A/N: Hi. This is my first time posting a story online. I've had this idea in my head for a while now, but it took a long time for me to decide to share it to others. I'm not really comfortable sharing my ideas with others because I end up feeling self-conscious, but I know that someday, I have to push myself to explore outside my comfort zone, right? Well, here you go. Constructive criticism is welcome so that I know where I can improve, but please be polite.
As for updating regularly, I can't really give promises. My academic workload is pretty heavy. I will do my best to update once a month, though.
Anyways, here. Enjoy :D
Okay… Where am I? Why is everything black and dark?
Oh wait, no. There's enough light from the attacks in front of me. Multiple white knives were being thrown around, spinning around while aiming for a little kid. Huh, where did these knives come from? Am I the one attacking the kid? I look down upon my body, and I see nothing. Weird. I don't understand it. I continued watching, as if I were seeing a movie. Maybe if I had popcorn along with my own physical body, everything would feel like a typical movie night.
My movie experience suddenly turned more realistic, as I could hear loud cackling; a sound that seemed to be inside my head yet all around me at the same time. I rack my brain, trying to look for information that could explain my current situation, but there was absolutely nothing. Everything is blank.
Are you kidding me? You mean I don't know who I am, how I got here, and what the heck is going on? I had so many more questions buzzing through my head, but I could not come up with answers to even a single question.
As I was about to give up, I could sense what seemed to be an entirely new database separate from my own brain. I don't know where this database came from or what is inside it, but I still reached out for it without hesitation. I gasped, and if I could step backward, I would have. Memories that weren't mine flashed through my brain in an instant: images of being shot and stabbed, being in a cold, dark lab and being injected with some weird extract, seeing several monsters in the Underground and killing them off in various ways. With that, I understood the general situation. I am inside an odd flower thing's body – Flowey, it calls itself. My SOUL was absorbed by Flowey, and now, I could feel him using my own SOUL power to form those attacks against the kid.
Wait a sec… my SOUL was absorbed by Flowey? He's using my SOUL power? How did he get my SOUL in the first place? Shouldn't it be stuck inside my body, and - Oh! The realization hit me as I realized the truth about myself. If this isn't my body, and yet my SOUL is in here, then I'm dead. As that fact sunk in, I began having more questions about myself. So, if I'm dead, how exactly did I die? Is there any way for me to get out of here? Is there an afterlife, or will I cease to exist the moment I escape this body?
Wait, what was I doing again? I snapped myself out of my reverie and looked at my surroundings. Right. Kid getting attacked. Huh, that sucks for them. I guess I should help. I don't know what kind of person I've been in life, but right now, I don't really like staying here. The child is what is making things interesting right now, so admittedly, I am curious to see what happens if they survive for long enough. Besides, I don't really feel so good about having my SOUL power harnessed to attempt child murder. I know I'm not really the one who is doing it, but I still feel as if I am some sort of accomplice to killing the child.
Welp, looks like this is going to be a long, extreme rollercoaster. I don't know if I am frightened, curious, intrigued, or just fatigued. Perhaps all at the same time? Regardless, I just need to stay here for a bit and gather enough information to fully comprehend the situation, and perhaps find more answers about myself. This is nothing but a simple problem, and all problems have a logical method that can solve it, right? Heck, each problem may have various solutions, depending on the solver's level of creativity.
I'm curious to see what happens next. How long can this kid manage until they die? How long can I manage until I run out of SOUL power? How exactly is Flowey utilizing my SOUL to power attacks?
Wait a sec. Why am I morbidly curious to find out how long the child can take this? Wasn't I saying earlier I didn't want any part in killing them? Geez, is my thought process really this messed up? I really should try focusing more on gathering information.
I watch the kid dodging the knives for their life. They could not be older than 10, and yet somehow, they were evading the attacks skillfully. Clearly, this isn't the first time they have been in battle. The kid had a somewhat yellowish skin tone, and they were wearing a blue and pink sweater over their brown pants. Several cuts and burns are visible on their body, and even their clothes were not spared from the damage. Their HP was somewhat already low, despite their skill in evasion. I'm assuming that Flowey really is a powerful creature hellbent on killing this child. Any other kid would have been sitting down and bawling their eyes out, yet they kept going with a wildfire burning in their eyes. Of course. They were a Determination SOUL, as I could see their red heart floating as it shone brightly in the midst of the attacks. Huh, I guess that explains it. That may also explain how they have lasted long in this battle. Determination SOULs are deemed to be the most powerful type of human SOUL present.
