Swordtale

by Merodach the Original Sin

An amnesiac ten year old Magus in training Emiya Shirou finds himself the eight human being to ever enter the Underground. With his past lost to him, the young Magus sets out on a journey where he and his ideals will be tested. One thing is certain, no matter what he is fighting for, he has to stay determined. This is the tale of a Sword lost in the Underground. AU. Slow updates.

2. Chapter 2: The Ruins, Part 1

SWORDTALE

Chapter 2: The Ruins Part 1.

I ponder my situation carefully as Toriel holds my hand in her own and guides me through the passageway, lighting up the path in front of us with a fireball she is holding in the palm of her free paw. From what I have been able to piece together so far, I have somehow ended up in a world hidden underground populated with strange creatures, who call themselves monsters, ironically enough. And I came across this world after falling into some hole in the ground. Except for the fact that I have lost my memories and that I already knew about the supernatural, my current situation has more then a few parallels with the well-known story of Alice in Wonderland.

We emerge back into the light, and I push the amusing thought to the back of my mind as I take in our surroundings.

The Ruins, as Toriel named it earlier, are aptly named. The space we had emerged in was bigger then the previous chamber, and the rock walls are hidden away from sight by a dozen old buildings that have clearly seen better days. Several of them had their roofs collapsed under their own weight, more often then not taking a wall or two with them. Every building in sight is covered in moss and ivy, hiding away quite a bit of the deep purple brick that every single building seemed to be made out of.

In front of us is another building, though calling it a castle in miniature would be more accurate. Two wide, branching staircases run up to the raised platform in front of it, and, oddly enough, the space in between said staircases is filled with red colored leaves. I briefly wonder where these leafs had come from. There are no trees in this chamber.

The building itself is made out of the same purple bricks as all the other structures around us, and is equally covered in moss and ivy, though it appeared to be in a far better condition. For the rest, the miniature castle is largely featureless, with two big empty spaces where glass panes would have been in a human building on either side of the tall doorway in the center, above which a plaque is fastened, with the words written down on it having faded to the point that the text has become completely illegible.

I take this all in with a bare second glance, idly holding my staff in my off-hand.

Toriel snuffed out the fireball in her paw, the many torches affixed to the buildings and walls around us now lighting the way. She releases my hand, and wordlessly instructs me to follow her as she ascends the staircase on the right.

As I follow behind her, I fight the urge to pick up one of the red leaves that is laying on the ground, the reason for the urge escaping me, and I look up at the massive building in front of me that will act as a gateway that will lead me deeper down the rabbit hole/adventure that I find myself in.

I quietly resolve in the privacy of my own mind that I would be ready for whatever dangers lie ahead.

* The shadow of the Ruins looms above, filling you with determination.

I stumble, not just because of the words that seem to echo in my own mind and have no identifiable source, but also because I suddenly feel the Circuits that make up my Crest snap open in unison for a bare second. The transplanted Circuits channel a small, but highly concentrated amount of Od before just as quickly closing again.

Clutching at my chest with my free hand, I can feel my heart race as I look around the chamber, trying to find the source of the voice.

But I see no else but myself and Toriel.

What I did see, though, and what I was certain was not there a moment before, is a point of concentrated light directly in front of me, looking almost like a spinning star.

What the hell was that? Why did the Circuits making up my Crest just suddenly activate on their own? And where had that point of concentrated light come from? Maybe it is a product of whatever kind of Magecraft is stored inside of it? But then why would such a spell suddenly cast itself? What was its purpose? And-

"My child, is everything alright?" Toriel's concerned words drags my attention back to her.

I look up at Toriel, who is worriedly looking down at me at the top of the staircase, having her paws clasped in front of her.

"I'm fine," I manage to say, momentarily pushing the questions raging through my mind aside. "I was just lost in thought for a moment."

Toriel still looked concerned. I had to hide a frown as I realize that she wasn't giving any indication that she could see the point of light hovering directly in front of me.

"That's to be expected, I suppose, innocent one. Anyone who finds themselves in your kind of situation would have a lot on their mind."

I nodded, my eyes drifting back to the point of light in front me as I absently trace my Crest with my glove covered fingers through my cloak and T-shirt. Yet another mystery that had been lumped onto the ever growing mountain of them.

