"All of your souls are mine!"
Flowey held the souls of Frisk's dearest companions aloft in his tendrils as she looked on in utter horror. Slowly, the souls dragged towards the flower's body as he laughed, a vicious light in his eye as he looked upon Frisk with intense ire. Out of the corner of her eye, Frisk could see the six human souls that previously entered the underground ascend towards Flowey as well. Within a moment, he absorbed all the souls into his very root and a brilliant flash of light exploded from him, completely enveloping the foyer.
After all the light cleared, and Frisk's eyes stopped being overwhelmed by the high amount of stimuli, she noticed that she could no longer see Flowey's body, as she had seen previously. Frantically, she moved her eyes all across the room, scanning it for Flowey or anything else. Finally, as she looked up, frozen in fear, she could see the descending figure of...
"Finally. I was so tired of being a flower."
Frisk stood, completely baffled, as the dead son of Asgore Dreemurr and Toriel loomed over her. He was a little shorter than her, smiling gently as he opened his crimson eyes and gazed at her visage. Soon, a look of bewilderment appeared on his face as he stared, but it was soon replaced by a warm grin. He walked forward, opening his mouth.
"Howdy! Chara, are you there? It's me, your best friend."
After a moment, Asriel's boyish frame began to morph and change. His body ascended into the air as his legs elongated, his horns grew longer, and dark ley-lines gradually began to spread across his skin and fur. Seemingly out of nowhere, Asriel's now adult-like form donned a black and white robe emblazoned with the Delta Rune. Epaulettes and a high collar hung over his robe, giving him an air of grandeur that intimidated Frisk to no end. Her brown eyes stared into the abyss that was Asriel, too awestruck to make any sort of meaningful action.
A prismatic light emanated over the foyer as Asriel held his arms up and gestured towards the sky. Soon thereafter, giant stars fell from the ceiling of the room, rainbow tails following their flight paths. The stars stopped in midair, which gave ample time for Frisk to stare up and marvel at the phenomenon before her. She was completely amazed, although it all ended with a snap from one of Asriel's hands. Stars began to explode, and their fragments descended to the ground at incredible speeds. Frisk noticed and frantically ran across the foyer, desperately trying to avoid the falling shrapnel poised to destroy her. She successfully evaded most, but a few grazed her skin in her attempt to get out of the way, casing small cuts which stung intensely.
Asriel gazed at the struggling Frisk and grinned wickedly.
"You know... I don't care about destroying this world anymore." His faced turned stern as he held his hands out in waiting for another attack.
Almost instantaneously, bolts of prismatic lightning extended from the ceiling to the floor, nearly annihilating Frisk, who jumped out of the way just in time to notice the next ones. Her feet moved quickly to ferry her around from place to place, evading the lightning expertly with a locomotion reminiscent of an antelope running from a hunting lion.
The caprine before her scowled at her quickness, eyeing her menacingly as he descended upon to the floor, where Frisk stood in terror.
"After I defeat you and gain total control of the timeline... I just want to reset everything." Asriel reaches into his sleeves and pulled out twin sabers. He angled them towards Frisk's form and prepared to attack.
Asriel swiped at Frisk with his right blade, the human just barely missing the tip of the blade. However, he did not stop his assault. One after one, a volley of slices from the sabers came after Frisk, who was deftly avoiding each strike in a dance-like fashion. She just had reached one of the walls of the foyer when Asriel stopped his pursuit, cocking his head toward the ceiling above them. Frisk stared at him, puzzled. However, she only realized her mistake as the caprine lunged at the off-guard girl. In a frenzied attempt to avoid the weapon hitting her vital organs, Frisk turned her shoulder towards the blade while backing away. This resulted in a large gash appearing on the middle of her upper arm. The wound stung intensely while the maroon of her blood spilled over her clothing. She stared her brown eyes back at Asriel, wary of any more strikes. Instead, he just stood there and dissolved his sabers into the ether around him. Menacingly, Asriel stared back at her, smirking slightly as he caught sight of her stinging flesh.
