Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale. The game and characters belong to Toby (Rad) Fox. All the songs I mentioned here belong to their respective artists as well.

Please enjoy this piece of fanfiction.


Mind and Body

Chapter 2: Stories left untold.

The tower was a bit further than Frisk expected it to be. That was the lie he told himself. It was much further than he had expected. The distance he thought back then was four steps compare to a football stadium of the real gap between him and the State.

It was afternoon when he got to what he thought was the State. In front of him at the moment was a gigantic moss-covered metal wall. The thing completely obscured the vision of the golden tower. He looked up. There were no windows on it, just a plain, cold steel wall, surrounded the State. Frisk walked along the side of it, trying to locate the Book Cemetery.

The sun was getting intense. Its light was beating on his head like a hammer. Disorientation dampened his vision. The heat was getting to him. Sure, he had managed to walk though Hotland before, but this was different. He did not have to walk for more than an hour under the heat and there were no sun in the Underground.

A few meters later, his feet gave up and Frisk still found himself nowhere near the sewage. Or any place resembled a cemetery for that matter. Exhaustion and hunger dragged him down to the ground. His knees first touched the grass, next came his body and face.

The idea of sleeping on the spot was tempting. He did not care about sun light anymore; he just wanted to rest for now. Frisk lied down and let the strange, yet sweet smell of grass filled his nostrils. Smiled as he recalled what Napstablook told him about lying flat on the ground, feeling like garbage. His eyelids grew heavy and sleep came shortly after.

He was having a blank dream. Nothing was there but a white light. While drifting in the empty space behind his closed eyes, he heard voices.

"Who are you?" A female voice, quite similar to the solider who took him here.

"He is as sleep. How do you expect him to answer that?"

"Right. Wake up, rouge SOUL!"

Frisk felt a tap on his forehead. The force was just enough to wake him up. He opened his eyes and saw two humans (one male, one female) were looking down on him. Both were wearing the same attire, dark grey long trench coats, black trousers and pairs of leather shoes. Odd devices that let out an ominous glow were where their SOULs should be. In their hands were two flintlock rifles. The chambers and barrels bore the same design as the Prince's pistol, only longer.

Saw the guns, Frisk sprang up and quickly crawled backward. He was panic for a moment, but reminded himself of the first time he saw Undyne. Back then, thing were much worse. He did not know how comparing the two terrible things would make one less terrible-but it worked for him. His feet found strength and helped him stand up.

"Calm down, you are scaring him." The male human told his female compatriot.

"I don't care. Our orders are clear. We must take him to the King."

(The song DRG by Ani begins to play)

(Two Guardians block your path.)

Frisk got himself in battle stance. It might have been awhile since his last battle, but he still had a feel for it. He checked the two human.

(ATK 60. DEF 60. Guardian: The backbone of the State army, trained to follow orders from the King.)

The male Guardian said. "Aren't the orders talking about treating all human beings with respect?"

The female responded with an eyes roll and said. "Fine, in the name of the King and the State, I will take your SOUL."

The female Guardians fired the rifle relentlessly at Frisk while the other just fired a single round near Frisk's feet. The rifles may look like flintlock rifle in museum, but they packed a much faster fire rate and shot strange slow moving beams. These beams were relatively easy for Frisk to dodge. All of the beams ended up hitting the grass below.

(You tell them the purpose of you being here.)

The male Guardian tilted his head. "What an odd thing to say."

"Monsters? That means he is an enemy." Said the female as her attack became more violent and harder for Frisk to evade. However, all the training from the Underground had prepared him for this. The most damage he experienced was a beam scratched the skin of his arm. Frisk then ran and took covered behind a nearby tree. All that happened, while the male Guardian kept pondering and muttering something to himself.

"Why a human would suggest that he is their diplomat?"

"Don't just stand there, help me with this."

(You tell the female Guardians that you don't want to fight.)

"Don't waste your breath."

"Now, now, we must think this logically as all Guardians should."

The female Guardians threw a strange jar at the tree. The jar broke opened and set off a small explosion that release a purple gas. Frisk immediately covered his eyes and ran, trying to find a different cover. Frisk inhaled some of the gas and felt tired. His movement speed dropped.

