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In the darkness that surrounds me I can feel something sinister. The darkness is nothing new to me but it's never felt so final before. It's like everything is finally ending. I am not filled with relief even though this is what I've wanted for so long. This darkness suffocates me, it doesn't offer me a place to hide. I'm completely exposed, my grey soul bearing forwards towards the dark entity around me. It's so evil. I've never felt anything so despicable in my long years of life. Its evil intentions seep deep into my soul, slowly turning it black.

It's not just me, though. It wraps its sharp claws around the souls of everyone and brings them all into a collective embrace. It smiles much too largely and its red eyes peer down at them. The look in its eyes is easy to decipher. Pure malice, so intense that weak souls would crumble with just a single glance. Those glowing orbs even dredge up feelings in me, feelings that I thought I had long since lost. Its fear. I struggle to set myself free; it's a completely primal reaction that I can't control. My grey soul lights up briefly, revealing a kaleidoscope of colors that fades swiftly. This thing wants to destroy everyone in its path, leaving behind nothing but a trail of blood and dust. It won't be satisfied after that. It will do it over, and over, and over in as many possibilities that exist. It will be an endless loop of constant torture, this is the only way to satisfy the hatred of that thing.

The reality of this hits me hard. I look at the souls in its deadly embrace. They all glow with beautiful hues specifically unique to each individual. They all cry out when the darkness first touches them. Their cries grow louder and louder and they resist as best as they can but in the end it's no use. Such determined hatred from a human cannot be stopped by souls of beings based off of magic. The only thing they can do is take the pain and hope by some miracle they are saved. I feel it again, the foreign tingle of feelings deep within my soul. Again my soul glows with a power that I haven't seen in many years. I can't stand by and let this monster kill the family that was once so precious to me.

I see a glowing red in the place where the monster's soul should be located. This red is so different than the pure hatred found in its eyes. This red is warm and comforting. It's fighting. With all its determination it's fighting against the malicious being trying to overtake it. The grip the monster has on the souls falters and it grits its teeth in frustration. It glows brighter and brighter, screaming a loud cry of desperation. It won't be won over so easily, it will fight until it crumbles into pieces. The monster roars with anger and squeezes the red soul with its sharp claws, desperately trying to choke out its resistance. The red soul begins to scream for help. Somebody, anybody, please help us, help everyone, help me.

I hear its cries and feel something awaken in me. My soul glows and I scream back. I will help, I promise. Wait for me. The monster turns its red stare of hatred to me. Its eyes flare and it lets out a shrill screech of amusement. You really still exist? How pathetic. I thought you had accepted your fate long ago. Just turn to dust already. A familiar light begins to intrude into the darkness. It begins to blind my field of vision. Before the light covers my eyes completely I see the monster smirk at me. I see the end flash before my eyes. I see the swing of the knife and the blood being spilled. After that moment it will all be too late.

I jolt awake, covered in a cold sweat. My open eyes slowly adjust to the weak morning light shining into the cave. This is my last save point. I created this save point so very long ago, I have no idea how long it's been since that moment. I know everything about this cave. All the nooks and crannies, all the smooth and rough edges, how deep it goes, the extremely deep hole ten paces up and two paces left, the amount of loose rocks, even the spots where the falling snow will touch the cave. I know absolutely everything there is to know. Not only about this cave but this entire forest. I can tell you when an animal will run past, when snow will fall off of tries, how big it is, how many trees are in it. So many little details that don't matter.

I've been through enough resets to memorize every single detail. Unfortunately for me, going through that many resets really takes a toll on you. I can't really tell if I'm insane or not anymore. I remember there being a distinct line separating the two at one point. I can't even see the line anymore, let alone figure out what side of the line I'm standing on.

There were so many things I was once so certain about but now I don't know what in my memories is real or fake. None of that matters anymore though. Not the person who I once was or the person I am now. There is only one purpose for me. It's the reason I'm finally standing up and trudging through the snow. I need to help them save everyone. I need to help Frisk.

As I make my way to the forest path that Frisk will be walking on; I can't help but think of them. The people who once meant everything to me. Their names and faces blur together and I wonder if I made them all up. I feel like I didn't but I don't know anymore. My guess is as good as anyone's. If my memory is telling the truth about certain things that I know it will be impossible to help Frisk without running into them. Long ago this thought filled me with dread. I hated seeing their faces when they saw me. They looked at me like I was a stranger, like they had never seen me before. It used to drive a knife so deep in me I could barely breathe.

Maybe all along it was I who was delusional and not them. Either way, I no longer wish for them to remember me. All the hopelessness, sadness, and despair just disappeared one day. Maybe that's the day I went insane, or just the day I stopped caring.

The trees began to thicken, I knew I was close. I slowed my steps and attempted to be as stealthy as one can be in snow. From a good distance away through the trees I saw the door leading to the ruins. I stared at it for some time and nothing happened. I decided to get closer to see if they had already passed through the door. Sure enough, they had. Fresh footprints littered the snow leading towards Snowdin. There were more than just footprints that identified just who I was dealing with. Dust sprinkled along the trail, following the footprints as if the two were a part of the same being. It may be Frisk's soul, but right now Chara's consciousness was in control. I recall that Chara is the one who performed the first save and the first true reset. She's the reason I had to endure such pain. She takes her hatred and forces it upon others who are happy. She's a bitter child and always has been.