"Come now, my child. Let's not dawdle," Toriel indicated me to follow her, which I after a moment did, quickly bounding up the nearest staircase.

As I did so, I pick up a single leaf and slip it into one of the pockets of my jeans. I don't know why, but I have the impression that I can use this red-colored leaf for something, though for what exactly still escapes me.

I also surreptitiously put my hand on the spot of the light as I brush by it, only to feel absolutely nothing as my hand passes through it like it isn't even there.

Things were just getting stranger and stranger.

Putting it out of my mind, though I knew I would muse on it later when I had the chance, I follow Toriel into the next room, which is surprisingly small.

The room in question is rather plain, consisting of the same monotonous purple floors and brick walls like the previous chamber, though there also are six grey colored tiles in a peculiar pattern placed off to the side, sticking slightly out of the floor. There is a golden switch on the wall besides a closed door that bore that symbol that Toriel has embroidered on her robe and keeps on reappearing in these decrepit Ruins, with yet another grey plaque fastened to the wall on the other side of the doorway, bearing faded text.

"Welcome to your new home, innocent one," Toriel said, sounding solemn. I wonder why. "Allow me to educate you on the operation of the Ruins."

Toriel walks over to the grey colored tiles, stepping on them in what is clearly a well-practiced pattern. Her mere weight is enough to press the tiles down, clicking as they did so, revealing that it was a part of some kind of mechanism. After the four outermost tiles were pressed down, Toriel walked over to the wall and flipped the switch.

The door split in two, then soundlessly slid apart, disappearing into the walls on either side, opening up the path.

"The Ruins are full of puzzles," Toriel smiled at my surprised expression. "Ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them."

Toriel once more went on ahead, entering the next room as I hurried to follow. I did pause briefly to look at the plaque bearing the faded text that is only just legible, honestly curious what was written down on it.

"Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road."

I read aloud, not understanding the message, before I think back to how Toriel had solved the puzzle in this room.

She had only stepped on the four outermost tiles, leaving the two in the center untouched, which alludes to not walking the middle road as only the four outermost needed to be pressed down in order to open the door. This plaque held the clue I would have needed in order to solve the puzzle if Toriel hadn't solved it for me.

Having my curiosity sated, I quickly head into the next room before Toriel began to worry. Once again, I find Toriel waiting for me, paws still clasped in front of her. The room, similarly purple and covered in vines and moss, is different in that there are small streams of water with short wooden bridges over them. The path beneath my feet veers off sharply to the right, following the shape of the room, while the wall directly in front of me and running the length of the room bears multiple switches. To my left another plaque is secured to the wall, bearing another warning to not stray from the path.

I am starting to notice a trend here.

"To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches," Toriel patiently explained, sounding motherly. "Do not worry, I have labeled the ones you need to flip."

I wonder, hiding a frown, why she wants to let me do that on my own when she solved the puzzle for me in the room before. I can only guess that it is a test of sorts.

Doing as instructed, I pass over the first stream of water running the width of the room and make my way over to the first switch. I absently note that Toriel has walked to the end of the room where several dozen massive spikes that jutted out of the floor made the path ahead inaccessible.

I turn my attention back to the switch and see that several golden arrow marks pointing in the direction of said switch are drawn on the wall with the words 'Please press this switch - Toriel' written down beside it.

My left eyebrow twitches. I know that I am far more mature then most kids my age - having been trained and brought up with the mindset of a Magus - but I am fairly certain that even an ordinary child would have gotten the hint with merely the arrows or the writing. Doing both is a bit excessive.

Still, I obediently flip the switch after I make sure that it is safe with a quick Structural Analysis, having placed my hand on the wall, revealing the mechanism hidden behind it. Holding back a sigh, I conclude to myself that I am undoubtedly paranoid beyond any reasonable measure doing so, but I still do it almost entirely on instinct.

Curiously, I don't suspect Toriel of any foul intentions, yet I still have a compulsive need to check first, just to be 100 percent certain.

It probably has something to do with the training that I received as an apprentice Magus before coming here. Again, I find myself wondering what my childhood had been like.

Quickly hurrying across the second stream of water, I come up to another section of the wall bearing two switches with one clearly being labelled in an identical manner to the first. Once again, I give in to the need to be certain of my safety, and do a quick Grasp of the entire wall in front of me, the two switches and the mechanism behind it.