"All your progress... Everyone's memories. I'll bring them all back to zero!" Asriel yelled, his voice crackling with a fury he had not shown previously. Firming his stance, the caprine called upon another flurry of lighting to befall the battlefield.
Frisk began to run once more. Despite her wound, she showed a new determination in her face, never breaking eye contact with her adversary. Through the lightning, Frisk saw Asriel readying a flame in his hand, poised to deliver it unto her. After a few moments of preparation, he shot a fireball right at the frantic Frisk, who jumped to avoid both it and an incoming tendril of lightning. Pain ensued shortly after, as the girl could feel an intense burn on her leg.
"Then we can do this ALL over again." Asriel remarked zealously, his expression becoming even more stern than it had been just moments ago. Once again, he snapped his fingers, calling upon another onslaught of stars to fall from the air high above him.
At this point, Frisk no longer had the energy to evade every single stray star coming her way. Dodging her way through most of them, a few prismatic projectiles sliced their way through Frisk's clothing and skin, rending both sweater and flesh as new cuts appeared on her torso and face. Frisk's face flushed with the heat of the blood pouring over her body. By now, the girl was a good four yards from Asriel, whose attacks had somehow circled back around to her direct front. Luckily for him, this would make his next attack much more likely to damage her.
"And you know what the best part of all of this is? You'll DO it." Asriel spat, a vindictive look encapsulating his whole face. Frisk winced. Inside, he knew he was right, but she knew she did't want to be the tool to his little game. She was determined to save her friends.
A blaster appeared beside Asriel's form as Frisk stared at him, a stalwart barrier in the face of his opposition. Beams began to shoot out of the blaster, whizzing past Frisk's frame as she tried her hardest to avoid his onslaught. Now encumbered by the pain of her wounds and a tremendous amount of fatigue, Frisk struggled to avoid the attacks, being grazed many a time by a beam she was a second too late to avoid. More cuts filled her flesh as she came back to Asriel's front, still defiant in her approach.
Now, Asriel had become both annoyed and intrigued by the girl's persistence. Despite his never-ending attacks, she still stood to face him. He contorted his face into a grimace and breathed, "And then you'll lose to me again."
Swooping towards Frisk, the caprine once again summoned his sabers, wildly slicing at her in an attempt to end the battle more quickly. The two speedily engaged in a dance of death, Frisk ever wary of Asriel's blades as they whirred past her body. Asriel became angry, snarling while calling upon another attack.
"And again."
Once more, he summoned his blaster, firing at the unwitting Frisk with an immutable fury. Still, she kept evading to the best of her ability, dragging her partner further down into this abyss of anger.
"AND AGAIN!"
Asriel yelled as he called upon more lightning, his voice hoarse with exasperation. The strokes seemed to be coming down faster and in larger numbers, making Frisk stumble and travail to get through the onslaught. Blood seeped out of her body, striated by the aggressive lightning before her.
The caprine's eyes filled with enmity, red pools glaring into brown. His vicious stare peered into the very soul of Frisk, sensing the tiredness and pain spreading throughout her body. Judgingly, he croaked, "Because you want a 'happy ending'."
Raising his hand, for the umpteenth time, he called upon Prismatic stars to fall to the ground. However, they twisted in a path previously unseen during the duration of the battle. Swerving out of the way, Frisk ran from the stars, a look of complete panic gracing her face.
"Because you 'love your friends'."
Suddenly, Frisk felt the slice of a saber upon her hip, Asriel mercilessly rending her flesh. She fell under her own weight, her leg now unable to support her. Asriel smiled slightly as she fell to the ground.
"Because you 'never give up'."
Various beams spilled out of Asriel's blaster, Frisk thrashing about on the ground in an attempt to avoid them. Surprisingly, she did, but a final volley of beams sliced across her chest, nearly incapacitating her right at that moment.
