Shifting Sands

Monsters were beings filled with kindness and compassion, always showing their best. Monsters were entities who would not hesitate to kill a human if it meant going to the surface. Monsters were two faced beings who could either be your saving grace, or your worst nightmare…

To a certain human, that wasn't very true. If anything, that would be true for the other side of the coin. Humans had always been two faced. One day they would be kind to you, giving out their trust. The next day, they would be stabbing you in the back… How accurate that was now.

Maybe this human had seen torment up above, and had grown untrustworthy of anyone. Maybe this human was just lost and afraid, trying to be killed by any monster in sight. Yet, that seemed hypocritical now. Chara only wished that what they were seeing was merely a nightmare, a figment of their imagination. Still, as they knelt down to inspect the pile, they hoped that when they touched it, it would only be a pile of snow.

Taking some of the substance into their hand, they observed it closer. A breeze flew by them, causing them to reach out to their green hood, clasping it down. The material in their hand blew away into the wind, being carried off to a new resting place, scattered throughout the snowy expanse of a forest. There was no doubt about it… That was dust.

Well, it looks like peace couldn't last forever. It was so coincidental, that the one time a human had fallen down in so long, dust began becoming more common. Once more kneeling down, the human felt through the snow, their glove grazing something cold and metallic. Their fingers clenched around the object, something rising from the snow.

A halberd had been buried by the snow. Unable to fully lift it, the human set it back down, seeing another one glinting in the light next to them. Two had died here… The sad thing was, Chara knew exactly who these weapons belonged to.

"I hoped they had changed…"

The human got up off the ground, holding their hood as their boots crunched in the snow. If this newcomer was truly this awful, this daring when messing with their home, then Chara needed to pick up the pace. Without a doubt, Asriel would be trying to roleplay with them along the way. If only it was still something as childish as that.

Biting their lip, Chara continued trudging through the snow, trying to get ahead of the human. Oh how they would kill to be able to use those "shortcuts" the king was rumored to have… They were not blessed with that strength, and they could not mope on it when more pressing matters were at hand.

Panic began rising in their soul as the situation sank in. If they did not move fast enough, then for all they knew, Asriel could end up as nothing more than spread dust in the wind… But no, that wouldn't happen. Chara refused to let anything like that happen to anyone. They had vowed to protect all monsters that night when they were by that mysterious door. Some had already fallen. They would have to protect any of those who were left.

On the go, they reached into their pocket, retrieving a phone that their dad had upgraded for them. As their breath began getting faster, Chara dialed a familiar number into the phone, trying to reach one person who would be closest to Snowdin. The phone began ringing, picking up by the second ring.

That was not very surprising for someone like Toriel. From the sound of armor clanking, Chara could already tell she was on the move. "Chara? Are you there my child!?" Her panicked voice came through, the mother without a doubt knowing what was happening.

"I'm fine…" They muttered through the phone, their breath being visible through the cold. "I suppose dad has told you about what is happening?"

In the background of the call, a few worried voices could be heard. Toriel turned away from the phone, seemingly trying to tell the panicked voices to head somewhere. Moments after, Toriel had turned back to the phone, shifting it behind her ear. Thanks anatomy… "He's told me everything. At least you are still safe."

A quick moment of silence passed, only the two breathing heavily being passed through the call. Chara was beginning to near the bridge leading to Snowdin. Toriel was the first to speak, however, "My child, I need you to find Asriel and get to me as quick as you can. I'm just beyond Asriel and I's meeting place. I-I'll try to get there as fast as I can just-"

"Mom, please, I'll get there." They retorted, finally entering into Snowdin town. No one was in sight. A hollow wind blew through the town, almost giving the impression that it had been abandoned for ages. This was the place they called home, and all in one day since a human fell…

*But nobody came...

Chara turned their head, seeing doors pushed open haphazardly. It seemed that this newcomer had no respect for any property in the first place. How had they missed all the signs? This had started off has some cheery game between the three of them, a small roleplay, but now it had grown to something more. How could this have happened?

To think that Chara had thought humans may have changed…

This place was once their home, and in a day, everyone was gone. This was their fault… They had thought for a second that this human showed promise. Well, it was useless dwelling on that now. Making haste, they sprinted to their doorstep, twisting the doorknob to open the house beyond. Their phone call had been long forgotten, Chara instead trying to find any sign of Asriel.

The lights were off inside. Yelling at the top of their lungs, they called out their brother's name, trying to gain any response.

