Chapter 1: Prologue: The Abomination
Chapter Text
Aelric grunted in pain as the weight of the demon slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Its claws slashed against his brigandine, and he had to bite back a scream as it pierced the seams and tore into his flesh. His left leg was bent unnaturally, crushed under the weight of the bear-like creature. Mercifully his sword arm had not been pinned, and with all the force he could muster he plunged his weapon into the side of the monstrosity.
The blade snapped, but not before it penetrated the creature’s hide. The agonized roar of the beast died almost as soon as it began. The blade fell free from the disintegrating demon, and Aelric gagged as the vile powdery remains of the brute smothered him for a moment. Kicking free from the remains, he rolled to his side and got to his knees, retching.
He stumbled to his feet, and almost collapsed again as his left leg screamed in protest. He dropped his ruined weapon and cautiously raised himself up again, more slowly this time. Several men lay dead around him. The land all around was coated with the acrid, dull gray powder of slain demons. As he picked up a halberd from the ground next to a fallen soldier, using it to support his weight, his eyes scanned the battlefield.
There were a handful of soldiers near him, fighting off the hordes of beasts rushing at them from all sides. Aelric estimated there were at least thirty of the fiends. Only a few hours ago he would have considered that insurmountable odds for such a small group of men. When the battle had commenced and the longbowmen had launched a volley of arrows towards the rushing, shrieking mass of demons, it had had almost no effect. The arrows had buried themselves in their enemies, but most of the monsters shrugged them off, tearing them out or snapping off the shafts and surging forward as if they hadn’t felt them at all. More than one soldier near him had cried out in terror as the enemy swept towards them. Aelric had wondered if the battle was about to turn into a slaughter.
And it had… but not in the way he had thought. As the armies crashed into each other, It quickly became apparent that in melee combat the beasts were incredibly fragile. If you could stay on your feet and not get overwhelmed, one or two strikes would bring down just about any of them, even if it was just a glancing blow on one of their appendages. More than once Aelric had been astonished when the flailing, clumsy strokes of an untrained swordsman had cut down creatures twice the size of a man. A strong swing of a polearm could take down three or four of the smaller ones with one swipe.
The battle had not been entirely one-sided; there was still the matter of the sorceries their enemies could produce. Every one of them appeared to have the ability to create spectral energy with which to attack. But even those infernal powers had been blunted by the human army. True, the weapons that the demons could conjure in their hands were fearsome, and some of the beasts could even rapidly alter the shape of their weapon in mid-skirmish. But the distance over which they could create projectile weapons of ice, fire, and shimmering blades was very short, and appeared to quickly exhaust the beast whenever it cast such a spell. As if that wasn’t bad enough for them, most of the creatures appeared to need a moment of concentration before they could conjure a spell. The bowmen effectively broke that focus by raining arrows on the creatures from a distance. And in close-quarter combat, if you could absorb the pain of a magical attack (which wounded but usually didn’t kill), you could easily finish off the spellcaster before he could recover from his efforts.
Aelric turned and looked along the length of Abbotvale. Only a few hours earlier, the valley had been swarming with innumerable masses of snarling and bellowing demons of all shapes and sizes. The standards of purple and white marking the lines of their enemies had stretched out almost as far as he could see. Now, almost all of those standards had been trampled into the mud, and the few remaining contingents of beasts were fighting with the desperation of those who knew they were doomed. Even as he surveyed the scene, a trumpet sounded over the valley. The leader of the beasts was sounding the retreat, calling the demons back to him.
“Sir Aelric!”
There was panic in the voice of the soldier in front of him. “Soldier” was hardly the right word. The man (Segarus, he remembered) was little more than a youth, entirely untrained in any form of combat. As the prospect of war had become inevitable, able-bodied men had been conscripted from anywhere they could be found, and there had been precious little time to train them before the demon army had launched its heaviest, most desperate assault, which now appeared to be its final one. Segarus was an acolyte, a scholar in the nearby monastery, who looked as though he had never held a sword before and risked cutting his own leg off with every wild swing. Like the rest of the ragged group of farmers, merchants and tradesmen who had been assigned to his contingent, Aelric expected very little out him. Unexpectedly Segarus had fought with spirit and bravery despite his lack of skill with the blade. He was standing there now, white-faced, pointing at something behind Aelric.
Aelric swung back around. And his blood ran cold.
Quinn, a veteran soldier, had been struck down only moments earlier. Aelric had seen a large, winged reptilian demon diving down onto the man and had rushed to his aid, but a group of darting spine-covered creatures had prevented him from getting there in time. By the time Aelric had slashed the beasts to powder, Quinn was lying face down in the dirt. The last thing Aelric had seen before the ursine monstrosity had leapt on him was the reptilian creature bending over Quinn’s dead body and an eerie, pulsing red object rising out of the chest of the corpse.
The beast that now faced Aelric still resembled that reptile, but it had changed into a grotesque, horribly mutated abomination. It had been large before, but now it was massive, standing well over twelve feet. It let out a deafening shriek and leapt into the air. But something was wrong with its wings. It struggled for a moment before falling back on the ground. Where the wings had been leathery and taut earlier, they now were covered in raw patches of what looked like human skin. Bizarre limbs and appendages appeared out of its side, resembling human hands and feet. The scales on its reptilian head had fallen away, exposing patches of flesh and even hair.
As Aelric stared, frozen, it let out a deafening, blood-curdling shriek. Two of the appendages reached down to grab a sword and an axe. The closest solider, a raw recruit pressed into service just days earlier, stumbled backwards as the reptile lurched towards him, unsteadily at first but with rapid acclimation to its new size and body. The white-faced soldier took one last look at the abomination coming towards him before turning to flee. Before he had taken three steps, the reptile shrieked again. A dull red light pulsed in its chest, and it flung out yet a third appendage at him, a scale-covered arm ending in a human hand.
Aelric could hardly fathom what happened next. An explosion ripped out of the demon’s deformed hand like a blaze of lightning from the sky. The soldier’s screams lasted only for a second before the entire area – the solider, the ground, the very air around him – burst into an inferno. Aelric gasped and pulled back from the unbearable heat. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the blaze disappeared, leaving only a blackened, smoking patch on the ground.
Aelric had seen demons working their power before, but never so devastatingly. Even among the largest of the beasts fighting them – even from their leader, the most powerful demon Aelric had seen – there had never been anything like this. Cries of alarm rang out from all around. Many of the conscripts turned to flee.
With a grunt of pain, Aelric launched himself towards the beast. Fortune was with him – the creature had turned to shriek at the group of men behind it, leaving it exposed to his attack. Aelric wished he still had his sword; his skill lay in swordfighting, not polearms. But he could hardly miss as he swung the halberd at the lizard, striking it hard in its side.
The blow should have killed it. But to Aelric’s horror, the beast only screamed in rage and whipped around to face him. Pungent white ash poured from its side where the halberd had bitten deeply into it, but the wound did nothing to slow it down.
Aelric leapt back awkwardly as the creature’s newly sprouted arm effortlessly swung an axe at him, as if it weighed no more than a branch. His injured leg buckled under him as he landed, and he went sprawling onto the ground. With another piercing shriek, the reptile pointed its human hand at him. The red throbbing on its chest intensified. Aelric closed his eyes.
The shriek suddenly became a scream of pain. Aelric opened his eyes and struggled back to his feet. Segarus had rushed forward, slashing wildly at the creature that towered over him. Incredibly, his sword had connected with the creature’s legs. The demon shrieked again. Segarus narrowly dodged the axe that swung down on him and slashed at the legs again. With a cry of rage, the lizard toppled and fell to the ground. With every bit of strength he had, Aelric swung the halberd down on its head.
The screams of the demon were cut off almost immediately as it disintegrated into ash. Its chest was the last to dissolve, throbbing red. Suddenly, a burst of brilliant red and white light launched itself from the powdery remains and rocketed back over to the dead body of Quinn as if pulled by a lodestone. Aelric snapped his head around just in time to see the blazing object sink into the dead soldier’s chest. For a moment, the man's corpse pulsed with an unearthly glow. Then the light faded away.
The exhaustion of the battle finally caught up with Aelric, and he felt himself tottering. A pair of hands reached out to steady him.
“Segarus,” he breathed heavily. Even as he spoke, his leg gave way. With a grunt the acolyte half-lowed, half-dropped Aelric onto the ground. For several minutes, the two exhausted men sat in silence. The knight scanned the battlefield with weary eyes. The losses on their side had been heavy in the nearby area, but the battle was nearly over. Only a few skirmishes were still ongoing nearby.
“I thank you, Segarus” Aelric said with effort. “I owe you my life.”
“It was my honor, sir. But… sir… what was that thing? I have never seen any creature like it.”
“Nor have I. There is something diabolical here that I do not understand. I would swear that I saw it kill Quinn not ten minutes ago, but something infernal happened to it afterwards. I have never seen such sorcery as it possessed. And there was some fiery red essence that the demon seemed to pull out of Quinn's body. I like it not. We must report-“
“Look out!”
The cry came from behind them. The men turned and immediately scrambled to their feet as a fresh wave of spine-covered monsters surged towards them. At the forefront was another large reptile, this one wingless, brandishing a huge weapon. Curiously, although it swung its weapon at any soldier who came too close, it didn’t appear to be engaging in the fight himself. Clearly, the spiney demons were under its control, or command at least.
In the commotion, Aelric caught a glimpse of the beast striding towards the body of Quinn before his own attention was diverted by a snarling monster leaping towards him. When Aelric was able to look again, his face went rapidly through confusion, then incredulity, and then horror.
The reptilian demon was bending over Quinn, with its claws resting on the dead man’s chest. The same throbbing object that had risen out of the body earlier now was now vibrating in the claws of the reptile, although it now glowed red and white. The monster pulled the object towards its chest.
“Segarus!” Aelric screamed out, kicking away a demon that snapped at him. “Segarus, stop him!”
Segarus turned to look where Aelric pointed, then with a yell and a last swipe at the demon harassing him, turned to rush towards the reptile. Aelric’s leg again screamed in protest, but he stumbled after him.
The beast did not immediately notice Segarus running towards it. Whatever was preoccupying its attention caused it to roar in anger. Then it spotted the man lunging forwards, and with one claw smoothly scooped up its weapon and effortlessly parried the acolyte’s sword swinging down. The force of the deflection sent Segarus sprawling into the mud, and Aelric’s heart sank. But the demon did not press its advantage. Its other claw still held the object that pulsed with an unnatural white and red glow. Once again it pressed the object to its chest. It held it there for a moment and again roared in apparent vexation. As Segarus struggled to get his feet, the creature turned to him and raised its massive weapon. But even as the bludgeon began to arc towards the defenseless acolyte, Aelric stumbled forward and swung his halberd with all his might at the infernal red and white object pulsing in the monster’s claw.
A deafening explosion blew Aelric backwards. His head struck a rock, and everything became unfocused and blurry. The sounds around him grew indistinct, but for a moment he thought he could hear the shouts of running men and the desperate sound of a trumpet far off. As everything faded into blackness, an unexpected feeling of peace filled his heart. He felt the darkness embracing him, soft and welcoming. Then he knew no more.
Chapter 2: (PART ONE) The Momentous Day
Chapter Text
The bedroom on the second floor might have been more inviting if its occupant had bothered cleaning up after himself. Bright mid-morning sun lit up the light blue walls, filling the room with cheerful warmth. The stuffed animals on the bed practically begged to be held and squished. The toys on the shelves, not often used and perhaps more a sign of a mother’s lavish love for her child than the child’s actual interests, nevertheless added a sense of cheerfulness to the room. It would have felt quite welcoming, in fact, If the floor hadn’t been covered with dirty clothes that hadn’t quite made it to the laundry basket, or stacks of clean clothes that hadn’t been put away, or books scattered around haphazardly,
It wasn’t that the boy sitting at the desk was particularly slovenly. His natural untidiness was usually countered by his desire to make his adopted mother happy, and her simple pleasure at seeing his room neat was often enough to motivate him to keep it that way. From the stack of surprisingly dense books sitting on his desk, however, it was clear that cleaning up was the farthest thing from his mind. The look of concentration on his face as he flipped through the pages and occasionally jotted down notes in a notebook, exemplified one of his best and worst traits – single-minded determination that tuned everything else out.
“Hey, Frisk, how do I look?”
The boy looked up from his work at the girl twirling in the hallway. She was wearing a princess-style emerald gown, with a wide border of embroidered golden trim at the hem which nearly touched the floor. A large golden bow was attached to the waist on the back. Her long auburn hair was arranged in a complicated-looking braid.
“Boy, you look fancy-schmancy.”
She glared at him as she came into the room. “’Elegant’ is the word you’re looking for, Frisk. And yes, it is fancy. This is the dress Toriel made for me whenever we had to do something formal as a family, as best I can remember it.” She plucked at the gold lace around her waist.
“Glad I wasn’t there,” Frisk retorted. “I hate having to get dressed up.”
“Obviously,” the girl said with a critical look at his clothes. “Speaking of which, shouldn’t you be getting ready? Surely, you’re not going in that, are you?”
Frisk looked down at his comfortable purple sweater and sighed. “No, Mom says I have to put on my nice clothes. I even have to wear a coat and a tie. Ugh.”
“Which one are you going to wear? You have no sense of taste or style whatsoever, so maybe I should pick one out.” The girl moved towards the closet door.
“Chara, I don’t need any help!”
“Of course you do.” she said with another twirl. “Don’t you want to look as fancy as me for the big day?”
“Nobody’s going to even notice you, sis. Or me either, for that matter. Once I go in and sit down, nobody’s going to care.”
“First of all,” said the girl, frowning, “I’m not your sister. And you should be doing this for them, even if you don’t like it.”
“I am doing it for them!” Frisk retorted, before adding with a sigh “And besides, Mom says I have to. And also, you and I have the same mom, so that makes you my-”
“Frisk, we are not doing this again,” interrupted Chara with a scowl. “You know why it doesn’t work that way.”
Frisk opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of a gentle voice calling his name from down the hallway caused him to quickly snap it shut. A moment later, Toriel stood in the doorway. She didn’t step into the room, possibly because the voluminous, tiered, gold-trimmed purple and white gown she was wearing made it tricky to fit through the door. She was in the process of adjusting a golden circlet that fit just below her horns.
She started to speak but stopped with a frown as she glanced around at the untidy mess everywhere. Frisk shrank in his chair and made a mental note to clean up as soon as they all got back home. Toriel’s eyes came back to him.
“Dear one, we will need to leave soon. Have you got the clothes I picked out for you?”
“Yeah, they’re in here.” Frisk hopped down from the chair and opened his closet. “But I’m going to need help tying my tie.”
“Well, please get changed, and then I will help you with that. But do hurry, dear – we must leave in the next twenty minutes if we are to get to church in time!”
“OK, I will.”
Toriel smiled and left, closing the door behind her. Chara glanced at the clothes Frisk began to pull out of the closet.
“That’s not the tie I would have picked out. But I guess it works OK with that shirt and coat.”
“It’s a tie; who cares what it looks like? Now will you please go away so I can change?”
“Fine, whatever. I’m going to go on ahead to the church. I’ll see you there,” Chara said as she started to leave. “And don’t forget to comb your hair. It looks like a bird made a nest up there.”
With a smug toss of her head, Chara turned and floated through the bedroom wall.
“Girls are dumb,” grumbled Frisk as he dug through the closet to find his dress shoes.
The church’s parking lot was almost full by the time Toriel and Frisk arrived. They found a spot near the fellowship hall and hurried in through the side entrance. There was a fair number of monsters, along with several humans, bustling around in the kitchen and the church gymnasium which was filled with a few dozen round tables. A pair of lizard monsters came running up.
“Hey, Mike,” Frisk called to the lead monster.
“Yo, Frisk!” MK said enthusiastically. “I was starting to think you weren’t going to make it! Are you ready? And are you still going to be sitting with us? Oh… hi, Miss Toriel,” he added belatedly.
“Hello, your majesty!” said Missy, bobbing her head at the smiling goat monster before turning to Frisk. “Are you super nervous? I would hate to have to walk in and know that everyone was staring at me!”
“Nah, I don’t think they’re going to be paying much attention to me – they’ll all gonna be watching Mom. And yeah, save me a seat. You guys are going to be on the front row, right?”
“Pardon me, children,” said a lady walking up. “Toriel, Frisk, we’re ready for you now.”
“I’ll see you guys soon!” said Frisk, waving to the lizard monsters before running to catch up with his mother.
He was wrong about escaping notice. The minute the large sanctuary doors opened and the music rose to a crescendo, everyone stood and turned to face him. Frisk’s throat tightened up. Everyone was smiling at him and his mother, who held his hand as they walked down the aisle together, but he felt himself starting to sweat. He decided to just face forward so he wouldn’t catch the eyes of any of the guests. Why couldn’t they walk any faster? He fought the urge to tug on his collar to get more air and just concentrated on squeezing his mother’s hand and not fainting.
He relaxed a bit as they neared their destination. The kind faces of the two men standing at the front of the sanctuary calmed him down a bit. Pastor Edwards on the left, dressed in a dark suit. And on the right, towering above the minister, dressed in light colored robes with a deep purple cape, and beaming from ear to ear, was the monster that Frisk called “Dad”.
Nobody had been quite sure what to call the ceremony. It wasn’t exactly a wedding, since Toriel and Asgore had never officially ended their marriage in all their years of separation. But something precious had been clearly broken, and neither boss monster felt that they could simply pretend that nothing had changed. Even during the months when their relationship had grown warm again, Asgore had been particularly insistent that he did not feel right coming to live in Toriel’s house until there had been some ceremony that reunited them. The name had stuck, and the arrangements had been made. The plans for the “Dreemurr Reuniting Ceremony” had started out as a small gathering of the family’s closest friends, but the guest list had steadily grown as more and more people found out about it until finally, once Alphys had breathlessly posted the news on UnderNet accompanied with a dozen kissing and heart emojis, the ceremony was moved to the church and opened to as many of the monster and human friends of the Dreemurrs as possible.
At the moment, Asgore’s starry eyes were riveted on Toriel, but Pastor Edwards caught Frisk’s glance and gave him a subtle wink. Frisk tried to wink back, but since it made no discernible change to his eyes, it probably wasn’t noticed.
As they reached the front of the sanctuary, Frisk remembered he was supposed to peel off to the left to sit with Mike and Missy’s family. But before he could let go of Toriel’s hand, she stopped, turned, and knelt down. To Frisk’s hot embarrassment she pulled him into a gentle hug, then stroked him on his head once with a smile, before letting him go. A few soft chuckles and happy cooing rippled through the guests. Frisk could feel his face burning as he walked as quickly as he could to the pew. MK shoved his sister over to make more room for Frisk stand in between them.
“Wow, that was cool!” Missy whispered as everyone sat down and the pastor welcomed them all.
“Is anyone still looking at me?” Frisk whispered back, keeping his eyes on the ground.
“Nope, everyone’s watching the pastor now,” MK told him as he blithely twisted around to look behind him, before his father reached over and forcibly turned him face-forward again.
“Hey, Frisk!” a loud voice suddenly called out. “Nice work on not tripping or anything!”
Frisk closed his eyes and silently groaned. The owner of the voice was unmistakable. And it was coming from somewhere far above him.
“Check me out!” the voice called again. “I’ve got the best seat in the house. The view is great up here.”
Frisk finally opened his eyes. Very slowly, and as casually as he could, he raised his head.
The Ebott Valley Community Church sanctuary was quite large. Although not particularly ornate, it had a ceiling that rose thirty feet to its peak, with arched wooden beams spanning the length of the room. Perched on a beam just above and in front of Frisk, arrayed in her green and gold gown and swinging her legs freely, was Chara. She gave him an impish grin and waved.
“Too bad I can’t have a camera up here – this would be a great place to make a video.”
The pastor continued on with his welcome, blissfully unaware of the ghost chattering above him. Frisk glared daggers at Chara and stabbed his finger downward as subtly as possible. The girl ignored him, and instead jumped into the air to float her way to an adjacent beam.
Even after months of this kind of thing, it still drove Frisk crazy. It was bad enough that he had to be careful not to be seen talking to Chara around the house, lest his mother think he was crazy, but Chara took full advantage of her invisibility to everyone else to torment Frisk, usually trying to make him laugh at awkward times. There had been more than one occasion when he had suddenly snorted and giggled at apparently absolutely nothing, which had produced a few confused stares. Chara always waved off his annoyed lectures when he tried to get her to stop. She may not have been malicious, but the comedic possibilities of embarrassing the one person who could see her were more than she could resist.
At least in church, Chara usually kept quiet during the service. But apparently, she had decided this wasn’t a regular service, so she didn’t have to behave. As the pastor invited the guests to stand and sing, Chara dropped to the ground and made her way to the organ to wildly “help” the organist play. Frisk seethed and tried desperately to think how he could stop her from ruining the day for him.
He needn’t have worried. As the service progressed, Chara began to settle down. Whatever the exact nature of the reuniting ceremony was, the pastor picked the topic of marriage to speak on. Chara darted in and out of the fancy chairs behind the pulpit as he spoke, but soon stopped playing and moved to sit down on the steps of the raised platform, a little below where Asgore and Toriel stood. As the pastor continued to speak about the sacredness of marriage and the bond of committed, selfless love between a husband and wife, she sat there quietly and watched. Frisk stared at her thoughtfully. Something tugged in his heart as the girl looked up at the only parents she had ever known. As Asgore and Toriel smiled at each other and recited vows of commitment, Chara stood up and quietly stepped over to stand next to the King.
The ceremony concluded, and Asgore and Toriel leaned in together for a kiss, followed by a soft nuzzle. As they rested their heads together for a moment, and as the crowd began to applaud, only Frisk could see the longing expression on the face of the ghost girl as she reached out to take hold of her father’s robe. Her phantasmic hand passed through the fabric, but she held her hand there in a fist, as if she had a firm hold on it. But the robe pulled away from her as the King and Queen turned with a smile at their friends and began to walk down the aisle.
As the applause and cheers filled the room, no one saw the golden, fiery starburst that briefly flashed at the front of the sanctuary, except for the boy who stared at the forlorn, yearning eyes of an abandoned girl standing alone and found himself filled with determination.
Chapter 3: A Long Time Gone
Chapter Text
The sleepy town of Ebott Valley, tucked at the foot of a small mountain range, had always been unremarkable. A small assortment of shops, restaurants, churches, recreational facilities, and a few factories served the rural community of roughly 4,000 residents. Tourism brought in a steady stream of visitors and revenue during the spring and fall, filling the hotels with people who wanted to escape the summer heat and experience the natural beauty of the area’s mountains and rivers. It didn’t hurt that the nearby mountain that gave the town its name had a mysterious and foreboding legend attached to it, that those who climbed it never returned. The fact that the legend was entirely fanciful, given that every hiker did, in fact, return, nevertheless added a bit of mystery and allure to the town’s reputation.
Then one day, a young boy who had climbed the mountain days earlier walked back into town. The boy looked entirely ordinary. The white-furred, regal-looking giants who accompanied him looked anything but. And when a procession of several thousand other creatures wound their way down the slopes of the mountain, the entire world exploded.
As he looked at the books scattered on his bedroom floor around him, Frisk thought back over the previous months, how his quiet hometown had been crushed under a sudden tidal wave of reporters, government officials, scientists, academics, historians, and those who just wanted to gawk at the Monsters of Mount Ebott. The town’s public library, along with those of the surrounding colleges and university, had become ground zero for those diving into the new field of monster historical studies. The rare book rooms had to be carefully guarded from overzealous researchers desperate to get their hands on any ancient literature that could possibly shed light on the long-forgotten existence of a monster kingdom, and how they came to be sealed in the mountain.
Frisk’s area of study had a much more immediate goal than simple historical knowledge. If the swarms of people in Ebott Valley had become a suffocating nuisance, it at least had the benefit of bringing to light books that he very much wanted to read. Tucked away in the dusty basements of university libraries, written in long-dead languages, they were inaccessible to him. But translations and research notes were coming out as quickly as the academic world could produce them. All manner of books, codices, scrolls and parchments – anything that could possibly have anything to say about monsters - were being digitized and shared around the globe for research. Frisk’s extraordinary and unique connection to the King and Queen of monsters brought some impressive benefits with it, including free access to just about any books he wanted as quickly as they were translated and published.
Toriel and Asgore were delighted that Frisk had such an apparent interest in monster history and told him as much. Frisk smiled and never corrected them. They weren’t wrong, he decided. It was just that he was looking for a very specific piece of historical knowledge. Something he wasn’t sure existed. Something he desperately hoped he would recognize if he found it.
“I’m coming in,” came the muffled voice of Chara, a few seconds before she floated through the bedroom wall. In her more considerate moments, Chara thoughtfully tried not to give Frisk a heart attack. True, she wasn’t above occasionally whispering “boo!” in his ear after silently floating up behind him. Apparently, it was hysterical to make him yelp and fall out of the chair. But he hated it, and yelled at her, so she usually restrained herself.
“Hey,” said Frisk without looking up from his desk. He was jotting something down in his notebook.
“Asgore’s brought over some boxes. He’s going back to his old place to get more of them. Toriel’s probably going to want you to come down and help move them, maybe help unpack and stuff.”
“Uh-huh. OK.” Frisk glanced at the book next to him and resumed taking notes without looking up.
Chara cleared her throat meaningfully. “So, you may want to move all the printouts in my room since they’re probably going to be storing stuff in there.”
Frisk’s head snapped up. “Oh, right!”
One of the earliest problems Chara had encountered after deciding to stay in Toriel’s house (or haunt it, as Frisk cheerfully put it) was boredom. Her inability to interact with the physical world left her no way to engage in any of her former favorite pastimes, chiefly reading. Frisk felt bad for how bored she must be most of the time, and for a while he had taken it upon himself to have various books, magazines, and printouts of articles from the Internet strewn on the floor of his room, for Chara to read whenever he wasn’t around. The arrangement had created its own problems, however. At one point, Toriel had come to him, holding some of the papers he had left on the floor. She had looked mystified and asked why he had printouts about the Lost Colony, C.S. Lewis, the Flannan Isles Mystery, and various stories about dragons all over the room.
Frisk had stopped leaving reading material on his floor after that. Then, Chara had come up with another idea. There were three unused bookcases in the spare room (which she claimed as her own) next to Frisk’s. If Frisk took the reading material and covered the top of the bookcases with them, they would be out of sight of an inquisitive goat mom on the rare occasion she came into the room. The window on the adjacent wall would provide enough light for a floating ghost to read during the day.
Frisk nodded and turned back to his notebook. “OK, I’ll go get them in a few minutes. Once the coast is clear, I’ll put them back for you.”
“OK, thanks,” Chara replied distractedly.
The two of them were quiet. Frisk continued to take notes as he flipped through his book. After a few moments Chara spoke again.
“Yeah… everything from his house is coming here. Once that’s done, I guess he’s just going to start… living here.”
Something in her tone made Frisk look up. He studied Chara’s face as she grew uncomfortable and glared back.
“What?” she asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’ll be nice to have Dad back home again, won’t it?” asked Frisk.
“Yeah… I guess. It’ll… it’ll be nice to have him and Toriel around. You know. Talking to each other. And to you, I guess.”
“Oh, come on!” Frisk leaned back with a smile. “I know how much you love Dad. It’s gonna be great having him and Mom back together again!”
“… I guess.”
“What do you mean, ‘you guess?’ Having Dad here is awesome!”
“It’ll be great for you, Frisk. I’m happy for you.” Her sarcasm wasn’t lost on Frisk, who frowned.
“Why are you so bent out of shape? Aren’t you glad Mom and Dad are back together again?”
Chara’s face clouded over. “They’re your mom and dad, Frisk, not mine.”
“Just because they can’t see you doesn’t mean they’re not your parents.”
“It’s not just that, and you know it!” Chara scowled. “You know full well how much they’d hate me if they knew what I’d done.”
“And you know that they wouldn’t!” Frisk retorted sharply, glancing to make sure the bedroom door was closed.
“Of course, they would. I killed their son, didn’t I?”
“Stop saying that, Chara! What happened was an accident. You made a mistake, but it was still an accident.”
“It was not an accident, Frisk! An accident is when you fall off your bike and skin your knee. When you murder your own brother, that is not an accident!” Chara shouted.
“Chara, you didn’t-“
“Stop it, Frisk. Just stop it. We are not going over this again! There is no possible way Toriel or Asgore would ever forgiv-“
The rush of angry words was suddenly cut off as Chara gasped. Her hands flew up to her chest and her eyes screwed shut. Frisk jumped to his feet. It was as though she suddenly became more transparent. The edges of her hair and clothes became fuzzy and indistinct. Her whole body began to sink down through the floor. Then, with another gasp, she snapped back into focus. Her body slowly became more opaque. She floated back above the floor and sank down in a sitting position.
The argument was immediately forgotten. Frisk stepped over to the girl slumped on the floor and sat next to her.
“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” he asked sympathetically.
“Yeah,” she said through gritted teeth. She inhaled sharply. “More frequent, too.”
“More than once a week?”
“It happened a couple of days ago too, when you weren’t around.”
The two of them sat in silence. Frisk put a hand around the girl, trying to position his hand as if it rested on her shoulder.
“We’re gonna figure this out, Chara. We’re going to make it stop.” He waved his free hand at the stacks of books on the floor. “I’m gonna keep reading. There’s gotta be something in there, in those old legends and history that can help you and Asriel.”
“Frisk,” Chara said, eyes still on the floor, “you might as well give it up. Asriel is dead.” She slowly shook her head. “And I’m dead too,” she added, turning to stare at him. “I’ve been dead for a very, very long time. Some little part of me came back for a while, but it’s not real, and it’s not going to last.”
“I’m going to find a way!” Frisk said with determination. “I’m not going to let you go! I’m going to bring you and Asriel back, and that’s a promise.”
“Asriel is dead, Frisk.”
“He’s not-“
“He is.” Chara’s crimson eyes bored into the boy. “I know he’s dead, because I killed him. I don’t care what you say about that flower in the mountain. That’s not my brother.”
“But he is!” Frisk pleaded. “You saw him yourself, just before he broke the bar-“
“You know what I saw, Frisk?” Chara gave him a scornful look as she stiffly pulled herself up. “I’ll tell you what I saw. I saw a flower who pretended to be your friend when you fell down and then came within an inch of killing you. I listened to him while he was mocking Toriel.” She raised her voice as the bitterness continued to pour out of her. “I heard him tell you how much he hated you, how much he hated everyone, and how he wanted to ruin everything. I was there when he ripped the souls out of every single monster in the underground, Frisk. I watched him torture your friends. I watched him kill Dad!”
Chara stopped yelling, breathing heavily. Frisk shrank back and made no response.
“And I watched him kill you, Frisk. Over and over,” she added in a low voice. Her eyes dropped. For a few moments the two of them were silent. Chara turned her red eyes back on Frisk.
“That’s who he is. That’s what that flower is really like. Making himself look like my brother for a few minutes was just the last cruel trick he could play. So do not ever tell me again that that flower has anything to do with Asriel. Because that is a stupid, filthy lie.”
And before Frisk could think of a response, she whirled around and disappeared through the door.
Chapter 4: Mistaken Identity
Chapter Text
In the months that followed his return to the surface, Frisk had been unable to get his mind off the monster prince, even though he had only spent a few minutes with him, not counting their time in battle.
There were precious few hints in the underground that Asriel had ever existed. It was as though his life and tragic death had been wiped from history and erased from the memory of his people. Only on rare occasions within the court of the king did anyone speak of the Great Catastrophe - the mysterious death of the adopted princess which had devastated the King and Queen, followed by the incomprehensible, violent death of the prince, which had crushed his mother and father and ultimately broken them. That had been generations ago. It was ancient history, fading from memory. A tragic piece of mythology from the far distant past.
Frisk, however, had walked through the underground with the dead princess at his side.
It had been difficult for him to process Chara's emotions because of how raw they were for the girl herself. For Chara, blinking into consciousness suddenly in the flowerbed where her own story had both begun and ended, the effect was like waking from a dream. Intuitively she knew that an impossibly long amount of time had passed since her last dying memory had dissolved into nothingness, but her thoughts had picked up almost exactly where they had stopped. Even after she and Frisk had gotten used to each other's presence, she had remained terse and guarded in her advice while she struggled to process the cataclysmic changes that had taken place since she had died.
There had been no way of avoiding discussing her relationship to Toriel. Frisk may not have noticed Chara's cry of surprise when Toriel had run into the cave to help him, injured and bleeding as he was, but the boy couldn't help but see the look of longing in Chara's eyes during their brief stay in the Ruins. He could tell how desperately she had wanted to stay in Toriel's house even when he had determined he must leave. It wasn't long afterwards that she told him why.
Frisk himself had ached at having to leave Toriel. He had decided to return to the kind, regal monster lady he was already thinking of as "Mom" once he found a way out of the underground. His determination only grew stronger as Chara began to tell him about her adoptive parents. Her yearnings for them were evident and undisguised.
Of Asriel, however, Chara had resolved to say nothing.
His death was raw and sickening in her mind, as if it only just happened. She could see the palace through Asriel's own eyes as he stumbled back through the barrier. The throne room was empty, and as he struggled towards the far door his strength finally gave out and he collapsed. Through his eyes she saw a member of the Royal Guard, alerted by the commotion, entering the room and gasping in horror. Asriel struggled to speak, and a moment later the guard was racing away, shouting for help. She saw Asriel looking down at her, Chara, still protectively cradled in his arms even as he began to disintegrate.
She tried to reach out to him, but her mind had become sluggish. Distantly she heard his anguished cry - Asriel begging for help, calling her name, trying to understand. She struggled to answer but the words wouldn't come. He whimpered one last time. Then his connection to her snapped like a broken string and he was gone. Darkness covered everything. Her own thoughts grew hazy, gave way, and flickered out of existence.
She hated it. She hated it and couldn't stop thinking about it. His dying plea still echoed in her head. She hated what she had done. She hated herself.
Frisk didn't need to know any of that. None of that was important. All she had to do was help him with what he needed at that moment - figure out what had caused Mom to say those terrible things about Dad, figure out how to keep Frisk safe from monsters who inexplicably seemed bent on killing him, and try to get him away and free. That was all that he needed from her.
And then Frisk, trudging through the endless, dreary rain of Waterfall turned a corner and came face to face with Asriel. And Chara fell apart.
Frisk had stopped in surprise at her sudden breakdown. The worn, crumbling statue in front of him hardly seemed like the sort of thing that would reduce someone to tears. But as Chara continued sobbing, Frisk had gently guided her back to the mouth of a cave, where they could sit sheltered from the incessant rain for a few moments while Chara pulled herself together.
The whole story had come out then. In the space of half an hour Frisk learned more about the gentle monster prince than perhaps anyone in the entire underground had ever heard. Half an hour had stretched into an hour, then two. With her emotional dam broken, Chara poured out story after story about the bright-eyed monster she had called her brother - sometimes chuckling at some remembered joke the two of them shared, sometimes bursting out with laughter over the antics they had done, sometimes fondly relating some simple gift he had given her. But every story eventually lapsed into silence, then back into despondency. Finally, Chara had stopped talking altogether, even though Frisk sensed that she still had something to say. So, he waited. And waited.
Until finally, she told him about the day when it had all come to an end.
Neither of them talked much about Asriel after that. During the rest of their trip through Waterfall and Hotland, interrupted only by the occasional battle with an overzealous monster, the two of them discussed all manner of other topics related to the kingdom of monsters. It was only after arriving at the castle and palace grounds, when suddenly the story of Asriel's death was on the lips of every monster they encountered, that Chara opened up again.
Frisk could feel the tension running through her as the two of them entered her old bedroom in the palace. Her eyes had widened as he knelt down in front of two brightly lit boxes on the floor and pulled out an old dagger from one. But when Frisk opened the other one and drew out a delicate gold locket on a chain, she had gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. She surged forward and begged Frisk to show it to her from every angle - the delicate words inscribed on the front, the intricate Delta Rune carved on the back. He had opened it at her request and found himself finally looking into the smiling face of Asriel Dreemurr.
The two of them sat and talked in the room for a long time after that. Even in its moldering condition, the bedroom had brought memory after memory to Chara. With each story, Frisk felt his own heart drawn out towards both his companion and her lost brother. He was determined to do what he could to make right what had gone so tragically wrong long before. His only regret was that it was too late for the prince, the brother that Chara so evidently loved. His story had ended long before Frisk had arrived. Whatever Frisk could do for the King, for the exiled Queen, for the kingdom, and for his ghostly friend, it wouldn't change the distant past. He would have to accept that some stories couldn't have happy endings.
And then Asriel had called him on his phone.
Everything had changed after that. For a while, Chara was beside herself with elation. In the black void she had gaped wordlessly at the small goat boy who turned around and smiled at Frisk, calling him by her own name. Even his startling transformation and the nerve-racking battle that followed hadn't dispelled her awe. She called out his attack patterns to Frisk, almost giddy with delight at recognizing the age-old games she and Asriel had played together. Frisk would have shared in her excitement more if he hadn't been constantly flinging himself out of the way of the devastating attacks with childish names.
But Chara's exuberance had died with a gasp of horror when Frisk, unable to dodge quickly enough, was sent sprawling onto the ground by a blow from Asriel's glowing saber. The boy had grunted in pain and managed to roll out of danger as the grinning monster swung his weapon again and again. Within a few seconds Frisk had recovered both his health and dexterity. But for Chara, the excitement was gone.
By the time the fight was finished, she had already slipped back into melancholy. Frisk was surprised how she had kept her distance, floating silently in the shadows while he said goodbye to his new friend for the last time in the Ruins. He even sensed bitterness radiating from her for the first time in their journey together. He had thought Asriel's condemnation of Chara not being "the greatest person", which he had unknowingly declared right in her presence, had devastated her. But she had shaken her head when he tentatively brought it up, a few days later.
"Yeah, that hurt. But what hurt even more was when I realized it wasn't Asriel at all."
"Wh-what? What do you mean it wasn't Asriel?"
"I mean that you were talking to a mockery of Asriel. I know my brother, Frisk. Or at least I know who he used to be. And that thing you were talking to wasn't him."
"But isn't that what Asriel used to look like? And sound like?"
Chara looked at him unhappily. "Do you remember that creature we fought? The one the appeared right after the flower turned into Asriel?"
"Yeah. It was like a grown-up version of him, right?"
"It was more than that. What you saw was a fantasy character made up by Asriel years ago, even before I fell into the underground. It was a pretend version of him who had super-powers."
Chara's posture drooped as her eyes grew distant.
"He and I used to make up all these imaginary stories of what the two of us would do if we were heroes. We'd go on adventures, stop criminals, help all the monsters underground - that sort of thing. Every one of those attacks you saw during the fight? Those were all things that he and I made up. His character had swords, laser attacks, lightning, exploding stars, all kinds of stuff. And all that make-believe became real during that fight."
Chara refocused on Frisk. There was an intensity to her gaze now.
"But Asriel never really hurt anyone in those stories, Frisk. Not ever. We were the good guys. I mean, we might sometimes write stories where a criminal got punched or something, but nobody ever really got hurt. Once or twice, I tried to make the stories a little more realistic, you know? Add a little more violence? But he'd never let me. He'd get all sad and teary-eyed and say that Aerizel would never do that, and eventually I gave up trying."
"So… we were fighting your brother's imaginary version of himself," Frisk said slowly. "But what does that have to do-?"
"Were you listening to me, Frisk? Asriel would never hurt anyone if he could help it. His own death proved that. He could have killed everyone in that village with a wave of his hand and saved himself, but he wouldn't do it. But that creature that fought you was doing everything he could to kill you. You weren't even fighting back, but he just kept hitting you over and over and over. He wasn't going to stop until he cracked your soul apart."
Chara leaned back. "That's how I know it wasn't him, Frisk. It was that sadistic flower, just like it's been the whole time."
"But… then, who was that we were talking to back in the Ruins?"
"It was the leftover dust of Asriel twisted into a creature evil beyond imagination, with the idiotic name of 'Flowey'. He may remember Asriel, but he's not Asriel. I was a fool to think he was. I know better now."
"But he wasn't evil at the end! He was nice! That had to be Asriel we talked to, not Flowey!"
"Of course it was Flowey, Frisk! It doesn't matter if he looked like Asriel, or if he even acted like Asriel for a little while. He's just trying to get into your head, same as he always has, so he can find a way to really hurt you. Asriel is dead, Frisk, and the sooner you figure that out, the better.
The two of them continued to argue for weeks, sometimes heatedly. Frisk argued that Asriel was still there in Flowey, and Chara just as emphatically insisted that Flowey was an evil science experiment gone wrong. Both children refused to change their mind, and eventually they settled into an uncomfortable impasse. Flowey was no longer an acceptable topic of discussion. Despite many appeals that she join him, Chara refused to come with Frisk whenever he took a day-long hike up to Mount Ebott. She would have nothing to do with the soulless creature brooding under the mountain.
Still, from time to time she would soften and reminisce about her brother. Frisk drank in the stories. He wished he could have been friends with the boy prince, and he was equally determined that he would find a way to make it happen.
Chapter 5: The Stranger
Chapter Text
Eleven months earlier...
The first time Frisk visited Flowey was three days after the barrier had been broken. It had gone badly.
He suspected Flowey would be somewhere in the Ruins, near where he himself had originally fallen into the underground. But the yawning pit was far too treacherous to risk climbing down. It was much safer to enter at the barrier cavern and work back to the Ruins from there. That meant a long hike, but Frisk didn't mind. He had practically raced through the underground on his first trip, so determined was he to reach the King and find a way out. Now he could travel at his leisure, stopping to explore the mighty rock city surrounding the palace, walking through the misty swamps and flower fields in Waterfall, poking through the empty shops and buildings of Snowdin.
There had been no sign of Flowey by the time Frisk stepped through the wide doors leading to the Ruins. He kept a sharp eye out as he navigated through the crumbling city, until he finally came to the one place in the Ruins where sunlight filtered weakly through a hole far above.
There he sat, in the middle of a patch of green and bright yellow. At the sight of the large golden flower, Frisk couldn't help but feel dismayed. Asriel had begged him to leave the sunlit cave during their final meeting. The power was seeping out of him, he had explained, and he didn't want Frisk to see him devolve back into a flower. Frisk had wanted to stay and hug the tearful boy as long as he could, but eventually had given in and had left without looking back. To see him now once again as a flower, sitting almost exactly where he had first encountered him, cut Frisk to the heart.
What was unnerving, though, was that Flowey was facing him but hadn't said anything. He just sat there, his neutral black eyes unblinking, swaying gently back and forth as if a gentle breeze were passing through the cave. From time to time his head lolled to the side before slowly returning to its upright position.
After a few uncomfortable moments, Frisk stepped forward where the light was stronger. Still, the flower gave no sign of recognition, or of even having noticed him.
Frisk coughed. "Hey… uh, hey Flowey!"
The flower jerked. He blinked and focused on Frisk, staring at the boy in shock. Suddenly his eyes bulged and warped as his entire face distorted into a mask of rage.
"Keep away from her!" he screamed. The next moment, the air was full of bullets shooting towards Frisk.
The boy gasped and threw himself to the side. The mass of bullets missed him by inches, but his shoulder cracked against the rough rock wall. One bullet slammed into his arm. Frisk gasped in pain and fell to one knee, leaning heavily against the rock with his good arm. The backpack he had slung around one shoulder slipped to the ground.
"Flowey!"
Already another wave of bullets was twinkling into existence around the enraged flower.
"Flowey!" he cried again. "Stop, it's me! Frisk!"
For a moment the bullets hung suspended in the air, ready to fly across the cave. Then suddenly, the flower shook itself. Its twisted expression faded, and the bullets winked out of existence.
"Frisk?" he called. "Did you say your name was 'Frisk'?"
"Yeah," Frisk said. With a grunt of pain, he pulled himself to his feet and stumbled over to the flowerbed. "It's just me, Flowey. I wanted to come and see you."
"Frisk!" the flower burbled. A happy expression appeared on its face. "I know who you are! You're the one who fell down that hole the other day, right?"
Frisk stopped. A confused expression came over his face.
"Um… yeah. Yeah, I fell into the underground a few months ago. And… and I met you, and… and you followed me in the underground, and then… and then we helped free everyone."
"We did? Everyone is free now? Wow! How did that happen?"
"Um… uh…" The words trailed off. Frisk stared at Flowey with dismay. "You- you don't remem-"
"Oh! Oh wow, are you all right?"
Flowey was staring at Frisk's arm. He looked down. Blood was soaking through his sleeve where the bullet had torn into him.
"Oh, uh… yeah, I'm OK. It's not too bad." Frisk said with a wince. He wished he had brought something to use as a bandage. A part of his brain made a note to carry a first-aid kit next time he came to the underground.
"Boy, that looks like it really hurts. What happened to you?" And without paying attention to Frisk's shocked face, the flower continued. "You should probably get that looked at. Hey, I've got an idea! There's a big house not too far away from here. If you just go through that tunnel over there and follow the path, you can't miss it! There's an old hag who lives there who could help you. She knows healing magic and has magic food too!"
Frisk stared at Flowey, who looked back at him encouragingly. The cruel description of Toriel had come out of his mouth with no trace of malice whatsoever. He sounded for all the world like a cheerful bystander trying to be helpful.
"…Thanks," Frisk said eventually. "Maybe I'll go… see if she's there."
"OK, sounds good! Nice to meet you, Frisk! Hope you feel better!"
"… You… you too, Flowey."
With a smile, the flower turned his attention away. Almost immediately, the smile dropped, replaced by a neutral, unfocused face as Flowey began swaying again in a nonexistent breeze. Frisk watched him uncomprehendingly for a minute. Eventually, with a pained look, he returned to the entrance of the cavern. He picked up the fallen backpack and gingerly lifted it onto his good shoulder.
"What's that? Who's over there?!"
Frisk snapped his head around. Flowey's body had grown rigid and the face that was darting back and forth was once again contorted and disfigured.
"Stay away from us!" the flower screamed into the air.
Frisk turned and ran through the tunnel.
Chapter 6: Hideout
Chapter Text
Sixth months earlier...
"Come on already! If I can dig my way around rock and lava, you can move your feet faster than that."
The grating high-pitched voice didn't provide much encouragement. Frisk drank from his water bottle and looked up at the flower, leaning over the edge of the rock wall and frowning at him.
"I'm getting there, Flowey," he sighed. He replaced the bottle in the side pocket of his backpack, wiped the sweat off his brow, and resumed picking his way up the steep path.
"Ugh, you're so slow, Chara!" said Flowey, rolling his eyes. "Are all humans that slow?"
Frisk looked up again wearily. It had been several months since his first disastrous encounter with Flowey after the destruction of the barrier. In spite of his shock, Frisk had refused to give up on him. He started being extra-cautious when approaching the confused, soulless flower, who was most often sitting listlessly in the Ruins. He was always careful to announce his presence from a distance, immediately identifying himself, and only approaching after Flowey recognized him. His persistence had paid off, and subsequent visits had gone much better. Flowey's ability to think and speak more lucidly and rationally seemed to be improving.
And yet it was painfully clear that the improvement would only go so far. The genocidal, merciless Flowey may have been gone, but the mind of the soulless monster was irreversibly damaged. There were times he would suddenly break off in mid-sentence and stare off into the distance with blank, unfocused eyes. He would tell Frisk stories with no awareness that he had told the same stories a few days earlier, and he would often have no memory of the things Frisk had told him on a previous visit. And Frisk was still "Chara" much of the time. He had given up trying to gently correct the flower.
"I don't know if everyone's that slow, but after an hour of climbing, yeah, probably."
"It hasn't been that long!"
"Just gimme a minute, Flowey."
"Ugh!"
At last Frisk reached the top of the outcropping. The rocky ceiling of the underground still stretched far above him, but the ground appeared quite distant as well as he carefully leaned over the edge to look down. The drop made him feel a little dizzy, and he hurriedly pulled back from the edge.
"Not over there - come over here!" said Flowey, with excitement.
Frisk turned to see the flower on the far side of the outcropping they were on, waving a vine down towards a distant glow. He picked his way over to sit next to Flowey, where he could look down without having to get too close to the edge. Far below him, the reddish-orange glow of slow-moving lava lit up the dark rock walls.
"This place is so cool!" Flowey commented. His voice seemed to be a little softer. "It's been so long since we came to the hideout. Remember how we'd climb up here all the time?"
"What was it like, coming up here?" Frisk prompted, evading the question.
"Oh, you remember," said Flowey, still staring down at the molten rock. "We'd get up early, and Mom would pack us sandwiches, and then we'd hike through the snow, maybe grab some candy in the town, then go all the way to the end of Waterfall and eat our lunches just before Hotland. Then we'd get to the mountain and start climbing! I remember how my fur would get so wet in Waterfall, and then all sweaty by the time we got here. Hee hee! Man, I felt so… uh… I felt... wait – fur?
Frisk yanked his eyes away from the distant rock formations and turned quickly. The flower's black eyes had grown large and confused. He waved leafy vines in front of him and looked down.
