In the outskirts of the city, there is a teenager with their gender can't be determined walking down the streets with a bag full of chocolate, cafe grains, some milk, some snacks, a video game and a new knife for their collection.
Like a demon, they had horns and a tail as if they were outright showing that they were an evil being from the start.
They are wearing a happy smile on their face while wearing their favorite green and yellow striped shirt.
Some people who knew them greeted them as normal, but many people in the background are staring at that strange child.
"They are that kid from the news... they say that their horns are real."
"Its said that they act like a demon... But I heard that they live in a kind of orphanage and everyone says that they are a nice kid despite the appearance they give... "
The teen is humming a song. They did notice the commentaries, but they decide to ignore them as they are not hurtful.
However, sometimes...
"YOU DEMON! STAY AWAY FROM THIS TOWN." -Said a woman wearing a cross standing near their house's door.
The teen stared at that woman with a creepy smile. The woman was startled and closed the door in terror.
Again, they continued walking while humming a song.
After a while, unable to contain their excitement as they looked what they were carrying, they spoke their thoughts out loud.
"Chocolate was on sale, the game I wanted was cheaper than I thought, and this knife I found from some losers that tried to rob me has a nice blade, today is my lucky day!".
Suddenly, a little child approaches the teen without any trace of fear despite the reactions of some people on the street. They knew each other.
That child resembles the teen when they were a child like them. They even copied their stripped fashion although they are wearing a different color.
"Hey! Side!, Do you have brought any new game?" -Said that small child who seems not so expressionless as their universal counterpart.
"Side" is the name of this genderless Teen. But they are also an alternate version of whats known as "Chara".
"Hello, Frisk!" -Side pulls out of the shopping bag a video game box. It has a flame pattern on it.
"Look what I got here! A Super Smashing Brothers copy from the store!".
*Frisk's eyes are filled with enthusiasm!
"I will win you this time! You will tell me your real name as promised!" -Said Frisk, determined to know Side's real name.
"Challenge accepted! But don't be a crybaby afterwards!" -Side said this with a happy smile.
For a moment, Side remembered something, their smile grew wider than their usual happy smile, giving some kind of creepy aura.
Frisk noticed that creepy smile, but they weren't afraid of Side since they knew each other for a long time. However, the people walking nearby were felt chills by looking Side's smile.
Together, Side and Frisk finally arrived at their home. It was a mansion repurposed to be a kind of Orphanage.
"Side is here!"
Suddenly, a group of children is surrounding Side and Frisk wearing some bags for traveling.
"Side, can I have Chocolate?"
"Side, can you sing us a song?"
"Side, can you use your powers? I want to see them!".
"Hey, Hey! Slow down! Yes, you can have this chocolate bar, Alex... I will sing tonight for you, Laura... And Pablo, my powers can't be used frequently! What if I bring an evil being from the depths of hell?.
Frisk knew that Side lied about their powers. They knew to some extent how Side's powers worked because they were close, and bringing someone from hell is out of bounds for Side's abilities.
"Yay chocolate!"
"Side... will sing for me!"
"No, I don't want to be snatched by it!"
A tall man called the kids.
"Kids, are you ready to visit the amusement park?"
"Uncle Thomas! Yes!" said one of the children, while they ran towards that man.
"Frisk, Side, do you want to come?" -Asked Thomas.
Frisk and Side looked at each other, but it seemed that they didn't want to go.
"No, thanks, but we will stay here." -Said Side answering for the two of them.
"Ok, I trust you to take care of the building while we're gone since the amusement park's hotel is nearby, if something happens, call me. Although I don't think you will have any problem with your powers."
"Hehe, I will call you anyways! Have a nice trip!"
The man and the children waved at Frisk and Side saying goodbye as they entered a small bus with another woman that is also working at the orphanage.
"So it seems we are free in this weekend" -Said Side.
Side and Frisk entered the building.
After entering into the building Side and Frisk looked upon each other. Staying silent for a little moment.
"Whoever is first to get the controller will control the main character!" -Suddenly Side said this and began to run.