? How did I know this? Is this a part of Flowey's knowledge, or is it something that resurfaced from my missing memories? Also, why on earth is there something called a "determination SOUL"? Aren't all humans inherently determined by themselves? We all have wishes, dreams, goals, and ambitions. Wouldn't everyone have at least a modicum of determination to push themselves to achieve those desires? With these observations in mind, wouldn't everyone have determination within their SOULS?
Actually, why are there various types of SOULs? That's dumb. You can say a person is kind, but that doesn't necessarily mean he is a Kindness SOUL. It does not necessarily follow that you need to be a Kindness SOUL to be nice to people, otherwise, there would be more horrid people than there already are.
I keep digressing. Focus. We are here to observe my current situation so that I could regain more memories.
I watched as the knives continued to fall. If my SOUL power is being harnessed for these attacks, it's possible that these attacks are shaped by my SOUL, not Flowey's imagination. If that were the case, is it possible that these attacks were shaped by my SOUL because they have something to do with my past? Hmm, how are knives related to me? Have I used them to attack in the past? Was I killed by a knife? Are knives my biggest fear?
A weird image came into my mind….
I was lying on a bed, and I was looking at a big Boss Monster with a crown on his head. His build is huge and intimidating, but his gentle face looked sad and guilty. I could see the sadness, guilt, and regret etched all over his face, yet he forced himself to give a small smile. "Thank you," he whispered with the deepest voice I have ever heard from anyone. He gripped my hand tightly, and I found myself gripping his hand as well, if that were possible given how big his hand is.
"Good luck," I whispered in a weak, frail, old woman's voice. I felt a small smile tug at the corner of my lips as I closed my eyes.
Mmkay, so I died an old woman, I think? That was a death sequence, right? I presumably died in the presence of the king of monsters, unless there are other monsters hanging around the Underground who wore crowns. To be honest, he didn't seem like an intimidating king back there. Rather, he looked like a dad who had to watch his child die right before his eyes.
Huh, a father eh? I must have had a father in the past, right? I wonder who he is, and what type of person he was? Was he a good dad, or the kind that beats up his own children? I wonder how he reacted when either a. he died or b. I fell into the Underground.
Another image came to me...
This time, I saw the face of a man probably in his forties. He smiled as he handed me a gift wrapped in a green birthday wrapper. I beamed up at him and unwrapped it. Soon enough, I saw that I was one of those kitchen toy sets that little girls normally get. My smile grew wider, and I excitedly removed the contents from the box. Before long, I was able to set up the mini kitchen.
"What are you going to make today, darling?" the man asked me. He looked like he barely had at most three hours of sleep every night, yet he did not show any signs of fatigue. Instead, he seemed energized to play with me.
"Alright!" I exclaimed excitedly. "I'll make fish and chips for dinner." I took the toy fish and a small toy knife. I have to admit: the knife looks almost real, except it was made out of plastic. Maybe these toy manufacturers wanted to make their kitchen sets more realistic? "So, first, I'll remove the fish scales, then…" The vision cut off there.
Was that my dad? Yeah, I think he is. I can't remember more about him, though. I turned my attention to other details of the memory, and zoomed in on the toy knife I had used. A toy knife, huh? Is that where the knife manifestation came from? I wonder why my SOUL decided to manifest attacks as knives. Before I could contemplate more, I was interrupted from my thoughts by a cry for help. I instantly turned and saw that the child was trying to reach out to me, imploring my aid. Their high pitched, childish voice activated another vision…
This time, I was in a dark place, with only the moonlight shining down on me. It appears I must have fallen. I sat up and looked around me. I was sitting on a patch of golden flowers, and judging from the distance between me and the hole on the ground from which I fell from, I survived quite a fall.
"Hello? Somebody? Help me, please!" I called out, my voice shaky and frightened.
But nobody came.
"Papa? Papa, where are you?" I cried out.
I waited, but there was silence.
I wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to warm myself, and I sat down on the flowers. "I'll just wait here, I guess," I said in a small voice to myself. "Papa always says that if I'm lost, I should wait for him to come back to get me. He'll be here soon; I'm sure of it."