"Did… I have fur? Why did I think I had fur, Chara? Did we…?"
He caught sight of Frisk and recoiled with a sudden intake of breath. His black eyes bulged and distorted. Quickly Frisk spread his hands out.
"It's OK, Flowey, it's OK. It's OK. You're fine. Everything's fine. It's just me, OK?"
Flowey stared at him, frozen and wide-eyed for a moment, before finally relaxing his stem slightly. His face slowly returned to normal.
"You're… you're not Chara, are you?"
"No, I'm Frisk. I'm your friend, Flowey. Do you remember me?"
"Frisk?" Flowey said in a daze. Then "Oh, Frisk!" Relief came over him. "Yeah, of course, Frisk! I'm- I'm, uh sorry I called… I- I don't know why I did that."
"It's OK, Flowey. Thanks for taking me up here," Frisk said, steering away from the confusion. "I know you and Chara loved visiting this spot. It's really got a great view."
"Yeah," said Flowey. He still looked unsure of himself. After a moment, he turned back to the cliff edge. "Yeah - Chara found this place. She got all excited and wanted it to be our secret hideout."
"Was this a private place? I hope I'm not ruining something special," Frisk said.
"No, it's fine." Flowey's head drooped. "I had- uh…" Flowey laughed, low and mirthless. "I don't know why, but for a moment… I forgot that Chara was gone."
Frisk felt a pang of heartache. He desperately wanted to tell Flowey that his sister wasn't gone, that part of her had lived on. Even if Flowey couldn't see or hear her, it would surely bring him tremendous joy to know that she was still there. He deeply wanted to reunite the two siblings; he was sure it would do Chara just as much good as it would for Flowey.
But he couldn't force it on her. And Chara adamantly refused to come up the mountain. Worse, she had made Frisk promise that he would never reveal her existence to Flowey. He had resisted strenuously, but Chara had been unmoved, and eventually Frisk had reluctantly agreed.
Instead, he scooted a little closer to the wilted flower. "She was really special, wasn't she?"
"She was my best friend," Flowey said after a moment. He smiled sadly. "One of my only real friends, actually."
"Really? I would have thought you had lots of friends."
"Oh I did, kinda. I guess. It's just…" Flowey shrugged his vines. "It was kind of weird being the prince of all monsters, y'know? Other kids just kinda treated me different. Like, I just wasn't a regular kid or something. They never seemed really comfortable around me. We'd still play and all, but… I dunno, I could tell it was different. Nobody was really that close to me. At least not as much as they were to each other. Does that make any sense?" He looked up questioningly.
Frisk nodded.
"Chara, though," Flowey chuckled again, this time genuinely. "Chara didn't care about that. Even before Mom and Dad adopted her, she just treated me like a kid. Maybe it was because she was a human, and every single monster was weird to her? I dunno. But she didn't care that I was a prince. She just treated me like normal."
Flowey was silent for a moment. Both of them stared at the glow far below them.
"We both really loved stories. We'd make up all these stories about us, and about monsters, and superheroes and stuff. She read all my books and was always asking Dad to see if he could find any more when he went into town. And we just played around a lot. We'd go exploring all the time. Oh, and we built this really gigantic fort in Snowdin! Dad helped us put it together, and we camped out there a couple of times, even though Chara said it was too cold. And sometimes-"
Again, Flowey paused. Frisk gave him a sidelong look. His head was bowed.
"If I was ever… like, sad or something, Chara would always listen to me. And she'd always try to help me feel better." He snorted. "I mean, yeah, sometimes she'd tell me I just need to get over it or stop crying or something, but she always listened. I mean, Mom and Dad would listen to me as well, but there were some things where… I dunno, it was just easier to talk to Chara about. And I think… I think she felt that way about talking to me, too."
Flowey sniffed and drooped a bit more.
"That was a long time ago. It's been a really long time since I had a friend like that. But that's my fault, isn't it? Not saving her, and then all that stuff I did after I turned into this?" He waved his vines limply. "I guess I deserve what I've got now."
Not saving her? Frisk puzzled over the statement. I guess he's talking about not keeping her from eating the buttercups.
"What about your mom and dad? Why don't you come back and live with us?"
"You know I can't." Tears began to form in his dark eyes. "I'm not Asriel anymore, Frisk. It's not just all the things I did, though that's bad enough. I'm still messed up - you know that. I keep forgetting. I keep forgetting everything like who I am, who you are, what's going on. I might even still hurt someone if I was out there! I can't go back like that. I can't…"
He hiccupped. "I can't do that to Mom and Dad. I just…"
He trailed off. Frisk said nothing but reached up to gently rub the back of Flowey's head as he sniffled. The two of them grew quiet, listening to the distant sounds of burbling, flowing lava echoing continuously off the rocks. The hot air felt heavy around Frisk.
"What about me?"
Flowey looked up. "Huh?"
"Could I be your friend?"
Flowey stared at him. He gave a few tiny shakes of his head. "Frisk, that's really nice of you, but I know you've got better things to do than come down here. You've got Mom and Dad, and a bunch of friends on the Surface. All the monsters love you, and I'll bet all the humans do too. And monsters need all the help they can get. You should be their friends. Go worry about them. I-I'll be fine. Don't worry about me.
"No," Frisk said firmly.
Flowey blinked. "What?"
"I want you to be my friend, Asriel. I'm not just going to leave you down here alone."
"But I'm not Asriel!" Flowey waved his vines in frustration.
"But you-!" Frisk began.
"I'm not Asriel, Frisk!" The high-pitched voice was grating. Flowey glared at Frisk, before coiling a vine around a rock on the ground. With a grunt, he picked it up threw it off the edge of the cliff. "I'm not the monster you talked to in the flower garden, Frisk. I'm not kind of person you can be friends with."
He picked up another rock. "I will only hurt you, like I hurt you before. I’m broken, Frisk, and not even you can fix that!" he said sharply as he flung it over the cliffside.
Frisk watched him silently, as Flowey continued to pick up stones and angrily hurl them over the edge. Finally, he picked up a sizable rock and slammed it to the ground, huffing loudly. His vines seemed to wilt as he stared at the ground.
"I'm not going to give up on you," Frisk said quietly.
Flowey didn't look at him.
"Do you remember what you said when we were fighting? When you really were Asriel?"
"I looked like Asriel. I wasn't him," Flowey answered glumly.
"You still thought I was Chara, remember?"
"…yeah."
"You told me- well, I guess you told Chara that she was the only one that ever understood you. And I think she really did. But I think… I think that I understand you too, a little bit."
Still Flowey said nothing, but he turned his head slightly.
"I… I didn't exactly have a whole lot of friends when I climbed the mountain and fell in."
Flowey looked up. The boy's eyes were distant, staring unfocused at the far wall of the cave.
"What you said just now makes even more sense to me. Because I know what it's like to not have anyone to talk to - to not have anyone who really understands you. Somebody who won't just laugh at you or make fun of you and tell you that your problems are stupid. I never had a friend like that. And then, when you and I talked back in the flowerbed, when you were really you, when you were really Asriel…" Frisk glanced over.
Flowey shrunk down on his vine but said nothing.
"You were really nice. I felt like you were the kind of person who I wished I could talk to. Who would listen to me and help me figure things out, and… and just be a good friend." Even with his eyes mostly concealed, tears formed around the corners of Frisk's eyelids. "And I wanted you to be my friend. I really, really wanted it, and I hated that it wasn't going to last and you were going to turn back into a flower, and that we wouldn't ever be able to be friends. I hated it! It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair that everyone was going to go free and you weren't going to get another chance. That's why I came back. And I'm going to keep coming back. I'm going to keep coming back until I find a way to save you too."
Tears were coming down Flowey's face as well. They dripped off the tips of his petals and plopped softly around the ground.
"Frisk, that's… that's really sweet, but it won't work. I'm not me anymore. I don't have a soul. I'm Flowey now. Asriel is gone.
"I don't care," Frisk said. He picked up a rock and threw it as hard as he could over the edge. "I'm going to find a way to save you anyway. I don't care how long it takes."
Flowey watched the rock as it fell. As his eyes took in the glow below him, a shudder suddenly went through his body. His eyes grew wide, and he pulled himself sharply away from the edge of the cliff.
"Why- why did we come up here? I don't like this place anymore. Why did I bring us here? What happened... wait... I remember. I remember coming up here, Chara, after you... and then I decided to..."
In spite of the heat, the flower trembled. "Can we go, Chara? I don't want to be up here. I want to get back to the Ruins."
Frisk looked at him sadly, still with tears on his cheek. With effort he pulled himself to his feet. "Sure, Flowey. Let's go back."
Chapter Text
The city of Home, even in its ruined and mostly abandoned state, had still been an active community up until the day the barrier broke. Although the population had greatly diminished as the underground settlements spread, the Whimsums, Froggits, Looxes, and other monsters carrying on daily business lent a bit of noise and bustle to the decaying city. But with its caretaker and population now on the surface, the Ruins were silent with only the soft noise of streams seeping through the rocks and running through the caves. A silence that, on this particular day, was broken by a loud yell.
"Flowwwwwwey. Hey, Flowey, are you here?"
Frisk had his hands cupped to his mouth. He stood at the top of the steps that marked the entrance to the Ruins.
"Flowwww- oh, there you are!"
The yellow flower popped up from the dirt at the foot of the steps and shook the leaves of his head.
"Howdy, Cha-, uh Frisk!"
"Flowey!" the boy said, running down the stairs. "Where were you? I've been looking all over for you! Guess what?"
The flower's petals snapped open with interest.
"Oh, sorry, I was getting some water. What?"
"Guess!"
"Oh! Is the surprise you've been keeping a secret?!"
Frisk nodded excitedly.
"Um… uh… I dunno - is it something to do with you?"
"No, not directly anyway!" Frisk was bouncing on his toes. "Something to do with Mom and Dad."
"Oh… uh… hmmm. I know you told me that they had been talking more and even going to restaurants together. Is… I dunno, is Dad moving to your neighborhood?
"I guess you could say that," Frisk said, barely restraining his laughter. Flowey saw the mirth in Frisk's eyes, and his own black eyes widened.
"Is…? Are they…?"
"They got back together again!" Frisk practically shouted. "They're married again! Dad's come back and is living with me and Mom now!"
Flowey was stunned. An expression of astonished delight filled his face.
"Whaaaat?" he yelled. "Wow! That's- wow!"
"I know, right?" Frisk sat down on the last step, next to the wide-eyed flower. "I didn't want to say anything until it really happened, but it did! Mom and Dad are back together!"
"Wow!" repeated the flower. "I can't believe it! That's so- that's just…"
Flowey's words trailed off. He blinked his eyes several times. The smile stayed on his face, even as he began to sniffle. A few tears began to form in the corners of his black eyes."
"Things really have changed, haven't they Frisk? You… you really have saved everyone."
Frisk's excitement began to fade. He reached out his hand and gently rested it on his friend's flowery head.
"I didn't do anything, Flowey - they talked it out, they realized how much they still meant to each other, they talked to the pastor, they started doing things together… I didn't really have anything to do with it."
Flowey sniffed. He continued to smile, though a little wistfully. "Yeah, but none of it would have happened if you hadn't broken the barrier and freed everyone, Frisk. You- you've fixed everything I did wrong."
"Hey!" Frisk said. He slid down from the step and scooted closer to Flowey, putting his arm around his stem and leaves as best he could. "That was you! You're the one who blew the barrier up, not me. You were the only one who could do it, and you did!"
Flowey shrugged. A few of his vines batted at the leaves on the ground. "After all the terrible things I did, I don't think I should get any credit for finally doing one good thing. I was trying to destroy everything. I was trying to kill you, Frisk, just so you'd have to reset the world, and then I could do it all again!" His smile had faded, and his voice was melancholic. His petals drooped. "I didn't do anything but hurt people, Frisk. You're the one who saved them."
"Flowey…" Frisk pleaded. He gently rubbed the back of the flowery head, wishing he could hug his friend. Flowey just sighed and drooped further. As Frisk looked down at the depressed flower, an idea came to him.
"All right, that's it," he said firmly, pushing himself to his feet. "We've been moping long enough. Come with me."
Flowey looked at him uncertainly. "Um… what?"
"Let's go. C'mon." Frisk turned and started back up the steps.
"What? Wait… where are we going?"
Frisk stopped at the top of the steps and pointed down dramatically at the confused flower. "Sad time is over. It's time for you and me to have some fun. It's not optional. You are required to do cool things with me, right now. Start digging."
He turned on his heels and disappeared through the archway, leaving the stunned flower staring at him.
"Wha… hey! Frisk! Wait for me!" Flowey called, before
disappearing into the ground.
"Aw man, I got a green flag," Flowey said, withdrawing his vines from the playing field and looking into the hole where the snowball had disappeared. "That's only 1G," he added, scooping a gold piece out of the hole.
"How does this game even work?" Frisk asked, scratching his head and peering into the hole. "Where is this gold coming from?"
"Beats me," Flowey said with a leafy shrug. "Gold appears in weird places in the underground. I've never really been able to figure out why."
Frisk jogged back to the start of the makeshift mini-golf course. "All right, my turn. I think any other flag will beat green. Get ready to lose, dandelion.
Flowey's black eyes narrowed into slits. "We'll see, human."
Frisk gave the snowball a big kick. It bounced its way along the edges and began to get smaller. Frisk ran after it, giving it course-correcting nudges as he pushed it along. A few feet away from the hole, he gave the rapidly shrinking ball one last tap, sending it straight towards the hole. At the last second, a small mound of dirt suddenly popped up from the ground, pushing the ball just to the side of the hole, where it rolled to a stop and dissolved into powdery snow.
"Hey!" Frisk glared at Flowey, who was whistling and looking at the trees. "That's cheating!"
"What?" Flowey asked innocently. "Oh! That was probably just, uh, the ground settling. Or something. It happens all the time."
Frisk crossed his arms. "Little bumps just randomly appear on the ground all the time, huh?"
"Oh, sure! It's, uh, all the volcanic activity underground."
"In Snowdin?"
"Yeah… science! Cool, huh? Anyway, I guess I win!" winked the flower.
Frisk narrowed his eyes.
"Ok, so I have to do what now?" Flowey shouted.
"Try and stop me," Frisk called back. He pointed to the line in the snow right in front of Flowey, about a hundred feet from where Frisk was standing. "If I cross the line without getting caught, I win."
"Ok… is there a prize or-"
"Onetwothreego!" yelled Frisk and took off running.
Almost immediately the snow in front of him erupted as a vine burst out and snatched at him. Frisk dodged nimbly to the left and kept running. Another vine shot out in front of him, swinging at him in vain. Ahead, Frisk saw the snow shift and veered sharply to the left, only to immediately trip over a vine that was snaking along the ground. He pitched headfirst into the deep snow with a grunt.
"Ha! I win!" called Flowey.
"You didn't capture me!" Frisk yelled back, scrambling to his feet.
"What? That wasn't part of the rules!"
"Yeah it was, you haven't stopped me yet!" Frisk called triumphantly as he neared the finish line.
Two seconds later he plowed into a massive, leafy tangle of vines that exploded from the ground. Before he could react, the vines coiled themselves around him, laid him down flat on the ground, and began dragging him forwards through the snowdrifts. Frisk tried to yell, but his mouth just filled with snow every time he opened it. At last, he was lifted off the ground, upside down, to dangle in front of the cheerful face of Flowey.
"Hee hee! I win again!"
Frisk began to shiver uncontrollably. "Let's go back to the Ruins. I don't think I can handle any more fun."
"Flowey," Frisk said, "I want to ask you if it's OK if I do something."
Flowey looked up. "What?"
"Can- can I start calling you Asriel instead of Flowey?"
The flower's eyes opened wide. The eyebrows that formed on his face rose in surprise.
"I- I-"
"Because you know what I think? I think Flowey did do a lot of bad stuff, like we were talking about earlier. When I first fell into the underground, we didn't get off to a very good start ourselves, you and me, and you've told me about some of the things you did before I came. And when we fought, there was… uh-"
Frisk swallowed and stopped. No sense in reliving that horrific fight. The flower's wide eyes were still on Frisk, but he was already shrinking down on his stem, wrapping leaves around himself protectively.
"-and all that stuff with the souls," he finished. "But that was before we sav-" The plural pronoun slipped out before Frisk could bite it back and he hurried on, hoping Flowey hadn't noticed. "-I saved you, and you changed after that! You've been different ever since. Every time I come back, it seems like you remember a little more, and you're not as confused, and you don't get all crazy. I don't think you're really Flowey anymore, even though you're still a flower."
Frisk caught the skepticism in Flowey's eyes and raised his shoulders self-consciously. "I won't call you 'Asriel' if you don't want me to, but that's who I believe you are, and I want you to believe it too. The old Flowey is gone. You're-" He spread his hands. "You're Asriel now."
The flower looked at him with wistful eyes. He didn't say anything for a moment, and let his gaze drop to the ground. Frisk took a deep breath and waited, wondering if he had gone too far.
"I've been Flowey so long," the creature eventually said. "I stopped thinking of myself as Asriel a long time ago."
He twisted his floral head back to Frisk. "While we were fighting, I just wanted to look like what I thought Asriel would be if he was really powerful. I thought that having all those souls and all that power would make me back into who I was. I could finally, finally be me again. But it didn't work. Even while we fought and I moved around in my super Asriel body, I knew it wasn't really me. There was still no love, no compassion, no concern for anybody or anything except what I wanted. I was still Flowey, even then."
Frisk's face had fallen as Flowey spoke. He opened his mouth, but Flowey hurried on.
"But you're right, something did change! I don't know what you did, but suddenly I could feel everyone reaching out to me, from inside. Dad was there, and Mom, and all your friends, and everyone. And then suddenly… suddenly I remembered Cha-" He stopped with a little twitch. "I mean, I started remembering things from when I was younger, like… like when I met a human for the first time and she - I mean, the human - turned out to be really nice. And she- she was…"
Again, the flower stopped, flustered, glancing at Frisk.
"I mean- I guess… you know, after that? After the fight, when I turned back into what Asriel used to look like? I suddenly actually felt like Asriel. For the first time, I actually felt like I used to be. I- I didn't want to hurt anyone anymore. I didn't want to you to reset the world. I- I was happy when everyone went free. But… but-"
Tears trickled down the flower's face again.
"It didn't last. I couldn't keep being Asriel. I had to turn back into this-"
Frisk leaned over to brush him softly.
"Flowey, do you want to hurt anyone now?"
"No!" said Flowey imploringly, shaking his head rapidly so that his petals flapped around. "That would be awful!"
"And you're happy Mom and Dad are back together, right? Because you love them and want them to be happy?"
"Y-yeah," said Flowey. "Yeah, that makes me really happy."
"Then you really are Asriel!" Frisk insisted. "When we fought, you were Flowey in a fake Asriel body. Now you're Asriel in a fake Flowey body. But it's really you, Asriel. You're you!"
A watery smile briefly appeared on the flower's face, but it quickly fell away. "That's… nice of you to say Frisk. And I know you're trying to help. But I'm not."
Frisk opened his mouth to protest, but Flowey hurried on.
"I may not be as bad as I was, but I've still lost the core of who I- who Asriel was. It just wouldn't be right to call me Asriel. That's who I was. But that's not who I am now. Don't get me wrong, Frisk - I'm grateful for whatever you did to make me not want to do terrible things anymore! But in the end… my soul is still gone, and my body is gone too. I'm just Flowey now." The flower dipped his head dejectedly. "I'm sorry, Frisk."
Frisk hung his head as well. Gently, he picked up one of the limp, leafy vines on the ground. "It's OK, Flowey."
"Hey, can I ask you… kind of a personal question? You… you don't have to answer if you don't want!"
The boy and the flower were perched near the dead tree that marked the entrance to Toriel's former home. Frisk, sitting on the lowest step leading up to the doorway, glanced down with interest.
"Sure, Flowey - what do you want to know?"
"Do you…do you have any siblings?"
Frisk gulped and thought fast.
"Um… well, I guess most of the time it's just kinda been me, on my own."
To Frisk's immense relief Flowey didn't ask him to clarify his carefully worded response. He just sighed.
"Yeah - I guess I was like that for a long time too. I was an only child for most of my life." Flowey grimaced. "It wasn't that fun. I mean, I still had friends and stuff, and Mom and Dad were great, but there just wasn't anyone to play with around the house, or do stuff with in the evenings, or talk to. It was just… I dunno, boring." His face lit up. "But then I got a sister! Have I ever told you about her?"
Frisk nodded, keeping his expression neutral. "Yeah - Chara, right?"
"Yeah. Oh-" The flower looked up at Frisk with consternation. "Is… is this one of those times where I've forgotten that I told you something? Man, I'm still so confused a lot of the time." He hung his head dejectedly.
"No, no, it's fine!" Frisk assured him, holding up his hands. "You've mentioned her once or twice, but, uh, you haven't told me a lot about her." That was true. In fact, Frisk found himself rapidly trying to sort out how much of what he knew about Chara came from Chara herself, and how much Flowey had told him on previous visits. It was probably best to say less than more.
"What was she like?"
"Oh!" Flowey said, perking up again, "She was pretty great! She liked books, and stories, and exploring, and she wasn't afraid of bugs like some of the monsters I knew, and we got to talk a lot at night when it was bedtime and we were supposed to be sleeping." He let out a small giggle.
"Sounds… pretty nice," said Frisk, cautiously. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was dangerous ground. This story didn't have a happy ending, and he wasn't sure where it was safe to take this conversation. To his surprise, Flowey jumped right to the hard part.
"She was sad a lot, though," Flowey said, more quietly. "And she did some things that she shouldn't have… well-" A bit of redness came into Flowey's white face. "Things that we both shouldn't have done. Have… have I ever told you about how we both died?"
Frisk could feel the perspiration beading on his forehead. "Um… I'm not sure, but I think I know most of the details about it, yeah."
Again, mercifully, Flowey accepted the response at face value. He stared at the rocky walls of the Ruins with a faraway look in his eyes.
"Yeah, I remember now - we talked a little about her after you saved me." He gave a rueful chuckle. "For a long time, I really thought you must be Chara. There was so much about you that reminded me of her. And it didn't help that I was so messed up back then." Again, a bit of red crept into his face, and he shrank down on his stem. Frisk reached forward and gently rubbed his hand against a couple of his petals.
"But yeah - Chara wasn't the greatest person in the world." Frisk winced, thankful that Chara hadn't come with him today after all. "But I really loved her," Flowey continued earnestly. "She was the best sister, and the best friend I ever had. Uh, no offense I mean!" he added, looking up sheepishly. "You're great too, Frisk! I'm really glad you keep coming back and-"
"Flowey," Frisk interrupted firmly, "what do you mean that Chara wasn't the greatest person? I mean, yeah, thinking that the best thing you could do for your family is kill yourself so your brother can take your soul - that was a terrible, terrible idea. But it hardly seems fair to say she was an awful person because of that."
"No, no, she wasn't awful, I don't mean that!" Flowey insisted, waving his vines. "I'm as much to blame for that, at least - I could have stopped her any time, or at least told Mom and Dad, and I was too much of a coward to do it."
His head drooped again. "No, I'm talking about what happened in the village. How she tried to… well… have I ever, uh, told you that part Frisk?"
Frisk answered, truthfully, "No, but I've heard pretty much how it happened. You don't have to tell me if you don't want," he added hurriedly. "I know it was pretty awful."
"It's OK," Flowey said glumly. "The truth is, I don't actually remember it all that well myself. Maybe I have amneesha? I remember once I was climbing this tree in Snowdin, and all of a sudden I woke up on the ground crying, and I was all muddy and my pants were torn and Mom was trying to heal me and get me quiet. She said she heard me crying and found me lying at the bottom of the tree. I must have fallen out of it, but I don't remember anything about that happening. Mom said you can get amneesha when you hurt your head. Maybe that's what happened in the village?"
"I dunno - I guess it could be amnesia, but maybe that part of your memory is still just confused."
"Well, anyway, what I do remember is how angry Chara was. Her soul was inside me, and I had set her body down on some flowers so I could put her soul back in her, when suddenly people started scr-"
"Wait… sorry, what?" Frisk stared at Flowey in confusion.
The flower returned his gaze with a quizzical look. "Huh?"
"What did you say about putting her soul back in?"
"Oh! I was going to heal all the buttercup poison that was still in her body, then put her soul back in her so we could start figuring out how to find some human souls. She said maybe if we talked to some really sick people who were going to die anyway, they might be willing…"
"Hang on, hang on, Flowey," Frisk interrupted again. "Where in the world did you get that ide… I mean, uh… what made you… uh, realize that you could put a human soul back in a dead person?"
"Oh, Chara told me! She said that since human souls last a little while after death, a boss monster could absorb it, then heal the human's body, and then put their soul back in so they'd wake up!"
For a few moments, Frisk stared open-mouthed at the earnest flower. A faint look of confusion and worry came into Flowey's eyes, and Frisk blurted out "Yeah, wow, that's, uh… that's really interesting."
"Yeah!" said Flowey, the confusion disappearing from his face. "I mean, that was the only reason we were going to do the dumb plan. We'd certainly never have done it if she was really gonna die." He wilted a bit. "It was still pretty stupid, though. But anyway, like I said, these people started screaming and-"
Flowey continued talking, but Frisk wasn't listening. He suddenly found himself getting very angry. A deep indignation burned in him, and he began to rehearse a very pointed conversation he intended to have once he got home. Only belatedly did he realize he hadn't heard anything Flowey had said for the last couple of minutes. He snapped back to attention just as the flower concluded.
"So yeah, I had to stop her from killing the villagers. I- I guess she really did just hate humanity."
Frisk refocused his eyes on Flowey, who was now positively drooping.
"She just wanted to kill everyone in the end." He gave a desultory wave of his vines.
Frisk shoved his anger to the side. "Flowey, Chara has- had some strong feelings, but I don't think she's a- I mean, I don't think she was a homicidal maniac. There must have been something else going on. Did she tell you anything about why she was trying to kill everyone?"
Flowey looked uncertain. "We weren't really talking much - we were mostly just panicking. Both of us were trying to run, she was trying to fight, I was trying to pick up her body, and there was just so much noise and shooting and… stuff." He looked at the ground and traced lines in the dirt with his vines. "I dunno… I guess I just can't remember everything."
"Well, whatever happened, I'm sure she was trying to help you."
"Yeah, that's true. I could tell she was trying to get me to drop her body on the ground and just run. But I didn't want to! I'd never have been able to heal her if I'd just left her there."
Again, an ache rose up in Frisk. He closed his eyes. A moment passed before Flowey spoke again.
"You know what the worst part is, Frisk?"
Frisk opened his eyes and looked down. Flowey looked even more despondent than before.
"I was so close to saving her. If I had just stopped and healed her before we go to the village, or found somewhere else out of the way, I could have done it! Then even if I had died, she'd still be alive today!"
Tears were now flowing down Flowey's cheeks. Frisk's heart broke as he slid down to the ground next to the flower and cradled him as best he could.
"I… I can't forgive myself for that," choked Flowey. "I was such an idiot! Why didn't I heal her first? Why didn't I do that on top of the mountain as soon as I went through the barrier? I could have saved her! She didn't have to die!"
"It's OK, Flowey," Frisk whispered, ignoring his own heartache. "It's OK. Really, you did everything you could. You… you couldn't… it's not pos-"
Frisk choked on his words as his own tears began to fall. He couldn't tell him. He couldn't bear to tell him.
"You tried. It's not your fault. It's not your fault. It's OK. It's OK…"
The silence that pervaded the abandoned Ruins returned, broken only by the soft, hitched breathing of the drooping flower Frisk cradled as he rocked gently back and forth.
Notes:
Hopefully it's clear, but just in case... this chapter reintroduces one of the themes from Worth a Thousand Words: the idea that Asriel would never, ever have allowed (much less assisted) Chara to kill herself under normal circumstances. The only way she could convince him to go through with the plan was to tell him an outrageous lie - that dead humans could have their souls absorbed, and then once their bodies were healed, their souls could be restored and they would wake back up again. Unfortunately, Asriel believed her.
Chapter 8: Sins of the Past
Chapter Text
The bang of the front door slamming shut told Toriel two things. Number one, it wasn't Asgore. Number two, something was wrong with her child. She set her book down on the end table and waited for the owner of the stomping feet to come into the living room.
"Hello, Frisk," she said as he entered.
"Hi, Mom," he said distractedly, looking around the room briefly.
"Asgore is not here at the moment, if you are looking for him. I believe he had some business to attend to in town."
"No, I wasn't looking for Dad."
"Is everything all right, dear one? Was there any trouble on your hike? You seem a little out of sorts."
Frisk was peering into the kitchen but stopped as he caught Toriel's concerned gaze. "Oh, sorry… no, everything was fine. I'm fine. I'm just… really thirsty," he finished awkwardly.
Toriel looked at him strangely but nodded. "Well, there is lemonade in the refrigerator if you would like."
"Thanks."
Frisk had far more important things on his mind, but he dutifully got a cup of lemonade and headed upstairs. He stepped into his room and put the cup on his desk, forgetting it immediately. He looked around, then opened the closet. The room was empty.
He strode out into the hall. The door of the disused bedroom next to him, now a storage room, was closed. Some unused furniture and the rest of the moving boxes Asgore hadn't unpacked yet were in there. In spite of the clutter, though, the room wasn't always unoccupied.
Frisk opened the door. His eyes narrowed. Bingo.
"Oh, you're back. And could you please knock when you come into my room?"
Chara glared down at him from her floating position near the ceiling before turning her attention back to the papers laid out along the top of the bookcase. Frisk put his hand on the shelf and scowled up at her. His mouth was set in a hard line.
"Chara." he said. "We need to talk."
She glanced down again. "About what?"
"About Flowey."
She rolled her eyes and turned back to the page she was reading. "I don't want to talk about that flower."
A stepladder was propped up next to the bookcase. Without another word, Frisk climbed up to stand next to Chara. He placed his arm on the bookcase, and with one swift, violent motion, swept all the pages off.
"Hey!" Chara yelped, as the papers scattered and floated to the ground. "What was that for?"
Frisk leaned over and stuck his face right in front of hers.
"Chara Dreemurr. We. Are going. To talk. Right now."
Chara blanched, as much as a ghost could blanch. Frisk trembled with barely suppressed anger.
"Okaaaaay," she said as nonchalantly as she could. "W-what do you want to talk about?"
"Not here. Come with me."
Without another word, Frisk left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He didn't acknowledge the ghost who floated through the door and down the steps behind him quietly.
He crossed through the living room, immediately wishing he hadn't slammed the door upstairs. Toriel was looking at him apprehensively again.
"Mom, I'm gonna go to the park for a while if that's OK."
"Frisk… are you sure everything is all right?"
"Yeah!" He tried to put on a semblance of a smile. "I just want to walk around the lake and be by myself for a while."
Ugh, that was stupid - she thinks I've already been by myself all day , he thought belatedly. But if Toriel was confused, she said nothing. She just stared at Frisk for another moment before glancing at the clock next to the door.
"Well, it is a little after 5:30 now. Please be home for dinner by 6:30".
"OK, I will. Bye, Mom."
The Ebott Valley Community Park was a short walk through the woods behind the Dreemurr family home. It was one of Frisk's favorite places to visit - the woods were full of sticks, bugs, and trees to climb, and the park had a lake where you could go fishing, or skip stones, or rent paddleboats and canoes to ride around. Mom had managed to squeeze into a paddleboat with him a few times (Dad had no hope of fitting), but most of the time he went out on his own. It was a nice place to relax and daydream.
At that moment, paddleboats were the furthest thing from his mind.
"Frisk, what is this all about?" asked Chara. She was having to float at a fairly rapid pace to keep up with Frisk's relentless marching. He paid no attention to her.
"Frisk? Helloooo, Frisk? What's going on?"
Still, the boy ignored her as he pressed on. Chara gave up and silently followed him until they emerged from the thick of the woods into a lightly wooded clearing. Frisk headed over to a bench near the lake. After making sure nobody was coming up the path from either direction, he threw himself down into the bench. Chara floated in front of him, matching his look of annoyance with one of her own. She crossed her arms.
"Well?" she demanded.
Frisk's eyes bored into her. "What did you say to Asriel about your soul?"
"What?" The question caught her off guard. "What are you talking about?" Yet even as she said it, a feeling of dread began to rise in her, along with a ragged wave of guilt she had never managed to fully suppress.
"On the day that you died. What did you tell him he could do with your soul?"
Frisk knew that she knew. Her eyes were haunted, and her hands began to restlessly knead each other.
"That- that he could absorb my soul and get through the barrier…"
"And then what?"
Chara swallowed but didn't answer.
"What was he going to do with it when he got through the barrier?"
The look in Frisk's eyes was like nothing Chara had ever seen. It wasn't resolve. It wasn't determination. It was something close to fury.
"What are you getting at, Frisk?" she asked helplessly, spreading her arms out.
He leaned forward, still holding her eyes with his. She floated back a couple of feet.
"You told him that he could heal all the poison in you, didn't you? And that he could stick your soul right back in your body, and you'd be alive again. Didn't you?"
Chara wrapped her arms around herself. She stared wordlessly at Frisk for a moment, trying to hold her gaze steady against his accusing eyes. She failed.
"I can't believe you!" shouted Frisk.
Chara cringed, instinctively looking around the empty park.
"I can't believe you lied to Asriel like that! Your own brother! That's the only reason he did it, isn't it? He only let you kill yourself because he thought you would just wake right back up after he healed you. That's why he did it, right? That's the reason he died, isn't it?
"What do you want me to say, Frisk?" cried Chara. "Yes! Yes, that's what I told him because I thought I was doing the right thing! I didn't know he was going to get killed! I didn't even know I was going to be alive inside him! I thought he would just use my soul power and save everyone and get out of the underground and finally be happy!"
"He was happy, Chara!" Frisk yelled, balling up his fists. "You, and Mom and Dad were all he wanted! He was fine and he was happy, and you took all that away from him!"
"I- I didn't mean…" Chara's knees were shaking and started to buckle.
"You got him killed!"
"I didn't…!" Chara crumpled to the ground and began to wail.
Frisk stared down at her. A small hint of pity began to creep into his mind. Her lie had been a terrible one, it was true, but it had been done out of a misguided notion of love. And it had cost Chara her own life as well. Was he being too hard on her?
Suddenly, her wail was choked off as she gasped in pain. As her hands clutched at her non-existent heart, Chara's whole body started to shimmer and dissolve. First her legs, then her arms grew transparent.
Frisk's anger evaporated immediately. "Chara? Chara, what- what's-?"
Chara's head snapped back, and with another strangled cry she disappeared completely.
"Chara!"
Frisk jumped off the park bench and stumbled towards the spot where the ghost had been kneeling on the ground. He waved his hands frantically through the space where she had been and began looking around in all directions. "Chara? Where are you??"
No-one answered. The afternoon sunlight played along the lake, causing the rocks under the shallow water to shimmer. The trees waved softly in the breeze. Not another person was in sight. No other sounds broke the silence.
"Chara, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, come back!"
But nobody came.
Chapter Text
Frisk sat alone on the bench, slumped over with his head down. All his rage had dissolved, leaving only desperate, panicked thoughts and a heavy weight of guilt on his back. He had already frantically jogged the full length of the park, circling the lake, looking in between the trees bordering the path, calling Chara's name, wondering if he should run home and look for his friend there.
His friend. His sister. She rolled her eyes when he called her that, but she was his sister! What had he done? What had he done to her?
Would she be back home in the room she had claimed as her own? Or was it possible she might be back in the underground? If he went back to where it all started, back to the flowerbed in the Ruins, would he find her there again?
Somehow, he didn't think so. And although he fought against it, an icy fear was taking hold in his brain. She was gone. Completely gone. And the only person who even knew she existed, who had enough determination to free an enslaved kingdom, was powerless to bring her back.
Determination? It had taken more than that, though, to find a way to release the imprisoned monsters. It had taken an extraordinary gift, inexplicably bestowed on him the moment he fell in the monster kingdom and dissipating just as mysteriously after the underground had gone empty. Without the universe rewinding itself around him when he died or even when he closed his eyes and willed it to happen, he doubted he would have made it out of the Ruins alive. But his single-minded resolve, combined with the preternatural ability to correct his mistakes as many times as necessary, allowed him to finally find a way to bring freedom to the imprisoned monsters.
But the universe no longer permitted him to move backwards through time. Past events could not be corrected. His mistakes were permanent now. The consequences of his actions were unavoidable.
Angry, cutting words could never be unsaid.
Chara had started having these fits a few months earlier. At first, she would just wince, like she was dealing with some unseen illness. She would shake it off and tell Frisk not to worry about it. She mostly treated it as an occasional annoyance. But then the incidents started lasting longer. And then bits of her began to fade. It greatly worried Frisk, and Chara herself had no idea why it happened or what it meant. But she always recovered. Within a few moments, she was always back to normal.
But this time…
And he was the one who had done it. In his anger over how she had gotten Asriel killed, he had killed her.
His own friend. His own sister. She was gone, and it was all his fault.
The burden of guilt crushed him, and he bent over and put his head in his hands. His tears began to flow in earnest, as sobs started rolling out of him.
"Unnnnhhhh…" came a groan.
Frisk snapped his head up, tears falling onto his shirt. There on the ground in front of him, a translucent shape slowly pulled itself onto its knees.
"Chara!" Frisk screamed, throwing himself down next to her. He passed his hands through her uselessly, trying help support the incorporeal girl. She sat up with difficulty and rubbed her head. Slowly her body began to grow more opaque.
"Chara, are you all right? I'm sorry! I'm so sorry for what I said! Are you OK?"
The girl groaned again and turned her weary crimson eyes on him. "I'm… I'm fine, Frisk. What- what happened?"
"You… you disappeared. Completely. You've been gone for, like, an hour!"
"An hour?" Chara said weakly. With effort she pulled herself into a standing position, floating a few inches above the ground. The bright colors of her shirt now looked faded and muted. She ran her hands over her ghostly clothes, patting her body before looking up again.
"Was it really an hour? I remember crying, and then I felt really bad for a minute… and then I felt like I was being pulled apart… and everything went black… and then I woke up and I was lying on the ground."
"Yeah, it was at least that long." Frisk looked at her plaintively. "Chara, I am so sorry! I don't know what happened, but it must have been my fault. I- I shouldn't have said what I said. About you and Asriel. I'm sorry. That was mean. I'm really sorry!"
Chara blinked several times, trying to bring her thoughts in order. Then she sighed and hung her head.
"No- you were right, Frisk. I got him killed. I'm the only reason he's dead today and not living with his mom and dad at home. I was an absolute idiot."
"No!" Frisk pleaded. "I know- I know you didn't mean it. I know you didn't mean for anything to happen to him."
"But it did." Chara's voice was flat.
"You-" Frisk cast about for something, anything to say. "You thought you were doing the right thing…" he pleaded quietly.
Chara stared at him. There was no anger in her eyes, no arrogance, no recrimination. No emotion whatsoever. Just weariness. Frisk would have preferred anything, even outrage, to that empty look. After a moment Chara sighed and dropped her eyes.
"Frisk! There you are!"
The stentorian voice caused the boy to jump and turn around. Asgore was just emerging from the woods. Even from where he was standing, Frisk could see the frown on his face. His eyes darted down to his watch.
7:03
"Oh! Dad! I'm sorry, I-I lost track of time. We-I can go back now."
The King looked stern as he approached the bench, but Frisk could see the worry in his eyes. "This is not like you, Frisk. We have been trying to call you; do you not have your phone?"
Frisk's hands flew to his pockets. Both of them were empty. "I'm sorry! I must have left it in my room after I got back from Mount Ebott."
"We will talk about this more tonight. Your mother has been quite worried." Asgore said, turning on his heels. "Come along."
The King set off back the way he came. Frisk followed meekly, not saying a word all the way back to the house, occasionally casting worried glances over his shoulder at the listless figure drifting behind him at a distance.
Dinner was a quiet affair. Asgore's threatened lecture ended up being relatively benign; he and Toriel reiterated the need for Frisk to carry his phone whenever he went out, to make sure it was always charged, to call if he was going to be late, and so on. Frisk accepted it all meekly, and the strained family mood lifted after that. The King and Queen asked Frisk how his morning had gone, and Frisk, now well-versed in avoiding any mention of his main reason for entering the mountain, gave them vague answers. But even after his favorite dessert (chocolate and peanut butter ice cream) he was still in the doldrums and excused himself to his room after dinner. He glanced around as he came in, but it was empty. Stepping back in the hall, he quietly tapped on the door next to his. Nobody answered. He decided not to risk intruding and returned to his books.
The burden of guilt that weighed on him only got worse a couple of hours later when he heard someone clearing his throat and looked up to see Asgore in the doorway. He was carrying a heavy box of file folders.
"Howdy, Frisk. Do you happen to know anything about these?"
He set the box down and held out some loose sheets of paper. Frisk peered at the sheets, then groaned inwardly. Yet another way he had blown it.
"I found them scattered on the floor in the spare room. Are these photocopies of library books? Something of yours?"
"Sorry, Dad. Yeah, I'll take those," Frisk said as he came around his desk and reached out his hands. "I just.. was keeping them in there," he added vaguely.
Asgore looked at him quizzically for a moment. "Son, is everything all right up here?"
Frisk forced a smile. "Yeah, Dad!" He gestured back at the books on his desk. "Just reading about monster history."
The King smiled and shook his head. "Frisk, I do believe you are going to be the world's foremost authority of our kingdom's history if you keep that up. Even more than those of us who lived through it!" Frisk laughed appropriately, and Asgore headed off downstairs with his box.
As soon as he was gone, Frisk darted into the hallway, clutching the papers. "Chara?" he said as he knocked. There was no answer. This time, Frisk turned the knob and let himself in.
The sun had set, leaving the room illuminated only by weak moonlight and distant streetlights. He flipped on the switch.
She was sitting on the floor, knees drawn up to her chest, next to a stack of boxes on the floor. She turned towards Frisk as he came in, fixing lifeless eyes on him.
"Chara, I- I brought these back," he said with a hint of desperation, waving the sheets. "I'm sorry I forgot to put them back. I- I'm sorry I made a mess of them and… and…"
Still she stared at him. There was no accusation in her eyes. There wasn't anything at all.
Frisk sighed. He closed the door, them came over and dropped down next to the girl. Both of them stared at the floor.
"I'm really sorry for making a mess of everything," he said after several moments. "Can- can you forgive me?"
That brought a derisive snort out of the girl. "You didn't say anything I haven't told myself a hundred times before, Frisk. You were right. There's only one reason why Asriel is dead and why I'm sitting in a room where I can't even turn on the lights. I'm the one who ruined everything. We both know that."
"But it was a mistake, Chara. I know…!" Frisk added as she glared at him and started to open her mouth. "I know, it was a big mistake. A serious mistake. But there's a difference between making a mistake, and really trying to hurt someone. And I know - I know - you would never have hurt Asriel if you could help it."
"That's beside the point," she said, raising her voice. "It doesn't matter what I meant. It matters what I did. And what happened." She broke off eye contact and twisted her head away.
"He didn't want to do it," she added in a low voice. "I wanted him and Toriel and Asgore to finally be free, but he didn't want to do it. I had to keep lying to him to make him do it. I won't even be dead for an hour, I told him. And then we'll go get the souls and break the barrier together." She spat the words out bitterly. "If I had actually wanted to get him killed by humans, I don't think I could have planned it better."
Frisk looked at her in despair, trying to fish around for something else to say.
"I still hear him, you know?" Her voice had dropped to barely above a whisper. Her eyes stared blankly out the window. She took a shuddering breath. "Did I ever tell you I could see through his eyes, Frisk? I can still see it. We're on the floor of the throne room. Everything is sideways because he can't even lift his head up anymore. His eyes are just staring at the doorway, waiting for Mom and Dad. But they're not coming. And he's asking me what to do, Frisk. He's whimpering and he's begging me."
Chara was starting to sniffle heavily.
"He's asking the girl who's killing him what to do. And he's not even angry. He's not even angry, Frisk! He just… he just wants…"
There was another long pause. Tears were coming down the girl's cheeks.
"And I can't say anything. It's like my lips won't work anymore. I can't help him. I can't even say goodbye. And then… then he's gone."
"Chara… I am so, so-"
"You know why I never go to the mountain with you, Frisk?"
The words were sharp. Still, she refused to look him in the eye. After a moment's hesitation, Frisk nodded. "You've told me."
"I mean, if I had any hope that that creature you're talking to was my brother, and not some sick, murdering demon that knows how to talk and act like Asriel, I'd be flying up that mountain in a heartbeat. But I'll tell you another reason I don't go up there."
Her voice grew more ragged.
"It's because I'm afraid. I'm afraid I'll listen to that thing, and I'll hear what I want to hear. It'll sound so much like him that I'll start to believe. I'll start to believe the lie. I'll start to think of that thing as him. Just like you do.
Frisk gulped. Chara's breath hitched, and she fought to keep her words under control.
"And if I start thinking that's really him… then that's the end of me. I can't move on from that. I can grieve a brother who is dead and gone, Frisk. It kills me, and it'll probably never stop hurting, but I can do it. But if that creature is really him? Hanging between life and death, abandoned by his parents, abandoned by everyone, stuck in the empty ruins of the only world he ever knew, forever? Living as a flower? I can't live with that. I don't get to live, Frisk, while he lives like that."
Again, she had to stop, fighting back the tears and sobs that were threatening to burst out.
"I killed him Frisk. I killed him. And my only comfort in all of this - the only tiny sliver of comfort I have - is that I know he's gone. He's at peace now. He's not suffering anymore. That chapter is done, and I wish they'd just dynamite the underground shut because his story is over. That life - his life, his world - is gone."
"Chara…"
"You know how I know that flower's not him, Frisk?" Chara asked scornfully. "Because in all the times you've talked about him, and told me the things he's said, you have never once - not once - told me the one thing that I know my real brother would say about me."
"What's that?"
"That he hates me," she said through clenched teeth.
Frisk recoiled. Chara smirked bitterly at the shock on his face.
"That's what the real Asriel would tell you, Frisk. What did that thing say to us back then, right after the fight? That I wasn't the 'greatest person in the world'? Yeah, you think maybe the girl who lied to him and did everything she could to get him killed might possibly not have been the greatest person in the world?" she spat out. "Asriel would tell you how much he detests me, Frisk. He might not say it to my face, but after all this time he'd have definitely told you. And has he ever said that? Has this flower that claims to be Asriel ever told you how much he hates me?"
"He talked about you today, as a matter of fact," Frisk said quietly.
"Oh, did he?" Chara asked with mock cheer. "And what did the happy flower say about me? How much he looooved me? How much fun it was to play make-believe together? How good a friend I was?"
"We talked about the village."
Chara's mocking smile fell. She stared at him.
"He told me-" Frisk trailed off pensively, then came to a decision. "He told me that with everything that happened that day, he only had one big regret."
The girl continued to stare at him.
"…which was?" she breathed.
"That he couldn't save you."
Chara's lip quivered. She swallowed hard. Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. She grimaced and wiped them away angrily.
"Well, that just proves my point, doesn't it?" she choked out. "That he's playing you for a fool. As if the real Asriel would ever say that. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
Frisk's mouth fell open. Chara blinked rapidly and sniffed hard. "You don't say that about the person who slaughtered you and ripped your family to pieces, Frisk."
Her voice had dropped almost to a whisper. "Asriel wouldn't say that about me. Not if he really knew."
Frisk shook his head, but before he could figure out what to say, Chara turned away.
"Leave me alone. I don't want to talk anymore."
"Chara, please…"
"We are done, Frisk," she gritted out. "Turn out the light and go away."
Chara pulled her knees back up to her chest and folded her arms around them, cradling her head. For a moment, Frisk looked at her with anguish. Eventually, he turned and slowly went to the door. He opened it, then threw one more glance back at the girl who sat unmoving on the floor. He flipped the light switch, then closed the door softly behind him, leaving the room in darkness.
Notes:
Thus ends Part One of our story. If you've made it this far, congratulations! and thank you for sticking through a bunch of a chapters full of sad memories and sad kiddos. The stage is set now. On to Part Two!
Chapter 10: (PART TWO) Finally Awake
Chapter Text
The CORE was a wonderful place to get lost in. The main system had been shut down by the last few operators before they left the underground, but it still hummed with minimal power, just enough to run the elevators and doors. The endlessly reconfigurable modules, walkways, and rooms of the CORE meant that there was very little rhyme or reason to the layout. One area might show careful design by a particularly skilled operator. Another had walkways that lead right into rock walls or (if the design was particularly bad) allowed a person to walk right off the edge into the lava below. Judging from the number of places where the paths led straight to disaster, Frisk suspected that the training and qualifications required to become a CORE operator were pretty minimal.
