Aeon

by ReadingForever

Sequel to Overmyth. Thirty years passed without any progress in the creation of the timeline he wanted, and other people were getting involved now. Now he finally had a chance to achieve it, but there were two conditions: One, Syphus must accept responsibility for ALL his actions. Two, the Barrier must be broken without using human SOULs. What's the power of Persona, though?

2. Persona

As usual, the Archive of Our Own version has images and illustrations.

---

The Ruins seemed eerily empty.

It may have been because of the part of the Ruins Syphus was at, but it felt almost unnatural that there wasn't not even a Froggit around. It was true the Ruins weren't a very populated place, the atmosphere was cold and unwelcoming, and the longer Syphus walked around the more he wanted to leave. Occasionally there were switches and levers around, none of them functional, the remains of puzzles deactivated long ago. Ivy covered the walls, Syphus' steps echoed throughout the empty corridors, and there was no end in sight. How big is this place?!

At one point Syphus finally reached a place that seemed slightly more familiar. After leaving a narrow hall, Syphus found a large doorway on one wall, and a waist-tall fence on the other wall, blocking the way. There were noises of voices and steps beyond the fence, he was finally near places where monsters roamed. Recognizing in which part of the Ruins he was now, Syphus immediately crossed the large doorway, exiting the Ruins. There was a small platform with stairways descending, the floor had a lot of red dry leaves strewn around, and the stone brick walls stopped appearing. The natural rocky walls of the caverns lined into a grayish purple arch. Holding his breath as to what he may find, Syphus took the first step in his investigation.

Just like he thought. At the end of the passageway there was a circular chamber, and right in the center, there was a bed of golden flowers. The sight made Syphus stop for a moment, a sudden feeling of respect and sorrow invading him, his feathers drooping. It's okay, Syphus, there's nothing to worry about he told himself, but it didn't make those feeling disappear. Gritting his teeth, Syphus approached the golden flowers.

The flowers were intact, growing like normal. Syphus crouched, looking at the flowers attentively, but no matter how much he looked there was no denying it: nothing had been on the flowers. Nothing had fallen on them. Does that mean they aren't in the Underground yet? Syphus thought, looking upwards at the large hole. He knew a human child was bound to fall down at some point, and if it hadn't happened yet...no, maybe it wasn't a good idea to meet them. He was no more than a stranger, and there was no way telling them 'so hey, I have been playing with the thousands of timelines you have been through' was going to end well. Better to stay away, he guessed.

Making sure to take mental note of Frisk's possible absence and the golden flowers, Syphus stepped away and started returning towards the purple ruins. The Ruins didn't have any other places he wanted to check, at least until he got to Toriel's house. Were there other ways out of the Ruins? It was possible the door was blocked and he wouldn't be able to exit through there. Syphus had started to go up the stairs when he noticed there had been something else he hadn't seen:

Flowey.

It wasn't strange to think he would stay away from someone he didn't know, now that he thought about it, but since Syphus was a completely new variable...he couldn't avoid thinking it was kind of strange he hadn't heard a word of him. Not seeing Flowey didn't mean that flower wasn't around, though. He may have seen Syphus and decided to keep his distance, for all he knew. Who knew what Flowey was thinking.

... it seemed like something worth remembering too, though. Keep all the clues in mind and solve the mysteries...that's what anyone would do. When a witch, especially those with millennia of experience such as Lucia, decides to play games for one reason or another, even the smallest details could be important.

Tracing the outline of the firefly brooch, Syphus considered his next few moves. There was only one direction to go: further into the Ruins, to explore the Underground and find the answers he needed to solve the conundrum posed to him by Lucia. Syphus ascended up the stairs and peered into the dim light of the inside of the Ruins, and started crossing the doorway.

"Wait!"

Startled, Syphus jumped back and turned around, finding the person who had talked. Alphonse was standing behind him, dressed in the same deep blue coveralls they had been wearing in the Velvet Room. "You! What do you want?" That came out a bit more strained than Syphus intended, it was just that he didn't appreciate getting startled.

"I told you we'd talk after one hour. Did you forget?" Alphonse cocked his head as if they had actually expected that to happen "I'm here to give you the other three keys you need to achieve your goals. You already have one, let's start with that one"

"Keys? I got one? What are you talking about?"

