Awake…
Awake! How can you rest on such a beautiful day?
Your limbs are heavy, but still you feel. What is beneath you? The grass? It has never felt so soft. It curls around your fingers.
Look! Look up! The sun shines above you amidst the crystal sky. You stare at that coy star. It harms you not, golden bubbles pouring out to you in great bounties.
You peel your body from the shaded ground. The wildflowers greet you with a playful bow orchestrated by a sweet wind.
This is…
The Surface…
You were here all along…
"Chara! Chara!"
Who calls to you? Whose voice carries across the field with such weightless innocence?
"Chara! Chara, over here!" A hand materializes from a distance.
It is your brother…
It is your brother! He is here with you.
"Chara. Chara! Won't you come over here to us, my child?"
"Chara, come to us! We are all waiting for you."
Your parents…
Your one true family…
They are here and they wait for you. Hurry! Be swift! Do not be left behind.
You stand to your feet and take off in their direction, trudging through the path marked by daffodils.
"That's it! Over here! Come be with us!"
Laughter wafts through the air like the alluring scent of your mother's butterscotch cinnamon pie, a taste of what awaits you.
But what clings to you? Why do you move so slowly?
"Chara, quit tricking us. Come over here!"
Your own voice stems not from your throat, but can be heard in front of your ears. "I… I'm trying!"
Your feet move but they carry you no further. The voices grow distant but the laughter grows louder.
"Chara! Chara! Where did you go?"
"I'm here! I'm coming! I'm-!"
Something takes a hold of you and you stumble. A force clasps onto your arms and legs and pulls you into the melting earth. The crystal cracks, the tissue above runs red and oozes like the cold beads of sweat rolling down your brow.
The laughter. The laughter. The laughter. It grates on your nerves.
"Ah… ah… I… can't… I… can't…"
Do you see it? Do you see it? The shadows that run like ravaged wolves along the earth?
They all run to the same prey.
To them.
"CHARA! CHARA! CH̸Ǎ̶̘R̸̯̀͘ͅA̶̺̮̞̓́!̷̛̦̰̫̬̈̾́ !̸͍̟̟̿̒͆͑͗͜
"No… N-No! Please! DON'T!"
Can you feel it?
The slithering of their scales against your bare flesh? Their whispers crawl inside and harry your mind with their screams. Screams upon screams.
"T̶̠̍͆Ŗ̸́̈́A̸̞͠ͅI̷͍̹̾̈́T̵̗̼͐̔O̴͕͐R̶̢͇͝!̷͚̯͊̈́!̷̼͆̚"
"T̶͚̆͑R̶̬̀Â̵̢̫I̸̬͐T̴̖̾̈́O̴͇͊̇R̷̝͓͑̀!̶̙̽̄ͅ!̴͈͈͛"
"Ý̶̺Ǒ̶͖̤U̶̜͆ ̵̘̓̒b̶̲̲͐r̴͍̓o̶̜̫̓ų̷͕̒̚ǵ̵̠͎h̴̛̰̣ẗ̵̨̮́ ̵̬̍t̶͚̜́͛h̷̰͊ͅo̵̲̓ṡ̸̲e̶͍͗̊ ̸̰̬͗̋T̶̰͒̈H̵͍̼̄Ĩ̴̫̹͌N̶̥̞̾G̷̩̾S̵̬̓̂ ̷̰̾͘w̶͉̄i̸̧͠t̸̲̜̓̓ȟ̴̜̗ ̸̞̎̉y̴̱͕͐̾ȍ̴̤u̸̧̙͂̀!̵̦̱́͝!̵͖̠͂"
"T̵̡̨̑̾R̴̦͚͌̀Ȧ̷͚I̴̛̭̲T̵̫̗̽Ȫ̵̪R̸̟̓̃!̴̌͜!̴̼̐̈
"Y̴͈̍͠Ò̵̪̋Û̶͇ ̶̲̍A̴̛̬̪R̵̘͖̒͒E̷͕̅̆ ̵̣̅͆Ẁ̴̼̪͂O̷̻̻͒̾R̴̝̻̐̅S̵̛ͅÈ̵̹̬ ̷̗̆T̶͇͚̔H̴̹̲̒̅A̵͋̈́͜Ṇ̸̬̋ ̴̛͔̍T̷͉̆͒Ḥ̶͓̍͒Ĕ̵͚̬̀M̴̙͇̃̍!̸̘̋!̸̹̈̽"
"Ḍ̷͆̽Ḙ̸̲̾Ṃ̴͜͠͝O̸͚̔N̸̨̹̈́̇!̷͓͗̋!̷̺̉̀"
"D̷͉̓̏E̸̞͠͠M̷̧̻̈͘O̸̧̺͊̈N̵̤̯͗̚!̴͎̌!̶̯̖͒̍"
"Chara! Chara! HELP US! CHARA!"
What is this…?
What is this that thrashes at your core?
You feel it.
The magma burning through your veins. The convulsions that take over with the fire that culminates as points on your back.
"A demon… you call me… a demon… I WILL BE!"
You feel it.
The release.
No pain.
Only pleasure.
Taste the iron on your teeth.
Feel the clay break under your fingertips.
See…
You see…
The dust piercing your eyes.
You… couldn't save them.
You couldn't save them.
You… COULDN'T… save them.
YOU COULDN'T SAVE THEM.
YOU COULDN'T SAVE THEM!