Admittedly, the pool of available monsters to hire from had been very limited throughout the long history of the CORE. Add to that the fantastic complexity of the magical power factory, and perhaps it wasn't surprising that the CORE was both wondrous and incomprehensible. Dr. Alphys herself had admitted that she only barely knew enough of the workings of the CORE to keep it running properly. Unfortunately, the brilliance of its creator had apparently not extended his documentation skills. While Dr. Alphys and the factory overseers had been able to keep the massive power plant operational, the theory behind how it actually converted geothermal energy into magical power was still fuzzy to everyone.
Even the full extent of the sprawling complex wasn't completely known. The parts of the CORE that hadn't been rearranged by its puzzle-loving staff were fairly well mapped out, but conduits and pipes disappearing into the rock ceilings and walls lead many to suspect there were parts of the CORE nobody had visited since its creator had disappeared. If he had drawn up any master schematics or blueprints, they had disappeared with him.
None of that mattered to Frisk. Of all the places he enjoyed exploring in the underground, the maze-like environment of the dormant power plant was the most enticing. Every steel grating and staircase led to somewhere interesting. Sometimes a touchpad would be lit up, and he could pass through a sliding door into a new room and see what kind of computers and buttons and levers were there. Even better, sometimes a rusted door could be pried open, and he could peek into a dusty room long disused, full of interesting tools, abandoned notebooks, and other scientific detritus.
If the CORE had been on the surface, it would have been at least eight stories tall, Frisk guessed - maybe more. It was difficult to be sure, given how much of it was embedded in the volcanic rock that made up much of Hotland. Frisk usually preferred exploring the upper levels, where the heat wasn't as bad. Today, though, the weather in Ebott Valley had been quite chilly, and positively freezing halfway up the mountain. The warmth of Hotland was a welcome change.
Frisk found a working elevator and took it to the bottom level to have a look around. There weren't any rooms on this floor - just a small operator's outbuilding here and there, full of valve wheels and levers and cryptic gauges. This area was the substructure that made up the CORE's foundation - mostly massive pipes, twisting and bending their way upwards or traveling horizontally into the cave wall. Frisk ducked in and among the metal cylinders, climbing onto the horizontal ones and balancing himself while walking as far as possible before it bent away from him, or climbing the flanges of the vertical ones to see how high he could go. The noise of the machinery still running was significant. It must have been positively deafening, he thought, when the plant was fully operational.
As he walked along a section of metal grating, he stopped suddenly. The walkway ended in a mass of rock. That fact itself wasn't unusual in other parts of the CORE that had been poorly reconfigured by untrained operators, but the lowest level of the CORE wasn't built to be rearranged. Unlike the rest of the modular factory, this area that supported the entire facility had to be stationary. Frisk looked around. Every other walkway he had followed on this level ended in a staircase or iron bars to protect people from stepping off into the lava, which hissed and popped only fifty feet or so below. This appeared to be the only pathway that ended in a rock wall.
Something about the walkway grating seemed odd to Frisk. It didn't end in straight line; it was jagged and torn, roughly matching the curved contours of the rock wall directly in front of it. He knelt down to look at it more closely. The grating didn't fit snuggly against the rock in front of it. In fact, the ragged metal edges closest to the rock appeared to be bent downwards.
Suddenly it clicked: this wasn't the end of the walkway. Or at least it hadn't been in the past. The rock in front of him must have been dislodged by some ancient collapse in the cave ceiling, and either crashed or poured down in molten form, tearing away the metal flooring and blocking the path. The walkway must have originally continued beyond this point.
But to where? This was the far end of the giant cavern; the substructure of the CORE was entirely behind him. There didn't seem to be any other pipes or machines beyond where he was. He looked up at the massive rocks blocking the way. They didn't seem to extend too far above the broken walkway - maybe only twelve feet or so. To his right, a small pipe hugged the fallen rock, curving upwards to rise to the main part of the CORE far above him. If he was careful, he might be able to climb the flanges to peer over the rock. If he was especially careful, he might even scrabble on top of it. With a deep breath, and a cautious test of the pipe's stability, Frisk started climbing.
As he reached a spot level with the surface of the rock, he studied it carefully. It certainly looked stable enough. Keeping his arms firmly around the pipe, he cautiously put one foot on the rocky surface. It felt solid to him. He looked back at the pipe; it would still be within easy reach once he let go and transferred his entire body to the rock. Carefully, he shifted his other foot, then let go of the pipe. The massive boulder under him didn't budge.
There was about five feet of space on top of the rock to stand, but a wave of giddiness came over Frisk and he decided to squat down. Scooting carefully to the far side of the boulder, he looked down. To his delight, he saw that his guess had been correct - another jagged piece of walkway began on the far side of the volcanic boulder, then continued on for about twenty feet before turning and disappearing into a niche in the cavern wall.
Fortunately, Frisk has gained enough experience with the occasionally treacherous areas of the CORE to come prepared. He shrugged off his backpack, opened it, and pulled out a lightweight nylon rope and a pair of carabiners. He wrapped the rope around his climbing pipe, snapped it into one of the carabiners, pulled it tight, and looked over the far side again. The grating below looked like it was structurally sound, but it wasn't until he climbed down and gingerly tested it first with one foot, then with the other, that he finally put his whole weight on it. To be sure, he double-checked that he was clipped securely to the rope, then bounced gently up and down. The grating creaked and swayed slightly but held firm.
He unclipped himself from the rope and started down the walkway, turning to follow it where it angled into the sheer rock. A metal door fit tightly within the surrounding wall. Unlike most of the other doors, this one appeared to have a physical lock rather than an electronic touch pad. Frisk pushed on the door. To his delight, he discovered it wasn't locked. Its hinges squealed in protest, but he put his shoulder to it and pushed as hard as he could. With considerable effort he was able to shove the door open far enough to squeeze through the opening and into the area beyond.
The room he found himself in was lit by a few standby lights and it took Frisk's eyes several seconds to adjust as he blinked away the dazzling brightness of the glowing lava outside. The room was fairly large - about the size of a school classroom. Or maybe a school science lab. The walls were lined with a number of bookshelves, tables, workbenches, cabinets, shelves, and various machines. A few desks were scattered throughout. Several of them had computers on the floor beside them. The largest desk sat against the wall closest to him and was covered with papers, file folders, a keyboard, and an old computer monitor. A long workbench occupied the center of the room, on which sat various tools and machinery in varying states of disassembly. There were several other doors leading from the room, all closed.
It was clear that nobody had been here for a very long time. Some of the ceiling tiles had fallen to the floor, exposing conduits, pipes, and a rock ceiling above it. A machine of some kind that had been bolted to the wall now sagged down at an angle, held up on only one side. A fair amount of debris was on the floor. Frisk traced his finger on the desk, cutting through a thick layer of dust.
He found what he took to be a light switch on the wall next to the door and flipped it on, but nothing happened. Using his phone's flashlight, he started making his way around the room slowly, examining the desks and equipment and trying the doors. The first one had a keypad, but without power there was no way to use it.
Frisk picked up a chart that had fallen off the wall. It seemed to show some kind of chemical (or magical?) formulas, but he couldn't make heads or tails of it. He tried the drawers in the desks. They were filled with pens, more file folders, and various small tools. On the edge of the desk was a device that resembled a microscope, except it had three eyepieces. Frisk tried looking through it, but there was nothing to see.
He moved on and tried the second door. Interestingly this one, like the door he had come through, had a physical key lock. Unlike the entry door, however, this one was locked. Frisk rattled the handle but couldn't get it to budge. He glanced at the other doors across the room. Both of them had keypads, neither of which were lit up. Without power, the room was a dead end.
The bookcase next to him was full, and Frisk stepped over to it eagerly. Even with his limited experience underground, he had a feeling that the glory days of technical, scientific, and magical achievements in the underground had been in the distant past. The CORE's mysterious provenance and operation was proof of that. Even Dr. Alphys, the closest thing to an expert on the properties of souls he knew, freely admitted she was standing on the shoulders of scientists she only recalled hazily. If there was any place that could tell him about how souls worked, this ancient, forgotten lab (or office or whatever it was) seemed like a good bet.
He was disappointed, however. Many of the books were incomprehensible research notebooks and binders. He pulled one out at random and flipped it open. It was full of handwritten notes with dates, meaningless numbers, and occasional diagrams and formulas. He put it back and looked at the spines of the rest of the books. Most of the titles were baffling to him. He supposed they must have meant something to the scientists who worked here, but he could barely pronounce some of the words.
He turned away from the bookcase and moved on to the table beside it. There was a pair of grimy safety goggles here, along with a set of glass flasks suspended on some kind of rod-
"…top…"
Frisk froze.
He remained absolutely still for half a minute. Strange sounds in the CORE weren't necessarily unusual, but this one had sounded very much like a voice. As he stood there motionless, he heard a sound that could have been the wind, or a quiet exhale of breath.
"…top…case"
He snapped his head around but saw nothing but the rest of the disused lab and his own footprints on the dusty floor.
"H-hello?" he called tentatively.
There was no response. Slowly, he began to retrace his steps towards the entrance. His eyes darted around the room.
"Hello?" he tried again.
"…bookca-"
The sound was barely more than a whisper, creeping up behind him. Frisk stopped and turned back around. The second door was there, next to the bookcase, next to the table with-
Bookcase. That's what the whisper had said, wasn't it? Bookcase? What else had he heard? Did it say "top"?
Frisk felt a tingling mixture of fear, creepiness, and excitement. He stepped over to the bookcase. It rose up almost to the ceiling. Even an adult human would have found it awkward to use the upper shelves. Whatever monsters had worked here must have been exceptionally tall. Frisk looked at it for a moment before his curiosity finally got the better of him. He dragged over a stool from the table in the middle of the room and climbed on top of it. His head came level with the top shelf.
Disappointment set in. The shelf was almost bare. There were a few binders up here, like the ones on the lower shelves, but a quick check revealed that all of them were empty. Frisk ran his hands along the shelf, but there was nothing else there. Had he been mistaken about the whole thing? Had it just been the wind all along?
It couldn't have been , Frisk thought. Why would there be wind sounds in a closed room? And although it had been faint, Frisk could have sworn it was a voice, not just the whistle of a breeze. He was sure he had heard "top" and what sounded like "bookcase".
Wait - did it mean the top top? Frisk reached as high as he could and ran his fingers along the top surface of the shelf. He couldn't see what he was doing, but his sweeping hands sent dust clouds swirling down on him, causing him to sneeze. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, reaching as far as he could without falling off the stool. As he pulled his hand towards him, it brushed over something small and hard. Carefully he moved the object towards the edge of the shelf, where he was able to pick it up between his finger and thumb. It was a key. Frisk turned it around and looked at each side. It was perfectly ordinary. There were no markings on it whatsoever.
He clambered down from the stool and looked around, his excitement building. The voice had told him where to find a key! What was he supposed to do with it now? He waited for a moment to see if any more instructions were forthcoming, but nothing broke the silence. Frisk was only mildly disappointed; surely it had to be something in this room.
He started for a large cabinet across the room, then stopped in his tracks. With a chuckle and shake of his head, Frisk turned back and stepped over to the locked door beside the bookcase - the only other door in the room besides the entrance with a physical lock. The key fit perfectly and turned easily.
Frisk pulled the door open. In front of him was a narrow shaft. A metal staircase spiraled downwards. He peered down through the grating that made up the steps. It didn't seem to go too far - maybe just a floor or so. Frisk propped the door open with a chair, then, with a deep breath, started down the spiral staircase.
He emerged at the bottom into a small, curious space. The staircase had come down in the corner of an unusually bright room that was smaller than his bedroom. The two walls next to him were ordinary, but the walls opposite the staircase were made up entirely of panels of thick, reinforced glass. Other than a bookcase next to the stairs, the only other objects in the room were a rolling chair and a large console of some kind against one of the windowed panels.
As Frisk stepped over to the window, the reason for the light became apparent. Beyond the glass, just a few feet below him, a large lake of lava glowed bright orange. The rock walls of the cave that surrounded the lake were featureless, except for a large box-like machine just on the other side of the window, suspended over the lava. About thirty cylinders extended below the machine, hovering above the molten surface.
The heat in the room was significant. Frisk wiped the sweat from his face and turned his attention to the console in front of him. There were a number of levers, buttons and dials. A few light bulbs were on the panel, all of them dark. Mounted on the ceiling over the console were several monitors, which also appeared to be without power. Frisk looked the console over several times but couldn't figure out what its purpose was.
"turn the cr-"
Frisk jumped at the voice. It was still faint but sounded louder than before. He looked around and, on instinct, back out the window. There was nobody there.
"Hello? Did you say to turn something? Wha-what should I turn?" He looked down at the array of instruments again. Was there anything obvious here that needed turning?"
"on the side - turn th-"
Frisk got off the chair and looked on the side of the machine. There! A large crank jutted out of the metal cabinet. He reached down and grasped the handle. It was difficult to make it move - it felt like there was some giant wheel inside the machine that was turning slowly when the crank did. He leaned his body over the crank, using his whole weight to force it down to the bottom, then strained to pull it back up again. He repeated the process a few times. Was he doing it right? How many times would he need to turn it? Or wait - was it supposed to go the other direction? He hoped the voice would tell him if he was doing it wrong.
As if on cue, he heard "good - now push the gre-"
Frisk pulled himself upright. The incomplete instruction didn't need much explaining; a single button in the top-left of the console was now lit in green. For a moment, Frisk hesitated, and wondered how advisable it was to follow the commands of a ghostly voice in an abandoned factory. Would it be better to leave and go tell someone, like Mom or Dad? Or Dr. Alphys? But once again, his curiosity got the better of him. He had come this far; he couldn't stop now.
Frisk pressed the button.
A grinding noise came from outside the room. He turned and looked out the window. The box-like machine had come to life. Very slowly, the cylinders underneath it began to extend downwards until they touched the lava. As they continued descending into the molten liquid they began to shine brightly, like incredibly intense fluorescent tube lights. Frisk squinted against the glare.
A chime next to him caught his attention and he turned to the console. There was a series of ten small bulbs in a row at the top of the panel. The first bulb was glowing green. There was another chime, and a second bulb came on. Frisk watched as each of the bulbs chimed on in sequence. As soon as the tenth one lit up, the entire console suddenly came to life. Fans inside the machine began to whir. The monitors over his head flickered on and began displaying lines of text. Other lights began to wink on and off on the console. With a buzz, the lights in the ceiling came to life.
"Ahhhh…"
The voice behind him was still quiet, but definitely clearer now. Frisk turned around.
And then screamed and fell over backwards onto the floor.
Standing directly in front of him was an extremely tall figure. It was hard to tell if it was a man or monster. It was covered entirely in a shapeless black robe, except for its pale white face and hands. The creature's eyes were like black voids with cracks running around the sockets. Its mouth looked like a black gash cut into its white head.
Even as he gaped in horror, the figure stepped back quickly and raised its hands. The black eye sockets morphed into a shape that looked abashed.
"Ah! Please forgive me. I had not anticipated this level of corporeality, nor did I foresee the effect I might have on one such as yourself. My sincerest apologies."
As the figured waved its arms, Frisk saw that the edges of its hands were indistinct. In fact, he realized, the entire figure was fuzzy all around the edges. The long black robe didn't end in any feet. In fact, it didn't end anywhere. It just faded away at the bottom.
"Wh-wh-who are you?" he said, as he shakily started to pull himself to his feet. The figure stood still for a moment without answering him. Then it sighed.
"That is a very interesting question. And it appears I am unable to give a cogent answer. I find that I have knowledge about a great many things, and that I am also ignorant of some very fundamental facts. This discrepancy seems to be consistent with my theories - or at least the theories that I remember myself having - yet I find it most discomfiting to be the subject of the experiment now, trying to collect objective observational data on myself with no control for comparison. Can the data truly be unbiased if the subject is also the observer?"
He stopped as he caught the boy's blank expression. To Frisk's surprise, the figure bowed to him.
"I apologize; this is neither the time nor place for that discussion. Rather, I owe you an immense debt of gratitude for enabling me to return. And to answer your question, I am afraid I am uncertain of my identity. That is to say, the person who I once was does not truly exist in any localized form anymore. The essence of that person - of that monster? Yes… yes, a monster - I was a monster. But the essence of the monster that I was has been scattered and absorbed into this creation of mine. The CORE, is it not? Yes… yes, it all comes back to me! This is the CORE. This was my greatest invention. And now, it and I have become merged into a new entity. What you see before you, young child…"
The figure stopped and looked more closely at Frisk in surprise.
"Young… human, are you not? Yes. Yes, you are indeed a human child. What an incredible happenstance, that you should be the one to awaken me. But pardon, as I was saying, the phantasm you now see standing before you is merely a representation of the man that I was."
"I- I'm not sure I understand any of this," Frisk said weakly. "I still don't really know who you are. And where did you come from? Do you live here?"
"An admirable level of curiosity. I shall answer insofar as I can. To the question of my identity, I know of no better way to describe myself except simply to say that all that I was and all that I am now has been united with the CORE. Or if you prefer, you may consider me the overseer of the CORE. As to the rest, I will explain. To begin with… ah!"
The figure bent towards Frisk as the boy wiped the sweat off his face.
"I apologize, I was slow to observe the level of discomfort you feel in this room. Most humans are not tolerant of high heat levels. And since this is the deepest room within the entire CORE, it is therefore one of the hottest. Shall we ascend to a more comfortable climate?" He turned and indicated the staircase with both hands.
"Yeah, that'd be a lot better," panted Frisk. "I left my bag up there anyway with my water bottles." He started towards the staircase.
The figure moved with him, but stopped, as if struck with a sudden thought.
"Pardon, young human, but might I ask a favor of you before you depart?"
"Uh, sure."
Frisk followed the Overseer, as he decided to think of him, as the figure hovered his way to the console. The man stretched out a white finger towards the controls.
"If you would, please press this button, then turn this dial until the needle on the gauge rises to 30. Once it does, press these two buttons and flip this switch, then this, then this one." He indicated the controls in succession.
"Um, sure-" replied Frisk, pulling the chair towards him, "but, uh… not to be rude, but couldn't you do that yourself?"
For an answer, the man pressed his hand onto the console. The hand went straight through the panel, glowing brightly at the spot where it disappeared into the machinery. Frisk's eyes widened. The man pulled his arm back out, leaving no trace where it had passed through the panel.
"As you can see, my corporeality does not extend to the level of allowing me to interface with physical objects. I can be seen and heard, but no other physical interaction is possible."
"Oh, yeah, that makes sense." Frisk turned to the controls, missing the slight widening of the ghost's eye sockets and tilt of his head. "OK, no problem, I can do that. Let's see - this button, right? Then turn this dial…"
Frisk followed the instructions. The man behind him glanced up at the changing readouts on the monitors above as Frisk worked. When he finished, Frisk looked up. The man watched the monitors a moment longer before nodding.
"Excellent - the MagWatt output is well within tolerances. I had concerns that the machinery would have degraded in my long absence to the point of inoperability, but it appears that my systems are still functioning with a high degree of efficiency." He said this with what sounded to Frisk like a bit of smugness. "And now, let us depart, human child."
Frisk hopped out of the chair and headed for the staircase.
"And… child, may I ask you a question?"
Again, Frisk stopped at the foot of the stairs. He turned back questioningly.
"This may be an inaccurate observation or an unwarranted inference, but it appeared to me that my lack of ability to interface physically with the world did not seem particularly surprising to you. I must confess that my knowledge of humanity is severely limited, but it was my understanding that there are no incorporeal members of the human race. Am I mistaken?"
"Um… if you mean, we don't have any ghosts on the surface, that's true. I- well- I, uh-" Frisk suddenly found his face getting red. "I mean, it's mostly true. There are… almost none."
The figure tilted his head at him. "An intriguing answer." He paused, waiting for Frisk to add more.
Frisk was glad that he could blame the heat for the sweat on his forehead. "Yeah- uh… look, I know that doesn't make a lot of sense? But I can't really say any more about that right now. Um… sorry."
The man gave a small bow.
"As you wish, child. I did not mean to unsettle you."
Frisk nodded and hurried up the staircase. A moment later the apparition floated up after him.
Chapter 11: The Forgotten Lab
Chapter Text
"This area is the oldest part of the CORE."
The Overseer gestured to the room around him. All the lights had come on, and several of the computers and machinery around the room had come to life as well. Frisk sat in the chair by the large desk next to the entrance. The man floated around the room, peering at the shelves and tables as he continued speaking. His voice took on a lecturing tone.
"This is where we first began to test whether geothermal energy could be converted into the magical energy that monsters are natively attuned to. The room below us controls one of the earliest MagWatt generators installed. It is positively primitive compared to the larger and more efficient models that I designed much later. As the CORE grew into the full-fledged power-harnessing complex that it is today, this area was converted into my Research and Development laboratory. The single generator below was decoupled from the main CORE and configured to power this area alone. It was more than sufficient for our research efforts."
"So, the machine outside the window downstairs sucks up the lava and turns it into magic?"
The Overseer turned his pale face towards Frisk, a slight frown twisting the empty sockets.
"I would not put it so simplistically. But in a sense, yes. The tremendous heat from the molten rock is transformed into a magical field, the energy of which can be stored and harnessed. It's all in there if you're curious," he said, absently waving at one of the bookcases. He moved to the center table and bent over the disassembled machinery.
"So, um… if you don't mind my asking, why are you here?"
The man looked up questioningly. "I know you said you're part of the CORE or something," Frisk hurried on. "I guess… what I mean is, who were you? Are you a ghost? Are you dead now? Um… sorry if that's a rude question."
The apparition looked at Frisk for a long time. Frisk felt his face flushing. He was about to apologize again when the man spoke, quietly.
"Am I dead? That is a difficult question to answer. Certainly, I am not what I was, or who I was. As to who I used to be, I was the chief Royal Scientist of the underground kingdom. I remember inventing, designing, and overseeing the creation of this place, the CORE - the crowning achievement of my career. At some point, however, there was… an incident. Even now, I cannot find in my memory any specific recollection of the event. I can see myself at a great height, falling. In my mind's eye, I see the MagWatt generator below us, rushing towards me. From that moment on, I began to think and feel with the CORE itself. I was aware of its functioning on an intimate level, no longer as an outsider but as if I was a part of the machinery - or rather the entirety of the complex itself. My consciousness flowed over the whole CORE. But I could not extend it beyond this part of Hotland."
"The last memory I have is of this research lab being shut down. I see an operator at the console below. He flips several switches, and I sink into a deep torpor. From that moment on, I see only dimly, indistinctly, as if in a dream. The rooms around us are dark and empty and unchanging. An eternity passes. But then, I sense a presence - your presence."
He pointed a long white finger at Frisk.
"I fight against my lethargy to call out to you. My voice is weak, but it grows stronger as you move towards the generator. And I suppose you know the rest. Through your actions, my eternal slumber has been broken. Please allow me, human chil… erm… pardon, I do not know your name."
"Oh! Frisk. I'm Frisk."
The ghost bowed.
"Please allow me to thank you once again, Frisk. There is little I can do to express my gratitude tangibly, but I assure you that I will keep you safe and hidden here, to the extent that I am able. It is the least I can do, and unfortunately perhaps the most as well."
Frisk stared at him in confusion. The scientist chuckled.
"Ah, young human, are you surprised? But I am not so unobservant. I infer from the disarray of this room that it has been years since anyone entered it. What better place for a human to hide than right under the very nose of those who would capture him? But have no fear. I will find a way to ensure your hiding place is not found."
"Uh… hiding from who?"
The Overseer gave Frisk a quizzical smile. "From the Royal Guard, of course. I cannot imagine you are unaware that an edict has been issued that all humans are to have their souls extracted from them.
Frisk's eyes opened wide. "Oh, wow… you really don't know what's been going on, do you?"
The scientist's smile faded. It was his turn to look confused. His eyes turned upwards, and he twisted his head back and forth for a moment, as if listening for something. The confusion in his eyes turned to shock.
"The CORE is no longer functional, " he whispered. "I can detect nothing through it. What has caused it to cease operation?"
"It got switched off," Frisk answered. "There's nobody left underground."
The scientist gasped and snapped his head towards Frisk. His eyes were filled with horror.
"No!" Frisk said quickly, holding up his hands. "I- I mean, everyone has gone. All the monsters have left, so nobody needs the CORE anymore."
"…left?" whispered the Overseer. "Where have they gone?"
"Outside. To the surface world. The barrier has been broken."
The Overseer's mouth fell open.
It took almost an hour for Frisk to explain. Fortunately, he had told his story enough times, to his parents, to other monsters, and to news reporters, that he was able to summarize the events between his arrival and departure to and from the underground in an orderly way. Also fortunately, he had learned how to smoothly omit any mention of Flowey's existence and cataclysmic role in the events that had taken place - something the flower had earnestly requested.
"So, monsters are free now," the man said in quiet astonishment, after Frisk finished. "And what of the King and Queen? Where are they now? Does the Queen continue her life of solitude?
"Actually, almost all monsters have settled down around Ebott Valley - that's the town just down the mountain from here. And yeah, Mom and Dad are both down there too. They were living in separate houses, but they just got remarried and are back together now in Mom's home!" Frisk's eyes were shining.
"They… they have reunited?" A look of wonder came into the scientist's eyes. "What an incredible occurrence. I would never have dreamed that after the loss of-"
With a start, he caught Frisk's eye, and went into a brief fit of ghostly coughing. "My apologies, child - I do not wish to burden you with the events of ancient history. There are certain-"
His words came to a sudden halt. His mouth hung open as he blinked his eye sockets a few times.
"I'm sorry-" he said, slightly strained. "Did- did you just refer to the Queen and King as 'Mom' and 'Dad' a moment ago?"
Frisk grinned. "Yeah! I didn't have a family, so they adopted me! I'm Frisk Dreemurr now."
The ghostly monster opened and closed his mouth a few times.
"Child," he finally said, "you astonish me. Would that I had been conscious to witness these events you have described. For Toriel and Asgore to have once again adop-"
The scientist twitched again and quickly cleared his throat several times, looking off to the side in embarrassment.
"Well, thank the Maker for that. And I congratulate you, my young friend. I believe you will find no better home among monsters, and perhaps even among human families."
"Yeah, they're pretty awesome! Oh, and speaking of which…" Frisk glanced down at his watch. "I guess I'd better be going. Mom and Dad will start wondering where I am if I don't get back, and I need to climb my way out of here."
"Climb?"
"Yeah, I had to use a rope to get to this room. Wanna see?" Frisk gestured to the entrance as he stood up. He began to squeeze his way through the partially open door but stopped when he saw the scientist wasn't following him. The man shook his head.
"I regret that I am unable to accompany you outside this room, at least for the time being. My connection to this physical world is strong enough while I remain close to the generator below, but without the full strength of the CORE, I am afraid these research rooms are the extent to which I can travel."
"Oh! I'm sorry," Frisk said as he stepped back into the room. "Is… is there anything I can do to help?"
"Thank you, but it is nothing you need to be concerned about. But I must say that I am somewhat confused by your description of the path to this room. Is the way not rather straightforward?"
"It probably was once, but it looks like some rockfall broke the walkway outside. I didn't even know this room was back here until I found a way to climb over the rock."
"Ah! That explains something that had puzzled me - the question of why nobody appears to have been here for a very long time. Although-" The man turned and floated over to one of the far doors, a perplexed look on his face. "I wonder why nobody came through here. Have you never tried this door from the other side, child?"
"I… I guess not, sir? I don't know exactly where it goes."
"It ascends to the floor above us. If you will, just step to the pad here and enter the code 1689."
Frisk walked over to the electronic door control, now lit up in red. He tapped the numbers in sequence, and with a beep the panel began glowing green. With a press of the large button at the bottom, the door slid open with a whoosh.
He found himself staring a featureless gray wall. The Overseer gave an exclamation of annoyance.
"What is this? What dim-witted simpleton left the walkways configured in this way? And who hired such a person? This is highly irresponsible. Child, would you please accompany me for a moment? Close the door as you come."
The scientist gestured at a computer workstation as he floated towards it. Frisk pressed the door control and the door slid closed. He sat in the chair as the Overseer stared at the monitor, which appeared to be in working order. Mercifully the keyboard, after he blew the dust off it, also seemed to be in good shape. What followed was a baffling series of typing instructions for Frisk that the Overseer didn't bother explaining. At one point the monitor displayed a wireframe of what he assumed was the entire CORE complex. As Frisk typed the words and numbers the scientist dictated, the wireframe rotated and zoomed in. Parts of it began to rearrange itself. At one point he heard rumbling sounds in the rock walls around him. Finally, the Overseer nodded.
"I believe we have accomplished our goal. Let us try the door again."
The two of them returned to the door, and Frisk pressed the button again. This time, the door slid open to reveal a flight of stairs leading upwards. Another door was at the top of the staircase.
"I think you will find this entrance significantly easier to access. It leads to a corridor near the main entrance to the CORE. Are you familiar with the layout of this facility?"
"Yeah, I've explored a lot of it. Thanks! That'll be a lot quicker than the way I took."
"Excellent. And now, young human, may I ask one last favor of you?"
Frisk looked at him expectantly. The man turned and floated to one of the bookshelves. Frisk followed him, as the man rose into the air to peer at a higher shelf before returning to the floor to bend down at the lower ones.
"Ah, superb."
He turned to Frisk and pointed to a binder.
"There is much that I would like to do now that I have reawakened. In particular, there are theories and formulae for the interaction of magical and physical objects that I wish to delve into. I am, of course, " he gestured ruefully, "unable to access the contents of these notebooks myself. Could you please show me the pages in this particular binder? I will identify the ones I wish to study further, and it would assist me greatly if you would remove them and place them here on the table for me to see."
"Oh, sure, I do that all the time for-" Frisk said, without thinking. Immediately he gasped and bit his lip. The scientist stared at him, quietly and expectantly. Frisk turned his head away and pulled out the binder.
"Let me get these out for you," he said awkwardly.
Mercifully, the scientist said nothing. A few minutes later the tables and several desks were covered with papers. Frisk left the binder on one of the chairs.
"Again, I owe you a debt of gratitude, child." said the man warmly. "I do hope you will visit me once again. I- I would very much like to ask you to give my regards to your mother and father but- but I think rather, if I may be so bold, I would request that for now you make no mention to them of me. At least, not until I have regained my mind a bit," he said with a low chuckle.
"That's fine, sir. I can just tell them I was exploring more of the CORE today. That's usually all they ask."
"Excellent! I look forward to our next meeting."
"Me too. Bye for now!" Frisk turned and started up the newly positioned stairs. He slowed before he got to the top, however. For a moment he stood there, head down in thought. Then, he turned around and slowly made his way back downstairs.
"Um… excuse me sir? May I ask you a question?"
The scientist turned from the monitor he was studying and looked at Frisk.
"By all means, child. What is it?"
Frisk shuffled his feet. One hand reached over to rub his arm.
"It's- it's kind of a weird question, but I thought maybe since you're a scientist you might know…"
The man simply nodded and waited.
"Do- do you know anything about souls?"
"Souls?" asked the man. He straightened up. "Are you referring to monster souls or human souls?"
"Well, both actually." Frisk felt extremely flustered. He reached up to rub the back of his neck. "Do you- know if it's possible to bring someone back if their soul is gone?"
The scientist looked at Frisk for a long time. Frisk gulped and let his eyes wander around the room. He could feel the man's empty eye sockets boring into him.
"That is an extraordinary question, child. And I would be the first to acknowledge that there are many mysteries about souls that only the Maker knows. But in this case, the answer is quite straightforward. I know of no such way to do so, either for a human or a monster. A monster's body may appear to be physical like yours, but that is only partially true. The preponderance of a monster's body consists of magical energy. When a monster dies, that energy dissipates, and his body and soul are destroyed immediately. The body collapses, the soul shatters, and both dissolve into dust. It is somewhat different with humans; the body does not immediately deteriorate, as perhaps you are aware, and the soul persists post-mortem for a few brief moments. But it decays quickly, and the body soon follows. In neither case is it possible to restore the person."
"What if…?" Frisk struggled how to put the words together. "What if someone was still alive but didn't have their soul? Could they get another soul, or somehow get their own soul back?"
Again, the scientist stared at him.
"Child," he said slowly. "In my role as Royal Scientist, I have learned that there are times when I must give an answer without understanding why the question is asked. I will not press you, but I cannot help but wonder where these extraordinary questions are coming from."
Frisk reddened but kept quiet. The scientist dipped his head after a moment.
"I will assume your question is hypothetical, however, because no such condition can possibly exist. The soul is part of the essence of a person, both for humans and monsters. Neither one can live without their soul. A person without a soul is an oxymoron. You might as well ask if it is possible to take water that is not wet and make it wet again. It is a question with no meaning.
In the midst of his disappointment, Frisk had a sudden thought. "But what about you? Aren't you alive, at least sort of? Do… do you have a soul?"
The scientist was quiet. For several moments, he stood stock still.
"That is a… fascinating observation. I confess, child, that I am at a loss how to answer you. Forgive me; I will have to give your question further consideration before I can offer a rational explanation of my existence in the light of… because my soul… because I do not…"
The man broke off. He seemed to be staring off into the distance. Frisk coughed awkwardly.
"Well, um- thanks anyway. Maybe we can talk about it some more after you think about it?"
The Overseer turned distractedly to Frisk and nodded.
"Indeed. I look forward to it. Goodbye for now, child. "
The distant look came into the apparition's eyes again. With a wave, Frisk turned and climbed the stairs leading to the exit.
Chapter 12: Ancient History
Chapter Text
"Hey, do you know much about the CORE?" Frisk asked as he drew two cards from the deck in front of him.
Chara looked up from the wooden card holder in front of her. The two of them were in the spare room, now with far fewer storage boxes. Spread out on the floor in front of them was a board game showing a map of the United States with train routes connecting various cities. Several lines of blue and yellow trains were already in place. Chara sat across from Frisk, where he could put cards on her card holder without being able to see what was on them.
"I dunno - a little, I guess? Da- Asgore took me there a few times as part of my schooling. I met some scientist who told me how it worked, though I didn't really understand much of what he said. Here, take these two cards and give me the route between Los Angeles and Las Vegas."
Frisk took the two cards Chara pointed to from the wooden holder, then placed a couple of her yellow train pieces on the board to claim the route between the two cities. He tried to keep calm as he casually drew an orange card, then a random card from the top of the deck. He had to move quickly but inconspicuously; there was only one route left that went to Las Vegas, and he needed it.
"Do you know anything about the guy who created it?" he asked.
"Not really. That might have been the guy I met when I visited? I don't really remember who he was though or anything."
"What'd he look like?"
"Um…" Chara scratched her translucent head. "I can't really remember now. He looked a little odd I think, but… I don't remember what it was that was odd about him. I'm pretty sure I knew his name, once, but… it's not coming to me now."
"Was he tall, with a white face? Did he wear a black robe?"
"Maybe…? Yeah, that kind of sounds familiar. I remember he was pretty tall." She looked at Frisk quizzically. "Why are you asking?"
"Well, you're not going to believe it, but I met this guy in the CORE who said he was the one who created it."
"What??"
"Well, I say 'a guy', but I guess really he's a ghost or something."
Chara stared at Frisk open-mouthed. For the next fifteen minutes Ticket to Ride was forgotten while Frisk recounted his most recent trip to the CORE.
"Wow," she said, when he had finished. "Have you told Asgore and Toriel yet?"
"No, he asked me not to. Actually," Frisk fidgeted uncomfortably, "I think he probably didn't want me to tell anybody. But he only specifically asked me not to tell Mom and Dad. And… well, I knew you weren't going to tell anyone."
Chara rolled her eyes. Before she could respond, however, the door suddenly swung open. Frisk turned around.
"Oh! Frisk!" said Toriel, frozen in the doorway, a look of surprise on her face. "I did not realize you were in here. Is… everything all right?" She caught sight of the board game on the floor, causing her brow to furrow in confusion. "Are you... playing a game by yourself?"
Frisk reddened. "Oh, hi Mom. Yeah, I was just playing Ticket to Ride. It's… um… I was just…"
"But does this game not require at least two players?"
"I… uh… I- I have a way to play it so that the other trains can, uh, sort of move on their own. I take a turn, and then the other train gets a turn. It's the, uh, Ghost Train version of the game." He heard a snort from behind him.
"I see," Toriel said, tilting her head. "Well, I suppose you can use this room if you are trying to keep the clutter out of yours, but please make sure you clean it up when you are done. I am just getting a few of your father's things." She stepped over to the stack of boxes, picked up one and turned to leave. "Bedtime will be in about an hour."
"OK," Frisk said.
As she moved towards the door, she glanced at the cards Frisk had in his hand, then studied the board for a moment. She gave a musical laugh. "I feel sorry that your passengers from Miami to Las Vegas must travel to New York to get there."
"Mom!" Frisk cried, covering his cards up. "Don't say where I'm trying to go!" He flushed and flicked his eyes over to Chara. An impish grin was spreading on her face.
"Oh, I am sorry, dear one," whispered Toriel conspiratorially, giving him a wink. "I hope the Ghost Train does not find out where you are trying to go!" She ruffled his hair. Frisk stared resolutely at the floor. "Very well, come say goodnight when you are ready for bed!" She carried the box outside the room and, with a last fond smile for Frisk, closed the door behind her.
Frisk took a deep breath and slowly raised his head. Chara's eyes were dancing in glee. "Here are three orange cards" she said, pointing. "I think I'm going to get that last route into Las Vegas."
Frisk glared daggers at her. "Cheater."
She shrugged innocently. "All I did was listen."
Still glaring, Frisk began picking up the cards and train cars and dumping them into the box. "That's minus 21 points for me. You win. I'm leaving."
"Leave the lights on when you go, will you?"
Frisk yawned, stretched in his chair, and rubbed his eyes. He tried to refocus on the book in front of him. At least this one had pictures and mostly just consisted of stories, not a lot of heavy material he had to take notes on. Perfect for bedtime.
The book was the second in a series of newly published historical accounts of life in the villages and communities around Mount Ebott. One of the nearby colleges had dug up a promising trove of first-hand accounts from their archives - records of how monsters and people had lived together, and the growing tensions between the two kingdoms. Some of the narratives were accompanied by illustrations - often just crude drawings scratched out on parchment, but sometimes striking illuminations on vellum created by a trained scribe. The volume Frisk was reading (one of the first to be published, yet another gift from the university to his family) related the events leading up to and then immediately following the great war.
There had been minor skirmishes leading up to the final decisive battle Frisk was reading about. The human army must have been quite large, spread out over the length of Ebott Valley (or Abbotvale, as it had been called back then). Glancing through the table of contents, Frisk gathered that there must have been thousands of men in the human army. Some of the accounts looked like they were from trained soldiers, going on for pages about the size of the monster army, the tactics they used, the type of weaponry involved, and so on. Others were short and far less detailed, most often from commoners and peasants who knew little more than what had happened directly in front of them. Frisk wondered how many of them hadn't lived long enough write an account at all.
He finished the (rather boring) record of a tanner who had been pressed into service, whose few paragraphs consisted mostly of him justifying why he had turned tail and fled almost as soon as the fighting had begun. Frisk glanced up at the clock. 9:20. Maybe just enough time for one more before bed.
The next account looked promising. The author, another man pressed into service days before the final battle, was a monk from a nearby monastery. He had obviously been skilled in writing; his recollection of his own experiences during the great battle was interesting to read, and the translation of the account included bracketed words to explain some of the more archaic terms he used.
Frisk stuck his elbow on the desk to prop up his chin as he read.
"By then, even my untrained eyes could see the demons were far fewer. I witnessed many of them flying up the mountainside to where their leader was, even as a few desperately flung themselves at us. My heart became glad, and I began to hope that the evil was past. But a terrible shock awaited me. A foul demon transformed in front of me, taking on the twisted form of both lizard and man, its-"
Frisk blinked. He shook his head and peered down again.
"its trunk burning with evil red and white light. None of us had witnessed anything like this, and poor Oswin was struck down by lightning from the beast. The most noble Aelric, with my poor aid, didst strike down the beast, though he was sore pressed."
There was an illustration in the margin. Frisk lifted the book close to his face to see it more clearly. It wasn't colored or particularly detailed, but it depicted a creature that somewhat resembled the kind of dragons Frisk had seen in medieval artwork. Except this one walked upright on its hind legs. It had wings, but the artist had depicted them with large black spots. Even more bizarrely, the beast appeared to have a human arm coming out of its belly, and another out of its back. It had a thin serpentine tail behind it, which inexplicably had two feet hanging off it, uselessly dangling in the air. Frisk stared at the picture for several moment before resuming the author's narrative.
"Then I didst espy the evil light in the belly of the slain demon fly and land in the body of a man whomst the demon had killed before it transformed. Then came a second reptilian demon, stronger than the first. It seemed to me that he cast magick upon the dead man, for once again the fell light pulsed-"
The story continued on the next page. Frisk turned it eagerly.
And almost dropped the book as he stared in open-mouthed astonishment. His body froze completely. The monk's account continued on the facing page, but Frisk paid it no attention. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the illustration in front of him.
Knock knock
Frisk jumped with a gasp, dropping the book on the floor where it landed closed. There was a pause on the other side of the door before a deep voice called tentatively.
"Frisk?"
"Oh! Oh, uh, Dad. Y-you can come in."
The door opened, and Asgore came in with a smile, but stopped short as he caught site of Frisk's face.
"Are you all right, child? You look… concerned about something."
"Oh, sorry, yeah, I was just…" Frisk took a deep breath and tried to pull himself together. He held up the book. "I was just doing some reading and, it was just, really… really interesting!"
Asgore looked uncertain. Frisk hopped out of the chair quickly and went over to his dresser, pulling out his pajamas. The last thing he wanted to do was have a conversation with his father about what he had just seen.
"But I guess it's pretty late, huh? I should get ready for bed."
The smile returned to Asgore's face. "Yes, I think you should. Let me kiss you goodnight and then you can get ready."
Frisk stepped over to the King, who planted a kiss on his forehead. Frisk gave him a hug.
"Goodnight, Dad."
"Goodnight, dear one."
Frisk waited till the door was closed and the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs faded away. Then he dropped his pajamas and darted back to his desk. He scooped up the book and thumbed through the pages quickly until he found his place again. His eyes flew over the picture rapidly, stopping on a particular depiction repeatedly. It had to be. It had to.
The full-page illustration showed everything flattened in typical medieval style, with no depth to it. The various characters all huddled around each other, showing little emotion on their faces despite the violent setting that was depicted. Still, the artist, who turned out to be the same monk whose tale Frisk had been reading, had obviously labored hard to depict the figures accurately.
The central figure in the scene was a knight, swinging a large weapon that looked like an axe on a pole. Behind him was a smaller figure who Frisk took to be the artist himself, holding a sword. Further behind was a man carrying a banner with a coat of arms. On the opposite side of the drawing was a fallen banner. Frisk peered at it closely. Even though the crest was small, it was unmistakably the Delta Rune.
In front of the knight was a reptilian monster. Its mouth was open, and his tongue protruded either in a hiss or a roar. The creature was standing upright on its back legs. With one arm it pulled back a huge weapon, larger than the knight or the creature itself. With its other hand, it cradled something. The artist had not put in the details of the object, but whatever it was had been depicted sending off beams of red and white light.
Frisk tore his eyes away from the illustration to read the rest of the monk's tale. To his disappointment, he said almost nothing more about the glowing object, except at the very end.
"… I saw his halberd strike the hand of the demon that bore the infernal light. A great and terrible sound burst forth, and I was lifted with great force and carried a distance away. When I regained my feet, the demon had fled. I flew to aid the knight, who had been thrown like myself and lay injured nearby. He rose to his feet…"
Frisk's eyes flicked back over to the illustration. He stared at the monster and his weapon and the glowing thing in his hand. Excitement was building in him. What had happened when the knight killed the lizard with wings? What was that glowing thing that the second reptile monster was holding? And what was he trying to do with it?
Tomorrow, Frisk thought eagerly, he would ask him.
Chapter 13: The Worst Day of His Life
Chapter Text
The early morning air felt chilly on Frisk's face as he biked his way downtown. In spite of its newfound reputation, the tourist center of the town still projected an image of quaint coziness. A number of boutiques, dining establishments and gifts shops lined the main streets, catering to tourists and locals alike. To be sure, many of the stores had rushed to supplement their usual tourist products with a wide assortment of monster-related knick-knacks, of varying degrees of authenticity. Open doors and sandwich board signs lined the sidewalks, inviting visitors to come in.
Near the end of the tourist district sat one of the smaller boutiques, nestled between a café and a much larger outdoor supply and gift shop. Most visitors in search of monster memorabilia glanced only briefly at the small antique shop, Mountain Treasures and Junk, before passing by to explore the larger neighboring store. Only those with local knowledge knew that the small unassuming store was a hidden treasure within the town, considered to be one of the most reliable sources of authentic monster trinkets and artifacts, for a very good reason. It was at this store that Frisk parked his bike, hitched up his backpack, and went in.
Frisk peered around the shelves. There were no customers in the store. That suited him perfectly. He had hoped to catch the proprietor by himself, since the shop had just opened and only a few shoppers were on the streets. He made his way to the rear of the store, where the grizzled old shopkeeper sat perched on a stool, squinting at a newspaper. He raised his head as Frisk approached.
"Wah ha ha, Frisk! Good t'see you, lad! What brings you here so early in the morning?"
"Morning, Mr. Gerson!" said Frisk, raising a hand. He sidled up to the counter and deposited his backpack on top. "How's business been?"
"Oh, y'know, not bad, not bad," chuckled the monster. He waved an arm at the shelves. "Who'da thought people would be actually paying me for junk like this? I knew all that hoardin' would pay off one day! Must be some human thing, huh lad? I mean, you even bought an old pair of glasses and a used notebook from me! Wah ha ha!"
"I guess humans just love monster stuff and the chance to get to meet a real one in person. You could probably get them to pay to get a picture with you."
The turtle monster's squinty left eye opened wide. "Ooooh, there's a thought, laddie! Can't imagine why I never thought of it - with my good looks, who wouldn't want a picture with me?"
Gerson cackled at his own joke, and Frisk grinned. He and the ancient turtle had hit it off right away when they first met; he had been one of the few monsters that hadn't attacked Frisk on sight. Since the freeing of the monsters, Frisk had helped Gerson transport his considerable collection of treasures ("Naaah, just junk, laddie!") to the surface, while Asgore had used his considerable influence to ensure the monster had a place to set up a shop. Frisk was fairly certain that Gerson had little need for the income his store provided - he seemed to just like visitors, both human and monster.
Gerson turned his one good eye back on Frisk. "But enough of that, laddie - what can I do for you? Don't think I've got any crab apples here today, but I can look in the back if you like."
"Actually, sir, I came to ask you about something I thought you might know about."
"Well, I'm a fount of knowledge, my boy, it's true!" Again, he cackled, briefly succumbing to a fit of coughing. "What can I tell ya?"
"I… I had some questions about souls."
Gerson gave him a surprised look. "Souls? Like monster souls? Wah ha! I don't know that I can tell you much about them - reckon someone like Alphys might be your best bet. Or why not your mom and dad? Fluffybuns and the Queen probably know about as much as anyone!"
"Actually, sir… I was more interested in human souls."
There was a pause for a moment. A quizzical look came into Gerson's eye.
"Human souls?" he repeated. He reached back and tapped his shell with his claws. "Laddie, in case you haven't noticed, I fall a little more on the monster side o' things. I think maybe a human doctor might be a better bet for you? Or how about that pastor fellow at the church? He probably knows more about souls than just about anybody."
Frisk gulped. "Well, what… what I'm really wanting to know is, what happens when a monster absorbs a human soul?" He felt Gerson's eye fixed on him and hurried on in a rush of words. "And what happens when that monster gets killed?"
Gerson stared at him. All the mirth had disappeared from his eye. Frisk turned red and dropped the monster's penetrating gaze. He drummed his fingers nervously on the counter.
"Those are… very strange questions to be askin', laddie." Gerson said quietly. "Mind telling me why all that's suddenly in your noggin now?"
"I- I read a story yesterday," Frisk began. He fumbled for his backpack and unzipped it. "I just got a book a few days ago with stories from people who fought in- in the monster-human war." He drew the book out. "There was a story in it about a man who saw something strange happen while he was fighting. He didn't understand what was going on, but I think- I think he saw a monster absorb the soul of a dead human."
Frisk thumbed through the book, looking for the right page. Gerson stared at him silently.
"But then that monster got killed, and he said- he said he saw a flash of light fly from the dead monster back to the dead human body. And then he said he saw another monster pick up the light. But the second monster didn't transform into anything. He was just holding it, until a knight attacked him, and something happened like an explosion. And- and he drew a picture of it," Frisk finished, his nervous voice breaking slightly."
He looked down at the book, then turned it around towards Gerson. The old monster leaned forward, his left eye wide open. For a full minute he sat frozen in place, staring at the drawing.
"It's you, isn't it?" Frisk almost whispered. "I could tell by the hammer. You were there, weren't you? You were the one who picked up the soul after the first monster died, weren't you?"
The turtle monster didn't respond. His eye took in all the details of the large illustration, then flitted over to read the end of the monk's account. He turned back a page, stared for a few moments at the small picture of the deformed dragon-type monster, then flipped back to the larger picture. Frisk hardly dared to breathe.