"Isn't that delicious? Your 'determination'. The power that helped you get this far... It's gonna be your downfall!"
A crazed look crawled upon Asriel's face as he reached up towards the ceiling of the foyer, calling upon a final swath of prismatic lighting to fall upon the girl before him. Now unable to move, all Frisk could do was let out a bloodcurdling scream as the full brunt of the hot plasma flowed through her body. Intense burns and blood coated her body as she lay on the floor, facing up towards the looming figure at her side. Even still, her face bore an expression of determination as she faced him, despite her intense pain.
"Now, ENOUGH messing around! It's time to purge this timeline once and for all!"
A giant skull appeared beside Asriel's form, completely enveloping Frisk with its shadow. Slowly, the skull started to spew out octahedra that flew into Frisk. However, she could feel them tearing not her body, but her soul. Over a short period of time, Frisk slowly felt all of the excruciating detail of her soul's annihilation. As the last bit faded into air, her body collapsed fully onto the ground, losing any modicum of control she previously had.
Frisk felt an all-encompassing blackness as she gradually disassociated from her form, experiencing a strange peace that lulled her further into the void of death. However, in her chest, she felt a pulsing sensation drawing her from the peaceful realm where she currently resided. Seeing parts of her soul come together as they gathered outside her perception, she could feel all her hopes and dreams come back to her. Slowly, her soul coalesced back into the cardiac form it was accustomed to, inching back into the cavity in her chest. Frisk closed her eyes as she exited the eternal void, a renewed look of determination on her face.
Back in the foyer, Asriel was breathing deeply as he gazed upon Frisk's lifeless body, finally triumphant in his goal. He called out to the souls currently residing within his body, eagerly awaiting the reset of the timeline. In due time, however, Frisk opened her eyes, a pale pink light shining from her solar plexus. The various cuts and dried blood dissipated as she stood up, facing Asriel with the same intensity as before her falling. Asriel's face bore a look of complete and utter shock, his mouth slightly agape with stupor.
Concentrating on his resolve, Asriel drew upon enough strength to break free of his consternation and step forward. He stared down at Frisk, glaring at her with a cataclysmic intensity.
"...Even after that attack, you're still standing in my way...? Wow... you really ARE something special. But don't get cocky. Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my REAL power! Let's see what good your determination is against THIS!"
Light engulfed the foyer as Asriel's form ascended into the air, curling into the fetal position. After a few moments passed, wings sprouted right at his shoulder blades, flexing towards the sky as he unfurled his body. Immediately, he began to transform into a grotesque monster, his snout and teeth elongating as his torso twisted into a gruesome spike. His horns pierced the surrounding air as he contorted even more, forming an almost perfect triangle with his being. Frisk's jaw hung low with utter shock, beholden to the sheer terror of his form.
Asriel smiled cruelly at Frisk, saying, "Urah ha ha... Behold my TRUE power!"
A barrage of comets fell down from the ceiling of the foyer and began to encumber Frisk with their mere presence. Presently, the only thing she could do was struggle and swerve out of the way of as many as she could. Asriel was currently cackling with a sadistic glee that echoed within the limited space of the room. However, she tripped on a stray fragment of a meteorite, causing another comet to befall on her head and... Crack! She felt her skull break as she faded out of life. Her soul began to float away from her body, but, against all odds, came back together for the second time as a testament to the strength of her will. Now, coated in more blood and grime than before, Frisk defiantly stood in front of her assailant.
"I can feel it... Every time you die, your grip on this world slips away. Every time you die, your friends forget you a little more. Your life will end here, in a world where no one remembers you..." Asriel taunted, seeing Frisk stand before him. She merely smirked and tilted her head wearily at the behemoth before her, eagerly awaiting the coming onslaught.
This cycle repeated quite a few times until Asriel finally snapped and yelled with a primal aggression previously unbeknownst to either of them. The caprine was left heated and furious, Frisk still remaining ever firm in her quest to stand against Asriel.