Frisk didn't have the time to say anything and started running behind, managing to close the gap.
After a tough race of going up the stairs, and to the right, they managed to reach the game room without anyone to tell them that running is prohibited.
"First!"-Said Frisk managing to get the controller in the first place.
"I let you win!"
"You are a bad loser".
"I will have to win you in this game, then!"
The two of them didn't notice the time they spent while playing until it was nighttime. They didn't need to go to the kitchen since Side has brought some snacks.
"Hmph, I lost..."-Said Frisk, frustrated.
"Not bad!. But I won't lose to you yet."
"It's not fair!, That character teleports and dodges all my attacks! Side! You are unfair for picking the best character!"
"He is actually the weakest you know? He has only 1 HP."
"But he has these cool powers and such..."
"Not really... Perhaps... Maybe..., I am taking this because of experience."
"Have you fought in real life an enemy like this before?"
"Something similar..."
Why there is a version of Sans on this game...?" -Side thought this without knowing that they were thinking out loud.
"Who is Sans?" -Frisk asked about the sudden mention of a name.
"...! Sans? Err... "Sans" means "without" in French..."
"So you just said, "I'm sick of seeing without everywhere"? That doesn't make sense."
"Hehe, I'm joking. I will tell you who is Sans if you beat me one day in combat or if you manage to convince me".
"But you have godly powers while I have only a toy knife... And I never manage to convince you...".
"I know you can do it, you just need to be determined for that. I know that it is in your soul."
"I will defeat you then, and you will tell me about timelines!" -Frisk is determined!
"Can we start now? -Frisk was eager to enter a FIGHT.
Side looked at the clock. It was late.
"Its late Frisk, its time to sleep."
"Ok! Then I'll go to sleep to be ready for tomorrow!" -Said Frisk running towards the sleeping room.
"That's the spirit!" -Side answered proudly watching Frisk while they were leaving.
However Frisk came back.
"Goodnight Side, See you in bed. Love you."
"Good night Frisk, me too."
And Frisk hastily left the room.
"This version of Frisk... They will become strong, I'm sure." -Side smiled while thinking of Frisk.
They picked up a broom, a dustpan and began cleaning the mess they made with the snacks.
Then, they threw all the trash in the trash bin when suddenly, some kind of strange noises were heard. A glitchy portal appeared suddenly in the room, but Side continued working as if nothing was happening.
"Oh, hello Gaster!" -Said Side after recognizing who he was.
It was a hooded figure, but his face was that of a skeleton whose face is very distorted. However, he had roughly the same height as Side.
They knew each other for a long time. However, it's not very clear how they meet since its related to their peculiar powers.
"Also this Gaster comes from the main timeline, while this timeline is a side timeline, hehe. Get it?"
Side is not surprised by Gaster's sudden pun.
"Hello, Chara. Ups! Sorry... I suddenly misremembered that your name is Side. It is a habit I have when I see faces in other timelines."
"Don't worry about it G, "Chara" is my true name after all. How is it going? Any news?".
"Papyrus is in the void room and we were thinking of visiting another AU for a few days. Wanna come?"-Gaster asked.
"Mmm, no. I promised Frisk I would train them tomorrow and there is nobody left in the building."
"You surely love this timeline's Frisk".
"Of course! they are my cute little brother in this timeline after all!" "On another subject, Gaster. Is "the one" planning to do something? I knew that that character from that game and the pun you just said were a little bit out of place."
"I just made a pun, I hope "the one" writes my pun in the story if that's true."
"Then... Am I now in a written story right now or not?"
"Can't say. Maybe it is better to stop breaking the fourth wall if that's true."
"Yea, I'm just a normal character who knows nothin'." -Side said this in a sarcastic tone.
"Heh. You can be a kind of 4th wall character if you want with your powers."
Side shrugged. "Nah, in this timeline I just want to live a normal life more or less. Thanks to that I got the chance to meet my cute little brother and the people of this orphanage, hehe."
"Your soul seems better than last time."
Side's expression turned to a sad expression suddenly. Gaster was not worried but surprised.