(A strange smell of lavender filled the air)

(You tell him about the purpose of being here.)

"Are you all right child? You seem to be quite delusional."

"Just surrender. You are making this harder on yourself."

The female Guardian reloaded her gun and ran straight for Frisk. The male Guardian stopped pondering and snapped his fingers. The female pinned Frisk to the ground with the stock of her rifle.

(The smell of Larvender faded away)

(You struggle, but her grip is too strong)

"Stop! I don't think this child even realized what he was doing."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Just let go of him and I'll explain."

"Fine."

The female lifted the pressure on Frisk and stood aside, waiting for her compatriot to give the answer. The other Guardian told his compatriot to stay where she was with a few gestures from his fingers. He approached Frisk and offered his assistance to the boy. He winked at Frisk and told him: "No need to be worry rouge SOUL, we can talk this out." The female Guardians seemed confused.

(You lost (kinda), earned 0 XP and 100 Gold.)

(Song ends)

Frisk stood up with the help the male. Then he raised his hands halfway, a sign of surrender was clear for the female.

"See, he is harmless. There is no need to waste our ammunitions."

"I stopped attacking because I honored your wishes and my curiosity. Now just give me your reasons."

"Think about it, a child with a SOUL somehow wandered to the State; said that he is a monster diplomat. No sane child would do such things. All sane children know, hostile monsters are either dead or sealed away. Sure, we have a few left, but their numbers are too small to be considered a country that need a diplomat. By the way, where do they live again? Oh, yes, within the State. And a child as a diplomat, that is impossible. Such thoughts can only be conjured up by a mind that, well, doesn't function properly."

"I see. You are right. His SOUL must be tainted and it eating away his mind."

"There you go. I don't think we need to fight him. You would just waste your energy. That tainted SOUL of his probably can't comprehend what the King going to do to him. Either way, the King is going to take that SOUL and fix him. Just ask him nicely, he seem to understand human speech."

"Hum, sure." The female Guardian strapped the rifle on her back.

"So mentally disturbed child, come with us, and we will take you to the King, as you wish. Whether he talks with you or takes your SOUL, it's up to him. What do you say?"

"If you have any shred of sanity in you, I would accept when he is still asking nicely." The female added.

*Yes No

"That settles then." The female Guardian grabbed Frisk shoulder. He could felt her fingers struck his bones. Frisk winced, the Grunt saw his face but refuse to loosen her grip. She then turned to her compatriot. "Take him to the King? You know it's against the orders to make promises that you can't keep right?"

"I know, but explain the whole process of take him to Elise and let her take him through 6 more people seem, unnecessary. He won't remember any of this afterward right?"

She had another look at Frisk. "That is true. He looks rather dim witted."

The male Guardian gently brushed the other Guardian's hand from Frisk's shoulder. "Well, I'll take this from here. You keep patrolling the area while I take this child to Elise. Last thing we want to happen is a security breach."

The female eyes shone in realization. "You are right. Someone might be using him as decoy. How did I fail to see that? I must be on guard."

The male Guardian shrugged his shoulder. "Don't be hard on yourself. The King says our minds are not perfect, so relying on each other is a must. The King is never wrong, right? Just stay sharp, I'll get back to you after I finish with this rouge SOUL."

"Good. May your body and mind be strong enough for this world."

The male Grunt just nodded and took Frisk by the shoulder. His grip was gentler in comparison to his compatriot. 'Come, we must go. You want to see the King don't you?' Frisk nodded. 'Then move fast.' The Guardian gave Frisk a little push and pointed his finger forward.

They soon approached a large metal gate that bore in the metal wall. The Guardian walked to the left of the gate. Frisk paid no mind to that. Instead, he focused on the sign above the rusted gate. It said, "Books Cemetery". The Guardian knocked on the wall three times. A portion of the wall open and revealed a window covered in a black veil. Inside, an old, raspy voice spoke, "The passworddddddd."

"Big Brother is always watching."

The gate creaked as the two doors slowly opened up. A strong smell of mold and rotten paper rushed out. The Guardian bowed slightly, before the little hole on the wall shut tight again. "Please step in." The Guardian said as he entered the Books Cemetery.

