Legends: Tales that continuously ricochet across time and space.
Stories: Folklores eagerly passed down to coming generations.
However, many of these allegories are not of a short fable; Instead they are but of a forgotten past of monstrous creatures with gentle hearts.
Born with the gift of powerful resolution, humans often thought of themselves as sacred, fragile beings. Yet these "delicate" sapiens brought with them unnecessary war and demolition.
It has been a long time since the humans shared Earth with monsterkind. The realm had been at peace, with only minimal tension between the two. It wasn't until anti-monster activists ambushed several households of monsters when the fight for dominance began, initiating the Species War.
They had believed monsters wanted their souls, since the soul of one human is equal to that of nearly all monsterkind's. After a long battle, the king of monsters surrendered. Not a single soul was taken, but countless monsters turned to dust. The victorious humans gathered seven of their best mages and sealed the monsters underground, forcing them to leave behind their injured comrades.
Centuries have passed since their imprisonment, and their hope to return to the surface weakens. They kept their memories alive by constantly reminiscing about the stars and colorful skies, teaching their children the constellations and old surface history before it is forgotten as well.
To them, hope was a term repetitively diminished by jarring circumstances. The most upsetting had been the night the monster prince and his human sibling passed away. Filled with grief and desperation for his people, the king declared to take the soul of any human that fell into their lair from then on. When the day comes that enough souls have been gathered, he vowed to absorb them and use his newfound power to destroy the barrier once and for all. Although the noxious fate was settled, life moved on without a shed of remorse for it. And if Sans knew anything about the two, they were both jokes.
Fate decides what it will, but the route will always be dependent on the person – especially to those with an abundance of power. After all, he knew of someone with great determination whose perceived purpose made his life a living hell. They held the most desired ability: The power to reset the course of time. He discovered their gift what theoretically would be years ago:
It was early morning when he woke to the pain of a throbbing skull; A common indication that a SAVE occurred. He had thought the wildflower prince decided to "play around" with time again. But when he witnessed the last fallen human collapse from beyond the Ruins door, the world around him became distorted and reloaded. It was then he knew someone else, someone very curious, had control over the timeline.
Throughout their travels, Frisk – the human – died plentiful of times. But nonetheless, they continued to baffle monsters with their unwavering compassion and self-appointed purpose to free monsterkind. They reminded some of the first child that had fell long ago, and changed those pre-determined to take their soul to befriend them instead. Though observant of all their moves, Sans supported the child, and was amongst the first monsters to reach the surface when their journey came to a successful end.
Below the destroyed barrier laid a valley, flooded with flowers that grew further than the eye could see. Beyond them, hovering just above the horizon, sat a shining orb coated in yellows: The sun. Puffy clouds, decorated in rosy pinks, purples, and blues, partially masked its beauty. Part of him longed to reach out to it, as if he wanted to be sure this was real. That monsters were actually free. He didn't dare ruin the moment, though.
"T'S BEAUTIFUL SANS!" His brother cried out, bones rattling with excitement. "BUT OF COURSE NOT AS BEAUTIFUL AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS." He ensured. Man, Papyrus is so cool.
Papyrus had been the first to tread down the hill, followed by himself, Undyne, Alphys, the king, and Toriel. When he glanced back to say his last goodbyes, he saw Frisk hesitating at the top. Their hand opened and closed slowly, as if they were conflicting whether to grasp something or not. After a few more seconds, Frisk swatted at whatever was bothering them. Suddenly, a strong wave of lightheadedness overcame him. When it subsided, he found himself in his bed back in Snowdin. Back to the day Frisk first arrived in the underground, to be precise. It was the first of the ever-ending resets.
From an additional smile in one, to an unwarranted killing in the next, the timelines were unique. Sans would casually watch Frisk throughout their expeditions from the sideline, participating when necessary. However, its tediousness wore him out quickly, encouraging him to grab a drink at Grillby's, or find a place to nap for a while. He only started to care again when Frisk killed his brother for the first time-
He gripped his jacket tightly, energy uncontrollably coursing through him and out his left eye. In that timeline, every monster but Papyrus had been spared. He didn't like to think about those runs. They were the worst. Then again – An image rapidly formed: A child charging at him in full force. A worn dagger resting in their dust covered hand. Red eyes glaring into his, full of determination and hatred.
No.
Even the feeling of his soul crumbing was nothing compared to losing his brother.
He let out a shaky breath before calming down again. After all, the genocide runs were caused by that demon brat who managed to attach themselves to Frisk. But what about the neutral routes where only a few monsters suffered an undeserved death? Was Frisk using the demon's influence as an excuse? Once or twice, he considered throwing the kid into the CORE, hoping they too would be lost in the void. He could – he would – never follow through. Despite it all, he cared about Frisk.
The sound of a door shutting jolted him back to the present. Currently, he was perched on top of a windowsill. Below him sat Frisk, King Asgore, Toriel, and several well-dressed humans around a freshly polished table.
Not long after the end of a pacifist run, black vehicles full of humans would approach them. They would then be ushered to a secluded area where conferences with the newly appointed ambassador, king, and former queen, are arranged. Sans occasionally accompanied the meetings for entertainment purposes. Plus, he thought it was odd that the humans never rejected them as soon as they appeared, giving off the impression that they had been expecting them or something.
The first few gatherings dealt with whether monsters would be welcomed back to all ofthe surface world or not. Frisk, using their determination as fuel, persuaded the people that monsters meant no harm. It didn't take long to convince them; In no time whatsoever, monsters were permitted to roam above ground freely again. This specific assembly is addressing whether the monsters can inhabit the land surrounding Mt. Ebott, as the king wishes them to. He leaned forward and waited for the head human to address the matter.