Introduction
At first, Kris had no idea what it was. It came in an instant, and vanished as quickly, and before they knew it, they were in bed again, going through the motions again, meeting everyone again. And as shocking as it all was, they came out of it learning several things.
This included, but was not limited to…
One: They remember. They remember it all.
And as each and every single lesson is numbered in order, they remember at the last minute to divide each lesson into individual portions - subsets, if you will.
One, A: They don't know how, but they somehow retain the knowledge that everything, all of it, it's all happened dozens and dozens of times before.
One, B: Their hands are utterly and uselessly tied. Someone has the strings, and everyone else is a puppet; Kris included. It happens, it happens again, and just when Kris thinks everything is all good and done with, they wake up to see the same glow in the dark stars on their bedroom ceiling over and over again. It isn't. And at the rate that everything seems to go, it looks like it will never stop. Kris is on hair trigger constantly, wondering just when everything will be doomed to fall apart. It's clockwork.
One, C: They're alone. Believe them when they say they've tried. Between their mom, texts with their brother, and even Noelle Holiday when she was stuck outside the gate to the mayor's mansion, no one knows what the hell they seem to be talking about. Sure, maybe people get deja-vu from time-to-time, but never to this extent. Kris has seen it, Kris has lived it, and Kris has most certainly not loved it by any sense of the word whatsoever.
Two, A: Though things change, everything is doomed to remain the same, whatever happens. Just like the toy in the doctor's office, the beads may shift back and forwards, but when push comes to shove, they're locked into place on metal wires. Doomed to march for eternity on their set path, if you will. Kris apologizes in advance if that's at all confusing (it most likely is). What they mean to say is: whatever happens, whatever course of action individuals decide to take, the results always end up in the same place. Wherever roads they take, the destination never changes. To someone with never-ending knowledge, seeing this cycle is exhausting. Kris needs a million-year nap.
Two, B: Kris can't exactly describe it, but they're sure that there's something keeping the metal wires welded into place. Call it a SOUL, if you happen to be agnostic - Kris certainly is after everything they've experienced - or maybe just call it good craftsmanship… happenstance. But, some monsters, by this unknown force, are drawn, repelled, encouraged, discouraged, nihilistic, optimistic… you name it. It's always the same reaction; without fail.
And this was when Kris discovered just what it meant.
Part One - Undyne
Kris doesn't know why Police Chief Undyne was the first SOUL to capture their attention. Maybe it's because she always has a craving for adventure - and as cheesy as it sounds, a quota for dealing justice that can't quite ever be filled.
Kris was laying underneath the giant tree in the middle of town, their back pressed up against the cool autumn's grass when they first heard the commotion. It started out as some distant yelling, but as it got closer, and Kris got more intrigued by the source, they sat upright.
They decide to preface…
Crime rates are as low in Hometown as you would expect from a tiny country-side dwelling, the population not quite even managing one hundred. Any kind of unusual occurrence would be the talk of the town for weeks to come. It was highly unlikely that anyone ever got arrested under any circumstance, but maybe an occasional ticket would be written for minor driving misconducts…
As its inhabitants liked to put it colloquially, Hometown got no action.
But, they digress...
Kris watched as the Police Chief, Undyne, rounded a corner hastily, puffing on her whistle so hard that they thought it might break into shards if she continued. She gestured at a bright blue hatchback, giving them the okay to continue on through the next intersection.
She was directing traffic… in her own way, which maybe now that Kris thought about it, was as efficient as a little white pomeranian chasing its own tail.
Kris was by no means an intellectual, but it didn't take one to figure out that poor Undyne was fed up with the amount of inactivity in Hometown. Her sprint slowed to a jog, and her jog to a dull meander in turn.
Taking off her police cap, she rung it, as if deciding whether it was worth it to try and continue to 'direct' traffic. Heaving a sigh that was audible, even from where Kris happened to be sitting, she slumped down on the grass in front of Flower King, and slicked a hand over her red ponytail.
And she watched her fingers idly, picking out blades of green from underneath them, Kris was filled with a sensation they knew all too well wasn't deja-vu.
Somewhere, at some point, definitely not in this timeline… universe -
They couldn't be bothered...
- anywhere besides here, they saw vibrant images. One where the lethargic police chief was instead a valiant knight, a heroine who was responsible for defending a kingdom from chaos. She worked tirelessly, loyally, to protect her fellow citizens from harm; and she loved every second of it.
She was a puzzle piece that clicked happily into place.
But here? It seemed that the edges to her printed cardboard were just slightly misshapen and out of place. Like she could never quite settle where she belonged.
Kris emerged from their thoughts when the glass doors to Flower King opened behind Undyne with a ringing bell. Out stepped Asgore with a polite and warming smile, doing his best to counteract the intimidation that his stature alone surely brought. In either paw, he held two glasses of what Kris knew was freshly made lemonade.
Settling down beside Undyne who continued to pant from the running around she had just done, he pressed one of the glasses into her palm and gave her a firm pat on the shoulder.
It wasn't much, but it was a gesture that brought Kris another vision.
Training, fondness, and a father figure that brought support Undyne never really had.
Needing a moment to process, they sank back down into the grass' embrace.