"Hey, are you ok? Are you finally able to feel your negative feelings like sadness?."
Side's expression shifted quickly to a small smile.
"It seems I'm making some progress with acting! Good."
"For a moment I thought you were about to cry for real."
"Sorry, the thing is I wanted to test if I could lie to people about my condition. So it works..."
Side continued talking.
"After all, I'm supposed to be sad remembering my past. I want to tell Frisk about it one day, but I am still unable to feel sadness... Every time I try to talk about something sad, I feel the urge to be happy or simply smile. This is very annoying."
Side's smile grew wider, giving a creepy smile.
"See? I'm sure people are creeped out when I do this when I am supposed to be sad, hating, or hurt..."
Side's expression came back to a normal smile.
"I wish I could help you regain the feelings you lost."
Gaster looked worried.
"Don't worry about that G, is not that much of a problem. People might think I am weird or I'm some kind of a demon because I smile when something bad happens, but its fine." "After all, it was my fault that I choose to be like this at that time."
"I think that showing a smile is better than not showing any expression anyways..." -Side continued.
"Hey bro, it is not your fault. Anyone in that situation might have done the same or worse."
"I know. But I still can't believe I didn't wish for world destruction or something like that back then. But I reckon you saw some timelines that did end like that."
Gaster put his hand on Side shoulder trying to cheer them up.
"Hey, don't worry Gaster, I'm not sad about it. I can't really feel sad about it."
"I know, but if you are supposed to be sad, then I'm supposed to be cheering you up. Also, although you can't feel them, your soul is."
"Hehe, thanks, G."
"No problem." Gaster winks at Side. "Well, I wish we could talk a little bit more, but Paps is waiting for me. Goodbye friend. Til next time."
"Gaster, can I bring Frisk to your place one day? I want to show them other timelines when they prove to me that they are able to defend on their own."
"Sure, but make sure you train them well! Timelines are full of different variations and dangers!"
"Yes, I will make sure they are able to FIGHT properly or have MERCY depending on the situation!"
Gaster proceeded to warp out of the timeline while waving his hand.
"Goodbye G..."
Side smiled.
"Still, I'm annoyed that my soul is sad again by remembering that... But! There is nothing I can do now, so I guess I'll go to sleep" -Side thought.
[…]
In a place where almost everything is made of glass... two children were falling from a high height through a hole.
They were a human and a monster.
"Chara, I will stop your fall... Use my body to cushion the fall!"
"Asriel! No! You will die!, Please! Use the rest of the wings to land on me instead!"
"Chara... I'm sorry for being selfish... But I don't want you to die..."
"Asriel! No!".
A loud bump was heard in the room. And Asriel became a cloud of dust that filled the room...
"Asriel!" -Screamed a goat-shaped monster. It seems that they are a male.
Covered in white dust and hurt, Chara was on their knees, shocked and horrified.
"W... what is this... white dust...! It... hurts... "
Another goat-shaped monster entered the room. It seems that they are a female.
"Asgore! Do you know were Asriel w..."
But she could not finish their question when they looked at the scene. The two monsters were horrified by the sight.
They could see a heart-shaped red soul. The only ones that had a red soul were either Chara or Asriel. If Chara is alive, then Asriel has died...
"No... Asriel... Don't go..." -The child mustered their strength and tried to grab the red heart-shaped soul that was fading away...
They managed to grab it, but they became surprised as they instead of picking it up, they absorbed a small part of it while the rest just fell and lost its color.
It felt like burning lava going through their veins.
"AAGGGHHHH!"
The child painfully grew red horns and a tail that resembled those of a demon...
"Chara... So you became a demon... Toriel, please, stand back." Asgore used some kind of magic to summon a trident in their hands, getting ready to confront Chara, who became a "demon".
Asgore carefully approached Chara with eyes burning with hatred towards himself for letting that to happen, but he remained calm.
The horrified and hurt child looked at Asgore's eyes...
"I didn't... Asgore... Asriel... I..."
"I will end your suffering, Chara."