*But nobody came…

If Asriel was not in the house, then he would only be in one other place. Asriel had told them that he would plan the climax of his story at the split between Snowdin and Waterfall… No, that couldn't happen. The human would be on their way to Asriel soon. Chara's breathing began rapidly gaining speed, their heart throbbing in their chest.

The sound of their boots clacked on the wood as they ran up the stairs. Flinging open Asriel's door, their eyes darted around the room, finding nothing within other than emptiness. Wasting no time, they slammed the door shut, running across to their room. "If you're going to try to ruin those around me…"

Their breath became uneven, the human looking to a lamp inside of the room. A vine twisted around it, holding something within its grasp. "If you think for one second that I will let you hurt him…"

Reaching out their hand, their gloved fingers wrapped around the hilt. A red, glowing knife rested within their grasp, the human jerking their arm upward. It felt like a dangerous weapon was now theirs, Chara wasting no time in getting out of the house as quickly as possible. The dagger shone brilliantly in their hand as they ran through the snow. "Consequences will find you, human… and that consequence is me."

Cold, hazy winds began engulfing them as they pushed onward. The howl of the snowstorm blotted out most of the noise as they pushed through, trying to keep their hood on with one hand. The other was focused on keeping their knife at the ready. They could only hope that nothing had happened to Asriel. Eyes stinging as they kept pushing, they finally heard a voice.

"Newcomer, please, don't step forward again." Asriel, no… Chara's hood fell off as they did not care about it any longer. Their attention had diverted to full on running. Their knife was at the ready, but they could not see anyone at all. This cursed storm was obscuring their vision far too much!

"Did we do something wrong to make you this way?" Asriel's voice asked, giving Chara a direction of where they were. They could just make out the faint silhouettes through the blizzard. "We don't mean to hurt you. J-Just please, put that thing down."

That thing was going to kill him. Chara was so close, their knife held out to their side. Asriel had not noticed Chara approaching, his eyes fixated on the plastic knife in that human's hand. "Please, I can help you. We don't need to do anything drastic!"

The boy opened his arms wide, welcoming the human with a smile. "Please, I won't hurt you." Despite how he placed himself in this vulnerable position, he trembled as the human began moving, placing a hand over something in their pocket. Shutting his eyes, Asriel held his breath, waiting for the inevitable.

A crack echoed through the air, Asriel's eyes snapping open to see something he was not expecting. Someone was standing in between the human and Asriel, taking the hit.

Chara's arm shot upward, catching the human off guard. The toy knife flew into the air, spinning off into the snowstorm. The human opened their eyes wide, stepping to the side to avoid a jab to the stomach, the hooded equal flying by, a malicious glint in their eye. The human looked around desperately for their weapon, only to find no hope in retrieving it.

A laugh resounded from inside the blizzard, the human unable to see their targets anymore. Snow crunched behind them, causing them to roll to the side, a red slash being left over their body, shaving off a bit of their hair as they just barely got out of the way. However, they had not retreated far enough.

Chara twirled their knife in their hand, taking it in an inverted grip. Without hesitation, they plunged their dagger down, not hearing Asriel's pleas to stop.

Blood stained the snow as the body went motionless, a dagger piercing through the human's heart.

And, even then, Chara felt their soul being shoved in multiple directions, churning as something familiar took place. Their body jarred backwards, being flung around as if it was nothing. A bright flash covered their eyes, Chara falling face first into the snow. They were already back, walking forward with a toy knife in hand.

Chara's eyes widened as the human yelled, sprinting towards them while they were down. How were they back? Raising their knife, Chara parried the blow, the human quickly stepping backwards as a red line was left in the air in front of them. The dusty human tried to sweep Chara off their feet with a kick to their legs. Jumping over the attempt, Chara threw their knife downward, a slice echoing through the air.

Yet they came back again, walking through the snow with that static expression.

Chara was starting to feel sick, knowing exactly what was happening. It felt horrible to be on the other side of this. Yet, they didn't understand why they weren't being shoved backwards into time, to before they had gone into the storm. Were they just immune to its affect, being forced to stand here in this sickening loop?

Or… had the human saved that early?

That wasn't going to give them much time to have a break. The resets were making their head ping with pain. Why were they feeling so awful when it happened? Was it that sickening? The human before them ran forward, knife raised. Chara leapt out of the way of their stab, kicking them in their stomach. The human fell into the snow, Chara placing a foot on top of them. "You think you are so clever, don't you?" Chara questioned, their red eyes glinting with ferocity. "I've been playing this game much longer than you!" Clenching their knife, the hooded human stabbed downward.