But I know he never made it. Images of what came next and what came before returned to me instantly. If I had my physical body, and I were somehow forced to see all these memories at once, my brain would have blown up.
I could see another Boss monster finding me and taking care of me, and my fear turning into excitement as I discovered the new world around me. I spent my whole time in the Ruins, but I was never bored, because everyday, I learned new things I would never have learned in the Surface. I discovered the existence of a race separate from ours: monsterkind. Surprisingly, they aren't big, scary, and evil, like how we portray monsters in our fiction books. Monsters are kind and trusting, and frankly, they are much better company than around 90% of humans. Heh, yeah… Monsters. They tend to always attack me at first, but after a while, I managed to befriend them. I have documented every detail and aspect of the monsters' lives in the Ruins, and a bit of their history based on what I have learned from all of them. I guess you can say I'm an expert in the Ruins and everything and everyone in it.
I had lots of time. I revamped the entire Ruins. I placed puzzles everywhere for fun. Monsters seem to love puzzles, so they enjoyed my additions. Let's see, what else did I do down there? Oh yeah, Toriel's collection of books. I liked how she had both human and monster books there, so I read them all. The subjects varied from physics to Anna Karenina to 72 Uses for Snails. Some books I reread, while others were only touched once. My favorite books; however, were the ones she had on magic. Both human and monster. I didn't think humans could generate magic. Whoa. I guess those witch trials in history weren't entirely without merit, but when I was still on the Surface, I've never seen any traces of magic anymore. Some still believed in the occult, but they were often dismissed as crazy. I wonder if they were the ones who were privy to the truth this entire time. Or they're really just crazy. Who knows?
As the years passed by, I found myself perfecting the kinds of magecraft in the books here. It's incomplete, of course, so I guess I could never be a Merlin, but seriously. I doubt the determined kid in front of me has seen anyone in the Surface chuck rocks at people's heads, right? No, movies don't count. But yeah, I managed to learn. What made human magic different from monster magic is the method and its manifestations. Monsters were made of magic, so it was much easier for them to summon and use magic. Humans, on the other hand, require more effort to exert magical effort. While we have a nervous system with neurons and nerves all over our body, humans are also gifted with Magic Circuits. Imagine neurons and nerves, but instead of transmitting signals to and from the brain, it transmits magical energy. Yep, that's what Magic Circuits are. Some people are more naturally inclined to magic than others. I guess maybe if you had ancestors who could perform magic, your lineage is more attuned to magic. On the other hand, someone who isn't born of that lineage may need to exert more effort to activate their Magic Circuits.
Regardless of natural ability, Magic Circuits are normally dormant at first, so you awaken them the first time you use magic. Trust me. It was a painful experience. I passed out from the pain and shock of my circuits activating for the first time. Kind of like muscles, you have to train and use these circuits every day. Let's see, what kind of magic did I learn? Mostly magic that involved the mind. I learned a bit of alchemy, but I was poor at it. I even tried to learn elemental magic. Maybe if I can learn water, earth, fire, and air, I can be a real-life Avatar. Nope. It didn't work. I burnt my own face by accident when trying fire. Toriel was so angry and worried at the same time while she healed me, then she banned me from practicing elemental magic. Sad.
So, I discovered a new world, and revived a dead human ability (although that revival died with me anyway). Not a bad deal for being trapped in the Underground forever. Huh, I wrote all of these things in a book, right? I wonder if anyone read it. Have other humans seen it? Has Toriel managed to discover it?
Why didn't I try to leave the Underground? Pretty simple. I understood that it was useless for me to escape on my own. I would have been killed the second I stepped out of the Ruins. While I could kill anyone who tried stopping me, it didn't feel right. Besides, there's nothing to gain from killing. If I wanted information on monster battle tactics, I could just fight them without killing them. With that in mind, I concocted a plan. I can perfect my magic while waiting for the six other humans to fall here. I can train everyone so that they can activate their magic circuits and perform magic. From there, all 7 of us would have enough power to break the barrier. After all, what was needed to break it is the power of 7 human SOULs, right? They didn't necessarily have to be dead human SOULs. Why did everyone assume that you had to kill 7 humans for this sort of thing?
As those memories returned to me, I also remembered who I was.