"Still, you're hanging on...? That's fine. In a few moments, you'll forget everything, too. That attitude will serve you well in your next life!"
Again, it repeated, Frisk as complacent and resistant as she had always been.
"Ura ha ha... Still!? Come on... Show me what good your determination is now!"
Now, as Asriel was summoning an even more outrageous onslaught of comets poised to destroy Frisk, she could see the souls of her friends struggling in the core of his twisted form. Realizing her opportunity, she edged her way to his body, deftly avoiding the coming rocks with a swift style. Upon reaching Asriel's body, she placed her hand on the heart emblem upon his lower abdomen.
"Huh? What are you doing...?" Asriel demanded as she stayed, her eyes laser-focused on his body.
Frisk could feel the essence of her friends calling out to her from within the body of Asriel. Carefully, she laid her head against his abdomen, humming a little tune and words of encouragement as she stood. Asriel could only stare in a complete stupor as he felt some of the power drain from his body. A light aura surrounded Frisk as she once again regained her rebellious stance in front of her assailant. He grimaced and stared at her with furious intensity, virtually stabbing her with his gaze.
"Wh... What did you do? What's this feeling? What's happening to me?" Asriel demanded as his tone became even more malignant with each moment he spoke. Conspicuously, Frisk only smile back. "No, NO! I don't need ANYONE!"
With tears beginning to streak down his face, Frisk started her approach, her arms extended out into a position ready to embrace the ailing caprine. Despite this, he only backed away, caught in his own grief.
"STOP IT! Get away from me! Do you hear me!? I'll tear you apart!" Asriel screamed, his voice cracking with an intense pang of sorrow.
"...Chara... Do you know why I'm doing this?" The caprine hurled some fireballs towards the human within his view, but he cared not to aim. They harmlessly bounced to the side, dissipating within a flash. "Why I keep fighting to keep you around? I'm doing this... Because you're special, Chara. You're the only one that understands me. You're the only one whose any fun to play with anymore.
Asriel clutched his head and yelled in exasperation. More hot tears fell to the ground as the girl near to him came closer.
"...No... That's not just it. I... I... I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara! I care about you more than anybody else! I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again..."
Asriel finally raised his head up, his arms poised in an attacking position. His eyes, filled with tears, gazed at the girl before him, betraying his stance. The girl only toughened as she faced him down, ready for anything about to transpire.
"So, please... Stop doing this... AND JUST LET ME WIN!"
The caprine screamed as he let out a fierce prismatic ray of pure energy towards his adversary. All Frisk could feel was the deep embrace of pain as she tried to close the distance between her and Asriel. Despite the intense agony, she trudged through the beam and once again reached out to her attacker. I won't fail you, she thought. I have to keep going. I need to help you. Nothing, not even you, will stand in my way.
"STOP IT!" Asriel put more energy into the blast as he cried out even more. His face was now replete with tears as he closed his eyes and focused on the annihilation of the girl before him. "STOP IT NOW!"
After all that, still, she stood.
"...Chara..."
"I'm so alone, Chara... I'm so afraid, Chara..."
"Chara, I..."
"I..."
Crying, the massive beast turned back into the vulnerable, timid child he had been all along. Many tears flowed down the face of the poor boy, stunned by the pure grief of all of his misgivings coming back to him as he regained his sense of reality. Frisk could do nothing but look on awkwardly as the boy wept into his hands.
Slowly, he regained composure, wiping his face with the back of his forearm, gently looking at the human before him. A pittance of eye contact was shared between each person, before Asriel looked away, blushing in shame.
"I'm so sorry," Asriel said, squeezing his own arm with a pang of sadness. "I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara?"
The girl before him began to open her mouth, but before she could, he looked back up at her, effectively shutting her up. The caprine smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth folding up in a gentle curve.
"...I know. You're not actually Chara, are you? Chara's been gone for a long time." With a heartfelt look, Frisk began to approach Asriel once more. "Um wh-what is your name?"
