just lucky enough to find some of the stuff when going through a destroyed rich person’s building. That, and you heard about it before you became a mage so you knew where to find it. And the war cleared people out so…

 

Regardless, you activated the device, turning on the camera so everything could be recorded. 

 

The tricky thing was, magic kind of messed with the visuals. Looking at monsters in general was weird because they were both physical, and not. One time you saw a monster turn to dust, and that confused the AI even more. At least you could use this to locate the hostages.

 

“Any idea what the monsters in question look like?”

 

“...Kids,” Perseverance answered.

 

Letting out a low whistle, you grumbled, “Yeah, that’s definitely gonna piss people off. Let’s go.”

 

The world slowed down, and you moved. You had to move to keep the rest of the world slow. Your powers require you to be active. Unlike the characters in comic books or some movies, you couldn’t just phase through walls and doors by rearranging your atoms. Your powers just slow time down for you.

 

One of the doors to the base was slightly open, one person having started to walk out. Inhaling and exhaling, you slid in through a crack, moving any tiny little joint you had in the process to keep time slow. Inside, you managed to record everyone in the building, save for the monster kids. They were nowhere to be found. But, there was a huge safe, with guards.

 

Thinking, you picked up some small pebbles, and threw them. Diving under a desk, you covered your ears, and went still. As you did, the world continued, the guards running off to see what caused the noise. You ran, not activating your powers yet, and knocked on the safe’s door.

 

“Hey, anybody in there?”

 

“Yes,” a quiet voice squeaked.

 

It was one that belonged to a child. You grit your teeth. The children were behind a locked safe door that would be difficult to access. You could try all of the numbers on the code, but just throwing pebbles in your accelerated state could sound like gunfire. And it wasn’t like you could just drill into the door or wall. You still had physical limits like any other person.

 

There had to be a way, and you had to figure it out, fast.

 

“...I’ll be right back. We’re gonna get you out of here, I promise. Stay clear of the doors and walls, okay?”

 

“O-Okay,” a child whimpered.

 

There was scuffling on the other side, indicating movement as you instructed.

 

Activating your powers again, you considered just taking out all of the guards and humans, but you didn’t know if you could with the number that there was. Well, you could , but it might mean the humans dying. Any hits or strikes you did? It wouldn’t be enough to break through a wall or a safe, but the frequency you moved at was enough to shatter bones if you put your mind to it.

 

Reaching the other two mages, you conveyed what you found, reporting every detail. Kindness offered to heal anybody that you injured in the process, which was nice but you weren’t sure any injuries you inflicted while using your powers were uh, non-lethal. One couldn’t exactly heal a dead thing.

 

“Kindness, we need you to make a ruckus,” Perseverance ordered at last. “Make it big, make it loud, and make it a short distance away from the building where the kids are.” They addressed you next. “You’re going to take me with you. You and I are going to take out the guards, and in your little time bubble, we’re going to combine our abilities...”

 

You just nodded after hearing the rest of the plan. You watched as Perseverance put on a mask similar to yours. Kindness was already walking out, approaching one of the outwardly more important looking buildings.

 

Holding out your hand, Perseverance took it, and the world slowed almost to a halt. The two of you ran, having to squeeze in a door past some bad guys as they flung it open. You had to be careful, as anything you held onto was brought in with you. Grabbing one of these guys? Even just to stay upright? That would do it. You didn’t particularly feel like dodging more bullets than you needed to.

 

Outside, you could see Kindness casting shields, the magic bright green. You could see each and every thread or string that made it strong, and it was one hell of a net. Perseverance watched too, before gesturing to where the safe was. If you or Perseverance said anything right now, it would sound like one of those cartoon chipmunks speaking really fast, at best. Maybe people would just hear a really high-pitched squeak. In any case, you were trying to divert attention away, not towards you.

 

Reaching the safe, you saw there were a couple more guards. At the same time you halted your powers, Perseverance let go, stomping the ground as purple, shimmering energy warped around them. From the flowing energy armor was made, the kind that repelled bullets as the guards reacted. You were thankful that the noise and chaos outside hid what you and Perseverance were up to.

 

The floor shook, several guys were thrown up against the wall. You dodged a punch from one of the few left standing, their hand scratching your cheek with brass knuckles. You didn’t realize it til later, but they had broken your communication device in the process. By the time you realized it, it would be too late.

 

Activating your powers, and for a second watching your boss go in awesome slo-mo, you not only grabbed every weapon within your reach, but pulled down everyone’s pants, and tied their shoes, making sure not to touch anyone directly. When you pulled down pants, you also took any belts you found, and bound the bad guys up with them. Not everyone was wearing socks, but you took a few and made gags, taking advantage of how many open mouths there were as you stuffed the fabric between their teeth.

 

People still in movement from the force of Perseverance’s attack? You let them fall. More than a few probably had some concussions. Kindness could heal them up later if need be. Time resumed, and as it did and people gasped as a reaction, you stuffed a few more mouths so they couldn’t cry out for help.

 

Politely, you knocked at the safe door, wincing as you heard whimpers. “Hey kids? I’m back? I’ve brought a friend to get you out, okay?”

 

“W-What was t-t-that loud b-boom?”

 

“...My friend is the Hulk, but purple and prettier.” That earned you a smack upside the head, an audible one in fact. But it couldn’t be heard very well over the bad guys’ muffled moans and groans. They probably didn’t like the taste of their, or the others’, feet. “What? They’re scared enough as it is!”

 

Perseverance glared at you, and you sighed. “Look, there’s not much time to explain everything, but we really are here to help you. I know it’s a lot to ask, but please trust us. IN a moment my friend and I are going to break down part of the wall. It’s gonna be really loud so I need you to cover your ears if you have any.”

 

Off in the distance you could swear you heard a Wilhelm scream. Kindness must really be doing a number on those assholes. Nice. There were more scuffling noises, some whispers, but then the kid you’d been talking to confirmed they were ready.

 

You inhaled, exhaled, took a bite out of some granola, and held Perseverance’s hand as you activated your powers again. How slow time went was more of a problem than anything else. The weird orange heart-shaped thing appeared again, flaring in hues of orange. All of the mages had something like that, with different colors.

 

Kindness’ was green. Perseverance was purple. And yours? It was orange. 

 

None of you really knew what it was, but all of you knew your powers were tied to those little hearts since they first appeared when everyone got their abilities. Perseverance’s little heart came out too. Some parts were darker or lighter than others, but it reminded you of a gemstone. Yours was, well, you didn’t know what to call it but it was still pretty damn cool. However, seeing it again after all this time? After the first time you used it? You didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

 

“This ever happened to you?” you asked Perseverance, knowing full well how ridiculous the conversation would sound if anybody heard it.

 

Their eyes were watering just like yours, but Perseverance didn’t even look at it. “Let’s just get this over with.”

 

Right, Perseverance wasn’t a fan of their powers, or magic in general. You couldn’t blame them. Everyone getting their magic was more than a bit traumatizing. You just got lucky when it came to how traumatizing your situation had been.

 

To your utter fascination, and Perseverance’s emotional disassociation from the situation, when Perseverance activated their own abilities, the hands joining you in the bubble started turning red. You kind of wanted to poke it but thought it might be like poking a red button for an explosive. It was undeniably tempting. Humans were dumb like that.

 

Raising their hand, Perseverance struck at the thick stone, huge chunks of it breaking off and leaving splinters to fly in the air. You were really glad you had the protection that you did. Some things could still kill you. You were also glad that Perseverance’s armor spread around you, protecting you from any impact caused by their abilities.

 

For you and Perseverance, what took several minutes took less than a second for the outside world. All they heard was one loud bang when there had actually been a lot more. Inside, you saw all kinds of monster children. Some were like bunnies, one was an armless reptile, an airplane wearing glasses, and what looked like a teenage girl made of green fire.

 

The assholes outside started getting louder, and you rolled your eyes. It was when you saw that some kids were cowering that you knelt, taking off your mask. You took off your mask, Perseverance doing the same next to you.

 

Perseverance was the one who spoke, ever the politician. “Hello, I’m Perseverance. You already met my friend.” You gave a small wave, telling them your name. “And a close friend of mine, Kindness, is making sure that most of the ones who took you are far away. We’re mages, we’re here to save you, and return you to your families.”

 

The longing and grief in Perseverance’s gaze hurt enough that you had to look away. At least it was enough to convince the kids to give you two a chance. Perseverance stayed behind, telling a short story as you ran between two points, carrying or holding a child’s hand each time. The first one you took was the teenager. She was the oldest and the others looked up to her.

 

She also reminded you of Grillby a little. You wondered if the two were related. As you were leaving her by the dropoff, she twiddled her thumbs and asked, “Are you really here to help us?”

 

Since the two of you were still in the time bubble, you said, “Yeah. Us mages have been trying to make peace between humans and monsters ever since monsters left Mount Ebott. I’ll be right back, okay? It won’t seem like much time at all. Heck, it might not even be a minute to you by the time you’re out of here.”

 

She was confused, but sure enough during the time she blinked, you brought back two more kids, careful with each one enough to make sure they didn’t get whiplash or any kind of injury. On  the last one, you couldn’t keep the bubble up anymore, coughing up blood. It scared the kid that you were carrying, and Perseverance had to keep you from falling forward. At least you two were outside the radius of the fight.

 

Wheezing, you held your side, Perseverance frantically calling your name with worry.

 

“-’m fine,” you gasped, quickly pulling your mask back on to keep the kids calm. “I’ll be okay. Just, give me a moment? Get Kindness and go.”

 

Perseverance looked between you and the children, grimacing before guiding the fire girl and the other ones away. The armless monster kid looked back at you in worry. They stumbled over for a moment, “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”

 

“Yeah,” you lied. If you died here, you weren’t that scared. It wouldn’t be a bad way to go. “Just do me a favor? Stay safe? Please?”

 

The kid nodded, running back with Perseverance to safety. As for you, you gathered up what little energy you had left, and dashed to where Kindness was, alerting them that everything was clear. They looked winded, negating what plan you had for them to heal you. All the mages had limits, and it was clear Kindness had already been pushing theirs.

 

“...I’ll follow behind,” you said. “You go ahead. I’ll keep them busy.”

 

Winking at them, you paused time again, and went around, pulling down everyone’s pants. You’d been lucky earlier that everyone had underwear before. You weren’t so lucky this time. But, you’ve seen a lot of nudity from other experiences so it didn’t phase you that much. You just wish you had a marker or something. You could make this scenario so much funnier if you had.

 

Kind soul, you were not.

 

Sadistic little imp, you were.

 

Reaching the edge of the land, you enjoyed the view as assholes fell left and right. Kindness was escaping, and you would be too. You just needed a quick breather. Seeking out a place you could hide, you climbed high up in a tree, knowing fully well that people rarely looked above their heads. That, and the trees were thick enough to have hiding places.

 

Finding a crevice, you leaned back in the cool shadows against the wall inside. It wasn’t the worst place you’d ever rested in. The only bad thing was how loud and cranky the bad guys were below as they searched for you. Even if they searched above their heads, the likelihood of them finding your tree, and finding the hole which you had to search for, wasn’t in their favor. That, and most of them probably couldn’t even climb at all.

 

You were used to climbing and trekking into dangerous places though. Getting a cat out of a tree without a ladder for instance. Shutting your eyes, you relaxed, letting blissful darkness fall over your mind. You’d contact the other mages later via communication device, letting them know you were okay.

 

---

 

The smell of smoke was what woke you hours later, near dusk. 

 

Peeking out, you found yourself grimacing as you saw the bastards were lighting the forest on fire. Jeeze, just because they were pissed at you, didn’t mean they had to take it out on the forest. You did feel guilty though. Using your powers probably wasn’t a good idea. Your insides still felt like crap.

 

Reaching to your side so you could call for help, you grunted as you realized that your communication device was in pieces within its container. It was utterly useless now. Er, maybe you could stab someone in the eye with a fragment? You’d figure something out later.

 

Sighing, you recalled your training, starting to move in the best possible direction, and hopefully out of sight. You were a bit shaky unfortunately, so maintaining your balance was a bit tricky. And the smoke was getting thicker. Putting your mask on, you let the computer help lead you while als following your instincts.

 

You almost fell when something cut into your side. You caught yourself in time, hissing in pain and irritation. A few feet in front of you was an arrow lodged in one of the trees. Somebody yelled. It was a really stupid thing to do, but you looked directly at the mob, and flipped them off with both hands. Having some sense of self preservation, miraculously, you moved faster, considering all possible outcomes.

 

Seeing a cliffside by the higher portions of the trees, you jumped, rolling to a stop on stone. It ached, but you pushed it aside, determined to survive. Even if you weren’t scared of death, you liked living. Those idiots who trapped themselves in an inferno didn’t-

 

This time, it wasn’t an arrow that shot at you, but a bullet. You grunted, clutching at your shoulder. The gunman was maybe ten feet ahead of you. It was hard to tell since you may or may not have been suffering from severe blood loss. Ow.

 

“Piece of shit,” the asshole said. He was young, the impressionable type. You’d seen a lot of his kind, the ones who tried to look tough. They were fools that ran around with guns without realizing everything that came with taking a life. “You betrayed us. You betrayed us! And for what? For them?!”

 

Blinking, you replied, “Dude, I don't even know who you are...But kidnapping children is a fucked up thing to do.”

 

“They’re monsters! We could’ve-”

 

More humans appeared, interrupting the guy. With your injuries, you knew you weren’t going to get very far. This sucked. You narrowed your eyes at the supposed leader, who just grinned at you. The image of you must’ve been laughable. You certainly giggled as you raked a hand through your hair that had been exposed in your torn mask, blood spreading across your palms. You were a mess, covered in wounds and laughing for no reason at all. 

 

“What’s so funny, traitor?”

 

“You,” you said without hesitation.

 

In retrospect, that wasn’t your best decision. The butt of a gun hit your head and your mask was torn off. You were knocked onto the ground, close to the side of the cliff. The man’s shoes scuffed the earth as he approached, aiming a gun at you, far more confident than the juvenile from earlier. You grunted, but forced yourself back up. 

 

Smirking, you said, in a flat tone, “Ha ha.”

 

“Do you have a death wish?” the adult male asked.