(Proceed?)

*Yes Run

Frisked stepped in and followed the Guardian's steps. The soft grass under his feet was replaced by a stiff and lumpy floor. The inside was dark and impossible to see through. However, that changed when the Guardian clapped his hand. Lights on the ceiling and walls around them lit up, revealing the interior of the cemetery, not entirely but enough. There were no tombstones or ceremonial flower in this place. It looked more like a dungeons, filled to the brim with books. All the books piled up and were rotten beyond recognition. Frisk looked down and saw everything underneath his shoes was covered in pages of books unknown. Most of them were blackened with mold, while some were starting to turn yellow. In a corner, Frisk could see a strange white plant growing from a stack of abandoned books. It was blooming with spore.

The gate slammed behind them. The vibration shook a book stack near Frisk. He quickly dodged backward. To his surprised, it did not fell on him.

"Be careful around this place. These papers bore more weight than they look. Come, the door is right there, don't wander off or you will get lost." The Guardian pointed at the end of the dungeon-a golden door.

Frisk walked forward. He then noticed dozens of branching paths, connecting to endless corridors. They all looked the same, dark and menacing. He had seen monsters and he had seen human, so he did not know what was hiding in the dark. But, he was expecting something to be hiding deep within those corridors. Wished not to trouble himself anymore, he walked on, to the golden door.

As he was approaching the golden exit, Frisk saw a few books that looked relatively new. He approached them and crouched down.

(Read one)

*Yes No

(The cover is no longer possible to read. A random page reads, "The King and the scholars had successfully discovered a mean to harvest SOUL of fallen enemies. This invention would definitely strike fear to any foe.")

The Guardian standing in front of the door "Rouge SOUL, what are you doing? The exit is here." He looked down and saw the mold infested book in Frisk's hands. "Are you reading? You are wasting your time. The words in those books are worthless. But feel free to read them if you want to." He then shook his head. "Okay. When you are done with all the readings, head for the door. Don't try to wander off. You would accomplish nothing, just get you lost." The Guardian then decided to open the door and passed through it without Frisk. A glimmer of sunlight entered the cemetery as he did so, and the glimmer disappeared when he slammed it shut.

Frisk picked up another book, this one looked older than the last. The covered pages and a good chunk of it were falling apart, like ashes.

(Among the first few pages that could be read. "The King rallied his troops and prepared for war. A world void of fear from the bloodlust fiend lied beyond the horizon.")

(The rest were depictions of the human and monster war.)

Frisk put down the book and searched for another one.

(This book reads. "The Scholars had made some interesting discoveries from adding monster ashes to certain substances.")

(The page was lost)

(The next page read, "Some of them speculated that SOUL essence could extend human life and grant the ability to manipulate…")

(A patch of mold covered the rest of the page)

Frisk shook off the dust on his hand and searched for another book. The curious nature within him had kicked in. He pick one book that survived better than the rest.

(Another book reads. "It has only been less than a decade since the end of the Monster war and the Kingdom is under attack once again. This time, the threats come from the neighbouring kingdoms.")

(You flipped through a few other pages)

("The King and the scholars are working on a weapon that could harness the SOUL collecting power from monsters. The perfect weapon to stop invading forces.")

(Continue reading?)

*Yes No

(In the next few pages)

("The prince has gone missing. The King suspects this to be an act of one or some other kingdoms-too terrified to face him and his army head on.")

The Guardian had returned to the golden door. He called Frisk. "Rogue SOUL, I am known for my patience. But I have my limits. Please get a move on so I could get back to my duties." Frisk tossed the book on the ground and ran to door. "Finally." The Guardian said as Frisk exited the Book Cemetery. With a slightly annoyed expression on his face, the Guardian went back to the cemetery and closed the door.

Frisk had a look around this new area. The place was a gigantic library, completely different from the last. The interior is was symmetrical and old-fashioned. Everywhere and everything is made of wood, except for the white marble walls and fireplaces. Stained glass windows gave the library natural light, as well as adding some variation of color to the structure. All the books here were properly placed on shelves with carved decorative patterns. Both the shelves and the books looked brand new-signs of great dedications from whoever took care of them. The floor is made of spotless tiles with engravings of stylized tree branches on them. Apparently, the floor was so clean that all the SOUL-less humans in this library chose to sit flat on it and read. That, or the chair were all occupied by similar humans.

Frisk approached them and wished to strike a conversation. However, it ended up in vain, for the SOUL-less humans were too focus on their books to notice him. Curious, Frisk decided to check on one of the book.

(This book's title is "The King", read it)

*Yes No

("Our King is incorruptible. Nothing in this world could bribe him, for he only desire one thing, perfection.")

(There is a picture of a man wearing a large white mask and attire similar to the Guardians. On the wall behind him, was an oversized skull of a goat. Below, it reads, "The King hides his face behind this mask as a reminder. Everyone in this Kingdom could be him. For that, we should treat each other with respect. This also explains why those within the State call him "Big brother" as if he is part their own families.")

He put the book back to the shelf and had a read at another.

(This book's title is "The nature of SOULs", read it)

*Yes No

("Essentially, we as human are made of three parts: The Body, the Mind and the SOUL. Before, we thought that there are only the SOUL and the Body. However, a few years ago, the King discovered the existence of the Mind. The Mind is the true master of our thoughts and ideas, while the SOUL only gives us the will or determination to act on them. Mind and SOUL, these two elements are so close to each other that for decades we believe they are one and the same.")

(Continued reading?)

*Yes No

(SOUL is a dangerous substance that used to reside within us all. It does nothing but confuses us and drives our communities into discord. It could command us to do bad things without considerations from the mind. A simple metaphor for this is imagining a voice within your head that said, "You should, just because you can". We can use logic and reasons to redirect the mind, but not with the SOUL. The SOUL is unpredictable and persistent. Nothing could change a SOUL. And as long as it resides within us, we would always be the greatest threat to those around us. We should be thankful to the King. He was the one who purified us of this corrupting element and giving us a grander purpose, for prosperity of all in the State.")

"Oh, I see. You are a curious little boy aren't you?" A voice of an old woman reached Frisk's ears. He turned to his left and saw just that, an old woman sitting in a wheelchair was looking at him. She had to be in her seventies at least. The deep trenches on her pale skin proved it. Her silver hair was allowed to grow long and rest on her shoulders, like aerial root of a long forgotten-but still standing pagoda tree. She was wearing a green blazer accompany by Victorian dress. Her hand held a metal cane. The tip of it was sharp enough to take someone or some-monster eye out. Her chest did not have the device like the Guardians; instead, she had the glow of a green colored SOUL. Noticed Frisk's attention on her, she drew friendly smile on her face

Frisk took a step back. She laughed and said. "Don't be afraid, because that would be silly. What harm could an old lady like I am do to you?" He just stood there. "Haven't your father and mother taught you any manners?" Frisk did not answer her and kept his silence. She closed her eyes. "Oh, I see now, maybe that's why.' She paused and thought of something. "You need to relax, child. How about following me for a nice cup of tea?"

With flick of her cane, the old woman made the wheelchair turned and moved on its own. Frisk did not know how to react to that, he put book back and thought up something. She looked back. "You are telling me, you are brave enough to get to the State and yet could not follow a hundred years old lady on her wheelchair? Come now or I'll change my mind."

Frisk found his feet moving again. He still kept a distance of a few feet away from her wheelchair. It was then he noticed a symbol on the back of her wheelchair. It was a hexagon with seven different color dots inside- all connected to each other with branches like patterns.

Passing by hundred shelves of book, they traveled to the end of library, which marked by two winding staircases and a fireplace. The staircase was long and seemingly unending from Frisk's perspective. The old woman grabbed the armrests on the wheelchair while her SOUL began to glow. She tapped the tip of her cane on the floor.

Moment later, the wheelchair levitated above the ground. It then moved up the stairs, without its wheels touching the steps. With ease, she traversed upward. "Heading for the room at the top, okay? Just a few steps, child. I will get the tea ready for you, in the meantime." With that, she flew all the way to the top and disappeared from Frisk's eyes.