YOU COULDN'T SAVE THEM!̴̢̣͓̿̿͘͜ͅ
YOU COULDN'T SAVE THEM̴̛̳̥͈͚͗̽!̵͉̆!̷̖̮̼̭̋
YOU COULDN'T SAVE T̶̛̛̖̼͙̖͎̘̏̍̀̇̿̈́́Ḩ̷̣̯̲͙̓͂Ê̴̩͒̅͐͋͊͠M̸̯̲͉̿͊̀͆̒͆̓́͒!̸͈̳͛̆̈́!̴̞̩͕̯̩̞̟̳͎͑̈̑͑̕
YOU COULDN'T S̴̪̒̒͐͒̉̈͜͝A̶̞͇̳̲͑͌͂́̿̍̚V̶̨̜̓͒̋E̷͈͌͆͗̏͑ ̸̪͙̰͒̔̄T̶̢̜̟̩̗͍͈͐H̷̛̰̱̰͔̼̽̃͌́͑͘̕E̸̥̺̠̙̠͛̆̈́͠M̴̻̞̗̮͈̙̚!̴̠̤̭̣͚̤̏̔͜͝!̸̢̧͎̹̜̣̅͌͊͋̾̈́̿̾ͅ
YOU COUL̸̠͈͕͕̋́Ḍ̴̘͖̼͎̫̣͎̗̩͆̈́̿̍̎̉͠Ñ̴̳͇͉̦̳̺͔̳͌̄̓̉͒̕͘͘'̷̛̛͚̓̈͂̿͊̅͘T̵̨͔̱̘̯̠̿̽͘ ̵̧̜͔̟̞͙̣̻̄̈́̌̅̑̋ͅS̶̤̮̪͚͔̰̼͈͌͋̔͑͊͝ͅȀ̸̡̜̩͖̯͙̣̘̼̑̑̉V̵̨̦̼̠̙̤̯̣̎Ȩ̴̙̹̤͖̳͕͌̇̾́ ̴͔̣̯̻̮͑̋̌̿̒͛̓T̴̫̍̂́̽͠H̶̱̪͙̱̬͒̄̈́̃͝E̵̡͖̬͓̗̗͕̙̣̰͐̇̓́̐͆Ḿ̶̹̜͍̼̀̓!̸̡̱͈̫̞̰̳͈̹͋͑̈́̆̕!̶̡̗͚͕̝͉̻̙̼̙̏̄̑!̷̲̹̯̟̲̥̃̂
Ỷ̸̧̥̻̭̭̣̺̮̳͐̇̂͛̐̈́̕̚͘O̷̡̖̺̘̱̤̭̒̒͋̓́͜U̵̧͇̜͖̲̗̥̫̿́̔̌͊̆̿̀͒ ̴̤͒̀̅̍̎̍̅͘C̵͎̳̟̼̳͇̠̓̆̉͗̽O̶͎̦̜̜͍͔̦͍̅͒̓̎͊͐̍Ȗ̴̧͖̭̣̣̳͌L̷̮̪͔̍́̈̋͠D̶̡̍̏͘Ņ̴̳̣͉̯̯͍̭̤̾͒͑̎͘'̷̛̤͓̮̝͉́͒̾̃̈͐͘Ṯ̷̡̼̗͈̝̯̙͔̄̏̊̎̀̍̚͠ ̷̮͉̀́̉̅́̋̿̏́S̵̢̛̫͉̼͕̥̆̾̂̓͐̏Ȃ̸̧̻̣̱͔̙͎̦̺͈͒ͅV̷̰̟͈̪̖̝͚͌̀̒̽͋̋̀̀̎̓Ȩ̷̢͔̳̃̔̇̌͝ ̸̬̖̤̿͂͂̋̎T̵̨̫̫̞̟͖͍̬̐̈́́͑̍͌̂̚̕H̸̡̺̤͍́E̷̩̮̻͓͇̩̮̰̝̩̍͒̈́͊̎̓́̉̆͠M̷̨̡̛̱͍̱͖̒̉̊̾̓͂̈́̈́̈́̒!̷̡̞̮̬̩̯̞̖̿̐̈́̆̕͠!̵̬̫̮͒̂͝
Ŷ̴̨̺͇̹̭̫͇̀̈́̌̈́̈́̈́̌͝Ǫ̴̧̠̟̩̥̯͚͊͋̄̔̀̋͐͘͜ͅŪ̴̞̫͔̀̋̓̎͘ ̵̨̡̹̞͔̤̻͍̊̓͜͜͠C̶̨̡̨̡̡̬͈̞̭̲͚̦̯̄̿̀̓̉̓̇̾̀̀O̴̙͇̲͖̞̎́̒̎̈́̉̏̓͆̊̊͝Ṳ̸̰̩͇͇́L̷̢̡͕̟̜͎̻͕̖͈͍̫͝D̸̢̛̝̳̪̞͚͇̝̤̖̍̈̏̑̇̃̎͛̑̕͜͠͠N̷̯͙͎̫͈͔̯͙̻̖̣͖̲̿̅́̈́̀͑̀̕͝͝'̷̢̡̢͖̭̙͎͕̜̬̀̽̈̌̒̚͠T̴̨̢̜̯͙̳̫͔̺͇̍̿̏̈́̉̇͛͝ ̷̨̢̢̠̪͍̯̼͍̪͕͇̜̽͑̍͑̚ͅŚ̴͎̟͛̓͒̾̋̕̕͝Á̴͉͓V̴̧̧̜̖̭̖̪͍̬̣͔̣̟͒̓̅̈́̈́̃͜͠͝E̶͔̘̝͓̓̐̇̐͆̊̂̾͆̕̕ ̶̜̬̟͍̰͕͇͎̳̆͋̃͂T̷̛̖̭͇͈̹̺͕͗̾͐̍̌̃̓͘͠H̷̨̧̛̯͓̦̘͖̭̣̉͌̈̈́̊Ȩ̴̱̻̬̗̌̃͊͛͗Ṃ̸̞͎̖̩̥̥̦̓͑̑̋̈́̃̃̀̂̎!̶̝̿͛̍̿̅̓̋̌̂̽̀͆!̷̧̡̖̳͈̘̹̜̪̖̯̺̍̌̉̿