"That brooch" Alphonse pointed at the firefly brooch "That brooch will allow you to delve into the depths of people's SOULs, and what you do from there...that's up to you"

Syphus looked at Alphone with confusion, trying to find out if the strange person was being deceitful or attempting to pull his leg. "...right. I understand absolutely nothing"

"You will understand once we start. Come closer to me" Alphonse beckoned him, Syphus obeying reticently "Take the brooch off and put it on me. It'll create a gateway into my SOUL"

Refraining from commenting how odd such statement was, Syphus took off the brooch, deactivating his disguise. He stared intermittently at Alphonse and the brooch, unsure on how to proceed. Alphonse wasn't of help, content with waiting patiently for Syphus to get done with it. Syphus pinned the brooch on Alphonse's coveralls, looking at Alphonse as if he expected a confirmation this was what he needed to do. All Alphonse did was smile enigmatically. "Okay, here it goes..." Syphus activated the brooch.

Alphonse didn't gain a monster disguise, nor changed shape in any way. The moment Syphus' finger pressed on the firefly, lighting it up, both Alphonse and Syphus fell unconscious.

-ooooo-

There was a gentle yet constant sound of breeze. Syphus awoke from his unconsciousness but didn't open the eyes, he could feel there was something off just by hearing that noise. It was very unlikely such noise would happen in the Underground, so...did Alphonse move him? Why did he faint, again? All he remembered was turning on the brooch, and then...

That got Syphus to sit up and open his eyes. The place he found himself at was a place that definitely couldn't be in the Underground. Syphus – and Alphonse, who was standing near the opposite wall, browsing a thick book – were now in a dilapidated bedroom, covered in dust. Drawings made by fingerpainting covered one of the walls, while the rest were sloppily painted in red and light blue colors to approximately halfway to the ceiling. There were two mattresses placed on each side of the room, and through the holey curtains Syphus could see a patio, and beyond it, a city. The light was dim, as if outside it was cloudy.

Everything had a familiar shine to it, as if this was a memory from very long ago. Syphus tried to remember where exactly he had seen such a place, but he couldn't remember it. "...where am I?"

"This is my SOUL. What you're seeing is a place I cherish...or cherished" Alphonse did seem rather wistful, looking around with melancholy "You're going to be seeing a lot of places like this one during your journey"

"And the way to enter is always the brooch?" So Lucia knew he was going to enter into people's SOULs? What had she been planning all this time?!

"Yes. Now that we're here, I'll teach you everything you should know to aid your task. First, I'll teach you how to SAVE and LOAD"

Those concepts weren't unfamiliar to him. Saving and Loading were concepts inherent to this universe, used by the person with the most determination. Did that mean he was the being with the most determination now? "Alright, teach me that..." he complied, unsure how exactly such thing could be taught.

What followed was a long phase of meditation and trying to focus his mind onto the goal of creating a SAVE point. "You need to picture yourself and everything around you. That's the place you'll return to, so try to remember it as accurately as possible" Imagining to be forming the SAVE point in his hands helped, too. It was all much harder than it sounded. Alphonse had an infinite well of patience, though, and every time Syphus failed they encouraged him and suggested a way to focus better. Although Syphus didn't say it out loud, he was grateful Alphonse was willing to spend so long doing this. "This will be a way to prepare you for the second ability I'll teach you" they said at one point "Both involve focusing and being aware of yourself and your surroundings"

After a while of focusing as hard as he could, and imagining the surrounding bedroom over and over, there were finally results: a strange spark emanated between Syphus' hands, startling him, but he remained focused, imagining he was pouring all his will into that spark. Soon the spark grew, gaining size and turning brighter. Alphonse clapped, looking curiously proud "Well done! That's a perfect SAVE point"

"Thank you!" right after saying that the SAVE point sizzled and vanished. No matter how hard Syphus tried to recall it, it didn't appear back "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing. You can't create a stable SAVE point inside a person's SOUL. You'll have to practice once you're out of here" That explained why the SAVE point imploded, but Syphus felt a bit bitter about how something he had been working on had been fated to be futile. "After some practice it'll turn much easier, almost instinctive. You'll be able to create SAVE points in matter of seconds"

"Seconds...that'd be good" Syphus flexed his fingers, wondering if he'd really be capable to achieve such thing "What about loading?"