Looked at the towering stairs, Frisk thought to himself.

(Climb the stairs?)

*Yes No

(You take a deep breath and prepare for a long walk)

After ten or twenty minutes of walking up the stair, Frisk finally reached the top room. He held on to railing while panting heavily. He could see a sweat clinging on to his eye lash, instance before falling in his eye. He rubbed his eyes immediately and caught up his breath. Once he did, he let go of the railing.

(The feeling of reaching the top floor and not fainting fills you with determination.)

Took one deep breath, he stood up right and entered the room.

Inside was a study with two books shelf to Frisk's left and right. These shelves, though beautifully crafted, were different from those down stair. They were much simpler and were designed to resemble oversized stumps.

In front of him was a long wooden table with one teapot, two teacups and a stack of strangely familiar notebooks near the side of the old woman. On the top notebook, is a Polaroid photograph destroyed by time. "Come child, sit down and enjoy." said the old woman at the opposite side of the table. She moved her index finger and a chair moved to Frisk's location.

He sat down and took a sip of the tea. It was warm peach flavored tea. Tasted much better than anything Undyne and Asgore had made, which did not mean a lot. She snapped her fingers and a hatch from the ceiling opened up. A tray of cupcakes and various sweets was lowered from the hatch and was gently placed on the table. He reached out for one.

"There. How was it?" She said after seeing Frisk took a bite of the cupcake. Frisk nodded; satisfied that he had something in his stomach. "Sorry, where are my manners? I am the Elise, most used to call me the Archive keeper. The King is not very creative with names. What is your?"

(You tell her your name)

"Ah, your name is Frisk. Hahaha, did you come up with that yourself?" She reached her head up and squeezed out a laugh from her lungs. "Eh hem! No need to answer that, child. Okay, Frisk, what bring you to the State? This is no place for tourists, you know. You should be hiding if you value your SOUL."

Keep silent. *Tell the reasons.

"Hum, well, hehe, that is interesting. Now I'm starting to see why he said you were insane." She tapped her crooked finger on the table. "Do you know what I think? I think you are just an imaginative child. Your parents probably left you behind, forcing you to live on your own. You just happened to find the State and decided to try your luck. Maybe you were hoping that there would be something to eat. Did I get it right? Or am I just over thinking it, again?"

Yes *No

"Oh, well. Sorry for wasting your time then." She took a sip of her own cup. "You know, it is not wise to see the King. Imaginative kids like you, should be free to come up with wild stories like that. I don't know if you notice this, but, once you meet the King, you will lose your SOUL, no more imagination, no more freedom, just a vessel carrying out mundane tasks. No more stories to be written, just the daily grind of 'Classic' work." She sighed. "You know what, child? I'm telling you this, how about I get you to somewhere safe. I know a village quite far from here, unseen to the State, you should be safe there." She waited for his respond.

"Why are you giving that face? Ah, no need to be shy, I don't need you to pay anything, just made up a few stories and tell them to me from times to times. I'll share you some of my own as well. I have a lot so please, make extra."

*Keep telling her the reason.

Accept her offer.

"Huh? So, you are determinate that what you are saying is the truth. Well, oh dear, oh dear." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "So the monsters are the reason why you are here and they had left the Underground. How did that happen? They would need seven SOULs for that." She took a deep breath. "Frisk, I am going to ask you again, is what you are saying, the truth? Did the monster escape from the Underground?"

*Yes

No

"Well, I was afraid that it would be the case. I was hoping for the little story I made inside my head to be true. Oh well, that is reality I guess. As for you, Mr. Diplomat, I'm afraid you have wasted your effort. Monsters must not be allowed to walk the earth. The fiend must be stopped at all cost." Frisk felt uneasy and stood up. Before he could leave, the doors shut tight behind him.

"I'm sorry, but you cannot go."

Elise slammed her cane to the ground, the room quake under her strike. The floor cracked as the room seemingly expanded and it was. In matter of seconds, the room had grown tenfold, giving the feeling an empty arena. The SOUL on Elise's chest shone bright as she slowly stood up from her wheelchair. She twisted the handle of the cane and made it broke into small sections. With a flick of her wrist, the cane turned into a long chain whip, with two sharp blades on every link. She swung it and smashed the table in front of her into smithereens. The stack of notebooks and the photograph fell to the floor.