And once more, nausea came back to Chara, the human having disappeared. The disrupted snow was back to staying flat. Not even checking if they were still coming back for another round, Chara ran forward to try to find Asriel and get him out of range. If the human kept loading, then they would be vulnerable.

If they could just get Asriel away, then they could handle the human on better grounds. Yet, as if right on cue, the human burst into view, in attacking range of Chara. The toy knife cut a bit of their skin, only leaving a small, miniscule slice. However, that was enough to make Chara wonder how the hell a human with a plastic knife could do that much damage to skin.

Grabbing them by the arm, Chara sliced downward over the human's chest, sending them to the ground, motionless. A slash like that would have caused someone to bleed out, but Chara knew the strength behind the dagger they were wielding. "Human, did you really think that I was going to be a pushover?"

Their vision twisted, causing their body to fall forward. Throwing out their hands, Chara was able to stop themself, dropping the knife in the snow. They couldn't keep this up. Stumbling to their feet, they snapped their hand over to the knife, taking off with it in the general direction of where Asriel would be.

Snow was disrupted to their left as a toy knife was raised high in the air, an airborne human trying to plunge their plastic knife into Chara. It was able to cut through their jacket, taking the green hooded human by surprise. This wasn't even a lethal weapon! How could Levels of Violence be that strong?

Chara stuck their knee upward, slamming their hand downward. The human's head was smashed in between the two, causing them to stumble back in pain. This was the time Chara needed to get Asriel away. Turning on their foot, they disappeared into the snow storm, trying to find their brother. They had to get him to Waterfall, then hopefully the human would save before they had to fight again.

If they were going down, then they were going down with a fight.

Their luck seemed to have remained intact. Nearly running into Asriel, they skidded to a stop, the monster looking very confused and almost terrified. "Chara?" Asriel seemed to have seen them running towards him, the boy stepping backwards, almost as if he was scared. "I'm glad it's just you…" He seemed too worried, visibly shaken as he spoke. "I-I thought you were the other human and I-"

Chara did not speak, instead grabbing his arm and running towards Waterfall. Despite his protests, they did not listen as they began reaching the edge of the storm. Their heart dropped when they heard a yell coming from behind. Their eyes widened when a human came out of the blur of snow. "Asriel, RUN!"

However, instead of doing so, his head whirled around. A gasp came out of his mouth as he saw the human leap into the air, trying to plunge the plastic knife upon him. Chara pushed Asriel to the side, the monster tumbling into the snow as they took the hit of the knife, the tip of it actually being able to break through their skin.

It wasn't enough to bring them down, but it somehow was able to hurt. Gritting their teeth, the pushed the human off of them, trying to buy time for Asriel to get away. The human had completely abandoned their toy knife, instead trying to attack Chara with their bare hands. It had taken them by surprise, causing their dagger to fall into the snow, sending them reeling backwards.

Asriel was already trying to get away, running for Waterfall. However, before he left, he turned around to see Chara being pinned down, trying to block the human's attempts to punch them. It was an all out fist fight. He could only watch as their sibling was being worn down, struggling to stay up. If he tried to use magic, then he ran the risk of Chara being hit.

The human's neutral look twisted to one of rage, their hand reaching for something in the snow. Chara used the motion to throw the human off of them, due to the lack of balance. They quickly scrambled to their feet, turning around to see if Asriel had gotten out of the way. Yet, they were unable to fully register that he had been unable to get away as he screamed something out.

It was too late to realize what they had just done.

Their once green jacket stained red as blood flew through the air. Their back felt as if it was being torn apart by an unseen force, their only expression being one of shock. They did not feel the pain. They did not feel the true knife piercing through their back. The only thing they felt was guilt. Not even lasting a few loads was…

Torture…

The human would go on to kill everyone. Their mother was too kind to bring harm to the human, and their father… they did not know how he would react. Yet, the worst of all was Asriel, standing in front of them right now, tears breaking free from his eyes. It was as if the world was slowing down, letting them take one final breath.

After all this time, they weren't able to stop one human.

Chara had been right. Humans didn't deserve mercy.

They felt the last of their life drain away as the human struck their body over and over, raising that knife high into the air for one final blow. Finding the heart to smile, they braced themself for the final blow, not even feeling anything after it landed.

"I have so many questions…"

A shaking mother held her breath, walking out into the Snowy reaches of Snowdin. She could not see at first, having to push her way through the storm that was beginning to calm.