"That's not as tricky, but in my opinion you should avoid loading. It'll always activate once you die, you should SAVE often to avoid losing any progress" Alphonse opened their book "You'll see by yourself later. Now I'll teach you to master the power of Persona"

Alphonse gave a short explanation as to what a Persona was, power based on the psyche. Syphus requested to start immediately, so Alphonse instructed him to focus on his own SOUL. "You'll be able to use Personas only in realms like this one. Now, place your mind in a blank state, and submerge yourself into your consciousness. You may suddenly think of a word, or a command...focus on it"

Thanks to the efforts to focus into creating a SAVE point, it was easier for Syphus to work on summoning his Persona. Maybe because it had been rather soon after finishing the first part of Alphonse's teachings, or maybe because Personas were closely linked to the psyche, soon Syphus managed to achieve it. Slowly, a large shape took form in front of Syphus, solidifying and getting defined. "You're doing well! Keep going!"

Syphus didn't reply. He had closed his eyes, trying hard to ignore anything beyond his own mind. A single word came to mind, extremely simple yet it felt right. "Pe...Pers...Persona..."

"Have more conviction!"

"...Persona..." Syphus clenched his fists and shouted with as much conviction as he could manage "Persona!"

The blurry form in front of Syphus was immediately enveloped in a ball of light, shining so strongly Syphus was momentarily blinded, stepped back and fell on his butt, taken aback by the strange power that had come from his Psyche. Alphonse, unaffected by the bright light, approached the Persona to take a closer look.

Syphus' Persona was a hooded figure, ragged and hunched over, sitting in lotus position on a levitating triquetra in horizontal position. It would have looked relatively normal, if it weren't because the inside of the hood and robe was completely empty. It had shackles on its wrists and waist, the chains linked to the points of the triquetra, keeping it on the center of the knot. The chains resembled snakes, relentlessly biting into the steel of the base.

"Excellent. Well done, Syphus. Your Persona looks promising" Alphonse searched in their book while Syphus watched, astonished and still boggling over how that thing was part of his psyche. "Here it is. 'Ouroboros', of the Aeon arcana. Currently it has first-stage Bufu abilities, and seems geared towards attacking with magic instead of using physical attacks. Its defense isn't very good"

"Wait, wait, wait. Ouroboros? Aeon arcana? What's Bufu? What did I miss?"

"...oh, right. I apologize" Alphonse helped Syphus stand up and explained the basic details of the skills Personas had "Your arcana is the Aeon, however, the Wild Card ability should allow you summon any Persona. We'll talk about it in the Velvet Room at a later point"

"...fine" Syphus slowly approached the levitating Persona, observing it closely "This is so weird...I didn't think after thirty years of being a witch anything would ever surprise me"

"My master says the depths of the human soul is a mystery that'll never be solved" Alphonse said "Never forget that, despite your actual powers and skills, you were once human" the Persona vanished, returning to Syphus' psyche "Now that you summoned it successfully, doing it again should be very easy. Try it"

"Uh, I'm not sure I did anything special, I just—" Syphus had barely willed it to happen, when Ouroboros appeared again "You're right, it was easy! But what's a Persona for?"

Alphonse approached the window and beckoned Syphus. "SOULs represent each person, so as you can suppose...the realm of the SOUL isn't empty" it was then that Syphus saw strange black blobs moving in the alleyways and streets of the city.

"What are those?"

"Feelings, traits, opinions, behaviors...everything can take shape and form Shadows. While you could fight most Shadows with physical weapons, your Personas will be the main defense against Shadows. Be prepared for fights during your exploration of the SOULs"

Syphus rubbed his temples, feeling a tad awkward. He wasn't really the type to fight, so Alphonse' warning wasn't exactly a welcome revelation. He hoped that the Ouroboros Persona really would be of help. "So what's the last thing you need to show me, Alphonse?"

"The third key you need to complete your goal is a bit more complicated: Social Links"

"Social Links. Okay, what's that?"

Alphonse idly browsed their book. "You're bound to meet a lot of people during your stay in the Underground. Each person is a world, and you're going to be in contact with those worlds, measured in 'Social Links'"

Syphus looked away, unsure of what he was hearing. "Right. I'm not sure what you mean, but fine. I guess I'll find out later"

"You will. Remember you're not alone. By helping other people, you're also helping yourself. You can't leave the Underground without everyone else. You want a future for everyone, not for yourself.

So get to know people, get to truly want to be of help to them, and you'll be rewarded"

That sounded simple enough, in theory. "Alright, I understand. Is that all?"

"That's all for now. Remember I'm a resident of the Velvet Room. I exist to aid our guests, and you'll need our services before long" Alphonse smiled and bowed slightly, their silver hair swinging "We trust you'll succeed in your quest and duty"

Before Syphus could reply, everything froze, and amidst the immobile scenario a card formed in Syphus' mind.