With a grin on her face, she kicked the wheelchair away and pointed at Frisk. "You now have two options. Give me that SOUL willingly, or I'll rip it out from you. Don't underestimate me, boy. The King has given to me more than just a position." She picked a seed from a bag strapped on her back. With a simple look, the seed sprouted. The still growing plant was then used as a bind for her silver hair. The plant stopped growing as soon as it had wrapped her hair neatly. She flicked the whip once more.

(The song Forbidden Codex by Hoskey begins to play)

(Elise challenges you.)

Frisk checked her. ATK: 467 DEF: 248. Elise. Former Archive Keeper of the Kingdom. Not to be fooled by her appearance.

She snapped her off hand's fingers. The gesture called forth the books on the shelves to her side. She flicked her index finger, commanded some books to fling themselves at Frisk. The books were big and bulky so they traveled though the space between him at her at a rather slow pace. With that, Frisk had no trouble dodging them.

"Not bad"

(You explain that the monsters are not as horrible as she thinks them to be)

"Nonsense, have you seen the bloodshed they have caused?" She paused for a moment. "Sure, we caused some ourselves, but, bah, irrelevant."

Elise extended her whip a bit further. Frisk took a step back, getting himself out of possible range. She swung her weapon, and with no surprise, Frisk evaded it. Elise whispered, "Quick," then with speed beyond her years and beyond normal human capacity, she got herself two-steps away from Frisk in one dash. Frisk froze when her gaze laid weight on him. Elise drew her off hand to the side and slapped Frisk. "But not enough." Quicker the Frisk could cover his cheek, Elise returned to her original location, leaving the boy behind, stunned. "That is a warning slap, boy. The slower attacks are much more painful. This is your last chance to withdraw."

(You tell her that you don't want to fight)

"Fight? Foolish child, look at your current state. This is not a fight. This is me, deciding which method of execution to give you."

She took a step forward, raised her whip and violently swung it. Frisk dodged backward. However, afraid of another surprise hit from Elise, he hesitated. And that hesitation allowed the metal tip to break the skin on his face. He could not fell his face until a burning sensation followed by the feeling of a thick droplet of oil rolling along his face. Frisk bit down the pain and dodged to the left, evaded a following attack.

(You tell her the history of the monsters you learned from the Underground.)

Elise shook her head. "You poor thing, what have they done to you to? No need. Soon, I and the King will release you from your indoctrination."

(Smells like fresh pages)

She snapped her fingers, commanding the books to open. Flocks of rectangular cranes left the books and folded themselves into paper shurikens. By grabbing her hand into a fist, Elise made the shurikens spinning.

(The Storyteller is preparing her next attack)

(You keep telling the stories as it is. At least as the things that you have read)

"Really? Hum. No, I must not think so. I must not doubt the State. The monsters' actions in the past have been fully established. They are blood crave creatures and nothing more."

She commanded a handful of shurikens to fly toward Frisk. They traveled with velocity and was just as sharp as the real things. He had not have a shuriken dug into his skin before to judge the sharpness. But how could he doubt the pain he felt by two of them pinning in his chest, stuck into his ribcage. He could not see his bone, but he can say for certain that these paper blades were there. His blood soaked the paper. However, the liquid did not turn the paper limp or soggy. It just turned a quarter of the shurikens red.

Seeing Frisk hurting from her attacks, Elise was having second thoughts.

"Is this worth it for you? They are just monsters, fiends. They don't deserve your sacrifice. They don't deserve anything from us!"

Frisk ignored the pain and gathered all the determination he had. Using it as a driving force to get himself truly prepared this battle.

(You explain the reason why you will always stand up for the monsters)

"Oh, if they mean that much to you, then who am I to deny your freedom of choice? I can only deny you mercy!" She retracted the whip, transformed it back to the cane with a slam. Once the weapon's joints clicked together, she dashed forward and placed herself two feet away from Frisk again. Use the cane as a short sword, she thrusted it to Frisk's glowing red soul.