A smile came in response. "My name is Frisk." Soon thereafter, a somber mood befell both her and the foyer. "I'm so sorry for everything, Asriel."
A look of shock graced Asriel's face at her knowledge of his name, but knowing she was giving him sympathy for everything that happened prior to his death, he guessed it must be common knowledge at this point.
"'Frisk?' That's... A nice name." Evidently, he had decided not to address her sympathy. Asriel looked back toward the empty blackness of the foyer, then opened his mouth to respond further. "Frisk... I haven't felt like this for a very long time. As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. However, with everyone's souls inside me, I not only have my own compassion back, but I can feel every other monster's as well. They all care about each other so much, and... They care about you too, Frisk."
The moment lingered for a little while, the feeling of loneliness ringing on his last word. After a while, the girl could see a tear develop in Asriel's eye. Filled with sadness, he still went on, now fully facing Frisk.
"I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you. Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys... Toriel." Once again, a steely look of solitude drew across the face of the boy, his voice moistening with sorrow. "Monsters are weird. Even though they barely know you, it feels like they all really love you."
Asriel chuckled quite sadly, his somber expression filling the room with even more pain. Frisk's eyes softened, looking at with an intense pang of guilt.
"Frisk... I... I understand if you cant forgive me. I acted so strange and horrible. I hurt you. I hurt so many people. Friends, family, bystanders... There's no excuse for what I've done."
"It's okay, Asriel. I forgive you... for everything. You deserve it, Asriel."
Asriel gasped slightly at Frisk's statement. His breathing hitched slightly as tears once again approached the floodgates of his eyes.
"Wh-what? ...Frisk, come on." He sniffled as he looked at her appreciatively, the red of his eyes melting her heart. "You're.. you're gonna make me cry again."
Making a fist, Asriel looked off into the distance, taking a deep breath as his body began to light up.
"Besides... Even if you do forgive me... I can't keep these souls inside of me. The least I can do is return them. But first... There's something I have to do." His feet began to float off the ground slightly as he continued to talk. "Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts beating as one. They're all burning with the same desire. With everyone's power, with everyone's determination... It's time for monsters to finally go free."
Finally, Asriel ascended into the sky, his arms extended in a divine embrace. All at once, Frisk could see millions upon millions of souls escape back into the corporeal realm. They were joined by the six human souls, all floating around Asriel in a circle. They pulsed with a heavenly glow that filled the foyer with a dazzling light, blinding Frisk with its beauty. At the point her vision got completely cancelled out by all of the light, she could hear a mighty crack coming from the very other side of the room, where the illusory barrier stood...
Once stood.
Descending back to the ground, Asriel stood with his eyes closed, all the souls fluttering away behind him. Frisk only looked at him with a look of awe, completely dumbstruck by his actions. She moved her mouth to try and speak, but no sounds came out, intensifying the shock of the situation. Asriel gave her a melancholy look as she gazed on.
"Frisk... I have to go now. Without the power of everyone's souls, I can't keep maintaining this form. In a little while, I'll turn back into a flower... I'll stop being 'myself.' I'll stop being able to feel love again..."
Only breathing could be heard in the foyer as Frisk waited with sad anticipation.
"So... Frisk, it's best if you just forget about me, okay? Just go with the people who love you."
Frisk held onto her arm in an awkward fashion, her breathing slowing and hitching as she started to sob. Tears flowed down her face as she tried to process what was happening. Asriel averted his gaze, the pain in his heart overwhelming him with sadness. They stayed like that for a moment unsure of what to do.
A moment later, Frisk looked back at the caprine. He engaged int he eye contact, moistness filling the corners of his eyes. Soon, she ran to him and enveloped him in a warm embrace, bringing his head to her shoulder as he released, letting all of the tears he was holding back come back to the forefront of the moment. He wrapped his arms around her, barely holding himself together. Unbeknownst to them, light shone from Frisk's chest, momentarily illuminating the whole foyer...