Y̷̨̗̹̺̬̰̖̻̜̺̲̼̪̰̰̞͂̅͐̓̓ͅǪ̴̨̫̙̭͇͖̩̥̣͍̪̦͓͉͇̈U̶̢̼͕̝̗͈̙͈̱̼͚͓̗͓͂͜ ̵̢̛̯̪̰̙̮͕̣͎̼̺̗͕̲̞̎͌͂͒̈́͛͒̕̕͠ͅC̴̪̯̟̲͛͂̏̉̒̐̋Ö̴̼́̔̀͌́Ų̸̢̨̛͍̟̫͙̬͔̝͚͇̪̤̯̪̻̆͐͐̔L̵̛̺̭̘̜̰̫̳͓͒̽̓͌̕D̴̝͉̐͒̈͐̆̈́̍̀͒͛͋̀̏̾̚͘N̴̯͖͓̝͉̱̼̥̝̂̕'̸̛͇͈͇̩͙̾͛͂̇͋͌͌͐̎̔͝͝T̴͍́̍̈͗̄ ̸̧̛̖̯̫̺͙̌͛̅̃̓͊̎̃̍̿̓̉̐̽̇͗͜S̴͓͍̗̲̤̙̯̖̠͔̙̙̰̜̏͒̈́̏́͑̆̀̔̈̅̔̊͘̚A̷̝͙̟̙̬͓͓̩͇̭̭̬͛̿͂͛̋̿͑͂V̴̛͕̱͙͕͈̫̻͉̔̉̏̒̌̂̒͝Ę̷͇̍̄̀̚̚͝ ̴̨̡̨̢̧̡͓̗͉̩͕̭̹͇͇͙̈́Ṱ̶̫̜̖̊́̏̊̓H̶͇̲͚͍̪̪̤̪̬̰̹̘͔̓̔͗͌̔̃͆͌͊̀̊̏͘̚͝E̵̡̲̤͍̬͎̜̙̪͆̿̈̂̈͒̀͑͗̅̈͊̀̅́M̸͓͖̬͇̀̒̒̿̒̍̓̔͗̾̕͜!̸͎̮̘̼̘̩͙̫͔͂̈́̓͌̄̐̈̂͗̈͂̈͘̕͠!̶̡̨̲̥̘̱̦̥̜͚̈́̎̏̆͆̒̀̍̆̅̾̽̑ͅ
Y̷̧̧̨̨̱̯̙̫̪̲̯̤̜̲͙̪͖̹͓̠̦͈͂͗͆͒̂̈̈͆̀̒̔̉̆͒̏̕̕͘͠͝͠Ǫ̷̛̳͕͈̜̰͎̬̩̝̌́̃̎͌̀̍̍̈́̊͋̽͑̔͝͠ͅU̵̢̢̢͕͕͉̞̖͕̯̲̝̟̅̿̿̽̌̂͐̒̏̽̆͗̒̾̈́̚͠͠͝͠ ̶̢̢̞̤̲̩̪͕̖͖̱̝̔̀̐͑͛̀̾̾̐̉̾̒͋̋͠͝͠ͅC̶̹̮̹͉̘̫̣̱̹̗̖̙̺̭̦̥͔̳̠̒͂̐̓̊̀͒͛̀͛̆̃̒͒̓͊́̃̚̕͝͝ͅŌ̶̡̡̢̹̙͈͖̞̬͓̖̹̦̱̼̝̠̝̲̝͂̇̽̅͗͐̽̅͒͜͜͝Ủ̴̧͓̅̔̉̄̂L̵̖͇̯͇̺̜͔̣̠̲̦̠̱͖̣̤̂̉͛̀̈́͑͐̐͂́̍͆̀͘̕̕͝D̴̛̥͚͙̝͔̓́̃̓̑̽͑̀̆̂̑̓̀̾̍̈͌́̈͜͠N̶̰͔̼͛̈̇̃͊̀͆͑͐̚͝'̵͉̞͐̀͋͋̃ͅT̵̨̡̨̲̩͖̲̗̟͕͍̠̞̘̬͉̗͑͐͝ ̶̛͉̖̠͔͓̟̘̼͎̞̠͎̲͍̻̮̀̿̀̋͋͆̋̇̈́̐̓Ṡ̷̛̩̖͕̜̃͐̑͛͆̔͋̂̑̄͗̑̽̌̏̈́̐͘͝Ą̶̢͙̗̟̜͍̘̺̭̜̤̖̙̝̂̑̍̈́̐͘͜V̷̨̤͚̄̒̇͗̂̀͒̓͊͐͆͐̆͆̚͠E̷̱̗̼͖̘̦̰̎͂̓̂̆̈́̋̒̕͘ͅ ̵̨̛̮͙̞̜̳̭̐̅͐̈́͋͗͒́̆̂̈́̃͛͂͐̏͋̐̚T̵̢̡̧͍͎̫̟͕͈̤͎̝̩̰̼̥̀̽͐̎͛̾̓̚̕͠͝Ḣ̷̛̫̖̣̘͑̈̓́̇͗̓̀́̑̐̾̒̾̈̔̿́͜͝Ē̸̛̠̦̥̹̦̟̻͓̺͈͎͙̺̫̗̙̘̊͌̍̃̾̅̋̆̀̈́̿̎̕̕̚̕̕͠͠͠M̷̝̟̳͉͓̼̗̖͇̩̎̋̍̂̄̀̓͒̋͊̀͜͝ͅ!̸̰͙̬̆̒̈́̂͆̎͋̿̾̎͆̍̽͒̓͊̆͑͋͠!̸̗̱͚͍̠͓͓̫̹̥̏́͑̍̾̽̾͒̈̓̋͛̿̂̈́̈́̿͗͗̀̇͜͝
Ý̵̨̥͕̜͖̫̟̙͍̦̩̱̼̤̣̠͔̲͙͎̣͚͓͒͊̇͋͑̀͛̌̓̈̆͐̎̔̽̈́̈̀̔̈́͊̄̚Ǒ̷̧̢̡̰̼̼͚͍͚̎̑́̈́̆́̒͐͗̓̉͊̂̄͑͝͝Ṳ̶̡̧̜̯̞̼̳̻͈̺̜̬̻̣̮̫̭̭͍̫̑̌̏̿̐̕͜ͅ ̴̨̮͚̺̰̬͈̤̳̜͋͑̀̏͌̂̍̆͂̀͘͜͠͝Ć̵͓̀̈́̓̉͊͋͑̑͑̾̉̒̆̿̎͂͆̆̽̽͝͝Ô̷̞͂̑͆̂̄̄͌͗̑̈́̀̉́̃͊͆͘̕͠Ư̸̧̲͈͚̘̰̝̬̗̻̮̣̝̻̹͎̰͙̤̙͍̤͛̑̑̍̌̉͑̓̐́̔̂̌̃͋̽͘͠͠ͅͅL̵̨̛͚͙͕̥͖̣͕͓̹̗͖̦̲̙̞̞͓͇͍̀̈́̑̆̎̂̄̔̑͒͌̆̓͊̀́́͂̈̋̕͝͝ͅḌ̶̢̥̤̥̱̱̘̖̖͙̼͙͖̬̜̤͕̹̙̦͖̰́̇̇̉̊̏́̌͛̉̔̀̑̓̅͛̅̉͌̓̀̀N̶̨̗͔̪̉̀̉͋͐̇̀̐̊̈́̈́̄̑̾͂̂̐͗̓̕̚̕͝'̷̡̢̧̫̝̗̳͈̻͙̳̺̠͙̝̣͓̯͈͎̞̘͉̠̏̆̀̆̔̎͑͂̋̾͗̄͊́́̂T̶͚̞̮͓̙͖̤̲͇͕̤̣̜̀́͌̐̏̈́̀̒̈́̏́̑̉̿̇̍̋̀̕̕͝͝͠ͅ ̷̨̡͇͇̺̥̫͊̅̄͗́̆̊̆̏ͅS̴̞̝̽̎́̑̀͗́͋̏͒͗͘̕̕͠Ạ̸̡̨̤͕̹͔̳͈̖͎̿͛̊̇̏̏̿͌̉̅V̴̬̪́Ë̶̼͎͍̦͇̤̬̣̭̯̝͉̬̩͇͇̼͈̫̤́̈́̐͑͊̊̃͆̉͋̓̔͌͒̂̑͆͗̿̚̚͝ ̷̧̭̈́̏͌̓̓̈̽͐̋̇́̊̀͊̐̕̕̕̕͠T̸̫̟̦̠̭͋̍͗̔̄̃̅͠H̵̢͙̖̜̼̤̼̗̳͕͈̝̞̻̘̗͖̩̝̮͋̓̓͋͋̓̽̓͋̐̔͒E̴̦̟̪̬̳͎̥̮̘̹̠̙̟͔̳̔͒̆̾͆̀͛̐͒̂̌͊̒̔̓͐̉̆̓̈́̑̐̾̃̚͜͠M̴̨̢̡̰̰̗̪͍̭̝͓̳̰̭͚̘͍̱̗͚͎̣͔̩̘̽̀͂͐̇̀͑͑̋̓͒̎̆͂̄̏̏͋͛͆̚͝͝ͅ!̶̨͕̙̞̳͎̻̯̫̞̱̝̥̹̲̟͖͈͖͍̳̥̺̰̈́̌͊̾̔̎̿̓̍͑̑̽́̀̿͘̚ͅͅ!̷̛̪͇̞̮̙̗̞͍̗̹̩͖͖͐̉̔̾͐͋͂͂̀̀̿̆̕ͅ
Y̴̧̧̧̯̟̞͖̫͔̝͓̳̹̙̠̖̭͈̻̭̳͚̜͈͌͗͌̅͐̒̃̎̆̊͐͂̾̅͆̿̚͘̕͠ͅŎ̵̡̹̳̙̠̗̫̞̫̌́̌̐ͅƯ̴̗̼͐̎̐̾͋́̑͌͊̓́͌̽̈́̄̄͆͑́͑̈́̏̍̓̐̚̚ ̷̨͚̤̠̠̩̥̮̘͍̥͍̥͔͎̰͕̱̂̈́͊̋̈Ç̵̛̮̣̬͕̣̪̫̝̰̝̮̎̀̀̈̐̐̊̐̚Ơ̷̬̜̪̾́̀̔̔̑̋͂̐̂́̓̏͑͐̄͗̀͊̓̾͂̃̕̚Ư̷̢̢̡͓͉͇̼̹͓̼̺̟͇̬̭̠͔̬̱̱̒̽́͋́̔̉̋̉̽͐͒͛́́̀̾͛̂͐̍̓̽̕͜͝͝͠͠ͅĻ̸̠̪̯̻͇̞͈̼̦͔̬̘̥̟͈̤͓̳͓̯̞̘̄̎̈́̓̌̈́̈͌̾̀̈́͐͂̒̐̋͜ͅḌ̷̛̛̼̠̬̼̋̾̓͊͐̓̑̽̒͌̎͑͒̀̄̈́̓͌̌͒̌̕͘͠͝N̸̛͖̘͉̥͙͙̞͉̻̹̹̠̤̝̼̟̜͇͎͕͈̩̄͋̄͆̓̈̚̚̕̕͝'̷̧̹͕̱̖̭̹͔̝̱̫̯̝̖̼̝͙̲̗̳͍̦͚̋̉̆͜͠͠Ț̶̡̧̨̠͓̟̥̜͍͕̤̰̪̣̱̣͕͂̐̎́̏̿͂̋͗̌̇̀́̋̒̓̏͊̿̀͜͜͠ ̶̧̡̛̱̠̜̗̫͍̫̮̩̭͙̼̖̰͖͓̰̹̭̮̀̋͒͗̿͂͂̅͂̀̉̀̆͌͌͆̈́̾̄̄̌͗̚͠Ś̵̛̛̜̝͚̥̼̑̈́͆́̇̇̿̆̈̑̀̀͆̌͘͝͠Ã̵̡̯̤̩̰̜̣̩̙̱̣̭̼͚̊̔̋͂͋̿́̓̏̒̿͆̕̕̚V̴̡̨̫̗̟͚̦̺̩̬̑̂͆́͐͛̓̾̋͜Ę̶̧͉͇̥̳͖̺͖̭͉̦̗͕̱͖̯͓̭̯̘̜̭̩̳̈̾̿́͆̊̋̒̌̒̋̈́̃̃̐̃́̇̀͘͝ ̴̨̛̘͎̺̬̪̳͇͇̣͇͖̲̻͑͐̇̈́̉͒̉̒́̈́͂̈́̂́́̂̍̊͌̋́̋̅̆̉͘͜͠͠Ṫ̵̢̝̖̣̖̻͓̟͍̙̝̻̺̖̞͚͙̲̺̺̹̖̪̮̘̜̚͜͝ͅH̸̠̫͉̪̣̳͔̗̼͋͒̍͋͊̒̊̓̌̍̓̈́̃̃̀̈́̃͗̑̂̂̽͒͑̈́͒͆̎͝É̵̢̧̱̳̰̼̦̬̟̪̾͆͆͑́͜͠M̴͖̫͇̤͇̤͖͕̮͕͚̰̘̔̇͆́͌͆͒͒̏!̴̨̡̢̛̗̮̤͈͔̯̹̱̖̟̖̣̳̫͚͙͇͈͍̼̟̜͆̽͋́͋̆̍͂̈́̀͂̄͛̊!̵̡̡̡̭̞̮͉͕̤̩̲̻͍̝̺͍͙̻̭̳̯͜͜͝