He sided stepped, evaded the attack. Elise swiped the cane to the left, struck Frisk in the side. He did not retaliate, instead, held his arm in front of his face in defense. Elise jumped back to the other side of the arena. Frisk, hearing her retreat, decided to drop his guard. To his surprise, four shurikens were coming at him. Four were too fast for him to dodge.

His body took all the blades. He did not bother look down to see them sticking out of his stripe shirt. His SOUL and body just did not have the luxury of time and energy for that. Frisk fell on his knees once more. Compare to the grass, the hard floor was much more unpleasant to fall on. He did not understand why he had that thought in his mind. But take this into consideration, kids have strange lists of priorities.

Frisk did not know what to do, besides "Spare" of course. It did not work out so well as Elise prepared her special attack. The SOUL on her body radiate brilliantly. The ground underneath the arena shook. The vibration knocked Frisk on his face once more. At that point, he was numb with swelling and pain that he could not even feel the sudden coolness of the floor. The floor near Elise cracked open. An emerald color vine covered with thorns emerged from it. The vine reached up and constricted itself around Elise off hand. The former archive keeper yanked the vine out and winded it like her second whip.

She began to spin them and whip them in an X pattern, leaving narrow V cracks on the otherwise spotless floor. The speed of the whips rose steadily, as she edged closer to Frisk. The eight child, who has fallen, did the same thing after every fall, he stood up, and walked forward, with his eyes nearly closed of course.

"You FOOL!" she said before Frisk did the dumbest thing of all. He let his feet use all the energy he had left, into a leap of fate. Jumping directly into the cross pattern of the barbed whips. He did not aware of what happen next, but that is the beauty of our perspective. You see, that was indeed a leap of Fate. And Fate decided that this kid had had enough, so it gave him what he wanted. Fate has a strange sense of humor sometimes. Sometimes, it does not kill you, just left you beaten up and mangled, and then it did its best to keep you alive.

In that split second, Frisk's little body somehow, in some matter got in the gap between the whips. To give a fully representation of this, I must bored you with math and statistics. Nobody cares about that. What some would care, however, is the outcome. He lived through that devastating attack and the most awkward of things happened.

Elise abruptly stopped her attacks. It was really hard to swing heavy whips when someone wrapped his arms around her in a forceful hug. The fact that she was not a spring chicken anymore did not help her case. Frisk's shaking arms, like an instinct, decided to do the thing that had ended all conflicts, at least for him-a hug.

Elise, likewise, with instinct, did the same thing that ended all conflicts for her. She bashed his head with her elbow while shouting. "Get away from me!" Frisk let go and took the dampness of her sweat with him. Elise looked as Frisk rolling on the floor, then curved up like a fist protesting death. Miraculously, he un-curved himself and stood up once more.

Elise had a look at her right arm weapon. Its tips was tainted with dust from the crushed floor bind together by blood of a child. A child, who posted no threat to her whatsoever. In that brief moment of realization, she found the King had given her these amazing abilities, magic and years beyond her desires, in exchange for the very characteristic of her SOUL. If a monster is define by it inherited blood lust, then what is she. Elise thought to herself.

(Song ends)

(You stood there, await her respond)

She dropped the shurikens on the ground, but still held on to the chain whip. The tone and pace of her voice slowed down. "I'll give you one last chance. Just accept my mercy, tell me where the monsters are, and I might be able to save your SOUL."

(The Storyteller is sparing you)

(You refused)

"I see. Hum. They truly mean that much to you." She dropped the vine and called forth the chair. 'Rest, child.' Frisk sat on it and listened to Elise. His took long and deep breath, very similar to the female soldier after the crash. "Okay, if that is real, tell me about them. Convince me. Show me how much you know about them."

(Elise is sparing you)

(You tell the stories of Papyrus and San.)

"Hehe. Lovely, did you come up that yourself, like your name?"

(Elise is sparing you)

(You tell the story of Undyne and Alphys)

The Storyteller blushed a bit upon hearing that. "Oh my, children should not be able to come up with that. Fine, I believe you. But it would take more than a few, schoolyard romance to change my mind." A grin drew across her face. "Sorry for my hint of cynicism. The King's characteristics are rather, infectious, in both good and bad.

