A long time ago, a patient soul snapped. Tired of the berating comments from supposed "friends" and "family," Vyce ran away from home. The fifteen-year-old boy had dealt with feelings of worthlessness for years, despite being one of the most famous child-stars in the human-sphere. It wasn't really up to Vyce. His older sister, Vivian, was a model. Once their parents realized all of the potential their children had; they soon began exploiting the children for fame and fortune.
"Comb your hair this way," "wear this, not that," "don't eat that, you'll get fatter," "quit complaining," Vyce's mother scolded, forcing the teen's head forward once more so she could force his hair into a preppy style. She used an entire bottle of hair spray just on the front part of his hair.
"I don't feel good; can I do this tomorrow?" Vyce asked sorrowfully. His mother ignored the question, focusing on his dark brown hair instead. She teased it in a painful manner, but Vyce knew better than to cry out or complain. It would only cause his mother to lecture him and ask him why he couldn't be more like Vivian. He hoped his sister was having a better time than he was right then. Vivian was with their father in New York preparing for a Christmas Eve shoot. It was going to be huge in the cities. Vyce was stuck playing the role of Kit Kitkins in De Rame, a nonsensical children's series.
"I love you, Kit", his mother spoke, happily leading her son to the director.
Suddenly, Vyce had an impossible idea. He looked up from the stage at his mother and director. "Go ahead, Vyce!" The director shouted at the teen. "Do you know your lines?"
"Oh yeah… Screw you, both of you!" The teenager leapt from the stage and sprinted out the back door. The security crew simply stood by, not sure what was going on. Vyce's scarf threatened to fall off, but he held it tightly. It was a gift from his sister who he adored. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he just continued running. His legs hurt, his chest was heaving, feet on fire, eyes threatening to water from the cold, but he pressed forward. There was no way his mother would be able to keep up with him. She chased him for a block or so before standing back in shock.
Mt. Ebott came into the young teen's view. "Shit!" He would have to turn back or try to make it past the mountain. He had heard terrible rumors regarding Mt. Ebott. Humans got too close and never returned. It made Vyce think of the rumors that circled the Bermuda Triangle. He believed those too. "Continue?" or "Do not?" Without much more thought, Vyce continued closer to the mountain, fear left him. Darkness absorbed the impatient soul. His fear returned to him, but the entrance disappeared. The only way out was through. His heart began beating so fast he thought it would fly away from him. "H-hello?" his small voice cried out. He waved his arms in front of him, trying not to bump into anything.
"Helloooo" a mellow tone replied, light filled the previously pitch-black area. Vyce surveyed his surroundings. Trees with orange and red leaves surrounded the outskirts. While bright green bushes settled nearby. Pretty brown leaves were crunched beneath his feet. Golden flowers were clustered to the right of Vyce. He tried to find the person the voice belonged to.
"You're standing on my cousin, insolent fool". A golden flower hissed, moving back and forth against the dirt.
"Shit!" Vyce jumped, realizing the voice didn't belong to a human, but a flower.
"I'm just messing with you, those leaves aren't related to me in the slightest, don't fret."
"A-are you talking?"
"Yeah, have you been listening to a thing I've said?" The flower crossed its arms and glared.
"I must have hit my head pretty damn hard…" Vyce mused to himself.
"Haven't you ever heard of the underground? It's where monsters live. Down here, it's kill or be killed, and I, will not be killed by some scrawny human child."
The golden flower prepared to unleash an attack on Vyce when an angel-like figure appeared. "Flowey! Leave this child alone. He has faced enough today," the glowing person said calmly, taking Vyce by the hand. Flowey angrily buried himself below the dirt. His boredom and curiosity were always taking the better half of him.
"Are you alright, child?" The figure had a white cloak over his head. He looked like an angel. Vyce stared down at his cup of chamomile tea. The angelic-figure had taken him to his home in the ruins. Vyce simply nodded his head "yes" in response. "You carry a lot of stress, do you not?"
"Sometimes."
"Ah, you must be a drug-dealer".
"What? No! I don't deal drugs!" Vyce panicked.
"Don't worry, I quite like drugs. My dealer gives me great remedies for migraines. Do humans have those too?"
"Um…"
"I am The Patron Saint of Monsters. Call me Bask. You don't need to be afraid now. I won't allow for my kind to kill your kind. That's why the barrier is up. Oh yeah, speaking of the barrier, how did you make it through? Are you a wizard?"
"I'm Vyce. And I'm not sure how I made it in the underground. How do I get out?"
"Human! If people could come and go as they pleased, we would have no need for a barrier in the first place! But, I think you will come to like the Underground. Maybe you'll live long enough to see the barrier break".
"I have to go back to my sister".
"There is another human who shares your genetics? How peculiar. I have no parents or siblings. What are yours like?"
"My sister is great. She understands everything, but our parents aren't like us, I guess".
"She must be a seer".
"Something like that, I suppose". Vyce replied shyly. He gulped down most of his tea. It was better than any tea he had in the surface with other humans. The Patron Saint of Monsters watched Vyce carefully. He picked up on his tense feelings. He had never witnessed a child falling into the underground before. The subject was new to him. He wasn't sure if he should share his finding with the King and Queen. They wouldn't know what to do about the odd situation either. Vyce observed Bask. He almost looked human, except his face was pure light. If he removed the hood of his cloak it might blind Vyce. The Saint was angelic in many ways. It was clear to Vyce that he was extremely knowledgeable as well. Maybe Bask researched the human world.
"Why don't we find you a bed for tonight and some pajamas," Bask began until he noticed Vyce's scared expression, "do not fret, human. I have very nice soft pillows for when pillow-users come to visit me".