 

From the corner of your eye, you thought you saw a flicker of light, not unlike Grillby’s. It wasn’t exactly close by, if it was there at all. It was hard to tell due to the fire burning around you. But, Grillby wouldn’t be here. He had other priorities. Anyways, Perseverance and Kindness would have gotten the kids back. These assholes wouldn’t be so pissed at you unless the other mages and the children got out safely. All they wanted to do now was take it out on you.

 

Shrugging, you answered, “Depends...Do you want to continue a war with monsters? If you do, I’ll make sure you’re a dead man.”

 

That got a few cackles out of them. After all, how could someone be as broken and messed up as you take them on, right? But taking them out wasn’t the plan. What you had in mind was a lot more dangerous, and possibly stupid. You could blame it on a concussion and excess wounds later.

 

The light was getting closer. Huh, was it an omen of death? It was pretty, whatever it was. Like a piece of heaven calling for you. If this plan of yours didn’t work, you wouldn’t mind if that light was the last thing you saw, even if it was a figment of your imagination. Damn, your vision was really blurry now. This sucked.

 

The gun in the man’s hands began trembling as you chuckled darkly. You put a hand on your hip, walking towards him casually. It was a short distance, still by the edge of the cliff. Any sane person would be afraid of some maniac ready to shoot another being, but you weren’t, even without your powers. Sometimes you wondered if you were ever sane.

 

You wished you had prettier words like Perseverance, or maybe a way to talk this person down like Kindness could. All you had was yourself, and that was going to have to work. Or not. Might as well see how this goes. You smiled warmly at him, just like you would anyone. “What are you waiting for? You clearly enjoy this, right? Me dying is what you want, isn’t it? Here, I’ll even help you.”

 

Reaching up for the trigger, you forced him to look you in the eye, to look into your soul. The light was only a short distance away now. You wondered if your adrenaline and shock was getting to you, making it so it imagined a better place, one far from all of this. That’d be nice, wouldn’t it?

 

“Do it. Continue the war that took everything from you so that you can take everything away from everyone else. I mean, you do intend to blame the monsters for my death, right? It’s a pretty good plan if that’s what you want.” 

 

That confused them, thrown off as was your intent. You sighed, “But considering how monsters kill, you’d think you’d be a bit more creative than just using a bullet. See, monsters don’t use guns. Only humans do. And, the guns you guys have are fairly traceable. So when I’m found-”

 

You gave your biggest, sweetest grin. 

 

“-We’ll all know who to blame.”

 

Focusing, you pulled the trigger for him, activating what little power you had within the millisecond of the trigger being pulling, and the primer igniting. Since you were by the cliffside, all you had to do was jump backwards, making it look like you’d been shot. The blood on your head would help with that effect, as did you coughing up blood at that moment.

 

As you fell, multiple screams and yells of horror and cheer rang out, some more familiar than others. You landed in some foliage, away from the growing fire nearby. It hurt, but you were alive. You might have some broken bones that hurt like hell, but you were alive, the multiple branches from the trees making your fall less damaging...Ow.

 

You initially thought you’d have to fight your way through fire even though your aim had been a patch of land without an inferno. Shit burns easily. Weirdly enough, most of the forest fire looked extinguished. Huh, you’d have to examine that later. Right now, rest and recovery was your priority. Relocating to a small cave, you sat down, taking off your belt and putting it in your mouth. With your other hand, you took out a first aid kit, which included a set of tweezers.

 

You bit down hard on the leather.

 

This wasn’t going to be fun at all.

 

---

 

One bullet and a piece of an arrowhead removed what felt like hours later, and you were panting and sweating against a cold, stone wall. Getting out some snacks, you munched to your heart’s and stomach’s content. It made things feel a lot better.

 

Ugh, you felt all sticky and gross.

 

At least everyone else was safe. You could do this. You were gonna make it out alive. Kindness and Perseverance were gonna be pissed, but they were okay and you were gonna be okay. You just needed to stay positive. Shit, you’d lost your mask. It’d been stolen by those idiots with guns. Trekking out during the night when injured wasn’t a good idea. And you couldn’t contact the others. Shit.

 

Again, you were alive, and that was a good thing.

 

It had to count for something.

 

You had to count for something.

 

Breathing and out, it was an odd comfort to see your breath misting in the cool air. It reminded you of when you were young, staying warm by the fireplace. The embers had always been pretty, hypnotizing.

 

One might think it was weird for a firefighter to like fire when it should’ve been their enemy. Things weren’t that simple. People tended to think fire was just destruction, but it was also light and warmth and shelter. Fire wasn’t a bad thing when people treated it right. That’s why firefighters had to learn about it and how it worked.

 

Pending on how fire was used, it could be the balance between life or death.

 

Your mind drifted to Grillby for some odd reason.

 

...It’d be nice to see him again.

 

Notes:

The firefighter vision gear? That's a real thing, even if it's not perfected and has been slightly dramatized here. A link about it is in the paragraph describing it.

Why was there a red glow from Perseverance and the Reader combining their powers? Interesting things can happen when souls work together, especially if they have a trait, or part of a trait, in common.

Why didn't the Reader let Kindness heal them? As stated, mages have physical limitations when it comes to using magic. Using too magic can be extremely draining, and not using it can be overwhelming. Too much of anything can be bad. The Reader saw something was wrong with Kindness, understanding that the latter was exerting themself to the point it had started to harm them.

Any other questions people might have, I'll do my best to answer.

Chapter 4: Souls and Survival

Summary:

This chapter does get a bit angsty, so beware.

Notes:

This week has been difficult for me. I lost a family member and I've been delayed in writing anything due to lack of energy. This morning I woke up with the urge to write, so here's a spontaneous chapter. I may go back and edit it a bit later, but I think I got what I wanted to get across.

Keep in mind that the mages in this story are completely new to magic. They don't have Toriel or anyone guiding them as to how magic works. It's usually them experimenting or almost getting killed in the process that they learn from. So everything that Frisk/the Player learns at the very beginning of Undertale about Souls, EXP, LV, etc? They don't have that.

Okay, what was your situation? What were some things you needed to prioritize? 

 

Shelter was always the biggest issue, but you thought you had that down. You had moved into a cliffside cave, notably away from fire and smoke so you wouldn’t suffocate or burn. More specifically, you were halfway behind a waterfall, the sound of the water having drowned out your yelps and profuse curses when you tended to your ouchies. The moisture kept any dangerous embers from igniting around you. Unfortunately it also made you a bit cold, but you had ways to work around that.

 

Second biggest priority after that was to heal a bit so that you don’t die from exsanguination or other injuries. You patched yourself but you needed to rest a bit to recover. You’d barely survived your latest little ‘incident’ because you had to rely on your magical abilities to fake your death, and you shouldn’t always try to rely on that, especially considering you coughed up blood whenever you overexerted yourself. Even though you had patched yourself up best you could, rest was necessary for recovery.

 

Hopefully since those who tried to kill you thought you were dead, they wouldn’t do anything stupid. Heck, a few might even be a bit intimidated by the idea that they’ll have both monsters and mages coming after them if you got it across to them. Then again, you were never as persuasive as Perseverance, so who knew? At least your bluff bought you some more time.

 

With them thinking you're dead, you had better chances of escaping, and finding a way to reach the others. Examining what remained of your communicator, you tried to Mcgiver something, but you’re not that smart or that creative. Plus, you were more than a little tired and cranky. Being shot and nearly killed tended to do that. So, you may have taken some of your anger out of the poor shattered bits of the communicator. Oops.

 

Okay, the hostages had been held on an old, abandoned military base. There was a chance you could find something there, but it wasn’t that great since bad guys were probably rebuilding or reconvening.

 

Maybe you could salvage this? Get some info so that when you see Perseverance and Kindness again, you wouldn’t have to beg for the latter to shield you from the former. Having something for CYA could be really useful-

 

You tensed as you heard footsteps close by. Hiding further behind the waterfall, you hoped not to be seen or heard. Shutting your eyes, you tried to feel out that heart thing, to bring out the sensation to activate your powers. It only hurt, and it was a lot worse than the usual kind of soreness of pulling a muscle. It felt like you completely sprained something.

 

It was okay. Things would be okay. You just had to stay positive. You needed to stay sharp. You had to stay strong. You had to be brave.

 

Considering your options, you had at least three ways of handling the newest nearing ‘incident’. There was a plan for fight, flight, and manipulation. Stepping further into the water, you sunk down into the pool, arming yourself with the broken pieces you had, some sharper than others. The water felt cold on your wounds, stinging, but you kept quiet, watching the outside with narrowed eyes.

 

There was a flicker of light, and you saw two figures move closer from the shadows. You couldn’t make much out of the conversation.

 

“..Cuts off around here. I can’t-”

 

From the dark, was a knight in fiery armor. He was most likely there having been sent to locate the monster children that were held as hostages. Your heart soared, urging you to move to him, but for all you knew, he might not have received official word about the King of Monsters agreeing to organize a peace treaty. For all you knew, he could believe the two of you should still be at war. You stayed hidden. That was your plan until a couple of humans ran at them. It was more of the kidnappers.

 

The monster soldier who had been traveling with Grillby was someone in awesome armor with red waving hair like the kind from one of those fancy hair commercials. It was sleek and shiny and flowed like water. You couldn’t help but feel a little jealous as you felt your own.

 

A series of shouts broke out, and you kept silent when you saw other humans, the asshats from earlier, moving to surround the monsters. The first couple were dealt with easily, but more started to gather. 

 

You were tempted to leave the humans to die at the monsters’ hands, but there was something wrong. The monsters weren’t trying to kill said humans. That was normally a good thing, but it was clear that they were struggling. More humans started to gather. Things weren’t looking good.

 

Shit, shit, shit . There were two monsters, and a shit ton of racist humans on the other side of the waterfall. And your powers weren’t doing all that well. You had some energy left from your little nap, but if you used what remained…

 

You didn’t think you’d ever drained yourself that badly before. In all honesty, you were scared to step out of the shadows, and you didn’t know why. Why was this different from all the other times you had faced danger? With or without magic powers, you were used to endangering yourself on a near daily basis.

 

But then, you saw Grillby’s face from the side. That little heart inside of you? You still didn’t know what it was or how it was tied to your powers, but something in it changed. It felt like it was about to fall apart earlier. Now? It was almost rejuvenated. It wasn’t completely healed, but you felt...Determined.

 

Your brain, which functioned a lot better within seconds, came up with a plan you couldn’t envision earlier.

 

Feeling a little more pissed off since someone else was in danger, you calculated the number of enemies so that you could time this without injuring yourself more than required. In your mind, you played a beat, using it to measure how long you were slowing time and when you were moving in real time.

 

With you switching between reality and a slower version of it, you gained a desired effect. Using the sharp fragment you had, you cut each human, just a little. It wasn’t enough to leave too much damage, just enough to gain their attention. You also smashed any lantern or light that you passed. You giggled malevolently, feeling blood dribbling past your lips and down your chest, staining your clothes.

 

Creepy laughter in dark spooky woods at night? Combined with a figure that seemed to phase in and out of existence? It was the perfect Halloween prank as you stepped behind the first guy, the juvenile, that had shot at you. You spoke in normal time, speaking in a sing-song tone, “I told you…”

 

Slowing time once more, you enjoyed seeing his widened, terrified eyes as he tried to find you. Then, you appeared in front of the leader, delighting as he realized you were in front of him after he thought he shot you in the head.

 

You were covered in blood and wounds, smiling just like you did when he supposedly killed you.

 

“ I told you, we’ll all know who to blame. ”

 

To add an effect as you spoke, you made it so your voice echoed between realities, the frequency changing as you slowed down and resumed time.

 

Resuming time normally once more, you said with a pleasant smile, “Boo.”

 

You cackled evilly as the humans ran, staying absolutely still until you were sure they weren’t coming back. You picked up a wet lock of hair, shivering. Damn it was cold, and you felt like shit. The room really needed to stop spinning.

 

“Ugh. Uh, are you guys okay?” You turned around, rubbing the back of your head. “Sorry, that was unplanned and-”

 

Your body hunched forward on its own, starting to fall over. Your sight started to blur as an annoyingly familiar and foul taste filled your mouth, overflowing from your lips in a disturbing shade of red. It covered your hands no matter how much you tried to stop it. Your lungs struggled to breathe, causing you to cough up more blood with every intake of air that you had.

 

Your body shuddered, and out from your chest burst out that weird orange heart. You winced, not liking the feeling of it leaving you. It ticked you off more than anything. For some reason, you were especially ticked off when you saw the cracks in it. It was cracking more and more, chips of white and orange floating upwards like embers from a dying flame. Both monsters froze and were staring at it. Oh, it was draining of color. Was that good or bad? Either way, the flickering colors were doing nightmares for your already exhausted brain. 

 

“Shit.

---

Grillby had already been disturbed and terrified multiple times over the last few hours, from learning of rebel humans taking monster children as hostages, to seeing you get shot in the head, your ghost coming for revenge, and now your apparent soul starting to shatter in front of his very eyes.

 

Undyne reached you faster than he did, keeping you from falling completely. He moved to your side, steadying you while Undyne frantically began searching the bag she carried, cursing under her breath.

 

Your soul was turning paler with every second, fragments breaking off with every crack that seemed to pierce his own. You barely reacted to him or Undyne. It was as if you weren’t aware he was there, as if he couldn’t reach you. This was bad, humans only started to act like this either when they were extremely drunk, or about to die. Losing one of humanity’s mages right on the verge of peace between monsters and humans was not beneficial for anyone .

 

Much to his bewilderment and horror, you suddenly squinted at your soul, pouted, and punched the floating heart. You punched your soul, your dying soul. Grillby had considered the possibility that you were insane, but this ? Undyne let out an agonized pained sound in sheer confusion. You just grunted, and said, “Ow.”

 

It sounded as if it was harder for you to breathe, which Grillby didn’t find unbelievable. . Grillby swiftly grabbed your hands, restraining you. There were a lot more cracks now, and almost no color left. Blood was starting to pool at his knees on the ground as he held you. The fire monster didn’t know much about human anatomy, but he was fairly sure they didn’t naturally bleed this much. 

 

“WHAT THE FU-?!” Undyne started to screech. “Are you crazy?!”

