A Message from the Author: Hello, I'm Boltstriker, if you don't already know yet. This is an Undertale fanfic I wrote in my spare time for some reason, and it's set after the Pacifist Run ends. As such, I cannot stress this enough, IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED UNDERTALE, DO NOT READ THIS FANFICTION. Undertale is best experienced blind, and reading fanfictions before finishing at least the Neutral Run will ruin your experience, and I would hate to do that to a fellow fan of the game. Also, just as a disclaimer, Undertale is owned by Toby Fox, and any character or location inside the game of Undertale belongs to him. Enjoy!

The Seeds of War

"WHAT?!"

The ambitious scarved skeleton was the first to respond to the terrible news Undyne bore. The death of the Monster Kid came as a shock to all of the Underground, most of all to Undyne. The child idolized the former head of the Royal Guard, and at once, all in the Throne Room knew the cause of death.

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL FIGHT THESE SCOUNDRELS AT ONCE! THE MONSTER KID WILL BE AVENGED!" exclaimed Papyrus as he speedily exited the Throne Room through the back, certainly toward where the Barrier once stood, stopping all monsters from interacting with the outside world. Though nowadays, monsters were wishing the Barrier still stood, as King Asgore soon found out when news first broke of the deaths of Dogamy and Dogaressa.

Asgore rose from his throne, planting his feet firmly onto the patch of golden flowers that gave the room its shimmer. "Undyne, please follow him…"

"He'll get himself killed out there! One step ahead of you!" Undyne rushed out of the room, following the path that Papyrus took. Asgore could faintly make out screams of "NGAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" as he turned to face Alphys.

"Send word for Sans, please, I wish to speak to him."

"W-what ab-bout Und-dyne?" The Royal Scientist inquired.

"I am sure Undyne can fend for herself. I must speak to Sans in Snowdin Forest as soon as possible." Asgore's voice was stern, and he could feel the fear in Alphys's eyes, but he dared not relent. This terrible matter was best left in the correct hands.

"Y-y-yes, of course, m-my king," Alphys stuttered as she left to take her shortcut through the True Lab. Asgore never liked what she had done down in that cesspool of scientific failures, but he would never exact judgment upon the poor scientist. After all, she only created those horrors on his orders.

Determination, such a double-edged sword, thought King Asgore, it's destroyed the lives of so many, but saved the lives of many more.

As Alphys left, Asgore turned to face the covered ornate throne in the back of the room, the farthest object from Asgore's throne and the bed of golden flowers covering the floor. If the monster king had one regret higher than any, it would be his quest to reap the SOULs of seven humans. The child, Frisk, had shown the king that humans could be caring and compassionate, but Asgore's actions stood in the way of reconciling with the one he cared about the most. Even after… No, it isn't him, I must remember.

The king arrived in Snowdin Town under the cover of darkness, only noticed by the ever-present Endogeny. Asgore felt sorry for the dogs who lived in Snowdin, whose families had been fused together by determination as a result of his own flawed judgment. Upon his arrival, the king was to be guarded by the Royal Guards of Hotland, and they would guard the entrance to Grillby's during his conversation. Sans was the only one he could trust with the matter at hand, the only one who wouldn't call him insane. To be frank, the king often considering himself insane, twisted by years of torment and longing for those who left him.

He arrived at Grillby's flanked by his guards, and they stood watch, longswords crossed. Inside, the short skeleton was conversing with Grillby, whose gaze never seem to falter, much like the flames that were his head.

"Sorry, the king wants privacy," said Sans, and Grillby nodded, exiting the bar through the back door.

"Thank you," said Asgore, taking a seat next to Sans at the bar. "As you must know, there are problems at hand we must discuss."

Sans nodded grimly, "I understand. Alphys mentioned suspicions, uh, might I ask what they are?"

Asgore gazed out the window, watching the faint shadows of pine leaves blocking the view. "Sans, you of all people must know. My son, he is alive?"

The skeleton's eye flickered a bright blue, and then his eye sockets went black. "No. Not entirely."

"I remember him! He rose as an angel, and everything… everything disappeared." Tears welled in Asgore's eyes. The pain of losing his son... He remembered that Asriel had risen again, he was sure of it.

"You'll need to ask Alphys about your son. Just ask about the golden flowers," Sans put a hand on the bar counter. "You came to ask about the timelines."

Asgore nodded, and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. After a while of carefully choosing words, he said, "Is there a chance for us to resolve this conflict peacefully?"

"I can't tell the future, I'm sorry. I can only tell that you should keep safe watch over those SOULs, they could be of use to us soon."

"What of the child? You once told me Frisk had once destroyed the world. What is the risk to the monsters? To the Underground? To Toriel?"

"There was a timeline in which Frisk had taken it upon themselves to destroy the Underground, for whatever reason, but as they progressed through the normal events of this story, they became less human. A terror… no, not a terror. A terror would imply innate scariness. A being had taken control of the child, and the child massacred every one of us. Even me, even you, everyone."

The king sighed, "I assume that timeline is not ours."

"You are right to assume so. Tell me, King Asgore, how did you learn about the timelines? We sealed the documents away."

"Your other lab partner still lives, and she is a great confidant of mine. Your experiment was nearly complete, but his analysis stated that an anomaly was skewing the data, am I right?"

Sans lowered his voice, "I see no reason why this pertains to the coming war…"

"Who was the anomaly, Sans?"

"The scientist told us never to divulge the secrets of the experiment..."

"Tell me…"

"Your son."