"I don't want to let go..." Asriel admitted, deepening his hold on Frisk. She only held him closer, sharing the moment.
"I don't either," Frisk said, her voice quiet and shaky from emotion.
A while after, both participants stopped their embrace and looked at each other, rubbing the leftover tears out of their eyes. Asriel took a deep breath before attempting to speak.
"Frisk... You're... You're going to do a great job, okay? No matter what you do, everyone will be there for you, okay? Well... My time is running out. Goodbye," Asriel said, taking another deep breath. "By the way, Frisk... Take care of Mom and Dad for me, okay?"
She had no opportunity to answer before everything faded to white.
"Are you okay, my child?"
"hey kid. get up, will ya?"
"WHAT'S WRONG, TINY HUMAN?"
"C'mon, punk! You got more than that, don't you?"
"F-frisk, y-you can do it!"
"I'm sorry, my child. I believe in you!"
Slowly, Frisk opened her eyes only to see all of her friends surrounding her. Immediately she stood up and scanned her surroundings, looking for the one person she couldn't see. After a moment of odd looks and failure to locate the one she was looking for, Frisk relented and started to hug everyone.
"You had us so worried, my child." Toriel said, Frisk in her arms. Everyone began chattering with excitement upon her waking.
Frisk stepped back after a while, looking at everyone surrounding her. She smiled, happy with how they looked, evidently overjoyed with the opening of the barrier. Upon talking to everyone for a bit, she looked at the end of the foyer, trying to see then sunlight.
"The door to the east is opened. It should take us outside," Asgore pointed out. Slowly, everyone began to approach the door, apprehensive towards their escape from the underground. However, as soon as they stepped outside, everyone was stunned.
Beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows shone through as the sun rose on a new day. All of the monsters and Frisk were absolutely dumbstruck by the beauty of the sun. Many of them shed tears as they realized that they have achieved their long-awaited freedom.
"This is... More than I could have ever imagined," Undyne commented, staring up at the sky with an intense fervor. She walked over to Alphys and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Do you r-really see this every day, Frisk?" Alphys asked, looking at her with a full sense of awe in her eyes.
"Most humans wake up after the sunrise. You guys are lucky," Frisk replied. Alphys shook her head and once again stared back to the sky.
"this is really something, eh, paps?" Sans inquired lazily, looking at his brother with a tired smirk. He was too busy staring to notice his look.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THIS EVERY DAY! IT'S LIKE A DREAM!" Papyrus exclaimed, joy evident in his voice. Frisk giggled a bit, happy that he could enjoy his new life. Meanwhile, both Asgore and Toriel stood together, deep in weary reflection.
"This must have been what he saw, Asgore," Toriel commented. Her gaze appeared distant as she remembered her past.
"If only we could have been here with him," Asgore said. A tear escaped his eye after a moment, wetting his fur with more regrets.
Time passed on as the monsters kept looking at the sky. Frisk sat at the edge of the path, looking down upon the city with a quizzical glare. She took time to reflect, thinking of all the new opportunities she could expose herself to by staying with the monsters. However, more tears threatened to eke out as she remembered Asriel, regretting being unable to help.
Asgore began to approach Frisk, sitting down with her to gaze at the city. "Frisk, I would appreciate it if you would take the position of ambassador to the Humans in order to lead our transition into the outside world. Do not feel pressured to, though. I would gladly do it myself if you do not feel ready." She looked troubled, struggling to find something to say.
"I don't think we should go out just yet," Frisk answered, timidly. Everyone else present looked shocked at her words.
"What do you mean, my child?" Toriel asked, waiting in earnest for her reply. Frisk turned away, thinking for a moment on what to say.
"We need a plan," Frisk finally said. "To make sure they can't seal us away again."
Somewhere far away, a red-haired girl held a knife aloft as a malicious light entered her body. She chuckled, envisioning her future victims.