 

“Undyne,” Grillby crackled out in a hiss, trying to get her to refocus.

 

“Weird, hitting stuff usually works,” you croaked.

 

Then, you leaned against his form. Unlike most humans, the last few times he had touched your hand, you’d been remarkably warm. Now? You were far too cold for his liking. That, and your muscles felt too loose. You were losing life with every second. He was feeling you fade in his arms.

 

Desperate, with his one free hand, Grillby almost tore apart the bag with supplies. As soon as his fingers found one of Miss Muffet’s pastries, he shoved it into your mouth. You made a surprised sound, not really afraid, more confused as to the sudden appearance of food. It took a second, but you closed your teeth and jaw around it. Some yellow and red flickered in the sparks of color within your soul that remained, swirling in a torrent of gold and scarlet, the shades flaring up to nearly the halfway point before melding into a shade of orange. There were hints of other colors too, but Determination and Justice were the strongest elements before they formed Bravery.

 

Grillby blinked when he saw the pastry was gone, and that there were purple crumbs around your lips. The heart in front of you lost some of the cracks, more orange consuming the white. There were still cracks and white, but both it, and you, were looking better. Some of the pallor in your skin had returned. You looked stupefied, trying to figure out what happened.

 

The fire monster felt himself breathe again as you finally spoke. “Did you just give me ambrosia? ‘Cause that stuff is awesome.”

 

Why were you giggling? Undyne was sweating, and you tilted your head at her. “Uh, L'Oréal model of badassery? I think you might need whatever that stuff was you just gave me? You’re not looking too good.”

 

What was L'Oréal? No, he’d figure it out later, just like he did all your references, eventually. Undyne looked ready to strangle you. Grillby couldn’t blame her. “You almost died . What is wrong with you?”

 

“Well I’ve kind of almost died like, three times today, minimum? That’s pretty lucky in retrospect how many times I’ve nearly been killed every day for the past few months,” you said, shrugging. Grillby rarely felt cold himself as he was made of fire, but that statement sent chills inside. This happened to you all of the time? You stilled, your now glowing orange eyes searing into him. It was a strange sensation, feeling like he was being burned. “Oh. Uh, dude? I don’t necessarily mind being in your lap for a change, but you can let go now?”

 

Grillby made a choking noise, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity. Why did your comments and flirtations always shake him so? He’d heard far cruder statements directed at him in the past. It was usually done in jest though, and accompanied with puns by a certain skeleton. You tried to stand up, wobbly. Grillby caught you, handing you another pastry. You inspected its appearance first, commenting it was pretty, then practically inhaled it. Finally, the heart in front of you returned to its orange sheen, no cracks visible.

 

The fish monster and the fire monster started to relax until you said, “Are you sure I can’t punch this thing?”

 

“WHY WOULD YOU PUNCH YOUR SOUL?!” Undyne yelled, half furious and half dumbfounded.

 

You stared at her, curious and in disbelief. Grillby had the strong urge to pull your hand back when you gestured towards your soul. “Did you just call that a soul?”

 

An eerie silence fell through the air. You knew the heart, but not what it was? How does a mage not know what their soul is? This time, Grillby did restrain you as you moved to do something to the poor soul again. How often did you damage or abuse the poor thing? Your expression suddenly changed.

 

Grillby didn’t think he’d ever seen you sad before. You were always smiling and teasing, cracking jokes or being playful. This time, your smile was broken, downtrodden as you peered up at him. You chuckled softly under your breath, turning away from him. Actually, you were looking at his hands holding yours.

 

The orange shade faded from your eyes, leaving a much flatter color behind. “Huh, I’m either unconscious or dead because there is no way you’d ever willingly touch me.” What? What were you talking about? And why did what you say bother him so much? He opened his mouth to say something, he wasn’t sure what, but you pulled away. “Anyways, I’m sure the real you wouldn’t like me even imagining being close, so I’ll have to stop this little fantasy before it goes too far.”

 

He and Undyne watched you as you pressed the heel of your hand to your forehead.

 

“Okay, I can figure this out. I just need to verbalize it. That helps.” You inhaled and exhaled slowly, shutting your eyes and facing upwards. Opening your eyes again, you looked at the orange heart in front of you, and glared at it. “Souls aren’t real. And if they were, I sure as hell wouldn’t have one. People like me don’t get to have something like that.” 

 

The orange flickered for a second, small white cracks appearing. It wasn’t true physical damage, but that of another kind. Grillby whispered your name. You tensed, eyes widening as you looked back at him. “I’m real. You’re real. We’re here.”

 

He didn’t know what it would take to convince you when he was still processing you had survived dying in front of him.

 

---

Fuku told him that one of the human mages had stayed behind, gravely wounded based on what the children could see of the human’s soul. Upon hearing the description of the mage and knowing that the children would be all right, he left. Undyne followed behind.

 

It was the dark of the night by the time he saw you. You were on a cliff, covered in wounds, and surrounded by humans with weapons. One of them was much more visible, others lingering in the shadows warily.

 

The humans were loud enough for Grillby and Undyne to hear. “Piece of shit. You betrayed us. You betrayed us! And for what? For them?!”

 

Much to his later regret, Grillby paused, as did Undyne. Their mutual desire to understand was what held them back. If they had moved faster and not let themselves be deterred, they would have reached you far more quickly. In the most casual manner possible, you said, “Dude, I don't even know who you are...But kidnapping children is a fucked up thing to do.”

 

Grillby couldn’t stop the small upturn of his lips. It was odd to think of how such things and beliefs could become confusing in times of conflict. You made it sound so simple, far more simple than it really was.

 

Then, one of the largest and oldest humans appeared.  They grinned at you. You giggled, sounding half mad as you straightened the hair that was visible. Your mask was torn, part of your true face visible in the rips and tears. Blood was stained throughout.

 

“What’s so funny, traitor?”

 

“You,” you said without hesitation.

 

Undyne was about to give a cheer or a hoot or some noise of appreciation when one human hit you with the butt of a weapon, shoving you to the ground. Grillby and Undyne swiftly tried to get to you faster. Your mask had fallen a distance away from you, fluttering down. You stood tall, your bottom lip bleeding, orange burning from your eyes as you grinned as if nothing was wrong at all. 

 

Smirking, you said, in a flat tone, “Ha ha.”

 

He and Undyne wouldn’t be much longer. They could fight with you, for you. They could help you. It wouldn’t be much longer. You just needed to hold on-

 

“Do you have a death wish?” the adult male asked.

 

The only sign that something was wrong based on your expression was when you narrowed your eyes at the sight of the gun aimed at you. You shrugged, nonchalant as you said, “Depends...Do you want to continue a war with monsters? If you do, I’ll make sure you’re a dead man.”

 

Your tone was different. It wasn’t anything like what you’d ever directed towards Grillby. There was under it, brimming with unspoken threats and darkness. It reminded Grillby of the mages in the first monster and human war, the ones who had been far crueler. This was the side of you he had anticipated ever since he heard mages existed in the present. He didn’t think it would be directed at humans instead of monsters.

 

He cursed as he heard the humans laugh at your words, clearly not understanding just how much you could be capable of if you chose to be. Grillby knew though. He had witnessed the powers of seven mages when he and his people had been sealed underground in a hopeless prison. He had heard his people’s screams, felt their fear, and-

 

Why were grinning like that? And why were you holding the human’s gun to your forehead?!

 

“What are you waiting for? You clearly enjoy this, right? Me dying is what you want, isn’t it? Here, I’ll even help you.” In one second Grillby had been filled with the rage and hatred from his memories. The next he was filled with fear as he saw you reach for the trigger.  “Do it. Continue the war that took everything from you so that you can take everything away from everyone else.”

 

For a second, he wondered if you were somehow speaking humans and monsters at the same time. There were people on both sides who didn’t want to stop the war. Grillby himself was reluctant about trying to make peace with humanity after all he’d been through. But he was willing to try, largely because of what you’d told him.

 

“I mean, you do intend to blame the monsters for my death, right? It’s a pretty good plan if that’s what you want.” 

 

The humans were confused by your statement and the brazenness of it. Grillby couldn’t blame them for that. You had a habit of throwing off others with your behaviors.

 

You beamed sweetly, just as you had every time you had interacted with him. It was the same smile he had seen you use around kids. It made everyone who saw it feel safe. Why didn’t it feel safe now? You sighed, “But considering how monsters kill, you’d think you’d be a bit more creative than just using a bullet. See, monsters don’t use guns. Only humans do. And, the guns you guys have are fairly traceable. So when I’m found-”

 

He was less than a hundred feet away from you now.  

 

The smile grew ever sweeter. “-We’ll all know who to blame.”

 

A loud pop filled the air, as did a spray of dark red spurting forth. Some of it landed on the humans as your body fell off the side of the cliff. Grillby almost ran after you, Undyne having to hold him back so the humans wouldn’t see him. As the humans cheered or some reacted in shock, even if Grillby couldn’t hear himself make the sounds he did, he knew Undyne had struggled to calm him down again.

 

The humans began arguing, some claiming that killing a traitor, namely a mage, would strengthen them. Others worried that it meant the other two mages would come after the group. Others wanted to pin your death on the monsters.

 

As for Grillby? He just needed to find you.

---

 

You died. Grillby and Undyne had seen you die. He had wanted to find your body to return you to your people. But, you were alive, if only barely.

 

Had he not hesitated, you wouldn’t have been in the danger you had been caught in. If he had acted, he wouldn’t have almost witnessed the true death of a mage. He wouldn’t have seen how sad you were under the surface.

 

“I’m here,” he said, confirming that fact for both of you. “And you’re here. I’m here with you…” 

 

He reached out, and took your hand. You stiffened, staring at the joined fingers, still not believing his words. Did you think he hated you that much? He’d only met you twice before this. The first time may not have been optimal, but the second he thought there’d been some progress.

 

“...I’m not unconscious or dead, am I?”

 

“No,” Grillby said softly, worriedly.

 

You glared at your soul, more web-like cracks appearing. Taking a couple steps back, you ordered the heart to stay where it was like you would a dog. Unfortunately, your soul was about as defiant as a cat instead of a pooch since it stayed with you. 

 

“Fine, if you won’t leave me alone, how do I freakin’ put you back?!”

 

How does a human mage not know how to wield their soul? Or that their soul was even a soul? Grillby started to move forward when the heart made noise between a schlorp and a whoosh, reentering your chest swiftly. You froze, shivering as the sensations that left you returned almost violently. It was as if the heart was complaining, retaliating against you. Maybe it was angry that you punched and insulted it. Grillby didn’t know souls could be personified like that. But, souls were also the individuals themselves. Souls are the parts of individuals we can’t see, their true selves. The fact you disliked yours? There was something incredibly wrong with this situation.

 

 “Goddamn, my soul is a whiny little bitch.”

 

Grillby wondered if he was ever going to get used to the things you said or did. On one hand, he had been growing tired of his stagnant life in constant war and seeing bar patrons being miserable Underground. On the other, you were like a sudden firework that burst out of nowhere. He didn’t know whether to run away from your loudness, or stop and watch you explode in whatever capacity that you did. A lot of the time, it was mesmerizing, and others it was frightening for all the wrong reasons.

 

 “What is wrong with you?” Undyne asked.

 

The fire monster had so many questions that only you could provide answers for, and he didn’t know if he’d be getting any soon. You shrugged, a habit you tended to have, “I don’t know. Lost my job, no medications, and constant near deaths probably.” You didn’t even pause for them to register what you said. “Still, thanks. I’m not entirely sure what you did or why you did it, but...It gives me hope for the future.”

 

You stretched your limbs, pausing for a second. 

 

“Hey I have to go, but, before I do? Did the kids make it out okay? I uh, I didn’t mean to let them see but, my powers started acting up on me and I think my blood scared them. Sorry.”

 

For once, Undyne wasn’t angry or shocked or confused by something you said or did. Her expression softened, as did the gravelly nature of her voice. “They’re safe, and with their families.”

 

“Good,” you said with honest relief. “Um, I guess I should head back to camp. Perseverance is gonna be pissed if I don’t show up. They can be such a worrywart.”

 

You were dismissing everything that happened to you, smiling ever so brightly again. This time, Grillby didn’t like how much you smiled. It felt false the more you directed it at him. Now that he had seen what you looked like when you were hurt or sad, he could see it in your eyes. It was in your very soul.  

 

You winked, and said to both Grillby and Undyne, “I’ll see you at the peace talks, okay? I promise.”

 

Then, you were gone. The only traces of you left were some purple crumbs on the ground, and a pool of blood.

 

Grillby had seen you get shot in the head. That was a fatal blow for humans. Yet, you survived. You survived, and when he and Undyne were in danger, you came to help them. You almost died helping Grillby. And then you just played it off as if your death would mean nothing. As if you meant nothing.

 

There was something fluttering close to his eyes in the breeze. Cautiously, he found himself plucking a small bloom from the earpiece of his glasses.

---

Grillby missed his restaurant and bar as another human fell before him on the battlefield. Echoes of memories and desperation past guided him through the discomfort. He wasn’t nearly as old as Gerson, but he wouldn’t deny being one of the oldest monsters from the Underground. Unlike most of his kind, he remembered the Surface, the sunlight, and the stars which were painted as a pale imitation in the Underground.

 

Sensing no other presence, he closed his eyes, raising his face towards the sky as the breeze washed through him. It made him feel a little bit cleaner, just a bit. Gods, he was so tired. Would it be so bad to just lay down and rest here?

 

It wasn’t as if he’d make it back to camp anytime soon. Making up his mind, he held up his communication stone that allowed him to send messages back to Asgore, informing the King of Monsters he’d be camping out. After receiving confirmation and a chiding to stay safe, Grillby sat down.

 

Focusing, he lit up his flames to make a circle around him that reached into the sky, only allowing the stars to be visible at the distant top far from him. Just as always, it was out of reach. He lay back, taking the view in, imagining a simpler place, a simpler time.

 

He missed his bar. He missed the place he came to call home. Yet, he also found himself wishing for something new, something to make life a little brighter, a little easier to bear.

 

Allowing himself to sleep and for his senses to fade, he didn’t realize or hear the soft steps that breached his walls of flame.