I find nothing out of the ordinary, though I do note that the unlabeled switch is jammed and doesn't even work.

Toriel smiled widely as I quickly did as instructed and a resounding click echoed through the chamber. Behind her, the massive spikes jutting out of the floor that had blocked the path forward sunk into the ground, disappearing from view entirely.

"Splendid! I am proud of you, little one," she said, sounding very pleased. "Let us move to the next room."

I immediately follow her, and in the next chamber I am greeted by somewhat of a surprise.

In the middle of the room, a dummy stood in its lonesome. It's about the same height as me, and it is structured with an odd, oblong head that has a single button eye, a body that is covered in stitches, a wide wooden stand and no arms. The dummy had clearly seen better days, with several of its stitches having come lose and its cotton 'skin' having been torn in several spots, its inner stuffing sticking out in what would have been a sickening picture if it was a flesh and blood creature.

I barely pay any attention to that, though. I am far more interested by the small, white SOUL that is swirling in front of it.

"As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you," Toriel said, then quickly continued her explanation before I could ask the obvious question of why. "You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight. While you are in a fight, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict" She gestured with her paw to the dummy. "Practice talking to the Dummy."

I eyed Toriel skeptically for a moment. Did she honestly expect me to not fight back if a monster were to attack me? And simply try and talk them down?

Pausing, I realize that said option is actually rather appealing to me. While I had combat skills no child my age ought to have, I know that I am a pacifist at heart. Being able to fight is necessary for my dream, to become a Hero of Justice, but that did not mean that I enjoy fighting and would rather employ nonviolent means.

With that being said, were I to be attacked, I would naturally act to preserve my own life, just like anyone else would do. I would rather not have to kill anyone in order to do so, though, even if that meant risking my own life.

But sometimes that just isn't an option. Sometimes you have to kill in order to protect yourself or save someone else.

And that is the crux of the issue. Let's say there's a robber who has taken several hostages after an attempted robbery gone wrong and is threatening to kill them. Even when one only uses mundane means, it is possible to save all the hostages with some luck. But even then there will be one person who will not be saved: the robber himself. A Hero saves only those that he sides with, but I don't want that. I want to be a Hero who can truly save everyone in my eyesight.

Including myself, even though I am not quite certain why I want to preserve my own life, as I consider my own life to be the least important of all.

I know that such a goal is preposterous and unfeasible to the extreme, but that's the kind of Hero I want to be, even now I no longer remember why I desire such a thing.

You can't save everyone. That is an inescapable truth of this world, but that's exactly what I aim to be capable of doing one day. And even if it isn't possible to achieve such a goal, the mere act of attempting it is something a true Hero would try and achieve regardless, in spite of it being an impossible pipe dream in all realities.

But when I defended myself earlier from Flowey, I had every intention of responding with deadly force in order to protect myself. Flowey was too much of a threat at the time, and if I responded with less then equal force in a bid to simply immobilize Flowey, I was libel to get myself killed.

As such, I acted in clear contradiction of my ideal of a Hero of Justice and my goal of saving everyone.

And even though my own life isn't all that important to me, the thought of risking it in an attempt to save someone who is trying to kill me or hurt another repulses me on one hand and only feels natural on the other, as if I have two conflicting ideals in my head.

Thus during the fight with Flowey, the ideal of preserving my own life won out before I had even consciously considered it.

It's a paradox.

In short, in spite of my many years of training, I am still not strong enough. Not by any stretch of the imagination. If I had the necessary strength and skill, I might be able to satisfy both ideals, saving everyone and preserving my own life, but as I am now such a proposition is patently impossible.

... Why do I get the feeling that I have agonized over this particular dilemma many times before?

Shaking my head, I step up to the Dummy. I might as well show Toriel that I am willing to follow her approach if the option is there. Besides, my eyes have shown me that the 'Dummy' in front of me is alive in a sense, if the SOUL I can see is anything to go by. It looked like the Dummy had seen better days, and is in need of some help.

And if there is anything that personifies the Hero that I aspire to become, it is offering aid to everyone who needs it.

As I step up to it, though, I can hear another's voice whisper in my mind.

* You encountered the Dummy.