Gerson raised his head and fixed his eye on Frisk. The look on his face was indescribable.
"Lad… you trust me, don't you?"
Frisk gave a jerky nod. "Y-yes sir, Mr. Gerson."
"That's good," the monster said, tapping the counter with his claw. "Aye, that's good. Because I trust you too, lad. Got no reason to think otherwise, not after all you've done for us."
"Th-thank you," Frisk said nervously, wondering where he was going with this.
"Why don't you run over and close the door there, lad? Lock it up and flip the sign over that says "out to lunch". Then let's sit down."
The old monster gestured behind him as he pulled himself off his stool and shuffled his way to the back room, leaving the book on the counter. Frisk grabbed it, then ran to the door to do what Gerson had asked.
When Frisk reached the back room, Gerson was stooping into a refrigerator. He turned around with two sealed bottles labeled "ORIGINAL SEA TEA" in his hands. A bit of cheer seemed to have come back into his eye. "Got your pa to thank for helping me get some of these bottled. If I ever run outta junk, maybe I can open up a tea shop. Ha!"
Frisk accepted the bottle gratefully. The two of them sat in creaky chairs. After a drink, Gerson pointed his bottle at Frisk.
"Now lad. Pardon me for my forthrightness, but I believe you've got a bit of explaining to do. Mind telling old Gerson what all this is all about?"
"Yes, sir, I will. That picture, though - it was you, right?"
Gerson gave him another squinty-eyed stare before dropping his eye to the book.
"He didn't quite get me hands right. The Hammer of Justice should be in me left hand, not the right," he said, pointing a claw at the illustration of the turtle creature swinging his bludgeon. He let out a long sigh and looked up. "Aye, lad. That was a long, long time ago. The worst day of me life. The day all of us monsters lost our freedom."
He pointed at the book in Frisk's hands.
"That's an astonishing thing you've got there, lad. What that man saw was something incredible. It's no surprise to me that he couldn't understand what was happening. I misjudged it meself. Even among monsters - even someone as old as meself - we barely knew anything about human souls. Only that they were powerful, and that they could be taken and used.
"Did- did anyone else in the war absorb a human soul?"
"All these questions, laddie!" Gerson exclaimed as he raised his hands. "Are you going to tell me why you're asking all this?"
Frisk nodded vigorously. "I will, Mr. Gerson - I promise! In just a few minutes."
Gerson sighed. "Well, to answer your question, I heard tell of a few monsters who had absorbed a soul. Only rumors, you understand - none of them ever made it back into the mountain. Which isn't all that surprising, based on what I saw." He pointed at the book again. "Show me that picture of the first monster, lad. The one that had human bits on him."
Frisk flipped it open and held it towards the turtle monster. Gerson produced a magnifying glass from somewhere and peered at it.
"Aye, it's not a bad likeness. That was Rallisk, one of the senior commanders under the King, who pulled the soul up. I was too far away to see it clearly, but I knew what I was lookin' at once he had done it. That soul made him powerful, but he got twisted up pretty hard. Human hands comin' out of him, skin on his scales. I dinna think his wings were working after that. But that power! Rallisk weren't never the strongest magic user, but the blast that came outta him was bigger than anything I'd ever seen. Bigger even than what ol' Fluffybuns could do at his strongest."
"Why didn't more monsters try to absorb souls, sir? There were dead humans all around, weren't there?"
"Mmmm, aye, but not every monster can do it, lad. You've got to be very, very strong to pull a soul out of a dead human. Now, a regular fight, with magic attacks? Any monster can do that. But a dead soul sticks inside a human. You can't see it, and you can't get it, unless you pull with everything you got. A boss monster could do it, but not many others."
"But this monster, Rallisk, could do it? And- and you could?"
Unexpectedly Gerson gave Frisk a wink. "Oh, does old Gerson look too weak for that kinda thing, laddie?"
"No! No sir, I just, uh-"
"Wah ha ha!" barked Gerson. "I'm just messin' with you. But in truth," he added more seriously, "I was at the height of me strength back then. And yes, I think I can say in all honesty that I was probably one of the very few monsters in the kingdom that could have pulled out a dead human soul." The monster's eye seemed unfocused as he stared at nothing.
"So… what happened?"
"Eh?" Gerson looked back at Frisk.
"When Rallisk was killed, what happened to the soul?"
"Aye, funny thing about that," Gerson said slowly. "I told you how human souls stay powerfully tied to their bodies after death, eh? Well, turns out that's true even after they're absorbed. At least as best I could tell, anyway. One minute Rallisk is dead and dust, next moment I see what this monk sees. The soul doesn't shatter like a monster soul, and it doesn't just sit in the dust - it shoots back over to the dead human where Rallisk got it from and drops right back into his body." Gerson made a zooming gesture with his hand.
Frisk looked down at the book. Once again, excitement was building up in him. "The monk says that he saw you with a red and white light in your hand. Did you absorb the same soul that Rallisk did?"
"Lad," said Gerson, leaning back. "I really gotta ask you again - where are you goin' with all these questions? Why are you asking me this?"
"I promise I'll tell you, Mr. Gerson! I-I think this is probably my last question. What'd you do with the soul? Did you get it again?"
Gerson folded his hands behind his head and leaned back, his eye going to the ceiling. "Well, lad, it was a powerful strange thing. I did. I did pull that soul out of the human body again. I didn't know what it would do to me, but I was pretty sure the battle was lost, and that I was going to die anyway. So, I decided to take a chance. I figured that if a monster became extra powerful after absorbing a human soul, then maybe absorbing a human soul that already had a monster soul in it would make me even stronger than that. I figured that if was gonna die, that'd be my best chance to take some humans with me. No, ah, no offense you understand," he added, glancing down at Frisk sheepishly.
Frisk nodded, and the turtle monster continued.
"So, I pulled the soul up. It resisted powerfully, like I figured, but it came out in a way I weren't expecting. It was red, like a human soul, but there was white too - the color of a monster soul. Didn't have much time to really study it, of course, but I suppose I shoulda expected something like that. I reckon that white part was all that was left of old Rallisk."
Gerson paused to take a drink, then wiped his mouth and continued.
"Anyway, I tried to shove it into my shell like Rallisk had done, but the fool thing wouldn't go in! The closer I pulled it, the more it felt like it was fighting to stay outta me, like a magnet going the wrong way. I kept yanking on it, but it just wouldn't come. Next thing I know these two humans are rushing at me and I gotta start fighting again. One of 'em swings his polearm at me - not sure what he was aimin' at, but he comes right down on the soul instead of me head. Guess that's the only reason I'm sitting here today - ha!"
Gerson stretched and dropped his hands. "Anyway, next thing I know I'm pitching over in me shell, and my hand hurts like thunder. The soul is gone, blown into pieces, and the humans are on the ground." He shrugged. "At that point, for better or worse, I just gave up. I heard them blowin' the trumpet for retreat, so I beat a path back up the mountain. Rejoined what few monsters hadn't been killed yet, and… well, that was pretty much the end of that. We surrendered, got shoved into the mountain, and I guess you know the story from there on, eh?"
Frisk nodded. The monster leaned forward and waved his bottle at the boy.
"All right, laddie - it's your turn. Why are we sittin' here in the back of me shop talking about all this ancient history?"
Frisk's eyes were shining. "I want you to come up the mountain with me to find a soul."
Chapter 14: Left Behind
Chapter Text
The turtle monster stared at Frisk for a moment. Then he leaned back and crossed his arms without taking his eye off the boy. The silence felt heavy around Frisk, and his face started to flush. He felt a strange mixture of excitement and acute embarrassment.
"Frisk," the monster said after a long time. "You heard what I said earlier about trusting you, right?"
Frisk nodded wordlessly.
"Good. That's the reason I'm goin' to sit here and listen to you, while you give me an explanation. Because what you just said is the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard come outta your mouth."
Frisk reddened even further. But he had expected this.
"You know about the Great Catastrophe, don't you, sir?"
Gerson's eyebrows went up. "The Catastrophe? The breaking apart of the royal family, you mean? Aye, lad, I reckon I do. Hope exchanged for despair. Death, betrayal, fury, and more death." He shook his head. "That was an evil time in the underground, lad. In some ways, even worse than the day we were all thrown under the mountain."
He squinted at the boy. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"D-do you remember how… how the Catastrophe happened?"
Gerson nodded slowly. "Aye, I do. And, lad, you'll have to excuse me, but it's not me place to speak about it since I don't know how much you know. That's something you should ask your-"
"Asriel and Chara," Frisk said quietly.
Gerson stopped. Again, his eyebrows went up. "That's right," he said, after a moment. "Guess you've heard that from your ma or pa, eh? Well, I guess it's a good thing that they're able to finally talk about it. Been too long they've had it all bottled it up inside, going sour in the both of them."
Gerson wasn't wrong, Frisk thought; Toriel did speak of both children to him from time to time. Gerson didn't need to know that Frisk had a much more authoritative source.
"But getting back to your question - and I'm still waitin' to hear what all this has to do with the war - aye, it were the prince and princess who brought the Catastrophe." His voice grew softer. "Poor kids. Poor little misguided angels."
The old monster got a faraway look in his eyes. "No-one knows all the details, mind you. As I remember it, the princess got real sick one day. Nothing Toriel or Asgore could do for her, no matter how hard they tried. It became pretty clear that she was going to die. Her only wish was that she could be taken back to her own village down the mountain and buried there. 'Course, I'm sure she knew there was no way the King and Queen could do that for her, and I'm guessing they told her so. But Asriel - ah, the poor, foolish lad. He loved his sister so much, you have to understand - we all knew that. And he got it into his head that he would give the lass her final wish. So when she died, he took her human soul and absorbed it. And with the power of a combined soul, he picked up her body and carried it through-"
Gerson stopped in mid-sentence, his mouth still open. For a moment he sat frozen, still staring off into the distance. Slowly his sharp eye came down on Frisk.
"Laddie… I've got a dim notion that maybe I'm starting to see where you're going with this. Tell me we're not talkin' about what I think we're talkin' about."
Frisk gulped but remained silent.
"Are- are you asking me to… Are you seriously wanting to go look for the souls of the royal children?"
Frisk pursed his lips and nodded silently. Gerson looked stunned.
"What in the world has come over you, lad?" he asked forcefully. "Where did you get such a harebrained idea?"
"Asriel absorbed Chara's soul, Mr. Gerson. And a combined human-monster soul is way more powerful than just one soul alone.
"Lad-"
"So it's possible that it survived! And I want to see if it's still there in the underground for us to get."
"Frisk!" Gerson barked, banging his bottle down on the table and causing Frisk to jump. Almost immediately, the flash in his eye died away. A deep sadness crept over his face. "Oh, laddie, laddie - I'm sorry. How long this this notion been in your head? That maybe you could find souls that've been gone for ages? I could have saved you from getting your hopes up if I'd known. You know that the two of them died, don't you?"
"Yes sir, I-" Frisk started.
"The prince was killed, lad." There was pain in the old monster's eyes. "When he staggered back through the barrier, barely holdin' on to the body of his sister, he was more dead than alive. He could barely even talk when one of the Royal Guard found him. The guard ran to find the King, but by the time he and the Queen came runnin' in, there was nothing on the ground but the dead body of the princess, and the prince's dust."
Gerson reached over and put a consoling hand on Frisk's shoulder. "They both died, son. Their souls were shattered, and the boy crumbled to dust. They've been gone a long, long time."
Frisk felt a sinking feeling in his stomach and tried to rally. "But, Mr. Gerson, what if their souls didn't shatter? Couldn't they still be there?"
"No, lad, that's not how it works," Gerson said with a shake of his head. "Monster souls shatter instantly on death. Even if you're a boss monster, they only hold on for a few seconds before they break. A human soul might last a little longer, but it starts to crack apart within just a minute or two and then it falls to pieces as well. No, lad, those two souls are gone. There's nothing left to find.
"But they weren't two souls when Asriel came back - it was just one combined soul!"
Gerson had a faint look of confusion on his face. "Aye, I suppose it was. Why does that matter?"
"So, you said monster souls shatter right away, right?" At Gerson's nod, he continued "And if a human dies - like, with just a regular human soul, the soul stays inside them and just kind of… I dunno, rots away pretty quickly?"
Again, Gerson nodded. "Aye - if you don't pull it up right away, it's only a matter of seconds before it falls apart."
Frisk picked up the book on the table between them.
"But that's not what happened with a combined soul! When Rallisk absorbed the soul of a human and then got killed, the story says that the soul went back into the human it had come out of!"
Gerson furrowed his brow. Frisk hurried on.
"And then when you pulled the soul out of the same dead human, you weren't able to absorb it. I think that was because it was already a combined human-monster soul!" Frisk flipped back to the illustration and stabbed his finger at it. "That's why he drew the soul in your hand glowing white and red! A monster can absorb a human soul, but I'll bet you can't absorb a human soul that already has another monster soul with it!"
Gerson continued to stare at Frisk but made no comment.
"What if-" Frisk said excitedly, "What if human and monster souls that are combined are so powerful that they stay together after death? And!" Frisk gestured with both hands towards the monster. "What if they're also strong enough to not shatter even after their bodies are gone?"
"It won't work, laddie," said Gerson slowly. "Souls don't survive once the bodies are dead. I suppose it's possible a human soul might keep a monster soul intact for a little longer, but once it cracks, both souls are going to fall apart."
"But look, Mr. Gerson!" Frisk scanned the page, then spun it around and pointed to the narrative. "We know that a combined soul lasts longer than either a monster or a human soul, because of how long it took before you pulled it out and tried to absorb it! From what he says, it must have been at least fifteen minutes between when Rallisk died and the knight finally destroyed the souls with his axe."
"Halberd," said Gerson distractedly as he reread the monk's story. For several minutes he was quiet, even after he had finished reading the narrative. Frisk scanned the turtle monster's face eagerly for any signs of hope.
"Frisk," the monster finally said. The face he turned towards the boy had only weariness and sympathy in it. "I- look-" With a heavy sigh, Gerson lowered the book and scratched his scaly head. "Lad, I know you mean well. And I know this book has gotten you all excited. But there's simply no way a soul could last in a body like that for this long. I admit, it seems like there's a certain… eh, stability, let's say, when a monster and human soul get combined. The story's pretty accurate, at least as best I can remember - I saw Rallisk go down, but it took me a pretty long time to make my way over there. So maybe there really is somethin' special about a combined soul. Maybe it sticks around for a little longer. But to sit there for years and years? That's just not possible."
Frisk opened his mouth to protest, but Gerson held up a claw.
"On top of that, lad, even if we wanted to go on this fool errand, even if I wanted to even try pulling up a soul, we have no idea where t'look. The soul I found had gone back to the human's body, remember? So, if your theory is right, the combined soul left Asriel's body and returned to Chara's. And fer the sake of argument, maybe nobody spotted it flyin' back into her because the prince crumbled to dust before his parents could get there. But how would we find it now?"
Gerson leaned back and tilted his bottle at Frisk.
"It'd be easy if it was where the prince died. That'd be right inside the barrier. But the princess, Chara - her body was taken by the Queen after the Catastrophe. She buried her somewhere in the old Ruins, nobody knows where. And I am not about to ask her where the girl was buried, lest she start askin' questions. And you're not going to ask her either!" he added firmly, jabbing his claw at Frisk. "I'll not have you upsetting her with any of this nonsense."
"I don't need to ask her, sir. I know where Chara is buried."
"What?" asked Gerson in surprise. "You do? Did the Queen tell you, then?"
"N-no sir."
"Then how in the world d'you know?"
Uh-oh
Frisk's thoughts raced quickly. He should have thought of this before. He should have anticipated that the old monster would want to know how Frisk knew where Chara's grave was. What could he say? Could he honestly say that other monsters in the Ruins knew where it was, and that he had talked about it with them? But no - he was pretty sure that Toriel had never let on about that secret.
As he looked at the old monster's questioning eyes, he came to a decision. Gerson knew how to keep a secret. And Gerson was his friend. The monster had trusted him this far, when everyone else would have laughed him away long ago. In for a penny, in for a pound.
Frisk looked steadily into Gerson's good eye.
"I know where the grave is, sir, because Chara told me."
The turtle monster sat still, unmoving. Then, slowly his eye opened wide, and a new set of emotions came into his face.
Anguish and pity.
"Oh… Frisk," he said quietly. "What has happened to you, lad?"
"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true! I met her when I fell into the underground. She's a ghost - nobody can see her but me, but I can see her and talk to her!"
Gerson sighed wearily and shook his head. "Oh, lad… please-"
"I'm telling the truth, Mr. Gerson! You said you trust me!"
"There's a difference between trusting someone and believing things that are impossible. I think I need to take you back home, son. Something's happened to you, and I think you need some rest. Now, I won't tell her mother about-"
"No! Please, Mr. Gerson - you've got to believe me." Frisk felt tears starting to well up in his eyes.
Gerson came around the table to stand in front of him. He put his claws on Frisk's shoulders.
"Laddie… believe me lad, if there was anything I could have done to save the prince and princess, I would have. I loved those two little scamps. The whole kingdom did. She and Asriel were like the sunshine we didn't have, running all over the kingdom, doin' the crazy things kids do, showin' everyone that maybe humans weren't all bad. They came into me shop many a'time, and I loved it. Chara always wanted to know about history, and Asriel always found somethin' to play with, and half the time he didn't even break it."
The monster chuckled ruefully.
"They were good kids. I missed 'em something fierce when they died. I woulda given me other eye if I coulda saved em." He squeezed Frisk's shoulders gently. "But they're gone lad. They're gone, and we all had to let 'em go a long time ago. Their story's still new to you, I know, but it was over long before your mom ever told it to you."
"Mom wasn't the one who told me, Mr. Gerson. Chara did."
Gerson inhaled sharply. "That's enough, lad."
"I know all about her, because she lives in my house, sir!" Frisk said firmly.
Gerson shifted his claws underneath Frisk arms and pulled him into a standing position. "That's enough, Frisk!" he said sharply. He reached over and pulled the bookbag towards him. "Get your bag, son. I'm taking you back-"
"Chara fell into the underground when she was eight years old!" Frisk shouted. Gerson's stopped. The frown remained on his face.
"She was an orphan. She doesn't know what happened to her mom and dad, but they died when she was little. She didn't have any brothers or sisters. Her grandmother raised her after that, but she got sick and died, and Chara was sent to foster care. She ran away from there and eventually made her way up the main road to Mount Ebott, then got lost. She wandered around on the mountain for three days until she went into a cave and fell through a hole into the underground. She was starving and nearly dead, but Asriel found her, and Mom and Dad - Toriel and Asgore - healed her and took care of her, and eventually adopted her."
Gerson's sharp eye was fixed on Frisk. "Aye. I've heard that story before too, lad. At least… most of it."
Frisk took a deep, shuddering breath. He stared at the table as he pulled his thoughts together. "She hates the cold, but since Asriel was furry and loved the snow, she'd go to Snowdin with him a lot, with a hat and scarf and mittens and three or four sweaters and coats. They both loved snowball fights. Her favorite color is green, just like Asriel. She's got really long reddish-brown hair. She loves to read. Her favorite types of books are fantasy stories. She knows how to knit and crochet and sew. She's kinda sarcastic sometimes, but she also tells pretty good jokes and pretty terrible puns. She really likes flowers. She loved gardening with Dad. And she loves history."
He looked up. "That's why she would come into your shop. She wanted to hear your stories from the time before monsters were imprisoned."
Gerson blinked several times. His mouth opened and closed a few times. "Those… those're things your mom coulda told you about her. She knew-"
"Chara also hated your Sea Tea, Mr. Gerson. The first time you gave her some was the day you were talking in the shop, and she said she wished monsters had won the war. You told her you'd drink to that, and you poured a couple of cups of tea. But she said it was so gross, she gagged and accidentally spit it out right into your face. She told me it tasted like... like..."
Frisk furrowed his brow. "How'd she put it?" He lapsed into silence and tilted his head down, missing Gerson's wide-eyed stare. Then he brightened.
"Like rotten lettuce steeped in bilgewater and filtered through dirty socks."
Gerson's stood frozen, his eye bright and staring and his mouth slowly falling open. His chin began to quiver, and an odd wheezing sound began to come out him. He started trembling, and the wheezing turned into chuckling. Suddenly the old monster burst out into whooping, half-choking laughter. His eye was filled with glee, and he began to shake so hard that Frisk was afraid he was going to fall over. The boy, wide-eyed, jumped up and helped the grizzled turtle back to his chair, where he collapsed with another loud whoop.
"Waaaaa ha ha ha oh, laddie! Oh me! Waaaaa ha! Oh! Oh… just… just gimme a second, boy. Waaaaaa!"
Gerson reached for the book on the table, the only the thing he could use for a makeshift fan. After several moments, the ancient monster finally recovered enough to talk again.
"That's an outrageous lie, y'know that lad?" he gasped, grinning. "I always used the finest swamp water for that tea. And I told her the socks made it taste even better!" He cackled again and slapped the table in front him.
A grin spread across Frisk's face. "Well, whenever I drank it, she made gagging sounds, so I never really got to enjoy it."
"And that look o' death she gave me with those red eyes of hers?" Gerson whooped again. "I think if she'd flicked me nose with her finger, I'd have fallen to bits right there."
Abruptly the laughter stopped. Gerson planted his claws on the table and leaned across, putting his face close to Frisk. His eyes were shining.
"Laddie - Frisk - tell me…" he began. "Swear t'this old fossil that you're telling the truth. You're not making this up, are you boy? Is she really…" He paused, his eye filled with hope. "Is she really still alive?"
Happy tears were starting to come down Frisk's face. He nodded.
"She is, Mr. Gerson. I'm the only one who can see and talk to her, but she's really there, and she's at the house right now."
Gerson held his gaze for a moment, then slapped the table as he lifted his head and stared at the ceiling. Tears were beginning to roll down his wrinkled cheeks.
"I can't believe it," he murmured to himself. "I can't-"
He glanced back down. "Lad, this is incredible. I… I don't think I know what t'say." His face grew more serious. "But I do gotta ask you - even if the princess is somehow still floatin' around as a ghost, what makes you think that her soul is still around?"
"It's all the things I told you before, but there's something else. I think that the only reason she's still alive is that her soul is still around too. I'll bet if her soul was gone, she wouldn't even be a ghost. She'd be gone like every other dead person."
Gerson nodded thoughtfully into the distance. "Aye… I suppose y'may have somethin' there. It's a crazy notion, but I suppose it might-"
His head suddenly snapped back down. "Wait a minute. Wait a minute, laddie - we're talkin' about a combined soul, right? Human and monster? If she's still alive as a ghost… what about the prince? Have you seen him? Is he still alive too?"
Frisk swallowed hard. There was no getting out of this one.
"Um… well… yes, sort of, sir. He's not exactly a ghost, but he's not… really himself, either."
Gerson looked at Frisk closely for a second. Then he barked a short laugh and pushed himself to his feet. "Got no idea what that means. Guess you can fill me in on the way, eh?"
"On the way?" Frisk blinked in confusion.
"To the underground, boy!" he bellowed, clapping Frisk on the back so hard he nearly fell over. "That's where we're goin' soul hunting, isn't it?"
Frisk blinked again, then broke out in a grin. "What, right now?"
"Sure! Been a while since I've had me a little vacation. I reckon all them tourists can wait a day if they really wanna buy me junk. Who knows, maybe I'll find some more for the shop!" The monster pulled a pith helmet off a peg near the door and started bustling around the shop. "Lemme just pack and then we can head out. Need to call your ma or anything?"
"Pack? Oh, uh, no sir, I'm fine, I don't need to call her. Um… what are we packing?"
"Oh, the usual - supplies for a long hike, things like that. Plus a few extra things we might need," the monster added with a wink.
"Oh, we're not going to have to hike through the whole underground! We can go in the hole where I first came in. That'll put us close to where we need to go. Uh, really close."
"Wa ha!" said Gerson, turning to him. "Well, that certainly makes things simpler. And there's a road on the other side of the mountain - if we drive to the right spot, I reckon that'll take us pretty close to the place where you popped in, eh?"
"Y-yeah, I think it does, but… wait…" Frisk was processing what he'd just heard. "You can drive, Mr. Gerson?"
"'Course I can drive!" he roared, pulling out a set of keys from a drawer and jingling them at Frisk. "Me old truck's just out back. How else am I gonna haul me junk around? Ol' Fluffybuns knows how t'work the system, I'll give him that! Got me a license quite a while back! Took a time or two to convince the fellow at the office, but I got it in the end."
Frisk was briefly struck with a mental image of a terrified driving official gripping the dashboard with white knuckles as a cackling turtle did donuts in a parking lot. He dearly wished he could have seen that.
"All righty!" said the turtle, hitching up the large, weathered
knapsack resting on his shell. "Let's go!"
The backpack weighed heavily on Frisk as he trudged onwards. In addition to the book, his sack was now full of various hiking things Gerson had piled into it. Not that he could complain - the monster behind him was carrying at least five times as much as he, judging by the size of the pack on his shell and the tools dangling off his belt. In spite of his wheezing, Gerson showed no signs of flagging. He was even whistling.
"Not too much longer now," Frisk huffed.
"Didja really climb all this way by yourself the first time? No wonder you were a mess when Tori found you."
Magic bullets blistering his hands hadn't helped either, Frisk thought, but he kept that to himself. He very much hoped that Flowey wouldn't be at the bottom of the pit, but he felt reasonably sure he wouldn't be. Some weeks before, Flowey had asked Frisk if he could find a way to help him visit the old bedroom he and Chara had shared in the New Home palace grounds. He said he felt closer to Chara that way. Frisk had managed to pry up enough of the floor for him to squeeze his way in. He'd also managed to find what looked like a large water pot which he rolled into the room and filled with dirt. Flowey now spent a lot of time there. Today, that suited Frisk just fine.
A rocky outcropping loomed just ahead of them.
"Here we are, Mr. Gerson."
"Ha! About time!"
"Watch your step, sir!"
The two of them ducked through the cave opening. Frisk switched on his small LED headlamp. Gerson had a much larger vintage lamp strapped to his head. Cautiously the two of them moved forwards, staring at the ground, until their two lights disappeared into an inky blackness.
"All right, lad, let's see what we've got here."
The turtle monster unhooked a long rope from his belt and looked around. A large boulder was on the ground nearby. Gerson stooped, wrapped the rope around it, and fastened it. He tugged hard on it, then put his full weight against it, but it held firm. He threw the other end of the rope into the void. Frisk pulled out a powerful flashlight he had borrowed from the shop. Leaning carefully at the edge of the hole, he shone it down into the pit. He could see the end of the rope, coiled on a bed of flowers far below.
Gerson leaned forward next to him and gave a low whistle. "You fell down from here? How did you not crack your skull, not to mention every other bone in your body?"
"I guess the flowers must've broken my fall."
Gerson squinted at him. "That doesn't make any sense, laddie. Flowers aren't exactly air mattresses, y'know. They're… bendy."
Frisk shrugged. "I dunno - that's just what Chara thought must've happened."
Gerson's eye opened wide. He shook his head.
"Incredible," he muttered.
Frisk wasn't sure if he was referring to the flowers or Chara.
"All right, well, off we go, I guess! I'll go first, and you can come after I'm at the bottom."
"Will… will you be all right going down?" For the first time, Frisk considered the possibility that maybe an ancient, self-described "fossil" shouldn't be rappelling down into caves.
Gerson, appearing to read his mind, winked at him. "What? Are you worried that these old bones are too old to go swinging down ropes? Don't worry, laddie, I got centuries left in me yet. Bye now!"
With a jaunty wave, Gerson grabbed the rope and sprung backwards into the pit. Frisk gasped and dropped onto the ground to scoot to the edge of the hole. The turtle was swinging blithely on the rope, descending easily. Frisk tried to help with his light, keeping it pointed at the coil of rope on the ground. Gerson reached the bottom in short order and waved up to Frisk.
"All right, laddie, your turn! I'll give you some light as you come down. Take it slow and be careful! I don't want you breakin' your fall by landing on me.
Frisk returned the flashlight to his backpack and gave the rope a final experimental tug. Then he carefully lowered himself over the edge and into the pit.
A few minutes later Gerson's claws were around him, helping him down the last few feet.
"Well! That was fun," the monster said cheerfully, looking at the pit opening far above them. "Not gonna lie and say I'm looking forward to the climb back up, but we'll worry about that later." He looked around at the crumbling pillars and stonework, turning slowly around. "Huh. Haven't been back in these ruins for a long, long time. Can't believe your ma actually lived here for so long."
He picked up his backpack from where he laid it and tightened the straps around his shoulders. "Well, it should make for an interesting hike. A little trip down memory lane. Right then! Lead the way, son."
"Oh! Um… it's here."
"Eh?"
"Chara's grave is right here," Frisk said, pointing down at the flower bed they were standing on.
Gerson looked down and blinked.
"Ha! Guess you weren't kidding when you said this was a shortcut. Well, so much for me hike," he said, dropping his pack back onto the ground and looking around the small flower-filled cave. "You got any notion where she was buried exactly?"
"Well… no," Frisk admitted sheepishly. "But I think it's probably somewhere directly below the hole," he added, pointing. "She told me she woke up when I arrived, and maybe that was because I came down pretty close to where she was buried."
"Well, no matter - I should be able to sense soul resonance if I get pretty close to it. That is, if there's any soul to find," the turtle added with a sidelong glance at Frisk.
He started to stretch out a claw towards the ground, but then paused. He turned to face Frisk and got down on one knee.
"Laddie… I want you to try to not be disappointed if this doesn't work, OK? There's a lot of reasons t'think we're on a fool's errand here. Nobody's ever heard of a soul lasting this long, and even if a combined soul is stronger than a regular soul, it may only be a wee bit stronger. The remains of that combined soul probably fell to dust in the Barrier cave long ago. Just… just don't get your hopes up, OK?"
"I know, Mr. Gerson. And if I hadn't met Chara in the underground, I'd probably think it was the stupidest idea ever. But this just makes sense why she's still around. If that combined soul has survived, it would explain how she and Flowey can still sort-of be alive."
"Well, all we can do is try. Just… just don't feel too bad if nothing comes of this, OK, son?"
Frisk nodded. Gerson inhaled deeply and got back to his feet. He stretched his back and cracked his claws.
"All righty then! I'm guessing Toriel probably buried the body pretty deep, so it'll be hard to pick up any kind of resonance from where we are. I'll have t'move slowly.
He stepped over to the edge of the small cave, took a deep breath, and extended his arm, splaying out his claws. A look of intense concentration came into his eye. He breathed heavily, and his claw quivered. After a moment he took a step forward, then another a few moments after that. Frisk watched, on pins and needles. After a few minutes Gerson reached the opposite wall of the cave, where he turned around, took a step to the side, and began slowly making his way back. Fifteen minutes later, he dropped his claw and exhaled loudly, wiping his forehead. He had covered about a quarter of the cave.
"You mind passing me a bottle of tea out of your pack?" he said, with a wave at Frisk's backpack on the ground. Gerson's own pack sat next to it. Frisk darted over, pulled out a Sea Tea, and brought it to the monster. Gerson chugged down the drink, then pulled his helmet off and wiped the sweat off his head.
"How- how's it going?" Frisk asked.
"Meh," said the monster, "not really feelin' much. You can tell that monsters and magic have been around in here, but I'm not picking up anything below the ground."
Frisk's face fell, but Gerson tapped him on the shoulder with his bottle and gave a little chuckle.
"Don't worry, lad - still plenty of places where the princess could be hidin'. We're not beat yet."
He flipped the empty bottle over next to Frisk's pack and pulled his helmet back on. "All right, round two!" he announced, and stretched out his arm.
For several more minutes Frisk watched anxiously, as Gerson slowly paced back and forth. Twice the monster stopped and Frisk's hopes rose, but then he started moving again. Eventually Frisk sank down against the wall and let his thoughts drift.
This was one of the caves where Toriel had brought him to hunt for bugs during his brief stay in the Ruins. He looked up at the weak sunlight filtering through the pit opening. Bugs, like humans and monsters, would be stuck down here once they passed through the barrier, but they seemed drawn to the faint sunlight, aching for it just like the rest of the trapped inhabitants of the underground. How the flowers had survived in such a perpetual gloom was a mystery to him. These were the flowers Toriel had been standing in when she had told him goodbye, with a smile mixed with tears. This was where her son had said goodbye to Frisk with the same words, the same smile, and the same tears. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that it had to end like that! Asriel had given up everything to set monsters free - it wasn't fair that he should have to-
"Frisk!"
He jumped. Gerson was standing still, staring intently at a patch of ground in front of him. His whole arm, extended downwards, was shaking.
"Laddie, come over here. I think I've got somethin'."
Frisk scrambled up and hobbled over, trying to get life back into one of his feet that had fallen asleep.
"What is it?! Did you find it? Is it a soul?!"
"It's somethin' powerful, that's for sure. Pretty deep too, but I think I can grab it. Here's what I want you to do, lad," the monster said, his sharp eye still fixed on the ground. "Bring my backpack over and set it beside me."
Frisk half-hobbled, half-ran to the pack, stamping life into his foot as he did so. The backpack was heavy, but with effort he managed to drag it over next to the turtle monster.
"Good. Just open it up there at the top, will you? Thank you, lad. Now, I want you to step over to the side a little bit, just there, where you're out of the way." He pointed with his other claw. "This soul pullin' magic takes a lot o' power - it's like what you felt when monsters were fightin' you, but much, much stronger. I don't want you to get too close while I'm pullin'."
"Yes sir!" Frisk moved several paces away.
Gerson nodded and took a deep breath. "All righty then. I'm gonna start pullin' slow, just in case it's fragile. Ready? Here we go."
The monster pursed his lips and inhaled sharply. The end of his claw began to glow, a swirling mixture of orange and blue wisps. With his other claw, Gerson steadied his shaking arm. To Frisk's wonder, an intense white glow began to pour through the monster's khaki shirt. Within the wrinkled, wizened body, Frisk saw the shape of a large, powerful soul, pulsing with energy. He stared at it for a moment, then turned and fixed his eyes on the patch of dirt Gerson was focused on.
For a long time, nothing happened. Then, it seemed to Frisk that a faint glow began to shine beneath the petals of the flowers. A few moments later there was no doubt. There was a reddish tinge seeping out of the ground. Frisk's eyes were wide open. He felt like he was starting to hyperventilate, and his fists were opening and closing.
"OK," gritted Gerson with effort, "one last pull and we'll see what we got." He strained and let out a grunt.
Something flew up from the ground, and the flowers rippled as if a gust of wind had radiated out from the center of the cave.
Frisk's mouth hung open in astonishment. His eyes were shining. A grin began to spread on his face, but almost immediately it faded. A look of dismay replaced it. Beside him, Gerson was bending down, yanking something out of his pack. Suddenly a loud crack rang out in the cave, reverberating against the walls. Frisk gasped in horror, unable to tear his eyes away from the object shaking in front of him as Gerson rushed forwards.
Chapter 15: Beyond Science
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"You sure you'll be all right, laddie?" Gerson asked hesitantly. Frisk nodded.
"I'll be fine. I've come this way lots of times, so I know where I'm going."
Gerson hadn't been thrilled with the idea of leaving Frisk on his own. Following the drama of the previous hour, Frisk had announced that he intended to travel through the entire underground to the far exit. Gerson had argued that the best thing to do would be to get back to the shop as soon as possible, the way they came. When that argument failed, he had insisted on going with Frisk. But the boy had pointed out that there would be no-one to drive the truck home if he did that.
"Besides," he had added, "I've got a stop I want to make along the way. And I've got plenty of food and water. I'll be fine, Mr. Gerson."
Still Gerson had shaken his head, but eventually the determined boy won out. Gerson insisted on personally checking that Frisk's phone had service and enough battery. The two of them had repacked their backpacks, trading a few items. With a grunt, Frisk shouldered his pack, now somewhat bulkier, and Gerson strapped on his own.
"When you get out, I want you t'call me, you understand? Doesn't matter how late. I wanna know you're safe. You do that, all right?"
"I will, sir," Frisk said, nodding.
"All right," the monster said reluctantly. "You be careful down here, all right? And watch yourself in the Ruins. Some of them buildings are crumbly, and the floors can be dangerous, OK? And if a storm comes up in Snowdin, you find a building to wait it out in, all right? And watch your step in Waterfall - goodness knows those rocks can get slipper-"
Suddenly, Frisk rushed forward and threw his arms around the turtle's midsection and squeezed him tightly. The monster's eye popped open wide, but a cracked grin spread on his face. He put his arm around the boy.
"Waa ha! All right there, lad, all right! Easy on me underbelly, OK?"
Frisk pulled himself out of the hug and looked up. His eyes were shining.
"Thank you, Mr. Gerson! Thank you for everything! Thank- thank you so much for believing me."
"Ha ha, 'course, lad! Turned out to be an adventure after all, eh? Haven't had this much excitement in a long time! And you've taught this old fossil somethin' new today." He tapped Frisk's backpack. "You be real careful with that now, y'understand?"
A few minutes later, Gerson had hauled himself to the top of the hole and out of the pit. He leaned back over the edge.
"I'm gonna leave this rope here just in case you need it, all right? You take care of yourself, lad. You call me if you need anything, and you call me when you're out, remember?"
"I will. Bye, Mr. Gerson!"
With a final wave, the turtle monster disappeared. Frisk waited until the crunch of his footsteps had faded away, then turned, tightened his pack, and set off for the tunnel at the far end of the cave.
Frisk wiped the sweat off his face as he climbed up the steps leading to the main CORE entrance. Ordinarily visitors would have been met by a blast of air conditioning upon their arrival, but with the main CORE generators still shut off, there was little relief to be found. He paused at the top and pulled out a water bottle from the side pocket of his backpack. He drank heavily from it while looking around. A few critical systems remained on, but the facility was still largely silent. A hum of power could be heard off in the distance however, and Frisk made his way down the corridor towards a door whose access panel was glowing.
As he approached, he heard a soft whir and looked up. A camera in the hallway ceiling had just come to life and spun around to point at him. A moment later, the door ahead of him opened of its own accord. The staircase to the original CORE facility was there. Frisk went down the stairs. The door at the bottom of the staircase slid open as he approached.
"Ah, child, welcome!" The Overseer was standing in front of a bank of three monitors, which were displaying incomprehensible diagrams. He turned and bowed to Frisk. " Come in! I am pleased to have your company once again." He spread out his ghostly arms. "You see that my capabilities have advanced a great deal since your last visit."
Frisk stared in amazement. The research laboratory had been transformed. Almost every computer screen was on, although the keyboards were still thick with dust. The debris that had littered the floor earlier was gone, and the fallen ceiling tiles were back in place. A number of robotic arms now extended from panels in the ceiling. As he watched, one of them delicately picked up a metallic device, then glided on tracks in the ceiling to the desk next to the Overseer, where it placed it down beside him.
"Wow!" Frisk marveled. "Did you do all this?"
The scientist bowed again. "I have found my ability to interface with the CORE growing greatly. Like a whimsun spreading its wings for the first time, I am learning how to use this facility as an extension of my own body.
He gestured to the robotic arms . "These devices are my hands now. There is much I still cannot do, of course, since the main part of the CORE remains dormant and must be restarted manually. Still, I am content - there is power enough to spare in this little corner. And happily, the main memory banks of the facility are accessible from here. In fact, I have just made a breakthrough that will increase my little world dramatically. Observe!"
The ghost floated over to another system and looked at the screen intently. A sequence of boxes and numbers began to flash on the screen. Frisk jumped suddenly when his phone began to ring. He pulled it out and stared at it, then pressed a button and lifted it to his ear.
"Hello?"
His own voice echoed out of unseen speakers in the room. The Overseer chuckled, with the sound coming to Frisk through his phone.
"Yes, I have learned how to connect our primitive telephone network here under the mountain with the cellular services above us. With this connection, I will be able to access the "Internet." He said the word almost reverently. "And with such a resource on hand, ah- what wonders I will be able to do! It must be such a dream for you, child, having access to such a wealth of knowledge that the Internet brings to your very fingertips."
"Um- I guess…?" Frisk said, still absurdly holding the phone to his ear. "I mostly use it for gaming and looking for pictures of cats doing funny things."
There was a pause on the line. "I see. How… intriguing. Well, at any rate, this concludes the demonstration."
Frisk's phone beeped and hung up.
"How are you, child? Your visit is an unexpected pleasure. Have you returned to explore more of this facility?"
"Well-", Frisk said. He slipped his backpack onto the ground and sat down in a swivel chair. He sighed and wiped his head. It felt good to rest after the long walk.
The scientist didn't take his eyes off Frisk, but a moment later the sound of fans in the ceiling started up, and cool air began to trickle down.
"Oh, thanks," Frisk said, looking up at the vents. "Yeah, I've been working on a- a project of mine. It's a pretty big… uh, challenge. I was really hoping you could help."
The ghost nodded approvingly. "A scientific endeavor of some kind? Excellent - it is good to challenge yourself. The work of science is rewarding to those who are diligent in their studies and research."
"Yeah, well… I'm sure that's true, sir. I'm not entirely sure this is science, though. It might be? Or it might just be magic. But if anyone knows, I think it's probably going to be you."
The ghost's eye sockets turned quizzical. "Indeed? Well, I will be happy to offer assistance if I can. What is the topic of your research?"
Frisk took a deep breath. He had wrestled with what to say during the long walk from the Ruins. It had been easier with Gerson - the turtle monster was a proven friend, and Frisk had felt comfortable trusting him. He had no such relationship with the enigmatic figure before him. But no matter how he turned the problem over in his mind, he could find no other solution - no other avenue he could explore. Dr. Alphys was smart, but he was already well-acquainted with the limits of her knowledge on the topic. Sans was trustworthy and had more scientific knowledge than most people gave him credit for, but this seemed far out of his realm of expertise (whatever that was).
No, if there were any answers, any help to be found - any hope whatsoever - it would have to be found here.
"Mr. Overseer… uh, sir… uh - can I call you 'Mr. Overseer'?"
A smiled played on the face of the scientist. "It is an acceptable sobriquet. In all my reclamation of knowledge, I must admit I am mystified not to have discovered my own name thus far, as if that knowledge fights against discovery. But no matter. 'Overseer' is as good a name as any."
"Well, sir…" Another deep breath. "Do you know who Asriel and Chara Dreemurr were?"
The man's eye sockets widened. For several moments he stared at Frisk silently.
"The royal children, lost to our kingdom," he said slowly. "Yes. I know of whom you speak. I remember them with great fondness. The human princess, Chara, had an admirable curiosity, and would have been a great scientist had she so desired. The prince was, perhaps, a little less inclined to the order and method of scientific research, but he had a keen eye for observation, and an imaginative mind - two traits that can produce insights that might be missed by those who labor under traditional research methods. Yes, child, I remember them."
He tilted his head at Frisk.
"I infer from your question that you know something of their history yourself. Do you…? I apologize, child, if this is an indelicate question, but do you know how their story ended?"
"Y-yes sir," Frisk said quietly. "I know they both died."
The scientist gave a small nod. His eye sockets appeared to focus off in the distance.
"I was in this very room when I heard that the human girl had succumbed to her illness and died. It was a terrible blow to me - the King had begged me desperately to find some way to help her, and every researcher here had pored through every one of our scant collection of books on human physiology, trying to learn the cause of her illness, to reverse the wasting disease. But it was not to be."
He turned to look back at Frisk. There was a deep sadness in his pale face.
"It was a heavy blow to me, child. My greatest failure. Neither the King nor Queen blamed me, of course, or any of us - we were monsters, desperately trying to save the life of a human creature we knew very little about. Even the King and Queen's magic could not stop the illness. But I could not help but feel responsible. With all my skill and knowledge, I sat here helpless, unable to find a way to save her."
"And of course, my failure led to an even greater tragedy." The man looked up. "You know of what I speak of, I presume?"
Frisk nodded wordlessly. The scientist lowered his head.
"The loss of the adopted human girl was bitter. But the unexpected death of the prince was a staggering, devastating loss. The King and Queen had been beside themselves with panic when a report had come to them that a shambling, grotesque beast, wrapped in darkness and carrying the body of the princess had passed through the barrier. They realized immediately what had happened, of course. They begged me to find some way to reach him - some way to bring their son back home. And what could I do? A thousand attempts to break the barrier had ended in failure. But I swore to them that I would try again."
The scientist pointed to a chair at the end of the long workbench. "I was sitting right there when one of my assistants rushed through the door and told me that the prince had returned, only to die. And I- I-"
The scientist's words trailed off. Frisk watched quietly as the ghost shook his head, lost in thought. After a few moments his eyes refocused and he looked at Frisk. He gave him a wan smile.
"My apologies, child; that was an extremely long answer to your simple question. Yes, I knew Asriel and Chara. The light of the underground was extinguished with their deaths. A part of me broke as well when they died."
The man crinkled his brow slightly.
"Why are you asking me this, child?"
Frisk shivered. He pulled his backpack into his lap and hugged it to his chest. "Because I want to save them, sir. That's what I'm trying to do. That's why I need your help."
For a moment neither of them moved. The scientist's eye sockets bored into Frisk. Then the man sagged and sighed heavily. His head dropped.
"Oh, child. Now I see. Now I understand what was behind your parting question last time you were here. "
He raised his hand and rubbed it over his smooth, pallid head.
"Child, I find your concerns heartwarming. It is from a noble heart that you seek to do this. But I must repeat my previous answer to you. It is not merely an impossibility to restore a soul to a person who has lost his - it is a state of being that simply cannot occur. A person without a soul ceases to exist, and the moment the souls of the royal children were shattered, they, too, ceased to exist. There is nothing left to find, child - nothing to restore. They are gone to us, except in our memories."
He held out his hands sadly to Frisk.
"The royal children's story is not a happy one, and perhaps the tragedy is new to you. Perhaps it cuts you now as sharply as it wounded us who lived through it, long ago. Let it go, child. That is the only advice, and the only help I can offer you."
Frisk eyes were wet. "You're right, it's a terrible thing that happened to the two of them. And I- I do hate it. I hate what happened to them!" He rubbed his cheek hard where a tear had begun to trickle down it. "Let me- let me just ask you one other question, sir." He gulped. "Is it possible - if- if someone was out there, and they were alive, but they had lost their soul, and- and maybe they didn't even have their body - at least not their right body - but then we found their soul… would there be a way to give them their soul back and the right body to go with it?"
The ghost's mouth opened slightly. The look he gave Frisk was a mixture of astonishment, confusion, and sadness.
"Child… child, this is not the realm of science any longer. This is fantasy. I do not mean to sound unkind, but your question is irrational." His words were gentle but pointed. "You will not simply find souls floating around, ready to be put back into bodies. When a monster dies, its soul dies and its body dies. When a human dies, its soul dies and it leaves behind an empty shell."
The man gave a great sigh and spread out his arms.
"Child, please, do not drive yourself mad like this. You will not find what you are searching for. You cannot undo the past. You cannot restore what no longer exists. It is impossible."
Frisk held the gaze of the scientist for a moment longer. Then, wordlessly, he stepped over to a table in the middle of the room and set his backpack on it. He unzipped it and carefully lifted out a large object with both hands. Gently and reverently, he placed on the table. He stared at it for a few moments, then looked up.
The scientist's eye sockets were bulging, and his mouth was hanging open.
It was a cylinder, transparent except for four thin metal bracing bands that ran down its glass sides from top to bottom. At the top was a thick, black lid with a folding handle, several buttons, and a collection of small lights, all of which were glowing green.
Floating in the center of the cylinder, pulsing softly, was a disfigured object.
Frisk knew it was a human soul, but it would have been difficult to tell simply by looking at it. It somewhat followed the contours of his own soul, roughly forming a heart shape. But it was badly deformed. Cracks penetrated deeply from the edges, and on several sides bits of it appeared to have broken off. The large lobe on one side was damaged, and jagged edges showed where the lobe on the other side had snapped off almost entirely.
Hours earlier, when the red soul had been raised, it had begun quivering uncontrollably. Frisk had almost screamed as part of it began to crack and crumble away. Within seconds, Gerson had thrown the cylinder around it, snapping the lid closed and pressing a button on the top. A dazzling flash had filled the container before dissolving into sparkles. When the light faded, the soul had stopped trembling. The cylinder was filled with stabilizing magic, Gerson had told him, and would keep the soul safe for the time being.
Now, the red soul pulsed weakly in the transparent cylinder, highlighting its cracks and crumbling edges with a sickly-looking light. The decayed soul looked like it might fall apart at any moment.
But, embedded within the center of the red soul, protected by the thin shell that still remained, a white, inverted, fully intact monster soul glowed softly and serenely.
The Overseer floated towards the table, his wide eye sockets never leaving the cylinder. He bent down to stare in astonishment at the souls inside.
"Child…" he whispered. He turned his stunned face to Frisk. "Child… what is this?"
Frisk's voice was very small. "These are their souls, sir. These are the souls of Asriel and Chara."
"That… cannot be. There is… there is no scientific basis for... How can this possibly be?"