 

When he eventually woke up, the sun beaming down on him, he realized the ground wasn’t cold or hard. Actually, his head was on something very warm and soft. Blinking, he winced as he realized nothing was clear. His vision was blurry.

 

Clearness abruptly changed the blurriness, and he realized his glasses were being placed on his face. Turning his head slightly, trepidation filling him, he saw that a human was peering down at him, a smile on their face that almost matched the sun’s brightness.

 

“Sorry, I figured it couldn’t be very comfortable to sleep with your glasses on, or on the ground, or...ya know?”

 

He blinked once, then twice, cautiously, slowly sitting up. He was tense, ready for a fight when he saw that he’d been moved onto a sleeping mat. His stare switched between the human, and the mat, questioning.

 

The human stood up, dusting themselves off. The new position allowed him to see that the human wore light armor. It was more of a suit actually, with plenty of vulnerabilities but allowing for flexibility and-

 

“See something you like?”

 

They were smirking at him as they stretched their arms. There were bags under their eyes, and more than a few scratches on their face. Grillby stayed silent, slightly taken aback by the human’s flirting, but figured it was an act meant to get under his skin.

 

“...Why?”

 

The human shrugged. “I don’t like fighting people unless they are at their best. And you were pretty exhausted. I can’t imagine that being in the position you were in would’ve let you get a good rest either. I mean, I’d rather fight, and hopefully not kill, each other like civilized people.”

 

Grillby glanced around, seeing that the barrier he’d constructed was still up. Humans couldn’t possibly jump over the wall, and they’d certainly turn into a crisp if they tried to enter. Yet, there was a human with him. And they weren’t even bothered by how quiet he was.

 

It’d be easy to kill the human here and now, but…

 

Reluctantly he lowered the circle, grimacing when the human nonchalantly let out a low whistle. “Awesome. I wonder what other tricks you can do.”

 

There was an obvious innuendo in the human’s tone, and their grin never lessened. Grillby considered his options. He should kill them, burn them, but the urge wasn’t entirely there. He sighed, feeling tired once more as he lit his hands, prepared for battle.

 

This time, the human’s smile was saddened. A semblance of guilt filled him, but his sense of duty overwhelmed that. “I guess you really are gonna kill me like a civilized person, huh?”

 

“...I’m not civilized.”

 

The human tilted their head. “I sincerely doubt that. I can imagine you'd be pretty good in a vest or a tux. Or, maybe nothing at all but-”

 

This time, Grillby didn’t hesitate to throw a flurry of fireballs in the human’s direction. His patience had run out, the human’s attempts to mess with him grating on his nerves. Did they think he was some kind of plaything to toy with?

 

To his surprise, the human didn’t even try to dodge. All they did was make a small movement, various shades of orange energy enveloping their form. 

 

They were a mage.

 

Grillby then remembered the recent rumors of three mages having been located. One of them supposedly had multiple traits, another held Perseverance, and the last…

 

“Bravery,” he uttered to himself. It made some sense. Only someone extremely brave or extremely stupid would enter enemy territory and allow someone who could and likely would easily kill them to slumber on their lap and-

 

Grillby felt his cheeks darken at the realization. He’d slept on the human’s lap. His flustered state didn’t go unnoticed. The human’s grin was more genuine. “What? Am I too hot for you to handle?”

 

Okay, now it was really time to blast them. But just as they were in his vision in one second, they were suddenly behind him, and whispering in his ear. “As a heads up, our leader’s gonna be seeing King Asgore, real soon.”

 

The sensation of their breath tickled his neck and cheek, causing the flames to waver momentarily until the words registered in his ear. The words had to be a threat towards Asgore’s life, and he acted quickly. He didn’t throw fireballs in the human’s direction, instead sending out a wave of fire.

 

Yet again, the human wasn’t affected. They were merely impressed. They stood in front of him again, “Okay, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Jeeze, I seriously don’t get what you monsters have against us. We’re not as bad as you think. Well, some people are complete assholes, but I’m pretty sure everyone’s got their share of them.”

 

The human was really chatty, weren’t they?

 

“Next time, I hope we’ll be holding hands instead of you trying to kill me. I think it’d be nice, being friends with you.”

 

With that, the human disappeared, as if they never existed. Something did enter his vision though, and Grillby tentatively removed it from the earpiece of his glasses.

 

It was a flower.

 

He ought to burn it, but it wouldn’t be right to punish the flower.

 

Did he have this on him the entire time he tried to fight you?!

---

This time, Grillby was sure he didn’t have the flower on him the entire time he had tried to save you.

 

He thought phasing in and out of existence was something only Sans could do. The skeleton did it enough to get on everyone’s nerves to amuse himself after all. But there was something different about how you appeared out of nowhere in comparison to how Sans did it. You fidgeted or made small movements. Sans just had to sit perfectly still.

 

However, there were also a lot of similarities. Everyone knew Sans had 1 HP, which was why most have been worried about Sans joining the war effort. It turned out Sans was more powerful than anyone knew. In retrospect, it shouldn’t have been that surprising considering he was Boss Monster, but it was as if nothing could touch him. You managed to avoid damage or injury like Sans did too. But when you were hurt, your health rapidly declined.

 

He had heard Undyne call people like this by a specific term. It took Grillby a moment to try to figure it out, trying to think until Undyne said, “Holy shit, anime is real.”

 

Right, it was an anime or fictional term. Glass cannon ? Alphys had found a board game that required math and imagination to play. Glass cannons were powerful beings that could deal great power, but had problems taking damage themselves.

 

Sans and the human mages were glass cannons.

 

If everything went wrong, all it might take is one hit per mage and humanity could lose the war. Monsters could get the upper hand on their greatest enemies. They could truly get their revenge, get justice, and-

 

“Next time, I hope we’ll be holding hands instead of you trying to kill me. I think it’d be nice, being friends with you.”

 

Grillby was tempted to say his thoughts out loud, but stayed silent. He just saw you almost die defending monsters and showing concern for him and Undyne and the monster children. You almost died trying to protect the very monster that just figured out how to take you and the mages down.

 

And you were one of few trying to save everyone. The mages were the heroes this time. It was such a paradigm shift that Grillby was struggling to process.

 

He may have the answer to win the war, and there wasn’t a war to win anymore.

 

…Grillby was a protector or monsterkind first and foremost, as were Undyne, and Sans. With this new knowledge, should something ever happen to or because of the mages, he’d know how they could be eliminated.

 

For now, he’d try to have a little hope for the future.

Notes:

In this story, while it's NOT canonical in game to our knowledge, it is largely a fan headcanon that Grillby was a soldier in the original human/monster war. He's got trauma and while he's fairly neutral to Frisk in the game, it seems more like he tolerates their presence. He's literally neutral. Applying the fan headcanon that he was a soldier means that he would've had to learn how to partially deal with some of the trauma he had experienced. However, if another war started, it would also mean that old memories and grudges would've been brought back.

To clarify, Grillby does like the Reader in a way. As mentioned and implied, they're like a firework to him. They're something short, loud, expressive, and fairly mesmerizing. However, fireworks are also dangerous if mishandled. Even if he feels some level of affection towards the Reader, to him they are still very much a threat at this point in time. The only reason he saved them, beyond his emotions arguably getting the better of him, is because humans and monsters are currently working towards peace. Having one of the mages, individuals whose positions are hotly debated over, die violently in the middle of all that is bound to cause more problems that neither side can really afford.

Grillby is a soldier, he's going to do his damndest to do what's right for his people. Sometimes that means saving an enemy, and sometimes it means eliminating one. He's prepared for either.

SPOILER: If anyone's read the prequel to this, they may also catch the symbolism of the Reader (Bravery) being a firework in that fireworks don't last very long.

Chapter 5: Touch and Tell

Summary:

This chapter is mostly fluff and talking between Reader and Grillby.

It's the softness before the storm.

Notes:

I'm updating some of my other stories soon, I just needed to make more fluff to cheer myself up and other stories require more action or info-dumping at the moment.

Perseverance grimaced, “You said you’d be fine. That we would meet up.”

 

“I knew everyone was at their limits when it came to using their magic and my communicator was busted. I tried to find a way to contact you guys, but there weren’t a lot of resources available.” Wincing, you reiterated, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry everyone or put my life in danger. I can’t promise it won’t happen again, but I’ll do better to prevent it from happening in the future.”

 

The leader of the mages pinched the bridge of their nose, slowly inhaling and exhaling. They brought over a couple of stools, one for them and the other for Kindness. “While I appreciate your honesty and attempts to placate me…” 

 

They sighed, looking off in the distance before addressing you once again.

 

“We’ve all lost enough in this war. I wish you valued your life, just a little more.”

 

The words stung, as did the grief in Perseverance’s gaze, but, “I’m the one most capable of combat and stealth operations out of the three of us. You’re the politician, the leader who gives everyone strength and gets people to listen. Kindness isn’t just a healer, but nowadays they’ve become a symbol of hope, for humans and monsters alike. Everyone here has a role to play, and everyone’s doing the best they can...And I’m doing the best I can so that humans and monsters can have a future. If I don’t-”

 

“Then the world will keep turning and it will take another day to succeed,” Perseverance said. “As much as I want to achieve peace, I want to prevent as much loss on both sides as possible. That includes you.”

 

Perseverance wasn’t wrong, but neither were you. As powerful as Kindness could be, their powers drained out faster than yours or Perseverance’s. And Perseverance? They rarely fought in the field because they were the one bringing everything together. That, and it was hard for them to control their powers because of how much they held back emotion-wise. Perseverance in a true battle?

 

...From what you had witnessed of Asgore, you knew Perseverance could take, and most likely beat, the king of monsters, with or without the aid of the other mages. And worse yet, they were justified if they actually went for it. A dark part of you wouldn’t mind helping them.

 

You entered the neutral ground, the smell of flowers filling your nose and warmth of the sun at your back. It reminded you of Grillby and his touch. You weren’t allowed to do any heavy lifting, or to speed up anything by using your magic. You were supposed to heal, and not use any powers at all since you used a large amount of it just to get back to the camp.

 

Had you grown too dependent on magic? You relied on it to fix a lot of stuff. How would you have handled being held at gunpoint before? Placing the muzzle of your potential murder’s gun on your forehead and faking your death hadn’t exactly been an option even a year ago. Recalling what to do in different emergencies was getting harder and harder, harder than it should have been.

 

You needed to hit the books again, provided you could find them. The war left a lot in disarray.

 

Sitting down, you narrowed your eyes in focus, trying to draw on the feeling of whatever brought out the orange heart. It took a few minutes, and you were mentally and emotionally drained by the time you forced it out. An orange heart floated in front of you.

 

Perseverance was purple and their heart reminded you of gemstones, hard and difficult to break. Kindness was green, the color of life on Earth. And the times where it split into blue and yellow? It was blue as the ocean and sky, and yellow as a field of gold or honey. Your orange? It took a bit to see, but it glimmered a bit, flickers of yellow and red moving inside it like sparks.

 

Kindness was basically life in whatever color their heart was. Perseverance was stone. And you? The closest thing you could call your heart was electric or maybe like a sparkler? The other hearts were fantastical, truly magical. Yours? It felt like one of those overly-glittery cheap imitations of something else. It felt fake.

 

If Grillby was being honest though, this was your soul. All of the hearts were souls. The idea alone was raising existential questions in your mind. Religion had always been a touchy subject for you for various reasons, some you weren’t exactly keen on sharing or discussing with anyone. And there was no way you’d talk about it in public, not with all of the political shitstorms that would surround any comment or opinion you or anybody else had on it.

 

Reaching out, you poked the heart, wincing when it felt like something went through you.

 

“So, you’re me, huh?” you said, watching as white cracks started coating it. The whiteness reminded you of the dust monsters turned into when they died. Did that mean your soul was part dust too? And why didn’t anyone else have the white cracks? Was there something just that fucked up about you? “This is like, the fourth time I’ve met this part of me. It’s still weird.”

 

“It’s only the fourth time?”

 

Your powers were still recovering, so maybe that’s why you didn’t notice Grillby’s presence. But him being there didn’t exactly surprise you either, nor did him being this close. He stood next to your seated form, for once devoid of armor. He was wearing a shirt and black pants. The collar was loose, but the rest of his outfit was buttoned. Add a black tie, a vest, and in another life he’d make a swell bartender. Dayum.

 

“Dapper,” you commented, grinning. He flinched when you did, gesturing to the ground next to you. You nodded, moving a little so he could be more comfortable. “How are you?”

 

He was taken aback by your inquiry.  How the grass didn’t burn under his touch was something you were curious about. “I am...Adjusting. How are you?”

 

“A little confused to be honest,” you shrugged, grimacing at the sight of your heart. Then you noticed Grillby was pointedly looking away. Your grimace turned into a sad smile. “It’s that bad, isn’t it?”

 

“What?”

 

“Well, Perseverance’s heart, er soul, is beautiful, and Kindness’ makes you feel safe. Mine? It feels fake. Or, at least to me it does.”

 

He narrowed his eyes. “Why do you think your soul feels fake?”

 

“Because, it’s not as good as the others’,” you murmured, poking it again. More cracks appeared. “It feels like a lie.”

 

“...Are you a liar?”

 

Shrugging again, you said, “Kind of? It feels like, if I don’t pretend everything’s okay? That it’ll all fall apart. If I don’t smile, no one else will. If I don’t joke or laugh, then it won’t exist anymore. If I don’t pretend to be brave, if I’m not first, then…”

 

Why were you being this open to someone you barely knew? It wasn’t like you had secrets, but you weren’t used to feeling this vulnerable either.

 

“You know that you don’t always have to smile, right?” he finally said. 

 

It gave you a good enough reason to look at him and not be weird about it. Those wisps of flames atop his head? The ones like flames? They moved with the breeze, sparks being cast off and dissipating long before they ever reached the ground. You’d been honest when you said he was the most beautiful person you’d ever seen. 

 

“I know,” you shrugged. When he returned your gaze, you just smiled brighter. “Right now though? It’s hard not to when you’re here.”

 

His cheeks turned from blue to white with a hint of violet. You knew from your lessons about fire that when it was it’s hottest was when it was violet. 

 

“I thought you said you’d stop flirting,” he wheezed.