It took a lot of effort for me to not show a reaction at once more hearing that ghostly whisper. I surreptitiously look around, searching in vain where the voice is coming from. Nothing. There was no one but me, Toriel and the Dummy in the room, and none of us had spoken or even opened our mouths.

Toriel didn't react, so I can only summarize that she hadn't heard it. As I didn't want to worry her, I kept my expression carefully neutral, the worry that some kind of specter might be haunting me festering in the back of my mind.

Hiding a grimace, I shunt my uneasiness aside and focus my attention on the task at hand.

"Pardon me, uh, sir," I began somewhat clumsily. "I couldn't help but notice that several of your stitches have come lose and that some of your stuffing is sticking out. Would you mind if I helped you with that?"

The Dummy in front of me remained silent, though the small SOUL in front of it twitched in a way that oddly enough reminded me of a puppy happily waging its tail.

"Ah, good," Toriel nodded, sounding pleased at the direction I took. "Offering help in the middle of battle is sure to throw most monsters off long enough for me to intervene."

Toriel paused as I walked up to the Dummy, having taken its continued silence as a confirmation that I could help it. Reaching around, I carefully push its stuffing back inside the Dummy's body as I once more tighten the stitches that had gotten lose. The torn fabric wasn't so easily fixed, though thankfully I have just the spell for it.

More importantly, I can use it as there is no one in the room from which I have to hide the existence of Thaumaturgy from.

Placing my free hand on the Dummy's chest, the other one still holding my staff, I access a single Circuit as I briefly Grasp its entire body before using Alteration.

The torn fabric all over the Dummy's body mended itself in just a few seconds, looking almost as if the damage was simply being unmade and giving the impression that time was rapidly reversing itself.

I heard a loud gasp from behind me.

Stepping away from the Dummy, I happily look the Dummy over.

"There. I hope that's better."

The Dummy remained silent, but its SOUL had lit up a little, shining brighter. I got the impression that it was thanking me. I returned a nod at it, feeling good about myself.

* You won!

My eyebrow twitches as the voice once more makes itself known in my mind, though I manage to keep any further reaction from my face.

"My child," I turn my head towards Toriel, who is looking back at me with wide eyes. "You... you are a wizard?"

I sheepishly scratch the back of my head.

"We actually call our self Magi," I corrected her. "But yes."

Toriel's surprised look faded away, being replaced by a wide, relieved smile.

"That's very good to know, little one. With you possessing magic, you will be able to defend yourself much better if necessary. I have to say that this is a very welcome revelation," she said, before her expression turned curious. "I haven't seen many examples of human magic in all my years, dear child, and I find that I have many questions to ask you once we're through the catacombs. I hope you don't mind sating an old lady's curiosity?"

"You're interested in my Thaumaturgy?" I find myself asking as I blink once in surprise.

"Yes," Toriel nodded, her long ears swaying with the movement. "I have seen... what did you call it again? Thaumaturgy? That's an odd term, but yes. The few instances of human Thaumaturgy that I have observed with my own eyes boggle the mind with their strength and complexity."

"We can discuss this later, though. Once we're through the catacombs," she said, realizing that this wasn't exactly a prime location to discuss magic.

"I have no problem with that," I assure her, just before an idea comes to me. "So long as you tell me about monster magic and monsters themselves as well."

Information is power after all, and knowing what monsters are capable of would help me if I indeed were to be attacked in the future by other monsters. Toriel seemed pretty sure that was going to happen sooner or later, going by her actions and advice so far.

Toriel giggled to herself, looking incredibly happy for some reason. "Ah, I see that you're eager to learn, little one," she looked down at me and smiled widely. "Don't worry, I will gladly tell you all want to know about it so long as you are willing to learn, my child."

I nod enthusiastically, feeling excited at learning arcane secrets. Then I pause, grimacing as I realize something important. I quickly blank my face, hoping that Toriel hadn't seen my sour expression, but the laser like intensity she suddenly focuses on me tells me that she had noticed in spite of my hopes.

"Is everything alright, dear one? Is something bothering you?"

The grimace reappears on my face. I really, really don't want to talk about this, but I don't think Toriel would be willing to let it go after I had tried to hide my unease. I could lie, create some believable excuse and shunt the problem aside for the moment, yet the thought of lying to her made me even more uncomfortable.

