Chapter 1

Oh! Howdy, there!

Did you bring those for me…?

That's really kind of you, but I… I don't really…

No, no, I-I'm sorry! Please, don't go. I didn't mean to offend.

Look – you can put them on the table over there.

Yes, right there with the others. You see? They look lovely together….

It's like I've got a whole greenhouse to myself. Call it the Asriel Conservatory.

Hee hee hee!

Huh? Wait! Where are you going?

You only came by to drop those off…? Ohh… well, I thought that maybe…

No… no, you don't have to stay. It's just that so many leave me flowers but so few stay to visit.

…Yeah. I understand if you've got better places to be. There are a number of places I'd rather be, too, if you can believe it, haha…

Nah, don't worry about it. It's alright. But I'll tell you what – if you promise to stay awhile, I'll tell you a story. You don't have to believe it, but it's the honest truth.

I remember… I remember a very long time ago when I was young and lived with my brother underground, and we had the run of the whole kingdom – you remember the old kingdom, don't you?

No? It must have been before your time. Well, Chara and I, we would have all sorts of fun, playing hide-and-seek in the palace, making snow fortresses in Snowdin, and going swimming at the waterfall. Also, while at the waterfall, we would collect snails. My mother made the best snail pie and we liked to help out. The only part I didn't like is what the snails had to go through in order to make the pie. Chara didn't seem to mind, though. Sometimes he'd even volunteer to do the 'dirty work' so that mom didn't have to.

One day, I found him sitting in the garden with a bucket of snails that he was de-shelling. Sometimes, he would smile strangely for reasons that I didn't understand. This was one of those times. I must have looked disturbed because he asked me what the matter was.

"N-nothing," I lied.

"No, something's wrong. I can tell."

"Chara? Um… what you're doing to the snails… doesn't it kill them?"

"Well, I would think so. But if it doesn't, I doubt they'd survive too much longer, considering our dinner plans and all." He chuckled.

I gulped. "Y… Yeah, but isn't it terrible that they have to die like that?"

"Hey, it's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it, right?"

"That's not what I mean, though. Doesn't it bother you even a little when you do that – take off their shells…?"

Chara looked at me blankly. "No… Why should it?"

I shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to make my point any clearer.

"The way I see it, a snail has to come out of its shell eventually. Otherwise, it will never get anywhere or amount to anything."

"Huh? You mean…"

Chara took a snail out of the bucket and showed it to me. It had fully retreated into its shell. "You see this? This shy little guy is of no use to anyone like this. Not even to himself. All he does is sit there and cower and hide and nothing good ever came of that. But if I free him of his shell, he gets to become part of something much greater. He and all his little friends get turned into food for us, so that we can grow big and strong. Isn't it amazing that something as small and insignificant as a snail can do that?"

"I… um… y-yeah. It kind of makes sense when you put it like that."

He grinned at me. "Good. I knew you'd understand."

Ah, those were the days. If only I could turn back time once more…

Everything changed the day Chara told me his master plan. No one was supposed to know but me and him. It would be our little secret.

"Remember the snails, Asriel? I need your help to leave this shell. It's the only way to become strong enough to escape to the surface. Together, we can free everyone!"

Huh? You've heard this story before? And now, it's become a 'legend'? First we were heroes and now we're legendary? Haha, isn't that delicious? Well, let me tell you something you may not know.

When I absorbed his soul, I changed in more ways than anyone realized. The full extent of it was too horrible to admit until it was already too late….

My head was still spinning when I woke up. Rubbing my forehead, I felt two big horns that weren't there before. I hurried to find a mirror. In my reflection, there was a stranger were staring back at me. He was a baphomorph like myself, but all grown up, nearly double my height. His clothes were all but tatters and shreds and fit much too tightly. Embarrassed, I raided my mother's closet and threw on one of her robes instead. Then I heard a familiar voice.

Hey, Asriel. I'm here now. With you. Forever and always.

I can't tell you how glad I was to hear your voice again. I thought I had lost you. I wanted to rush and find mom and dad and tell them the good news, that everything was going to be okay. But my feet had a different plan. I had completely lost control of them.

"Wait! Where are we going? I'm not ready to leave yet!"

I'll take it from here, Asriel. Just relax.

"But first, I've got to—"

They'll only try to stop us. You know that. And you have nothing to worry about. I got this.

"B-But I can't move. I'm scared, Chara! I can't even…"

Don't be afraid. It will be okay. I'll take care of everything.

"E-Everything?"

That's right. You won't have to struggle anymore. You're going to be free.

I don't know if anything I could have said at that point would have made any difference but I should have said something more. We had a long journey ahead of us and with each step, I felt myself becoming less and less. I don't know how to explain it, Chara, but you—

Oh. I'm sorry. I've done it again, haven't I? Hee hee hee!

Sometimes, I get a little confused….

Sometimes, I still see him in other people.