 

Blinking in confusion, you said, “I wasn’t trying to flirt? Was that flirting? Sorry if it was. I keep making you uncomfortable.”

 

Grillby hesitated, “I wouldn’t say I’m wholly uncomfortable with it. It’s just I’m not sure what to do with it.” He cleared his throat. “What I mean to say is, your words are not entirely unwelcome. I just ask that you not be so intense about them?”

 

Oh. Smirking, you tested out, “Sure, Hot Stuff.” He smiled, giving some approval. In the attempt to avoid getting flustered, you redirected your attention. “So, this is my soul? That’s a thing?”

 

“How can humans, especially mages, not know what their soul is?” he questioned out loud, still looking away. 

 

His cheeks were turning purple again. What was he so flustered over?

 

“Because we don’t normally see them? There was no one to help us learn about these things, about us, about any of you or anything about magic. We’re clueless, but we were the best hope humanity has even if they hate us. I don’t know how to tell you what we’ve been through trying to make peace between humans and monsters. I don’t know how to tell you how much we’ve put into this…”

 

You were staring at your hands. Some scrapes were still there. With the peace talks coming, you told Kindness not to use too much of their powers on you, to be strong for when King Asgore came.

 

“The first time I saw my ‘soul’ was when I was trying to save lives, and I ran into a burning building. The second? That was when I pushed limits to get the kids out of danger. And then there was yesterday when I almost died. Frankly, I’m not sure I want to see my soul. It always hurts or something horrible is going on when it shows up. How can that be a good thing?”

 

You hated the way he was looking at you. It wasn’t pity, but it made you feel pathetic. You needed a distraction. So, you held your fist towards your soul, giving a light hit. Grillby caught your wrists, halting you. “Why do you keep hitting your soul?”

 

“I dunno. It feels kind of good? And, are you sure it’s a soul?”

 

He lightly pulled your hands back and you let him, not minding his touch in the slightest. Figures he’d only be okay with touching you if it was to restrain you. Oh well, you’d take what you could get. “Yes, that’s your soul. And, are you saying it feels good to hurt yourself?”

 

“...That sounds bad, doesn’t it?” He slowly nodded in confirmation. “Would you believe me if I said it was a kink?” He paused, unsure as he shook his head. At least he didn't seem to be judging you too much on that possibility. “I’m not entirely sure why, but it feels like a kind of release whenever I get hurt? Like there’s so much built up to the point where I want to scream? And when I bleed or feel like I’m falling apart or just numb is when things feel a bit better.”

 

Why’d it feel like your body was shivering? Everything you said was a fact. It was no big deal? You squeaked when warm arms wrapped around you. It was so much different from when you’d been held from behind. Awkwardly, you pat the fire monster on the back.

 

“Um, there there?”

 

Grillby pulled back. “Stop hurting yourself.”

 

And speaking of BDSM, that sounded like a command. And the way he said it? Definitely kinky. It'd make people of all genders swoon. Too bad you really ought not to. Thank goodness your darker thoughts kept your horniness at bay.

 

“Can’t promise that,” you chuckled under your breath. “I’m one of the few that’s expendable enough to get hurt.” He opened his mouth to protest, and you said, “The loss of one life versus countless isn’t much of something to weigh on, Grillby. Besides, there are enough monsters and humans that dislike me on either side. To monsters, I’m dangerous. And to humans, I’m not one of them. And, I can’t blame anyone for those perspectives.”

 

The heart was getting more cracks with every word you said. Every line had an audible noise that broke any semblance of silence. Out of all the expressions you thought Grillby would have, you didn’t think he’d be angry. His fists were clenched, and his jaw was tight. You asked his name, and he shut his eyes, slowly opening them.

 

“I’ll teach you.” You waited for him to elaborate. “I’ll teach you about your soul, and its limits, no matter how this all turns out. At least the very basics about souls.”

 

“You don’t have to-”

 

“I don’t want you to hate or fear your own soul. For monsters, our souls are the culminations of our entire beings. To...Do you even know what your soul represents?”

 

Shaking your head, you asked, “Souls can represent stuff?” He was clearly trying hard not to react. Rubbing your arm, you lowered your head. It felt like when you were a kid again, and someone was calling you stupid or annoying or anything else that felt awful. It felt like something you did wasn’t enough, like you couldn’t be enough. “Sorry, I can try to-”

 

“Don’t be sorry,” he muttered, rubbing circles into his forehead. “You didn’t have anyone to guide you, or help you. What you’ve done just shows how extraordinary you are.”

 

“You think I’m extraordinary?” you asked, utterly confused.

 

Grillby blinked, “You don’t?”

 

“No? No one’s really told me that before,” you said.

 

Concern decorated his features, and from a bag at his side, he pulled out a hamburger? And a side of fries. You almost got shivers when he commanded , “Eat.”

 

Yep, he'd be great at BDSM if he put his mind to it, especially in that suit of his. As you took the burger, you tried not to look at him pushing up his sleeves. He was a muscular kind of guy, but in a lean way? There wasn’t massive bulk, making him look almost elegant, the kind of physique you’d never be able to achieve. It made sense, he didn’t exactly have fat considering he was made of fire. Wait, bad brain. Don't go there. Control yourself.

 

“Sir yes sir,” you chuckled, taking a bite of his offering.

 

You reared your head back. It was delicious . But, it also reminded you of those purple pastries from yesterday…

 

A purple pastry was shoved into your mouth. It tasted really good. It wasn’t too sweet, or too bitter. The dough was squishy but not raw. The crust had an occasional crunch, but it felt natural for some reason. And it was warm. You groaned, and gobbled the desert up without question. It was gone within seconds, one second there and the next not. And you didn’t even use your powers. In your stomach, you started feeling the tiniest bit filled.

 

“Why do you keep giving me food from the gods?” you said while groaning, sinking your teeth into the tasty goodness again. You barely paid any attention to the fact that cracks in your soul were fading away as you ate. “Holy shit, this stuff is awesome.”

 

Grillby was covering the bottom half of his face, but you managed to see a hint of a grin. Dang, he had a pretty smile. He was positively glowing . Beaming, you offered him some. This time, he accepted some of it, shyly biting into some of the deliciousness. It was nice, being under the stars and sharing a meal. Both of you were in casual clothes and it was as if a war didn’t exist. In another lifetime, would this have counted as a date? Or just a general outing? With no major conflicts or fears? Would it have just been simple? The two of you spending time together?

 

You wouldn’t mind that at all.

 

“Hey Grillby?” you said, regaining his attention. “What does my soul mean?”

 

You were worried about tomorrow, and the future of humans and monsters in general. Tomorrow could be the start of something new, or the end of everything. You really hoped that you could share more moments like this one with the man of fire.

 

He swallowed, looking between you and your soul. “Bravery.”

 

Grillby had said that the first time you had met him. He’d been referring to your soul? You repeated his words out of curiosity. Thinking for a moment, he knelt in front of you, tentatively gesturing to your soul before reaching towards himself. An upside-down white heart appeared from his chest, floating close to yours. You held back, not sure what was okay in this situation. You didn’t want to cross any lines he didn’t want to.

 

His hands were trembling enough as it was.

 

But, taking in the sight in front of you? The soul wasn’t pure white to your eyes. It was an amalgamation of all colors distributed equally. Considering color theory said white was the combination of all colors in the light spectrum, you didn’t doubt it. You just didn’t know what it meant. Regardless, the soul wasn’t even. It was full of dents and scars that rose above the outer layer. It made you want to examine every surface.

 

Grillby was just as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside.

 

“It's-”

 

“Beautiful,” you said, interrupting without meaning to. His cheeks were fully violet now as you grinned toothily up at him as you murmured breathlessly. “You’re beautiful , Grillby.”

 

His hands weren’t shaking anymore. His eyes were half-lidded, and he was starting to lean forward. You asked his name as a question, and he pulled back as if he’d been struck. Clearing his throat, he tried to divert himself away from whatever he’d been about to do. “Er, thank you.”

 

Did you make things awkward? Damn it, why’d you always have to do that? Again, your soul cracked a little. Grillby gave you a questioning look. “Sorry, I keep messing things up, huh?”

 

“No, no you don’t.” Grillby sighed. He said your name. “The absolute nature of souls is unknown. Monster souls are said to be made of, or symbolize, love, hope, and compassion. But, those qualities aren’t found in everyone, so we cannot be sure. As for humans, your kind hold seven known traits consisting in their souls. Now, t here are three primary colors: Red represents Determination, Blue is Integrity, and Yellow is Justice.” He nodded towards your soul. “Then there are secondary colors, one of which includes Orange, representing Bravery, a combination of Determination and Justice.”

 

Your eyes widened, just thinking of the possibilities of colors. Were there tertiary colors too? What did each color represent? Grillby said he was willing to teach you the basics, but just how much did that qualify as? What could you ask? And... “I don’t feel very brave. I just, there’s so much to do and I know I’m one of few who can do them.”

 

“Bravery is not the absence of fear, but rather the determination to face fear in order to do the right thing,” Grillby explained sagely. “Are you scared often?”

 

“Yes? But using logic and reasoning helps me get through it. If I rationalize it, I think I can do most things,” you admitted. “That, and I can’t afford to let fear control me, not when there’s so much to do. Not when I have something to protect. I, I have to keep moving forward, even if no one else can or wants to.”

 

It was strange but not entirely unpleasant for Grillby to look at you the way he was. You felt admired, or like like you were being praised without being placed on a pedestal. “Hence why your primary trait is Bravery. As you can see, there are hints of other colors in your soul.”  He said your name, “Your soul isn’t cheap or fake. It’s one of the most…” He hesitated, nervous and conscientious. “Your soul is one of the most miraculous I’ve ever seen.”

 

Unlike him, you didn’t hesitate. “But, your soul has all that too.”

 

“What?”

 

“You can’t see?” you asked, tilting your head. “You have those traits, and the others too. It’s just, yours are more evenly distributed. Grillby, you’re brave, determined, just and…It’s clear, at least to me.”

 

How could he not see his own soul? He had started to lean towards you again, his eyes half-lidded. You didn’t know fire could look thirsty. You could hear and feel your pulse in your ears, and in your lips as warmth spread through you. You started to lean forward to, not quite understanding what was happening, but it felt good so why be scared? Abruptly, there was a pulse from both of your souls, causing you both to yelp and jump back. You made a noise of confusion as your soul shoved itself back into your chest, Grillby’s doing something similar. His face was entirely violet now.

 

“Grillby? What was that?” He was stuttering, covering his face. Maybe you should take a different approach. “Um, okay? How come you didn’t want to look at my soul earlier?”

 

“B-Be-c-cause,” he started, his stuttering growing steadily worse. He couldn’t even look at you. It was adorable and worrying all at once. “W-When s-s-souls are-” You recalled your training on how to help someone that was hyperventilating, giving him instructions to calm his breathing. It took a few minutes, but it worked. “When souls are normally visible to one another, it’s for training purposes, to start a confrontation or…Something more intimate, because you’re showing vulnerability to someone.”

 

You wanted to tease him, asking if he flashed you by showing you his soul, but figured that was way too inappropriate and counterproductive. “Well, you were teaching me. And, I’m sorry, I didn’t know it could be seen as-”

 

“But I knew,” he grumbled. “I’m sorry. I just thought you wanted to see your soul more, to try to understand it. I didn’t want to interfere with that.” Slowly, you took his hand in yours. He tensed, “Aren’t you ever afraid that I’ll burn you? You know I can.”

 

He sounded so sad when he said that last sentence. Was he thinking of everything that he'd done in the war? You had an endless number of questions about his role and why the war was started in the first place, but maybe this wasn't the time? Besides, the King of Monsters was the one who needed to answer for all of this, not Grillby.  In the meantime, “I wouldn’t mind. I’m used to getting burned anyways. At least this time, it would be by someone I trust.”

 

He made a pained noise. “You shouldn't trust me. We’re strangers, technically enemies.”

 

“So? I’m willing to take the chance,” you said.    His fingers squeezed yours at first, releasing them after a second. He stood up, dusting himself off. This time, he was the one to offer his hand to help you stand. You didn’t hesitate, silently enjoying the sensation of his calloused hands on yours. “Anyways, if everything goes well tomorrow, can we do this again? I like spending time with you.”

 

His hand was still holding yours.

 

“...I’d like that.”

 

---

Watching you return to your camp, Grillby had to fight the urge to chase after you.

 

What was he doing ? He may have gotten the information he wanted, but at what cost? He bared his soul to you, and with every word you said, he had wanted to…

 

He had only met you four times at most now. The first time he had tried to kill you. The second you knew he was trying to spy on your camp, and learned your name. The third time he held you as you were dying in his arms. And just now? He brought you food to help your soul heal, and he taught you the basics about souls and he almost kissed you. Grillby had wanted to take you in his hands and breathe you in. He almost did it when he embraced you. He almost did it when he saw your soul cracking. He almost did it when you called him beautiful again, and you had said it with sincerity and no falsehoods.

 

“Your voice is like the fireplace I used to sit by whenever it was dark and cold. It's comforting. Your embers flicker light with endless colors. And, sometimes it's hard to look away. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

 

Was that normal for you? To just say what was on your mind? Sometimes you were spontaneous and other moments you did whatever came to the moment. Did you feel anything like what he was experiencing? Was he imagining it all? Why did he even feel the desire to kiss you as strongly as he did?

 

For crying out loud, until a peace treaty was negotiated, you were an enemy . Worse, you were a mage . Everything you were was something he should hate. He was a soldier, a leader of his people. No matter what happened, his priority was those he was charged to protect, and that didn’t include you. And, if somehow there was peace between humans and monsters...

 

There were too many reasons why it wouldn't work out between the two of you. There was no point in imagining such things.

 

Grillby cursed under his breath

 

“Damn it all.”

…

 

..

 

.

 

Epilogue:

 

You returned to your tent, lying back in the makeshift mattress as you tucked the thin blanket over your limbs. Grillby was a lot more emotive today than usual. You kind of liked it, but you hoped it wasn’t hurting him in any way. You knew from experience it sucked to feel things that you didn’t want to.

 

Still, for a moment you could’ve sworn Grillby was about to kiss you.