"Yes," I began hesitantly. "There's a... slight problem."

Easily picking up how uncomfortable I am right now, Toriel kneels down before me and looks kindly at me.

"You can tell me anything, my child, and I will do my best to understand and to try and help you."

I look into her eyes for a moment, seeing her sincerity, hesitate for a brief moment, before deciding to tell her. Toriel is trustworthy, I am certain of that.

"I'm not exactly sure how many of your questions I can answer. Chances are that my knowledge on human Thaumaturgy is a bit... spotty."

That seemed to grab Toriel's attention, who cocked her head in a questioning manner at me. "Why do you say that, innocent one? Have you just started to learn magic?"

"N-no," I said, absently chewing on my bottom lip, feeling uncomfortable about what I am about to tell Toriel. "I know that I have been training for years in the miracle arts, or I believe so, at least."

Toriel frowned at me, and suddenly looked concerned and confused. "You believe so, dear one?"

That uncomfortable feeling in my chest grew heavier, making it difficult to continue, but I stubbornly soldier on.

"I-I do not remember much before coming to the Underground," I said, and I hear Toriel gasp loudly at the admittance. "Everything before coming here is just a blur. I remember some small things, like my name, age, the fact that I am a Magus, some basic spells, and where I am from, but everything else is just... gone. I remember nothing about my kindergarten days, the last few years are riddled with so many missing pieces they might as well be missing entirely, and I don't even know if I have a family."

It all came out in a rush, and I lower my head, breaking eye contact with a shocked looking Toriel. While it had felt extremely uncomfortable for me to tell that I am suffering from a pretty serious case of amnesia, I have to admit to myself that speaking up about it had been oddly relieving.

I don't get to ponder it long before Toriel's arms are suddenly around me. I stiffen for a brief moment, not expecting the sudden hug, before wrapping my arms around her and leaning into the embrace. It was soothing, and I am suddenly reminded of the fact that while I am a Magus, I am also a ten year old kid.

"I'm sorry to hear that, dear one," Toriel murmured into my ear, rubbing the top of my head with one of her paws. "I can't even begin to imagine how you are feeling right now, and while I can't assure you that everything will come back in time, I will do my utmost to help and take care of you. I promise you that."

My breath hitched.

Toriel held me in her embrace a little while longer before letting go of me and standing back up, brushing down her robe.

"Let's continue," she said softly, beckoning towards the passageway up ahead. I immediately follow her, feeling much better about my situation then I did a moment before.

We arrive in the next chamber, and it's rather odd. It is a simple rectangular room with nothing in it, consisting of nothing more then the same purple brick walls, ceiling and smooth purple floor. My brow furrows as I notice the path on it, donated by the fact that it consists of a lighter purple coloring then the ground around it, twists and turns over the floor with no rhyme or reason, though inevitably heading towards the corridor on the right end of the room.

"There's another puzzle in this room," Toriel explained at my puzzled expression, smiling. "I wonder if you can solve it?"

Another puzzle? I look around, but don't see anything that could be considered a puzzle, only empty air. Following Toriel as she heads toward the corridor, I keep my eyes wide open for anything suspicious or that might prove a danger, my body tense and ready to move at a moment's notice.

It's because of this that it took me a bare nanosecond to react to a small figure suddenly emerging from a darkened corner, hopping in between me and Toriel, cutting me off from her. Falling into a ready stance, I level my staff at it, before blinking once as I register the creature's physical appearance.

It looked like... well, a frog, though considerably bigger then your garden-variety frog as it head is level with my knees. There are other differences too, like the fact that its skin is entirely white, with three black dots on its chest, and what appeared to be a second hidden face as there are two blinking eyes barely visible in between the frog's two front paws. The frog's nostrils flared periodically as it stared at me with an intensity that is almost disturbing, though I couldn't detect any hostile intent from it.

And like Toriel and the Dummy, I can see a small, white SOUL floating placidly in front of its chest.

* Froggit attacks you!

I blink as the Voice, as I was calling it for now, once more speaks to me, and then my eyes widen as its words penetrate my mind.

The Froggit leaps at me, the muscles in its legs suddenly brunching as it pushed off against the stone floor and rockets towards me with surprising speed.

