Prologue

In the beginning, there were the gods. They were born from the stars and lived amongst the heavens. They looked upon the empty universe and knew it was their duty to shape and maintain it. Asgore, king of the gods and ruler of the heavens arranged the stars, gave shape to planets, and gave the world a physical form. Gaster, God of Magic, established the arcane laws that governed reality and gave the world order. Toriel, wife of Asgore and Goddess of Life, gave birth to all manner of creatures that began to fill the world they had created. Gerson, God of Wisdom, studied the universe and it's mysteries, unraveling its secrets in hopes of protecting and maintaining it. For the gods were powerful, but they were not alone. A malevolent evil also existed, one which sought to destroy all that came from the light of the stars, to destroy the gods and their work. Drawn to the life that Toriel had created, the evil came forth from the void, and knew nothing of peace or balance, but simply destruction. Known as Chaos, he waged a ferocious battle against the gods. Undyne, Goddess of War, took up her spear and led the charge, but her power alone was not enough to stem the tide of evil. Alphys, the Goddess of Knowledge, knew that only together could the gods stand against their foe, and so the gods stood as one against Chaos. Combining their strength, they repelled their foe and cast him back into the void from whence he came, helpless and weak. Thinking him destroyed, Asgore decreed a celebration throughout the heavens, and at the coronation of their victory, Toriel presented Asgore with her newest and most accomplished creations. Calling them humans and naming them her children, they were creatures with features that resembled many of the gods, yet they were also unique. They were unique for they possessed a higher degree of thought than any of Toriel's past creations, and each possessed a strong will, capable of doing anything they set their mind too. Asgore praised his wife, and announced that the humans would be the chosen race of the gods to inhabit and rule the realm they had created. And there was an era of peace. As the humans multiplied, their needs gave purpose to many of the gods that fought against Chaos. Grillby became God of the Hearth, and Muffet became the Goddess of Fortune. During this time, Asgore and Toriel conceived a child of their own. Naming him Asriel, he became the God of Hope, symbolizing the bright new future of the universe. However, this hope would soon be challenged, and not even the gods could escape what was coming.

Chapter 1

It was another beautiful day outside. The birds were singing and the flowers were blooming. Days like these reminded Chara of that first moment, when she opened her eyes and saw her mother for the first time. "Although," she thought, "not many would be willing to believe that my mother isn't human." She smiled as she thought about it. Chara was one of the original humans created directly by Toriel's hand. In fact, she was the original human, the first ever to open her eyes in this world. She closed her eyes, recalling that glorious day.

She woke up. Which was really weird, because she didn't remember going to sleep. Startled and confused, she looked around her and discovered that she was in big room filled with golden light. She looked down at herself, further confused by the sight of her own body and all of the new sensations she was feeling.

"Hello, my child."

Looking up, she came face to face with a large, goat like creature. Wait, goat? What was a goat? And why did she feel so certain that this creature looked like one? Despite the fact that the creature was several times larger than her, she didn't feel threatened by it at all. All she felt was a sense of warmth and comfort. Slowly, she asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Toriel, my child. And I am your mother, the one who created you," the goat creature said.

Her eyes wide Chara replied, "Mother? Created? Are you… a god?"

Toriel smiled, her face full of light. "Indeed. I am the Goddess of Life. Welcome to the world… Chara."

The first few days were such a blur that she couldn't remember everything exactly. After discovering that someone had decided to grant her life, Chara nearly fell apart in a storm of emotion. Her joy had soared to even greater heights when she learned that she would soon have brothers and sisters, other humans just like her. Just like her, but also different. They were all distinctly human, but everyone also had their own unique identity. There were seven of them at first, all children. Shortly after their birth, they were taken to the grand hall of the king's palace to be presented to him. She smiled again, remembering Asgore. For a king of the gods, he could make a pretty goofy face. She remembered being nervous as he examined her and her siblings. After a few minutes which seemed like an eternity, he proclaimed, "Tori, you have outdone yourself! These humans will surely be the race that inherits the world we have built!"

After that, they all participated in the grand feast of the gods. The gods were so amazing. They all had different forms, each one taking shape as he or she willed it. She and her siblings were introduced to all of them; the fearless Undyne, the old turtle Gerson, even the mysterious God of Magic, Gaster. When the feast was over Asgore sent them home with Toriel while he conferred with his advisors on how the humans would settle the world. After a few days they were brought before him again and were told that as the first humans, they would be chosen acolytes charged with teaching the rest of humanity about virtues and the gods. Her siblings became the acolytes of Patience, Bravery, Integrity, Perseverance, Kindness, and Justice, while Chara herself was named the Acolyte of Faith. Chara swore that she would make them all proud, and Asgore sent them down to the earth beaming. Because of their positions as acolytes, Chara and her siblings would remain like children, while Toriel created other humans who would mature and reproduce, growing the human race.

It had been many years since then, and she and her siblings had indeed made the gods proud. They taught and ministered to their people and everyone praised the gods and were thankful for what they had been given. Chara loved her work, even if it did mean journeying endlessly from village to village. "But, it does worry me that our race has grown so big. Its getting harder and harder to visit everyone every year. Sometimes I wonder if Asgore has a plan to deal with it. If we grow much bigger, I won't be able to preach to everyone."

