Undertale: Of Man and Monster
Chapter One: Legends From The Golden Age
Long ago, two races ruled over the earth: Humans and Monsters. One day, a war broke out between the two races and after a long series of battles, the humans were victorious. The greatest of their Magicians sealed the Monsters underground with a magic spell. A barrier to separate monsters below, humans above. Most storytellers end here, having embellished the tale to fit the lens of their people… but this is not the true end. Every Monster, every Human, can tell you with either relief or longing that Humanity possesses not a magical bone in their body. "No!" you may blurt out incredulously. "Humans must once have wielded magic, how else could the barrier be set in place?" The truth is a little more complicated than that, I'm afraid. Just what do you think us 'Magicians' are?
Grandfather's horns curled magnificently over his shaggy black mane. Even in his drab, brown robe the old goat looked the picture of nobility. Reclining in his favorite rugged chair by the fireplace, grandfather contentedly sipped from his steaming teacup. Sitting on the rug before him, I kept my eyes glued to his face.
"Can I get you anything grandfather?" Gently resting the ancient teacup on the small table beside him, he opened his green eyes and flashed me a smile. His teeth were huge and pointy, like fangs.
"No, no my dear Aster. You've been fussing over me for hours, I swear… it's as if you've been buttering me up for something." A mischievous glint entered his eyes. A small squeak escaped my goat-like snout. Tugging on my long floppy ears, I used them to cover my eyes. Grandfather chuckled softly. "How can I say no to such a cute bundle of fur? As long as the request is within reason my child, I will see what I can do." I peeked out from behind an ear.
"You won't have to do anything, but mom will be mad…" I let my ears flop back down and gave the old goat my best puppy dog eyes. Grandfather feigned a heart attack.
"Alright my child! Please release me from your terrible gaze!" I couldn't help but let the giggles escape. "I can already imagine what you want." His eyes grew distant for a second. "The only story your mother refuses to let you hear. Am I right?" I nodded my head enthusiastically, giving myself a brief dizzy spell.
"The Magician story please!"
"Settle down Aster. I'll tell you the tale. Get comfortable, this may take a while." Squealing, I stared up at Grandfather and gave him my rapt attention. He coughed a bit to clear his throat.
"Long ago, two races ruled the earth: Humans and Monsters. Now, things weren't always easy between the two, but in this faraway age lived many heroes. They were true saints, the kind that get far too little credit, if you ask me. Wielding only words and the hope of a wonderful future, these heroes brought the two races together. With their combined strengths, anything was possible. The world was full of hope. To solidify this alliance, royalty from both peoples married and proclaimed entire kingdoms united."
My eyes were wide as dishes, the weight of grandfather's words tickled my soul.
"No one expected the married nobles to bear any children. Such a thing had never happened before, but only because indeed, this was a first. Never before had Humans and Monsters fallen in love, vowed to look beyond their forms and stare into the soul." Grandfather paused for dramatic effect, a twinkle in his eye. "Soon after, the first Magicians were born."
"That's us!" I screamed, pumping my fists into the air. Grandfather smiled.
"Yes. Beings neither Human nor Monster, but both. Born carrying a Human SOUL, and a compromise between magic and flesh for a body. Not only did we make the most powerful spellcasters, but Magicians were born with a truly remarkable identity. Dependent on the form of the mother, Magicians were endowed with the father's opposite gift. Humans with bodies partly magic, who could know the joy of arcane expression but felt the sting of negative emotion. Monsters who bled, and while not immune, proved far more resilient against Human attacks. Our creation was hailed as a divine miracle by the people. To them, it seemed as if God above was so very proud of us all, that he was finally showing us what we were always meant to be." Grandfather's face darkened suddenly, a look full of such sadness and despair I felt my heart skip a beat.
"The miracles didn't last. Human… Monster… All of our hopes, all of our dreams, vanquished in an instant." His voice became grim and rough, honestly… it was frightening, listening to these words. "Child… do you know how Humans and Monsters learned it was possible to absorb one another's SOULs?" Grandfather asked, in a sad tone. I shook my head in a definite N-O. Grandfather sighed, and continued on with his story. "One child, a Human, so full of hate and despair… was forced to kill a Boss Monster." My eyes widened even further. "In his delirious guilt, the boy reached out to the quivering SOUL and touched it. He was filled with its power. Shining with magic, the human's already broken mind shattered completely. He began lusting after strength, for more SOULs. This… in truth, after absorbing the very essence of many more Boss Monsters, he became something other than Human. He began to refer to himself as 'The Demon that comes when its name was called'."
Grandfather looked at my shivering shape, concern etching itself across his face. He opened his arms and without hesitation I shot off the ground and into his embrace. He was warm, his robe was soft. Grandfather held me in his arms and I could hear his heart ticking steady, like a comforting clock.