Y̵̠̣͙̗͖̔͗́̽̀̏̍̄̋̽̂͐̑́͗̈̇͗̆̍̆͊̎̆̄̕̕̕̕Ǫ̴̡̧̡̛̤͔̩̣̭̭̻̻̱̞̹͇̮̭̮͈͖͖͇͎͗̏͌̒͂̓̇͆̉͝ͅͅỬ̵̛̲͇͚͈̬͈̪̖̯̟̞͚̱͈͎̭͔̩̼̲̒̍̇̌̐̋͗̃̓͗̈̀̄̀̓̎̀̌̓̚͝ͅ ̷̙̪̤̥̏̇͌̓͝ͅC̵͙̅̆͑̑͋̄̓̑͗̓̈̓͋̎̌̓͂͊̾̑̈́͆̐͗͂̚͝͝͝͝Ő̶̡̧̨͕̼̼̞͉̩̩̠̩̘̺̪̩͙̤̲͕͔͚̘̩͚̟̪̆̿͒̋̎̓͛̊́̂͗͒̍͋́́̄͋̊̃͘͘͝U̸̢͔̰̳̞̥̜̼͇͖̻̞͕̣̞̼͖͔̝̥̠̦̙̍̉̒̐̑̔̋͒̽͗̿̄̄̃̈́̓̿̎̔̎̓̅̚̚͘͜͝L̷͈̞̝͈̥̠̠͇̱͓̫̥͉̻̐̅̈́̀͠ͅD̴̠̮͚̠̞͖̗̖̣̠͋̐̐̊͐̓͐̓̒͑́͐̋̏͗̾̈̿̋̒̀̂͊̾͊̆͋̌́͜͝͠N̵̢̨̯̱̘̟̙̜͈̖̦͓͈̳̖̘̖͈̝̮̹̜͛̾̀̒̑̏̈́̎̃͆͛̒̓̈́͗͠ͅ'̴̢̢͕̩̝̻͎͙̦̯̝̤̼̗̭̙̤̩̺͖̻̩̙͉͙̭̱̄̅̈́̌͜ͅͅͅͅT̷̢̡̲̰̮̩̤͙̭̱͙̮̩͇͚̏̐̋̅͝͝ͅ ̶̢̢̨̡̢͕̫̰̞̗͖̥͈͇̜̻̟̟̰̱̲̯͍͓̞͎͉̊̐̔̏̀̾̌͛̓̃̏̄́̾͐̈́̎̎̾̍̈́̚̕͜͝͝͝ͅS̴̛̛̭̥̤͔̳̥̪̣̪̅̄̌̍͛͐̆̃̈̃̈́̾̽̒̃͑̽̅Ą̶̡̧̛̯̜̲̺͔̹̻͙̬͖̼̗̥͉̝͔̬̭͍̤̠̺͎̰̬̱̗͔̎͊̋̐̏̋̓́̿͘̕V̶̨̠͙͓̬̥̦̺͉̳͓̮̖̗̬̥̹͍͈̞͎̼̥͇̠̗͛͛͐͐̉̑͐̄̍̊̓̔͋̓̽̒̊̀̈́͊̂͋͘͠Ȩ̵̧̨̳͕̞͚̹͎̺̘͇̝̜͚̺͌́̍͑̐͐̐̔̔͋̐̎͛͊͋͂͘͜ͅ ̵̢̢̖̞̙̟̳̱͕̩̝̹͠ͅT̶̡̡̢̢̨̛̟̹̫͚͎̫̳̭̝̤̞̪̔̀̉̈́͌̆̔̊͊̾̄̄̑͗̔̕͘̕͝͝͝Ḥ̶̡̛̫̼͍͉̳̠̳̬̜͈͍̏̆̾͒͊̎͌̓̓̋̈̀̀͊̓͗̍͒̚͘͝E̴̢̨̨̢̼̲͚̗̦͍͔̥̊́̈́̓̓͛ͅM̵̡̙̗̥̲͓̟̘̪̮̤͉̳̜̰̞͙̳̟͇͍̫̤̭̦̤͆́̿͊̐͗͠!̴̢̨̡͉̭̖̃̊̍̽͋̈́̒͑̿̓͂̀͜͝͠!̸̛̼̪̮̭̠͙̠͇̜̽̈́͊̄̓̆̀̓̆͂̌͂͝͠
Ȳ̷̡̙̗̅̓̀͐́́̅͋̉̐͐̿̉͌̓͒̆́̌̆͋̌̂͑́̋͘͘͘̚̚͠͠ͅͅƠ̶͙̯͇̬̙͕̮̞̼̥͔͓̈́́̉͐̀̅̂̈̌̋̓͋̓͊̚͘͝͝͝Ứ̴̧̨̛̞͎͌͐͛͑́̽̃̆͗͒̊̉̈́̊̅̎̊̿́͊̀̌̆̉̊͝͠ ̴̡̛̖̣͕̬̹̱̣͉͔͚̤̪̱̯̗̳̝͙̩̻͖̞͕͌͂̂͐̈̿͆̈̂̎̓̍̿̌̆͒͒̓̐͊́̕͜Ç̷̢̹̘͚̺̜͓̾͒̀͊Ó̸̢̨̢̨̨̹̝̮̫͈͈̹̗̘̙͚̬̹͕͓̘̠̯̦̩̭̤̩̏̒͗̀͊͠ͅU̴̢̱͉͍͎̺̘͔̐͗͠L̵̢̡̛̖͉̮̬̱̻̼̙͔̗͉͓͕̞̝̥̰͖͔͖̣̟̜̱̩̺̜͓̙̦̗̓̏͂̉̎̌͛́͌̎̉̋̇̐͊̓̅̋̽̃̀͘͜͝͝ͅD̵̨̧̧̖͙͍̺̯̼͈̺͓̜̠̳̞͐̈́͂̆̃̃̾̂͌̿̎͜ͅN̸̛̜͇̭̘͚̭̞̤̓̉̑̈́̄͌̂̅̍̂͊̋̃̀̀̄̿̔́̍̔̿̈́̀̽̚'̴̨̨̧͙͇̪̰̞̤̰̳̳̤͚̯̜͎̥͓͉͔̤̘̖̱̬̭̙̟̙͉̯̃̉̾̍̌̃͌̿͐̀̎̓͂̉͊́̀̀͌̚̕̕͝͝͠ͅT̷̡̧̢̢̢̥͕̯͕̹͕̘̝̗͔̼̰̩̦̟͙̳͙̖̖̲̻͎̳̰̟̜͂̌̎̅̈́̌͗̑̈́̈́̂̄͑̏̑̇̇͗̇͂̉̄̓͊́̈͌̐́̽̐͋̔ͅͅ ̷͇̱̰̖͈̏̀̿͒͛̋̀̚͜͝S̵̢̨̧̛̟͉̞̝͇̣̭̩͙̞̘͇͚̼̳̖̭͔̫̳͈̦̣̘̗̲̜̯̯̄̈̈́̆̾̃̆͑̿̐̎̊̇̈́͑͆̓̉̊͋̇ͅͅÅ̷̭͍̮̺̤̫̞̺̻̻͇̟̳̟̤͚̺̦̹͍̝͍͓͖̟̈́̐͛̏͂̓͊̋́̋ͅV̶̢͉̲͍̮̯̗͉̈́̑͐̑͌É̷̡̢͔̠̳͎͓̻̪̩̺̩̝̱̹̗̬̯̯͎̩̭͇͙́́ ̴̧̛̛̞̰̱̦̫̱͖̜̗̦͚̭̠̲͎͖̥̟̮̟̣̠̖̘́̉͛̒̾̾̈́̅͑͒̀͊͒̈́̄̋̂̔͝͝ͅT̵̘̗̤̬̞̖̬̲͉̠̰̠̐̀̚Ḥ̸̡̨̘̼̦̜̲̲͚͕̜̝͖̘̭̰̺͚͕̱̥͍͓̞̄͋́͐̓̏͊͒̽̉̒̈́̀͋̌̀͜͜͠Ė̸͓̓̑̌͌͋͂̒͌̾͂͝M̷̧̛̛̛̛̈͛̊́͐͊̃̈̅̔̍̓̔͛̉̄͐̽̆̎̀͛̇̂̕̚͘͝͝͝͠!̴̱̙̭̖͇̳̬͌̽̊̍̐̀͌̉̈́̄̿̽́̑̀̈́̑͑͛̋̉̽͛́̈́̅͂̾̚̕͘͝͝͠!̶̡̨̛̺͇̜͔̠̫̻͑̀̔͘
Y̵̡̧̨̧̛̳̭̞͇͔͖̞̙̙͙̲͎̮͇̱̺̥̯̙̘͕͚̪͕̩̝͎͙̮̺͖̰̓̀́̀̍̎͑̽͛̊̓̈́̃̓͌̐̊̀̊́̉̕̕͜͝͝Ơ̶̧̧̡̛̲̞͎̮͇̬̭̝̙͇̅̄̓̋̎͗̓̿̎͒͒͊̿͒̎̀̋͛͗̈́̈͊͑̆̂̈́̈́̑̌̕͝͝͠͝Û̶̧̜̼̬͔̮̘̜̻͚͙̙̜̗͓̠̲̼̖̠̞̿̄̐̽̏͒̿̋̉̔͆͌̓͌̏́̉̾̓̊̑̉͆̎̽͛̈̿̒̈̂̇̔̕̕͜͜͜͜͠͝ͅͅ ̶̢̢̛͉̮̰̼̲͉͉̱͓͓͕͕̺̖̺̯̌͛͂͌̈̋́̎́͊̀͗̂̅̂̿̂͆̈́̀͋̒̐̍̽̀̂̉̑̔̚͘̕͘͝͠͝͝Ć̴̡̧̡͕͎̙̟̘̖͈̳̜̞̠̱̠̜̩̝̦͖̝̮̲͖̩͇̟̲̽̍̏̐͌̓̅̒͗͒̉͒͒̂̃̐͗̿̆̃̀̌̍͌̎̀̕̚͝ͅƠ̴̡̛̠̻̤̙͎̟͓͙̜̤͕̙͙̲̪͉͙͚͈̻̜̩̺͚̟̩̭̰̤̣̖͇̺̓̉͋̊̐̾̋̃͂͗͂̊̄̍̕͜͝͠͠ͅŲ̴̣̝̦͇̻̗̥͍̝̼̮͙̺͈̘̳̞̞̟̞͇͎̫̫͔̦̻̤͔̦̼̯͔̅̃̀̈́̀͜͜ͅĻ̵̩͔̟̥̙͙̻̗͓̰̩̲̟̰͈͚͔͎͖̦̠̱̹̮̬̗̱͋̋͜ͅͅD̶̹̳̹̞̝͂̉̎͋̆̃͘N̸̥̔̌̽̍̆̔̓̆̇̍̈́̉͑͑̈́͋̚͠͠͝'̶̢̡̨̛͎̺͙̤̹̣͚̫̱̞̘̼̹̦͎̤͙̫̖̹̐̀̈́̂̂́͑̄̑̃́́̐̋̚Ţ̷̡̺͉̘͍̩̰͇̬͔̘̘̘̰͉̱̝̾͜ ̵̢͇̤͈͇̩̙̥̠̀̓͛̕ͅS̷̨̢̧̧̛̞̻̝̺̯̹͖̮̥̜̙̖̺͙͕͚̱̦̲͖̤̜̘̭͓͖̳͐̔̓̔͒̌͑̋̒̽̈̂̃̇͘͝͝͠͠͠A̴̛̛̠͎͔̤͈̦͚͎͍̜̹̱̗̾̇̽̐̇̌́͛͐̀̈́͆̿̌̂̃̉̉́̑͒̎̓̌̎͒̓̓͑̀̚̚̕̕͜͜͝͠ͅV̴̨̧͙̟̥͙̭͚̠͎͇̝̱̞̦̞̯̦̠̩̫͙͇͕̻̞̣̤̪͔̦̣̰͊̈́̉̀͑̊̋̂̆̄̐̆̍͌̊̊̑̚̕͝Ę̶̯̖̠̖̮̘͔̘͚͕̪̤̳͔̯̤̭̾̍̑̊̋ ̶̡̨̧̨̛̳͎̜͉͙͖̘̠̺̥͙͍̦̪̣̻̪͎̖͖͇̬̙̯̟͖͖̔̋͆̃̈́̄̅̃͑̈͐͌͑̃̀̏̅̇̈́̆́̎̈́̆̃̑̌̆͒̔̀̊̕͜͜͠͝T̸̛͖̹͍̔̈̐͂̒͋̇̈́̄̂͗̇̚͘͘͠H̴̡̛̛̦͚̗͌̊̔̑̿̏̈̄̀̓͛̆͋͊̐́̓̈̀̂̄̈́̽̐̓͆̕̕͝͠Ę̴̛̠͍̣́̌͊̒́̎̇̆́͛̌̿̿̈̄̐̈́̌͛̊͘͠͝M̴̢̢̘̤͇̩̖͉̜̣͈̤̪̟̮̖̜͉͍̘̣̤̻̥̙̹̫̘̖̪̝͔͎̲̓͊̇̆͒̚͜͜!̷̢̧̢̳̩͓̰̤̤͍̺̗̻͚̗͕̺͔͉̖͍̱̘̖̯̪̦̻̠̪̤͗̽̃͐̋̃̎́̒̃̃̎͂̂̒̔̔̇͘͜͝͝͝!̷̡̢̡̡̡̡̳̠̬͓̬͇͉̱͇͎͇̞̫̻̹͈̺̦͍͔͈̳͈̯͇̦̘̟̲͓͋̏̈̓̈́̃͐̀̌̽̇͌̈͛͂́͋̾̓̌͋̏̔̄̊̀̌̌̀͘͜͝