"Eh..?"
Asgore stabbed Chara's chest.
"cough... cough... Aaah..."
"Sorry..." -Asgore looked sad at Chara's final moments.
Dying hurts. A lot.
But, Although Chara did die. Something happened... They suddenly were in the same spot when they grabbed Asriel's soul.
"AH... Ah... Ahh..."
Trough Asgore's eyes, it seemed that Chara was jolted like something happened when they absorbed Asriel's soul, but it didn't matter.
Again, Asgore grabbed their trident and killed them without giving them any chance of doing anything else.
And Chara was in the same spot again.
This time they tried to defend themselves. But they died.
This time they tried to run. But they died.
This time they tried to beg for mercy...
"Please... Stop it..." -Chara could barely move from the phantom pain.
Asgore hesitated.
"Asgore, wait... You don't have to kill them... Can we just..." -Said Toriel, the female goat-shaped monster, after seeing Chara's expression.
"Toriel. They became a "demon". They aren't them anymore... Even if they are, we have to kill them before their powers wake up, or else they will bring harm to the world. Remember what happened in the past?"
Asgore stabbed Chara again.
"I'm sorry Chara... I made the mistake of thinking we could live with humans again..."
Without any choice, Chara died again...
This time they tried to run again... but they still could do nothing other than to die.
Even if they could learn their moves it was almost impossible to dodge Asgore's attacks as they were hurt from the fall from before and the phantom pain from past deaths did not help.
Mad because of the pain, they tried to kill Asgore but it also was in vain.
They died again.
Again.
Again.
Again...
Desperate for change, they tried to wish...
"Please... end this... I don't want to feel sadness or hate... I don't want to feel any more pain... I just want to get out of this place... I wish I could start again... I want to feel happy again..."
Because of their wish, their powers woke up. And although it was an incomplete order, they made their effect.
They could no longer feel sadness. They could no longer feel pain. They gained the strength to get out of that place. The chance to start again. But because of the last wish, sadness was replaced with the feeling of happiness.
Although they died again, they didn't feel sadness or pain this time. Like a soulless being, they tried many options... But they weren't soulless. Their soul still suffered, but they aren't able to feel it anymore.
Knowing that some choices were wrong, they decided to do everything they could to get the best outcome possible.
And finally, they got out of the sky-ground...
They didn't feel sadness, but their soul could.
They can't notice that they were crying on the inside anymore. Their eyes are shedding tears, but they can only smile...
Wandering, around the city in that state, many people were confused. Some people thought they were a real demon. Others thought that they were wearing some kind of realistic costume.
Since they could not feel hate, they couldn't get mad at them.
They did manage to live on the surface, but they were always hungry without much food to eat and hurt from the fall.
But, one day... By chance or fate, a tall man called Thomas saw Chara sleeping in some carboards.
They had their mouth covered with a self-made scarf. Thomas only saw Chara's swollen eyes from the tears they shed.
Thomas, as an owner of an Orphanage, only could think of caring for that poor child. Although they had horns, he thought they were some kind of costume. He asked himself about it, but he didn't know the answer.
"Perhaps, Are they born that way?" -He thought.
As he approached Chara. The odd child just looked at his eyes.
"What is your name child?"
"My name is... no... I'm just a cast aside child..." -Chara spoke with no emotion in their voice and it seemed that their vocal cords were damaged.
"You don't have a name?"
"Yes... but I don't deserve that name that they gave me..."
"Why is that? Are you a runaway?"
"No... They only hate me... I wanted to get back, but... they just hate me."
Thomas thought it was some case of parental abuse.
"Child, if you want, I can give you a home..."
"Heh... I know what you can call me instead of "child". "Side". Yes, "Side" will be my name. After all, I was cast aSide, heh..."
"But that is..."
"Please! Just... call me by that name... It's also cool, I guess... That will be my name from now on."
Thomas knew that the name "Side" is not a good name to call themselves based in that context, but he knew he won't be able to convince Side of that.
He only wanted to hug that child that seemed they needed some love. Then he noticed that they were very thin.