Tentatively, the ghost reached out a shaking hand towards the cylinder. But as it drew close, he suddenly shut his palm and pulled the arm back.
"No… there is no telling how it will react to phantasmic energy. I dare not risk it."
He turned fully to face Frisk.
"Child, please - you must tell me everything. How has this miracle occurred?"
With a smile mixed with his tears, Frisk pulled the book out of his backpack. For the next half hour, he told the Overseer the story - how he had read a historical account of the unusual behavior of combined souls, how he had come to the wild hope that combined souls might last longer than either human or monster souls alone, how he had convinced Gerson to help him. The scientist listened quietly, asking only a few clarifying questions. But when Frisk told him that both Chara and Flowey were still alive and conscious, his mouth fell open again. It took Frisk another half hour to relate most of the events of the past few months, from the time he first fell into the underground, to his visit to Chara's gravesite a few hours earlier.
When Frisk finished, the Overseer shook his head in awe.
"So the prince and princess still live - weakened and confused and lost, but still alive. I have no words, child. You have opened up a new world of science and magic that is entirely foreign to me. How many of these books will have to be rewritten?" he said, turning towards the bookshelves. "It is staggering beyond imagination."
"So, now you understand why I came to you, sir. I want to find out if there's any way we can save them. I'm pretty sure I can't … you know, just stick this on Asriel's flower body and have it go in. We already know a monster can't absorb a combined soul, and even if it could, that might just turn him into something hideous like this." Frisk pointed down at the illustration of the grotesque beast in the history book. "And Chara… she doesn't even have a body."
The ghost squeezed his eye sockets shut. He shook his head briefly.
"Before today, I was fully convinced that such a thing was an impossibility. But now… now…" He pressed his steepled fingers to his mouth and lowered his head, deep in thought.
Frisk held his breath and waited. Even as the scientist wrinkled his forehead, computer monitors around the room began flickering. Pages of text, diagrams, and mathematical formulas scrolled rapidly. After a full two minutes of silence, the movement on the screens stopped. The man opened his eyes.
"Child, may I be permitted to keep this?" He gestured with both palms to the cylinder. "I promise you," he added quickly, "that I will use utmost care in handling it and will return it to you undamaged."
Frisk was taken aback. "Um… well, y-yes sir… I guess that will be OK. You'll-" Frisk felt foolish asking the question, but couldn't help himself. "You'll be really careful with it, right?"
The ghost drew himself up to his full height. "I swear it, child. I have tests and analyses I would like to make, but I will not open the stabilizing cylinder nor subject it to any invasive procedure. My hands-" the robotic arms mounted to the ceiling whirred, "will touch it only with extreme care. It will be safe here - you have my word."
Frisk let out a deep breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "O-OK then, sir. I'll leave it with you. Can I come back in a few days to see… if you've figured out anything?"
"By all means. One advantage I have discovered to my incorporeal form is that I feel no need of either sleep nor sustenance. I will focus the entirety of my attention on this singular problem, and you are welcome to return at any time."
Even as he spoke, Frisk noticed that the background hum that filled the room began to grow louder. From somewhere deep below, the rumbling sound of the giant MagWatt generator began to increase. More computer screens flickered to life, and panels in the ceiling opened as new instruments were lowered into the room. Frisk recognized some of them as cameras, but most of the rest were incomprehensible to him.
"And, child… once again, I owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude."
The scientist was smiling broadly. The cracks around his eyes folded like wrinkles.
"You have not only brought me a scientific puzzle. You have brought me something far greater. You have given me hope, child. Hope that perhaps my greatest failures might yet be reversed. Hope that the light of the underground may be rekindled once again."
His voice grew softer.
"Hope that the innocent may yet be restored to us. That the King and Queen might once again-" His words trailed off. "For that, child… thank you."
He bowed deeply. Frisk felt hot with embarrassment.
"No, sir - I should be thanking you! I couldn't do it without you!"
"Do not be hasty with your gratitude, " said the man. "There is a strand of hope now, but as yet there is no path to see that hope come to fruition." He held up both hands, and the hum in the room intensified. The lights in the ceiling glowed brightly. The ghostly scientist began to glow faintly as an aura pulsed softly around his entire body. "But I promise you, I will use all my power to search for that path."
"Thank you, sir!" Frisk said again. He wished he could throw his arms around the man in a hug. Instead, he had to settle for awkwardly reaching out his hands. "I'll come back soon."
"Farewell, child!"
As the man waved, the computer monitors began to scroll through pages once again at dizzying speed. A pair of robotic arms came down to the cylinder and gently secured it to the table. The scientist bent down once again to peer at the souls. With a last glance, Frisk fought down his fear at the sight of the decayed red soul cocooning the soft white soul within it. They would be OK for now, he was sure. He had made the right decision. They were with the one person who could do them good, if anyone could.
Notes:
asri the foxgoat on the Asriel Discord server (ArcticFoxy200574 on Roblox) created the unnerving, decaying soul pictured in this chapter - thank you, asri!
Chapter 16: Holding On Together
Chapter Text
Frisk was good at keeping secrets. As far as his friends and family knew, he had managed to navigate the underground, befriend everyone, and set them all free with no problems whatsoever. True, a few monsters had been a little too zealous to capture, fight or kill him, but Frisk has danced his way unharmed through all of it, so everything had worked out just fine.
He intended to let them keep thinking that. Frisk knew Sans had some understanding of looping timelines, but he wasn't sure if the skeleton was fully aware of how many times it had taken Frisk to relive the events of the underground before emerging back into the Surface world. That left only two other people who understood how dangerous a trip it had been for Frisk - fatal, even, more than once. One of them knew, partly because he had once had the ability to rewind time himself, and partly because he was directly responsible for a lot of Frisk's deaths.
(Had been responsible, Frisk reminded himself firmly. In the past. Before he was saved.)
So, Frisk had learned how to keep secrets. Only Chara, his constant companion through the monster kingdom, had become his confidante. Despite her aloof and often cynical outlook, she had proven to be surprisingly empathetic during his journey as he struggled his way, bruised and weary, to the palace.
There weren't many secrets Frisk kept from Chara. The research taking place in a hidden laboratory underground was an exception.
Unfortunately, "being good at keeping secrets" didn't necessarily mean "being good at hiding secrets." The next three days went by agonizingly slowly. Frisk tried to play it cool, but the girl knew him too well.
"You're being weird, Frisk. Why are you acting weird?"
Frisk looked over the top of book he was reading and glanced at Chara, who was sitting cross-legged on the other side of his room, next a book Frisk had propped open for her.
"I'm not being weird."
"Yes, you are. Your mind's been who-knows-where for the last few days, you've been acting fidgety, and you haven't turned the page of that book in the last five minutes."
Frisk's eyes involuntarily darted down.
"Maybe… I'm just a slow reader?"
Chara crossed her arms. "Come on. Out with it. What's going on?"
Frisk blushed and lowered the book guiltily. "I… I can't really… um…"
Chara's eyes narrowed. "You are being super weird. You're doing something you can't even tell me?" A second later, a look of comprehension and disdain came into her eyes, and she let out a snort. "Is this something to do with the flower?"
Frisk gratefully seized on the half-truth. "Yeah! I mean, uh, kind of. It's… I'm just trying something. I - I'm sorry, I just can't say right now, but I promise I'll tell you later if I can."
Chara rolled her eyes. "Don't bother," she said with a shake of her head. "You can keep your little secrets with that thing. Just start acting normal, OK? Or have you not noticed that Toriel and Asgore look at you funny every time you say you want to visit the underground? If you're not careful, they may stop letting you go up there." Her eyes dropped back down to her book.
Normally Frisk would have made at least a half-hearted defense of Flowey. But Chara had checked herself out of the conversation, and this time he was grateful to avoid any further discussion. He resolved to try to act as casual as possible downstairs. The last thing he needed were probing questions from his parents. Chara was right; Mom and Dad did think it was strange how he returned to the underground so often, and he wasn't sure how long he could put them off with vague explanations of what he did while he was there.
As agonizing as it was, perhaps it would be best to wait a week before returning. That would let any worry and suspicion on his parents' part die down. Plus, it would give the scientist more time. No sense in hurrying him. Frisk would do a little more reading, maybe visit Gerson to chat some more, go play with his friends, and do normal things for a few days. That was the best plan.
The plan went out the window the moment Frisk's phone dinged at him, just before bedtime.
There are things we should discuss, child.
He didn't get much sleep that night.
The room had grown more crowded since he had last visited. More than half of the panels on the ceiling had long metallic arms reaching down. Some looked like claws, of all sizes. One looked large enough to pick him up. Another branched out into an array of delicate pliers and tweezers. Some arms held calipers and other measuring instruments. There were lenses, lights, cameras, and sensors Frisk couldn't identify. And on the table in the center of the room sat the canister.
"Hello?" Frisk called out. He stepped further into the room, peering around a piece of large machinery on wheels. There was no sign of the Overseer.
He stepped closer to the center table. The canister was just as he had left it, except that it was now surrounded by an array of instruments all pointing at it. The double soul floated in the middle, the white heart shape in the middle glowing tranquilly, while the deformed red cocoon around it pulsed with sickly red. A screen was suspended above the canister, blinking and plotting a line in time with the red pulses. A wire snaking down from the ceiling was plugged into a socket built into the lid of the canister. A circular metal track was mounted close to the edges of the cylinder, on which a camera-like device endlessly rotated around the canister, pointing at the souls inside. More screens above the table recorded constantly changing measurements Frisk couldn't understand.
"Greetings, child."
Frisk jumped at the voice behind him. He spun around, banging into a suspended light and knocking it askew. The Overseer, who had just floated in, lifted his hands.
"Ah, my apologies! I should have made my entrance more apparent. " He gestured to a door behind him. "I was calibrating the chamber in there when you arrived."
"It-it's OK," said Frisk, as his heart gradually stopped pounding. "I ought to be used to it."
"Ah, I see - doubtless there are occasions when the ghost princess likewise forgets to announce her entry into a room," said the Overseer, nodding in understanding. Frisk didn't bother telling him that actually, no, she usually knew full well what she was doing and just thought it was hilarious to sneak up and give him a heart attack.
"Thank you for coming," said the ghost, gliding to the center of the room, casually passing through machinery crowded around the table. "I have not been idle since our last meeting, as you can see. There are still many variables to be evaluated, simulations to run, experiments I wish to conduct with the infusion chamber, but I have come to a high degree of certainty regarding several theories.
He peered up at the monitors over the table as he continued to talk, in a rapid, scholarly tone. A few of the devices pointed at the canister adjusted their position. "The incorporation potential varies widely for each soul, as you have probably guessed simply by visual inspection but which I have confirmed by flux attenuation based both on magical beam energy analysis, and also passive measurements of micro-bursts of DT and magical energy, from the human and monster souls respectively. The results have been instructive.
He waved offhandedly to a monitor. Frisk barely had time to see the graph it displayed before it disappeared and was replaced by others in quick succession. The scientist leaned in close to the canister.
"Naturally the stabilizing effect for the souls vis-à-vis the magical field energy alters the natural rhythmic responses one would expect for an embodied soul. Nevertheless, I believe I have been able to compensate by adjusting the expected readings to account for the density of the field, the age-"
"Um… sir?" interrupted Frisk. "I- I don't understand what you're saying."
The scientist looked up at Frisk with surprise. He straightened up and clasped his hands together. "Ah - forgive me child, it has been a while since I last had to explain a research project in layman's terms." He appeared to think for a minute.
Frisk waited anxiously. After a moment, the man chuckled quietly.
"It is interesting, child, how you reminded me of the King just then. The look on your face - I should have recognized it, having seen it often on the King's face as well. Sometimes he would simply raise his hand and ask me, in that gentle but insistent tone of his, "Is this good news or bad news?"
The scientist passed a hand over his head and sighed.
"So let me put it this way, child. There is both good and bad news. I will start with the good news, though I must temper any expectations with the caveat that there is still much research to be done and tests to perform. Nevertheless, I believe, based on what I have learned thus far, that there may be a chance to restore the prince."
Frisk's heart gave a wild leap. His whole face lit up and he clenched his fists in excitement.
"Really?! Sir, that's- that's fantastic! You mean like, bring his body back? That's awesome! And Chara? Can you bring her back too? What do we need-"
"Therein lies the bad news."
The words died on Frisk's lips.
"I am sorry, child, but I know of no way to restore the princess."
Frisk's elation came crashing down. The light in his eyes turned to disbelief.
"No-" he whispered. He took a step back involuntarily, almost tripping on a machine behind him.
The scientist sighed again and floated over next to Frisk. He gestured to a chair. His voice, still clipped and precise, was gentle. "I know this news is startling, child. Perhaps you would like to have a seat? Let me try to explain how I have come to my conclusions."
Wordlessly Frisk dropped into the chair. The scientist began to move around the room as he spoke.
"Are you familiar with the ontology of monsters, child?" he asked, glancing back.
Frisk blinked and opened his mouth, but then closed it and shook his head.
"That is to be expected - I am not certain that any humans have that understanding. In simple terms, you can think of monsters as creatures with a body, soul, and spirit, bound together with magic. A monster body, as you probably know, is almost entirely magical, but contains a small portion of physical matter which binds that magic together."
Frisk nodded. It was the first explanation he'd understood in the last five minutes.
"The spirit of a monster is his mind, his intellect, his consciousness - his ability to think and reason. And the soul you are probably also familiar with; it is the moral center of a monster, although its exact nature is not fully understood, not by the best scientific minds of the kingdom. Not even by me," the Overseer added, almost offhandedly. There was no hint of bragging.
"A number of noble virtues are assumed to make up a soul, which may be reflected to a greater or lesser degree in the monster's nature depending on a number of factors. Love. Benevolence. Compassion. Sympathy. Hopefulness."
He turned back towards Frisk. "These virtues were absent in the flower creature you described to me. This is consistent with my theories. Before, I assumed that no monster could exist without a soul, but if one postulates the hypothetical existence of such a creature, it is not hard to infer that such a soulless quasi-monster would be devoid of any morals. But he has begun to change, correct?"
Again, Frisk nodded.
"That, too, is in accord with my theories. Though I have not determined how it was accomplished, I believe that your interaction with Flowey qua Asriel just before the barrier broke changed him. His soul, dormant and at great distance from him, woke up and began to resonate with his spirit. The method of this awakening is still beyond my understanding, however. It is possible that-"
"Excuse me, sir," interrupted Frisk "I've been thinking about that myself, and I have an idea. When me and Chara were trying to save all our friends after Asriel captured them, they acted like they didn't have any souls. At least, they had lost all their hope, and kindness, and friendliness, and they all tried to attack me. They didn't even seem to know who I was, at first. But when I helped them remember the nice things we'd done together, their souls… I dunno, woke back up? Or something? Whatever it was, though, they went back to being who they were. They remembered themselves, and they remembered me."
The ghost listened with interest. "Fascinating. Please, continue."
"Well," said Frisk, "I tried to save Asriel too, but I couldn't do it. There wasn't anything I could do to break through to him, because we didn't have any memories together. But Chara did! Somehow, even though he didn't even know she was there, she reminded him of how they first met, and how he rescued her when she fell into the underground and took her to his home. And after that, he started to change! He started crying, and as soon as the battle ended, he said he was really sorry for everything, and how he wished we could have been friends… and then he broke the barrier."
The ghost stared at Frisk, nodding slowly. "Astonishing. Soul and spirit. It fits my theory perfectly."
"I'm…" Frisk raised his shoulders. "I'm not sure I understand. How does that help?"
"Child, I believe throughout your sojourn through the underground, you interacted with the spirit of Asriel - that is, his mind, his consciousness. When his body was destroyed, his spirit and soul were separated and normally would have been obliterated immediately."
The Overseer pointed to the canister. "But because the human soul protected his soul, neither his soul nor his spirit was lost. Both became dormant - the bonded souls attached to the body of the human, and Asriel's spirit embedded in the physical form of the flower, later awakened and reanimated due to the experiments of my successor."
He turned back to Frisk. "I believe at the moment you just described - the moment that you and Chara reached out to the prince during your conflict - his soul called out to his spirit across the expanse of the underground, and the two were linked together once again. The conscious sentience of his spirit was rejoined to the moral essence of his soul."
"So-" Frisk was trying to put it all together. "So, the Asriel I talked to after the battle, who looked like a child and told me how sorry he was - that was really him? Both of us thought maybe he was just feeling emotions again for a few minutes because he had all the human and monster souls in him. He told me the souls made him feel his compassion again."
The Overseer shook his head. "He was correct about the effect but not the cause. The power of the souls may have allowed him to assume his natural bodily form for a time, but if he was truly soulless at that moment, they would have had no effect on his spirit. I daresay he sensed the emotions of the souls he absorbed - love, fear, hope, despair, compassion - but initially he experienced none of it himself. He would be like a thirsty monster watching everyone around him quench their thirst from a fountain while he himself remained parched."
"No, something changed fundamentally during his battle with you. The Asriel who broke the barrier may have done so with the power of other souls within him, but the compassion that flowed out of him at that moment that compelled him to set everyone free - that compassion was pulsing in his own reawakened soul, from a great distance."
The two were quiet for a moment. Frisk eyes were starry as he thought back to the broken, tearful monster child, his smile gone, too ashamed to even look up, quietly telling Frisk just to leave him and forget him. Frisk had rushed towards the furry boy, arms open wide. Even Chara, hanging back in the shadows, unwilling to move closer, had been crying openly.
"It was also at that moment," the Overseer said, "that his soul began to die."
Frisk's eyes snapped back to the scientist. A cold lump formed in his stomach. The scientist turned to the canister.
"The two souls had been dormant for an impossibly long time. There is no record of such a thing in our history, but the evidence shows that the union of a monster and human soul, resting in the remains of its human host, proved to be incredibly stable. But only as long as they both remained dormant."
He leaned over to peer at the two souls. The instruments continued to record every pulse. The camera spun on its endless path around the container.
"They are in symbiosis together. The monster soul pulses life into the human soul, and the human soul forms a cocoon around the monster soul, preventing it from shattering. For decades, they remained combined but inert. Like a living creature frozen in the earth, they hibernated year after year, until the human soul pulsed to life again when you fell into the underground and the girl awoke. And when she and you encountered the prince in all his power, her connection to him, both physically in her soul and consciously in her spirit, awakened his soul as well. You described that as the moment you two 'saved' him, which is a very apt description."
He turned back to Frisk. "However, this awakened, bonded soul is not meant to exist without a physical form. The natural home for these united souls is the creature that Asriel transformed into. As twisted and distorted the form he took was, it was the combined soul's native dwelling place. With that body gone, the souls are unstable. Together they are strong, but eventually they must succumb to the erosion of time."
The Overseer gestured to the red soul, pulsing spasmodically.
"The prince's soul is still intact and whole, guarded by the princess' soul. But hers is dying."
"Dying?" Frisk repeated shrilly. The scientist carefully traced the outline of the red soul with a ghostly finger.
"The cracks you see, the deformities, the decomposition - it tells me that you and your monster friend found and rescued the souls just in time. I do not know how many weeks or even days they would have had left, but it would not have been many, I think.
Frisk seized on the words with desperate hope. "You said that Mr. Gerson and I 'rescued' the souls? Doesn't- doesn't that mean they're both OK now?"
"It is fortunate that your friend had access to one of these," the Overseer said, pointing again to the canister. "They were designed for this very purpose - a product of the unhappy research into human souls that became necessary following the Great Catastrophe, and the command of the King that… well." He cleared his throat.
"The answer to your question is 'yes' and 'no', child. The magical stasis field within this canister has stabilized the combined souls for the time being. Their decay has slowed. However, entropy cannot be stopped forever. Without their host bodies, the human soul will eventually crack away. When that happens, the unprotected monster soul will shatter almost immediately afterwards.
Again, the two of them were silent. The ghost floated over to Frisk and looked at him sympathetically.
"It pains me to tell you this, child, but the human soul must eventually break. It would have decayed long ago, except for the monster soul. As it is, it has no body to return to, and there is no way to resurrect the princess' body that it is connected to. Even if it had not turned to dust long ago, a soul cannot be returned to a dead body.
Frisk felt a sudden stab of pain. He closed his eyes at the memory of a flowery head on his shoulder, crying, believing it had been within his power to bring his sister back to life. A broken creature, deceived, blaming itself for failing to do something it could have never done.
He stared at the deformed, decaying red soul. Somehow, he couldn't get angry.
"So where does that leave us?" the Overseer asked, anticipating Frisk's next question. He began to float around the room again, looking at pages of notes that followed him from screen to screen. "Let us turn to the question of the prince. We need a way of restoring both his soul and spirit to his natural physical form. Every monster has a natural form, based on the magical properties of his soul. The prince's soul has remained stable, nested as it is within a human soul, but it cannot be stable outside of it unless it is reunited with its native body. His own body."
As he spoke, he moved towards the door he had come through earlier. He gestured to it and glanced at Frisk.
"Follow me, child, and let us see what may be possible for the lost prince."
Chapter 17: The Only Question That Remains
Chapter Text
The room Frisk stepped into was slightly larger than the research lab, but it felt massive due to the ceiling that rose far above him, formed by the cavern rock itself. A network of tracks, conduits and pipes crisscrossed the space over his head. The room was sparsely furnished. A bank of computer terminals and overhead screens sat against the wall nearest to him. A few scattered chairs lined the opposite walls. But it was the massive object in the center of the room that commanded his attention.
It was an enormous metal box, about twenty feet long, six feet wide, and taller than the room he had left. A door with a large lever was set into one side, close to the left end of the chamber. Large glass panels ran the length of the metal box. A number of pipes and conduits emerged from the rocky walls above him and snaked their way into the box. Several dials and lights were arranged next to the door, including a large gauge with green, yellow and red markings. Frisk stepped up to the windows and peered through the glass. The chamber had an array of pipes and machinery lining the walls inside but was otherwise empty.
"Do you know what a hyperbaric chamber is, child?"
Frisk looked back and shook his head.
"It is a human invention, I have learned, that functions similarly to what you see here. But whereas a hyperbaric chamber uses oxygen, this magical infusion chamber is used for testing and experimentation with heavy concentrations of magic."
The ghost floated over and gestured to the heavy door. "Would you be so good as to pull that lever and open the door?"
Frisk walked over to the door and pulled the large lever. It was heavy and stiff and took the whole weight of his body to get it to budge. After a bit of struggling, he managed to move it from the right side of the door to the left. A red light on the metal wall turned green, and Frisk pulled the door open.
"Some of the earliest tests we did here when the CORE was first constructed had to do with the effects of a heavy magical field on objects," said the scientist, as he drifted into the chamber and began examining the apparatus on the walls. "I had great hopes that, with a strong enough concentration of magic, the barrier could be shattered. Unfortunately, it became clear that the soul power used to form the barrier was unaffected even by massive bursts of magic. We continued using this chamber for other heavy magic experiments, but eventually moved on to other areas of research."
Frisk poked his head into the metal box as the Overseer continued his examination. The pipes that entered from the top spread along the ceiling and walls like spider limbs, ending in what looked like vents spread throughout the enclosure. On the wall next to the door were more dials. A light was glowing green there too.
"Nevertheless, " said the scientist, nodding to himself, "the infusion chamber seems to be in good working order."
He turned to look at Frisk. "I believe we will be able to use this room to restore a body to the prince."
Frisk felt excitement rising in him once again. "How do we do that?"
"By magic. Heavy concentrations of magic. Once the prince and the soul containment canister have been placed here, we will seal the chamber and flood it with magic. After that, we will remotely open the canister and-"
Frisk missed the last words as the scientist, still talking, floated through the walls and out of the chamber. The boy darted back through the door. The computer screens began to light up with numbers at the Overseer moved towards them.
"Even though they are physically separated, the prince's soul and spirit seemed to have been reconnected. That is to our advantage. The two souls are still tightly bound, but I believe that at a sufficiently high concentration of magical energy the prince's soul can be coerced into decoupling with the human soul. The calculations are still in progress, as you can see."
He gestured to a monitor. Frisk stared without comprehension at the graphs and numbers it was displaying.
"Um-"
The scientist looked down and chuckled. "Do not worry, child - I will explain in the process in simple terms. The prince in his flower form will be placed at this end of the chamber." He gestured to the door. "Just in front of him, we will place the canister with the two souls. The door will be sealed, and the magical pressure within the room will be raised. Once the-"
"Will that hurt him?" Frisk blurted out.
"Not at all," the scientist assured him. "While the prince is not in a true monster form currently, he clearly displays some magical affinity, and will not be adversely affected by the magical field around it."
"O-OK. Just wanted to be sure."
The man nodded. "Once the correct magical concentration has been reached, the canister will be opened. And do not worry," he said as Frisk opened his mouth, "the magical energy within the infusion chamber will continue to keep the souls stable. Once the combined souls are exposed, the proximity of the prince's spirit will draw his own soul free. It could not do so before, but I believe the close distance between his soul and spirit, bathed in heavy concentrations of the magical energy that is natural to monsters, will give his spirit the necessary affinity to draw his soul away from the human soul. It only remains them for the flower to bring his physical form into contact with the soul, and the transformation will begin."
"So, he just touches his own soul and… turns into Asriel again?"
"Yes. The physical composition of a monster's body is created and sustained by magic combined with the properties of his soul."
The screens around the Overseer cleared, then began displaying new data. It was meaningless to Frisk, except for a simplified outline of a monster with a soul, surrounded by equations.
"A monster is able to convert magical energy to physical matter natively. For example, by ingesting magical food a monster can heal his physical injuries. An accelerated version of that conversion will take place within the chamber. The prince already has a physical form. Once his soul and spirit are reconnected to that physical form, the concentrated magic within the chamber will bind the three together, and the physical plant-like body will be reshaped into the body that is natural for his soul - that of a boss monster."
"After that, it only remains to drop the magical pressure and open the door. Do you understand now, child?"
"I-I guess so," Frisk said slowly, rubbing his head. "I mean, kind of. It sounds a little scary, to be honest. I'll bet Flowey will be scared too. Can I be in there with him?"
The Overseer shook his head. "No, child, the intensity of the magical field would be dangerous to you. " He pointed to the door. "That is why the safety interlocks do not allow the door to be operated while the chamber is pressurized. Until the pressure dissipates, it will remain sealed with only the flower and the souls inside it.
"And… are-are you sure this will work?"
There was a noticeable hesitation before the scientist answered. "The theory is sound. I have a few more tests to run, but they are mainly for the purpose of determining the proper concentration of magic-"
"But- but you're not entirely sure it will work?" Frisk blurted out. "Is that what you're saying?"
The ghost sighed. He floated over and lowered himself to Frisk's level.
"Child, I owe it to you to be forthright. I believe I can say without contradiction that I have researched the nature of souls more than any other monster. And this form that I now exist in, harnessed to the CORE itself, has allowed me to formulate theories and run simulations much more quickly and efficiently than I ever could have in my corporeal form. And I am encouraged by the results."
"But please understand, this is something that has never been done before. I have never had a combined human and monster soul to study, much less separate."
He sighed again. In spite of his claim that he didn't need to sleep, his eye sockets still looked weary to Frisk.
"So no, child, I am not entirely sure it will work. There may be variables that I am unaware of. A great number of things could go wrong. But to the best of my knowledge and skill, I believe there is a good chance that the prince can be restored."
"And what about Chara? What will happen to her soul?"
The Overseer, who had begun to relax again, tensed slightly.
"Ah yes, I neglected to mention that the human soul will be returned to the magical stasis cylinder before we depressurize the infusion chamber. It will be there for us to retrieve once the door has opened again."
Frisk could have sworn that the scientist looked apprehensive as he rubbed his ghostly hands together.
"Will she be all right?"
"I-" The Overseer faltered slightly. "I am quite confident the human soul will be unchanged after the procedure."
Frisk didn't say anything. He just kept staring at the Overseer. The scientist rubbed his hands more intensely.
"Are you sure?" the boy finally asked.
The scientist dropped his head.
"No," the man said finally, "No, child, I am not certain. The human soul is in an advanced state of decay. It survives only because the monster soul sustains it. When the monster soul is removed, I will immediately reseal the human soul back in the canister, but… there is no guarantee that it will return to its inert stasis. It may instead experience natural, rapid decay within a few minutes. Perhaps even less."
"No!" Frisk yelled. The ghost jumped.
"We can't do it, then!" Tears began to come into Frisk's eyes. "If Chara's soul stops being active, then she'll probably just disappear again. And we can't… we can't just let her… let her die! There has to be another way! There has to be!" His voice began to break, as the tears rolled freely down his cheek.
"Child…" said the Overseer.
"What if I help?" asked Frisk. There was desperation in his eyes. "Do you need another human soul to test? I don't mind if you want to take a look at mine. We could do something now, or I could come back tomorrow. I could be here all day! Or I could… maybe I could…" His eyes darted around, and he began to hyperventilate.
"Child… Frisk, please!" said the ghost, making calming motions with his hands. Frisk stared at him, pleading. The man lifted his hands to rub his face, slowly and wearily. His words were muffled under his fingers. "Child, I am deeply sorry. Sorry for this situation, and sorry that you must be the one to bear it. But I have examined every avenue and have made every possible calculation."
He lowered his hands.
"Your offer is a noble one, and I will admit that the idea occurred to me as well. But I could not in good conscience subject your soul to such testing. The risks would be low, but the possibility of your soul taking serious damage cannot be eliminated. But more significantly, the testing would almost certainly provide no additional useful data. What we are dealing with is no mere human soul, such as you possess. The bonded souls have formed a unique entity unlike either a monster soul or a human soul."
The Overseer sighed heavily.
"It grieves me to say this, but once the souls are decoupled, only two possibilities remain for the human soul. It will either die a prolonged death back in the stasis cylinder, flaking away bit by bit until it cracks all the way through. Or else it will experience a quick death, shattering like all disembodied human souls."
He looked over at the long metal box. Frisk followed his gaze. Suddenly its exposed pipes and dark doorway and the incomprehensible screens and dials appeared menacing and sinister.
"The unhappy truth is that the human soul is doomed already. Even in the stasis jar, I have measured a minuscule but persistent drop in its energy field over the last few days. Leaving the two souls bound together will not preserve the human one. It will only delay the inevitable, perhaps for a few months, but possibly even less than that. The souls of both the prince and the princess are awake now, but without their bodies, their souls - even bound together, even sealed within the jar... they cannot survive for long."
The scientist floated over to Frisk. Frisk rubbed his fist against his scrunched-up eyes, refusing to look up at the man. He heard the Overseer sigh. His words had been clear and precise, but the note of despondency in them wasn't lost on Frisk.
"We cannot save the princess, child. The only question that remains is whether we will attempt to save the prince before she is gone."
Chapter 18: Hurry
Chapter Text
It wasn't fair!
There had to be another way!
Bitterly, still wiping tears from his cheeks, Frisk stepped out of the barrier cavern and tightened the straps of the heavy backpack. Suddenly a weight of exhaustion came over him. He shuffled over to the edge of the bluff and sank down. The day had brought wave after wave of ecstatic highs and devastating lows, and he felt completely wrung out. The joy that Asriel might be restored still excited him, but the imminent loss of Chara was almost more than he could bear. Their friendship had been forged in the flames of the underground (quite literally, in the battles with Mom and Dad), and although she could apparently go where she pleased, Chara continued hanging around the Dreemurr home with the one person who could see her. They enjoyed each other's company, and exasperated each other, and entertained each other, and tormented each other, and had fun together, as best as a child and invisible ghost could.
And now…
How could he lose her, after all this?
Frisk stared dully across the valley. Twilight. The sun had disappeared and the brilliant strokes of orange and purple that had lit up the western sky had shrunk and grown dim. The faint pink tinges that remained on the clouds were fading to gray and melting into darkness.
He sighed and pulled out his phone to send a text to his mother, letting her know that he was on his way home as he trudged to the path leading down the mountain. Suddenly, he remembered one last promise. He texted Gerson, too, letting him know that he was safely back on the surface and heading home. With the phone back in his pocket, Frisk slowly began the long hike to the town below him.
Chara wasn't in Frisk's room when he got home. He set his backpack down carefully in his closet, then went to the room at the end of the hallway. It was dark inside. He flipped on the light and glanced around among the boxes and bookshelves. She wasn't there, either.
He headed back downstairs, looking around to see if he had missed her when he came in. Chara didn't spend a great deal of time in the family area of the house when Frisk was around - it was harder for him to keep up the pretense of not knowing she was there when she was floating around the living room in front of him. A brief exploration turned up nothing.
"Dinner will be in 10 minutes, dear - please do not go far," Toriel called to him as he opened the back door onto the patio.
"OK, mom."
He flipped on the outside flood lights and stood in the doorway, looking around the backyard. Chara spent a lot of time outside. Her lack of physical hands made life inside the house fairly boring, but at least there were things to see and places to explore outside. Sometimes she even floated off to the park alone. But it would be unusual for her to be out here at night, Frisk thought - her eyesight in the dark was no better than his.
Still no sign of her.
Frisk stepped onto the patio. He shut the door behind him, glanced through the glass on the door to make sure his mom was still in the kitchen, then called out "Chara?" softly. He stepped farther from the house, where he could see the whole backyard, including the start of the path that led through the woods to the park. "Chara, are you out here?"
No one answered.
His mood at the dinner table was unsettled. As his parents chattered, Frisk picked at his food glumly. Where was she? It wasn't unheard of that she wouldn't be at home; there had been a several occasions when Chara had ventured out for the day to roam around the town. But each time she had always let him know before she left. Had she just gone out for a nighttime exploration? Maybe to the park after all? Perhaps she had decided to go sometime that afternoon when he wasn't around to tell?
Another possibility was scratching at the back of his mind. But he refused. No, she would be back. Of course, she'd be back. She was just out a little longer than usual - why would he even think-
"…Frisk? Frisk, dear, are you all right?"
Frisk's head snapped up. Toriel face was creased with faint lines of worry, matching the questioning tone of her voice. He gulped and glanced over to see Asgore staring at him as well."
"Sorry, Mom… I was just… yeah, I'm fine."
"Frisk," the King rumbled gently, "is something bothering you? You have not quite been yourself these last few days."
"No! No, I'm fine Dad. I was just… you know, thinking about things."
His parents exchanged glances. "Are you quite certain, dear one?" Toriel asked. "Your father and I have wondered if perhaps all the trips you are taking back to Mount Ebott are really good for you." She shuddered slightly. "Goodness knows I have little desire to return there."
The King nodded. "Yes, perhaps it would be better if you did not visit the mountain so often. I am sure it is interesting to one who has not spent a lifetime in those caves, but your friends and family and indeed your whole future are here now, with everyone on the surface."
"No!" Frisk yelped.
At the look of surprise on his parents' face, he fought to get his voice back under control. "No, no, it's not that. It has nothing to do with the underground!"
Another exchange of glances.
"Then what is upsetting you, dear one?" Toriel laid a soft paw on his hand. "You can tell your father and I, no matter what it is. I promise we will not be upset." Asgore nodded in agreement.
Frisk reddened. A set of possible responses ran through his head, which he tested quickly. He briefly thought about trying to wave their concerns off entirely, the way he had used vague explanations before, but from the worried looks on their faces, it was clear they were going to need more than that.
He took a deep breath and hoped that they still trusted him.
"Well, to be honest… there is something that's been on my mind lately… but I'm not really ready to talk about it right now. It's nothing dangerous or anything!" he added, seeing the concern on their faces deepening. "It's just… just something that I kind of need to deal with on my own right now. But it's fine! I'm fine! I really am, I promise!"
"Frisk," said Asgore, with a brief glance at Toriel. "You… do not have to answer this if you do not wish, but… may I ask you a question?"
"Um… sure."
Asgore took a deep breath.
"Does this have anything to do with my presence in this house?"
Frisk's eyes shot open. Asgore's eyes were despondent. Before Frisk could respond, Asgore continued.
"I know that my reuniting with Toriel may have been an unexpected and unwelcome event for you, and I fear that I did not consult your wishes enough when I came to live here. You and your mother lived here happily by yourselves for many months." He reached out a paw tentatively to Toriel, who covered it with her own. "I understand if all this has happened too quickly. Perhaps in my zeal, I failed to consider how my presence might unsettle you, given how very, very poorly I treated-"
"No! No, Dad, no! That's not it at all! I'm glad you're here! It- It makes me really happy that you and Mom are back together! I promise, it's totally OK!"
A look of relief came over Asgore. Toriel let out a breath Frisk wasn't aware she had been holding.
"No, it's something else, Dad. And it's nothing bad or anything, really! I've just had some things to think about lately, and, uh, walking around in the underground has just been a good place for me to think about it. But I really am fine, I promise! And it'll only be a few more days until I've worked through it."
He turned his head anxiously from one parent to another. The worry hadn't fully diminished from either monster's face, but they looked at each other and an unspoken agreement passed between them.
"All right, Frisk - we will not pry further," Asgore said. "If you have a good reason for not giving us more details, we will trust you."
"But please, dear, do remember that you can confide in us at any time." Toriel pleaded.
"I know, Mom. I will. Thanks." It was the best answer he could give. She gave him a wistful smile and reached over to softly stroke his head once before the three of them resumed dinner.
Frisk tried to figure out what to do on his way up the stairs. He had to talk to both Chara and Flowey. The next steps in the plan - if there were going to be any next steps - would be up to them.
Frisk stepped into his room, turned on the light, and recoiled in shock.
She was there, lying on the floor, propped up on one arm. Her head was bowed, and the hair hung over her face. Her legs were stretched out beside her body, but they were indistinct below the knee. Her shoes weren't visible at all. The arm she was holding herself up with was transparent except for a faint outline. A hazy gray shimmer surrounded her whole body.
"Aaaaah!" Frisk cried, only barely remembering to slam his room door shut before rushing towards the girl who was raising her head up slowly. "Chara! Chara, what's wrong!"
The girl groaned and forced herself into a sitting position. The lower half of her body slowly began to reappear as she struggled upright. The eyes she fixed on him were weary and drooping. The crimson color had all but washed out them, leaving them entirely gray with just a faint tinge of red.
"Frisk," she croaked. "We need to talk."
Frisk knelt down in front of her. "What can I do? Can- can I help you?"
"I'll be OK," she murmured. She took a deep breath and pulled herself up. The rest of her body appeared. The indistinct haze around her body sharpened, but the hues of her hair, skin, and clothes remained washed out.
"What can I do to help? I was looking for you all over when I got home!" Frisk said, rubbing his hands together. "I didn't know where to find-"
"Frisk, I'm fairly certain that I am dying."
Frisk froze. Horror filled his eyes. Involuntarily his hands balled up into fists. "No… Chara-"
"I never left this room, Frisk." Chara grunted and readjusted herself stiffly. "When you went out this morning, I stayed here. I happened to notice the clock around 9:45. That's about the last thing I remember before everything in me suddenly got tight, and I felt like I was being squeezed..."
She inhaled sharply, then let out a heavy sigh.
"I woke up a little while ago. I could hear you and Toriel and Asgore downstairs. I couldn't move. I could barely even think. I kept trying and eventually got myself up a little bit. And then you came in."
"Chara… I'm… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have left you! I didn't know it would- I'm sor-"
"You didn't do anything wrong," Chara sighed wearily. "It wouldn't have made any difference if you were here. It still would have happened."
Chara's translucent arm gradually resolved itself into a gray sleeve and hand. She slowly brushed it through her hair and gave a low chuckle.
"It doesn't really make sense to talk about a ghost dying, does it? I'm already dead. Don't think I can die twice unless I'm a zombie." She wheezed out a laugh again but ended up in a fit of coughing.
"But I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be around much longer, Frisk. This-" she looked down and gestured at herself. "This is getting worse. Each time it hurts more, and it lasts longer. I'm pretty sure it's going to finish me off soon. The next time it happens, I may just not come back."
"Chara," said Frisk miserably, standing up and moving towards his closet. "I think I-"
"I'm sorry, Frisk. I'm… I'm really sorry. I don't want-" Tears began to form in the girl's ghostly eyes. "I don't want to say goodbye."
"Listen, Chara, there's something-"
"This isn't much of a life," she laughed bitterly, "but it's been better than having my last memory be Asriel begging me to help him, just before he dies because of my stupidity. And it's… it's been good to be with you, Frisk."
"Chara, look, today when-"
"I wish it could have been different. I wish a lot of things could have been different. Like, my whole, entire life. But at least I got-"
"Chara, will you please listen to me?"
Chara's unfocused eyes snapped to Frisk in surprise. He had pulled his backpack out of the closet and was now coming back to the desk.
"I- I think I know what's happening to you. And I have something you need to see."
Chara blinked. "What?"
Frisk took a deep breath. "I don't really know how to explain all this, so… just… look."
He unzipped the bookbag. Carefully, he drew the large object out, and set it on his desk.
Chara remained frozen and absolutely silent. Her gray eyes were the size of saucers. After a moment, she floated closer to the desk and put her face close to the cylinder. The bright white and dull red light bathed her ghostly face in an unnatural color.
"Is- is that…"
For several moments she was silent again. Then,
"Is that a monster soul?"
"…yeah."
"Is-"
The question sat on her lips for several long seconds. When it came out, her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Is it his soul?"
"Yeah. It is," Frisk said quietly.
Her mouth had fallen open. Slowly she floated around the desk, looking at the cylinder from all sides, her unblinking eyes riveted on the soft white inverted heart.
"And what's that red stuff around it?"
It was Frisk's turn to gape in astonishment. But as he looked at the cylinder, he realized that the question made sense. He had known what he was looking for, when he and Gerson had been standing at Chara's flowery gravesite, but the shredded, disfigured red object in the cylinder bore little resemblance to the healthy, vibrant shape that long ago had been…
"Your soul," he breathed. "That's your soul, Chara."
Chara turned away from the cylinder to stare at Frisk in open-mouthed shock.
It took well over an hour for Frisk to explain everything. As he had with Gerson, he showed her the book that had given him the inspiration to search for her and Asriel's combined soul. He told her how he and Gerson had discovered it and sealed it in the cylinder. Explaining what the Overseer had discovered was far more difficult. Chara took the news stoically, as Frisk tremblingly told her about the conclusions the scientist had drawn about the two souls. Only a rapid blinking and fast wiping of her eyes gave any clue to her emotional state.
"So that's why I've been fading," she said with a curt nod. "Once my soul woke up, it started dying. I've been living on borrowed time ever since I found you in the underground."
Frisk felt a stab of guilt. "Chara, I'm really-"
She cut him off with a wave of her hand. "It's not your fault, Frisk. If you hadn't woken me up, I would have just lain there in the dirt while my soul fell apart a little slower. Nobody would have found it all."
Her voice grew soft again. "Nobody… nobody would have found Asriel's-"
She turned suddenly on Frisk. Her voice was quick and punctuated.
"So, what's next? What happens now?"
"Uh-" Frisk blinked.
"Do we need to go to this scientist guy now? What happens next? How do we use this soul? How do we get Asriel back?" she demanded.
"Well, I, uh… I need to at least get this jar back to the Overseer. He let me bring it home tonight, but he wants to study it some more. He said he wanted to run some more tests to make sure everything's ready…"
"Is he sure it's going to work? Is he 100 percent sure?"
"Um…" Frisk gulped. "Well, no, he's not completely sure. But it sounded like this was the best chance there was. I mean, he couldn't guarantee it, but he was pretty sure if Flowey was in the big chamber, and he pumped it full of magic, then his soul would come out and combine with his body and the magic, and he'd… he'd be saved."
"Then that's what you've got to do. Take this back to him tomorrow and get it going." A hint of flashing crimson returned to her gray eyes.
"But we can't start now!" Frisk objected. "I told you, he hasn't figured how to save you yet!"
Chara waved him off dismissively. "Don't worry about that. He already told you there's nothing we can do about my soul."
"But-but maybe he could study it a little bit longer! Even just a few more weeks! I know nobody's ever tried to restore a human soul before, but-"
"There's no time for that, Frisk!" she snapped. "That soul is falling apart. I disappeared for over half a day today. The next time it happens, it could be too late. We need to get this started right away. Tomorrow."
"No, Chara! I'm not going to let you-"
"FRISK DREEMURR!"
Frisk stumbled backwards as Chara flew right to his face. Her eyes were fierce. She jabbed a finger at him.
"I am already dead! I am going to be gone in a matter of days, if not hours. And until this moment, my pathetic, worthless existence has meant absolutely nothing. I have ruined every single thing I have ever touched and every single person I have ever met. I have destroyed the people I loved the most. I took the happiest family I have ever seen and tore it apart. When I am finally gone for good, the world will be better off. But right now…!"
Tears welled up in her eyes. She pulled back and turned to the jar.
"Asriel," she choked. "There is a chance Asriel can come back, Frisk. Right now, that miserable little scrap of soul is holding onto him and keeping him alive. There might still be a way to save him! And I am not going to take that away from him because of some blubbering, stupid idea that maybe a ghost scientist can wave his hands and do something that he's already told you is impossible."
She jabbed her finger an inch away from his eyes. Her body was trembling, but her teeth were clenched.
"So you take this back to him, Frisk Dreemurr. You take that jar back up the mountain tomorrow, and you tell that scientist to get moving."
Frisk stared at her, wide-eyed, not daring to speak. A moment later, she dropped her arm. A deep sigh escaped her lips, and she blinked several times. She sank down a little lower and seemed to deflate.
"I never believed you," she said in a small voice. "I never believed you when you said he was there in the underground. I still don't know what to think. How can that flower be him? Has he really been down there, all this time? And I never… I never went…
Tears began to drip down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around herself. With effort she tried to pull herself together.
"But that doesn't matter anymore. He's alive. You've got to save him, Frisk. You've got to fix this. You've got to bring him back. You've got to bring- You've got to-"
Her voice was breaking. She fixed her desperate, pleading eyes on him.
"Please, Frisk - it's the worst thing I ever did." Her hands trembled as she balled them into fists. "Please, don't wait. My soul is crumbling away. It's going to break really soon. And if it breaks before you- before he-"
Her voice hitched in a sob. "You can't let that happen! Please! Please–"
Her overbright eyes bored into him in desperation. A lump was forming in Frisk's throat. He felt the dampness in the corners of his own eyes. He nodded gently.
"Swear to me, Frisk!" she choked. "Swear to me that you will not let him die!"
"I-I promise. I'll do my best."
"Thank you," she whispered. She bowed her head, sniffed hard, and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "And Frisk? Don't tell him about me. Don't tell him that I ever came back."
"But-but, Chara-"
"Please, Frisk. He doesn't know I'm here. He doesn't know I was ever with you. As far as he knows, I died when he died back in that cavern, and I've been gone a long, long time. I know he hates me now, and I'd rather just be a distant memory for him."
"Chara, he doesn't-!"
Chara waved her hand forcefully. "Frisk, no. Stop. I know what you're going to say, and it doesn't even matter at this point. Just listen to me. If this- if this all works, Frisk… he's going need to start over. He's going to be confused and hurting. He'll need Mom and Dad. He's going to need a friend. A-" Her voice hitched. "A real friend this time. He's going to need you, Frisk."
She floated softly back over to the boy.
"The past needs to stay buried with me. It's the only way he'll ever be able to move on. Just-"
She took in a ragged breath. "Just be a friend to him, OK? Promise me that?"
Frisk kneaded his hands. He looked like he wanted to keep arguing, but the words died in his throat. Instead, he just nodded.
"I promise."
"Thank you."
She turned and floated over to the cylinder.
"I'm sorry, Ree." Her words were barely audible. "I'm so sorry."
For a long time, she stood there, motionless, staring at the soft, peaceful white glow.
Chapter 19: What She Would Have Wanted
Chapter Text
Flowey's face was pressed against the glass. The tips of his vines, wrapped around the cylinder, gently caressed the sides of the container as if in a hug. His wide-open eyes darted all over the object, following the weak red pulses and staring at the serene white glow.
"I can't believe it," he whispered.
The ache in Frisk's soul hadn't gone away, but he watched Flowey with a grin of someone who had just found the perfect present for their friend. From the moment he had pulled the cylinder out of his bag and placed it on the flower patch between them, Flowey's mouth had hung open. The eyes he turned to Frisk were shining.
"This is mine? This is really mine, Frisk? I can't believe it! I... I thought it had turned to dust long ago."
"It would have, if it hadn't been for Chara's soul."
The light in Flowey's eyes dimmed. He turned back to the jar.
"Her… her soul doesn't look very good."
The ache rose up in Frisk again. "No. It's been a long time, Flowey. Your soul has given her soul the power to survive this long, but it can't last forever."
Flowey was quiet. The ragged red soul continued to pulse weakly. He sighed sadly.
"So what- what do we do now? Can I just- you know, open the jar and take it?"
"No, it's not that easy. We have to separate the two souls first," Frisk told him. The flower looked up with confusion and a hint of worry. "You can't just put a combined soul into you - it turns out that just doesn't work. But there's a way- at least, we think there might be a way with magic to separate the souls again. And once the monster soul is free, it ought to go back into you since it belongs to you."
