The figure was in the CORE, at the very center. He was surrounded by files and papers and a good many scientific instruments.

Sheets covered in equations floated before him, and he made frantic corrections and adjustments to each one before handing them to his companion, who stood off to one side.

The movements he made were precise, yet hurried, practiced, yet alien. Finally, he stood still. For one breath, two, until he had enough.

"Go find Alphys and Undyne, then go home... Everything will make sense soon."

The figure's companion hurried off, and he waited until she was gone. He summoned walls of bone, then took out a syringe.

His SOUL screamed in agony when he extracted the magic, and his own voice echoed. One to go...

When he had finished, he barely had strength to stand. He leaned on a bone, syringes held loosely in his right hand.

He waited two, three, ten minutes for Alphys and Undyne to arrive. Time was relative.

Any way it was, when they arrived, they were beyond worried. He looked weak, and shaky. Undyne healed him, and Alphys filed through the papers.

"Wh-what are these? I-I've not seen th-this detailed work in y-years."

"... Could you come over here for a second?"

"S-sure."

He leaned heavily on Undyne, one of the syringes now empty.

A second later, the other was too. Alphys and Undyne were none the wiser.

"I've been working on this for a long time... You two are the only ones I could trust... " His speech slurred, and he dropped down to his knees.

"Sorry for that... Imma bit... Dizzy."

The two of them crowded him, using mass amounts of healing magic.

"Take the files, and go to the caves in the cliffs at the edge of Snowdin... It'll make sense."

"Heh... You two better hold onto each other, or you're gonna get rather bonely."

"Sans... " Undyne chastised him lightly, but kept quiet.

"I'll warn you now, you and her will be the only ones to remember... For that, I'm sorry. " Sans laughed, the struggled to his feet. "It had to be done. But don't worry. "

"S-sans? You sh-should really s-sit back d-down." Alphys stuttered, trying to stableize him.

"I'll be back." He smiled at them, sadly, hopefully, and almost numbly.

"Back? Back from where?" Undyne commanded.

Sans pulled away from Alphys, dangerously close to the open edge of the walkway.

"Doesn't matter. " He stumbled back, Undyne jumping to catch him, and only barely succeeding. Another grin, but different. Like he knew something they didn't. "Time is relative."

With that, he pulled back and fell. A hoarse shout rang out, accompanied by a shocked gasp.

Then something strange happened. Something very, very strange. The world began spinning, and everything turned grey.

Then everything was black. Then... Blue?