Frisk's small shoes crunched against the snow as they exited the Ruins through its great, purple, stone doors. The child, despite their comfy sweater, felt a sort of shiver run down their spine. Droning echoes ringing through the darkened trees. For the first time in their life, Frisk utterly alone. The feeling of loneliness was not something new. At the orphanage, Frisk was shy and quiet. They always sat in the corner or somewhere unpopulated while the other children played as usual. None of it bothered Frisk, for they liked their solitude. This new feeling, however, was not the comfortable silence found in the empty corners of the orphanage. This was an unfamiliar feeling of dread. Frisk could not fathom why this was so.
Even as they thought this, a surge of power rippled through their heart. Determination- no, it was stronger than that. It was something nearly inexplicable: a warm grip in their hands, a strength in their heart, a reassuring voice in their head saying, "You are not alone. I am here."
Who is here, Frisk thought.
I am you, but not you, the voice replied. I am the one who guides you and protects you.
You are me?
Yes, and no.
You make no sense.
How do you know it is not you that is not making sense?
Frisk ceased arguing and began to pick up their pace as they walked.
Not talking, huh? That's fine, said the voice, take your time.
What do I call you?
For the time being, you can call me "Player". Invoke me any time you wish, until the end of this game.
Player's last word went unheard by Frisk, as a loud crack! behind them made them snap out of their pondering. I should hurry, they thought, quickening their pace as fast as their little legs could walk.
Several events later
"I don't wanna go, Frisk," Asriel said, blinking through tears. "But I can't stay here. Not without a soul." He turned his head to face down. "You saved everyone, Frisk. You even saved..." As he trailed off, he lifted his hand to wipe the water from his eyes.
Without saying a word, Frisk walked forward and embraced Asriel to comfort him. The boy hesitated, apparently startled, but eventually returned the hug.
"Thank you," he whispered. After a long period of silence, as the two children simply remained with their arms wrapped around one another, Asriel finally spoke.
"C-Chara?"
Frisk turned to see what Asriel had seen. Some ways behind them stood two humanoid figures, one tall and one short. The short one was a child, thin and sharp, had pale skin and rosy cheeks, and wore a green sweater with a yellow stripe, similar to Asriel's. They almost reminded Frisk of someone they had only seen in their dreams. The other figure, on the other hand, was tall and older-looking, yet had rounded facial features and hands, dark circles under their eyes, and wore a blue sweater with a single purple stripe, as if it were some combination of Frisk's and the short person's sweaters. The four of them together looked absolutely complimentary.
Asriel pulled himself away from Frisk and ran to the green-sweatered child. "Chara!" he cried, launching himself at the child. Chara, thin as they appeared, caught him with ease and the two spun around, locked in a hug. "I thought... we all thought..." His voice faltered as he began to get choked up.
"It's good to see you too, Asriel," Chara replied. "I've been watching you for a long time. It's a long story, really." They pulled away from Asriel and tugged out the heart-shaped locket Frisk had seen in the room in Asgore's house. "But it's better to start with this, I think." A glowing red heart peeled itself away from the surface of the locket, and hung in the air just before Chara.
"But that's... that's a soul... a human soul..." Asriel stared at it, dumbfounded. "Chara, you're... does this mean you're alive? Where did you find one?"
Chara nodded. "A real one. We just found it. And I get to keep it, too. I have all of you to thank, Asriel, Frisk..." They turned to the tall figure. "Player. You all saved me." They sniffed, and wiped one of their eyes. "Thank you. I feel so... happy."
The tall figure known as 'Player' nodded and turned to Frisk. "It's nice to finally meet you in person, Frisk," they said, in the same voice that Frisk knew so well. "Your journey here in the Underground has reached its end. Your determination saved so many more people than you might realize at the moment. Now, it is time to save one more." They put out their hand, and above their palm appeared another glowing red heart.
"A weakened human soul. I've been holding onto this for a long time." They held it out to Asriel. "Take it. I have no use for it, and I'm sure you don't enjoy being a flower anymore." Frisk couldn't help but notice a hint of sadness in Player's eyes. This made them wonder where the souls had come from in the first place.
Asriel reached out to the soul. Upon the slightest contact, the heart vanished into mist, which settled over the monster child. He breathed in deeply and held his hands over his chest.
"I can feel my heartbeat," he murmured. "I'm... alive!" Even as he shouted this, he went to embrace Chara once more. "We're alive! We're alive! Chara, this is great!"
Player chuckled. "You're welcome." They closed their eyes. "It's time to go, now. Everyone is waiting for you." Behind them, a white rectangle materialized in the void. "Through that door is the waking world. If I were you, I wouldn't keep them waiting for too long."
Grinning at each other, Asriel and Chara walked hand-in-hand to the doorway, and passed through the spectacular white light. Before Frisk could follow them, Player began to walk in the opposite direction, their head tilted downwards. Frisk grabbed Player's hand and held onto it with both of their tiny hands.
"Come," they said in a barely audible voice. "You are family too."
Player seemed a bit startled and hesitated. "You really want me to go with you?" They got a nod in response. "Well, how can I say no to such a cute face? Am I really that soft already, after so little time?" With Frisk's hand and Player's held together in that same, comforting warmth that compelled the child forward on their quest, the Player and the Protagonist exited the void and stepped into the light.