The gentle smell of daisies brought me back from a black dream. Before I opened my eyes, I tried to remember what I was doing before, if I needed to do anything. Nothing, just a voice whispering, "You need to wake up."
I opened my eyes to a pinprick of bright light far away in the distance. Blinking as it burned my eyes, I slowly sat up, feeling sore. I realized that I had smashed some golden yellow daisies. How did I get here? I... I didn't know what to do. I patted my pockets and was relieved to find my phone. I quickly unlocked it, and called my mother.
"Your call could not go through because there is no cellular reception."
In a panic, I texted her instead.
Message has failed to send.
I stood up and tried again and again and again, walking around the cavern. I tried to convince myself I would be okay, the daisies I was trying to avoid stepping on were so pretty and they smelled so nice.
"Mom? Dad? Grandma? Anybody?!" I called out in desperation. I was greeted with silence. I crouched and stared at a daisy, trying to get rid of the panic settling in my chest by studying the detail of every ridge and every cell, drawing it out in my mind. I took a deep breath, the deepest I could take, and then slowly let it out, only to do so three more times. At the pinnacle of my deepest breath and with my lungs somewhat stretched out, I yelled in a voice that vibrated the air against my skin with the intensity of its emotion, "MOM! DAD! GRANDMAAAAA! SOMEBODY! I'M LOST!"
The cavern echoed with my voice... and I heard a response.
"Over here! Come over here!"
I stood up and ran towards that voice, through a doorway into a dark room. Only a glowing flower with a face greeted me with a cartoonish smile.
"Hello there! You're a big human aren't you?" He said warmly as I approached carefully. I knelt down to his level and examined his features, more curious than anything. Was he real? He looked like the daisy I saw before, but the face... his eyes were black and beady, and I could vaguely see slits in places. He examined me back, staring at my eyes the entire time.
"Hi... you're..." I smiled a bit, "Asriel and... Chara?"
The flower's happy expression shifted into a grumpy one.
"So you know how this world works, huh... You're no fun. You don't even look like Chara, you're older too, are you some kind of glitch?"
"I... I'm the one who makes decisions and dodges attacks... Like, the player?"
"Now that I look at you... you might be an older version of Chara." The flower's face shifted, his eyes burning white with anger, "Quit playing tricks on me, you-!"
A fireball cut him off , and he sprang out of the ground spinning to dodge it. I fell back from the fire, eyes wide and feeling a bit annoyed that our conversation and my train of thought was cut off. I looked to where he fell with some amount of worry and didn't see him.
"That creature is dangerous, young one." A woman's voice made me look up from my kneeling position. A humanoid goat in a purple sleeveless robe greeted my vision, and the smell of fur quickly hit my nostrils. It reminded me of a goat I met in the petting zoo mixed with the sweet scent of sweets. It wasn't a bad smell. Animals actually smell a sort a musky sweetness when they're cleaned properly, and who didn't like the smell of pie crust?
"I think I'm in a dream, please help me wake up." I replied. I knew which world I was in... Undertale. A video game. It was impossible, but it seemed to be reality now. "This world is beautiful and mysterious but I would rather be writing in my room... in my own world." My voice shook, I wanted to go home.
"I assure you, this is unfortunately not a dream. Please, come with me, I'll take you somewhere safe." She knelt and gently took my hand. Her grip was soft and warm, yet firm. Proof of her gentle heart yet stubborn protectiveness. She pulled me to my feet and led me deeper into the ruins, letting me go when she was sure I was following her. "You are the first human to come through in a long time."
"..." I wasn't sure what to say. I was busy looking at the purple moss covering almost everything and the green leafy plants. A pile of red leaves greeted me at the stairs at the entrance, and I considered jumping into them. I paused, picking one up. It was a splendidly red leaf. "I really life red leaves, it almost makes me think of blood running through the veins of trees instead of light and water." I commented as I followed a patient Toriel.
"That is a... macabre description." She replied, blinking at me when I looked up at her, at a loss for words until she smiled, "Perhaps you like red because your soul is the same color."
I nodded thoughtfully like I was in class. "Okay."
We entered a hallway. I disliked hallways, as there was nowhere to hide from the monsters hiding in the shadows... I walked closer to Toriel unconsciously so we were nearly side by side, and she patted my head with softer and more curious fingers than my dad's blunt pat.
"Do not worry, I will protect you." She spoke, making me blush at my apparent weakness. I was nineteen years old, I did not like being treated like glass! I pushed away my longing for affection and retreated from her touch. "Do not be embarrassed, child, I am fond of humans and feel a need to protect them."
