Memento Mori

Chapter 1: Collapse

'Where am I..?'

The boy stumbled weakly through the lonely mountain pass, his muscles screaming in protest with each step as he limped steadily forward. He strained his ears, desperately trying to listen for the soldiers' footsteps or the snarling of their hounds, but only the raw pounding of his heart accompanied his quiet footfalls. He struggled to keep his eyes up and forward, every thought within his mind begging for rest; for sleep that had been denied for days.

'How long have I been walking...?'

That was the recurring question ringing throughout his mind, over and over.. His journey to the mountain had been a long and painful one. The past week of travel had taken its terrible toll in numerous ways… Gritting his teeth and pushing such distracting thoughts away, the boy climbed his way upwards through the rocky crags that shielded him from the bitter winds of the pass, his dry throat croaking in pain as he pushed past the limits of exhaustion. He knew that there was nowhere but forward for him to go; nothing awaited him in the desolate ruins of his home city, none were left to lift him up if he fell down once more. No, he was on his own now, he had only himself to rely on to survive the brutal Ebott Perimeter and avoid the fanatical guards that hunted him without rest or mercy.

'...Where am I even going?'

The Underground. The massive subterranean network below his feet where monsterkind was sealed. They were his only hope, his best chance at escaping this hellish world surrounding him on all sides. He had heard the stories, of course; everyone in America knew the legend of Ebott, of the paradise- world just below the dregs of humanity. He knew his plan to reach them still stood, despite the… inaccessibility of the main entrance. He shuddered at the thought, recalling the recent events that had befallen him, the sacrifices made to get this far. He had to finish this. He had to reach the monsters. For himself, and for those who…

No. Those thoughts would only serve to further weaken him, break his resolve when he needed it most, and-

Pain flooded his veins as the rocks below him gave way, his ankle twisting, dropping him to his knees as he just barely caught himself from tumbling down the mountainside. Hissing quietly as he bit his tongue, the boy rolled onto his back, gasping for air as he was made to rest despite his wishes.

'Heh… this really couldn't be going any worse now, could it..? God, how am I going to get out of this one..?'

He had quite the knack for getting himself into trouble after all; he had the collection of scars to prove it. But he had always managed to find a way out, or had someone there to pull him from the fire at the last second. Not anymore, though, not after...

Images, long ago seared into his mind flashed forward, as he watched the sunset. His hand thrashed as it sunk into the mud. Flesh tore under the slathering jaws of hounds. A knife slashed across his chest as-

...Sighing softly, the boy turned his head to the side to gaze across the wastes; a crumbled, desolate city on the horizon jutting from the ground in jagged and broken shapes, the lights of worker camps criss-crossing through the streets as men, women and children of all shapes and sizes awoke for the night shift, the endless toil to repair yet another ruined city pushing ever onwards. The thought alone was enough to make his stomach churn with the painful recollections brought forth as he withdrew into a small crevasse, shielding himself from the bitter winds of the mountaintop he was now confined to. Not that it seemed to matter; if he didn't figure something out, and fast, he doubted he'd survive another night on Ebott.

But what could he do? The only entrance to the Underground was impossible to reach, and the only people for miles around were… unfriendly to say the least. No. There was no going back, for there was nothing left for him to return to. And yet, despite his high-flung hopes, forward now meant certain death. It was only a matter of time before those damned hounds caught his scent again. Where then…?

As he pondered this, his foot caught once more, and he cried out in pain as he fell to his knees. Looking back to see what had now tripped him, he heard something that stole his breath once more. Howling dogs and shouting voices growing steadily louder, closing in on him from ahead and behind. Panicking as his heart raced in his chest, the boy climbed desperately, blindly pushing himself higher and higher as the growling-beasts closed in. So terrified he was, that he didn't notice as he pulled himself onto a loose outcropping.

With a scream, the rock suddenly gave way into the ground, and he was swallowed up by darkness, the light vanishing far above him as he screamed himself hoarse one last time. And so he plummeted, downwards into certain death. Further and further, until...