"But, I know that they won't be answered."

A cry echoed through the air as a mother held her child in her arms. No matter how much she cried, no matter how much she called out their name, nothing could bring them back. Bawling her eyes out, it seemed as if the world would stop moving.

"You still are that distant, aren't you?"

A warrior fell to her knees, her own body beginning to meld with the wood below her. Her own fur had turned into nothing more than sludge, tears falling from her face as immeasurable amounts of pain pulsed through her. A human wielding a red dagger walked right by her, laughing as they continued.

"I offered you help."

A horned monster turned to stare at them as they entered. His warm expression turned cold as he studied their face. A red flash of light swept out of his lab coat, the monster running forward with a yell of rage. A once reserved scientist had taken one final stand.

"I tried to give you hope when no one else would…"

Spears flew in all directions, honing in on the human's soul as they deflected them with a frying pan. Their soul shifted yellow, shooting at large spears trying to impale right through them. The cyborg in front of them chuckled madly, giving a battle cry as the human continued fighting on, a sort of flair being added to their fighting.

"And yet, you still continue to do this."

A mere child set their foot on orange and yellow tiles, their shoes making an audible noise as they made their way to a star shining near the wall. It engulfed their hand, a power surging through the human. However, if one were to observe closely, you would see a confidence about how they moved. This thing could barely even be called human now.

As they walked further into this hallway, they adjusted the hairclip which they had situated in their hair.

*We must look dazzling for our last performance, darling…

The human did not mind the voice speaking in their head, continuing to walk onward. The light shone on them through the windows, showing all of the dust that covered their body. Stains of red rested upon their clothes from the many battles they had taken place in, making them almost look inhumane. Well, that was rather unneeded, considering the deeds they had done.

They would have used a weapon which would make them look like a psychopath, but the strength of this knife was too much to pass by. The voice in their head was not too happy about them passing up the chainsaw, but seemed to not comment on it far too much. Still, the human deserved to wield this thing as if it was a trophy. That battle was a difficult one.

Too bad that other human did not stand a chance in the long run.

Yet, not long after they finally brought that obstacle to their knees, the monster they had originally been trying to kill had disappeared. It wasn't long before they realized that he had most likely fallen down due to the stress. All traces of him had vanished… Well, that was another out of the way for them.

This world was their show. They could not have anyone meddling with their set.

Confidently, they marched down the hallway, the same one that they had gone down a True Reset ago. Still, they had to admit, this path they took was more exhilarating, showing these monsters true fear.

Yet, the same fear seized their soul when something stood in shadow across from them, staring right into their very being. A wicked grin spread across the human's face, noticing who it was. Speaking almost with a sass to their tone, the human finally opened their mouth for once. "So quick to run, yet you try to stop me when it's too late? Don't you know that everyone you loved is dead?"

Across the hall, the monster stood motionless, that welcoming grin on his face gone. He made no move to attack, only just standing there, breathlessly. "I didn't come here to stop you." He started, his eyes being covered in shadow. "I came here to get answers."

"Then go ahead, ask me." The human tossed their knife into the air, the one Chara used to own. Leaning up against a pillar, they smuggly continued, "If it delays your inevitable end, then go on and stall me. Amuse me for a moment longer."

Asriel did not want to cry. He did not want to show fear in the face of this thing that had taken everything away from him. Yet, he found it so hard to contain all of the emotions building inside of him. Gritting his teeth as he tried to stifle his inner pain, he began speaking, his voice wavering, "What drove you to… to kill everyone who tried to help you?"

"Simple," They tossed their knife in the air, the blade rotating and shining in the light. "If one were to have infinite power, why not use it to see every performance play out?" The knife fell into their hand, the human inspecting the design upon it. "You wouldn't understand the thrill of seeing a play finish. You can't see it from my eyes."

One of Asriel's hands was brought out of his jacket pocket. However, the human noticed that it was no longer a blue jacket that he wore. It was green, the same one Chara wore. How pathetic. "S-So the only reason you did this, was for your own amusement?"

"I can't resist a good show, darling." The human's voice seemed to be laced with flair, their static expression gone, replaced with a cocky grin. They had completely changed since the encounter in Snowdin. The once silent human who had killed all of his family was now expressing their true colors with an added flair. "Now, how about you stand still, just like the rest of your stupid friends did."

