Chara closed their eyes and sighed. "So here we are."
Wind whistled around them, a cool summer breeze. God, it felt good to feel one of those again. They opened their eyes. "You've freed them. They'll be one again, humans and monsters together, in harmony on the Surface. Or at least as close as we can get." They let out a little half-hearted laugh, and Frisk smiled.
Chara turned to the Barrier. "We'll get to go home to Mom and Dad. We can see the sun again." Their voice cracked. "Everything might turn out alright for once."
They turned back to Frisk. "I always promised Azzy that he'd get to see the surface, stars and sunsets and trees and all. He was so excited to see it. Maybe not about the way he'd have to make it there. But every time someone mentioned the Surface, he'd jump out of his skin." They wiped their eyes on their sleeve. "So now he gets to see it. Not as Asriel, not for long. But he'll see it all, and he's going to love it." Frisk grinned. They were starting to tear up, too.
"So thank you, thank you so much. From the bottom of my heart." Suddenly, Chara felt exhausted, that special kind of happy exhaustion after a long day that fills you with satisfaction. And then, something that they hadn't felt on their own in an eternity. Not for a lifetime, a family, a century.
Hope.
Real, tangible, glittering hope, bright as the sun rising over the Surface. Hope for a new future. Hope for peace and unity. Hope for a whole new world. Hope for their friends and their family and themselves. It dawned on them like the clouds rolling away to reveal a beautiful sunset. It was overwhelming.
Suddenly, their legs felt weak. Chara's knees buckled and the child fell to the floor. Tears unapologetically rolled down their face, unwilling to stop. Without warning, a set of arms wrapped around them and held them tight. They froze at first, then leaned in. Subconsciously, their own hands reached up and returned the gesture. It was funny. They didn't want to let go.
The two released simultaneously and Chara finally stood up. They glanced back at the Barrier, then returned their gaze to Frisk and smiled. "We have some places to go, don't we?"