Have you ever felt as if you were born too late to discover new lands and seas, yet born too early to discover other planets capable of sustaining life and aliens? Have you ever felt like you were born in a world that runs both too fast and slow at the same time, where people chase rapidly after new technological developments yet sometimes still have societal ideas and traditions that belong to the 19th century? Yep, that's how I feel like.
My name is Katrina, although I prefer to be called by my nickname, Kara. Don't ask me where I got the nickname; that story will take too long. I never knew my mother. She died when I was born. As for my father, he was a scientist who dealt with plants. I don't really see him often, because he is busy with work. But since he remarried another woman, I'm normally stuck with my stepmother. I didn't like her. She spends too much money on liposuction surgeries and shopping for bags and clothes. Her children are no better either. Her son must be bored with his life, because he liked bullying me. Her daughter is like her, except snottier and prissier, and she had the IQ of a sea sponge.
I don't remember their names, but I remember their faces, and bits of how they interacted with me. I remember that the only reason I stayed with them is because it doesn't make sense to leave without resources. Besides, as much as I don't really like them, they don't outright abuse me or anything. We just have different interests. Thankfully, they left me to my own devices. I don't really like other people snooping in around my room and nag about how it is a mess, anyway. I know my room is a mess, but it's an organized kind of mess. Like somehow, I still know where to find my things, because the several wrappers and loose clothes serve as markers, so I remember where I last placed the objects. Also, if I left, that would also mean leaving my dad. He may be out often, and he may be even more eccentric than even I was, but he's a good guy. I don't really want to leave him.
How did I get down here in the Underground? Well, I was 8. My dad wanted me to accompany him to Mt. Ebbott. He needed a plant that could only be found up there. Honestly, the man never told me about his work. I have a sneaking suspicion he's actually involved in a governmental bioterrorism research, or something like that. Why use nuclear bombs to kill your enemies when you can mess up their flora and fauna and infect their citizens until they're so weak that they can't move. Rip out a page from Moses' book and launch the plagues to make the enemy state surrender? Or maybe my imagination is just wild, and my dad is just a loving, green thumb person who spends day and night talking to plants and collecting plant extracts. Who knows?
"Do you think it's logical for a mountain to be cursed?" My father laughed when someone warned him about the curse of this mountain. "The only thing making it cursed is the weird, superficial imagination of you local folk. Come on, Katrina. I promised you we will bond together while I do my work, right?" he said, taking my hand and leading me away from the person.
Well, on the mountain, I found myself separated from my dad when I ran off from him because I saw this interesting animal in the woods. That was a bad idea, because eventually I found myself falling down here.
So, there, I fell. I stayed here, and waited for humans. Eventually, I grew old, yet no other human fell into the Underground. As I felt myself already close to death, I realized that I failed precisely because I waited for too long. I lived down here for around 80 years. No new human fell to the Underground. I may not be able to shatter the Barrier myself, but there was still one logical option left for me to do. Having made up my mind, I left the Ruins and walked to the king's castle. There, I sacrificed my SOUL for the monsters' right to be free. I am an old woman who was about to die soon, anyway. Might as well make my SOUL useful, right? All I asked was that King Asgore would wait for me to die before taking my SOUL instead of killing me immediately. He was nice enough to agree to my request. He's a great guy, but his eyes…. They hold the sadness of the world. It's the face of a man who has lost everything, and yet somehow, he still kept going, even if he was lost with no certain direction of where exactly he was going. I guess a part of me pitied him, so I gave him a bit of advice.
"Is this the only way for your kind to move forward, or are there other options you have overlooked?" I asked the king while we were having tea together. I was already weak and could no longer walk properly, so I was sitting on my bed while he sat on a chair in front of me.
He frowned. "I'm not sure I follow," his low voice boomed. His voice seemed naturally loud even when we were just talking.
I shrugged, although doing so was a bit of an effort on my weak bones. Whatever. My body may be frail and old, but my mind is still as sharp as ever. "Here, I'll rephrase. Let's say along with my Patience SOUL, you got all 6 other SOULs. What happens?"
"I will absorb the SOULs and break the Barrier. Then monsters will finally be free," Asgore murmured wistfully.
"Then what?" I wanted to probe further.
He jerked back as he looked at my face. I think I was giving him one of my intense stares again? I don't know. It's not as if I could control my facial expression 24/7, right? But I want an answer, and I am not dropping the subject until he gives me one, even if we keep at this topic for an eternity.