Asriel did not make any move to attack, nor dodge. Simply standing there, he waited for the human to run at him, knife held back at the ready. They brought their arm forward, the knife about to impact him. Yet, they found their body frozen in place, Asriel placing a paw forward. Their soul shifted colors, turning light blue.

As they looked up at Asriel in shock, they noticed that there was something else in his place. A horrible beast stood where Asriel once was, being double his height. Black robes licked the floor as the boss monster raised his hand, a strange machine falling into his sharp claws. His inverted eyes stared into their soul, turning a deep red.

Three lines pointed at their soul, all coming from the strange device the monster was holding. Grinning madly, he fired the weapon, the human's soul snapping on impact.

*This show isn't over, darling…

Without even being forced to load, the human stood up, their body aching. The red soul of determination they possessed reformed, their face cracking into a smile. They refused to fall to this mere child. Twirling their knife through their fingers, they charged Asriel, ready to attack once more. Yet, once more, they found that their soul was light blue before being able to strike, keeping them in place.

The weapon in Asriel's hand fired a different shot, this one being made of pure rainbow light. The human felt their skin tear away as they were incinerated by the power. Once more, their soul cracked, reforming just as quickly as it had before.

*No one is invincible. Knock em dead, darling.

"You think you've won?" Asriel's voice spoke, having changed from the normal high pitched tone it used to take. It had dropped drastically, almost having an echo to it. "I really do have to thank you."

Light shone in the corner of the human's eye, two flames being on both sides of them. They leapt back as both sped by, only for an entire circle to form around them. It was just like when that stupid flower had trapped them. However, they pulled a toy gun out of their pocket, shooting at the many flames to try to gain an opening.

Their clothes caught fire as some grazed them, but not enough to kill. Gritting their teeth, the human stood up, seeing that Asriel was gone. "I can't believe you fell for that facade…" A white flash sped by their head, the limb in question being severed as their soul broke in two. Red lines of determination pulled the pieces back together, their body reforming.

*A star never rests…

The human watched as a sword Asriel was holding turned into nothing more than white light, fading away into the air. "You really thought that I would let you harm Asriel?" Now understanding, the human stepped backwards, almost being able to see the ghost of someone they had killed. "Luckily for you, I'm going easy right now. You can keep your dirty tricks," Asriel's body, no doubt not belonging to him at the moment, flew into the air, lightning tingling at his fingertips. "Then, I'll be sure to erase your pitiful existence."

The human held up a pan, a lightning bolt crashing down upon it. The energy kept building up, the human nearly blocking it before it gave off one more blast of energy. They caved in, the bolt coursing through their body. SmoOnce more, the culmination of their being was cut in half before rejoining.

*Get up and show them what you're made of!

Asriel almost seemed surprised, holding another sword in his paws. Yet, the human knew perfectly well that this was not the boy they once knew. "Shocked to see me again? Your reflection will follow you no matter how far you run."

The human held up their knife, the sword crashing down upon them. Sparks flew across the floor as the two struggled against each other. In Asriel's other paw, another identical sword came into view, sweeping at their side. Backflipping out of the way, they realized their mistake too soon as the boss monster spun with his swords, two impacts slashing across their body. Stumbling backwards, blood flew through the air as they stumbled to the ground, breathing heavily.

What used to be Asriel stood over them, his fangs being shown in his mad grin. "It's me, partner. Thanks to you, I'm stronger than ever." The monster waved his hand to the side, a whip of fire lashing out at the human's stomach. Coughing up blood, they struggled to stand as the flames licked across their clothing, slowly burning them to a crisp.

It hurts…

As their soul rejoined, the monster before them seemed to be looking at something else, an amused expression on his face. "So, you call yourself Shifty… huh?" The human, better known as Shifty as far as the being inside Asriel could tell, glared daggers as they charged forward with their knife, strafing as the monster brought down his sword.

"Die you PEST!" Shifty roared, stabbing into the monster's side with their knife.

-0

Fire erupted from beneath their feet, the human being able to get out of the way before it did too much to them. However, they whimpered in pain as they tried to put the smaller flames out, seeing that monster chuckle. "Don't you get it? A monster with a human soul is a great thing, isn't it?" The being raised its hands, crashing being heard from outside. "If you haven't guessed it, it's me, Chara."

"How are you still ALIVE?" Shifty roared, leaping forward with their knife in one hand, a toy gun firing from their other. Chara disappeared into a rainbow light, the bullets all hitting the wall behind where they once were. Feeling the sensation of magic behind them, Frisk tried to block with their frying pan, a bolt of lightning ricocheting into the ceiling.

Asriel's hand went forward, shifting Frisk's soul color. They found that their soul had turned orange. Pain ripped through their soul as they didn't move, the human writing on the ground in pain. Their soul snapped, reforming with determination once more.

*Hold your head high!

"Don't you understand? You'll never win. A monster absorbing a human soul grants it incredible power." As if displaying their point, they snapped their fingers, the windows around the hall shattering. Sharp pieces of glass took aim, shifting to aim at the human. Shatters echoed through the chamber, the human's arms being cut by the shards as they shielded their face. As the barrage ended, they still were able to stand, bleeding as they put on a tough glove.

Chara seemed to be planning something, giving a deep chuckle. "I can see every single monster you killed. I can see your attack, your defense, your LOVE…" Balls of fire appeared over their head in an arc, one flying after the other. "Asriel sees them too, you know. He was exposed to the darkness you are spreading upon us."

The human rolled to the side, a blast of fire exploding across the floor. They slashed at another with their dagger, the flame splitting and exploding on both sides of them, narrowly missing their body. However, more were to come, exploding around them in bright flashes, Shifty trying to get away from the danger zones. Yet, just as they thought they were in the clear, their heart sunk when they saw red daggers suspended in midair, their tips pointing at the human.

"He's broken, you know…" Asriel's fist clenched, Chara's malice growing. "In my soul, Asriel is crying out in pain, just asking why…" The daggers took flight, the human trying to slice them down with their own knife. Three clattered to the ground before five others stabbed right through their chest, sucking the life out of them. Asriel's eyes looked down upon them, darkness leaking from them. "You broke him. So now, I'll show you that pain, no matter how many times you come back."

Chara brought down a chaos sabre, the human's soul snapping into two, trembling in the air as it tried to rejoin.

*Come on, let me show you how this is done…

Unable to take control of their actions, Shifty's body stood up on its own, the soul refusing to break. Chara, not noticing the sudden change, brought their palms downward, lightning crashing from the ceiling. Almost with supernatural grace, the human leapt out of the way, quietly landing on their feet.

With both the toy knife and real knife in their hand, they ran around the monster, trying to disorient them. Yet, Chara was unfazed, throwing one of their hands down. A large star crashed into the ground in front of the human, their body being launched towards a wall. Repositioning their body, they hit their feet on the wall, pushing off and performing a roll to get back on their feet.

Daggers shot upward through the ground, engulfing the human within them as they tried to cut across their body. However, they seemed to bob and weave, gracefully avoiding all of them. A bead of sweat dripped down Asriel's face, the human controlling him grimacing. "Getting faster, are we?" Chara held their arms near their neck, dual, massive daggers appearing within their hands. "Let's see how long you can keep that up."

Two beings, both holding the souls of their companions, charged one another with their weaponry, ready to clash.

Asriel could only watch as his sibling held their unified soul in their hand, taking full control over their actions. It was strange, seeing this image of the both of them existing separately, and the scene of the fight from the first person perspective at the same time. His mind could not comprehend it, yet he did not need to. It was useless to even try.

The one he called his sibling stood emotionless, having all the control they needed. Asriel could only sit there, watching as they tore apart that human. This was not the kindhearted Chara he once knew, yet, could he really blame them? There were so many negative emotions swirling inside of him, that he did not know if this was right or wrong.

When he had absorbed Chara's soul out of a knee jerk instinct, he was not expecting for his control to be split. He just couldn't bear to watch it crack and shatter into pieces. The human had left it behind to rot. That was when Toriel had found the body, his mother, devastated at the sight. When she left, telling him to stay in the house…

...their soul finally showed itself, almost calling out to him.

Could he really judge them taking control when the human was about to lay waste to him? All he wanted was to figure out why they did all of this. It was too late to save anyone. So why…

Why did Chara insist on fighting the human still, even with nothing to save?

The human panted heavily, watching as Chara whipped their blades around, trying to slice of their head. They ducked, the swords cutting off a bit of their hair. Taking back their original stance, they fired multiple volleys of bullets at their cloak, many zeros appearing.

No damage was being done, and it was starting to worry them. Yet, they held onto their determination, dancing out of the way of a pillar of fire sweeping their way. "Why do you even try?" Shifty's voice came out more labored than last time. It seemed that they were nearing the point of breaking. "You know I'll just reset and do it all over again. You can't stop me."