"Oh. Wow…" Flowey stared off into the distance, contemplating the thought. A moment later he turned back to Frisk.
"And what will happen to Chara's soul?"
"Um," Frisk said nervously. "We'll put it right back into the jar. And then we'll switch the magic field back on once it's in there, so the jar keeps it stable. That way, we-"
"Frisk!"
Flowey's petals suddenly snapped to attention. His black eyes looked excited.
"If my soul will go back into me, couldn't Chara's go back into her body? It ought to, right? That's what she told me!"
Frisk sighed. Someday, Flowey was going to have to be told the truth. But not today. Besides…
"No, Chara's body is pretty much gone, except for maybe bones. Even if we could somehow get it back into her," he pointed to the ground below him, "it wouldn't turn her body back into what she was before. Human bodies aren't magical. A human's soul doesn't just fix whatever's wrong with their body.
Flowey slumped. "Oh, I guess that makes sense. Even back then, Chara told me that I'd have to get rid of the poison in her body before her soul would go back in."
Frisk closed his eyes. Not today.
"But isn't there anything we can do?" Flowey asked plaintively. His coal-black eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "Her soul is right here! Isn't there any way to get her back?"
Frisk took a deep breath. "To be honest, I don't know. The jar should keep her soul alive at least for a while longer. And the Overseer's only been alive - or awake, or whatever - for a few days. I'm hoping maybe he'll figure out something really soon. He seems to remember both of you from long ago, and he's really working hard on this."
Flowey wrinkled his brow. "Who's the Overseer?"
"Oh, he's the scientist guy who's figuring all this out. He's a ghost or something - I think something happened in the CORE a long time ago that… I dunno, turned him into a ghost? But now he's, like, part of the CORE itself. I think he said he actually built it a long time ago.
"Oh! I remember that guy!" said Flowey. "It was Doctor…"
He stopped and rubbed the back of his head with a vine.
"Huh. His name's right on the tip of my tongue but I can't think of it. I'm pretty sure I know him? Although I can't actually remember now what he looks like…"
"He's got a kinda weird white face," Frisk offered, "and this long black robe that just kind of fades away at the bottom. No feet or anything. He just floats around. But he's really smart, and now that he's got the CORE hooked up to the Internet, he's doing tons of research. He doesn't even need to eat or sleep, apparently!"
"That sounds cool," Flowey agreed.
He turned his attention back to the cylinder. For a minute both of them were lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, Flowey's quiet voice broke the silence.
"It's not fair, Frisk."
Frisk, whose unfocused eyes were staring at the flowers, lifted his head but said nothing.
"It's not fair that I'm alive and might get to have my soul back, and Chara doesn't get to come back."
"She would have wanted this for you, Flowey. She'd be happy knowing you're still alive."
"I don't think so." He turned his despondent face to Frisk. "Chara must have hated me before she died."
"That's not true!" Frisk knelt down beside the drooping flower. "I know- I'm sure she loved you. She never wanted to see you die. She's rea- she'd be really happy to know you're getting a second chance."
"Maybe she would have at first. Before I betrayed her," Flowey said dejectedly.
Frisk gently raised Flowey's head up. "You didn't betray her! Neither of you knew what was going to happen to you. It was just a terrible accident. She wouldn't blame you for that!"
"But I didn't heal her, Frisk! I shouldn't have waited! I should have done it right away, as soon as we went through the barrier!"
Frisk gulped. Mercifully, while he tried to figure out what in the world he could say, Flowey went on.
"And I could feel her in me, Frisk. She was so angry! She was trying to kill everyone, and I was panicking. I could feel it, Frisk! She was angrier than I'd ever seen before."
Frisk thought rapidly. He had to be careful not to give too much away.
"Was she angry at you?"
"I'm- I'm sure she was. She was angry at everyone."
"But are you sure she was angry with you? I'm sure she was probably panicking too and angry at the villagers, but did she say anything to you? Was she mad at you?"
"I- I think…" Flowey's eyes went back and forth as his brow furrowed. "I- I just can't remember. I get so confused trying to think about it. But… I mean, surely she was mad at me, wasn't she? For getting her killed? And for not killing the villagers like she wanted?"
"I think," Frisk said carefully, "that she was probably scared, and didn't know what to do, and yeah, probably angry too, but I don't think she was angry at you. And I don't think she blamed you for… not healing her."
"But it was my fault, Frisk!"
"Look, Flowey," Frisk said, with sudden inspiration, "you told me that you and Chara could talk to each other in your head once you absorbed her soul, right?"
"Y-yeah. I don't think either of us expected that, ha ha," Flowey chuckled awkwardly.
"When you went through the barrier, did she tell you to heal her?"
Flowey wrinkled his brow for a few moments. "N-no… no, I don't remember her saying that. I told her I could carry her to the bottom of the mountain first so she wouldn't have to walk all the way, since I was feeling super-strong, and then I'd heal her and put her soul back in."
"What'd she say to that?"
Flowey thought hard. "I think she just said 'OK' or something. Nothing else, really."
"She didn't tell you to heal her and put her soul back in immediately?"
"I… don't think so," Flowey said slowly.
I'll bet she didn't , Frisk thought grimly. He said aloud, "So you shouldn't blame yourself that you didn't try to heal her the minute you stepped through the barrier. Chara didn't tell you to, and it sounds like she wasn't even really thinking about it. At least at that moment."
"That's… huh." Flowey's brow wrinkled in confusion. After a moment he looked back at the jar. The sadness was still in his eyes.
"But still… it doesn't seem right that both of us died, but I'm the only one who has a chance to come back."
Frisk decided to take a chance.
"Flowey," he said, "I need to tell you something."
The flower turned to him expectantly.
"I can't really explain this to you, but there's a sense in which I think I understand Chara really well."
"W-what?"
"Look, I can't really describe it, and there are things about it that… uh." Frisk lifted his hands helplessly. "I guess I just have to ask you to trust me that there are ways that make me feel like I have a pretty good idea of what Chara would want if she were here."
"Is it-" Flowey fumbled for words. "Is it because you're both humans? Or because you were both in the underground?"
"Something like that," Frisk said, seizing the explanation. "But what it means is that, I think if Chara were here right now, she would tell you that she still loved you, and that she would want you to take the chance to get your soul back and live again."
The speech had little effect on Flowey. He sighed and gave Frisk a sad smile.
"That's nice of you to say, Frisk. I'd really like that to be true."
"And Flowey… do you, uh, remember what I told you when we climbed up to your hideout in Hotland?"
Surprise filled the flower's face. "We went up there? Together?" At Frisk's nod, his petals wilted. "I… I don't remember that at all. I'm sorry."
"That's OK. I don't mind telling you again. I know Chara was your best friend. But… if it means anything… I really want to be your friend too." Tears began brimming in Frisk's eyes. He smiled down weakly at the flower, whose black eyes were open wide. "It was really great to meet you back in the underground for the first time. I mean, the first time you were really you. Maybe not so much the first first time, y'know?" He chuckled, but stopped when he saw the worry cross Flowey's face.
"Frisk, I'm really sor-"
"No! No, sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that when I finally got to see you, when you were Asriel, when you were really you… it was really cool. I wished I could get to know you more. I wanted to be your friend. And that's why I've been spending months reading everything I could about monster souls and monster history, trying to find a way to save you. For real this time."
Flowey stared in surprise. "What? You've been trying to do this for months?"
"Ever since Mom and I found a place to live, yeah," Frisk smiled. "I know I'm not Chara. I know she'll always be your first and best friend. But if you could come back, and if we could be brothers, I think that'd be totally awesome. I've never had a brother before. We'd have so much fun."
A smile broke out on Flowey's face, even as the tears rolled down and dripped off his petals. A leafy vine gently wrapped itself around Frisk's wrist.
"That's… that's a really nice thought. I've never had a brother either. I think that'd be super fun! And… and maybe you're right. Maybe Chara would be OK with that if she knew."
"I'm sure she would be."
"Thanks, Frisk," Flowey said, his voice cracking a little. He took a deep breath. "So… what do we need to do?"
"Right now?" Frisk replied. "I need to get this jar back to the Overseer. And then we just have to wait."
Flowey's eyes stole back over to the jar. He stared at the soft white glow longingly and sighed. "OK."
Frisk carefully picked up the canister. "It shouldn't be too much longer. When everything's all ready, I'll come find you."
Flowey laughed half-heartedly. "Well, you know me. I'll probably be around here somewhere. Doing flower-type things, I guess."
He started to chuckle again, but suddenly his eyes opened wide and his petals snapped taut.
"Oh! That just made me think of something. Frisk, could you… uh… could you…."
He trailed off. Frisk, in the process of putting the jar in his backpack, stopped and looked at him quizzically.
"When it's time to do the thing and you come back to the underground, would you… uh… would you mind doing me a favor?" A pair of vines sprouted up in front of Flowey, which began to rub each other.
"Sure. Whatcha need?"
"Um… well…"
To Frisk's surprise, Flowey's face began to take on a rosy tint. His vines began intertwining with each other more rapidly.
"Well, when it's time to do the thing with the soul, and… y'know, if it all works out OK, I'm not entirely sure if… Um. If there'll be... you know?"
Frisk didn't. But he gave a reassuring, if confused, nod. The flower reddened further and hurried on.
"I guess I'm not sure after that if…y'know, if I'm really me again, whether I'll... uh. Ugh!"
He looked around the empty cave where the two of them sat, as if a stray Froggit or Whimsum might be listening in. The petals on the top of his head drooped.
"Sorry, Frisk, I know this is stupid but… can I just whisper it to you?"
Still mystified, Frisk said "Um, sure?" nonetheless and bent down. The flower stretched itself up and whispered a few sentences into Frisk's ear, then quickly withdrew to shrink back into itself. Frisk's eyes widened.
"Oh! Yeah, wow, that makes sense. Sure, that's no problem."
"Thanks," said the flower awkwardly. "Just in case, y'know?"
"Yeah, totally."
"And, Frisk? Could I- could I see the souls one more time?"
Frisk, who had started to zip up the backpack, stopped and lifted the jar back out. Flowey put his face up to the glass. With one vine he rubbed the side of it tenderly.
"I'm sorry I didn't save you Chara. But thank you. Thank you for keeping me alive. You were the best sister ever. I love you."
He closed his eyes and bowed his head against the glass.
Two days later, Frisk's phone chirped.
Everything is ready.
Chapter 20: (PART THREE) Base Camp
Chapter Text
Frisk's sleep had been fitful. The radio alarm clock barely started playing before he slapped it off, bleary-eyed but fully awake. All the emotions that had had him tossing and turning throughout the night came rushing back: eagerness, hopefulness, anxiety, and dread, all fighting for dominance.
He slid out of bed and opened the curtains, blinking in the morning sun. He flipped on the light and stepped over to his desk. His backpack was there, where he had prepared it last night. He double-checked to make sure he had everything he needed. Granola bars, trail mix and a water bottle for the hike. A sweatshirt for the colder areas underground. A soft, lumpy grocery bag, loosely tied at the top. And the history book, just in case. That looked like everything. The only other thing he needed was his phone, charging downstairs, which he could pick up on the way out.
Right after he found a way to sneak into Mom and Dad's room without being seen.
After getting changed, Frisk stepped out of his room. The delicious smell of sausage and eggs drifted up from the kitchen. He looked at the closed door of the spare bedroom beside him, but after a moment headed down the stairs.
Asgore was sitting at the table, finishing the last of his breakfast. He looked up as Frisk reached the bottom of the stairs. "Good morning, Frisk," he said with a warm smile. "You're up early today. Have you got something planned for the day?"
"Yeah," said Frisk, setting the backpack down next to his own chair. "I'm gonna be exploring underground some more today. There are, uh, some cool things in the CORE I want to see."
The cheerfulness on Asgore's face dimmed slightly, and Toriel's voice floated out of the kitchen. "Frisk, are you certain that is a good idea? Why not spend time with your friends today? You are welcome to invite them over if you would like."
"Thanks, Mom," Frisk said. "But maybe I can do that, uh, tomorrow? This is probably going to be my last trip to the underground for a while. I'm gonna go visit a few places, and then come home, and that'll be it."
There was no immediate reply from the kitchen, and Asgore looked doubtful. But eventually he nodded. "All right, Frisk. Just be careful, and make sure you take your cell phone with you."
"OK, thanks Dad!" Frisk said, unplugging his phone from the charger. Now that he had received permission, there was no point in discussing the trip any further, lest it raise any tricky questions. But as the excitement bubbled up in him, he couldn't resist.
"And, uh, I hope I might have a surprise to bring home for you and Mom tonight!"
"Oh, yes?" said Asgore with an indulgent smile. "Well! I will certainly look forward to that then."
"A surprise from the underground, Gorey - what could it be?" laughed Toriel.
Frisk stepped into the kitchen to get a plate and find some breakfast. Asgore followed him, carrying his dishes to the sink. With a kiss, Asgore bid Toriel goodbye.
"I will see you tonight, dear one." He turned to Frisk, kneeling down and giving him a hug. "Have a nice hike today and be careful. And be sure to take plenty of water."
"I will. Bye, Dad."
Asgore stepped out of the kitchen. Frisk found the pan of sausage and eggs and scooped some onto his plate with the spatula. The smell was wonderful. But it triggered a memory. There was another thing he had intended to do.
Frisk sighed. It wasn't what he wanted to do. Far from it. But loving sacrifices had to be made.
"Uh, mom, do you have dinner already planned for tonight?"
"Well, I had planned on making tacos tonight, dear one. Were you wanting something else?"
Frisk was heartbroken. Taco night was the best. But his love and determination won out.
"Actually, uh… I was wondering if we might have snail pie tonight."
Toriel's eyes widened. "Snail pie? Really, Frisk? I am astonished! I did not think you particularly cared for snail pie."
He hated it. He hated it with a passion. The smell of it was nauseating. The quivering gray blobs inside a deceptively buttery crust were revolting. Just thinking about it for too long caused his stomach to turn. It was like an unholy war would take place in the kitchen - Toriel, the greatest cook in the world, locked in an epic battle against disgusting, vomit-inducing snails, in a fight to turn them into something edible. Unfortunately, even for someone who could use actual magic when making meals, this was a battle where it appeared Toriel bit off more than she could chew. Which was ironic because she and Asgore happily munched their way through the pie, while Frisk fought down dry heaves, took the smallest piece he could get, and hoped that he could survive on mostly vegetables for the night. Even Chara, floating through the house during supper time, avoided the dinner table on snail night. "No more snail pie" was another advantage of being a ghost, she smugly informed Frisk from a distance as he gloomily poked at his piece.
But someone else he knew used to love it.
"Well… I thought maybe since we hadn't had it in a while, uh, we could have it tonight. You know… for a change?"
His determination didn't add any enthusiasm to his voice, but it didn't matter. Toriel's face lit up.
"Well! This is quite a surprise, Frisk! Well yes, then, why not? I will make a snail pie for tonight. I think that is an excellent suggestion!"
"Yeah, and can you make sure there's, uh, plenty? For… leftovers." His stomach twisted in rebellion.
"Do not worry, Frisk, I will make sure there is enough for you to have several pieces." She beamed at him.
He smiled weakly back.
Frisk's self-sacrificial request for snail pie had one silver lining, at least. It got Toriel out of the house. She had kissed him goodbye on her way to the market to get what would be needed for dinner that night, warning him to stay safe, warm, hydrated, fed, and to call her if he needed anything at all.
Frisk put his breakfast things in the dishwasher and headed back upstairs. With the house empty, it would be a lot easier to take care of the last two tasks.
Knock knock knock
"Come in."
Frisk pushed open the door of the spare room. Chara was over by the window, bobbing gently as she stared at the mountains in the distance. She didn't turn around as Frisk came in.
"Hey, Chara." He patted his backpack. "I guess I'm about to head out."
Chara looked at him. She looked like she was about to speak, but instead ended up just giving a couple of nods. "I hope it goes well," she finally said with a small smile.
"Are you sure you won't come?"
She shook her head. "I can't handle it, Frisk. I don't know what to think anymore." Her eyes turned again to the window, unfocused. Frisk waited. After a moment she reached up and rubbed her head wearily.
"You know how I told you the other night that I never believed you? That Flowey was really my brother? That wasn't exactly true." She sighed and dropped her eyes. "The truth is, I never wanted to believe you. I didn't want it to be true. I can't tell you how much I didn't want it to be true, Frisk."
Her eyes were despondent as she looked up at him. "I wanted him to be gone," she said in a small voice. "I wanted him to be at peace. I wanted…"
She began to sniffle.
"I wanted to believe he never found out how the whole world fell apart after I killed him. That he never knew what happened to M-Mom and Dad. That in some s-s-stupid way, he was still my brother and friend when-when we both died. I don't think… I don't think in the moment he died that he hated me yet. He didn't know."
"He doesn't hate you, Chara," Frisk said quietly.
Her breath shuddered, but her voice remained steady and quiet. "But if that's really him down there, then he knows. He knows how I killed him and tore apart everything he loved."
Slowly Chara floated towards him. "There's still a little part of me that doesn't want to believe that that flower is really my brother." She looked up. Her eyes were wet and forlorn. "But the other part of me? The part that wants Ree back more than anything? That part doesn't care."
Chara dropped her gaze and shook her head. "I don't know what's real anymore, Frisk. I don't know what to think. And I'm terrified of what's going to happen today."
"I know, sis." Frisk's voice was sympathetic.
For once, Chara didn't bother arguing over the familial term.
"I don't know what'll happen either," he continued. "Maybe it'll be nothing. Maybe we'll try it, and it doesn't work, and we have to put the souls back and think of something else. But maybe it'll work! Maybe we're going to get Asriel back!"
"I know, I know," Chara sighed. She floated closer. "Believe me, I really want this to work. I would give anything to have this work. But there are so many ways it could go wrong. And… I just don't think I can handle it. I can't bear to get my hopes up, and then have them crushed."
She shook her head. "I can't go. I can't watch. You go on, Frisk. You can… uh, you can tell me tonight what happens."
Frisk caught the hesitancy in her voice. His eyes narrowed. "Everything's going to be fine Chara, for both of you. I promise."
A spark of fire came back into her gray eyes. "You know you can't promise that, Frisk. There's almost nothing left of my soul. When it goes, I go."
"It's going to be fine! The only place it's gonna go is back in the magic container when we're done, where it'll be fine!"
"You don't know what's going to happen! And neither does that scientist. Nobody's ever tried this kind of thing. Both of the souls may just fall apart the minute they come out. And even if you do just put them back in the jar, they're not going to last for long. We both know that." The fire in her eyes was gone, replaced with resignation.
Frisk shook his head, preparing to protest, but to his surprise Chara gave him a small smile.
"All I'm saying, Frisk, is that if I'm not here when you get back… then… it was really nice being with you for a little while. I- I guess I'm trying to say thanks. Thanks for being my friend. And… a good brother."
She held out a phantasmic hand to him. Frisk stared it despondently; she pushed it closer to him insistently. Finally, he reached out and carefully wrapped his fingers around her insubstantial hand.
"I couldn't have done any of this without you, Chara. Thanks for being my friend too, and a great sister. And!" he added forcefully, "I'm sure you're going to be here when I get back, so don't go acting all mopey like you're saying goodbye forever, OK?"
Chara snorted softly, but her smile was genuine. "I can at least promise I won't go wandering off anywhere. And… thanks."
She pulled her hand away. "Now go save him, Frisk."
It felt weird to be creeping into Mom and Dad's room. With an uneasy feeling, he turned the doorknob quietly and pushed the door open carefully. He reminded himself that he wasn't doing anything wrong. It's just that he was doing something that would be very hard to explain if he were caught. Very, very hard.
Softly, wondering why he was moving slowly and quietly but unable to stop himself, Frisk made his way over to the long dresser that his mother and father shared. Toriel had a large jewelry box sitting on top. With a deep breath, and another moment to convince himself that his parents wouldn't mind if they just knew, Frisk opened the box.
Most of what it contained was fancy, ornate jewelry that Toriel never used. The necklaces, pendants, bracelets, earrings, and head ornaments were there only for formal occasions, since Toriel usually preferred just simple adornment. Frisk pushed through the jewelry, gently at first, trying to keep everything as undisturbed as possible, but then more forcefully as his worry began to grow. He couldn't find them. Why weren't they here? Isn't this where Mom had said she kept them? Just as he began to give up hope, he felt the velvet surface of the box move under his fingers. Of course - it was a two-layer box. Carefully he lifted the inner container up.
There they were. They lay next to each other, shining on the black velvet. Nothing else was in the box other than the two golden objects.
Reverently, Frisk picked both of them up. They were almost identical in every respect, even down to the picture each one contained of two smiling children, arms on each other's shoulders. Only their golden chains showed any difference. One was slightly smaller, sized for a young girl. Frisk lifted it up and stared at it as it spun around on its chain. A feeling of nostalgia and longing filled him as he watched the light play on its surface. He hadn't held it in a long time. It was just as pretty as he remembered.
More than once, he had offered to fetch it and show it to the girl upstairs. Every time she had rejected the idea, firmly and forcefully. It would only make her pain worse, she had told him.
After a moment, he sighed and carefully returned it to the bottom of the box.
The other one had a slightly longer chain, and some of the delicate links showed signs of repair if you knew where to look - evidence of the more wild and rambunctious play style of its owner. It was this second object that Frisk kept. He wound the chain carefully and put it into his pocket. Then he replaced the top container into the jewel box and closed the lid.
Again, he felt a sense of unease as he turned to go. Somehow it just didn't feel right to be taking things out of Mom's jewelry box. He reassured himself that, worst-case scenario, he would simply return what he had borrowed at the first opportunity.
And best-case scenario, the locket would never need to be returned.
Frisk turned and softly walked to the door. Quietly, still moving stealthily and feeling rather silly, he crept out of the room and pulled the door shut. But even as he released the doorknob and turned to leave, he stopped. In some way, the sound of the door clicking shut had unsettled him, as if some final, irrevocable event had just taken place. He frowned; why had he gotten that feeling? For a moment he stood there lost in thought, eyes distant, hand suspended in the air. Then he reached for the doorknob again.
Chapter 21: Final Checks
Chapter Text
It had been naïve to hope that he could avoid walking the entire length of the underground, Frisk decided, as he shivered his way out of the Snowdin forest and through the massive stone doors into the lowest level of Toriel's house.
It had been worth a try. After climbing the mountain, he had hoped to find Flowey in his old bedroom in the New Home palace, which he had been frequenting. From there it would be just a short hike to the CORE. Once that hope had fizzled out, Frisk had had to resign himself to checking all Flowey's usual haunts. Sometimes the flower brooded in the gloomy subchambers of the science lab, where he had been reborn - or reanimated at least. Not today, though. Nor was there any response when Frisk called up to the rocky hideout in Hotland. He wasn't by the Echo flowers, he wasn't staring up at the twinkling crystals in the cave roofs of Waterfall, and he wasn't poking his way into the snow-covered buildings to the west.
The farther he trudged, the more Frisk wished he had simply come down by rope through the smaller entrance to the underground. But that would have involved a much longer hike to the other side of the mountain. Or getting a ride from someone. Neither of which was a good choice.
Still, the long walk did very little to diminish his hopeful excitement. After days of mood swings, altering between anticipation and dread, he had finally decided that anxiety would do him no good. In the end, it wasn't even really his decision to make. The Overseer had offered a possibility that no other person, human or monster, was more qualified to give. Flowey was ready. Chara had insisted. His own role now was just to see it done and leave it in God's and the scientist's hands.
Coming out of the entrance to the ruined city, Frisk passed underneath the arches on the outskirts and through the cavern beyond. He could see a thin reflected glow on the wall just ahead where daylight was forcing its way into the underground from far above.
He turned the corner and stopped mid-step. An unpleasant sense of déjà vu rose up in him along with a cold prickle on the back of his neck.
He was there, standing in the small field of bright flowers around him, with his back to Frisk. He was swaying slightly back and forth in a rhythmic fashion, stopping from time to time, then resuming a moment later.
Frisk watched him for a full minute, trying to figure out what to do. Then carefully, as quietly as he could, he slipped his pack off and leaned it against the rocky wall. Slowly, one tentative step at a time, he began to move forward, keeping on the balls of his feet, ready to dive to the side. As he got closer to the flower bed, he heard a soft droning sound. He glanced around and up at the distant cave entrance in confusion, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. The sound changed in pitch, and suddenly he realized what it was. Flowey was humming.
"Hey, Flowey?" Frisk called softly.
The humming stopped. The flower's head whipped around, and Frisk's legs grew tense. But there were no bulging eyes, and no distorted mouth. Just a look of surprise.
"Frisk!" The flower broke into a cheerful smile. "Howdy! I didn't hear you coming!"
"Yeah," Frisk said, exhaling heavily and relaxing. "Sorry, I was being quiet. How're you doing?"
"Oh, fine." He gestured to the flowers below him. "Just feeling a little… I dunno, homesick today? Wistful?" He shrugged awkwardly. "Kinda just missing Chara I guess."
"Yeah," Frisk nodded sympathetically. "What was that you were humming? It sounded familiar."
A blush crept onto Flowey's face. "Oh, that was just a song Mom used to sing to me and Chara sometimes, when she'd put us to bed. I always liked it, when everything was dark with the lights out and you were safe and cozy under the covers, and you could just listen to her singing. It was just really nice, somehow. I didn't want it to end, because then she'd say goodnight and leave. I wanted her to just keep going. I wish she could have just stayed there and sung until I fell asleep."
Frisk smiled. "Yeah, I know what you mean. She still does… I mean," he checked himself with embarrassment. But it was too late, and he sighed. "She does that for me too, when I'm in bed."
A look of nostalgia and melancholy passed over Flowey's face. A moment later, he gave a little shake of his head. "I'm glad to hear it, Frisk. I'm glad you get to enjoy it. But anyway, sorry to be all gloomy. How are y- oh! Oh!"
His face suddenly lit up in excitement. "Is it today? Are we going to… try to get my soul out today?"
Frisk grinned and nodded. "Yep! The Overseer told me everything's ready to go. I guess it's now or never. Are you ready?"
Flowey nodded rapidly, even as some of his petals drooped. "I'm really nervous, Frisk. I guess we're not going to get another shot at this, are we? If it doesn't work, that's it, huh?"
Frisk's heart sank a little, but he kept his voice cheerful. "Hey, don't talk like that! I'm sure it's going to be fine. The Overseer is really smart, and he has, like, all the power of the Internet to back him up. I'm sure he's figured it out.
Flowey smiled and gave a small shrug. "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out."
"Wanna hitch a ride?" Frisk offered, hoisting his backpack onto his shoulders.
"Oh, thanks!" Flowey's disappeared into the sea of flowers. A moment later he popped up next to Frisk, pulling his roots up from the soil. Carefully Frisk bent down and let the flower wrap its vines around his arm. He lifted his arm over his head, and Flowey transferred himself to the straps of the backpack, leaning his head over Frisk's shoulder.
"Got a good grip back there?"
"Yep! Let's go!"
As Frisk set off on the long return journey, he didn't notice the hint of a blush on the floral head. "Hey, uh, Frisk, did you bring… what we talked about last time?"
"Yep, got it right back there," Frisk said, pointing a thumb at his backpack.
"OK, great. Thanks for remembering."
The rush of cool air that accompanied the door whooshing open was marvelous after the walk through Hotland. Frisk sagged his way into the lab, grateful that the Overseer had thought to turn the cooling system on. He and Flowey stopped just inside the threshold, their eyes taking in the room. The lab was quite a bit busier and louder than any of the previous times Frisk had visited. The generator below them sounded like it was revved up, filling the room with its constant droning. All around him, machinery was at work. Lines of text were scrolling rapidly on several screens, along with charts and graphs that flickered by. Books and binders were open on almost every table, with delicate instruments hovering over them. One of them was in the process of turning the page of a book on a far counter, where a black-clad ghost was staring down at it.
At the sound of the door sliding shut behind Frisk, the scientist turned around.
"Child! Welcome!" he said, spreading his arms. He began to float towards Frisk. "This is a momentous day. I am just going over the specifications of the machinery one final time to ensure everything is working within acceptable parameters. Have you been able to locate-"
Abruptly the scientist stopped. His eye sockets grew wide as his gaze shifted to Frisk's shoulder. He crossed the remaining distance between them quickly and, to Frisk's amazement, dropped to one knee and bowed his head.
"Your royal highness! I am most honored that you have come. My service and all that I have are yours to command, my prince."
Frisk turned his head. Flowey was blushing fiercely. "Um," he said, and stopped. "Um," he added. "Thank-thank you, sir. I'm, uh, very grateful for everything you are doing." He chuckled nervously as he rubbed his vines together. "It sure, uh, sure looks like there's an awful lot of… science going on here, ha ha!"
"It is as you say, your highness," said the Overseer, still on the ground and not looking up. "The moment I was made aware of your needs, I immediately dedicated all my skill to this great cause. I have not ceased in my efforts to do all that I can to help you."
"Wow, thanks! That's really nice of you."
"You honor me, my prince. It is my delight to employ my faculties in your service."
"Yeah… boy, uh, yeah… thanks a lot."
Frisk poked Flowey's stem. As Flowey swiveled his embarrassed face over to him, Frisk pointed at the bowing scientist and make lifting motions with his hands.
"Oh! Uh. Yes, you may rise now, uh… Sir… Scientist."
The ghost floated back into a standing position.
"Thank you, Prince Asriel. You do grace me with a title that I have not earned, but I shall strive to work as though I had. And may it please your highness, allow me to express, in light of the melancholia of years past, how great was the succor I received upon learning the joyful news that you were still alive."
"Um? Well, that's, uh, really great. I'm glad to hear it. Oh, and, uh, you can just call me Flowey. If that's OK."
The scientist furrowed his brow but hesitated only briefly before bowing his head. "As you wish, Flowey, your highness." He turned to look at Frisk and gestured to the door leading into the large room, which opened on its own. "If you are both prepared, we can begin."
He floated his way into the room beyond.
"Nice work, your highness," Frisk grinned as he began to follow.
"I didn't know what to say!" Flowey moaned, flapping his leaves. "People talk like that to Mom and Dad, not me! I don't know how to do royal fancy talk!"
"Relax, you did fine," Frisk patted his head reassuringly.
"Frisk," Flowey asked, "what was he saying about receiving a sucker? Like, a lollipop sucker?"
"I dunno," Frisk shrugged. "He says a lot of stuff I don't understand."
The testing room was just as alive as the main lab. The bank of computers on the wall were humming busily. Four of the screens showed scrolling text, while others showed graphs with pulsing lines and constantly changing numbers. It reminded Frisk of the type of monitoring equipment one might see in a hospital. The noise of fans in the ceiling and ductwork hummed above him. The display panels on the large metal chamber itself were lit up. The door on the left side of the chamber was open, and the light next to it glowed a soft green. Flowey looked around the room in wonder.
They caught up to the Overseer as he floated through the open doorway of the chamber, inviting them to follow him. On the floor of the chamber close to the doorway, resting on a soft piece of felt, was the soul canister. Frisk and Flowey stared at the floating red-and-white object inside. The white soul looked unchanged, serene and glowing. The pulsing, ragged red soul didn't look any worse to Frisk, but it was hard to tell if all the cracks it showed had been there before, or if there were any new ones.
"Why is it upside-down?" Frisk asked, noticing that the lid with its green lights was at the bottom of the jar.
"The jar will be opened remotely," answered the scientist. He gestured upwards, where Frisk and Flowey could see a variety of claw-type instruments on a track in the chamber's ceiling.
"When the time comes to make the transfer, the stasis container will be opened and lifted directly up, exposing the souls where they will be accessible to the prince.
About two feet away from canister, sitting on the floor by the wall of the chamber, was a large earthenware pot filled with soil. The Overseer gestured to it somewhat apologetically as he addressed Flowey.
"This is hardly an appropriate seat for royalty but based on the description that your human friend gave me, I thought this would perhaps be more comfortable for you while the process takes place, Prince Flowey."
Flowey reddened again and nodded quickly. "Yeah, that looks perfect, thanks. And, uh, you don't have to call me Prince Flowey. Or Prince anything. Just Flowey is fine."
The Overseer looked visibly uncomfortable but bowed his head in return. "As you wish, Flowey. If you would like to take your place, we will run some scans just before we start the procedure."
Frisk got down on one knee and tilted his shoulder over the pot. Flowey disentangled himself from Frisk's backpack and stretched his roots into the rich soil. He settled himself firmly in the dirt, flexed his vines experimentally, and nodded.
"Excellent. Now, child, you will need to step out while we begin running tests in preparation for the transfer. The heavy concentration of magic that will be present in this chamber would be harmful for a human being."
"OK. I'll be right there." The ghost nodded and turned to float out and over to the bank of computers. Frisk still kneeling next to the flowerpot, reached out a hand. A few leafy vines reached over to wrap around his fingers.
"I'll be right outside, Flowey, and I'll be able to see you through the glass. It's gonna be fine. You're gonna do great!"
Flowey was quivering nervously, but he nodded and squeezed Frisk's hand before retracting the vines.
"Thanks, Frisk. Will you be able to talk to me if… if I need to?"
Frisk stood and called out the doorway. "Excuse me, sir? Will Flowey be able to hear us while this is going on?"
The scientist, who was busy studying the screens mounted above him, nodded without turning.
"Yes, there are speakers and microphones on both the interior and exterior of the infusion chamber. Once we switch them on, we will have full communication. And of course, you will be able to observe through the glass."
"There you go, Flowey. We'll both be right here if you need anything."
"That-that's good to know." The flower took a deep, shuddering breath. "This is all starting to feel pretty scary now that I'm here." He looked around nervously at the claws and pipes that lined the ceiling.
"I know. But it'll be all over really soon, and it's not going to hurt or anything."
"What do I actually do Frisk? Do I just sit here, or what? I'm not sure exactly how this supposed to work."
Frisk scratched his head. "You know, I'm not actually sure." He turned to the door again. "Sorry, excuse me again sir, but what exactly is going to happen during all this? Does Flowey need to do anything?"
"Do not fear, child, I will step through the process in detail, once the preliminary tests have completed."
"OK, Flowey - I'll see you in a little while." Frisk ran his hand over the soft petals on Flowey's head and turned to go.
"Oh, Frisk! Don't forget the, uh… the thing."
Frisk turned back, momentarily confused. Then, "Oh, right!" He swung his backpack off, laid it on the ground, and knelt down to unzip it. He poked around for a minute before pulling out the lumpy grocery bag, loosely tied at the top. He set it on the floor. Flowey reached out a vine and pulled it close to the pot.
"Thanks a bunch, Frisk."
"Sure thing!"
As Frisk stepped over to the ghostly scientist, he heard a grinding sound behind him. Looking back, he saw a machine near the door press it closed with a piston-type extension. A heavy claw-like instrument reached down to the lever on the door and swung it to the right. The chamber reverberated with a clang, and the light next to the door went from green to red.
"I must admit my incorporeality has caused my dexterity to suffer," the Overseer said as he watched. "Interfacing with devices meant to be manipulated with monster arms and claws has been challenging. Fortunately, this lab was designed for mechanized operation. I am grateful for the variety of manipulating devices I can control. Perhaps if I am able to further retrofit the lab-"
His words were cut off by the sound of whining, grinding metal in the fan system overhead. A moment later, the noise subsided. The Overseer glanced up, his ghostly head and eye sockets bent in a frown.
"I trust that I am not overtaxing the machinery in this area. Our operation will be well within the tolerances of the equipment, and there are multiple redundant systems, but it has been a great many years since they were in operation. I wonder…"
He tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment or two.
"Child, may I ask you to assist me for a moment? While the initial testing commences, I would like to double-check the specifications of the magic-delivery conduits. They are located in a binder which I left sitting on the central counter in the lab. Could you retrieve it for me?"
"Sure."
"Thank you, child. I will begin the preliminary magic flooding process." The Overseer turned his attention back to the screens above the workstation. Even as he did, beeping noises began to sound from the chamber. Frisk watched as numbers on the displays began to climb. The needle on the large gauge next to the sealed chamber door began to move into the green shaded area.
The speakers on the chamber crackled to life.
"Flowey," said the Overseer, "we are beginning to fill the chamber with magic, to match the saturation level that is inside the soul stasis canister. You should feel no discomfort whatsoever, but if you do, please alert me immediately."
"OK," responded a tinny, amplified voice.
Frisk walked back to the lab. The door automatically slid open as he approached, then slid shut as he passed through. He grinned. Somehow, an immeasurably long time ago, while stuck a mountain, monsters had invented cool magical sci-fi doors. He wondered if there was any way Dad could install a door like that for his bedroom.
He saw a collection of open binders sitting on the counter, with delicate claw appendages hanging over them. One of them was labeled "MagWatt Containment and Transport Conduits," which he assumed must be the right one. He carefully lifted it away from the metal claw above it, tucked it under his arm, and turned back to the door.
"Hey."
Frisk let out a yell and went flailing backwards against the counter. The binder flew into the air. One of his arms swept off some kind of glass and metal apparatus, which fell and shattered on the hard floor. As he stumbled and cracked his elbow against the edge of the counter, his other arm knocked a stack of paper onto the floor in a flurried mess.
The wide-eyed ghost girl stared at him in astonishment. "Whoa, whoa, calm down! Goodness, what is wrong with you, Frisk?"
Frisk heaved himself up from the backwards, half-sprawled position he had ended up on the counter.
"What in the world are you doing here?" he squawked, staring at Chara.
She gestured to a computer monitor next to her, showing a page of text. "I'm just looking around. I haven't been here forever, so I was just seeing what's here."
"No, no, I mean, why - why are you here, now?"
Chara sighed and lowered her eyes. She floated over to Frisk as he leaned down to pick up the binder. "I got to thinking after you left. I may never get a chance to see-"
"Child? Is everything OK in there?"
The muffled voice came from the other side of the door. Frisk blanched.
"Um, I'm fine sir! Just uh, had a-" A sudden revelation sent an icy chill down his back. "Just a little accident!"
He turned and gestured frantically to Chara. "Quick! Hide or something!"
Chara blinked at him. "What?"
"Are you certain, child? Just one moment, I will come to assist."
"No! Uh, I'm fine sir!" He gestured wildly again. "Hide!" he hissed.
The girl stared at him incredulously. "Frisk, I'm a ghost. Nobody but you can see me."
"But Chara, he's a ghost too! He'll be able to see you, I know it!"
Chara frowned at him. At that moment, the scientist floated through the door. Both children turned to face him. Chara tilted her head in interest. Frisk's eyes were wide and panicked. He felt the perspiration starting to build up on his body.
"Greetings," said Chara. Frisk looked on in horror as she floated forward, extending a ghostly hand. "My name is Chara. I believe we may have met a long time ago."
The man stood there for a moment, staring. Then his eyes went to the floor.
"Child, is everything all right?" He gestured at the broken glass and scattered papers on the floor.
"Um! Um, yes sir. I, uh, have the binder here. Sorry about breaking the, uh, thing sir, I just, uh, slipped." Frisk plastered on a desperate smile.
"Ah. Thank you, and do not concern yourself about the broken flask. It is of no consequence. If you would please-"
"HEY! LOOK AT ME!"
Frisk bit his lip to stop from yelling again. Chara launched herself directly between him and the Overseer, waving her hands and bobbing up and down. Frisk started to hyperventilate. He felt like he was about to collapse.
The Overseer continued as if nothing was happening "-be so kind as to bring it with you, we are-"
"HELLLOOOO? HEY! MR. SCIENTIST! IT'S ME, CHARA!"
The Overseer didn't bat an eye.
"-almost ready to begin the transfer procedure."
Chara dropped her arms and smiled smugly at Frisk. "There, see? Nothing."
"Are you quite certain you are well, child?"
Frisk, who was glaring at the ghostly girl between him and the scientist, suddenly focused on the Overseer's bewildered face and reddened in embarrassment. "Oh! Uh, yes sir. Just, uh, nervous, I guess! I'll bring this in."
The man nodded and floated his way back through the door. Frisk shot Chara another dirty look as the door swooshed open for him. She just grinned as she followed him.
Chapter 22: Separation
Chapter Text
"Thank you, child. That desk will be fine."
Frisk placed the book on an empty desk near the computers. Almost immediately a machine rolled over and placed its delicate claws on it. As the Overseer floated over to it, the claws began flipping through the pages.
Frisk started making his way towards the chamber. After making sure the Overseer wasn't looking, he turned and gestured excitedly to Chara to come with him to the window.
To his surprise, she shook her head vigorously. She pointed to herself, then to the chamber, and then put a finger to her lips.
Frisk stared at her, confused. She drifted over to a set of chairs on the wall opposite the computer bank, where she would be unable to look through the window on the long test chamber. After a moment, Frisk turned and joined her at the chairs.
"What is it?" he asked quietly, glancing over at the Overseer who was still absorbed in his reading.
"I'm not going to watch."
"What? But- but then why did you come?"
A droning sound started up in the test chamber. A moment later the speaker crackled. A high-pitched and somewhat grating voice filled the room.
" Hey Frisk? Or, uh, Mr. Scientist, sir? The air feels a little tingly in here - is that normal? Should I be doing anything?"
"Have no fear, Flowey, that is all perfectly normal. You are feeling the effects of heavy magic concentration, but it is harmless. We will be ready to begin in earnest very soon."
"OK, thanks."
Frisk wasn't listening. He was staring at Chara. Her unfocused eyes had grown to the size of saucers and her mouth had fallen open.
"That's… that's him," she breathed.
She riveted her eyes on Frisk.
"That's him, Frisk. I'd know that voice anywhere. It's different - there's something not quite right, but… it's him, Frisk. It really is him!"
Frisk grinned. "Why don't you come over and see for yourself?"
Chara shrank back and again shook her head. "I'm not going to look at him. If Asriel's really in there, right now," she said, nodding at the box, "and if he's nothing but a big overgrown flower now… I don't want to see him like that. It's-it's too awful. I want to remember him the way he was." Her eyes began to get misty.
Frisk nodded sadly. "Yeah. I get it."
She waved her hand towards the chamber again. "Just do your thing, Frisk, and let whatever happens happen. And if it works, and I get to see him one last time… then that's good enough for me."
Frisk opened his mouth, but a look from Chara told him this wasn't the time to start another argument. He closed his mouth and nodded instead.
"And Frisk, could you… uh… get him to talk a little more?" she added in a small voice.
"Sure! Uh… hey Flowey, how's everything going in there?"
There was no answer.
"Flowey?" Frisk called out louder. He stood up and began walking towards the glass. Chara watched him from the seat she floated above. "Are you OK in there?"
"Frisk? Were you saying something?" He had raised his voice and was speaking loudly. "Sorry, there are fans or something running in here now and it's hard to hear you. Did you need anything?"
Frisk reached the glass and waved. Flowey waved back at him. "Oh, no, just wanted to make sure everything was OK."
"Yep, it's fine. The tingly air feels funny. It's kinda neat, actually. Are we about ready to start?"
"Yes, we are finally ready to begin," called the scientist. "Let me explain the procedure to you."
He floated next to Frisk and peered through the glass.
"In a moment, Flowey, the magical field within your chamber will match the concentrated magic level of the stasis jar. At that point, I will open the jar and release the souls. When that time comes, what I want you to do, Flowey, is reach out to your soul. You may mimic the reaching motion using your physical body if you like, but I advise you not to actually touch the combined soul. Instead, I want you to concentrate on the connection you feel within your spirit to your own soul. It will be drawn to you naturally. As you sense its presence, reach out with your spirit and pull your soul to you."
"Within a few moments, your soul will separate from the human soul. Once it is free, you may touch it physically to bring it to your own body. The final transformation should take place at that time. After that, the human soul will immediately be returned to the stasis jar and sealed. The magical field will be dispersed, and I will open the chamber door for you to exit. Do you understand?
Flowey looked nervous, but he nodded. "I think so. Wait for the jar to open, reach down inside me and try to call my soul, wait for it to pop out of Chara's soul, then take it. Is that it?"
The Overseer nodded. "That is correct. Excellent. Let us begin, then. I will initiate the final magical pressurization."
He floated over to the computers. As Frisk turned to look at Chara, an anxious voice came over the speaker. "Frisk? Frisk, you're going to stay, right? Can- can you stand by the window?"
Frisk put his hand on the glass. "Sure, Flowey, I'll be right here the whole time."
The pitch of the humming generator went up a notch, and the fans and whirring machinery overhead began to spin more loudly. While Flowey stared at the canister in front of him, Frisk turned to look at Chara, still by the wall. He motioned to her invitingly, but she shook her head and stayed where she was, alert and attentive.
The needle on the gauge in the metal wall of the chamber moved to the center of the green section. With a screech, a brief burst of grinding metal could again be heard through the ductwork, filling Frisk with concern. He glanced over to the Overseer; it was some comfort at least that the scientist didn't appear to be worried. He noticed a picture of both the jar and Flowey on two of the screens above the man. Evidently the test chamber was equipped with a number of cameras.
"Magical concentration has reached parity with the stasis jar. I am going to open the canister now, Flowey."
Through the window, Frisk saw two claws descend from the metal ceiling. One held the jar steady while the other reached to the floor and delicately pressed a sequence of buttons on the lid. There was a momentary flash of sparkling magic in the jar, which quickly dispersed. All the lights on the lid went dark. The jar came apart from the lid as the claw slowly lifted it. Once the jar was clear of the souls, the claw placed it on the floor next to the lid, and both claws withdrew into the ceiling.
Flowey stared at the floating souls with wide eyes. The Overseer cleared his throat.
"All right Flowey, you may-"
Several things happened at once. An alarm began blaring on one of the consoles. At the same time the red soul began to spasm and pulse erratically. The white soul embedded within it began to quiver slightly. As Frisk stared, he heard a small gasp from behind him. He spun around and saw Chara with her eyes closed and hand to her chest.
"Cha-!" He cut himself off, thankful that the noise of the alarm had covered the sound. The Overseer was surrounded by claws and devices manipulating buttons on the panels.
"Magic levels at parity with the stasis field appear to be insufficient for stability. Soul integrity levels are dropping. I am increasing the concentration in the chamber."
A rumbling began to vibrate in the room. The needle on the gauge climbed slowly to the top of the green section, then crept slightly into the yellow. Frisk looked back at the worried flower, then at the souls. To his relief, the white soul had stopped trembling and the red soul's pulsing rate returned to normal.
"Levels are stabilizing. Flowey, there may not be much time. Please try reaching within your spirit now to summon your soul."
"All right!"
Chara had floated closer, still carefully avoiding the window.
Flowey closed his eyes. As Frisk watched, he lifted one trembling vine and held it a few inches in front of him.
The souls began to change. The monster soul began to bulge outwards from its cocoon. It was as if the red soul was a tight piece of rubber and an invisible hand was pressing in the middle of it, pushing the white soul towards the flower. Flowey's brow was furrowed in concentration, and perspiration began to appear on his head.
Still, the white soul held firm to the red soul surrounding it. As Flowey concentrated and held out a second vine in front of him, the invisible hands pushed harder, and the red soul stretched tight. Suddenly it convulsed sharply, and a ragged pulse of red and purple rippled across the red soul. The white soul began to shake again. As multiple alarms began blaring, Chara let out a gasp and fell to the ground. Frisk rushed over to her, heedless of the noise behind him.
"Heavy structural stress on the souls is exceeding the magical stabilizing field. I am increasing-"
"STOP! Stop, you're hurting her!"
The panicked screeching crackled from the speakers, louder than the alarms. Frisk looked up to see Flowey in a frenzy. Slowly the red soul was resuming its normal shape.
"Her soul is getting hurt! I can feel it! I don't want to do this, Frisk! I don't want to do this anymore!" he cried.
The white soul slowly stopped its quivering, but something was wrong with the red soul. It had returned to its normal shape, but the angry red and purple pulses caused it to tremble erratically.
"Mr. Overseer, something's wrong!" Frisk shouted. "Something's happening to Chara's soul!"
"I know, child, I know! I am attempting to compensate…"
Even as the needle on the gauge began to climb past the yellow and into the red, a crack could be heard over the speakers. At the same instant Frisk heard a cry of pain from behind him. To his horror, he saw a small piece of the red soul break off and flake away. Flowey screamed. More alarms began to go off.
The noise of the machinery around them was almost deafening. Still, the needle climbed in the red area of the dial. The Overseer frantically switched his attention from screen to screen, making adjustments, pushing the machines to their limit.
He spun around towards Frisk and pointed at the lab door. "Child, please, I must ask you to step out of this room. We are exceeding tolerances for the containment systems. You will be in danger if they fail."
"Please, we've got to stop!" sobbed the voice of Flowey. "Just put the souls back in the jar! I don't want to do this anymore!"
"We cannot!" said the Overseer, turning back to the screens. "At this point we have far exceeded the stasis capabilities of the portable containment unit. It is no longer sufficient to stabilize the souls. Increasing the magic concentration in the chamber is our only hope of preserving them!"
Frisk bent down next to Chara, not caring if the Overseer noticed him. "Chara, hang on!" he begged quietly. She took a deep breath and gritted her teeth as she tried and failed to pull herself up. All her remaining color had leached away, leaving her appearance gray and lifeless.
