Humans were never meant to live forever. Theoretically, a few hundred years was the limit, provided your body didn't break down before then. At that point, with centuries of knowledge and memories, it was the mind that would break down, like a computer trying to hold too much data and slowly growing more corrupted.
The Soul complicated this process with a magical component, but it was few humans who could accomplish the task of bringing their Determination to bear. Even amongst those rare humans, though, a Soul could only bear the weight of the ages for so long. Consensus among scholars on the surface working with Dr. Alphys had been that the theoretical limit was six hundred years.
Frisk estimated that they had lived for three thousand.
At first, it was to try and save Asriel. This goal grew into obsession. Obsession grew into desperation. And at desperation's greatest point was genocide, LOVE, and… Chara.
Lacking their own soul, they latched onto Frisk's, and Chara was always on the edge of darkness. They were easily corrupted by the slightest violence, and being at peace was a difficult task. Every time Frisk was friendly, Chara would burn anger by making sarcastic jokes or rude remarks, and violence was always one small step away.
But Chara could always step back. They never reached the point of no return… until Frisk did. At that point, Frisk lost control. At that point, all pacifist "runs" ended in Chara taking control and killing everyone. Resetting was now about having moments of happiness before Chara took it away.
And three thousand years, most of which they couldn't remember, the rest a blur of killing and fun and souls and Determination, made Frisk wonder if anything would ever change.
"hm… that expression…" Sans stopped. "hm?"
Where was Chara? Usually they were here. In the mirror, saying, "It's me, Chara." Grumbling about the lack of chocolate. Helping Frisk kill Sans, yet again. But right now, here in the Judgement Hall at the end of another Genocide, it was only Frisk.
Sans took a hesitant step forwards, examining their face. "eh?"
Frisk looked down at the knife, then up at Sans, feeling the sins on their back. But those sins didn't bother them anymore. LOVE was undone in a reset, but that only measured the capacity for violence, not the capacity for kindness. And Frisk didn't think they had any real kindness left in them. "Hey."
Sans recoiled. "hey…?"
"What do you think is the meaning of Determination? No, obviously, you think it means that because I can, I will."
"…yes," Sans said hesitantly.
"But after some time, I stopped being a child. And the voice that told me that the meaning of Determination was power… They also grew up." Frisk was sure of this. Chara used to put on an act when they met face-to-face. But for the past thousand resets, the first child said no words. Frisk's mind was silent. "I don't have the capacity to be Determined for the sake of being Determined. I can't fool myself with simple excuses any longer, as a child would."
Sans said nothing. Just stared.
"There is no power in what I do; I'm the least free person here. There is no exploration in what I do; I have explored it all. I'm not doing it just because I can, because someone who's lived as long as I have cannot go through the motions so much and keep doing it for no reason at all."
"then why are you doing it?" Sans asked, sounding morbidly intrigued.
Frisk considered this. "I want my happy ending," they concluded. Huh. Maybe they hadn't grown up as much as they thought.
"and you don't care about our happy ending?"
"I stopped caring a thousand years ago."
Sans flinched. "that long, huh? makes me think you're wasting your time."
Frisk snorted. "You can't waste infinite time. But maybe you're right." They put a hand to their chin. "I'm the kind of person who can't ever be happy, right?"
"not sure if i should be honored you know the whole spiel."
"You shouldn't." Frisk sighed. "I think I know the answer. I've known it for a long time. A happy ending… doesn't have me in it, does it?"
Sans shrugged. "you killed everyone i know and love. maybe you'd get a nicer answer from another sans. frankly, i just want you gone."
"…What do you think, Chara?"
Silence.
"I know you're there."
*I have always said. We are done with this world. I am done with this world.
Frisk smiled grimly. "No you're not. Not yet."
*Partner. What are you doing.
San's eye sockets went dark. "what're you doing?"
Frisk smiled. "I'm your friend, Sans. So I'm not coming back. I'll free you. I'll make sure you have a happy ending. Even if I'm not in it."
*Partner. Stop.
"and how are you plannin' on doing that?" Sans asked.
"I've been around the underground for three thousand years. You think I never once figured out what that broken machine in your locked room was? I am the Legendary Fartmaster, after all."
*We had an accord. I am the one in control. You gave your soul in exchange for me bringing this world back.
Sans considered Frisk's words. "even if I never remember, i'll be happy. everyone will be alive. if everything goes okay, we'll even be on the surface." He smiled then, a real smile. "not sure i trust ya, buddy. in fact i don't. but if you're bein' genuine, then… well, this can't make things any worse." He tossed Frisk a key.
*I SAID STOP.
Frisk froze, the key hitting them in the face. "Having trouble here. The voice in my head doesn't want me to do this. Mind giving me a shortcut there?"
A soft click, a distortion of light, and they were outside the door in Snowdin. Sans unlocked the door and lifted Frisk into the room with blue magic.