"My child. Do… do you wish to hear the rest?" I detached myself from him and stared up into his face. I nodded vigorously, my SOUL filling with the DETERMINATION to see this through. Burying my head back into the folds of his robe, I covered my face with one of his floppy ears. "Always so determined, aren't you, my child?" His voice was bursting with pride, and a hint of sadness.
Silence fell over the world. Blacker than pitch above, the sky was devoid of light… as if the moon and stars themselves had fled the Demon.
"Something terrible is going to happen." Amare whispered, hiding behind one of many marble columns surrounding the courtyard. Dread tightened its tendrils around her heart.
"It's almost here." Zephyr whispered close by. He squeezed Amare's paw to try and reassure his love.
"We face the Demon together." Amare breathed, her eyes burning. Zephyr could only smile ruefully, admiring the determination glowing in her eyes. The Magician could only stare at her sweet face, committing her stubby horns, fluffy long ears and adorable snout to memory; she was the reason he fought now… the fire in his SOUL.
Spearheaded by a dozen of the most powerful Magicians of the generation; an elite group of Monsters and Humans were called upon to defeat the greatest threat the world had ever seen. Nicknamed 'Aegis' by the common folk, this elite band of warriors and wizards had deduced the Demon's newest mark and planned accordingly. Secreted in the shadows of the Human Lord Brisbane's favored courtyard, they sat in wait, ready to make this serene place of reflection a battle zone. Lord Brisbane himself paced across the center of his courtyard, acting as bait for the good of the world. He was a righteous, kind man, and would pay the ultimate price to save his people. Risky, but the only way to ensure the Demon's arrival. Besides, he'd been the one to suggest the plan, refusing furiously to let anyone play the part of decoy.
Amare and Zephyr, indeed, everyone present grasped the hilts of their weapons tighter and tighter to still their shaking hands. Forests were burned to ash; mountains crumbled, lakes poisoned by tangible hate, the Demon dies tonight. The terror ends here. Still, Amare could not quell the dread growing in her heart.
In the utter, oppressive silence, Lord Brisbane gasped. It was time. Heavy, fallow breathing sounded from the arches of the entranceway. Sickening shambling, like a corpse being forced to walk grew louder and louder.
"Now!" The firm cry broke the night. Amare and Zephyr; Lord Brisbane, all of Aegis sprung the trap. Hell was unleashed upon the earth.
Explosions tore stone from the ground, bolts of lightning buzzed through the thick air. Human blades glistened from the light of magic coursing through the courtyard. Amare and Zephyr combined their powers, letting loose a raging inferno from their interlocked paws. Before it was enveloped in lightning and fire, in orbs of pure arcana… the Demon merely smiled, black ooze dripping from where his eyes should have been.
"Stop!" Lord Brisbane commanded. Zephyr and Amare, Aegis relented, its magic users panting. Where the Demon had been standing, remained only a smoldering crater.
"Is it over?" Zephyr voiced aloud.
"I'll confirm." Responded a gruff Human. His hands locked around the hilt of his broadsword, he moved cautiously to the edge of the crater and peered within. That feeling of dread roiling in Amare's heart became unbearable.
"GET BACK!" She screamed, fearing what was to come. Alas, her warning came too late. Without warning, without sound, a spear of pure black pierced through the man's chest. He fell back without a sound. All eyes turned to the dark pike slick with blood, for the man had not completely left the Demon's clutches. Beating softly, his bright orange SOUL remained impaled. Veins of black crept along its surface, pulling it within. No one moved, not a muscle. Horror and dread laced the air, only growing thicker as the man's Human SOUL was devoured by the darkness.
"We're all going to die." Sobbed one of the wizards. Seemingly sensing everyone's despair, the Demon itself rose from the pit. No longer keeping up the pretense of Humanity, it appeared as a black silhouette, red eyes and red mouth gleaming. Bellowing a soul shattering screech, it attacked.
Amare lay amongst the dead and dying, sobbing to herself. The world was black, a dome of darkness encased the courtyard. Cackling, the Demon absorbed SOUL after SOUL, each essence compounding its power. Half of Aegis yet remained, but only because the foul beast enjoyed tormenting its prey. Amare was all but deaf to the screams ringing out all around, her only attention clinging to the skull of her beloved Zephyr. It had murdered him, stealing the very culmination of his being… and she could do nothing! Nothing but watch as his flesh crumbled away to Dust, leaving behind only his bones and tarnished armor. Bile rose on the back of Amare's throat. Pain and blood loss dulled her mind, but she could not forget Zephyr's last action on this earth. He had taken the hit meant for her with a smile on his face. Taking the brunt of the slashing dark, he was killed, and she only lost an arm. An arm for her heart.