With a screech of tearing metal, a piece of ductwork ripped away from the wall, crashing onto the metal roof of the containment chamber. Frisk flung himself backwards as the duct toppled onto the floor in front of him. Another piercing alarm went off. Wind and debris began to pour out of the ragged hole in the wall.
"We've got to shut it down!" Frisk yelled, trying to make himself heard over the noise. He ran over to the sealed door. The needle on the gauge had pressed to the limit of the red and had no room to move higher.
"Turn it off! We've got to get Flowey out!"
"Flowey!" the Overseer called out. "Flowey, the machinery will not be able to sustain this pressure for long. You must reach out and pull your soul free immediately!"
The only response that came over the speaker was crying. With an anguished look at Chara, Frisk darted back to the glass. The combined soul, pulsing in angry, erratic spasms, sat in front of the flower. Tears were streaming down Flowey's face. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and he shook his head in jerking motions.
"I don't want to! I don't want to!"
"Flowey- my prince, please!" The scientist's voice was desperate and pleading. "This is our final opportunity - we will not be able to attempt this again! You must do it, now!"
"No! I can't! I won't! I won't do it! It will kill her if I do! I don't want to I don't want to I- I- I-".
The flower dissolved into sobbing.
Frisk heard a sharp intake of breath behind him. Chara had pulled herself up onto her knees. The edges of her body were glimmering and indistinct. Her head was bowed and her face was twisted in pain.
"Just take it," she gritted out through clenched teeth.
"Chara-" Frisk started.
"Take the soul, you idiot!" she yelled.
"What?" said the voice on the speaker.
Chara froze. A moment later, Frisk's brain caught up to what he had just heard. He whirled around.
"What- what did you say?" said the tinny voice again. "Frisk- did you just say that?"
Frisk's eyes bulged. He spun back to Chara. Her own eyes were wide and staring, and her mouth had fallen open.
"Did he-" she breathed. Then, loudly, "Did you just hear me?"
"Who is that??" cried the speaker. "Who's talking out there? I know that voice!"
Chara's face was thunderstruck. "Asriel?" she whispered.
With considerable effort she raised herself up and floated towards the window. Flowey was there, agitated and twisting his head around as he stared at the ceiling, looking for the source of the voice. She came up against the glass, and as his head came down his eyes locked with hers.
"Chara!" he shouted. "Chara! Is that you? Is that really you?"
"Asriel!" And without hesitation she passed through the wall and into the chamber.
The noise was deafening. The air around her prickled on her nonexistent skin. The red soul on the ground spasmed, and a new fracture crept its way down on one side. Chara ignored all of it. Her eyes were staring at the flower as she drew closer.
"Chara!" he bawled. Leafy vines erupted from the pot and began flailing wildly. "It's you! How did you get here? How are you alive? What-what's happened to you? What's wrong? You're… no! Are you a ghost? No, Chara, no!"
Chara's wide, guilt-ridden eyes took in everything - the vines, the roots, the pot of dirt, the fragile petals, the tear-stained face. The plant. The flower. The humiliation. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Asriel… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"I can't believe it's you!" blubbered the flower. Two vines extended themselves and wrapped around her ghostly hands.
An agonizing jolt shot through both hands, making her gasp in pain. There was a searing, burning sensation. It felt like liquid fire had been poured across her fingers. She snatched her hands back.
"Ahhh!" cried Flowey at the same moment, yanking back his vines and nursing them. Tears of pain appeared in his black eyes. Chara watched them stream down his face and felt her heart break.
A loud explosion rattled the room. Something heavy crashed onto the roof of the chamber, denting it. Pieces of equipment on the ceiling broke loose and bent downwards. She looked out the window. Frisk was yelling and calling her name. The scientist was working frantically.
"Chara- Chara, what do we do?"
The scared, plaintive voice caused here to turn back. Flowey's excitement was gone. There was only terrified anxiety now.
"I- I don't know what to do, Chara! I'm scared…"
"Asriel-" she said with emotion, "you've got to get your soul! Please, just pull it out!"
She reached down to the combined soul on the floor. As her fingers brushed it, she felt a solid sensation. To her amazement, she found that she was able to close her hands around it. Carefully she picked up the combined soul. Strangely, it did almost nothing in her hands. The throbbing didn't change. Her hands prickled slightly, but nothing more.
She pressed it towards the flower. "Take it, Asriel!"
He shrank back, eyes wide, shaking his head.
"Chara, no! If I take it, you'll-"
The flower's words were cut off by the sound of another crash outside followed by rending metal. A large pipe broke off the chamber ceiling, and instinctively Chara jerked herself and the souls away. The pipe fell directly on the containment jar, shattering it to pieces. The lights inside the chamber turned red and angry and buzzers began going off. The speaker began to sputter with static. Someone was talking loudly outside:
"-system failure… matter of sec… attempting to shut… too high to disenga-"
"Chara…" The piteous voice brought her full attention back to the flower. It had shrunk down on its stem and its petals hung limply around its head. Its face was filled with fear, and its eyes were begging her for help.
In the midst of the guilt that threatened to overwhelm her, Chara looked deep into the terrified, pleading eyes of her brother and found determination flowing into her.
"Ree, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ruined everything." Tears streamed down her face freely. She clenched her hands around the ragged red soul. "This is my fault. This is all my fault. I am so, so sorry, Ree. And God helping me, I am not going to let you die again!"
And with all the strength she could summon, she tore the red soul apart.
Her body exploded in agony. Her vision dissolved in stabbing pain and with a gasp she closed her eyes and sank to the floor. She felt herself dissolving. The sensation of her feet disappeared, followed by her lower legs. Dimly she could hear distorted, chaotic sounds. Alarms and sirens blared. Someone was pounding frantically on the glass, and she could hear muffled shouting. A high-pitched voice was screaming in front her. She forced her eyes open. They no longer worked properly, and she strained to see through the fog and blurriness. A hazy yellow object was flailing in a frenzy. Shards of something red were glowing on the ground. And right in front of her was a bright object, white and trembling.
Chara gritted her teeth and forced her arm to move. It was agonizing, but she managed to close her fingers around the white object, which continued to quiver in her hand. The yellow shape was bawling.
"I'm so sorry for everything, Ree," she whispered.
Indistinct green vines reached out to her. A sensation of liquid fire burned her shoulders and neck, but she had no more breath to scream. She tensed the muscles of her arm. And with her last bit of strength, she slammed the white soul into the stem of the flower.
An explosion blew the world apart. For a brief second, the space around her was all noise and motion before the sensations disappeared. As everything faded into blackness, an unexpected feeling of peace filled her heart. She felt the darkness embracing her, soft and welcoming. A smile spread on her face. Then she knew no more.
Chapter 23: Unintended Consequences
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was dark in the bedroom. Above him, Toriel was humming a song as he drifted off to sleep. Frisk liked it when she sang. It made him feel cozy and loved. He must have dozed off earlier, because he didn't remember being awake when she started singing. Usually she sang, but this time she was humming. Except it wasn't Mom tonight. Dad was here in the bedroom, doing the humming. That was strange. His humming was deep and monotonous. Frisk's head felt wet and ached. He wasn't feeling very comfortable at all, in fact. Why was he sleeping all twisted up? The bed felt hard. His father continued humming above him, starting and stopping, staying on the same pitch. What song was this? It didn't sound like a song. It sounded like something else. He struggled to understand while the rhythmic humming continued, starting and stopping, starting and stopping, starting and-
With a groan of pain, Frisk's eyes fluttered open as the staccato drone of an alarm finally penetrated his mind. He found himself staring up at a broken tangle of metal. Where was he? He pulled himself up into a sitting position. With a rush, everything came back.
He was slumped next to a broken wooden chair. He remembered a sensation of being blown backwards and a burst of pain on the side of his head. He touched his temple. His hand came away with a smear of blood, but it didn't look too bad. He rubbed the spot gingerly with the sleeve of his shirt. It was tender and sore but didn't seem worse than that. He moved his arms and legs experimentally. He was bruised and aching but otherwise everything seemed to be OK.
The same couldn't be said of the room around him, however. The orderly lab had become a disaster zone. Ducts and wiring hung down at crazy angles from the walls and rocky ceiling, while broken claws and other machinery swayed from broken moorings. Half of the lights had gone out. The surface of the control bank was scorched with burn marks, and most of the screens were cracked and flickering or completely dark. But that was nothing compared to the test chamber itself. The massive metal box had been ripped into two pieces like it was made of tinfoil. The smaller part with the heavy metal door had been braced against the wall and hadn't moved. The rest of the chamber, however, had been torn open and flung across the room by some tremendous force.
Frisk pulled himself shakily to his feet. There was no one in sight.
"Hello?" he called out.
The buzzing alarm finally stopped, leaving only silence and the creaking of broken metal hanging down from the ceiling. For some reason he couldn't put his finger on, the silence was disconcerting. Then it struck him - the hum of the generator, a constant presence since his first day in the old CORE research lab, was gone. There was an eerie silence in the cavernous room. Fear began to creep over him.
"Hello?" he called out again. Where was everyone? What had happened to-?
Suddenly, with a flicker, the Overseer appeared next to the computers. The scientist caught sight of Frisk and his eye sockets opened wide. He started to float over, but then flickered out of existence again. Frisk gaped at the spot where he had been standing. A moment later the ghost faded into view again. He was barely visible, and as he tried to speak, his voice faded in and out.
"-am immensely relieved that you-"
"-has burnt out. There is enough auxiliary battery power for me-"
"-attempting to reroute the circuits, which will-"
The scientist disappeared again. Frisk waited, but the ghost didn't reappear.
Again, Frisk looked around the ruined lab. There was no sign of anyone else. An icy dread seized his heart.
"Flowey?" he called out shakily, as he began to walk towards the destroyed test chamber. "Chara?"
But nobody answered.
Absurdly, the heavy door on the side of the test chamber was still sealed shut, a few feet away from where the metal walls had been torn apart. Frisk stepped around and fearfully looked into the broken compartment. Pipes and metalwork littered the floor by the ragged opening where they had fallen from the ceiling. The walls at the far end of the chamber, firmly anchored to the cave rock behind the lab, seemed in better shape.
A strange, dark brown substance covered the floor near the back. He stared it for a moment uncomprehendingly before gasping in horror. It was a pile of soil. Broken shards of pottery were strewn on the ground around it.
"Flowey?" he called desperately. His voice echoed back to him from the metal wall. There was no response.
A sickening fear caused his chest to tighten up. Frisk pushed his way into the chamber and worked his way around the wreckage. Broken rods and dangling pieces of equipment were everywhere. Near the back, next to the broken pot, a large piece of machinery had torn free from the wall and fallen over. Although it obscured the back of the chamber, Frisk caught a glimpse of something yellow and green behind it, motionless on the ground.
"Flowe-!" he called out.
And then his heart leapt into his mouth.
Suddenly he was throwing aside debris in a frenzy, heaving the metal out of the way, frantically trying to clear a path to the green and yellow object that was most definitely not a flower. It was a piece of fabric. A colorful sweater that ended in something white and furry.
"Asriel!" he screamed. He cracked his knee on a fallen pipe as he scrambled over it and scratched his arm against a jutting claw as he pushed through, but he barely felt it. "Asriel!"
On the ground in front of him was a monster child, with soft white fur and two long floppy ears, dressed in a knitted green and yellow sweater and dark pants. He lay sprawled and unmoving on the floor of the chamber with his head turned towards the wall.
Frisk pushed the last of the wreckage away and fell on the ground next to the boy. "Asriel! Asriel, are you OK?"
There was no response. Frisk laid a trembling hand on his shoulder and pushed gently. His eyes began to grow wet.
"Please, Asriel, you've got to be OK. Please don't be hurt! Please… wake up!"
To his joy, the boy shifted his body slightly and groaned. A silky paw lifted itself to the back of the furry head.
"Asriel! Are you OK? Can you get up? It's me, Frisk!"
The monster child groaned again and turned his head. Frisk almost started weeping with joy. He looked exactly the way Frisk remembered him, many months earlier when he had begged Frisk to leave him. Frisk was so used to that memory filling him with heartache and determination that he wasn't prepared for the elation that surged into him as Asriel blinked his wide, emerald-green eyes at him.
"F-Frisk? Ow. Ohhh." The boy rubbed his head with a paw. "What in the world happened? Last thing I remem-"
He froze, with his eyes wide and gawking at the paw hanging in front of his face. For a moment he stared in unbelief. Suddenly both paws shot up and he gaped at them as he flipped them over. He looked down in astonishment and began to feel himself all over - furry head, soft muzzle, tummy, legs. A look of wonder and exuberance rushed onto his face, and he let out a high-pitched squeal. Frisk felt himself grinning from ear to ear.
"Frisk!" he practically yelled, scrambling to his feet. "Look at me! I'm me again! I've got a body! I'm not a flower anymore! Does that- does that mean…?"
Slowly, Asriel put his trembling paws over his chest. A moment later a white glow began to pulse underneath his sweater. Asriel squealed again.
"My soul! I've got my soul back, Frisk! I really am me again! I can't believe it! I don't have to be a flower anymore! Thank you! Thank you!"
Frisk, who had climbed back onto his feet, nearly got knocked over again as the furry prince engulfed him in a hug.
"Thank you!" came the muffled voice in his shoulder. "Thank you for finding my soul, Frisk! I can't believe it! Thank you for not giving up on me."
Frisk knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't care. He felt like his heart would burst. Mostly from joy, but partially from the intense squeezing he was getting. Hugs from boss monsters were pretty suffocating no matter what size they were, it seemed.
"It was totally worth it, Asriel! I wasn't going to give up on you, no matter what. And now you're back!"
Frisk squeezed the monster child hard. After a few moments, he felt the pressure around him loosen, and he pulled out of the hug. Asriel's green eyes were still shining with joy, but a look of confusion had crept onto his face.
"Frisk - what happened there at the end? The… the souls were combined. How did I get mine? I didn't want to- but then-"
His eyebrows went up. "Wait - did I see Chara? Was… Chara was there? How was Chara there? And she told me to- but I didn't- and then she-"
A look of dawning horror came onto his face. "Oh no. What did she do? No, no, no! Chara!"
He turned to Frisk desperately. "Frisk- did Chara-?"
Frisk's smile was gone. He nodded sadly.
"She's the one who gave you your soul, Asriel."
Tears started coming down the monster child's face. "B-b-but I didn't want her to! I knew she would d-die if her soul shattered. I didn't... I didn't... why- why did she… why did she-?"
His words choked off in a sob. Frisk threw his arms around the boy again as his own eyes grew wet again. "I know, Asriel, I know. But Chara wanted you to live. I think- I think she knew all along there would be no way to save her soul from breaking. It was too far gone. It was just barely keeping you alive. And she didn't want you to die."
"Chara, no-"
There was the sound of snuffling on his shoulder.
"Where did she even come from Frisk? How was she there? I barely got to see her at all. I didn't get to talk to her. I- I didn't even get to say goodbye. There were so many things, Frisk! So many things I wanted to tell-"
His words broke off suddenly. Frisk was rubbing the monster child's shoulder, so he felt the sudden tensing of Asriel's muscles. For a moment the monster was frozen in place. Then with a quick motion Asriel jerked himself back, one ear twitching. His head was turned and his eyes, still damp, were unfocused.
"…Chara?" he whispered.
Frisk blinked in confusion. He watched mystified as the monster child took a step to the side, looking off in the distance. Then he gasped, and his paws flew to his mouth.
"Asriel, what -"
"Chara!" shrieked the prince, before bolting past Frisk.
Frisk turned around.
Beyond the debris and the ragged opening in the test chamber, the floor of the lab extended another thirty feet. Bits of metal, paper, and shattered glass littered the floor, which the furry child was dodging as he ran. Beyond that lay the other ruined section of the test chamber, where it had been blown backwards across the room. The ceiling of the chamber had been almost completely torn away, and there was no debris to cover the object that lay in a heap in the corner of the metal box. For a moment, Frisk's eyes took in a double vision - a brightly colored green-and-yellow bundle crumpled on the ground matching the colors of the boy running towards it. Except the colored bundle ended not in a furry head, but a splayed mass of auburn hair.
Frisk gaped without even realizing he was stumbling and running as well.
Now he could hear what more sensitive ears had already detected - a groaning from the figure ahead of him, who was now starting to stir on the metal floor.
"Chara!"
The monster boy skidded to a halt and flung himself down beside the girl. Her head was facing towards him and her eyes were closed. Asriel slipped a soft paw under her head and laid the other one on her shoulder. His whole body was trembling.
"Chara! Chara, it's me! Are you OK? Are you hurt?"
Frisk reached her side as well, and both boys swiftly looked over the prone figure. There didn't seem to be any obvious injuries that they could tell. No blood, no cuts, not even really any scrapes. Even her clothes seemed bright and clean, except where bits of debris had settled on them. Gently, Asriel jiggled her shoulder.
"Chara, wake up! You're here! You're alive! You're OK! Please, Chara… please, wake up!"
The girl moaned softly and rolled onto her back. She let out a deep breath and her eyes fluttered open.
Long afterwards, Frisk wished he could have taken a picture of that moment - the bright crimson eyes of the girl locking onto the shining emerald eyes looking down at her, and the overjoyed smile that spread across the muzzle of her brother. She blinked uncomprehendingly, then her own eyes grew wide and disbelieving.
"Chara!" Asriel almost yelled. "It's you! I can't believe it! You're here!"
Chara gasped and pushed herself backwards on the metal floor. "Asriel?" she whispered. "Asriel… you're alive? You can see me?"
The monster boy blinked. "Of course I can see you, Chara! You've come back! We've both come back!"
Chara's lip was quivering. She reached out a shaky hand to her brother, who caught it immediately with both paws. A look of wonder and desperation came into her eyes as they filled with tears. "Ree…" she choked out. Her voice pleaded with him to really be there. "Ree, you're alive you're not dead you're alive…"
Frisk stepped forward to help Chara as she stumbled to her feet, and a moment later she was wrapped in the arms of her furry brother. Tears were pouring down both of their eyes. Asriel buried his head in Chara's shoulder, crooning, and Chara squeezed her eyes shut as she wept, clutching her brother as if she would never let him out of her sight again. Frisk stepped back, grinning so hard his face hurt.
After a long time, Asriel sniffled loudly and pulled himself back. His arms stayed on his sister's shoulders as he gave her a look of affection mixed with indignation.
"Chara!" he snapped. He clamped his hands around her shoulders and began to shake her. "What were you doing back there? The first time I've seen in you in I don't know how many years, and you come in and break your own soul? What is wrong with you?"
"Oh!" he added, as if suddenly noticing the way the stunned girl was jerking around under his paws. He brought her to a halt. "Sorry, are you OK? You're not hurt or anything, from whatever just happened?"
"I- I-" said Chara, slightly dazed. "I'm… OK."
He immediately resumed shaking her. "Then what were you doing?! Were you trying to kill yourself?"
"Asriel," said Chara tremulously, reaching up a hand to his arm. The boy let her go, but his plaintive eyes still demanded an answer. "Asriel, I'm sorry. I- I didn't know what else to do. My soul was already falling apart. You saw it… right?"
Asriel swallowed hard but said nothing.
"And if it shattered, and if you didn't take your soul, Ree…" Chara's voice was barely more than a whisper. "I couldn't let you die again, Asriel. I couldn't. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm…"
Her crimson eyes pleaded with him.
"You had to live, Ree. You just had to!"
Asriel's eyes were overbright, and he sniffled and pulled the unresisting girl back into a hug. "Chara… Chara, just please… promise me you'll never do anything like that again. You almost gave me a heart attack, and I didn't even have a heart!"
Frisk put a hand on the furry boy. "Don't be too hard on her, Asriel. She did save your life after all."
Asriel gave a loud sniffle. "Oh, Chara," he said, squeezing her harder. "Frisk is right. I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I let you die. I'm sorry I didn't try to heal you right after I went through-"
"No!" interrupted Chara desperately, pulling herself out to face Asriel. "Ree, no… you shouldn't be apologizing to me! It… it wasn't like that… I'm- I'm the one-"
Chara fumbled to a halt. Before she could work out what to say, Asriel's eyes flicked over to Frisk and widened.
"Frisk! Oh, Frisk, I'm sorry, I totally forgot to introduce you!" He wiped his wet face with his sleeve and stood beside the still-dazed girl, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "This is my sister Chara! She's the one I've told you about! I don't know how she did it, but she was in the magic chamber with me right at the end!"
Frisk smiled. "Hi there, Chara."
"Hi, Frisk." A deep flush came onto the girl's ruddy cheeks. "Actually, Asriel… I already sort of know Frisk."
Asriel turned in confusion. "W-what?"
"It's a long story, Ree. It was a secret. I made Frisk promise not to tell."
Asriel blinked several times. "Chara, I… what?" He looked at Frisk. "Were you able to see her when she was a ghost?"
"Ree, I'll tell you all about it, I promise," Chara said with embarrassment. She looked down at herself, patting her stomach, then reached out to feel the cool metal beside her. "I don't understand why I'm not a ghost right now. I don't understand why I'm even alive."
Frisk looked at the torn ceiling of the box they were in. "Well something really weird must have-"
At that moment, a deep tremor shook the room. A few moments later rumbling settling into a familiar distant hum. The rest of the lights flickered back to life. With a loud sigh, a ghostly, black-robed figure winked into existence next to the bank of computers.
"Ahhh, thank goodness, the underlying machinery is still functional," he said, glancing at the few working screens above the instruments in front of him. "Child?" he called, turning around. "Are you still-"
He froze, his eye sockets growing impossibly wide as he stared at the three children staring back at him. A moment later he flew across the room to where they were standing and fell to one knee.
"Your royal highnesses! It is you! My prince! My princess!" He dropped his head. "May the Maker be praised! You are alive! You are both alive! You have returned to us! You have-"
To Frisk's amazement, and the royal children's embarrassment, the scientist began to weep. Ghostly translucent tears fell where his head was bent to the floor and disappeared in midair.
"You have returned! You are alive!"
He continued this way for several more moments. Frisk nudged Asriel.
"Oh! Please sir, you don't have to bow to us. You can… please… stand up."
The ghost shakily floated himself back upright, wiping his eye sockets with the sleeve of his robe.
"Forgive me, your highness," he said, addressing Asriel. "I apologize for my emotional outburst. I was unprepared for the deep rhapsody that overcame me upon seeing you alive and well. And Princess Chara!"
He turned with eye sockets full of wonder towards the girl who was fidgeting with her sweater awkwardly.
"Your presence here alongside the prince is an inexpressible delight. Welcome! Welcome, your highnesses, back to your kingdom!" The Overseer bowed low with a sweeping gesture.
"Uh-" began Chara, before Asriel interrupted.
"Thank you! Thank you for what you did, sir! It worked! I'm… uh, sorry that your lab kinda blew up." Asriel looked around sheepishly, as if the disastrous state of the room was his fault. "I'm not sure what we can do to help, but-"
"It is nothing, my prince! Absolutely nothing at all! I would gladly consign the entire CORE into the depths of the magma in exchange for your and the princesses' return."
"Excuse me, sir?" interjected Chara. "I'm not sure how to ask this, but… I'm not really sure how I'm here at all. My soul, uh-"
Her face grew red again, and she avoided Asriel's glance.
"My soul broke apart in the chamber over there," she nodded at the wreckage, "and I'm pretty sure I felt myself fade away. How am I still here?"
"Ah!" said the scientist, smiling. "I must confess, your highness, that I did not-"
"You can just call me Chara," said Chara hurriedly.
"As you wish, Princess Chara. As I was saying, to my chagrin I did not properly calculate one key variable in my planning. That I had very little data to go on does not excuse my mistake, but it can perhaps explain it."
The ghost straightened up. His voice took on the tone of an instructor. "Our research into human souls was limited, and the paucity of data on combined human and monster souls was a further complication. Nevertheless, I had calculated a certain level of magic covalency between the monster soul and the encircling human soul acting as a "host", if you will. This data was consistent with historical-"
Chara coughed. "Um… sorry, could you, uh… maybe… summarize it all instead?"
The scientist blinked and cleared his throat awkwardly. "My apologies, Princess Chara. Yes, to summarize… the bond between your soul and the prince's soul was much stronger than I anticipated."
A small smile appeared on Asriel's face. He bumped his shoulder against Chara as the ghost continued.
"Indeed, I wonder at all if the bond could have been broken no matter how high the magic concentration level, or how hard your brother summoned his own soul."
He looked directly into Chara's eyes. The cracked lines around his eye sockets were soft.
"I saw what you did, Princess, just before the explosion. I believe your actions, though drastic and horrifying, may have been the only way for the prince's soul to return to him."
Chara felt her eyes starting to get wet again. She lowered her gaze.
"But, Mr. Overseer…" asked Frisk. "What about Chara? How did she get here?"
"Ah yes. I have a theory that I would like to test. Princess, would you do me the honor of stepping over here?" said the ghost with a slight bow, gesturing to the bank of computers.
The three children followed the ghost to the damaged equipment.
"Let me see… I believe this one-"
A bent claw suspended on the rails above them squealed in protest and shook weakly.
"No, perhaps not. Let me see…"
Another claw by the doors crashed to the ground along with a cascade of bolts and brackets, causing the children to jump.
"Hmmm. Not that one either. Ah! Here we are."
An undamaged device slowly descended from the tracks above them. It was a small box with a projecting tube on a long arm. It reminded Frisk of the X-ray machine they used at the dentist.
"Erm, human child? Frisk? May I ask you to please bring a chair for the princess to sit in?"
"Oh, sure. Just a moment please, your highness," he grinned. Chara glared daggers at him as he jogged over to retrieve a chair from the pile against the wall.
"Now, Princess Chara, if you will just sit here. I would like to examine your soul to see if my theory is correct. This will not hurt at-"
"I have a soul??" Chara exclaimed. She looked down at her chest. "But… but I tore it apart..." she added in a small voice.
"Well, let us gather some data. Are you comfortable? I will switch the machine on, and you can see on this screen here."
With a hum, the box came to life. The tube end pointed at Chara began to glow. As it did, an image appeared on one of the screens. All four of them leaned in.
On the screen was the familiar shape of a soul. But it was unlike any soul that any of them had ever seen. A soft grayish-white glow of magic formed most of the heart-shaped interior. Interspersed within the gray were several ruby-red shards. The jagged shapes pulsed gently and rhythmically with a soft red glow. Surrounding the entire soul, outlining its heart shape, was a thin border of brilliant shining white.
The children stared in astonishment. Asriel was the first to speak.
"Wha-what is that? I've never seen a soul like that before!"
The Overseer sounded extremely satisfied. "Nor would I have expected you to, Prince Asriel. Though it appears my theory has been proven to be correct, I believe I can accurately say that nobody, human or monster, has ever observed a soul of this composition before."
"What- what does it mean?" Chara whispered. The scientist turned to her.
"Based on the visual record and instrumental data gathered in the moments before the explosion, I believe I can explain your presence with us, Princess Chara. The heavy concentration of magic in the infusion chamber was meant to serve two purposes. Primarily, it was intended to facilitate the soul's response to the prince's call and provide the energy necessary for the transformation into his true physical form. Secondly, it was intended to keep the two souls stable once they were out of the stasis jar. But as we discovered, the level of magic concentration had to be pushed far in excess of what had been planned in order to maintain the souls' stability. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise."
He pointed to the red shards embedded in the soul on the screen.
"The strength of a human soul, even in a state of decay, is potent. When your soul fell to pieces, Princess, they did not immediately disintegrate. And when the prince's soul entered his body, the explosive transformation and the magical intensity within the chamber had at least two effects. One, of course, was to rip the room apart. But the other effect was to amplify a latent ability in you that, I must confess, I thought was unique to monsters. It caused the remains of your own soul to reach out to you and be drawn to you, in much the same way the prince's soul had pulled towards him. Your own soul and spirit tried to rejoin themselves, and the overabundance of magic surrounding you reacted as it did with the prince, attempting to transform you physically."
"Wait, wait…" Chara was struggling to put it together. From the confusion on the boys' faces she could see she wasn't the only one. "Did you say my spirit and soul magically reunited themselves?"
"They attempted to. And the magic attempted to create the physical form that was associated with your true nature."
"They… attempted to?"
"Yes. But the attempt would have inevitably failed because you are not a natively magical creature. The body of a human is fundamentally different than that of a monster. It cannot be reunited with its soul and spirit using the method that was used for the prince."
"But-" Asriel broke in, "but then, what happened? How did Chara get her body back?"
"Ah, your question strikes at the heart of the matter, your highness. What I said just now applies to an ordinary human with body, soul, and spirit. But the princess did not have a human body while she was in the chamber. And I believe that made all the difference."
The three of them stared at him. "I- I don't understand," said Asriel, scratching his head.
The scientist smiled. "Allow me to show you something."
He turned to another screen, one of the few still operating. The display flickered for a moment, then a recording from inside the test chamber appeared. They could see Frisk and Flowey stepping into the metal room and Flowey settling himself into the pot on the ground. As they watched, the recording advanced rapidly for several seconds, then froze. On the screen was a picture of Flowey, now bathed in red light. His vines were frozen in a distressed motion, and he appeared to be crying. In front of him, an outline of a girl was holding the combined soul.
"Of course, the camera could not record your presence visually, Princess, but the slight variance in the magic field when you entered the chamber could be measured. It is represented by the outline you see. Now watch!"
As the four of them watched intently, the frozen picture began to move in slow motion, without sound. With a sharp motion, the shimmering figure of the girl tore the outer soul apart, then collapsed onto the ground. As the flower whipped its vines frantically, the girl took hold of the quivering white soul and pulled her arm back. Two vines reached out to wrap themselves around her shoulders and neck at the same time she flung her arm forward with the soul in hand. The picture shook violently and went white. There was nothing more after that.
"At the moment Prince Asriel's soul entered his physical form, the tendrils of his plant body were in contact with your phantasmic form, Princess Chara. The magic within the chamber amplified the magic within his own soul and initiated a transformation sequence in his physical body. We had expected that. What was entirely unexpected was that the same energy radiated into you through his contact. As his body, soul, and spirit were reunited, the same effect took place in you. If you had had a physical form, the regeneration would not have been possible. But in your incorporeal form, the high concentration of magic in the chamber proved sufficient to form not just one body, but two."
He turned back to Chara.
"But even then, the process was almost certainly doomed to fail. Your human soul would not have bonded with a body by magic, in the way that a monster soul would. Instead, the effect would have almost immediately dissipated. If I were to speculate, I would envision you appearing in bodily form with a magic soul formed with portions of your own soul, but only for a brief instant. The magic around you would have dissipated, your new body would have dissolved again, and the remains of your soul would have dropped away and disintegrated."
His gaze swept over all three of the children.
"But something prevented that from happening and saved the soul of the princess from destruction."
Again, the Overseer stopped, the enigmatic smile still playing on his lips. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. Asriel took the bait.
"W-what saved her?"
The scientist bowed.
"You did, my prince."
Asriel's eyes grew wide, and his mouth dropped open. Chara stared in a daze.
"…what?" she whispered.
The scientist turned again to the picture of Chara's soul and ran his finger along the bright silvery border along the soul's edge.
"Princess Chara, your brother has returned the gift that you gave to him for countless decades. The power of his soul rippled along his entire body in the moment of transformation and entered you. It wrapped around your own soul and pulled magic into itself. There is an essence of his soul surrounding yours now - just a trace, but enough to hold together the fragments of your soul within a magical field."
All three children had their mouths hanging open. Chara sat stunned, staring at the screen.
"Asriel…" she said dazedly. "Asriel saved me?"
"I have never seen anything like this, nor ever predicted anything like this could happen. But all the evidence fits my theory. Your brother did indeed save you, Princess Chara. Even now, a strand of his soul protects yours from destruction."
Chara looked up at Asriel, standing next to her.
"Ree…"
She looked like she wanted to say more, but nothing came out. She just continued to stare with shining eyes at the boy, whose face had broken out into a massive smile.
"Wait, wait," Frisk said, shaking his head. "Are you saying that Chara has a magical body now?"
"It has much the same properties as a monster's body, yes. At least temporarily. There is a physical component that is derived from her human soul, but for the time being her body is mostly composed of magical energy."
Chara snapped out her trance and turned back to the scientist.
"You mean… I'm actually a monster now?"
The ghost held up his hands. "Oh no, no! Forgive me if I implied that. No, your human soul is still dominant within your body. In short order, it should begin to absorb the energy within the magical field to heal itself and become whole once again. The physical composition of your body will increase as that process-"
"I'm a monster now," she murmured. A dreamy smile spread across her face. "I'm a monster."
"Erm… Princess? Your highness?" The Overseer cleared his throat awkwardly. "I may not have been as clear as I intended-"
"It's OK, sir," said Frisk with a grin. "Don't worry about it." His eyes were gleeful as he turned to Chara. "I'm not sure how we'll explain to Mom and Dad that they have a magical daughter now, but I guess we'll figure something out."
Asriel, bouncing slightly on his toes, turned to the Overseer in excitement. Both the prince and the scientist missed the unexpected look that came over Chara's face and her quick intake of breath. But Frisk noticed, and his smile faded in confusion. Chara's dreamy look had been replaced with something else. Nervousness? Consternation?
…Fear?
"And what about me, sir?" Asriel was asking. "Am I, uh, really me again? Have I got my normal soul and body and everything?"
"Ah! Yes, I believe so, your highness. I am gratified that in spite of the rather, erm, startling results of the procedure," the scientist said, glancing around the room, "the process of your own regeneration appears to have worked exactly as I predicted. A few simple tests should be able to confirm that. Would you mind taking a seat? If… erm…"
He glanced at the only chair, where Chara sat staring at nothing. He coughed slightly.
"Perhaps if your highness could… allow the prince to… be seated? Your highness?"
Frisk put a hand on Chara, causing her to jolt. "Hey, Chara, can Asriel use the chair?" She gave a small nod and stood up.
"All right then. Let me just recalibrate for the expected range-"
With a harsh buzz and a bursting shower of sparks on the controls, all the screens winked out. An unpleasant odor of burnt electronics began to waft out of the computer banks.
"Ah."
The ghost scratched his head and turned apologetically.
"Erm, perhaps we would be better served by using the equipment in the main lab." He gestured at the far door. "I believe we will find it in better condition than… this."
"Sure," said Asriel, hopping off the chair. He began to follow the ghost who was floating towards the door. "C'mon, Chara!"
Frisk started to follow but felt a hand on his arm. "Uh… you go on ahead, Ree. I need to check with Frisk about… something."
Asriel looked surprised, but Chara put on a smile and waved reassuringly. "I'll be there in just a minute."
"Well… OK," Asriel nodded. He turned back to the scientist waiting at the door and followed him into the other lab. The door slid shut behind him.
The look in her eyes was definitely fear.
Notes:
Credit for the wonderful drawing of Chara's soul goes to my daughter Yeesha!
Chapter 24: What He Really Wanted
Chapter Text
"Chara, what's wrong?"
"I don't know what to do now, Frisk," she said urgently. Her eyes were wide.
"Huh?" He gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know what to do! I don't know where to go. I hadn't planned on having a body. I hadn't planned on even being alive!"
Her eyes darted from side to side. It sounded like she was starting to hyperventilate. "And now I don't know what to do!"
Frisk put a hand on her trembling shoulder. "Hey, hey, it's OK! Don't worry about it. Just keep doing what you've been doing since… well, since the last time you didn't plan on being alive," he said, as lightly as he could. "Just stick with me. And Asriel now! We'll go back home, blow Mom and Dad's socks off, and then figure it out from there. We'll need to get some beds from somewhere-"
"No! That's just it, Frisk - I can't do that anymore! I can't go back to the house with you! Mom and Dad are going to hate me. Asriel's going to hate me." She started twisting her hands together.
"What?" Frisk stared at her, astonished. "Chara, you can't still be serious about that! Have you been watching Asriel? He's been all over you like a puppy ever since you woke up."
"But he doesn't know, Frisk!" she wailed. "He doesn't know what I did. He doesn't know how I lied to him and got him killed. I didn't want him to know until I was dead, and then he was going to-"
She stopped and stared at her brother. "Frisk... I left him a letter in our old bedroom, telling him what I had done."
"Wha- what? How was that supposed to work?"
"I thought he would take my soul, go through the barrier, find six other souls somehow, and come back! I hid the letter in the bedroom, told him where it was, and told him to read it when he got back. I figured he'd try to heal me, figure out that he couldn't, and then the letter would tell him why. I knew he'd hate me after that, but I didn't expect to be alive at that point!"
Frisk looked stunned. "Wow. Uh - is it still there? Do you want me to go find it?"
Chara paused. For a few moments the only sound was her shallow breathing while she stared at the ground. Eventually she sighed heavily and shook her head.
"I have to tell him, Frisk. I can't pretend it didn't happen. Did you hear what he was saying earlier?" She gave a bitter laugh. "Did you hear him apologizing to me for what happened? Like he had somehow let me down?"
Frisk gave a small nod. "Yeah," he said quietly. "He really did think he could have saved you."
"I can't let him live with that, Frisk. I can't let him beat himself up because I lied to him. I have to tell him. I have to tell him. And when I do, he's going to hate me."
"Chara…" Frisk pleaded. "OK, yeah, it's probably going to hurt, but he's not going to hate you. He's your brother! He loves you and looks up to you! He's not going to suddenly decide he was wrong about you all along."
Chara hung her head.
"Everything that's bad happened to him because of me, Frisk. And what, I'm just going to tell him? 'Sorry I lied to your face and got you killed, Asriel - my mistake'?"
She raised her head. Her eyes were watery and miserable.
"I warned him about humanity, Frisk, and I turned out to be just as bad as any of them. I betrayed him. I acted like his friend…"
"You were his friend!"
"I killed him! I ripped him out of a happy home and sent him to die! He's not going to forgive that, Frisk. You don't forgive that kind of thing."
Chara crossed her arms tightly, as if hugging herself, and fell silent. She wouldn't meet Frisk's eyes.
"Look, Chara…"
"You know I'm right, Frisk," she said in a low voice. "You can't tell me he's not going to hate me."
"Chara…"
"None of this should have ever happened. None of it would have happened if hadn't been for stupid, idiotic Chara and her stupid, stupid-"
"Chara!"
"What?" she snapped, boring her crimson eyes into him.
"I want to show you something," Frisk said firmly.
Chara blinked and furrowed her brow.
"…Okay?"
"If I can find it. Over here."
Mystified, Chara followed Frisk as he headed back to the portion of the wrecked test chamber by the wall. Frisk stooped down near the area where Asriel had been lying, pushing debris out of the way.
"It's probably around here somewhere- ah! Got it." He pulled something from the litter on the floor and held it out to Chara triumphantly. She looked at it, bewildered.
"A grocery bag?"
"Open it."
Chara took it, untied the plastic handles at the top, and peered into the lumpy bag. Inside was a blue and gold sweatshirt. She pulled it out in confusion. Underneath in the bag was a T-shirt, a pair of jeans, underwear, and socks.
"I didn't really need to bring socks, I guess," mumbled Frisk. "Shoulda thought of that."
Chara put the shirt back in the bag. "What is this?" she asked, mystified.
"Has Mom or Dad ever told you about how monster clothes work?"
Chara's confusion only grew, but she nodded. "Yeah, I guess? Mom says that monsters like to wear real clothes made out of actual fabric and stuff, but that they can also generate magical clothes as well. They're just not quite as good."
Frisk nodded. "She told me that magical clothes are real clothes, but they're just based on your own knowledge and memories or imagination. So, they're not quite as fancy or detailed as something that's real, made out of cotton or wool or whatever. They're not as good for warmth or protection either, since they're mostly magical and not physical. But for a monster, magical clothes can be part of the manifestation of who they are. Just like the kind of body a monster has matches with their soul, their clothes sort of match with how they think of themselves. Almost like the clothes are part of who they are.
Chara looked at the grocery bag again. "So… this bag…?"
"When I talked to Asriel - well, Flowey anyway, he was worried what would happen if he transformed in the chamber and… uh…" Frisk started turning red. "Uh, he was afraid he wouldn't manifest… what he usually looked like." He coughed awkwardly. "So, he asked me if I could bring him some clothes and made me promise not to open the door or look through the glass after everything was finished until he could… you know, get dressed. So, I got him some of mine and hoped they'd be close to his size."
He hurried on. "Turns out he didn't need them, thank goodness. When he turned back into himself, he had magical clothes on that matched what he thinks of himself deep down. Kinda like Flowey did when he turned into Asriel right before our fight. I guess he really likes green and yellow."
"Frisk, that's interesting and all," said Chara, spreading out her hands, "but what-"
"By the way, it looks like he's not the only one who really likes that color combo," Frisk said, nodding at Chara with a grin.
Chara raised her eyebrows in surprise, then looked down at herself. Her green and yellow sweater was indeed colorful, but strangely plain and lacking in detail. There was no visible stitching on it, and the different-colored sections blended into each other with no clear break. There were no cuffs on the sleeves, and no real collar to speak of. The fabric just ended in a straight line.
"These…" she said, patting herself, "these are magical clothes?"
"Yeah, because you're a monster," Frisk chuckled. "Or a magical something anyway."
"Well thank goodness for that," murmured Chara. She looked at the simple design of the sweater for another moment before returning her attention to Frisk.
"Frisk, what's the point of all this?" Exasperation crept into her voice as she waved the bag at him. "What's this got to do with anything?"
"I just wanted you to know that clothes are part of how a monster can manifest a deep part of themselves."
"Yeah, thanks, I got it, Frisk. So?"
"Did you see what else Asriel was wearing?" Frisk asked quietly.
Chara stopped. She wrinkled her brow for a moment. "…no," she said. "I can't think of anything other than his usual stuff."
"Maybe it's so ordinary you didn't even notice," Frisk suggested. "I'll give you a hint. He was wearing it even when he turned into the super powerful version of himself during our fight."
A vision of a terrifying, yet strangely noble monster came into Chara's mind - the monster that she and Asriel had drawn so many times, twisted into a malevolent creature, yet still retaining something of her lost brother. It grinned at her in her mind, taunting her and Frisk as it towered in front them in its dark robe emblazoned with the Delta Rune and ornamented by-"
"…his locket," whispered Chara.
"His locket," nodded Frisk. "This one."
He held out his hand to Chara. She stared down at the golden ornament on its chain.
"He manifested it during that fight with us, Chara, because it was part of who he was, even when he was corrupted and soulless. In the end, what he really wanted was his best friend. He kept calling out for you, Chara. Over and over, he called for you. He tried to kill us because he was playing a twisted game with us. With you. He wanted you to reset so he could play with you and stay with you. He didn't want you to leave. You were his best friend."
Chara sniffled and brushed her eyes.
"And he's manifesting that locket right now Chara. He did it without even thinking! It was on him when I found him on the floor. That's how I know he's not going to hate you. He loves you. You're still his best friend, and you will be forever."
"And I know that's how you feel about him too," Frisk pointed. "Because you're wearing yours as well."
Chara blinked in surprise and put a hand around her neck. Her fingers found a cool metal chain that disappeared under her sweater. She pulled on it, and a small, somewhat plain-looking locket appeared. The surface was not very detailed, but she could make out the words on it as she lifted it to her eyes.
"Here. I've got this too." Frisk dug into his pocket, and with a smile pulled out a second locket, similar to the one around the girl's neck but more ornate.
"Why do you have this?" Chara asked softly as she took it. Carefully she opened the locket and stared at the smiling picture of her and her brother inside.
"I don't even really know," admitted Frisk. "I figured Asriel might want his along with the clothes, and… something just told me to take yours as well."
"Thank- thank you, Frisk." She let it dangle from the chain and watched it spin. "How do I use it?"
"Put it on?" Frisk shrugged. "I dunno; you're the magical human thing, not me."
Gently, Chara fastened the chain around her neck and held the locket above the place where the other one rested. As she lowered the one in her hands, there was a warm glow, then a flash. When it faded, the true locket remained.
"I know you love, Asriel. And I know he loves you too. He's not going to hate you, sis. He'll forgive you. I know he will!"
Chara ran her thumb and finger over the locket in silence with her head down.
"I'll try," she finally whispered. "I'll tell him, and I'll see what he says. I wish I could be as confident as you, Frisk. There are some things that even best friends do that are unforgivable."
"Maybe," said Frisk. "But I don't think this is one of them."
Across the room, the door whooshed open.
"Chara? Oh, you're still here," said Asriel, bouncing in, with the ghost behind him. "It looks like I'm OK! Mr. Scientist says all the tests came back normal, and that my soul is fine!"
Chara gave him a watery smile.
"That's great, Ree!"
"Yes, I am most heartened by the results," said the Overseer. "There were no deleterious effects from the process, and as best I can tell, you are both in fine shape. Now, Princess, if I may, I would suggest that you not grow accustomed to using magic, since it will not be long-"
"Wait, what??" Chara's face lit up. "I can do magic?"
The Overseer looked taken aback. "Erm… well, yes, I believe so. But once your human soul has fully regenerated using the magical-"
"Awesome!" Chara almost shouted. Her crimson eyes were shining. "How do I do it? Show me how!"
"Your highness," pleaded the scientist, "you must understand that your current magical state is transient and very soon-"
"Whoa, Chara, that's so cool!" squealed Asriel. "Don't worry, I'll teach you how it's done!"
"Hey guys?" Frisk was looking in concern at his phone. "I'm getting a text from Dad. It's starting to get late and he's wanting to know when I'm getting back for dinner." He started typing on the screen. "Do you guys want to get anything before we go?"
"Oh! Chara!" said Asriel. "There's still a bunch of stuff in our old room that Mom and Dad never took. Let's go see what's there!"
Chara's nervousness had returned. She looked at Frisk, who took the hint.
"Yeah, good idea. Why don't you two go back and see if there's anything you want for tonight? We can always come back for the rest of it later."
As they left the wrecked testing room and stepped back into the main lab, Frisk stopped and reached into his pocket.
"Oh! Asriel! I almost forgot. Here, I brought you this."
Asriel's eyes grew wide as he stared at the golden ornament Frisk held out to him. He reached out a trembling paw.
"My… my locket?"
"Yeah! Mom and Dad kept it at home."
Reverently he took it and looked at it admiringly.
"I can't believe it! I can't believe they still had it!" Like Chara, he deftly opened the locket with a claw and gazed at the small picture inside. He looked up at Chara, then squealed in delight.
"Chara! You've got yours too!"
"Yeah," she said with a small smile, fingering her own. "Frisk brought it as well. I guess Mom and Dad kept both of them."
Frisk suddenly found himself wrapped in a hug. "Thank you!", Asriel gushed into his shoulder. "This is the best present you could have brought me! Thanks, Frisk!"
Once he had let Frisk go, he carefully wrapped the chain around his neck. The simple, indistinct locket that had hung over his sweater earlier flashed and disappeared as the gold locket took its place. Asriel rubbed it happily with a finger.
"OK! I guess we can go see what's in our room. Are you coming too, Frisk?" asked the prince, tilting his head.
"Nah," said Frisk with a wave of his hand. "You two go ahead. You've got a lot of catching up to do. I'll meet you outside the cave entrance at the cliff once you get your stuff."
"Thanks, Frisk," Chara nodded at him meaningfully. "We'll sort through it, one way or another." She turned to the scientist. "Thank you again, sir. I'm still not sure I understand how it all happened, but… thank you. Thank you so much."
The man bowed deeply.
"It was my privilege and honor, Princess Chara."
"Yeah, thank you, Mr. Scientist! I remember now how Dad used to talk about how smart you were! I'm glad you're still here, Mr… Doctor…"
The bubbly expression on Asriel's furry face was replaced by a look of concentration.
"Doctor? Doctor… oh! Gaster! That's your name, isn't it? Doctor Gaster?"
He glanced over at Chara. A look of dawning recognition had come into her face. "Yeah! How come I never remembered that before? It's Doctor Gaster, right?"
All three turned to look at the scientist. A look of astonishment was on his face. His mouth hung open, and his cracked eye sockets were the size of saucers.
"By the Maker above… that is it. That is who I am. W.D. Gaster, royal scientist of the underground. Of course. Of course! How did I ever forget that?"
He looked down reverently.
"Thank you, Prince Asriel. I am utterly astounded. You have unlocked an impenetrable mystery for me, and I owe you my deepest gratitude indeed."
"Oh! Um… well, glad I could help," said Asriel. "I just remembered it myself."
"Indeed. It seems today is a day for restoring a great many things that were lost, your highness," Doctor Gaster said with another bow.
Asriel bowed back to the scientist, missing the man's startled look of embarrassment, then turned to his sister. "C'mon, Chara, let's go! Bye, Doctor Gaster. Bye, Frisk - see you soon." He pressed the panel on the door leading to the stairs and started up.
"Be right there, Ree," called Chara. She waited till the door slid shut, then turned to Frisk and took a deep breath. "I'll… come tell you how it goes."
Frisk nodded. "I'll be waiting by the cliff. It's gonna go fine, sis."