Alphonse has stated their intention to help you as much as they can.

You feel a faint bond forming between you and Alphonse

Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Jester Arcana

Alphonse touched their chest as soon as reality started moving again, as if they expected to find something on it. They had raised their eyebrows, and seemed unsure of what to say. "O-oh! Looks like I'm—you have formed a Social Link with me. I didn't expect that!"

"Shouldn't that have happened?" Syphus did feel some warmness inside them, it felt like the kind of warmness that'd happen when receiving long-awaited good news, the calm one would feel after finishing a grueling task. Alphonse stopping touching their chest and exhaled, making a 'hmmmmm' sound.

"No, it isn't bad. I just never thought we would..." Alphonse tilted their head, murmuring "Yes, now that I think about it...it could be the chance I was looking for. This will be good for both of us..."

Syphus waited until Alphonse was done talking to themselves, a tad suspicious of Alphonse's reaction to the Social Link. The assistant shook their head, snapping out of their musings, and returned their attention to Syphus. "Any questions?"

"I have so many questions we'd be here until tomorrow" Syphus replied dryly, starting to feel a bit lightheaded. In a matter of an hour or so, he had learned all these basic stuff, and felt so tired there was nothing he wanted more than sleep for a while "I don't even know where to start with all this. How am I expected to shatter the Barrier, and without using SOULs? I'm not some kind of...magical powerhouse to nullify the Barrier!"

"I thought you were a skillful witch"

"I'm not my master. I'm just a...a vessel for him, and even if I had his powers, that wouldn't be enough! He has been a witch for only thirty years! He has barely scratched the surface of the potential magic has. Heck, I'm rather sure Lucia wouldn't be capable of shattering the Barrier either! I just..." Syphus paced around, trying to find the right words to continue his train of thought "I feel overwhelmed, and now I feel even more overwhelmed because I have a Persona, I can SAVE and LOAD, I'll have to form bonds with people for reasons I don't fully understand...it's too much information for just a couple hours"

Alphonse made a face of sympathy. "You should rest for a while"

"I know I should, but I can't. I feel I would get complacent if I start resting now" Syphus looked around as if he expected a way out of Alphonse's SOUL. The attendant stopped him and pointed at the firefly brooch they still had pinned to their clothes.

"Before you go, I'll give you a hint: I called it all 'the three keys you need' for a reason. It's up to you to find out how. You're a smart enough man, you'll find a way"

"Thank you..." Syphus appreciated Alphonse's encouragement, but there was something about the attendant that kept bothering them. It felt there was something they knew that he didn't, and he just hoped it wasn't anything big or necessary for him to know.

Syphus deactivated the brooch. The room around them turned wavy, fading in the air, until the walls turned purple and made of stone, and dry leaves covered the floor. That's when Syphus noticed he was lying on the floor, and stood up, finding Alphonse had left the firefly brooch nearby and walked towards one of the walls. "I'll be waiting at the Velvet Room. Good luck" they said while a blue, beautiful ethereal door materialized on the wall. Once Alphonse crossed it and closed it behind them, Syphus expected it to disappear, but it stayed there. A bit daunted, the witch approached and opened the door, looking inside.

Indeed, inside was the Velvet Room, exactly like Syphus remembered it. Igor and Alphonse were sitting on their chairs, looking at him from over the table, waiting for him to come in and sit. "Sorry, I just..." Syphus muttered and closed the door. Well at least now I have a way to return to that room. If only it didn't involve coming all the way here...

There was no time to stand around and do nothing, though. Syphus jumped on the spot, psyching himself up, and once he felt he was prepared to face whatever may come he entered the Ruins.

-ooooo-

It took a bit of time for Syphus to feel prepared to jump over the fence that led to the rest of the Ruins. He peered into the room it led to, finding it empty, so he took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge. With an agile jump, Syphus got to the other side and stepped forward, looking around with interest.

"Hey! You! Stop right there!"

Syphus froze, startled. Did he do something wrong? Loud clanking sounds approached, whoever was passing nearby was wearing an armor, and such supposition was confirmed once that person reached Syphus. Indeed, that was an armor. The monster was a tad shorter than him, and its armor was so unwieldy and large Syphus had no idea how the monster looked like, but such thoughts were left aside when he saw the long sword the monster was holding. Better to mind his words, he guessed... "Who are you?"

The monster ignored his question. "That area is forbidden to the public! What were you doing in there?"