 

You’d probably regret it later, but you touched your lips, imagining what it would be like. Would his mouth be soft? Rough? It’d most likely be warm. You bet his smile on your lips would feel the best, especially since seeing his smile made your stomach flutter. The relationship you and Grillby had wasn’t exactly clear, but if it’d been entirely up to you, you’d have gone for it. You knew you wouldn’t mind kissing him. Heck, you might even like it. Grillby was nice, and brave, and against all odds, you felt safe around him. But, you’d rather have a friend than a lover if it came down to making that kind of choice. Plus, why would he ever want you? There was the whole humans and monsters hating each other situation, and you tended to make people uncomfortable and…

 

Frowning, you cut off your imagination before it could intensify into something else entirely. It wouldn’t be fair to you or Grillby if you started to wander into unacceptable territory. Both of you had higher priorities in any case. And, if things didn’t go well with the peace treaty? You might have to fight Grillby.

 

Crap.

 

Notes:

Update: This story is going to be split in two halves. The first (1-13) is the timeline where Asgore invaded the Surface, and the second half (14-26) is the true sequel to Leap of Faith.

Without giving too many spoilers, basically the ending of the first half will feature Grillby's POV when it comes to Leap of Faith's chapter Time After Time. If anyone's read it, they essentially have an idea of what happened between Grillby and the Reader over the years, and how that relationship ended (aka a LOT of angst).

The second half will show the story following the ending of Leap of Faith, where Grillby and the Reader may or may not get a second chance.

P.S. At this point, I'm really thinking that "I Wouldn't Mind" by He Is We is Grillby's/Reader's (Bravery's) theme song.

Chapter 6: Turning Point

Summary:

Discoveries are made, monsters get put through an existential crisis, and things get a little tense.

Notes:

Sorry that it's been so long since I updated this story.

A LOT has happened since I last updated, and I wanted to continue the flow of the story best I could. That meant doing some studying, checking over my notes, refreshing what I knew of the game, and more.

I've also found that I tend to write as a coping mechanism when my depression gets really bad, making an escape from reality. I've gotten help since this discovery, and I'm doing a lot better since then. But I did miss writing and wanted to try getting back into it without it having to be for such negative reasons.

Hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint.

The mages spared frequently, testing their abilities and limits when it came to their powers.

Kindness had the unique ability to separate their powers into different colors, ones that you'd learned meant Integrity and Justice. Learning the reason you and Perseverance glowed a shade of red when you combined your abilities was because the element of Determination was stronger, you wondered what other things could be done. Perseverance and Kindness found that they could manipulate gravity to a degree when activating the power of Integrity, aka blue. But they couldn't combine the power of Determination quite as well. When it came to you working with Kindness, a completely new aspect was unveiled. You could create static electricity, and electricity straight up.

"So, Justice has the power of electrokinesis," you uttered. "Or possibly energy manipulation? At least we have an idea of what to expect if we ever encounter mages with primary colors."

It was a bit weird that the mages at the human camp were all comprised of secondary colors. One would think that the primary colors of souls would show up first. Heck, maybe they had, but just didn't make themselves known.

"What about Red? Determination?" Kindness asked, having been able to access the power to an incredibly small degree.

"I think it has something to do with time manipulation," you said, holding your chin in thought. "Whenever Perseverance and I use our powers, everything else slows down. It gives the illusion that I moved faster, and it allows Perseverance's to collect kinetic energy when combining their gravity control and make a helluva impact."

As a former firefighter, you had a better understanding of how to strategize in emergencies and how physics and chemicals worked. It didn't make you a genius per se, just more knowledgeable in areas that many weren't. That's why you were the fighter of the three mages. Perseverance was the negotiator and the one who dished out the most damage. Kindness was the healer.

"Time, gravity, and energy," Perseverance murmured, summarizing the primary colors' abilities. "How does healing work?"

Kindness was the one who answered that. "When I heal people, there's a sensation of pushing and pulling, a flow of something lighting up. I remember in an academic journal a while back, before the war, reading about bone growth stimulators, and how vibrations can help heal at a faster rate than usual. The science behind bone growth stimulators is still experimental at best, but the idea is that it emits low level electricity that is imperceptible to the human senses signaling the body to respond faster to the injury."

It was surprising that you hadn't considered that. But it made sense for Kindness to do so. After all, they dreamed of being a photographer in another life, and constantly read or studied on how things worked so that when they ventured out into the world, they'd be better prepared. Grimacing, you said, "What about Patience? It's cyan, so green and blue combined? Is that just Justice with a lot more Integrity? We know one of the skeleton brothers, Sans? He's really good at throwing people and forcing their bodies into traps. But we haven't seen him use powers involving electricity or energy."

That stumped everyone. Perseverance squinted in thought, then gasped. "At the beginning of the war, there were rumors of some monsters using a power like a missile, or a blast of some kind. Not many people survived. What if he's storing energy like I do, but instead of it being kinetic energy, he's-"

"He's blasting us with giant lasers?*" you finished, thoughts running rampant in your mind. "Giant bolts of electricity? Like Iron Giant or "

Huh, maybe monsters used guns after all. Just not the kind with bullets.

"I thought back then, people described it as a nuclear explosion," Kindness whispered, their robotic voice barely there.

You wondered why Kindness had been unable to heal themselves after all this time. Another thought came to mind. All of the monsters were a combination of magical traits, some more evenly distributed than others. But for some unfathomable reason, a select few specialized highly in areas comparable to human magic. The skeleton brothers were a primary example of that. Papyrus rarely participated in battle, but it was clear he specialized in gravity manipulation and could launch bones at people. Sans...Was someone no one should want to cross if they had any sense of self preservation. Were they just a different kind of monster? Why were they different?

"What are you thinking of?" Perseverance asked you.

"Magic, and how it works," you replied. "Including amongst monsters."

You shared your thoughts, adding, "By how they define magic and its aspects, there has to be a justified reason for attacking humanity. Has Asgore mentioned anything in the peace talks yet?"

Perseverance grimaced, "He seems avoidant on the subject. But he was alarmed when I said that we don't know why monsters started the war. He also gave the impression that he believed monsters weren't the ones who started it."

That was news. "Why haven't you mentioned this? To anybody?"

The leader of the mages winced. "He was grieving, and I know the grief he wore. It was of a parent losing a child."

Oh shit. If a human had killed or harmed a member of the monster's royal family, or worse, a monster child of any status, then humanity may be screwed, and not in the fun way. You certainly knew how humanity would react if monsters did that kind of thing to human kids. Well, technically they had, and Perseverance knew that firsthand. Losing a spouse and a child wasn't something you ever hoped to experience. Your friend, your leader was enduring so much to make peace with monsters despite having far more reason than you or Kindness to lash out. They wanted to make a better future for their remaining child. That kid was their reason for living now. If something happened to the kid, Perseverance would be relentless in their wrath, all patience worn out.

Asgore had no idea how close Perseverance was to a mental breakdown in their grief. But, you guessed Asgore might have an idea of what it was like to snap if what the group of mages suspected was true. That could be a starting point.

Kindness reached out, placing a gentle hand on Perseverance's hand. Reflecting on what Grillby told you about souls, it really did make sense as to what the other mages represented. 

...After all this loss, after all of the pain on both sides, you sincerely hoped that peace could be reached. The cost of all of this was way too high.

Perseverance called your name. "You're getting close to one of the generals, right? I have something I need you to do."

From the somber note in their voice, you knew things were going to get messy, and fast.

---

Grillby was stunned.

Humanity didn't know what they did to earn monsters' vengeance. According to Asgore, it was, from their point of view, and unprovoked attack by beings that had faded into myth. Even Undyne had been horrified by this realization. They'd been killing humans, seeking justice. Grillby had known that the humans who imprisoned monsterkind was long deceased, but he thought the memory of monsters would have continued, the hated of non-human beings...

He hadn't met all of the human children that wandered into the Underground, but he had heard of how confused they were. He knew, everyone knew something was wrong. That some things didn't add up. It had only become more apparent when they met with the mages that something was off. They should've known-

"Hey."

Grillby flinched as he heard your voice, looking up to see you standing right outside the monster camp where he had retreated to. Right, despite how terrifying and insane you could be, you had always been warm to him. You were gentle with children, outraged when they were kidnapped despite having been a part of the enemies' faction. You defied your own kind to stand by your morals. You didn't even know what your soul represented, but you practically personified it. Justice and Determination combined. You'd always been just, always been fair and opened-minded. You were determined to do the right thing. Maybe that was why it was so hard to dislike you.

You smiled at him. "You look like you could use a hug?"

He wheezed, adjusting his glasses as he tried to appear as though everything was normal. "I'll be fine."

"Bullshit," you said, placing a hand on your hip. Grillby blinked in surprise. "When people say they'll be fine, they're lying their asses off. It's obvious you're not, Hot Stuff." Grillby felt his expression twitch at the nickname, causing you to grin more. Ah, you were trying to distract him. "Look, you don't have to tell me. I just..." You took a shuddering breath, running a hand through your hair as you looked more tired than usual. You were wincing, as if in pain. It made him worried about just how much you were hiding under the metaphorical mask you wore, putting on your braver side no matter what came your way. "I know what it's like to get caught up in messes, including the ones in your own head. Sometimes you need space, sometimes you need to talk. And sometimes, you just need to punch something."

He palmed his face. "And what would you recommend?"

You tilted your head. "We could spar, if you'd like?"

Grillby was not prepared for that. "What?"

"I mean, we should let the others know we're not actually fighting," you added, rubbing the back of your neck awkwardly. "But, you're pissed off, and need to let off some steam, possibly very literally 'cause you're smoking right now."

Unsure if you were telling the truth or flirting, the monster paused, glancing upwards to see that there was indeed smoke rising from his head. "What do you get out of it?"

Shrugging, you said, "I'm bored." Seriously? Why were you like this? "I've been cooped up, forced to heal. I need some action."

Yep, this human was definitely insane. "...Fine."

Grillby called out to the camp, letting them know he'd be sparring with one of the human mages while you used a communication device to inform your camp that you'd be sparring with the 'smokin' hot general of the monster army, not igniting a war'. Damn it, he was starting to get used to your teasing and attempts to distract him. Grinning, you stretched a little, jogging in place even as monsters began to gather at a distance. Even Asgore stood by the edges of the camp, a grim expression evident.

The fire monster hesitated, warning you, "I'm going to draw out your soul now."

You arched a brow, still smirking as you casually stretched. Grillby tried not to pay attention to how you prepared yourself, waiting until you said you were ready. He held out his hand, locating your soul and drawing it out with a 'come at me' wave'. When your soul appeared, bright and burning bright, his own made itself known. Murmurs broke from around as the world fell dark, white glowing starkly against the black.

"Your move," you said playfully.

Strange, he would've thought you'd be the first to go. Something was strange. It was the first hint you weren't acting normally. Still, he sent a pillar of fire your way, not aiming to harm you. At most, you might get a minor burn. Most humans would dodge. But you? You briefly glowed orange, and the spell that Grillby cast dissipated, leaving only embers at your feet. Multiple gasps echoed through the audience, including Asgore. Grillby's eyes widened in shock. He suddenly recalled that you'd been able to get past his fire wall when the two of you first met, and he'd never been able to figure out how. You were able to nullify his powers? Was this something you'd always been able to do? Just how powerful was the current generation of mages? Ones who didn't even know the basics of magic?

Your expression was unreadable, your voice an eerie calm, "You're holding back. And that's not going to do either of us any good." Your expression softened, regret in your expression. "You're hurting. All of you are. So take it out on me, if you have to."

Grillby finally let out a breath. Clenching his fists, he sent a wall your way, searing the ground and melting parts of it into glass. The fire was white and blue and purple. He had it surround you, only for you to run right through it, trails blazing at your feet as you got into his personal space. He ducked, allowing flames to envelop his closed fists. Swinging around, he moved to strike you. This time, you caught it, staying completely still as he moved. Far closer to you than the ones watching the fight, he saw that yellow energy crackled around your hand, acting as a shield. It was Justice. Like Kindness, you were able to separate your powers into its base abilities.

...You were showing your powers to him, to make a point.

He looked to see your sorrowful expression. "Humanity did something, didn't we? We took something from you, and that's why you're so angry."

Something snapped inside of Grillby. He projected the fire from his fists, sending you flying a distance away. You rolled onto the ground, grunting as you got up onto your feet. Rage filled him, causing his body to become an inferno, ashes and smoke from the foliage on the ground rising to form a cloud that made it hard to see. You met him in the middle, powers clashing.

Normally, Grillby was the quiet one, the calm one. But you? You brought out something in him that he hadn't felt in years. "YOUR KIND TRAPPED US!" Your eyes widened, then closed to a wince as your shield started to weaken. "YOU IMPRISONED US IN THAT MOUNTAIN, IN DARKNESS. YOU TOOK US FROM OUR HOMES. YOU STOLE OUR FREEDOM. YOU ERASED US." His voice was quaking, his rage palpable. But you, frustratingly, stood by him. You didn't try to hide or run away like other humans when facing his wrath. That made it hurt all the worse, and made him lash out. "We even took in one of your fallen children despite that, adopted them and loved them, and when one of us escaped our prison, you slaughtered the prince of our people."

You flinched in pain, some of your hair burning under the intense heat.

"And then, your people had the gall to forget how much you put us through. How much we suffered? That we even existed?" Grillby croaked, continuing to try hitting you. You dispelled some of his attacks, the more severe ones. But some? Some you just took. You were starting to blister and bleed in the places he hit, but you still stayed. Seeing your wounds, he croaked, "You-"

"I'm sorry," you said, halting him. "I know that'll never make up for what happened, or anything that your people have been put through. I can't imagine how horrible it must've been."

Once more, Grillby stopped breathing. After a moment, you raised your hand, and Grillby found your soul in his hands. You were insane, absolutely insane. You had to be, to entrust him with it. He looked at it, seeing the cracks that had grown significantly. The glow of it had dimmed, but there was still sparking, crackles of yellow, Justice, flickering at the surface.

"What are you-?"

"It was a mage you imprisoned you, right? Or a group of them? The only way I can imagine humans even being capable of that, is if it was ones capable of magic," you answered. "And, considering what you just saw from me? I wouldn't blame you for no longer feeling safe, especially with memories of what people like me did."