She mulled it over for a few moments. "Come on Chara," she said aloud to herself. "You're the Acolyte of Faith, for crying out loud. Least you can do is have a little faith yourself. I'm sure Mom and Asgore have a plan, you just need to be patient and wait for them to reveal it. Maybe I'l ask Asriel about it next time he visits."

And with that, she set off for the next village, humming the tune her god sibling had taught her.

When she arrived, she was greeted by the town's elder. "Welcome, Lady Chara! It has been awhile since your last visit. We have several new people here that have yet to see an acolyte with their own eyes."

"Thank you, elder. I can't wait to start helping your people. Has the village fared well since I've been gone?"

"Yes, it has. We had a bountiful harvest this last year, and we've expanded the village without any problems. We also have a surprise for you!"

"Really? What is it?"

"Our village has finally completed a temple to the gods. We've built it with an acolyte's suite attached to serve as your room whenever you come visit us. Come, you must be tired from your journey. The people have begun preparing a feast to celebrate your arrival, why don't I show you around the temple?"

"That sounds amazing! I can't wait to see what you've accomplished."

With that, the elder escorted her to the temple. Along the way, she waved at some of the people she remembered from her last visit. A few of the children had grown into adults. Had it really been that long since she last came here? Her cheerful demeanor slipped just a bit when she realized that some of the people weren't waving back. They weren't even smiling. In fact, some of them were giving her dirty looks. What was wrong? Were they angry at her for something? Her earlier thoughts began to surface, but she pushed them aside and focused on the temple these people had built.

It was magnificent. Human determination was really a wondrous thing. This was the largest temple she had ever seen. In fact, she wondered how she didn't notice on her way in, it was taller than any other building in sight. Statues of the lesser gods adorned its outer walls. She recognized them all of course. She had to admit, the sculptor had done a great job. The statue of Undyne was particularly impressive, it showed her battle form, wearing her armor and wielding her favored spear. Inside were the traditional statues of the gods who formed the royal court. Gerson and Gaster each had a statue here, but they were still nothing compared to the statues of Asgore and Toriel. And, standing between them was a statue of her favorite god, and sibling, Asriel. Not only that, but the temple's shrine was also dedicated to the God of Hope. The sight of someone finally giving Asriel a shrine made her eyes water a bit. Before the elder could say anything, she rushed over to the shrine and knelt before it, her head bowed.

"Thank you for the blessings you have given these people. By the way, come visit me soon, ok?"

She stood up and turned around, noticing the elder had caught up with her. "The temple is beautiful. I can hardly imagine the work that must've gone into this."

"It was a lot of work, and many of the people were upset at the sacrifices necessary to complete it, but it was worth it. After all, we have much to thank the gods for," the elder replied.

"I glad to hear you say that," Chara replied. "I guess that explains all of the dirty looks. But don't the people get that building something like this would bring them the gods' favor?" she thought to herself. "Well, like you said, I am quite tired from my journey. I think I'll go get settled in my room and I'll join you again for the feast."

"Of course, Lady Chara."

"Please, just Chara is fine."

"Very well, I shall come retrieve you when the preparations are ready."

Chara glanced around her room smiling. It was spacious, but not too luxurious, perfect for an acolyte. She started to put her things away when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"What's up, Chara?"

"Asriel!" she shouted, turning and running to him, giving him a big hug. It was at this point she realized he was at least a foot taller than the last time she had seen him. "Look at you! You've grown!"

He blushed slightly before saying, "Yeah, I guess I have haven't I? Anyways, I got your message, so I figured I'd drop by to see you."

"I knew you'd come," she said, smiling as he blushed again. "So, how is everyone upstairs? Is mom still making those butterscotch-cinnamon pies?"

"Yep! And they're still as delicious as ever," he replied. "But yeah, everyone's doing fine. Dad's been busy with king stuff and Gaster and Gerson play chess every day in the palace. Alphys finally got her lab created, but Undyne keeps breaking stuff whenever she visits."

"Yeah, that sounds like Undyne all right," Chara said. "Well, I'm glad they're all doing well." After a few moments, her smile faded and she asked, "Hey, do you ever talk to Asgore about his plans for us?"

"Um, no, not really. Why? Is something wrong?"

"Its nothing too serious, its just that there are so many humans now, that I'm having a hard time visiting all of them. When I first started, I would visit a village two or maybe three times a year. Now, its more like two or three years between each visit. I worried that if this keeps up, I won't be able to fulfill my duties properly."

Asriel frowned and thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I can see your point. Don't worry about it, I'll ask dad about it when I get back home. I'm sure he'll figure something out."

"Thanks, lil' bro."

"Hey, I'm not even a year younger than you!"

"But you are younger!"

"Hmph, well I was going to go get you a piece of pie, but now I'm not so sure."

"I take it back! I take it back!"

After an hour of talking and catching up, Chara bid goodbye to Asriel and started to plan out her visit. She couldn't wait to get started.

If only she knew that it would be her last.