She snapped awake with a gasp, clutching at her chest as she whipped her head around in all directions to try and gauge her surroundings. Eyes darting to and fro, she eventually settled on the faint light far above, illuminating what she began to recognise as the cavern she sat within. Weakly, she arose, wincing softly as she quickly realised she would be walking on a sprained ankle.

Studying her surroundings, Frisk was surprised to see the cavern was supported by massive marble columns reaching-up to the stalactite-free ceiling above her; smoothly worn cavern walls leading her eyes down until she observed a large, ornately designed gateway adorned with a symbol… no, crest that she had never seen before. This was certainly no military bunker or construct, and yet...

Where am I now? A pertinent question indeed. She was certainly underground, but this looked nothing-like the military installations that dotted Ebott. Where she was now felt different… alien. Yet, in spite of this, it felt familiar, like she had seen it before.

The mountains outside her home city were quite the mystery to her, having been forbidden to most of the American populace since time immemorial. Most had simply assumed it was another contaminated zone from the war, yet conspiracies were rampant regarding the recently withdrawn presence of dangerously fanatical soldiers who patrolled every inch of the mountainside, their notoriety for using lethal force well-known to the surrounding communities. It was only as a result of the recent mobilisation that Frisk was even able to make it this far into Ebott; yet still she was miles off from the mythical entrance to, well…

The legend of mount Ebott was known all across the nation; the desperation of centuries past having led countless to lose their lives in vain pursuit of the 'monster-paradise.' Not one account told of any who had made it past the Perimeter to discover what was really within the mountain, and any serious attempts to breach security ended decades ago. But now… here she was, in a clearly unnatural cavern. Maybe...

No. That was just a fairy-tale after all. This was likely just another set of caverns like the ones she'd passed while climbing her way up here. The abandoned bunkers and empty trenches outside bore no fruit for her search, just as she had of course it stood to reason that old children's stories of angels below the mountain would hold no weight.

Sighing with frustration, and, not for the first time, regretting her little expedition, she turned to search for a way out to the surface again; he'd certainly never hear the end of THIS once she found her way back to him-!

She froze in mid-thought at the sight before her, not quite sure what she was looking at. Fortunately for her, it seemed that she didn't have to wait long to figure this oddity out herself…

"Howdy!"

Cold pressed down upon him, the uniform silence of this black emptiness a long familiar presence that never changed or wavered. So why then, was there light in the distance...?

-At last!; So soon?-

He peered through the formless black, cold eyes cutting through time and space to find his target. Yes, there it was, struggling to its feet on the corpse of its fellowr. The moment he had awaited -all these eons; those few minutes- for was upon him, and beckoned for him to act. It was now time for him to -guide the children forward; drag the specimens screaming- through the Underground that laid before them.

Shifting his hands in erratic, seemingly cryptic motions, and forming dozens of nameless, infernal symbols around his formless shape, he began to set his plan into motion, pulling his little keepsake from its -prison;home- and up before him, its black and featureless shape inert and silent.

-Smirking sadistically;Frowning mournfully- as he observed it, the being shifted their gaze back through the cold black, towards the rift that was forming above him. A few more moments of incantation and sure enough…

Vacant eyes lit with a new flame as a small tuft of dirt fell onto their cheek,the rift crackling like ice as it completed itself underneath the specimens' resting place. Lifting their hand and unclasping their fingers, the entity watched with -a twisted, long awaited glee, for his triumph finally approached;a grim and solemn determination, for his work was far from done- as the dark, unremarkable object lifted itself upwards into the rift, burrowing upwards through dirt and root to reach its target. Yes, it would find where it was needed. Then all he needed to do was wait, and allow nature to take its course...

-By his vision, the angels would finally cross the underground;By his hands, they would tear it beating from this earth.-

A/N: Alright, here's the start to my first attempt at writing. I hope you enjoy it but don't hold criticism back if you don't; I won't improve otherwise.

Also, a huge thanks to VakaPyro for being pretty much the only reason I have the guts to actually try writing this. Go check out the stuff on their profile, they're an awesome writer.