No, you weren't like the mages that imprisoned him and the monsters. You were kind, accepting, and so, so brave. 

"Knowing the other mages, they'd be willing to let you remove whatever powers if you could," you added. "So long as this war ends. It won't bring back the ones you've lost, but at least that way, you don't have to be so afraid. You won't have to be worried about anyone locking you away, ever again. And, we won't wage war if you do what you feel you need to do with my soul in your hands. If it helps, it can be a life, for a life."

Grillby pulled back. “Stop hurting yourself.”

“Can’t promise that,” you chuckled under your breath. “I’m one of the few that’s expendable enough to get hurt.” He opened his mouth to protest, and you said, “The loss of one life versus countless isn’t much of something to weigh on, Grillby. Besides, there are enough monsters and humans that dislike me on either side. To monsters, I’m dangerous. And to humans, I’m not one of them. And, I can’t blame anyone for those perspectives.”

Dread filled Grillby. You were willing to stand there, and let him kill you? To save everyone else, including monsters? He looked at Asgore reluctantly, the king and other monsters more than horrified. Grillby's flames had since cooled greatly, struggling to process what you were saying, what you were doing. You approached him, gently pushing your soul further into his grasp. You smiled at him, your soul shining a little brighter.

"It's okay," you told him. "And, you won't have to worry about me pestering you ever again."

For some reason, that was ultimately what motivated Grillby to return your soul to you. You gasped, starting to fall forward straight into his arms. He caught you without hesitating, starting to hyperventilate as he took in the sight of your wounds. He did this. He hurt you. Grillby didn't even have a scratch on him, and you had been burned repeatedly. He could've killed you, and you were going to let him. Forcing you to stand up straight, he said, "DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"

You merely blinked, puzzled as if you had expected him to actually kill you. "Would you prefer Asgore to-?"

"NO," he said firmly, looking pleadingly at the king of monsters.

Asgore slowly nodded in agreement, stepping forward with a pained expression. He measured your posture, everything in your body language. Other monsters stepped forward, green energy covering you. Your labored breathing, that Grillby had disturbingly not noticed, grew a bit easier. You squeaked as Monster Kid barreled into your legs, knocking you down. It wasn't long before you were surrounded by the children you had a hand in rescuing.

And, you were just stunned, looking up at the adult monsters who were all torn. Slowly, you began trying to comfort the kids, unsure of yourself and what was happening as some broke into tears. Undyne and Sans in particular looked on in astonishment and disbelief, the skeleton's pupils no longer visible. Grillby knelt next to you, trembling before he hugged you.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," he wheezed. 

You were right. In your own insane way, you were right. Maybe this wasn't the time for war, but Mercy.

---

From a distance, Perseverance and Kindness observed the situation using binoculars.

The former had cursed repeatedly when you handed over your soul to Grillby, offering your life. That had never been part of the plan. You dying...

"I'm going to kill them," Perseverance grumbled, their voice rising in their anger. "I am going to kill that stupid, foolish piece of-"

"We have our answers," Kindness said. "And someone said sorry. Hell, both sides did. That's a decent start, and far better than where we were before. The risk was worth it, the one you suggested and what Bravery just did. I don't approve of the method, but it was effective."

Yes, this did change things. The biggest goals in the encounter were to do two things. One was to show the monsters that the mages could truly do damage if they wanted to, but chose not to. The second was to get answers to aid in the effort for peace. It wasn't showing all of the mages' cards, but it made a blatant point. Perseverance should've know you'd add your own reckless spin to the situation though. You were always the martyr, the first to put themselves in danger for the sake of others.

Perseverance looked back at the direction of the human camp, knowing that their child was there. They could never forgive Asgore for what he did, for what he took from them, but someone had to start somewhere.

After all, this was bigger than all of them.

Notes:

I'm going to try updating my stories on weekends. Thank you all for your patience and I hope you enjoyed!

*Yes, this is a reference to Gaster Blasters. The mages have yet to see them personally (they're not interested in a Bad Time), but they know not to mess with Sans.

Chapter 7: Peace and Perseverance

Summary:

Things are winding down now, and both sides could use some decent publicity. For the monsters' side, Mettaton is on it! And he's interested in some of the mages' backstories, which honestly vary between timelines.

Also, Bravery can be an excellent wingman/wingwoman/wingperson.

Notes:

Semi-spoiler: In Kindness' story, they have a relationship with Sans the Skeleton. There are more than a few hints of this in the chapter despite it being a different timeline.

Also, possible spoilers for Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, and Lilo and Stitch.

You were stiff as you were forced onto a stage along with the other mages.

While Perseverance was the picture of calm, you found yourself fidgeting and tempted to run away. Kindness held your feet in place with the power of Integrity though, so you couldn't move an inch with cameras filming you. It wasn't that you were afraid, it was more like you loathed this much attention. You also absolutely told the press you weren't going to answer any questions, mostly because you knew that the filter between your brain and your mouth rarely worked.

Up on the stage stood all of the human and monster generals, the leaders of both groups, and who knew how many politicians. You briefly wondered who the designated survivor was as you tried to keep still, your thoughts running rampant. As the leaders shook hands, you winced at the flashing of cameras.

"i thought you'd be a fan of attention."

Oh, it was one of the skeleton brothers, Sans. From a distance, he always looked far shorter than he really was. This was actually the closest you'd ever been to either of the skeletons, having surmised that your abilities would clash horribly with theirs. "Not really. I only put on a show if it's needed for others' sakes."

You figured it'd be safest to be honest with the skeleton, considering the possible consequences.

"like your spar?"

Anybody who didn't realize that you and Grillby had been trying to manipulate each other to some degree for most of the time you two knew each other was either blind or extremely optimistic. Nothing wrong with either per se, but things weren't ever that simple. Yes, you let your guard down with the fiery general multiple times over, but the goal of the mages had always been peace, whatever the cost. Both parties were continuously vying for information, including Grillby seeking things from you, and you let him. Sometimes, you have to be vulnerable and show some weakness to do that.

Ultimately, maybe that's why it felt so wrong to follow completely with Perseverance's plan. 

Your heart ached when you first saw Grillby wandering to the edges of the monster camp, and you'd meant it when you offered him a hug. The poor guy looked like he needed it. He needed to be pushed, to let it all out and break the tension. That was the only way to move forward for everyone. Yet, hearing what caused all of this? You had an epiphany. All that was being shown when you demonstrated your abilities, was that the monsters had another reason to fear humans, another reason for fear to turn into hate.

"I meant it when I offered that," you answered truthfully, smiling sadly. It was clear Sans was avoiding saying names of persons or objects. That made sense, since people can lip-read and this whole thing was being filmed. Tact wasn't normally something you were great at, but you were willing to try. "Or anyone else who wanted to crush it. You guys have been through enough."

Sans went awfully quiet. "your LV is pretty high, but your EXP is zero."

"Huh?"

"you're able and willing to do a lot of damage, but you've never actually killed anyone," he clarified. His gaze lingered on Kindness for some reason. You didn't know how much those two interacted, but you found yourself smirking as you saw his posture become a lot less tense. Interesting, very interesting. "none of you have-" He saw your expression. "what?"

Your grin grew. So, you had the hots for the fire guy, and the skeleton with the power of a nuke may be interested in Kindness. You wondered if it was something reciprocated. You'd have to monitor your friend a little more closely to find out. You only continued talking as everyone finally started to wander off the stage, glad for the experience to be done and over with. Still, you wouldn't doubt it if the cameras caught you casually talking with one of the most mysterious generals of the monster faction. Knowing the press, they'd probably make a huge deal of it if they decided to make it a talking point. Hopefully that wouldn't lead to misunderstandings.

It's kind of cute when monsters are flustered."

Sans narrowed his eye sockets. "what?"

Now that there were no cameras around, you could freely say names.

"I mean, Undyne gets all blushy around that one scientist of yours, and I'm pretty sure the scientist feels the same," you said. "Grillby turns into all kinds of colors. And then you..."

You tilted your head in Kindness' direction, who seemed a bit oblivious. They had the most nervous of the mages there, having cybernetic enhancements and all, so their appearance didn't fit the norm. Still, sometimes you thought they were braver, or at least more determined than you were. It was one thing not to be bothered by something, it was something else to dislike something and do something about it. You waggled your eyebrows, and you almost snickered in utter glee at the blue flush across the skeleton's cheeks. Aw, that really was cute. "if you say anything-"

"Meh, it's not my place," you said, stretching casually and growing disgruntled when more photos were taken. "Besides, you never know what might happen." You glanced over at Grillby, your smile softening. "Look, if you're genuinely interested in Kindness, you gotta know three things. One, they adore puns and knock knock jokes."

For some reason, that caused Sans to brighten instantly.

"Two, they're the kind of person who will eat or do something they don't like just so they don't hurt your feelings, so make sure you check with them to see if they're uncomfortable," you continued.

"and third?" Sans reluctantly asked.

"You need to be direct with them," you stated. "No hinting, metaphors, or vague flirting. Be open, honest, and blunt as hell. They have a hard time understanding when someone cares for them, or even accepting their own feelings because they don't want to bother someone else. So, make sure you know what you're getting into."

As much as you thought Sans' attraction to Kindness was kind of cute, you also didn't want your friend's feelings to get hurt. Best thing to do would be to tell the skeleton what to do in order to avoid miscommunication or draw anything out. Sans slowly nodded, observing you a moment longer. You were about to return to the humans, giving Sans a playful salute and wink, wishing him luck when he spoke.

"Grillby's feelin' a lot of guilt," Sans brought himself to say. You halted in your footsteps. "part of it is yer fault, but he doesn't want to say that. he doesn't know where you stand in all of this."

Ah, you gave Sans advice on a possible relationship, so he was doing the same. That was weirdly benevolent of him.

...Grillby had been avoiding you ever since that "spar". You couldn't blame him. Every time you flirted with him, you meant it. But how was he to know that when you obviously tricked him and others into saying the truth? And right after lying to him and saying he didn't need to say anything. Sure, the war may be over, but you'd lost a significant amount of trust with Grillby, if not all monsters. You winced, hoping there was a way he'd be able to forgive you.

"So, should I give him space for now, or confront him head on?" you asked. "Normally I'd do the latter, but I don't want to hurt him, and I don't know which one would do more damage."

Sans considered your words for a moment. "give him some space for now. a couple o' days. if he avoids you after that, go after 'im."

You tilted your head. "Thanks, General Sans. And, if you need more advice when it comes to Kindness, you know how to reach me?"

He narrowed his eye sockets once more, but the flush across his cheeks was adorable. "get outta here. and don't call me general."

Another mock salute, and you walked off to join the other mages.

"So, where's our next publicity shot?" you deadpanned, not thrilled by the idea.

Perseverance checked the disturbingly long list. "With a monster named 'Mettaton'?"

Oh no, why was Sans guffawing behind you? You could hear him practically cackling. Ignoring him, you kept your focus on the paperwork. Checking the profile, you arched a brow, "That robot guy who hangs around the royal scientist? He's uh, certainly colorful?"

"That's a lot of pink," Kindness remarked, sounding a bit excited to meet a new face. "I hope he's friendly."

---

Glitter. There was an insane amount of glitter.

Mettaton was rather uh, flamboyant, and the mages invited to the show notably weren't. You'd all come dressed in your best, you preferring a suit for mobility purposes. You absolutely refused to wear a tie though, seeing it as a possible choking hazard. If you were going to die, you were doing it on your own terms. You did accept wearing an orange flower though, the mages all dressed with some kind of color that matched their souls. Kindness was sad that they couldn't just wear pajamas or something more comfortable. Perseverance disliked fancy clothes, but was willing to do it to attain their goals. And you? Like you told Sans earlier, you weren't fond of attention, but you would put on an act when needed.

You flinched a little when a member of the audience shrieked, "WE LOVE YOU METTATON!"

Whelp, apparently this guy was extremely popular. That meant he'd either tear you down or make you more favorable. All three mages nearly jumped when they heard the metallic clanking of heels entering the backstage area.

"Good evening, my dear mages! How are we feeling tonight?!"

You found yourself smiling. Those were some long legs. "Well, Perseverance is worried about how monsters view us. Kindness has always had some stage fright. And I'm curious to see what you've got in store for us."

Mettaton clasped their hands together. "Of course, the mage of Bravery is undeterred. And Perseverance, no need to be concerned. We're just going to just going to have some conversations-" That only made the mage visibly tense. "And have some activities, like baking and dancing."

"D-Dancing?" Kindness stuttered, their eyes drifting downwards, namely at their robotic foot. They still hadn't gotten the hang of being very coordinated with their limbs. "I, I-I don't think I can-"

Mettaton's expression shifted suddenly, and they wore a warm smile. Not the kind that you were used to wearing. They approached Kindness, "Darling, what's on your mind?"*

Kindness hesitated. "...I can't dance. I used to be able to, but now I..." They gestured to their metallic leg, and then held their metallic hand in their fleshy one. "I'm better than I was before, but I KNOW that I'll mess up and be made fun of and just disappoint all around. And, I'm tired of failing people."

You and Perseverance both stood up, worried about Kindness. But, Mettaton shook his head, sticking out one of his own legs. "Tell you what darling, you can dance as much or as little as you'd like. But you need to know that you and I are absolutely gorgeous. I'll even show you a few poses if you're interested."

You beamed happily as Mettaton began to show Kindness some poses, a few more awkward or difficult than others, but Mettaton adapted, showing Kindness alternate ones. You thought back to earlier, reminding yourself that sometimes showing vulnerability can get you places. Kindness just wasn't the manipulative type though. They did it naturally. Definitely made sense that they were a mage of Kindness in retrospect.

"I know it can be hard adjusting to a new body," Mettaton said, taking out a phone and showed Kindness a box on wheels? With dials? "That's my previous form before I upgraded. I loved it, but I love my current form more. They're both beautiful, and a part of me. And these are these parts of you."

Heck with it, if Mettaton was going to be this good of a sport about the situation, then you were going to put on the best show you could for the former denizens of the Underground.

---

All of the monster generals watched the screen, even Sans and Undyne who weren't fans of Mettaton's show.