"I feel it." The Demon rasped in a thousand voices. "Power." Amare snapped her head up to face the Demon, the fur under her eyes matted with tears. "I have enough. Now, let us erase this pointless world and move on to the next." Holding out his hand, chilling shadows conjured from the Void pooled before him. Molded in the shape of a simple blade, the seemingly ordinary knife lowered itself into the Demon's hand. His fingers clasped the hilt tenderly.
Barely visible, an aura of malice danced across the simple kitchen knife. In its presence alone, Amare could feel her SOUL shake violently. No one had to be told, merely looking upon the unholy weapon was the answer. That thing was the embodiment of hate, of despair and hopelessness in all the world. It was beyond terrifying. Brandishing the knife lightly, the Demon narrowed its eyes and focused on nothing at particular, to the untrained eye. Amare had the sinking feeling it was staring at the world's neck, aiming for its jugular. Still clutching Zephyr's skull in her remaining hand, she stumbled to her feet. Completely numb, Amare ambled to the Demon, her fire coming back. Erase the world, move onto the next? That cannot be allowed. This suffering, all the death and despair her world had endured… inflicted on innocent worlds, forever. FOREVER. Everyone's hopes, everyone's dreams, vanquished in an instant.
"I cannot allow you to do that." Amare challenged, her voice filled with strength. Despite her wounds, despite her lover's skull dangling from her fingers, she seemed very tall indeed. The will to protect what remained of her world, of all her peoples, to spare every world of this disgusting Demon…
Amare's red SOUL shone through her form, its fierce light illuminating their prison of dark. Everyone yet living stared at it with wonder in their eyes, with hope.
"I can feel everyone's hearts beating as one… beating with a singular purpose. To defeat YOU!" Amare snarled. The light of her SOUL grew brighter and brighter. Amare could hear them, their voices on the wind. SOULs, SOULs of the living, of the dead and those yet to be. Their hopeful words gave her strength, the resolve to change fate. Without hesitation, only courage, Amare stood before the Demon, poised to take the hit that would destroy the world. The terrible being rose its knife.
"Amare." Zephyr's voice whispered to her blazing SOUL. "You are the future of Humans and Monsters. Our fate rests in your hands. You are so much stronger than you know… we believe in you! I believe in you!" Amare let her tears flow freely, unafraid to show her love. "And… Amare… I love you, okay? Please, never forget. I will always love you." Zephyr's kind, soft voice resonated deep within her SOUL. His words, and his love, they filled her with DETERMINATION. Screeching, the Demon slashed down, the knife gleaming red. Pain. Pain beyond the world's bounds sliced through her body, shattered her SOUL into a million pieces.
Absolute death tore at Amare's being. There floating in the dark, Amare witnessed the end of all things. Gazing into the abyss, she was certain something deep in the endless chasm glared back. She felt its eyes rot her flesh, its stinking breath wilt the shards of her SOUL. Black hands carved from the night itself reached out to snuff out her life once and for all. Amare glared into the dark, painfully aware that if she were to die all hope was lost. Everyone was counting on her. The void's black hands grabbed her broken body. Icy numbness spread throughout her bosom. Oblivion came for her determined SOUL…
BUT IT REFUSED
Amare smiled, baring her teeth as her SOUL repulsed the abyss. Magic and the world's DETERMINATION surged through her body, reshaping it into a shield against evil. Flaring red, Amare's inverted SOUL emitted a burst of blinding light. When it passed, Amare was no longer herself. Long ivory horns protruded from her skull. Her snout had lengthened, bearing runes bursting with magic along the middle. Her red eyes, a vent for the power within, leaked gouts of white flame. A simple purple robe adorned her towering body, bearing a symbol never before seen. A circle, from which spread angel's wings; hovering above three triangles, one beneath the others and inverted. Zephyr's skull adorned her left shoulder, his green SOUL engraved lovingly on the forehead. Amare scowled at the bewildered demon, raising her slender blade as if to duel. Starlight glittered on the finely wrought metal, even though the sky remained obscured.
"I, Amare, will strike you down!"
Roaring in anger, the Demon moved to strike first and failed.
"Never again!" Amare cried, flashing behind the monstrosity. Before it could react, her blade had already left a trail of light through the air. Metal screeched and the Demon's knife was torn asunder.
"Abomination." The Demon rasped, turning to glare. Tendrils of dark snaked at its feet, twitching angrily. "I could have ended pain, suffering… are you truly so selfish?" Amare's eye flames exploded in her anger.
"You presume to have our best interests at heart? You're a murderer! You destroyed so much, defiled the world and had it careen towards chaos. You will not leave this place alive." He laughed, the sound hollow and disturbed. His face cracked into a red grin.
"So be it." The true final battle had begun.