My flare of anger dissipated. It just wasn't worth it, her intentions were not harmful. I quietly followed behind her to the end of the hallway, deep in thought as usual.
She lead me through the catacombs, she seemed to be in a hurry as she solved all the puzzles for me. Or maybe she was coddling me. Probably both.
"As a human living in the underground, monsters may attack you. While fighting, strike up a friendly conversation. I will be there in time to defend you. Practice talking to the dummy over there." She instructed, pointing to a ragged dummy in the shape on humanoid anteater on a stick... or something.
"Toriel, I don't want to live in the underground... and this world isn't mine. I just want to wake up." I said, refusing to approach the dummy as stress built up in my heart. Toriel reached out to comfort me, but I retreated back, the look on my face causing such sadness in Toriel's eyes that I almost felt like I slapped her.
"There is no safe way to the surface, young one... I can only help you survive." She said, looking down.
"I don't need to go to the surface, I need to go into my world..." I smiled a bit, this was so weird, "Like, is there a way for interdimensional travel or something?" This brought Toriel out of her sad daze as she looked at me in utter confusion, before laughing.
"Ohoho, you have quite the imagination! There is no such thing." She said, and my shoulders slumped and my eyes prickled with tears. I controlled my expression and breaths, barely hearing Toriel's next words as I controlled my frustration. "While you are here... I want you to survive, so please... do as I say."
I shuffled over to the dummy and quickly hid my stress with an inside joke, "Hey dummy, I heard if you get angry enough you become fused with your form. Tell that to all your brothers, huh?" While speaking I lost control of my expression and tears trickled down my face. Toriel beamed at me proudly, but made no move to touch me or comment on my tears to my relief.
Really, I was still a kid wasn't I? Yeesh...
I followed her, wiping away my tears. Along the way a froggit barreled me over and I barely folded my leg behind me to break my fall and roll to my hands and knees. Thank you, Akido class.
"I'll leave you out in the sun to dry up, you little..." I growled, standing back up and glaring at the froggit. It glared back. Toriel went up behind the giant frog and tapped its shoulder with a glare that was probably the sun I was warning about. The frog sheepishly hopped away.
We continued on, Toriel took my hand led me through a spike puzzle. The spikes sunk under our feet harmlessly, but looked plenty sharp. I didn't mind holding hands.
"Mind if I lock arms with you?" I asked at some point, the closer I was to Toriel the safer I felt, honestly. Those giant frogs scared the beejeebies out of me, jumping from nowhere.
"... You have done excellently this far, but I'm afraid you must walk to the end of the room by yourself, young one. I apologize for this." She let go of my hand and ran ahead, so fast I couldn't hope of keeping up with her.
The silence and the lack of the warmth chilled me. I walked down the room, humming the opening to an anime as I did. I knew Toriel was waiting for me at the end, and really it cut the suspense of the moment. But what if she isn't? I wondered, Well, I am screwed then. I can't even throw a proper punch.
Honestly, I was at the point of stress where I just didn't give a flying frog anymore.
I eyed the column at the end of the room, and in a moment of impish play I made my footsteps quieter by stepping with the sides of my feet, took a deep breath in and held my breath. I fast-walked to the pillar, slowly letting out air from my nose, where I found a tuft of white fur, and as she moved to look at me I did my signature growl-scream I use for working in haunted houses.
"AAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHRGHRGHRRRRRRR!"
Needless to say Toriel jumped right out of her fur and backed up to look at me with wide eyes, flames erupting in her hands in reflex. I burst out laughing, leaning against the pillar and pounding it, my emotional response amplified by my stress while this act seemed to dissipate some of it.
"Ohoho, it seemed you caught me..." She looked at her hands, "red-handed." Toriel said. She looked relieved, and the fire in her paws snuffed out. I grinned proudly at scaring her so badly that she made a pun. She seemed pleased at my joy, if a little fur-ruffled. "Listen young one, I have business to attend to. Please wait here, it is dangerous to explore the ruins by yourself. Oh, wait, I'll give you a cell phone. Please contact me if you need help." She reached into her bag and handed me an ancient looking flip-phone. I took it.
"Thanks." I said, and with a "You're welcome." Toriel went on ahead.
Well, it was just me and the frogs now. I looked around the room, my sense of adventure overriding any parental order. I went into the next room.
/~\\\\\\\\\\\\\
A/N: Guest ROBIN I'm new to posting on this site so thanks for pointing out my horrendous formatting error!