The competition featuring the mages competing against each other cooking-wise without recipes had been entertaining. Perseverance clearly had experience whipping up dishes on the fly. Kindness liked simple, heartwarming dishes. And then there was you, who liked testing the limits of spices and herbs. Grillby groaned as he watched you act like your chaotic self, not thrilled with how you and Undyne had similar cooking methods. You clearly lost the competition. Kindness a close second to Perseverance's parental cooking.

Then there was a dancing competition, where Kindness had been more than a little awkward, but Mettaton joined them, and encouraged the audience to give the mage some positive support. Grillby hadn't expected that at all, but Kindness did seem significantly more comfortable as they tried to keep up with the star of the Underground. Perseverance politely declined, but ended up playing the piano with other musicians. He didn't know they could play music. In retrospect, he didn't know much about this generation of mages in general.

And then there was you. Originally, you danced with Mettaton and Kindness, but surrendered to Kindness's and Mettaton's combined prowess happily. You glanced at Kindness briefly, then suggested to Mettaton that other monsters join people on stage. And when they did, some more nervous than others, you walked over to the microphone, and sang. And you sang badly, on purpose, but no one seemed to care. 

The reason Grillby knew you were singing badly on purpose, was because you had technically sung to him before. 

Grillby was supposed to observe the human camp as much as possible. As the most humanoid- looking monster besides the skeleton brothers from a distance, Grillby was cautious to lower the intensity of his flames.

His insides almost froze as he recognized you humming and singing along, seemingly oblivious to his presence at first.

“Forever is a long time , but I wouldn't mind spending it by your side.”

He wouldn’t say you were a professional-grade singer, but your voice was rather pleasant to listen to. You were a little flat, but not too out of tune. He couldn’t hear the song you could, but it sounded nice enough. For some reason, it was a bit hypnotic.

“Carefully we'll place our destiny. You came and you took this heart and set it free. Every word you write and sing is so warm to me. So warm to me I'm torn, I'm torn to be-”

 That’s when you leaned over the hillside, your face so close to his that he could feel the coolness of your skin. He went still as you beamed at him, your weight on your elbows while he started to fall backwards in shock.

“- Right where you are.”

Grillby couldn’t help but stare, mostly wondering how long you knew he was there, and what you were planning to do about him. And…Had you meant for him to hear you?

His brows drew together in thought.

How much of your behaviors towards him been an act? How much were you hiding? Had it all been a lie?

Thinking back to your face when you placed your soul in his hands, he had known that moment was sincere. The Justice aspect had been far more prominent than your Determination. To you, offering your life was a way to make amends, to offer him something tangible to make things right. And that's something that hurt. You genuinely believed your life was worth sacrificing for some concept of the 'greater good'. 

You had let him hurt you. You let him use you as a punching bag in his moment of weakness. You used him, taking advantage of the moment to learn a portion of the truth. Or, rather, you'd done it for a better future, one where humans and monsters could exist in harmony.

He wasn't a complete fool. Grillby always been testing limits, vying to get information out of you to figure out possible weaknesses of the mages. And he had known he wasn't the only one. It was all too easy to talk with you, despite how insane you seemed at time. You carried a certain charm with your blatant nature. Ironically, it made you the perfect spy. No one would expect someone like you to be able to conceal so much. Or maybe, they were looking in all of the wrong ways?

Grillby didn’t think he’d ever seen you sad before. You were always smiling and teasing, cracking jokes or being playful. This time, your smile was broken, downtrodden as you peered up at him. You chuckled softly under your breath, turning away from him. Actually, you were looking at his hands holding yours.

The orange shade faded from your eyes, leaving a much flatter color behind. “Huh, I’m either unconscious or dead because there is no way you’d ever willingly touch me.” What? What were you talking about? And why did what you say bother him so much? He opened his mouth to say something, he wasn’t sure what, but you pulled away. “Anyways, I’m sure the real you wouldn’t like me even imagining being close, so I’ll have to stop this little fantasy before it goes too far.”

He and Undyne watched you as you pressed the heel of your hand to your forehead.

“Okay, I can figure this out. I just need to verbalize it. That helps.” You inhaled and exhaled slowly, shutting your eyes and facing upwards. Opening your eyes again, you looked at the orange heart in front of you, and glared at it. “Souls aren’t real. And if they were, I sure as hell wouldn’t have one. People like me don’t get to have something like that.” 

Your soul was always hurt or damaged whenever he saw it, constantly trying to heal but struggling. 

Seeing you up on that stage, he realized it was getting easier to tell when you were smiling honestly, and when you were putting on a show for others. Strangely, that fake smile you wore was one he rarely ever saw.

"they're worried about you," Sans said. Grillby looked over at Sans, who the former hadn't anticipated would be watching the screen in the slightest. "i told them to give you a couple of days, that you needed space."

Ah. That might explain a thing or two. With your personality, Grillby had thought you might pester him endlessly, possibly attempting to assuage him with all sorts of apologies. Patience wasn't exactly a strong trait of yours after all. Bravery certainly was. If he had to pick another trait, it would be hard to pick between Justice, Kindness and Integrity. Yet, there were reasons why you weren't those things. You preferred truth and fairness, but would do what it took to achieve your goals to a point. Yes, you deceived him, but you had reasons. You were always gentle towards those in need, but unrelenting to your enemies. 

It wasn't as if Grillby didn't understand your perspective. In both wars between humans and monsters, he had to do very similar things. What you did shouldn't bother him as much as it did, and he couldn't figure out why it did. Doubts plagued him, as childish as they may seem. "Thank you, Sans. I think I needed that."

He needed some time to sort out his thoughts, find out why he felt the way he did. He watched the screen again, seeing your genuine smile as you cheered on monsters and humans alike. But, your smile faltered when Mettaton complimented you and your abilities.

Then, came for the actual talking portion of the show, and all mages looked a bit uncomfortable. Seeing the other mages, you inhaled deeply and opted to answer the first round of questions.

"I'm from a family of doctors and lawyers and general professions that many people put more value on than my chosen occupation," you said, your voice oddly calm. "Instead of any of those jobs, I chose to be a firefighter. There was a shortage of them in the Mount Ebott area, and someone had to do something. I figured why not me? My family wasn't fond of the idea, saying I was wasting my potential, but I don't regret the decision. I haven't been able to save everyone that needed help, but as long as I've changed even a single life for the better, I'll take on the challenge."

Kindness leaned forward, "I was a photographer, and actually all met each other through Bravery. They saved us and a lot of other people back in the beginning of the war, back when we didn't understand what was going on. I met them before either of our powers awakened. I was in a burning building, and the building was crumbling around us. Bravery charged inside, and got hurt. I probably looked more like a corpse than a human, half of my body burned and parts missing. They pulled me out, and visited me every chance they got."

Grillby watched as guilt had initially crossed your expression, only for your cheeks to darken and you pointedly looked away. Mettaton clapped his hands. "And what about how Perseverance met you two?"

That was when all three flinched.

"That was when all of our magical abilities awoke for the first time," Perseverance said slowly, their voice disturbingly calm. "My spouse and I owned a small business when the town was invaded by the monster army. Kindness was in a hospital nearby, still learning how to use their prosthetics. A blast of magic hit the building my spouse and our two children were in. There was an explosion, and fire. I remember being trapped, trying to carry my remaining child out but we were on the second floor, and it had partially collapsed under us. That's when Bravery came running in, somehow extinguishing some of the flames as they went. I remember them looking so surprised and confused that they could do it at all. But then they were determined to reach anyone they could save. I tossed my child to them, and after my baby was safe and outside, Bravery came back in and caught me as well. We were both outside, Bravery about to run in to save my spouse and other child when the building collapsed."

The guilt in your expression grew stronger. Did you feel guilt because you couldn't do more at that time? That you couldn't save everyone?

"Worse yet, my child stopped breathing. Kindness hobbled over, still not used to their prosthetics, and began to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They took turns with Bravery to bring my baby back to life. That's when Kindness' powers activated, and I saw my little one take a breath. Something shifted in me then. One moment I'd lost everything. Then, I had something to fight for, to guide me, and I knew I wasn't alone. I knew that no matter what came my way, no matter whatever was needed to endure, I would keep my child safe, and find a way to end this war. Kindness was the one who spoke up out of emotion, I used logic, and Bravery vocalized criticism of others we could not, not caring how the rest of the world viewed them in the slightest."

You looked at the other mages with bittersweet expressions. Kindness took both of the other mages' hands. "And now, we've got a chance of that dream coming true. There's a future humans and monsters can look forward to."

Mettaton frowned, "None of you thought to seek vengeance or retaliate against us?"

"I did," Perseverance admitted. Asgore made a pained sound, his eyes watering as Perseverance continued to speak. "I lost most of my family. I was angry. In the beginning, it was hard as the war continued. Kindness was the one who grounded me, and Bravery...Bravery was the mentally questionable one who knew I was angry and hurt and practically ordered me to fight them."

"...You needed to let it out," you uttered. "Before it consumed you. Either that was through talking, or kicking my butt. Kindness did their best with the former, and I knew I was decent at the latter."

Asgore left the room, his fists clenched. Grillby wondered if things would've been different if someone faced Asgore in his grief so long ago, stood up to him when he swore to enact war upon the Surface. Toriel may have (the details weren't clear to the public), but perhaps in her own grief and anger, she sought isolation from the people who she felt she couldn't trust. No one had seen her since before monsters invaded the Surface. Grillby wondered if she was even still alive.

Perseverance narrowed their eyes at you. They tapped their fingers along their arms. "And you always know how to push people's buttons, just enough to drive them insane."

"What? It's kind of hard not to push red, glowing buttons that say 'Do not push'," you guffawed. "Unlike you guys, I don't have that little voice in my head that says 'don't do it'. Sometimes, I feel like a cat when I see a glass of water on the counter. I just, I need to push it-"

You yelped and flailed as Perseverance gave you a good, healthy noogie on the head, causing Kindness and the audience to laugh. Mettaton grinned at the affectionate sight. Your hair was a mess when you were able to pull back, and you blew a stray lock of hair out of your face. You tried to look annoyed, but ultimately rolled your eyes and kept smiling. 

"And you two?"

Kindness shook their head. "No one hurts someone else without reason. It may not always be a reason we can fully understand or feel comfortable with, but there are reasons. And, I wanted to know what that reason was the war, and try to find a way to make things work."

Grillby caught Sans' bitter smile, but didn't comment. It made sense for the element of Kindness to be the least vengeful of the mages.

You inclined your head, "I had mixed feelings. I've seen how the war effects people firsthand. I've held people's hands in their final moments. I've helped Kindness patch up wounds best I can, or try to make people more comfortable when I can't. I've given loved ones and families and friends so many final messages, last wishes, and more." After a short pause, you clarified, "I'm still angry, and confused, but mostly I'm tired. I'm tired of people getting hurt. So, I'm willing to step forward and try to make things better, no matter what others may say."

Grillby thought to what Perseverance said. You had purposefully pushed him, not just to get information, but possibly to aid him. You didn't know what was going on, but you knew the monsters were hurting and had their own reasons for attacking the way they did. Yes, you had a duty to end the war, but you cared about all people. You constantly put yourself in danger no matter who was involved, and that was part of your nature. You did it, because you saw it as a necessity. You took on the dangerous things, so no one else had to. You were willing to brave the unknown, and to take chances on others when most might have given up.

His heart warmed as he watched the rest of the interview, monsters slowly starting to appreciate the mages' honesty and openness. Finally, Mettaton asked the mages if they could describe their personalities in any kind of movie or television scene.

You didn't hesitate, "'Cinderella III: A Twist in Time', where Prince Charming jumps out a window." What? "That, or Lilo and Stitch where the alien crash lands on Earth."

Both of the other human mages facepalmed, hard enough to be audible. Perseverance let out a low groan, and Kindness' shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. It took a while for the other mages to offer up a movie or television scene. As for Grillby, he had two immediate goals in mind.

One, he needed to talk to you about what happened.

Two, he had some movies to watch.

Notes:

*This version of Kindness reminds Mettaton of Alphys in some ways, hence why he's far nicer to Kindness than the other mages. That, and he has shared experiences with this version of Kindness in having insecurities about their bodies. Mettaton cut a few segments from the initial plan of how to interview the mages once he met Kindness, and decided to go a little easier on them.

And here's a fun little bonus.

When it comes to the mages, what would each one of them do when it comes to being offered to try Papyrus' spaghetti? Simple, all three of the ones we know would eat the pasta, but for very different reasons.

Kindness would be afraid to hurt Papyrus' feelings, and would offer some constructive criticism before hiding in the bathroom trying not to get sick and failing miserably (see Leap of Faith).

Perseverance would view the situation diplomatically and as a parent. As will be shown later, they kind of view Papyrus as a kid due to his more naive way of looking at the world, even if this is flawed thinking because Papryus isn't as naive as some people think. They would endure eating the pasta, and would persevere through the various flavors and textures.

Bravery is the kind of person who's willing to try anything at least once just for the experience. That, and they may see the pasta as a challenge and face it head on. They will instantly regret it, only to take up the challenge to finish their plate in a fit of Determination. Afterwards, they would go into a near comatose state while lying their butt off and giving Papyrus a thumbs up.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS:

Whether or not Frisk eats the pasta is completely up to whoever is controlling them/ acting as the Player.

Justice is neutral on most things, including monsters' existence, but critical in their judgement of people's actions and behaviors. They'd be the most blunt on Papyrus' cooking, and get him lessons. They find him endearing, and may come off as a but harsh or cold in the beginning, but they do care. It's just that they're not willing to chance food poisoning.

Integrity is not a liar. They are the most honest of the mages, even more so than Kindness, and will explain to Papryus gently as to why his pasta is not fit for human consumption. It might hurt his feelings at first (and almost Integrity gets hunted by Undyne/terrified by Sans), but they really do have the best intentions. They just don't have good social skills.

Patience would take the time to practice cooking with him AND Undyne, and whoever else wants to learn, not even daring to try the dish. They will take the time and effort to make sure no one else gets sick, and they want Papyrus to become more confident in his abilities.

Notes:

In each of the stories of this series, the Reader is a human mage with a different core trait in their soul. In the first installment, the Reader was Kindness. In second and current one, it's the element of Bravery. In the third and possibly last, it's Perseverance.

Why those souls? Read to find out.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of Timelines and Mages