I begin to walk down the same path Chara did before I arrived. No point in being subtle at this point. I need to get on with it because if Chara isn't stopped this time then this whole world is doomed. I pass a broken branch on the path, one that I knew would be there. I have observed the many paths Chara and Frisk take together but it has been quite a few resets since I have bothered to watch it happen. The most recent resets have been . . . an interesting time for me. There is one path that I have yet to see with my own eyes. It's the one I saw in the limbo before resets. The path where Chara finally gets what she wants. If she succeeds there is no going back.I shudder when I think about her eyes. She really is a hateful child.

I walk across a short bridge with bars easy enough to slip through. A few paces after I cross the bridge I feel a soul appear behind me. I turn around and meet a familiar sight.

"Hey, I'm Sans, Sans the skeleton. Looks like there is a real human down here after all."

I look at the shorter than average skeleton standing behind me, hands in pockets with a relaxed grin plastered on his face. Memories flash through my mind. They're blurred together and likely not real but they leave me feeling like I knew this skeleton very well at one point. I grip my scarf and pull it tighter to my face, my eyes wandering away from Sans.

I remembered all of the times I had tried to recreate what I thought we once had. I tried so hard no matter how many resets I went through. That was back when I still had determination. But it got so tiresome. Repeating the same story over and over again only to fall victim to the true resets. You see, Sans is different from the others. He can remember saves and loads and usually retains some memories after full resets. But true resets leave everyone who isn't human with absolutely no memories of the past timeline.

Everything I had built with everyone, especially Sans, would just disappear no matter what I did. What was the point of it all? There was none. My determination eventually faded away because of this revolution and my soul was left a grey, dull color.

"That's some interesting attire you got there. Where did ya get that sweater? Looks like we share similar taste. And that scarf looks exactly like the one my brother Papyrus has." Sans points out in a friendly tone. He's suspicious, though. He's always been that way. A sort of passive aggressive without the aggressive.

I had completely forgotten that many years ago I had been given warmer clothes by friends because they insisted my small body would freeze quickly in the Snowdin forest. My last save was with these clothes on, so they always stuck with me. Now that I looked myself my hoodie was identical to the one Sans was wearing. I smiled dully, as if it was muscle memory. The smile itself had no meaning behind it. I forgot how to feel many resets ago.

"Some friends gave them to me a long time ago." I answered truthfully. Even though I hadn't spoken in the last many resets my voice sounded as normal as ever, all thanks to my save point. It was odd to hear my own voice again after so long. I sounded a lot younger then I remembered. Speaking of age, just how old was my body? My mind had been through so many resets over the years but my body still retained its young form. I can't remember my age but I would peg it to be around 18 or 20.

"Nice friends. Looks like ya needed them though, you're practically skin and bones." Sans smiled a little wider. I stared at him, not thinking of anything else useful to say. The timelines in my head always get confused, I can't risk saying anything out of line. It might be too soon or too late. It's just easier to keep my mouth shut.

"Geez, what does it take to get people to emote nowadays." Sans said with a sigh. I stay silent, considering my next sentence very carefully. I pull from the mixed timelines as best as I can and deduce that this isn't too much for me to say.

"Rest up Sans, you've got a hard path ahead." I say evenly.

I think of Frisk and her cry for help. How I answered it, and how I need to help her save everyone else. Determination fills me and gives me the power to bend space. I open a rift and teleport away, just like I know Sans can. It struck me as a confused looking Sans faded to black in front of me. He's the one who taught me how to manipulate determination in that way. At least, I think he was.

I may have made a mistake by departing in front of him but in the end I don't think it will matter much. He knows what he needs to do and he will follow the path he's meant to take. After all we're all puppets on a string as long as Chara exists. She just needs to pluck her fingers and we'll dance to any tune she pleases. I recall the bitter hatred I once felt towards her. Now I acknowledge her malice as a fact. She wishes to destroy everything in her wake, to make it suffer again and again and again. It's like someone being addicted to caffeine or to smoking. It's the drug that keeps her going, the drug that makes her happy. As much as I wish I could fade into nonexistence I can't just yet. Maybe once Frisk and I finally break this curse I can finally get what I want the most.

I look around at my surroundings. It's a sight I've seen many times in the past. San's room. I forgot how hard you have to concentrate when you open up a rift in time. If you don't think very specifically you'll end up in a place that's on your mind. I guess meeting Sans again made me think of this place. It's the same as I remember, the self-sustaining tornado of trash (with a few new additions), the treadmill used to prank Frisk (not turned on yet), and the tightly balled sheets in the middle of his bed.

I sit down on the floor and breathe deeply, focusing specifically on the current timeline. It takes me a few seconds but I soon locate it. It's floating along the river of time with all of the other varying timelines this world has to offer but it stands out in its own way. It's pure black. The other timelines are a beautiful arrangement of colors, the way they should be. All of them have their beginning and end. This black timeline has a distinct start but no concrete end. Instead it stretches on and on, as far as the eye can see.

There appears to me no way to cut it off but if you look closely enough there's the tiniest patch of white intruding on the black. This is the only opportunity Frisk and I have to stop Chara. Chara will be at her weakest at this moment in time. There should be a window of opportunity where Frisk can perform a reset before Chara achieves her ultimate goal. This reset will give Frisk the chance she needs to finally break this curse. I'll be able to help her through the next reset and my power will give her the last push to end this.

I open my eyes and a wave of exhaustion shakes me. It's been so long since I've used determination and it's a little taxing on my soul. I curl into a ball on the floor and allow my eyes to shut. I have time to rest before I come in to the picture. I'll need all the strength I can possibly muster for what comes next. As I drift into unconsciousness broken memories play in my mind like an old grainy movie. There's so many of them and I don't know where a lot of them fit. I don't even know if they have significance to me anymore or if they're just there. Like I said before, it doesn't matter at this point. I fall into the darkness once again.

Next chapter will be more intense!