"Oh Dear...! Come, I will give you a place to live and then you can tell me what happened..."
"You won't believe me anyway..."
[...]
Side woke up in tears... Sometimes that happened.
"A dream from my past... Huh."
Frisk seemed worried because they saw Side crying when they were sleeping. It seems that Side is able to cry when they are sleeping, but the reason is unknown.
"Frisk... Why do you look so worried? Did something happen?"
"You were crying."
"Oh... Don't worry about it, it was only a nightmare..."
[...]
Later that morning, two youngsters whose's gender can't be determined are in some sort of field where nobody can bother them.
Upon looking closer, it is a construction site that was left some time ago, but everything looks untouched.
"Today's stage is a construction site. Are you ready to lose, Frisk?" -Said a teenager with noticeable demon horns, holding some kind of oversized knife colored in red.
"This time I will win, I will not lose this time, Side! Prepare yourself!" -Said a child who was wearing this time a toy knife. Looks determined to win this FIGHT.
"Then let's begin! 3.. 2.. 1..! Start!"
Side ran towards Frisk, who also was running towards them. Sparks flew off of the knifes when they clashed.
"Hey, are you sure this is a toy knife? Or did you learn some kind of trick to make it harder than steel?"
"Hehe, I learned some magic stuff from these stones you gave."
"Oh!, so you used one of these magic stones I created? Interesting!"
"Hehe, that's not all!".
Faster than a normal human, Frisk jumped over Side using Side's blade to gain inertia. Getting behind Side, Frisk tried to slash them but...
"Behind?! Naive!" -Side turned to block Frisk's attack from behind.
"Hehe, you are wrong" -Suddenly, Frisk teleported behind Side, managing to harm them.
Side retreated after being cut by Frisk's knife. But it instantly healed.
"Whoa, you finally managed to hurt me!" -Said surprised.
"Hehe, did you like my surprise? I thought it after that game!"
"Cool!, But did you watch your feet?"
Frisk looked at their feet, and it seemed something red was coming from the ground.
Backing up, thinking it was some kind of attack. Frisk avoided the red knife that was coming from the ground.
"You should be looking to me!"
Frisk reacted too late because they were in mid-air, looking at the trap instead of looking at Side. Side easily slashed Frisk since they couldn't protect themselves from the attack.
Frisk wasn't hurt thanks to the instant healing. They fell on their hips.
"I lost again! Dammit!" -Frisk said this frustrated when they punched the ground.
"Hey, what you did was not bad at all! You have improved!"
"But I still can't defeat you..."
"You almost had it. You did manage to hurt me after all!"
"You tricked me!"
"If you want to go to other timelines you should be prepared for anything, Frisk. You didn't need to focus on that trap for that long".
"Grr... Ok, but next time I will win, Side!"
Side was looking for something.
"Wanna sit for a moment? I bought some ice creams." -Side materialized some ice creams from the air.
"Ok... What flavor they are?"
"Chocolate."
"Ok, I will get one then."
The two of them sat in some stacked pipes made of concrete. Frisk was silent while they were eating their ice cream, thinking about what they could have done to defeat Side. Side was looking at Frisk as they enjoyed their ice cream.
After a while...
"You know what? You convinced me a little. Do you want to know my real name?"
"I can ask you that?"
Frisk hesitated to ask this since they lost, but their curiosity was more than their doubts.
"Sure!" "My real name is Chara."
"Chara... But why do you call yourself Side then?"
"That's because... I'm a Side Character!"
"So your name is a pun..."
"Hehe, well, Its also because I don't want to use that name... I was cast aSide after all."
Frisk looked worried when they heard that pun.
"Is it related to that nightmare?"
Side smiled.
"I won't tell you more than that until you defeat me!" -Side winks at Frisk.
"Hmph! Ok!, I will make you tell me everything!"
After some time talking about other stuff.
"Let's go. We need to do our homework for tomorrow."
"Ugh, I don't wanna."
"Me neither, but we must or else Thomas might get angry."
"Yea, I don't want Thomas to be angry at us."