"...I got lost" Syphus said the very first excuse he could think. The monster wasn't amused by that.

"Only the Queen may pass through that fence. Do you have permission from the Queen?"

"Permission from—no, I don't, I just..." The Queen? Is he talking about the person I think he's talking about? "I just got lost!"

The monster didn't seem very convinced. His grip on the sword relaxed just a bit, but he was still ready to move if the situation warranted it. "I'll have to escort you away from here. Follow me" his tone made rather clear that any objections or attempts to run away wouldn't be tolerated. Not having any other option, Syphus sighed.

"Fine. Lead the way" he conceded. The guard started walking away immediately, and Syphus followed him, looking around and trying to commit to memory all the details he was seeing. The more he spent in the Underground, the more oddities he was seeing. So there was still a Queen? Why was the golden flowers bed and a part of the Ruins forbidden to enter to? "...who are you?" he insisted, although he had a hunch what the answer would be.

"Royal Guard #47" he replied bluntly and refused to say anything else. So the Royal Guard had extended all the way to the depths of the Ruins? Why? And last, the one final strange difference Syphus could distinguish, was that the Ruins now seemed to be abnormally filled with monsters, and not only the type he expected to see.

Through the rooms and corridors Syphus saw groups of monsters that clearly didn't live in the Ruins. Some of the groups had someone who seemed to be guiding them around, spouting tidbits of information and trying to get their interest. Are they all...tourists? "Excuse me" Syphus tried to get the guard's attention "Is this place a popular tourist spot or something?

"You could say that. I don't know why this place is popular, but it is"

"So anyone can enter the Ruins?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

Syphus didn't reply.

-ooooo-

When the guard said he meant to escort Syphus away, he indeed did mean to escort Syphus away. "Go ahead and pass through this house. The exit will be open for you" the guard said, pointing at the door of the house with the tip of the sword.

"Who does this house belong to?"

"The Queen likes to spend time here" the guard quickly bowed his head and walked away, hurrying to return to his sentry spot back near the fence he had found Syphus at. Syphus turned around to take a better look at the house. May as well get out of this place. It didn't look the kind of place a queen would spent a lot of time in, it was homelier than luxurious. The entrance door was wide open, and from the inside Syphus could hear a few voices. A bit encouraged by the presence of other people inside, Syphus dared to enter.

The outside had looked homely, the inside confirmed it. It was a rather cozy house, with a calm and welcoming atmosphere, to the point Syphus immediately wished he could stay around for a bit longer. Syphus started descending the stairs towards the basement, but he slowly stopped. "Wait, if the Queen is here, then I could ask her a couple questions, right? I don't know if she'd answer, but it's worth a try" with that in mind, Syphus returned up and looked from side of side. There were voices coming in direction of what seemed to be the living room, he could distinguish a few words. It seemed to be monsters resting in there, planning their day in the Ruins. Instead of approaching them, Syphus went into the opposite direction, into a hallway that led to a few bedrooms.

The first one was a children's bedroom. It was clean, but there was an air of abandon that didn't fit it at all, like no one had used anything in there for years. There was a large box full of toys, carefully ordered and taken care of. The bed was smooth and without a single wrinkle, there was an empty box aside the closet, and inside the closet there were several stripped sweaters, seemingly untouched for who knew how long. If no one has used this bedroom, could it be possible I'm actually far in the past? That seemed like a possibility, if Syphus was right now at a time before the child with the light blue SOUL fell into the Underground.

Musing that possibility, Syphus left the bedroom and closed the door, going towards the second one. There was a sign placed on it: 'Room under renovations'. Syphus grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, finding the room was locked. He had been about to rattle and try to pry it open when he heard her voice, full of patience and with a very subtle hint of nervousness underneath it all.

"Please do not try to open that door. That room is under renovations"

Syphus turned his head around. There was a Boss Monster standing to the side of the stairway railing. Instead of the motherly appearance one would expect of Toriel, she was fully dressed as the Queen of All Monsters, crown included, looking almost out of place in the quaint house. She was smiling patiently, waiting for Syphus to step away from the door, so he did. "O-Oh, sorry, I was looking for the way out of the Ruins"

"I see. Please follow me" she glanced back towards the living room, as if she was in a hurry to get to get back to whoever she had been talking with, and started going down the stairs, with Syphus following her closely. Both walked down the passageway slowly, the cold getting more intense the closer they got to the door to the rest of the Underground "Is it your first time visiting the Ruins?"