Chara stood still for a moment, a grin cracking at the sides of their mouth. Throwing their head back, echoed laughter rang out through the hallway, almost as if they knew something more than the human did. "That's a funny joke!" A sword slashed across the human's body, blood flying through the air. Their soul snapped, coming back together as another swing came down upon it. "Did you never learn what type of soul I had?"

A red blast of energy echoed outward, Shifty's soul breaking into four pieces. Yet, they held on, their soul mending itself. The sabres within Chara's palms started floating on their own, situating themselves behind the human. Giant knives replaced the weapon within their hands, the monster floating forward. Seeing as they needed to use a sturdier weapon, the human tossed the toy knife aside, pulling out their frying pan to dual wield with the true knife.

They put their weapons up in an X, blocking the first sword that Chara brought down. Another came from behind, trying to slash down. If that was not enough, a second floating sword swept in from the side, not making this any easier. Sparks lit up the room as they attempted to hold of Chara with the pan, slashing away at the two swords which relentlessly beat at their knife.

An eruption of fire made them scream in pain, feeling their body slowly burn to ash. Their soul reformed as usual, their body appearing in a flash of light. However, a noticeable crack formed on the top of it, barely noticeable. They were running out of time. Chara let a grin split on their face, Shifty returning it with a look of horror. "No one is invincible."

Shrugging, they shook their head, the human shrieking as knives pierced through their body. They fell, limp to the floor, their soul breaking in front of them again, taking longer to rejoin. Finding the strength to look up, a terrible realization dawned upon them. Chara was gone. Which only meant…

A chilling, toneless laugh came from behind them, shaking the entire hall. Chara stood atop the beast, the horned being opening its maw. "It's time I erase you FOR GOOD!" They could only struggle as fragments of the Judgement Hall began being sucked into the void. Driving their knife into the ground, they tried to slow their travelling towards it. Only barely hanging on, their body became airborne, only being tethered by their knife.

Yet, it began to slip, the inevitable fate coming upon them.

Asriel could just feel their malice building in his soul, trying its hardest to kill that human. Yet, as silent as Asriel stayed, the question rang in his mind. Was this truly what was right? Of course it was… For everyone else, it would free them, from what sense he could gather from this. They would all go living back to normal. Everyone would be alive and happy…

Still, could he watch as someone lost their chance at redemption? There was still good in that human. He just felt it in their soul. For someone's existence to be erased, he just could not bear the thought of it. His face turned up to stare at his soul, magic flowing from it. Yet, it was still in Chara's grasp.

"Don't even think about it, Asriel." They firmly stated, not even needing to look back at him to get their point across. "This human has killed everyone close to us, and if we spare it, then it will find a way to kill every last one of us. Do you want that?"

"...No." He quietly whispered, bowing his head once more. It was hopeless to talk sense into them. Yet, he couldn't help but try. "But… isn't there any other w-"

"No." A red eyed glance was shot in his direction, the human asserting their magic into this attack. "Do you not understand? There is no such thing as mercy in this situation."

"There has to be some way!" Asriel stood to his feet, Chara noticing his movement. This was not the time. Right when they were so close to ending this threat, Asriel HAD to be difficult. "We can still show them kindness. They're just misle-"

"Did mom dying mean nothing to you?" Their body had turned fully to Asriel, holding his soul out to their side. "Did dad turning to dust not affect you in the slightest?" The red light emitting from their eyes as they exerted their power into the fight shone brightly, Chara scoffing, "I knew you'd do this. It's not in your nature to bring harm, no matter how intimidating you try to be…" Should they believe in their brother? Could he really do anything? With this power, they were near invincible, so maybe… just maybe he was right.

Besides, the human was needed to break the barrier. Even if Chara was not sure about allowing the monsters into a world of humans, the monsters themselves would love to see the sun again. "You have one chance. If the human attacks, they die. If not… then they must reset. We will finish this, one way or another."

The soul that rested in Chara's hand drifted towards Asriel, offering its full control to him. "I-I'll try my best…" Did he even know what he was doing? This was going to be impossible, wasn't it? Still, he had to hold onto the hope that he could change this human. No one deserved death, let alone, total erasure.

He had to win this. And he was not intending for Chara to get control back.

It… stopped?

The human gasped for breath as their body fell to the floor. The skull which was once pulling them away flaked off into the air, vanishing into nothing. Looking to the monster they had been trying to hard to end, Shifty noticed his malicious gaze was gone. Their eyes widened, almost in shock as he stepped forward, not making any move of attacking. "Please, don't be scared."