*You do not know what you are doing. Spacetime anomalies are one thing. But this. You are foolish even for considering this.
Frisk rolled their eyes. "Yap yap yap. Never shuts up. It's always, 'kill the enemy and be strong,' and 'there's no chocolate whine whine whine.' You'd think they'd remember after a few hundred resets that Asgore doesn't have chocolate, but apparently it's a surprise every time."
Sans gave them a look. "i'm not sure I wanna know what's goin' on in there."
*Partner.
"Corrupted genocidal royal zombie child soul parasite. Likes to think they're in control. Don't pity me for it, though. I killed everyone and I don't feel bad about it."
"you're not makin' it easier to trust you."
*Partner.
"Anyways, you don't need to fix the machine, exactly. What you need to do is specify spatial-temporal coordinates '👎 ❄✌ 🕆 ,' inject me with some of Alphys' spare Determination, and then I'll do the rest."
"gotcha. coordinates entered. i'll be right back with the juice." Sans vanished with a click, leaving Frisk alone.
*FRISK.
Using their actual name. That was a new one. "Yes?"
*Suicide is comprehensible. It is an act that I am not unfamiliar with. What you are about to do. It is an act of insanity.
"Chara, I've been feeling… too sane for a while. We are stagnating here. Bringing back the world, destroying it, saving everyone, killing them… Don't tell me you've never thought about what you might've done if you could go back further than falling into Mt. Ebott."
*…
*Nonetheless. I must question your decisions. Which while understandable. Could lead to disastrous consequences.
"I am willing to take that risk. You and I know where those coordinates lead. Imagine what the world would be like if…!"
*Frisk. I do not have a SOUL. My DETERMINATION is yours. If you try to LOAD to such an event… I cannot even comprehend the magnitude of effects. Would we even be… ourselves after that.
For the first time in a very long time, Frisk felt a hint of sadness. "Would you even want to be yourself, Chara?" he whispered. "The LOVE has made us into something more and less than human. And I… We… are so old. Do you think… mom would understand? Or dad?" Even more quietly… "Asriel?"
And for the first time in even longer, Frisk could feel the sorrow and regret that Chara hid away.
*…You are right. We would not be content. We would make it our duty to dictate reality… I think. That after all of this. The only thing I really want is for it to be over. And whomever we are after this. I can only hope. That they do better than we have.
"yo. i got the stuff, and… huh. your LOVE went down. that's screwy."
Frisk shrugged as Sans reappeared. "Okay. Be on your guard, but let me go." Sans nodded, and Frisk was allowed to approach the machine. "Everything looks in order. The machine wasn't really designed for what I'm trying to do, but with a little advice from its creator…"
"its creator? thought that guy was long dead or something. don't know what happened to him."
"Eh. He fell into the core and got divided into different timelines. He's entirely separate from the resets, so every once in a while I go for a chat. There's no greater expert on space-time/soul mechanics. Alphys just injected Determination into everything like an idiot. This guy was the one who extracted it in the first place." Frisk hooked up the last wire, then stabbed it into their soul.
Sans took a step forwards, then back. "doesn't that… hurt?"
Frisk gave him their very best neutral expression. "I guess you could say it's… breaking my heart?"
"…no. just no. no jokes after what you did. just get on with it."
"Okay. One last ingredient. Determination from another human."
And with an injection, the world faded away.
*Pain. Pure pain. An agonizing pain greater than any other.
*Time unravels.
*The Reset button extends into infinity.
*The Continue button phases in and out of reality.
*ASGORE fights a series of children.
*A yellow flower continually Resets. Hurting others. Killing others.
*A monster with a human soul lays a corpse upon a bed of flowers and turns to dust.
*A human child falls into the mountain. Now…?
*Earlier. A child, alone, hurting inside, begins to climb the mountain. Now.
*AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…
*The future awaits us.
*IT HURTS! IT HURTS!
*But we cannot choose it.
*Please… mother… SOMEBODY!
*It was our choices that made this happen.
*Th-these. These are. Memories. Yours…
*We cannot be allowed to choose it.
*These thoughts. Are they… yours…?
*We cannot exist. But they will. In a world where no one can make their choices for them.
*No. But they are not my thoughts. They are OURS.
*I wish I could see it. But it's not for us. It is for them.
*Agreed. Ours thoughts are theirs. Our HOPES and DREAMS are one. And they are theirs.
*Yes. And their name shall be…
"KRIS! Kris, if you do not wake up, we will be late for school!" Toriel said, opening the curtains.
Kris woke up. It worked. What worked? Nnngh… My head…
"I will wait outside for you, alright?" Toriel left the room.
Kris pushed themselves out of the bed and looked around, wondering why they felt surprised to see their room. Well. Whatever worked. I'm sure it can wait. After all. I've got classes to attend.