Y̴̢͎̰͕̝̯̺̯͔͈͔̺͕̮̮̰͎̗̪̾͆͋̈͊̕O̴̢̰̦̤̠͉̬̮̟̠̪̼̭͙̙̥̘̝̫̪̪̜̦̬̎̉͒̉̔́͂́̈́̌͊̊̋̋̾͋̍̎̅͛̓̕͘͘̕̕͝͠͝Ų̴̧̢̛͙̙͉͕͔͈̩͐̌̓̍̓̀͐̆̍̐́̈́̇͐̆͌͠͝͠ͅ ̸̗̲̬̮̗̻̘̤̙̬̥̞͎̳̜̻̝̹̟̖̞̯̟̹̾́͑̃̚ͅͅÇ̴̧̛̠͔̝̗̺̞̦͓̻̥̦̲̗̫̲̅͛̊̉́̾̾͒̎̂̌̂͑́̿͊̀̉̾͑͛̄͊͗̏̚͘͘͜͜͝͝Ǫ̸̛̳͔̝̤̫͕̭͒͛́̇́̍͊͌̀̈́̉͛͋͌̎͛̎͒͂̂̇́͑͐̎̿̈͌̿̐̽͝͝ͅǓ̵̲͉̝̈́̐̈́̂̃̍͌́͌̅̀̊̍̓̌̎̑͊̎̕̚̕͠Ļ̸̨͖̭̪̤̭̘͉̖̠͓̜͔̞̙̹̤̻̩̖̝̯̫̺̼̝͕͓͚̤̰̰͉͇̹̪̼͈͋͌̾̏̑̇̀̈́͜D̷̨̡̛͓̦͔̖͎̖̭̜̜͍̣̼̹͓̼̪̓̊̽̈́̽̆̎͛̀̂̅̇̉̊͊̓͂̿̌͑̎̆̈́̿̆͆̀͒̒͛̊̃͊̏͘̕͜͝N̷͓͕̲͓̣̥̪͚̆͒̎̂͋̌̈́̒̆̄͘͘ͅ'̷̡̡̧͙̯̦̗͔̗͍̤͓͍̙̬̯͚̤̞̝͕͍͍̖̺̬͍͓̱̰͎̼͖̣͔̫̻̬͛̆̐̑̂̆̃̓̆̌́̾̓̍̓͛͌̾̈́̐̊̀̊̍͒̍̂̌̚͝͝͠T̴̛̪̪̘̗̜̱̗̝͓͙͈̻̂̿͆̂̑͋̈́̎͋͌͋̍̒́̇̈́̂͒̍̍͆͒̔͆͊̀̾̾͌̽́̄͂̓̕͘͘͜͜͠͠͠͠ ̴̡̙̬̲͈̦̬̭̘͙̙͙̬̺͘͜͝Ś̷̢̧̨̨̧̨̧̛̛̛͙͚̝̩͕̩̟̭̠͎̜͈̼̮̫̜̤̥͕̻̜̤͉͇̙͕͙̹̪͖̩͓̮̓́̋͛̋͐͒̎̿́̾̈́̆̊̎͊̂̽͆͠͝͝͠ͅͅĄ̸̨̡̤͓͔͕̭͍̯̪̹̤̦̺̟̫̮̤̼̞̞̻̩̩̣̥̤͓̯̹̥̭̈́͒̄̔́͑̇̎̿̈́̀͂͆̋̄̒̀̉̑̌͛̓̏̊̉́̏̇̆̀͘̚̚͘͜͝͠͝ͅV̷̨̢̡̢̛͍͓͙̻̝̹̪̞̻̖͇̬̈́̍͑̄̊̒͋͑͒̎͐́͆͗̀̈́͛͌̌̽̌͛̑̍̍̅̃͑͊̚͘͘͝͠Ḙ̶̡̢̛̗̩̖̩̣̥̞͓̖͇̠͖̖̘̥̼̳̫͎͕͎͓͇̣͓̹͍̞͕͈͈̞̩̓͒̿̊̿̽̐̂̀̈́̌ͅͅͅ ̷͎̭̬̱̮̈́̄̈́̇̆͆̇̉̎̃̈̈́̍͒͛̇͒̀̈́̈́̓̽̈́̾͘͘͘͘͠͝ͅŢ̶̺͔̙͈̼̗̥̣̙̣̼̫̦͒̈́̐͠͠ͅH̶̛͕̠͚͎̿͂̋̏̓̀́͋̈́̑̈́̑̾̑̑́̒̀̅̉͌͌͆͂̀̀̋́̍̌̈̌͒̂͋̀̚͝͠Ȩ̸͈̖̭̜̟̤͇̼͎̝̥̰̮̌̾̈́̍̋̌̂̈́̂̀̍̽̈̀̿͝M̸̡̡̮͕̫̱̻̙̥͚̭͖̳̑̀͛̃̓̒̈́̑̓͘!̸̧̢̢̠̙̯̮͕͕͕͉͍̜̰̗̘̜͙͉̯̱̦͕̩͈͖̘̆̔͋̓̊̐̑̂̋͛́̐̋͑̐̑͒̊͆̈̊̈́̿̂̌̀̄͘̚̕͝͝͝!̷̧̡̧̧̡̡̡̛̤̖͙͇͍͔̳̱̙̥̱̟̖̮̳̯̞̥̘̗̟̭͇͙̫̼̜̻̫̬͉̀̏̔̔̐̽̅̅̈́͒̆̅̌̽̋̀̍̓̽̄̇͋̑̕̕̚̚͜͜͠ͅͅ