Caught somewhat off guard by the straight forward attack, especially because the Froggit hadn't given off any hostile vibes, the monster is barely a foot away from me as I begin to react. I don't know why, especially as I still have the time necessary to bat away the frog-like creature with my staff, but instead of doing that I instinctively position myself so that the Froggit will directly impact with my cloak, somehow believing that will be enough to protect me.

And to my disbelieve, it is.

The Froggit struck my cloak head first, there was this bizarre sound that I could not place and a brief glow of green in my peripheral vision, and the monster bounced off harmlessly. It landed on its back a little ways away, obviously dazed as its legs spasm in the air above it.

I looked at the dazed Froggit and then at my cloak, then back to the Froggit and again back to my cloak. What just happened?

I put the question out of my mind as the Froggit clambers back on its feet, still looking dazed as a little blood weeps from a small patch of torn skin on its forehead. The Froggit stumbled a little as it regained its bearings, still looking somewhat out of it, and I find myself surprisingly concerned for its wellbeing.

The question slips past my lips before I even realize it.

"Are you alright?" I blink in disbelieve that I actually asked the question.

The Froggit's eyes focus on me, its wide mouth falling open in what I can only speculate is surprise, while the eyes in between its front legs have stopped blinking completely.

Before either of us could say or do anything else, Toriel stepped onto the scene, having doubled back after realizing what had happened.

I shivered at the expression on her face. She did not look happy.

Toriel didn't say anything, but glared at the Froggit, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. There was this aura around her that, even though I was not the target of her ire, still made me tense up as the feeling of staring down some ferocious beast who is only restraining itself in order to protect its young washed over the chamber.

Froggit bolted down the corridor we were headed towards without looking back.

I am getting the impression that Toriel is a bit overprotective. And by a bit, I mean a lot.

* You won!

Making sure that I didn't show any reaction to the Voice's words, I relax my stance and lower my staff now that the danger had passed.

"I'm sorry for that, my child," Toriel said, regret mixing with the anger in her voice. "I should have been paying more attention. You haven't been hurt, have you?"

"No," I shake my head, rather touched by how protective Toriel was being. "I'm fine."

"Good," Toriel sighed in heartfelt relieve. "In that case, let's continue on. Remain on your guard, though. We can't know for certain if that Froggit was alone or not."

I nodded, agreeing with that line of thinking wholeheartedly.

Following Toriel into the corridor, we pass quickly through the torch lined tunnel. The flickering flames of the torches illuminated the path forward and also made yet another plaque hidden in the shadows of the tunnel visible. I looked at it, and quickly memorize the text written down on it, certain that it pertained to the puzzle Toriel had alluded to.

We emerge from the corridor, stepping onto a small wooden platform. In front of us is a stone path, every inch of which is filled with massive spikes, their tips gleaming in the light provided by the ever present torches. Crystal clear water surrounds the stone walkway on either side.

I frown at the scene in front of me, and as I wonder how to get across the walkway, I silently murmur the hint provided on the plaque in the corridor behind me.

"The western room is the eastern room's blueprint."

As I mull over the words, I get the feeling that there's an easy way to get past this puzzle, one that wasn't intended by its creators and something that only I can do. A way in which I do not risk losing a limb or have to jump into the water and getting wet in order to circumvent the puzzle entirely.

It's on the tip of my tongue, and I feel a slight pressure building behind my eyes, but no matter how much I focus the answer does not come.

Sighing in frustration, I decide to simply focus on solving the puzzle as it was intended, which luckily for me is a rather simple and straightforward affair.

Really, the hint provided made it a bit too easy. It confirmed that the room we just came from and the one we're in right now are connected in some way. This room has a spike filled stone walkway, while the other room is entirely empty with only a designated path that made no sense. The plaque mentioned blueprint, and it didn't take a genius to notice that both rooms are the same size. The only thing that can apply from the western room to the eastern room is the designated path.

Thinking it through a bit, it became clear quickly that if you apply the designated path from the previous room to the spike filled walkway would allow one to pass safely.

Mentally patting myself on the back for solving the puzzle so quickly, I step forward, ready to put my theory to the test.

I stop in my tracks as Toriel's paw lands on my shoulder. Looking up at her with an eyebrow arched questioningly, I wonder why she stopped me.