"You again?" Stumbling to their feet, they clutched at their chest, trying to get air in their lungs. However, their breathing was ragged, and they were beaten to a pulp. "I don't care what you have to say. I will finish this."

"Would you just listen for once…" He sighed, placing a hand behind his ear in stress. This already was not going well, and he could feel Chara at the ready to take the control away if any movement were to be made. "Human, please, I want you to calm down, and just. Talk."

"You already had your chance for explanations. I'm done talking with anyone down here." They threw their hands up, a taunting expression on their face. "You're all the same, predictable little monsters that can easily be manipulated. What are you trying to accomplish here?"

Asriel bowed his head, knowing that this was not getting anywhere. "I just want to HELP you. How hard is that to understand?" His fists balled up in frustration. "All I wanted to do was bring you hope, and you returned that to me by killing everyone I loved." He tried to breath, slowing his heart rate down. "I am giving you this last chance, even after all of that, to take it all back. So please… prove Chara that they're wrong. Prove to me that there's hope in you."

*Asriel is sparing you…

The human glanced to the monster, cocking their head. "Is that so?" He could only pray that the human would just put down the knife. Yet, it didn't seem like they would stop. It was a stalemate. No one would kill the other, unless Chara was able to take control. "You've taken my power to reset with that soul of yours, the power to keep this show rolling. I won't let that go easily." With a streak of blue and purple, the child launched forward, holding out their knife for a strike.

-0

God it hurt. It didn't suck any life out of anything, but it still felt like the knife was cutting through him. He had not felt the first strike Chara had taken, but now when he was in control, it was unbearable.

Slashes ripped across his robes, turning it into a tattered mess. Each one hurt more than the other, and his blind screaming could only be heard by Chara, unable to tell him to give them control. Yet, he had to get up. There had to be a way to solve this.

Chara ripped at the edges of his mind, trying to get any recognition. "Azzy, please, give me control. You're not going to be able to take much more of this. They're going to start being able to damage you."

A star spun in front of his hand, deflecting a swing. The human followed up with a twirl, cutting through the star and landing yet another hit on Asriel. The searing feeling of fire tore across his body, the wound not even being a scratch, but it hurt so much.

"Newcomer ple-" Another slash echoed through the hall, cutting straight through his chest. It felt just like it was actually cutting through him, but did not leave any noticeable mark. "I-I know how I can help you. I know how we can-" He yelled out in pain as his horn was severed from his head, dust flowing out of it.

-1

The human cocked their head, their bleeding finger scraping across their knife. "Not so tough now, are we?" Leaping into the air, the so called human slashed downward, a red echo of energy ripping downward towards Asriel. A skull manifested in front of him as he brandished his arms in an X, the weapon sucking the strike into non existence.

*Asriel, give. Me. Control.

A hardly recognizable voice pleaded with him. He tried to shut them out as their malice grew in his soul, trying to gain any sense of control. "Human, I'm doing this for your own good. I only hope that you change the next time around."

Chara panicked as something flared within Asriel, something they thought they had lost a long time ago. What was he doing? With a ping, Asriel's hand landed upon a yellow box, words glowing like fire as the human stood across from the fused beings. Rage registered in their eyes as they realized what had happened.

"You… you are NOT going to take this away from me!" Yet, they found that they could not move. Wind began swirling around them both, the clock beginning to turn back on itself. If there was one thing the human was not expecting, it was for Asriel to reset.

"I won't let Chara erase you." Asriel smiled, yet, he knew that this would not be the last mistake he made. "You don't deserve that. I only hope… hope that when you kill us again and again, that you will one day remember the kindness I tried to show you."

The human jumped forward to try to attack Asriel one last time, but found that the knife was no longer in their possession. Their body dislodged itself from the world, going off to serve its purpose for when the time came.

"Why was I so unsure of them? This thought stuck with me." The hooded, rosy cheeked human leaned on the table across from one of their own kind, a blank stare looking right back at them. "I ran back to our Waterfall home with my knife, long since unneeded. First thing I did was cling to Asriel."

The blank staring human seemed to smile, but Chara was anything but amused.

"Did you think it was because of some skeleton's musing? No, human…" Their body became more stiff, their eyes looking out from under their hood. "I went to cling to my brother, because I knew he was there, not just dust. Do anything again, and we will sing the same song and dance."

The purple and blue shirt human's eyes widened in shock as Chara was gone, a voice whispering from the shadows.

"You were lucky to have been spared."