"You don't know, huh?" I crossed my arms and waited for him to object or prove me wrong. He slumped his shoulders in defeat, indicating that my hypothesis is correct.
"Heh, I guess you've got your work cut out for you. Time to start planning. I'll warn you. No matter what you do, things won't be so easy." I took a sip of the golden flower tea he brewed me. "Human's first instinct is always self-preservation, save a few exceptional circumstances. Humans cannot trust what they do not know. In fact, they fear it precisely due to their lack of knowledge about the unknown. So, what do you think will their reaction be once they see monsters on the Surface? They'll freak out. On a small scale, I can imagine the local populace creating a mob to hunt you all down, or they can get the police or the national army. On a large scale, I can already imagine the United Nations Security Council assembling to determine what the international community will do regarding your kind."
Asgore looked worried. "Will they react like that even if we tell them that we come in peace?" he asked.
I nodded. "As I said, self-preservation is the goal, so they will always meet you with violence. Shoot first, ask questions later, so to speak. If you proceed down the diplomatic path, things won't be guaranteed to be easier. For all I know, maybe they would take some monsters and study them in labs to discover more of your characteristics, kind of like what they do when they discover new species of animals." The king shuddered involuntarily, his face full of disgust and shock.
I sighed. "The prejudice will always be there, and will take a very long time before it disappears, if it ever will. Even among humans, many tend to be prejudiced against those of different countries, or religions, or skin colors. Seriously, as long as you are different in any way, the prejudice will always be there."
"And if we went to war against the humans?" Asgore inquired. His voice had gotten a bit softer. Obviously this isn't an option he wants to consider.
I felt my facial expressions darkening. "You may have magic and whatnot, but you will never survive against human warfare. Have you ever heard of atomic bombs?"
He shook his head. "No. What is it?"
I frowned. "I don't know how it works entirely. I don't really like war stuff. But, well, some humans dropped those bombs in two human cities during a war. The bombs killed off so many people and destroyed a lot of the property. And even the humans who survived the explosion got sick due to mutations in their genes, so they ended up dead anyway. And that was during the 1940s. Can you imagine how much science has advanced from that time, and how tools of war had developed?" I shook my head gravely. I don't like telling Asgore this, but this is information he needs to hear. "You won't survive a war against humanity, Your Majesty. You were already defeated the first time your kind entered a war against humans. What makes you think you can win this 2nd time? Even if you absorbed all the 7 human SOULs and became a powerful god-like being, you don't have enough power to defeat humanity. The moment humans decide to go to war against monsters, you can be certain that your kind will be exterminated. I don't know if humans will show mercy even after you surrender, but if they want to conduct a full-on genocide of monsterkind, they can, and they will."
The king's shoulders slumped as he bowed his head. Some loose strands of fur shielded his eyes. "So, there is absolutely no hope for us… Is that what you are saying… Kara?" he asked in a dejected voice. His voice was shaky as he shook slightly at the mention of my name. I can't really blame him, I guess. His dead child's name was Chara, right? Sounds a whole lot like my nickname. Maybe I should have just made him call me Katrina.
I shook my head again. "No, Your Majesty. I'm not telling you not to give up. I'm just giving you the current facts. I'm giving you this warning so that you can plan accordingly what you should do. Is it really necessary for monsters to be free, or is the risk of the Surface too high that it's not worth sacrificing your current safety? Assuming you choose to never surrender that hope for the Surface, that begs the question: just how exactly will you deal with humans? How can you convince them that you won't be a threat to them? How can you ensure your people's safety? How can you guarantee that there will be no war between the two races? What will be your diplomatic and political strategy? What's your economic strategy to ensure that monsters won't go poor and hungry up there?" I took another sip of the golden flower tea before continuing. "You are a commendable man, Your Majesty. Which is why I want to help you succeed. I like monsters more than humans, to be honest," I admitted with a wry smile. "I understand that your research and technology department is highly skilled, right? The CORE is a marvelous work, after all."
The King smiled. "I'm certain Dr. Gaster will appreciate the comment," he mused.
I found myself smiling as well. The King is a nice guy. He should feel more joy than what he has now. "I think the key lies in your technology. If somehow, you could surpass humans in their level of technology, you might stand a chance. Humans have forgotten the ways of magic, so that's another advantage. If you have both magic and technology on your side, you can secure to yourselves a better bargaining and defensive position."