"This is the puzzle, and I see that you believe that you have already solved it, but..." Toriel trails off, then offers me her paw. "Here, take my hand for a moment."

I have to hold back a frown. It is clear that, even though Toriel had realized that I had solved the puzzle on my own, she still wanted to guide me across. Again, I feel touched by how protective she is being of me, but I also feel a bit irritated by how much she is trying to do everything for me.

Nonetheless, I slip my hand in her paw without complaint. She is just worried about me, I tell myself, and even though she was being somewhat overprotective, I didn't want to worry her by insisting that I could cross the walkway on my own. I wouldn't be able to stand making her concerned just because I feel I can do this on my own.

Toriel smiled as I wordlessly comply. Walking behind her as she holds my hand, she stepped onto the walkway. The spikes immediately sink into the floor in front of us as she applies the designated path from the previous room to this spike filled stone walkway, the path being cleared in front of us step by step as we make multiple twists and turns, following the blueprint of the western room to a T, safely making it across without issue.

Releasing my hand as soon as we make it across, Toriel turns to me. "Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now," she justifies. "Come."

I once again follow her into the next room, and I briefly lose sight of Toriel as we pass through a short, dark tunnel. Once I emerge on the other side, I find Toriel waiting for me, bearing an unusually solemn look on her face. I blink and frown. Something about that expression raises my hackles.

"You have done excellently thus far, my child," despite her congratulatory words, her tone makes me tense up. "However... I have a difficult request to ask of you."

I look into her eyes, readying myself as one hundred and one possible requests she might have start flying through my mind.

"I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself," she said, still sounding solemn, and I nearly face fault at the anticlimactic request. "Forgive me for this."

Watching her as she turns around and briskly walks down the long room, I blink as she suddenly and without warning disappears from sight. Did she turn invisible?

My paranoia rears its ugly head, filling my mind with dozens of different reasons and motivations Toriel could have for asking me to do this seemingly benign and simple task. I look out over the rather long chamber, searching from some kind of hidden mechanisms that could play a role in yet more puzzles, looking for any reason why Toriel would want me to walk to the end of this chamber on my own. But my observation reveals nothing out of the ordinary. The room appears to be utterly empty.

Of course, being the paranoid Magus that I am, I immediately think that while there might not be anything visible that could be a cause for alarm, that doesn't mean that there isn't anything there.

I sigh and rub my face. Damn paranoia. Considering how overprotective Toriel has acted since meeting her, the very idea that she would deliberately place me in a dangerous situation is preposterous, yet something will not allow me to simply rely on my gut feeling and deductive reasoning, making me look for threats that just aren't there.

Shaking my head, I banish the thought. Toriel is trustworthy. There's no way the kind, overprotective motherly figure would put me in harm's way. She has faithfully guided and protected me the entire time we have been in the catacombs of the Ruins, and even comforted me earlier. Those actions have to be worth something, right?

With that thought in mind, I place my trust in Toriel and start walking.

That decision, though, did not stop the paranoid thoughts from festering in the back of my mind and, it's that exact same reason why, as I start walking down the chamber, why I still have my guard up.

I feel really stupid doing so, but I can't help myself.

Crossing the chamber barely took a minute, and I grew more and more tense for every step that I took, but in spite of that and my paranoid inclinations, nothing happened.

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Of course nothing happened.

Before I can really start calling myself an idiot in the questionable privacy of my own mind (on account of the Voice), Toriel emerged from behind a nearby pillar, smiling brightly.

"Greetings, my child. Do not worry, I did not leave you," she began with saying something patently Obvious. "I was merely behind this pillar the whole time."

Duh.

"Thank you for trusting me. However, there was an important reason for this exercise," she said, snagging my attention. "To test your independence."

Blinking, I wonder why she would need to test something like that.

"I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself."

Toriel continued on to say, her reasons starting to make a bit more sense, though not by much. What possible business does she need to attend to and why can't I tag along? Was she just planning on leaving me here alone without her protection? While I had no problem with it and I am confident in my ability to protect myself, it flies in the face of everything I have seen so far of her personality and overprotective tendencies.

Giving myself a mental headshake, I decide that it doesn't matter. I have chosen to trust Toriel and I am going to stick by my decision. I'm certain she has a good reason for this.