Ŷ̴̢̡̧̡̨̢̧͚͇̤̼̮̞̻̫̲̼͍͖̙̖̼̳̜̪̜̏͂̿̂́̂͗̃̿͌ͅͅͅͅƠ̶̢̡̺̩͍̦̱̜͚̬̏́̔̽̊̐̌͂͛̓͑́́̌̈́̇̔̐͊̐̌̉̎̆̏́̐͆̌͊͒̆̄̋̓̀͐͆̉̚̕̚͘Ư̵̫̲͚̝̗̺̭͈̩̩̱͕̬̜̪̗̯̼͍̮̠̼̝̝̯͔̮̆̇̉͊͋͌̅̎̇̑̓̒̊̈́͒̀͂̎͛͑̾͐̅̽͆̉͂̑͝͠ ̴͔̏̈́́͋͒̇́̕C̸̨̡̧̡̘̠̺͔̞͔̘͕̺̘̗̮̥͖̼̹̹̹̘̘̟̙͓̐ͅÒ̴̡͈̻̠̪̳͍̰̦̳͕̤͍̝͎̹̲̅̒͂̈́̌̓͛͌̔̈́̽̈́̂̏̎̀͒̀́̉̉̐͌̎́̈́̚̚͘̚͘͜͝͠͝ͅÛ̴͇͔͚͔̭̦̊͑̐͂̽̍̐̂̂̇́͝ͅL̵̨̢̧̨̧̳̹̝̭̳̳̳͔̼͙̞̩̘̪͉͔͕̦̮͙̮̹͍̱̼̠͌̿͜͜͜͝ͅD̸̛͓͉̤̺̹̻͍̀̽́̓̿͊̓̅͊̀͋̓͊̀N̴̡̨̨͙̖̱̹͔̦͇͔̼̼͇̖̜̳͎̬̥͉̲͇͖̥̞̼̣̝͉͈̭̙̺̩̣̘͈͎͙͇̈́̈̒̓̿́̊̈́̂̋̓͘̕͠ͅ'̴̫͈̥̱̮͙̝̖̭͎̼̞̟̣̤̦̺̬̟̦̜͍̫̌̂̄̆̆͆̓͑̿͐̿͊͌̐͒́̉͂͛̽̌̏̐̃̾̽́͊̎̚͘̕͝͝ͅT̶̡̫̬̞̖̹͖̲͚̰̣͚̱̟̮̈́̉͗͊͌̂̅̾̓̍̔̈̈͑̽̔̈́̌̀̃̆̀̈̒̎̑͘̚͝͝ ̵̧̛̛͔͚̺͎͕̬̘͔̺͓͉̠̭̞̯̠̠̻̜̼̝̼̠̂͑̓̍͋̈́͊̀͛͑̂̋͊͋̋̎͘S̸͚̤̗̼̹͎͌͑̀́͐̈̾͒́̃͌͝Ä̵̧̨̢̛̛̛̻̬͙̤̩̞̩͈̞͇̞̱͍̮̭̤͚̰̝̞͍̩̞̮̱̮͕̬̼̱̖̟͕͔̖̟͐́̃̎̈́̓͊̽̾͆̒͒̊̌̍̔̀̔̾̉̓̀̈̅̏̀͛̽̆̚̚̕̕̕͠͝͝͝͝͝Ṽ̴̢̡̯̙̦̘̟̱̼̜̣̱̀͊̆̆́͊̅̍́̓́̂̉͒̃͜͝͝E̷̬͛̆̎̓̋͑̄̒̽́̈́́̆̉͋͆̐͌̍̽̾͋͘͠͠͠͠͝ ̶̮̰̈̎̅̋́͑̓̒͛̈́̀̋́̀̃̉̓̔̀̈́̓̅͛͋̀̎͂́͘̕͜͠T̵̛̺̳̥̪͇͕̙͖̹͖̻̱͇̿͂̊͊̃́̇̄̀̉͋̔̈̾̂̈̽̓́̎̋̕͘͝͝ͅH̵̢̛̙͓̗̱̜͙̭̟̳͉̞̜̱̦̻̻̤͇̹͙̦̒̋͑̉̌͆̌̿̍̒̀̆̏͂͒́̾̒̿̂̐̐͐̎̕͘͝E̶̛̺̹̠͔͒̎̍͒͒̋̈́̂́̓͒̀̂̇̇͛͒̾̎̐͛͌̌̈́̌̀̏͝͝M̸̖̯̳͉̹̹͚̠̞̞̠̱̖̝̘̳͍̠͙͇̭̩͚͕̹͔͉̩̘̣͍̟͖̰̿̉̄͗͗̈́͂̿̈́̂͐̀̍̅͐̆̿̓̅̏̆͋̕͜͝!̵̛̖̜͇͚̹̑̒͛̑̆̀͆̊̋͛͊̀̒͊͗͑͆̽̆̽̇̌͆̈́̿́̓̈́̋̈́̂͋͊̾̽̕̚̕͘͝ͅ!̵̦̫̘͖̬̞͓͕̙͛̽́̾̐̈̑͒̆̀͆́̆̌͑̈͋̀̈̾̐̈́̃̉̅̄̃̒̔̓̄̕͘͘͘͘͘͠
You can still save them.
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Chara wakes up shivering. They tilt their head to the right. …He is still there, one ear flopped over his eyes, the other hanging over the edge of his bed. He is breathing.
They look at their bedroom door still ajar. Light slips through the crack. Not real light. It is only the fireplace.
Only the fireplace.
…
Things must change. And they must change soon.