Ruins, cracked stone and choking ash. Demolished in the battle between gods, the late Lord Brisbane's castle lay reduced to rubble. Chest heaving, Amare stood in the middle of the wreckage, her power near spent. Faring not much better, the Demon stumbled on gashed legs. Try as she might, Amare could no longer view this pitiful thing as a Demon no longer. Burnt by her searing flames, the void manifested had been cleared from his face. A young man stared on, his brown eyes betraying a deep weariness. Old scars and burns mottled his pale skin. Amare had the sinking feeling these wounds extended far below his face.
Sweat and blood slicked down his shoulder length auburn hair. He couldn't have been older than fourteen.
"I was only trying to save us all…" His voice lost its sinister edge. "Death can free us from our suffering." Amare rose her sword, tarnished with black blood as it was.
"Let me give you peace." The sword dropped from her paw, clattering to the chipped stone. Amare approached the child, who did nothing but watch with tired, resigned eyes. There was no Demon anymore, just a scared, lost child.
Towering before the child, Amare rose her right paw. Ivory claws shone in the gloom.
"Save me." The child whispered.
"I will." Amare sighed. In a flash, she thrust her arm through the boy's chest, clutching his sickly red SOUL. He crumpled to the ground, unsaid words lingering on his lips. Thank you…
Holding the boy's SOUL to her chest, Amare was assailed by his memories; experiences, thoughts and essence. Parents who did worse than neglect. Born to carry the sins of a village. Tortured to endure pain the mind should never bear. Twisted, hurt, mangled. Mind, body, SOUL in danger of breaking. The child of a Boss Monster, kidnapped. He was crying, so weak. High priest said to kill him. Kill him and be free. It felt bad. LIARS. More pain than ever before, but not from them… from self. Took SOUL when he died, couldn't let it shatter. Didn't know SOULs could be absorbed. So much POWER. Killed them all. Burned village to ash and dust. A voice in my head…
You killed him, but it's not your fault. Can you feel your sins crawling on your back? Ignore them. I can save you. I can help you save everyone, like you saved that Monster. He is beyond pain, above suffering. You want that, don't you? No one will ever suffer like you did, never again. They cry for death, for sweet release, but cannot accept it. They are afraid. Ease their fears, but to do that… well, we'll need more SOULs, more POWER. You know what to do. After all, you've been practicing, haven't you, Partner?
Amare gasped as the torrent ceased. Tears fell from her eyes, falling onto the crimson SOUL she held in her arms. The Magician looked up to the sky. Bright twinkling stars winked back. Watching the world with the gaze of a kind mother, the luminescent moon shone its silver light. Amare could feel her power ebbing, could feel her limbs grow cold and numb. She did not have much time left.
"I'm so sorry, my child." Amare cooed to the SOUL in her embrace. "We'll go together. I won't leave you alone." Turning her head back up to the stars, she watched the world passing by with sad, tired eyes. Closing her teary eyes, she gently rocked the child's small SOUL and hummed a lullaby. Her favorite. The one her mother sang to her when she was woken by nightmares. The one Amare had planned on singing to the child she would never have... Slowly, Amare's form and that of the little SOUL blurred around the edges. A faint breeze lifted away the Dust from her bones, entwined with the red sparks of a young Human SOUL. Soon, there was nothing left but a bloodied robe, a tarnished blade and the bones of a Magician. The silent night continued unabated, the world indifferent to the suffering of its people. Only, the stars above seemed to shine a little brighter, a quiet vigil for two wayward souls who found their peace.
Fat tears fell from my eyes. Shame burned in my cheeks as I bawled like the crybaby I was.
"That's so SAD!" Grandfather gave me a small smile.
"I know, Aster. I know." Grandfather raised one of his huge paws to my face to help brush away my tears. Sniffling, I looked up at him and gave a little smile. "It is an important story though."
Grandfather mused. "Do you know why it's still told?"
"Hmm." I scrunched up my brows in deep thought. "Being bad to others is… bad?" Grandfather chuckled.
"That's certainly part of it my dear, but not all." His eyes grew serious. "Aster. Hate creates hate. Brutality breeds brutality. Hate can only be bested by love. Despair cleared by hope and compassion. Do you think the child who became the Demon would have turned out the same if his parents and village had shown him love?"
"No, grandfather." He nodded.
"Oftentimes my child, it will be difficult. To forgive someone who has hurt you, is to overcome your own hatred and anger. You should remember that the people who seem the nastiest, cruelest, most vile creatures were not always so. Once, they were a child. Like you, like the Demon. They were hurt and hurt until it changed them, until they locked their hearts away and started to hate. Do not spit on the sick and helpless Aster. Do not hate and harm those who have been hurt so much they fear feeling anything at all. Give them a hand and a smile. Help them Aster. There are so many who need it." Leaping off his lap, I twirled and bumped a fist against my chest.
"I will Grandfather! I will. I swear!" Grandfather's kind, hopeful eyes positively shining with affection bolstered my resolve. The resolve to change fate. My oath to protect, to help and heal… it filled me with DETERMINATION.