(Elise is sparing you)

(You tell her of how the monsters' dream of the outside world and freedom.)

"Typical, typical. So cliché. We all want that don't we?" She kept a taunting grin on her face.

(The Storyteller is sparing you)

(You tell the story of Toriel, Asgore and Asriel)

Elise's grin disappeared at the part of Chara and Asriel's demises. Any hint of doubt was nowhere to be found on her face. "Hum. They have lost so much for the idea of freedom. That is a heartbreaking tale I must say." She sighed, "I'll regret this but fine, I'm convinced. You can stop fighting now. I'm sorry."

(You won. Earn 0 XP and 600 Gold.)

Elise twisted the handle of the chain whip, transformed it back to the cane. She slammed the cane on the ground, the joints clicked once more. From the point of impact came a white light. It was so bright that Frisk had to cover his eyes immediately.

Once Frisk opened his eyes, he still on the chair and the table was still the same. Even the teacups and snacks were still there. The room had returned to its original size. The books were still intact on their shelves. Elise was back on her wheelchair, drinking her tea. "I don't know if I am making the right choice, but a child like you, could not stand a chance against anyone. If this is indeed a mistake, then there are plenty of people who would correct it." She smiled. "Come child, finish your drink and snack. You need all the energy before heading deeper into the State."

Frisk quickly finished his plate and washed it down with the tea. "Calm down there, this is not a battle, no need to wolf down them like Items." She snapped her finger and made another tray of snack lowered down. He ate them at a much slower pace this time. Once he finished, Elise moved to the door behind her and unlocked it. Noises came though the opened door. It was the sound of conversations.

"Listen to me Frisk. There are plenty of those like me. Those with SOULs, but have the power to resist its malice thoughts. Well, I doubted that if any of that is true. But still, don't expect to win them, head on. Instead, be the monsters' diplomat. Show them, I mean, show us, that monsters are not what we always believe them to be. Show them that monsters are no different from humans. Maybe, they too, would let you see the King. I don't know how the King would react to you, but should your intentions are pure, things would be all right. I hope so."

Frisk then moved to the door, after cramming his inventory with the sweet treats.

"Another advice, you should learn how to dodge. You are even slower than I am. And on defense, you have no chance again them. I only used less than half of my true ability in our fight and look at the outcome. On second thought, feel free to take this, you will need it." She gave him a strange box.

(Obtain the memory box)

Frisk opened it and found one small blue marble inside, surrounded by empty slots. "It's a little souvenir for the new visitor of the State." She said as he inspecting the marble.

(A memory core: stored memory of an unknown person. Fully heal all HP and boost HP by 500 in one battle.)

"That should get you somewhere. Don't waste it, though. Now, go, complete you your quest."

Frisk was thinking of passing through the door, but he stalled for a moment and talked with Elise.

"Well, if you change your mind or finish your little quest, come back here, and we would trade stories. Can you promise that?"

*Yes No

"Good, don't break it, don't make this old lady wait in vain. Now, off you go. May your bod, eh, good luck."

He talked to her.

"Huh? What is this? Not brave enough to continue? You are having second thought, aren't you?"

Yes *No

"If not, then move. Remember, to the King, monsters are still the fiend whose mere existence spells danger for us all."

Frisk continued to talk with her.

"Why are you still lingering about? Don't you have anything better to do?"

I'll be on my way

*Tell me a story

"Oh. You want to hear a story. I see, repay for what I ask from you. Sorry, but now is not the time. You need to move or you will hear my story in regrets. Finish what you need to do and return to me when you can. Be patient and be cautious, some stories are better left, unknown. Now that you are all set, it's time for you to go, child."

Frisk passed the door.

"Remember to knock four times when you get back." She said before shutting it tight.


Author's notes:

Thank you so much for reading. If you enjoyed what you have just read and wished to see more, please follow or leave a review. They would give me motivation to write more for everyone. All feedbacks will be appreciated. If you find anything lacking or flawed in my story (grammar, word use, etc.), please tell me in the reviews as well. (English is not my first language, sorry.)

Thanks again and have a pleasant day.