We were silent for a while, as the King gave my words thought. Finally, I sighed and said, "This is exactly why I decided to sacrifice my SOUL for monsters, Your Majesty. I think monsters deserve the Surface more than humans ever would. But you have to be wise and careful when planning your next moves, because a single misstep may lead to a genocide. Gather all the information you could first, then make the best decision possible based on the data. It's going to take a long time, but eventually, the fruits of your labor will be worth it." I promised. That's what Patience is about, anyway. The situation may not be ideal for you now, but if you took a step back and took the time to gather information to aid you in making your decisions, you will eventually be able to get where you want to be. Information is always the most powerful weapon, more powerful than any atomic bomb may be.
I scoffed. I wanted to help free monsters, but here we are now. This place doesn't look like the Surface, so I'm guessing that freedom was never obtained yet.
Oh wait, right, the kid wanted help, yeah? Out of my way, Flowey! I think you've done enough. I pushed on, and Flowey seemed too shocked that I had recovered consciousness that he posed no protest. Finally, I found myself in control of the body, and aware of everything going on both outside, and inside.
Ah, so that's how he's been doing everything. He has control of 6 human SOULs, mine included. I could sense those 5 other presences still in deep slumber. I wanted to attempt waking them up, but then I felt a sharp pain in my head as Flowey tried to wrestle control from me.
"You idiot! You're supposed to obey me!" I can hear him yelling at me.
I considered looking for an incantation I could use to silence Flowey, yet I don't think I learned a skill of that caliber. I tried looking for other spells in my magical arsenal, but I found nothing that could resolve my current problem. I became aware of my unfortunate situation. Despite me regaining consciousness, I realized that I alone am not strong enough to fight Flowey. I may have obtained control over this body, but I cannot keep it up for long. He's using those 5 other SOULs to support himself. Eventually, it will only be a matter of time before he fully overpowers me and pushes me back into the background. Even now, I can already feel him pushing against my brain, forcing me to yield control. I grit my teeth.
Oh shoot! I am too focused on the migraine that I forgot to help the kid. Okay, so uhhh. I can't hold Flowey back forever, so I can't help them with that. I can maybe boost their stats—increase their ATK and DEF? I'm not sure if I have mastered the magic to increase INV in life, and as much as I want to try it, I don't think I have the luxury of time to do it. Ah wait, stupid! HP, of course! This kid is quite nearing death already. Mmkay, let's see… I never learned human healing magic, so I looked for answers within Flowey's memories. I saw how monsters had their own magic, and they can use it to heal each other. I don't know if monster magical methods will help me now, but I don't really have any other choice. I focused on my nicest memories, ignoring distractions that can snap my concentration. Heh, I wasn't really good at not being distracted.
I opened my eyes and saw that the knives had changed to bandages. I smiled. I remember using a lot of bandages when I was alive, as I kept scraping myself in various parts of my body as I explored this new world I was thrust into. It also didn't help that monsters were always hostile to me at first. I know I could have waited for Toriel to heal me with her magic, but putting on bandages to prevent infection is an effective first aid measure anyway.
I gasped in pain as I could feel my hold weakening. I know that in just a few seconds, I will lose control completely. I try to make my voice heard so that the child can hear what I have to say. I don't know if they heard it, but it's worth a shot.
"Please stay patient. I'll find some other way to help you."
I felt the last of my strength fading as Flowey regained control of the body. I looked at myself and saw that I finally have some physical form of a sort. I looked the way I did as a young woman: an unremarkable woman clothed in the same type of robes Toriel had. I guess this is what happens when I regain a sense of self? I looked at the 5 other SOULS. They were nothing but gray mist that were distinct enough to be 5 separate entities, but aside from that, there is nothing to give me clues on who they are or what their SOUL types are. Hmm, maybe if I can try to awaken them, they could help me get out of here.
If not, I'll just collect data about Flowey first. After all, he is quite an interesting specimen, and I doubt there is anyone like him existing in this world. As much as he is a monster in both the literal and figurative sense, he is still a unique being, and knowing more about such a one-in-a-kind creature is quality entertainment indeed.
A/N: The human magic methods were inspired by the Fate series.