"Yes...Your Majesty" How was he supposed to address royalty? He didn't even dare to look her at the eyes, in case that was a serious faux-pas "I didn't know it'd be so full of monsters"

"You don't have to call me that! Please, call me Toriel" she said "The Ruins is a rather popular place to explore" Toriel's smile disappeared, replaced by a frown "I didn't expect that when I opened the door to the Ruins so many years ago. It's nice to see people want to see Home, the place we were living at so long ago, but this may have been a mistake" She managed to smile again, although it was strained now "This house is a nice place to live, I spend a lot of time in here"

"What about the castle? What about the king?"

Suddenly it felt as if the atmosphere had gotten colder, and not because snowflakes and drafts were starting to appear on the floor of the passageway. Toriel narrowed her eyes. "I'm more comfortable being here in the Ruins for the time being"

"...did something happen between you and—"

"Let's not talk about it" she said, and judging by her tone, she was completely serious about that. Syphus hurried to nod, not wanting to get in trouble with the Queen, and shut up. This is unusual...she's still the queen but she lives in the Ruins. The only reason she'd be angry with Asgore would be because of the war declaration, so that's still a thing in this timeline? Maybe feeling she had been a bit too blunt, Toriel chuckled without any mirth "I have my reasons to be here. It doesn't mean I'm neglecting my duty as the queen, so please trust me on that"

"...I understand"

The large stone door to the rest of the Underground was wide open, the snowy path across the forests and cliffs was visible. "Thank you for visiting the Ruins. What's your name, young man?" Syphus answered the question "You're welcome to return to the Ruins anytime you wish, Syphus"

Syphus stuck his hands inside the pockets of his jacket, really glad he didn't actually have those sharp claws. "Thank you, I guess...is there any other way in? I'm not sure I should pass all the time through your house" That was a lie, Syphus couldn't care less about that, but it was a good idea to have some sort of alternate way into the Ruins.

Toriel didn't notice the real reason for Syphus' question, instead leading Syphus outside. "There's no other way in, I'm afraid, but don't feel bad for having to pass through my house. My doors will always be open.

It's the least I should do as the Queen: provide monsters a safe space to be in, even if it's for a moment"

Toriel's friendliness seems more out of obligation as a queen than anything else.

You feel a faint bond forming between you and Toriel

Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Empress Arcana

Syphus shivered in the cold despite his jacket, did having such clear reptilian traits in the illusion make him more susceptible to cold? "T-T-Thank you, Toriel...I should get going" although she had shown to be cordial, she was distant and not really interested in trying to reach out to Syphus. Then why's there a Social Link with her? What defines with who I get a Social Link with? He knew it was matter of time before he could understand better what was the deal with everything Alphonse had said, but until then it was rather frustrating to not to understand much.

After Toriel returned inside, and Syphus made a SAVE point just in case, he started walking down the path, still shivering and rubbing his hands together in a vain effort to warm himself up. There had been several bits of information that seemed worth remembering, so the short trek through the Ruins had been actually useful.

Frisk's absence for the moment, the unusual amount of visitors in the Ruins, the fact the Royal Guard had apparently expanded all the way to the Ruins, Toriel still being the Queen yet living in the Ruins, the unused children's bedroom...he had several pieces of the puzzle already, yet he wasn't sure what it all meant when it was all together. I need more information, and I don't have much time left. I must find something bigger than all that, and quick.

-ooooo-

In the room Syphus had awoken in, the stain of ink on the wall had gotten bigger. Very slowly, it started bubbling almost imperceptibly, as if something was moving right behind it. Suddenly the ink stain started to get larger again, dripping down towards the floor.

---

SOCIAL LINKS:

Fool - ? - RANK 0

Magician - ? - RANK 0

Priestess - ? - RANK 0

Empress - Toriel - RANK 1

Emperor - ? - RANK 0

Hierophant - ? - RANK 0

Lovers - ? - RANK 0

Chariot - ? - RANK 0

Justice - ? - RANK 0

Hermit - ? - RANK 0

Fortune - ? - RANK 0

Strength - ? - RANK 0

Hanged Man - ? - RANK 0

Death - ? - RANK 0

Temperance - ? - RANK 0

Devil - ? - RANK 0

Tower - ? - RANK 0

Star - ? - RANK 0

Moon - ? - RANK 0

Sun - ? - RANK 0

Judgment - ? - RANK 0

Aeon - ? - RANK 0

Jester - Alphonse - RANK 1