She shrugged. "I guess we'll see." She gave a final wave to the scientist. Then she turned, took two steps, and banged her face solidly into the metal door.
"Ow!" she squawked, rubbing her nose. Frisk burst out laughing.
"Guess it's gonna take a while getting used to not being a ghost anymore, huh, sis? No more sneaking through the walls to scare me!"
With a glare, Chara stepped back and punched Frisk in the shoulder.
"Yeah, I guess so, dear brother. But having a physical body has a few advantages." With a toss of her head, Chara pressed the button and left through the open door.
"Ow," Frisk said ruefully, rubbing his shoulder.
A heavy sigh caught his attention, and he turned around. To his alarm, the scientist appeared to have shrunk in on himself. His head was bowed, his body was slumping, and he was trembling slightly.
"Sir! Doctor Gaster, are you all right?"
The ghost looked up and rubbed his head. "Oh, I am fine, child, thank you. I think I may just… need a moment of recovery."
He continued to breathe heavily, as Frisk looked on worriedly. The scientist saw his concern and smiled wearily.
"Everything is fine, child. I… I cannot tell you what a relief this all is to me. To have this outcome, among all the possible results… it is truly miraculous."
"I can't believe you found a way to save Chara too, sir!" said Frisk, who had recovered and grinned.
"I did nothing, child! The CORE provided the magic, but it was the Prince who saved his sister." He held his hands out. "But I was referring to more than just that. The fact that the Prince was saved at all…"
He trailed off. His eye sockets gazed unseeing at the ceiling.
"There was so much that could have gone wrong, child - so much! The theory was sound, the simulations I ran were promising, but to make the attempt with no live testing? To not spend weeks or even months studying the souls, refining the process? To not thoroughly check every piece of equipment in this part of the CORE? It was reckless! And it very nearly ended in disaster."
A cold feeling swept over Frisk, causing him to shudder. Hesitantly, afraid of offending the scientist, he asked "But sir… if it was so dangerous, why did you do it?"
"Because I had no other choice, child. Though I earnestly wished otherwise, there was no time for anything else. I measured the integrity of the souls constantly for several days. By my estimation, the soul of the Princess would not have survived another week, even within stasis. The damage was too extensive, and the decay was progressing too quickly. If the Prince was to have any hope of restoration, it had to be done quickly."
The weight of the decision swept over Frisk. He began to understand the relief Doctor Gaster was feeling.
"Maybe I did the wrong thing by keeping it a secret," Frisk said. "I could have brought someone else to work with you. Doctor Alphys is really smart - maybe she would have been able-"
"No, child. I considered the idea of reaching out for additional help, but I could not risk that either. I even contemplated asking you to bring the King and Queen here to the CORE, so I could consult them. But in the end, I could not put that burden on them. To show them the souls of the Prince and Princess - to give them hope, after so many years of grief, only to risk that hope being torn away from them again? It would have been an act of utmost cruelty. Indeed-"
The scientist's voice grew low.
"If Prince Asriel's soul had shattered there in the chamber, torn free of its protective cocoon, I… I am not certain I could have borne it myself."
His voice, barely above a whisper, began to tremble. His empty eye sockets were distant.
"And it was so close. The disaster so nearly happened, child. There was nothing I could do to save him - nothing at all. I saw it there at the end, and I was powerless to help. The Prince's soul, inches away from him, exposed, trembling, ready to shatter. Another few seconds. Another few seconds and it would-"
"But it didn't." Frisk interrupted. His voice was soft but adamant. "It didn't break."
The ghost snapped his attention back to Frisk, seemingly having forgotten he was there. A small smile appeared on his face, and he nodded.
"No," he said with emotion. "No, thank the Maker, it did not. We all received a great gift today, Frisk. Two great gifts." His eye sockets crinkled around the edges, and he put his hand to his mouth in quiet contemplation for a moment. Then, with another deep breath, he raised himself back up.
"Well, then! There is still much to be done."
The whir of machinery caught Frisk's attention. He turned to see instruments and claws reorienting themselves. Screens were already lighting up with text.
"What will you do next, Doctor?" asked Frisk. "Would you like to come with us?"
"Ah, sadly that is not a possibility for me, child. At least not at the present. I am still very much tied to the CORE, and to the power provided by the generator below us. That greatly limits my ability to travel. But do not trouble yourself about me, child," he added, catching sight of Frisk's crestfallen face.
"In fact," he added, rubbing his chin, "my solitary existence here has some distinct advantages. There is so much research that needs to be done. So much knowledge that I need to acquire since my torpor was lifted. Yes, I think I will do quite well for the time being, here in my lab."
"Is there anything I can do for you?" asked Frisk. "Do you want me to ask Dad? I'm sure he can get you anything you need?"
"No, child, there is nothing I need for now. In fact, if you and the Prince and Princess would be so kind as to keep my presence concealed, I would prefer to stay out of sight for a little longer."
Frisk reddened. "Uh… well, I don't know if I'll be able to, sir. Mom and Dad are gonna want to know how this all happened, and I… uh… I don't think they'll believe I did it all on my own."
The scientist was taken aback. "Ah… yes. I see your point." He thought for a moment, then gave a resigned shrug. "You are right; I cannot see any way around that. So be it. Still, the King and Queen were always quite gracious to allow me to work undisturbed for extended periods of time. So, if I may make a request - once you have told them, would you be so kind as to ask them to keep my presence and work here undisclosed for now?
"Uh… yeah, I can do that, if you're sure."
"Yes, I think that will be best for now. Thank you, child." The scientist smiled down at him warmly. "Many thanks indeed. You have a noble heart, young one. Thank you for helping me to do what I could not do so many years ago. Truly, a light has been restored to our kingdom that I thought had been extinguished forever. And… "
Frisk could have sworn he saw a twinkle appear in the ghost's eye sockets.
"Now that I think of it, may I ask of you one final favor?"
"Sure."
The scientist bent down. "Would you please tell me how it goes when the Prince and Princess are reunited with their parents? I must admit, I dearly wish I could see the King and Queen's faces when that moment comes."
Frisk grinned. "I know exactly what you mean. I can't wait either! Sure, I'll try to take a picture for you."
"I am indebted to you, Frisk."
Chapter 25: The Decision
Notes:
I apologize that I'm stealing one of my own chapters from Worth a Thousand Words and dropping it in here. It's not an ideal way to tell a story, and I went back and forth on whether I should, but since Twilight of the Dreemurrs takes place during the events of that story, I felt that the chapter below was an important part of this story as well. Sorry! But the chapter after this will be new - promise!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
For a moment, Chara and Asriel stood in the doorway of the long-abandoned bedroom, looking around in wonder and disbelief. Then they began to move among their possessions. The box of toys and collection of stuffed animals were scooped up to be transported to a new home. Books were collected. Favorite outfits from the wardrobe were lifted out. And a set of furry paws pulled open the center desk drawer and carefully retrieved the large stack of brightly decorated sheets it contained. A short time later a pair of delicate human hands shakily slid open another drawer in the desk and frantically felt its underside, then relaxed as they found and pulled out a letter that had still been taped there, undiscovered and unopened.
And yet, the contents of the letter still had to be dealt with. The girl knew that. Though the plan had gone badly wrong, the truth of what she had intended the boy to learn after her death still needed to be confessed. She could not allow him to live in such ignorance about the nature of human death. Though she desperately wished there was another way, the boy had to be told that there had been no chance he could have restored her to life once they were through the barrier. She had expected her brother to hate her when he learned the truth, but she had also intended to be dead and beyond the reach of that hatred by the time it came out. But now, everything had changed. And although it would cost her greatly, although he would hate her for her deception, and although it would almost certainly mean losing the only brother and parents she had ever known, she had to tell him. He deserved to know the truth. The outrageous lie had to be confessed.
But it could not be confessed in a letter now, with the author safely beyond criticism. Instead it was confessed in person, by a tearful, self-loathing girl who sat on her old bed, unable to look at the crying monster child sitting opposite her. She had to listen with her own ears to his cries of disbelief and betrayal when she told him. She sat defenseless as he wept, painfully aware how feeble and inadequate her apologies were. And when he begged through tears to know why she had done it, she had nothing to give him but her own stupid, stupid explanations that had seemed so noble and selfless to her years before, but now could be recognized as the ill-advised, shortsighted and idiotic plans they really were.
How long had they sat there, since the last of her halting, useless explanations had trailed off and the two of them had fallen into silence except for sniffling and quiet sobs? Was it half an hour? An hour? The girl looked over in misery at the boy who would no longer meet her eyes, his head down, hugging himself, still trembling. She could almost see him tracing the events backwards through time, one by one. He wouldn't have died if he hadn't been attacked by the villagers. He wouldn't have been attacked if he hadn't come through the barrier. He wouldn't have gone through the barrier if he hadn't had her soul. He would never have taken her soul unless she had lied to him to make him willing.
He died because of the plan Chara had convinced him to follow.
He died because of Chara coming into his family.
He died because of Chara.
He died.
It was all her fault.
Chara desperately wanted to rush out of that room, to get out of the underground entirely, or else fall somewhere so deep and hidden that nobody would ever find her. She wished she was dead again. Anything that would stop the sobs she was hearing from repeatedly stabbing her in the heart. But she couldn't leave. She was pinned to the bed, awaiting judgement. Awaiting her condemnation and dismissal. There was nothing for it but to sit there and let every stab of self-recrimination find its mark.
After a long time, a small voice spoke.
"Chara..."
A pause.
"Chara, I-I'm not sure I can say this right, but I'm just going to say it and hope that you understand."
The boy slowly lifted his head and stared at her.
"I-I guess I was wrong about you, Chara, all along."
The girl felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Tears came into her eyes again, but she blinked them back fiercely. After all, this had been expected. She had known, and perhaps had even planned that they boy would hate her and reject her so that he could leave her memory in the underground and start a new life on the surface. She had just intended to be dead when it happened. But at least this part of the plan - she swallowed a bitter smile - this part was going perfectly.
She just hadn't expected it to hurt as much as it did.
But of course it was going to hurt, wasn't it? Chara was no stranger to cruel words being flung at her. She had learned long ago to harden her heart against verbal abuse. But these soft words were infinitely more painful coming from Asriel. The boy who had been her brother, who had always been so kind before - so enthusiastic, so welcoming, so overflowing with affection - had never said anything this hurtful to her before.
But this was what was best. This was right. He was cutting ties with her. He was ready to move on.
So there would be no blubbering on her part. She would make it as easy as possible for him to let go. This would be her last gift to him.
She stood up and pulled herself together as best she could. "That's right, Asriel. You were wrong." Her voice didn't seem to be working properly, but she forced herself to keep it steady. "I told you once that there weren't any good humans, but you didn't believe me. You seemed to think I might be an exception to that." The girl's smile was tight and trembled at the corners. "And for a while… for a while we had a good time together, you and me. But now you know. Now you know what kind of a person I am." The smile began to fall apart. "I'm just like every other human. I tell lies, and I hurt people. And in the end, I was a terrible friend to you." The tears could no longer be blinked back, and the girl brushed them forcefully away. "But thank you for all you did for me, Asriel. And please tell your mother and father that I am grateful they were so kind to me for such a long time." She turned and walked towards the doorway. "I'm going to go now. I hope that you'll-"
"Chara, w-what are you talking about?"
The girl turned. The boy on the bed was looking at her, a confused expression on his face.
"Where are you going?"
The girl hesitated. "I... I don't know yet. I'm sure I'll find somewhere to live. It's been a long time since I was down in-"
"WHAT? Why… why are you leaving me, Chara?"
Was there rising panic in the boy's voice? It was the girl's turn to look bewildered.
"Asriel... you just told me that you figured out how wrong you were about me. I lied to you, and I tricked you into doing something you didn't want to do. I got you killed! I don't blame you at all for hating me; that's exactl-"
"NO! Chara, no, no, that's not what I meant! That's not what I meant at all!" The boy's voice was shrill, and his eyes were wide open now, filled with a mixture of horror and pleading.
The girl stood there, dumbstruck. "I…I don't understand, Ree."
The boy stood up and took a step towards her. "I knew this would come out wrong! I'm sorry! Let me try again." He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, trying to find the right words.
"Chara, after I died and woke up as a flower, I thought that I had ruined everything. I told myself that I should have listened to you when you wanted me to... you know, down in the village when we were being attacked and you wanted..."
The boy looked at the girl helplessly. In spite of her confusion, she nodded.
"I didn't do it. And then we both died. And when I woke up, I hated myself, and I got so confused and… well…" The boy swallowed. "I didn't know it at the time, but I guess you were still able to see all the things I did after that... when I was Flowey, I mean. Right?"
"Yeah... for at least part of it, after Frisk came and I woke up myself."
The boy nodded miserably, "So, yeah, I don't have to tell you about that part. But what I'm getting at, Chara, is that whatever Frisk did when he 'saved' me all those months ago... it changed something inside me. My feelings, my compassion, my sense of right and wrong - it all came back. And…" A crimson flush crept into the boy's furry cheeks, and he shifted his weight on his feet back and forth. "And I guess you probably heard what I said to Frisk about you, right?"
The girl hung her head. "That's what I was saying, Ree," she said heavily. "When you told Frisk I wasn't the greatest person, you were absolutely right. I'm a terrible person."
The boy waved his paws. "No, Chara! I'm trying to… ugh! I'm so bad at this!" His arms dropped to his side in frustration. "Can... can we sit back down?"
The girl stood uncertainly by the door, then slowly moved back and sat on her bed. The boy returned to the opposite bed and sat with head down, trying to find the right words to say. Chara waited quietly, still perplexed.
After a moment, Asriel started again.
"After Frisk left, I turned back into a flower like I knew I would. But even after that happened, something was different. I didn't want to destroy everything anymore. I didn't want to... kill anyone anymore. I was even happy that everyone was free."
He looked up. "Frisk even came back to visit a bunch of times, before today. I had told him not to... I-I didn't want him to see what happened to me after he left. But I guess you know how he is - once he gets a thought into his head, there's no changing his mind," he said with a rueful grin. Chara mirrored it with a slight smile of her own.
"We talked a little about that last day - the day you and I went through the barrier and down to the village. And do you know what I told him my greatest regret was, Chara?" Asriel looked back up. "It was that I died before I could heal you. That I ran back up the mountain and ended up killing us both instead of finding some safe place where I could heal you and get your soul back into you. And Frisk got this funny look in his eyes, but he didn't say anything. And now... I guess I know what he was thinking."
Chara stiffened. Yet another apology began to form on her trembling lips, but Asriel went on before she could speak.
"But there's more. I realized that I was able to think about what had happened that day in the village without being so confused."
He leaned forward, now more earnest.
"Chara, when I told Frisk you… weren't a good person, it was because I thought you wanted to kill all those people the moment we got to the village, because you hated humanity so much. But then I remembered something I had forgotten when my mind was all messed up. " He fixed his eyes on Chara. "You didn't try to attack them right away, did you? We went into the village, and you put your own body down in the flower bed, and then after that... you only tried to use our power after the villagers started attacking. Right?"
This was not a memory the girl wanted to think about. But she accepted the pain as she envisioned the horrible scene once more. "I had never even intended to be there," she said quietly. "When you absorbed my soul, I just thought you'd get enough power to pass through the barrier. I didn't know that I would actually be alive inside you. And once we were down there, I could feel everything that you felt. I could feel what was happening to you after they started..." She choked on her words. "I couldn't stand it. I-I just wanted them to stop hurting you, Ree!"
Asriel's eyes began to tear up again. "I know that now. I didn't understand before, but I do now. And Chara? I think I also understand now what you've been telling me. All those things you did years ago - with your plan, with the buttercups, with what you told me about putting your soul back in your body... you did all that because you thought it would be the best thing for me in the end. You knew you were going to die, and be gone forever, but you were willing to do it because you wanted me to be happy." His questioning eyes met hers. "Right?"
"Yes." This time the girl didn't bother forcing back the tears. "It was a terrible, stupid plan, Ree, I know that now. But I thought it would get you and your mom and dad and everyone out of the underground. I wanted you to have a happy life out there. I-", She couldn't keep her voice from cracking. "I loved you, Ree, and I wanted you to be free and happy. It didn't matter what happened to me."
She had her head down, so she wasn't able to see the complex emotions that crossed the face of the boy across from her. There was silence for a few moments. Then,
"Chara, that is the sweetest and the most stupid thing you have ever said to me."
The girl's head snapped up. The boy somehow managed to look at her with affection and exasperation at the same time.
"Why on earth would you think that I would be OK with you dying so that we could get out of the underground??" He began to wave his arms in agitation. "Did you think it would be a happy ending for me to lose my sister? And my best friend? Where did you get such a dumb idea?"
The girl was having a hard time absorbing his words. This was not going the way she had expected. "But, Ree, I knew how much you wanted to rescue everyone and get to the surface. All those stories..."
"But not without YOU, Chara!" Asriel took hold of the locket that was hanging around his neck. "What does this say?"
And without waiting for an answer, he stood up and stomped over to the stunned girl. He leaned down and held the locket in front of her face. "Tell me what this says!" he demanded. "Read it!"
"Uh - 'Best Friends Forever'"
"That's right! And that's what yours says, too!" He pointed to the locket that was resting over the girl's shirt. "And it's true, Chara!" His sharp tone disappeared, and a look of pleading came into his eyes. "You're my best friend, and you always will be. Having you die so that we could be free wouldn't have been a happy ending! It would have been awful! Why in the world did you think Mom or Dad or I would ever want that??"
And then, with perfect clarity, Chara suddenly realized how badly she had misjudged everything. Why had she thought the Dreemurrs would want that? What had made her think that the three monsters who had adopted her into their home would be glad to trade her life for their freedom? There was a simple answer to that - an assumption that had always guided what Chara did while she lived with the Dreemurrs. An assumption that had turned out to be completely wrong.
"Because I didn't think you'd miss me if I was gone," she whispered. "No one has ever wanted me."
Asriel's jaw fell open and his eyes widened. Chara's head dropped. "I thought you'd be sad for a little while, but that eventually you'd forget about me. Everyone has always wanted to get rid of me as soon as they could. You and your mom and dad were nicer to me than anyone else had ever been, but I figured it was just out of pity. And that it was temporary. That the only reason you hadn't sent me away was because you had nowhere to go yourselves. And when I figured out what I could do to set you free... I guess I just assumed you'd be happy if I was gone, just like everyone else."
The boy was still in shock, his eyes watery. "But... but Chara - you're my sister!" he stammered. "I would rather have stayed underground for a hundred years with you here than to be on the surface and have you gone!" His lips were quivering, and he appeared to be trying to say more. But instead, he sank down next to her on the bed and threw his arms around her, and Chara felt herself being squeezed tightly with his furry head resting on her shoulder. No further words were necessary. As her own tears began to fall freely, Chara slowly wrapped her arms around him, loosely at first, then tightly.
For a few moments the two siblings stood there, holding onto each other. At last, Asriel pulled back to look Chara in the eye, his arms on her shoulders.
"Chara, what I was trying to say a few minutes ago was that I was wrong about you for a long time. I thought you hated me because I couldn't heal you at the village. I thought you were angry with me because I hadn't killed the villagers and taken their souls. And I thought that you had wanted to kill them yourself because... you were a bad person who hated humanity so much, you didn't care who got killed. But I was wrong! I didn't realize…" The boy's eyes were glistening again. "I didn't realize you had done all those things because you loved me and were trying to help me the best way you knew how."
The girl had no idea how such a strong mixture of sadness, relief and joy could be inside her at the same time. It made it difficult to even form words.
"Ree… Ree, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything! Can… can you please forgive me for being so stupid?"
The boy began to sniffle again.
"It's OK, Chara. I know you meant well, and-"
"NO, Ree!" He stopped, surprised. "It's not OK. What I did was terrible, and idiotic, and... and I didn't know what I was doing. Please... don't just tell me it's OK. Don't tell me that it didn't hurt you, because I know it did. Just... can you please just tell me if you forgive me?"
The boy's glistening eyes met the girl's. "Yes! Yes, Chara! I forgive you. For everything! It's OK now."
"Thank you." A watery but broad smile managed to come through her tears. "Thank you, Ree." She took a series of shuddering breaths. For several moments Chara sat with her head down, struggling to get herself under control.
"Hey, Chara?"
She looked up. On her brother's tear-stained face, a playful grin was beginning to grow.
"Big kids don't cry, you know."
With a snort, Chara grabbed the pillow that sat on top of the comforter and swung it at the boy. The squawk he gave when the pillow connected with his head gave her immense satisfaction, but the dust cloud that instantly erupted sent both children into a coughing fit that ended the battle immediately. It took a few more moments before either of them was able to speak again.
"Well," Chara gestured around her, "I suppose we should probably finish packing up whatever we're taking so we can get it down the mountain."
Asriel's eyes were bright. "So that means you're not going to leave me, right? You're still going live with us?"
The girl shrugged, a small smile on her face. "Well, if you still want me as your sister, then I guess I wi-"
Her words were cut off by a bleat of joy and a pair of arms that enveloped her in a hug that almost toppled the two of them over. A furry head buried itself into her shoulder, one long ear resting over her nose and mouth.
"Of course I want you as my sister! I love you, Chara! I don't ever want to lose you again!"
The girl wrapped her own arms tentatively around the boy. And then instinctively, she squeezed him tighter than she could ever remember.
"I love you too, Ree."
Notes:
Art credit for this happy picture goes to Colin Bun - thanks, Colin!
Chapter 26: Twilight
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Frisk's phone chirped. He reached over to his backpack and pulled it out.
Hello, son. How are you getting along? Are you on your way home yet? It will be getting dark soon.
He tapped back a response to his father.
Hi, Dad. Just resting for a bit on the cliff. Be heading down soon.
A moment later a thumbs-up popped onto the screen, followed by several hearts. He stuck the phone back in the front pocket of the backpack and was just about to lean back when another thought struck him. He retrieved the phone, found the right contact, and tapped out a short message.
Hey, remember those two old artifacts we dug up? They're all fixed now.
Less than a minute later, his phone dinged.
What? Fixed how?
Frisk grinned as he typed.
We'll probably be leaving the underground soon. Getting to the bottom of the mountain maybe in an hour?
There was another ding.
WHO IS "WE" ???
He chuckled softly to himself and responded with an enigmatic winking emoji. Then he returned the phone to the bag and gazed distantly at the warm golden sky where the sun was low to the horizon. With a stretch he settled himself against a large rock, folded his hands, and closed his eyes. A cool breeze rippled past, rustling the treetops far below.
A few minutes later he snapped back to attention. The sound of crunching footsteps could be heard from the cave mouth behind him. He scrambled to his feet. The shapes were indistinct in the gloom of the cave, but they gradually resolved themselves into two figures emerging into the fading daylight.
"Hey!" Frisk called.
Asriel waved. "Hi, Frisk! We're finally here." Frisk returned the wave, but his eyes were fixed on Chara, who had caught his gaze. A wordless question passed from him to her.
Chara gave him a small smile as she continued walking. For an answer, she reached out her hand to brush the furry paw of the boy beside her. Automatically, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world, Asriel took her hand in his, still smiling cheerfully at Frisk.
Frisk broke out in a grin as a huge weight fell away from his shoulders.
"Sorry it took us so long," Chara said breezily. "We had a lot to catch up on."
"Well, it's good timing - I just told Dad I'd be leaving soon."
"Did you tell him to set two extra places at the table?" Chara asked wryly.
"No, it's gonna be a surpr-" began Frisk, when suddenly a memory from that morning crashed into him. He groaned as a new weight settled on him.
"Oh, I haven't had Mom's cooking in soooo long! What's for dinner?" asked Asriel, with uncanny timing.
"Asriel," said Frisk, rubbing his nose. "If there is anything that proves that I really care about you and I'm excited to have you as my brother, it's this." He sighed heavily. "I asked Mom to make snail pie for tonight."
"SNAIL PIE?" Asriel yelled enthusiastically. "I love snail pie! I haven't had snail pie in forever. And Mom's snail pie is the absolute best. Oh man! Oh man, everything about this day just keeps getting better and better!"
Chara wrinkled her forehead in disgust.
"Not for me it doesn't," she griped. "I can't believe you actually asked for that, Frisk. Don't you hate snail pie?"
"Yes," Frisk answered wearily.
"Well what about me? How come Asriel gets all the love and excitement about being your brother, and now I have to gag down pie that squirts out slime?"
"C'mon, Chara," said Asriel, bumping her shoulder. "Don't you remember that buttery garlic sauce mom puts on it? You like that, don't you?"
"That's the only thing that keeps me from spewing it back out."
"Gross!"
"Come on, we can argue on our way down the mountain," Frisk said. "Did you guys get what you needed?"
Chara and Asriel both nodded. Chara had found a coat and Asriel had gotten a hoodie from their shared wardrobe, both musty-smelling but in surprisingly good shape. Both children had found backpacks from the closet.
"So, where do Mom and Dad live, Frisk? Is it far?" asked Asriel.
"Well, it's a bit of a hike." He gestured at the twinkling lights spread out far below them. "That's Ebott Valley. Once we get to the bottom of the mountain, it's about another thirty minutes or so to our house."
Asriel's pace slowed as he took in the sight of the town. The other two looked at him, matching his pace. Finally, he stopped altogether.
"You OK, Ree?" asked Chara.
"I was just… remembering. Coming down the mountain." he said quietly. Chara blanched but hesitated only a moment before stepping over to him.
"I guess things are a lot different now, aren't they Chara?"
A wave of guilt washed over the girl, but she fought it down as she reached for her brother's paw.
"They really are, Ree. This time, everyone's going to be glad to see you." She squeezed his hand. He smiled.
"I'm glad we get to go down there again."
The three of them resumed the downward trek. The conversation continued, bouncing around from topic to topic - Frisk's excited plan of how to surprise their parents, Asriel's interest in everything he saw around him, Chara's questions of what he had been doing all the time while he was underground.
"So, what did it feel like to be a flower? Were your vines, like, your arms and hands? How did you travel through the ground? Did you make tunnels by eating the dirt in front of you?"
"No, gross!" said Asriel, wrinkling up his muzzle. "I guess part of how I did it was with magic. I would just pull my head down into the ground and then-"
"Oh! Oh, oh! Magic! I forgot all about magic!" Chara interrupted enthusiastically. She stopped walking and yanked Asriel to a halt. Frisk turned to stare at them.
"Ree! Now that I'm a monster, you gotta tell me how to use my magic. Show me how it works!"
"What, right now?" he asked hesitantly?
"Chara, you're not really a-" began Frisk.
"Yeah, right now! Come on!" Chara stepped back and held her arms up in readiness. "Tell me what to do, Ree! How do I do magic lasers and all that chaos-whatever stuff that you did?"
Asriel looked chagrined. "Well, uh… by the way, about all that fighting? I'm really sorry about all that," he said sheepishly. She waved him off.
"Yeah, yeah, it was fine, no problem. You only hit Frisk, not me."
"Hey!" protested Frisk.
"Anyway, how does it work? I'm ready!" she continued eagerly.
Asriel grabbed his arm with one hand nervously. "Well, you probably can't do the same magic as me. I mean, I had a bajillion souls in me at the time. And besides, the type of magic each monster does is sort of specific to them. It has to do with what's deep inside you."
"Sure, that's fine," nodded Chara. "I've got my own ideas for weapons and attack patterns."
"That's… not really what I meant?" said her increasingly desperate brother. She dismissed it with another wave.
"Well, we'll worry about that later. For now, just show me how to do it."
"I… I dunno, Chara. Maybe Mom or Dad might be-"
"Please, Ree?" she begged with a tilt of her head. Her crimson eyes grew big and soft.
Asriel sighed. "Oh, all right. I'll try." He stepped next to Frisk, both of them facing their sister.
"OK, so start by holding your hands out like this." Asriel held his paws in front of him, palms up. Chara copied the gesture.
"Good. Now close your eyes and try to feel the magic in your soul. To me it kinda feels like water or something, sloshing around like it's inside a bottle that's all closed up. And if I think hard about it, I can make it slosh even harder and faster. Can you feel anything like that?
"Uh-huh," Chara said, eyes clenched tight. "I think I got it."
"OK, so what you wanna do for now is just let it out really slowly . Don't let the bottle break. Just send some out through your hands. Just the tiiiiniest bit. Then you'll start to see what form your magic is going to take."
"Oh yeah, I'm definitely feeling it. I got this," Chara said as an unsettling grin stretched across her face. Above her open palms, a pair of wispy, indistinct shapes began to coalesce into two long, sharp-looking objects. She closed her hands around the pulsing objects, now glowing deep red. Her crimson eyes opened, bright and burning. "Pretty sure I know what my magic is going to be like, Ree," she purred.
Asriel and Frisk exchanged worried glances.
"Uh, O-OK," stuttered Asriel. "Well, uh, I guess now, go ahead and slowly release your magic-"
The words were barely out of his mouth when there was a blinding flash in both of Chara's fists as the magical objects solidified. Instantly she thrust her arms forward, one sharp object in each fist pointed at her brothers.
"Ha!" she yelled in triumph.
All three of them stared. Chara's eyes twitched.
"Are those… knitting needles?" asked Asriel.
"What?" spluttered Chara. "No! They're… razor-sharp stilettos!"
"Are you sure?" asked Frisk. "Because they look a lot like knitting needles to me."
"They're not knitting needles!"
"This one's kinda bendy." Asriel was flexing the end of the red weapon pointed at him. Chara snatched it away protectively. "It feels like those plastic knitting needles Mom used to let you use."
"They're not!" Chara insisted desperately. "They're… deadly magic… daggers!" She waved them menacingly, willing them to be cooler.
"Whoa," said Frisk, pointing to a wispy tendril coming off one of the needles which trailed its way down to a shimmering orb on the ground. "Is that a ball of yarn?"
"Wow, Chara, you can do knitting magic!" said Asriel brightly.
With an angry crackle, the magical objects disappeared. "That was just my first try!" scowled Chara. "I'm still working up to something cool and deadly."
"Yeah, right now it's kind of sew-sew." Frisk stretched out the last two words as he tilted his hand from side to side. He was rewarded with an irritated grunt.
"Don't joke about Chara's yarn magic, Frisk!" chirped Asriel. "She might sock you."
"I'll have to scarf down some magic food if I get hurt."
"Would you two please shut up?" Chara snapped.
"Sorry, sis," Asriel said apologetically, with a contrite expression that was ruined by his dancing eyes. "We were just needling you."
"Yeah, Chara, we'll quilt while we're ahead."
"STOP!"
"OK, OK!" Frisk said, holding up his hands. "We can stop. No sweat-er".
"Frisk, that is a terrible pun!" she spat.
"Really?" asked Asriel innocently. "I thought it was tailor-made for you."
"I hate both of you," snarled Chara, already walking down the path.
Asriel sidled up to her and threw an arm around her shoulder. "It's OK, sis. We can patch things up later." Chara grabbed the arm and flung it away.
Frisk came along side as well. Both boys were quiet, but Asriel gave Frisk a wink. A moment later, a reluctant, snorting chuckle came out of the girl walking between them.
"You're both idiots," she said. The irritated affection wasn't lost on either of her brothers.
"And now it's going to be two against one!" Asriel's eyes were shining. "Finally! Frisk, this is gonna be awesome!"
"What do you mean, two against one?" Chara fumed at Asriel. "Why are you on his side? You're my best friend! We should be ganging up on Frisk!"
"It's brothers versus sisters," explained Frisk. "That's the way it's been since ancient times."
Chara ignored him. "Why not Dreemurr siblings vs. Frisk?"
"I'm a Dreemurr!" Frisk objected.
"Fine," Chara said, rolling her eyes, "Original Dreemurrs versus the rebooted Dreemurr."
"Oh!" Asriel's eyes sparkled. "Vintage Dreemurs vs new-fangled Dreemurr!"
Frisk, seeing the battle for Asriel was lost, switched tactics. "Hey, Chara, how about monsters versus humans instead?"
"What? No!' squealed Asriel.
Chara bumped his shoulder. "Don't worry, Ree - I'm a monster now. It's still you and me against Frisk"
"You're not a monster!" argued Frisk. "You're a human with a weird soul."
"How dare you! Show some respect, or I'll use my monster magic on you." she retorted.
"Are you going to make me a wool hat?" Frisk asked innocently.
"Frisk, so help me, I will knit you right off the side of this mountain."
"How does that even work?" asked Frisk.
"With magic, OK? Monster magic, like Ree and I have, and you don't, so it's us versus you, so there. Shut up and deal with it." And with the battle lines drawn, the negotiations ended.
By now the foot of the mountain was approaching, and the path drew level with the tops of the pine and fir trees that nestled up against the side of the mountain. The sun had disappeared below the horizon, and the air began to grow chilly. Chara shivered and zipped up her coat. Asriel slowed his pace, staring above the tree line.
"Oh, wow, look at that!"
The other two followed his gaze, and all three came to a halt. The sky was lit up in flaming hues of orange, blue and purple. The puffy white clouds floating overhead were tinged with pink. In the distance, a bright yellow and orange glow marked where the sun had set just minutes earlier.
"Wow," Asriel breathed again. "I know I've only been on the surface once before, but I didn't know the sky ever looked like this!"
"It's twilight," Frisk explained. "When the sun has gone down, it sometimes reflects all these colors before it gets dark. It'll fade away in a few minutes. See, it's already starting to get dark over there." Frisk pointed up in the opposite direction, where the colors faded into deep blue.
"That's so cool! Can you only see it from here, or do you get to see it at Mom and Dad's house?"
"Well, you can see a bit there, but there are a lot of trees around our house. Oh, but there's a big park just through the woods! You can see the sky really well from there."
"Nice! That'd be fun to visit tomorrow if we can!"
"Yep," Frisk grinned, "and in another twenty-four hours or so, you'll get to see another twilight."
"Twelve hours, you mean," interjected Chara.
"What?" Frisk looked puzzled.
"In about twelve hours, the sun will come up. I mean, I don't plan to be up that early," Chara added, rolling her eyes, "but if you really want, you can watch the sky turn colors again."
"I guess," Frisk said, "but I was talking specifically about twilight."
"So was I," Chara said, with a hint of smugness. "Twilight happens twice a day, when the sun is below the horizon. It's not just at nightfall before everything turns black. It's also twilight when everything starts to get light again, and then the sun comes up."
"Huh," said Frisk, tilting his head. "I didn't know that."
"Most people don't," said Chara, looking very pleased with herself. "There are actually three types of twilight." She lifted a finger. "The first is called civil twilight, when the sun is just barely below-"
The loud, grating sound of a car horn interrupted the science lesson. All three children turned to look down the path. Without realizing it, they had reached the final stretch of the mountain trail, which ended at a dirt road a couple hundred feet away. Parked at the foot of the path was a weathered, decades-old olive-green pickup truck. A grizzled reptile leaned out of the window. He honked the truck's horn again enthusiastically, then flung the door open, cackling as he pulled himself and his shell free of the front seat.
"Frisk!" he hollered. "Who's that you got with you, lad? Didja drag someone else outta that mountain?" He raised his hand over his eyes comically, as if to stare at the trio more carefully. "Bless my soul! That can't be Floppy Ears walkin' beside you, can it? And Princess Smartypants! Is that you, lass?"
"Uncle Gerson!" yelled both Chara and Asriel.
"C'mere, you little rapscallions!" he yelled back with a crooked, wide-open grin. He needn't have bothered; both children were already bolting down the path towards him. The turtle monster knelt and held his arms out wide, cackling. Asriel reached him first, followed by Chara a moment later, and all three were crushed into a hug. Frisk grinned as he continued his relaxed pace towards the excited group.
"Asriel, you little scamp! Chara, lass!" Gerson crooned over them. "You're both here! You're alive! I can't believe it… I can't… how did you…?"
His words choked off. For the first time since Frisk had known him, Gerson broke down in tears. He bent his head over the two, rubbing their shoulders as if to assure him that they were really there.
"Welcome back, you little rogues. Ohhhh, I've missed you. The whole kingdom's missed you. Och, I can't believe it…"
For several minutes the four of them huddled in a group chattering. The three children filled Gerson in on all the events since the day he had pulled the lost children's souls up from the ground. Asriel was beside himself in gratitude and general excitement. Chara's gratefulness was more muted, but her crimson eyes shone at the old turtle, who kept guffawing and clapping one or other of them on the back. At length he turned to Frisk.
"Fine work there, lad!" he said enthusiastically. "Don't know why I ever doubted you, given that you've probably got enough raw determination to save two more mountains full of monsters somewhere else, ha! But nonetheless, lad, fine work. Really well done! It's wonderful. It's… it's just so-"
Gerson appeared to be on the verge of breaking down again. Quickly he turned towards the truck as he brought himself under control.
"This calls fer a toast! And you all are in luck - I have lemonades just for the purpose!" He opened a cooler bag on the front seat and proceeded to pop open four bottles which he passed around. As he pressed the last bottle into Chara's hand, he thrust his own bottle in front of everyone.
"A toast to the soon-to-be reunited Dreemurs!"
Chara and Frisk both clinked their bottles against his. Asriel followed suit after a moment of mystification of what he was supposed to be doing with the bottle. All four of them drank deeply.
Immediately, Chara gagged. With her eyes bulging, she whipped around and spewed the drink out noisily. Asriel, still guzzling his drink, stopped and stared at her in startled confusion.
"Ahhhh, good stuff, eh lass?" said Gerson with a wink as he took another big sip. Chara, still spluttering, finally looked at the label on the bottle before glaring accusingly at the turtle monster.
"Sea Tea? You have all the possible drinks on the surface, and you bring me a bottle of this putrid sludge?"
Gerson put an affronted claw on his chest. "Putrid sludge, lass? Och, how can you say that? This lemonade-flavor Sea Tea is one of me best sellers! I've branched out into almost a dozen new flavors now. Every one of them filtered through well-aged high-quality socks. Wah ha ha ha!"
"I like it," commented Frisk, taking another sip. Chara whirled on him.
"That's because you're a weirdo, Frisk."
"Can I have the rest of yours if you don't want it, Chara?" said Asriel, shaking his empty bottle upside down. "I think it's pretty good."
Chara stared at him. "Are you sure your head didn't get messed up when you got your soul back?"
Nevertheless, she handed her bottle over to her grateful brother. Gerson produced a soft drink from the cooler ("Ah, lass, lookee here! It appears that I happened to pack one bottle of soda. What a coincidence!") Chara, somewhat mollified, found herself fully forgiving the wizened shopkeeper when he also produced a large family-sized bag of nacho chisps which he passed around. "Don't go spoilin' your dinner now, lass!" said Gerson as Chara reached for the bag a second time. She started to nod, then froze with the bag in her hand. Her head snapped to Frisk beside her; his wide-eyed gaze met her own. Both of them immediately began cramming handfuls of chisps in their mouths, as Asriel and Gerson looked on in confusion.
For the next few minutes, the four of them munched on their snack. Wiping his mouth, Gerson turned to Asriel and Chara.
"What about your folks? Have you told 'em yet?"
"Not yet!" Asriel chirped. "We're on our way home after this. It's going to be a surprise! Look, I've even got a disguise, so nobody recognizes me on the way!" He pulled his hood up, tucked his ears into it, and yanked the tie string hard, scrunching up the hood and leaving only a white muzzle sticking out.
"Wah ha ha!" barked Gerson. "Just be careful you don't give ol' Fluffybuns a heart attack. Not unless you're ready to take over the job of king yourself!"
Asriel emerged from the hood with a startled look, and a hint of worry crossed his face. But Gerson just cackled again and slapped him on the back, nearly knocking him off his feet. He turned his attention to Chara, whose lack of exuberance hadn't escaped his notice.
"What about you, lass?" he said gently. "Lookin' forward to seeing your ma and pa again?"
Chara took a deep breath. "I… I guess so, Uncle Gerson."
"Are you sure, Princess?" he said, squinting his good eye at her. "That didn't sound quite as enthusiastic as I woulda thought. Do you not want to see 'em then?"
"No! I-I mean, yes I do, but-"
Chara's worried eyes automatically turned towards Asriel. Gerson's shrewd eye followed her gaze. Asriel appeared to have shrunk in on himself, and Frisk had a faint look of worry.
"It's just- I don't know if they're going to be glad to see me," Chara continued, turning back to Gerson. Her hands started rubbing each other. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she appeared to come to a decision. "Mr. Gerson, do you remember the day I died?"
The turtle's sharp eye bored into her. "Aye, lass, I do."
Chara took a deep breath. "It wasn't what you think sir. It wasn't what anyone thought. I- I did something. It was actually-"
"Lass."
The quiet word cut her off. The old monster gently placed both his claws on Chara's shoulders and bent down.
"Lass, I have a feelin' you're about to tell ol' Gerson something that's none of me business. But I know that look in your eyes, Princess. I've seen it on the King's face many times. And the Queen too. I've had it meself, far too many times to remember. Shame and regret; I know it well. So just tell me this, lass. Did you do something to your ma and pa that you regret?"
After a moment, Chara nodded. "Yes, sir," she said quietly, "though I didn't know it would hurt them."
"And now you're worried they won't forgive you if you come home?"
Wordlessly Chara nodded again.
Gerson leaned back. "Then lass, allow an old monster to give you some advice. Forget about it. Banish that idea from your head. Stop tellin' yourself that they'll never forgive you for whatever it is that you've done."
"But-!"
"Lass, do you know how much your folks have missed you? In all the years you were gone - even since the time they've been out here, finally free, there's been a shadow over them, even in their happy times. They've missed you somethin' fierce - both of you," Gerson said, turning to Asriel. "There's not a single thing that you could say to them now that would cause them to stop loving you. Don't you worry about it, lass. You're their daughter, and the moment they see you, nothin' in the world is going to stop them from opening their arms and pulling you right back into the family. You'll see!"
A small smile crept onto Chara's face. Asriel look relieved. Gerson chuckled. "Boy, I'd love to see ol' Fluffybuns face when he sees you prancing your way up to the house. The ol' softie will probably wake up the whole neighborhood with his yelling and boo-hoo'ing."
"Do you want to come with us, Uncle Gerson?" offered Asriel. "I'm sure that'd be OK!" Frisk confirmed it with a nod. But Gerson waved him off.
"Nah, this ain't a night for no commoners like me. This'll be your own royal family reunion. But hop in the truck! I'll take you as far as the end of your street and drop you off there."
"Oh, man, that'd be great," Frisk said enthusiastically. "I wasn't looking forward to another half-hour of walking."
Asriel was already climbing the rear tire and scrabbling into the truck bed. "C'mon, Chara, let's ride back here!"
"Me too!" Frisk tossed his bag over the side then heaved himself up.
Gerson patted Chara on the shoulder again and started making his way to the front seat of the truck.
"Thank you."
Chara's words were barely audible, but Gerson turned around.
"Of course! You'll see that I'm right soon enough."
He winked and flashed a crooked smile at her.
"Welcome home, Princess."
A few moments later the ancient truck rumbled away from the base of Mount Ebott, bouncing three children in the back on their way home. One of them was grinning in excitement, already envisioning how he would keep a straight face while knocking on the front door, and also trying to remember if there were any sleeping bags in the house. Another turned her eyes towards the road ahead, towards the house that had never been her home and the parents she had lost long ago, and was filled with longing and fear. What the consequences would be when the full truth came out, she didn't know. But the warm paw that was holding her hand comforted her. If the one she had betrayed and hurt the most could forgive her, then perhaps there was still hope for her.
As for her furry brother, dreaming of the reunion to come, his excitement was boundless. He tilted his emerald eyes up to the blazing colors in the western sky and thought he had never seen anything so beautiful. He chuckled as he squeezed his best friend's hand; let Chara sleep in late tomorrow if she wanted. When the morning came, and the celestial colors returned to announce the dawning of his first new day, he was going to be there to welcome it.
Notes:
This brings our story to an end! There is one final chapter ahead - an epilogue that I wrote, then decided to leave off in favor of this chapter's ending instead, then much later decided to add back again as a "deleted scene" because I can't make up my mind on things. It's there if you'd like juuuust a little bit more story.
In any case, thank you for reading! I'd love to hear a comment from you if you enjoyed the story, and if Dreemurr family stories float your boat, you might like the rest of the Best Friends Forever series.
Chapter 27: (DELETED EPILOGUE) A Royal Gift
Summary:
Chapter 21 has a little throwaway joke where The Overseer uses the word "succor" while talking to Flowey and Frisk, which they puzzle over afterwards. That little joke always tickled me (maybe because it shows the childlike Asriel still in Flowey) so I wrote an epilogue based entirely on that scene. But in the end I decided it pulled the focus away too much from the main characters and the actual ending of the story (and also was just an obscure joke on an archaic word), so I decided not to include it.
But now, after waffling on it some more, I've decided just to throw caution to the wind and put it back in as a "deleted scene". Make of it what you will! And thank you for reading.
Chapter Text
Several days later…
The whirring motors and humming machines somewhat muffled the strains of Holst's St. Paul's Suite playing over hidden speakers, but the scientist hummed along anyway as he used a claw to move the slider on the magic oscilloscope and reposition the phase. He turned and floated over to another table, swaying along with the lively violins as he checked the magical reactions taking place in a set of sealed canisters.
With a sudden ding, the music stopped. Doctor Gaster raised his head. One of the screens mounted to the wall had lit up.
(1) NEW UNDERMAIL RECEIVED (DBOX ATTACHMENT)
He moved towards the screen with interest. He had signed up for an UnderNet account just a few days earlier (with a suitably unremarkable account name) and only a few people knew his address. He doubted it was his new turtle monster friend, though he appreciated the effusive and somewhat rambling message of gratitude the old fellow had sent. That just left a handful of possible correspondents, all of whom were in the same household. The screen filled with text.
FROM: [email protected]
TO: [email protected]
SUBJECT: Hello!!Hi, Doctor Gaster!! It's me, Asriel! I wanted to write to you and say thank you again for everything you did for me and Chara! It's really nice to be back home with Mom and Dad! We've got some new beds and stuff, and Mom's going to take us shopping to get some clothes and toys and other things. It's going to get busy soon because Mom is already telling us that we've got to start going to school. ☹☹☹ Chara said that we shouldn't have to because we're like a million years old, but Mom just laughed and said we still have to. Frisk says the school's pretty fun, though. Anyway, we'll be coming back up the mountain soon to pick up more of our stuff from our old house, so we'll come by and say hi when we do! Also, we remembered that you like these (check the box!) so we wanted to send you some to say thank you. I hope you like them! We'll see you soon and thanks again!
Love,
Asriel
The scientist's face crinkled in a smile. He stepped over to the counter directly beneath the screen, where an empty metal frame was mounted upright with several wires connected to it. He looked up at the screen again. A green button under the message labeled "DBOX ATTACHMENT" pressed itself. At the same moment, a flash filled the empty center of the metal frame. When it faded, an inky black void was left.
Doctor Gaster had been very impressed when he searched through the records of his successor and discovered her specifications for interdimensional storage. The technology itself was incredible, but the fact that she had been able to incorporate dimensional boxes into a phone app was an astonishing feat of engineering. With no suitable phone of his own, he had constructed his own interdimensional portal, making sure that it was compatible with the UnderNet.
A delicate claw reached down from the ceiling and pushed itself into the black void. A look of concentration came on the ghost's face as the claw rummaged around. Finally, it withdrew and deposited a number of items on the counter.
With a puzzled expression, the scientist bent over and studied the small, colorful discs that had come out of the void. They appeared to have small, straight handles for manipulating them. The claw picked up one by its handle and held it out towards a scanning device that descended from the ceiling. An analysis of the disc's composition appeared on an adjacent screen. The doctor's bewilderment grew. He racked his brain as he thought back to the chaotic events that had taken place a few days earlier, but try as he might, he could think of nothing that correlated these gifts with his time spent with the Prince.
With a shake of his head, he turned his attention back to the screen. The text cleared itself and a new message began to appear.
FROM: [email protected]
TO: [email protected]
SUBJECT: (With Regards To): Hello!!May it please your highness,
I am delighted to hear that you are well and thriving in your new home on the surface, along with the rest of the royal household. I am also deeply humbled that I was permitted to play a role in the restoration of your person along with her highness, the Princess. I trust you will find your schooling invigorating, and should there be an occasion for you to come to the CORE again, I would be most gratified by your visit. I would be very grateful if you would convey my regards to their majesties the King and Queen as well as to your esteemed brother and sister. Please also accept my thanks for this gift that you have graciously sent me.
Your humble servant,
W.D. Gaster
Royal Scientist, (Ret.)
With a whooshing sound, the message disappeared off the screen and the orchestral suite resumed playing through the speakers. The scientist floated around the room checking various desks until he found what he was looking for. A claw picked up an unused mug, and within a few moments the discs had been placed in it, handles facing downward, and carefully arranged.
Humming to himself, the scientist returned to the oscilloscope and began adjusting the amplitude. Above the equipment, the claw gently placed the mug on a shelf. The young Prince had a kind heart, thought the scientist, even if the meaning of his gift remained a mystery. If nothing else, the garish swirling colors of the suckers made the room look a little more cheerful.
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