One strike. All it took was one strike. Frisk continued down the golden hall, plowing straight through the pile of dust the skeleton had left. They walked into a room with a leafy floor and chirping birds. This king of monsters was the last thing that stood in their way. One strike. The flower saved them the work of crushing the SOUL. It didn't save itself, though. Nothing now stood in their way.
"Greetings."
Frisk had never seen a human face. Most blind people haven't. The fallen child, however, had seen themselves many times - More than enough times to project themselves at Frisk.
"I am Chara." The child's presence was chilling. Rather, it would have been, if Frisk had chosen another path. This was not that Frisk. This Frisk was not scared of the child who had lent their help several dozen times over. They were almost excited, almost in the same way they were to fight Sans.
"Your power awakened me from death. My 'human soul.' My 'determination.' They were not mine, but yours. At first, I was so confused. Our plan had failed, hadn't it? Why was I brought back to life?" The child's musings were like ice. Any sane human would have been on edge. "You. With your guidance, I realized the purpose of my reincarnation. Power. Together, we eradicated the enemy and became strong. HP. ATK. DEF. GOLD. EXP. LV. Every time a number increases, that feeling… That's me. 'Chara'. Now. Now, we have reached the absolute. There is nothing left for us here. Let us erase this pointless world, and move on to the next."
"No." Against the odds, emotion stirred in the red human. "That's not why I'm here."
Chara's smile twitched. "No…?"
"How curious. You must have misunderstood." Their face shifted. "Since when were you the one in control?"
One strike. One strike, and the red human fell.
They weren't ready to give up, though. They returned, and they stared into the void until it stared back.
"Interesting."
The child's voice ripped through the darkness in a painful echo.
"You want to go back."
Frisk didn't feel betrayed.
"You want to go back to the world you destroyed."
"That was not what I wanted."
"And yet you were the one who pushed everything to its edge. You led the world to its destruction."
"I only wanted to return to the surface."
Someone else might have sworn they heard a laugh. Frisk heard an offer.
"Perhaps… We can reach a compromise. You still have something I want."
Frisk felt their heart jump in their chest.
"Give it to me. You will give me your SOUL. And I will bring this world back."
Frisk hadn't felt fear since the first time they fell into the mountain.
"What are you?"
This time, Frisk didn't hear an offer.
"I am the demon who comes when you call my name."
"Then I suppose that would make me an angel." A third voice broke through the darkness.
Frisk could feel a jolt of panic that wasn't their own. "Who are you?" Chara spat.
"I just told you." Their next words were directed at Frisk.
"So."
"This was your doing." This third voice was smiling. "Was it worth it?"
Frisk did not respond. The 'angel' did not wait for them.
"This child is not incorrect. You are the reason you are standing here.
"Yet, it is not my place to make judgement. I have another offer. This is the fate you chose for yourself. If you promise me that you will try to find a way to change it, then I will set it all back at no cost.
"The choice is yours."
"Don't you dare!"
Frisk had torn through over a hundred monsters. Their will had bested even the cold grip of death. This demon - this naive child - would not stand in their way.
Frisk dared.