"Okay," I nod towards her, gaining a small smile in return.

"Thank you for trusting me once again, my child," she said. Then, to my surprise, she bent low to the ground. "Before I go, though..."

Toriel's longest clawed finger ghosts over the stone floor with clear purpose, Prana gathering at said clawed fingertip as she rapidly inscribes arcane symbols on the ground. In short order there are more then a dozen symbols etched on the ground arrayed in a circle, the lines making up their forms burning and flickering with light blue Prana

I watch with interest and with an overwhelming sense of familiarity. Though the symbols she is applying to the floor are completely alien to me, something about what Toriel is doing seems strangely familiar, as if I myself have done something similar to this many times before...

Toriel places her palm in the empty center of the symbols and mutters something beneath her breath as I sense a spike of Prana from her. My eyes go wide as the symbols suddenly multiply rapidly, covering every inch of the ground, walls and ceiling of the chamber. Said symbols burn brightly for a brief moment before disappearing from view.

"There," Toriel sighs as she stands back up, wiping her paws clean. "With that Perimeter Barrier up, no other monsters will think of entering this room for the rest of the day."

Perimeter Barrier? What Toriel had just done greatly reminded me of the well-known art of Bounded Fields, which can be set up either through the use of specialized spell words, symbols or a kind of evocation Magecraft that Magi employ to protect both their homes and workshops. And if her rather telling comment of other monsters now not entering this room, not to mention the name, tells me that their purpose is similar if not identical.

I too possessed the knowledge to set up Bounded Fields if required, but it would have taken me considerably longer then Toriel had taken to set up her intriguing 'Perimeter Barrier'.

"And before I leave, dear child," Toriel continued on to say, her paw digging into one of the pockets of her robe. "Take this, just to be safe."

She pulled her paw out of the pocket, and I raise an eyebrow at the object she revealed, "A cell phone?" I ask in disbelieve as I accept the cell phone from Toriel's hands. As a general rule of thumb, Magi tended to reject modern devices in favor of magical devices and Mysteries that can achieve similar results. I wasn't one of them, as I know how to use said device I was just given, but the fact that Toriel - who is some kind of magical creature whose nature I am uncertain of - just gave me one was enough to throw me.

I had never heard of a non-human being ever using human technology before. The thought of a Phantasmal Species using a cell phone was such a weird and crazy image that it was downright amusing.

I'm further surprised by the kind of cell phone that I was handed, which is positively ancient. It is one of those really old flip phones you had to flip open before you could use it, the kind of phone that lacks all the extra features of the more modern iPhone had like touchscreen and internet connection. Hell, it appeared to be such an old model that I even doubted it could take video or even pictures.

Briefly, I wonder where Toriel got this antiquated pile of junk and if I could get any money selling it an antique auction.

Mentally shaking my head, I decide that it doesn't matter how old the cell phone is. So long as it still worked I had no problem with it.

"My phone number is the only number in it and I always have my own phone with me," Toriel smiled and rubbed my head. "If you have a need for anything, just call."

I nodded and pocketed the cell Phone. "Of course. Thank you, Toriel."

"Think nothing of it, innocent one," she said, waving her paw dismissively at my thanks, and slowly turns to leave. "Be good, alright?"

Once again nodding my acceptance, Toriel smiles briefly at me before turning away completely and disappearing down the corridor, leaving me alone.

I stare a moment after her, listening to her steps getting progressively farther away until I cannot hear them anymore. Sighing to myself, I head towards the pillar Toriel had emerged behind from earlier and lean back against it as I sit down on the ground. I lay my staff down beside me as I take the opportunity to rest my feet for a moment.

Well, now what?

Having nothing better to do, I lean my head back against the pillar and close my eyes as I allow my mind to wander.

There are more then a few thoughts and questions on my mind right now. About my forgotten past. About the Voice I've been hearing. About my Craft. About my eyes. About monsters. All these topics occupy my mind, and I take the first moment of peace that I had since coming to the Underground to think about them.

My past is a topic I'm not really comfortable thinking about. My behavior since I woke up on that flowerbed has placed more then a few question marks on my past, some of which I'm not sure I want to know the answer for. While definitely curious - who wouldn't be? - I decide to focus on other topics for now.

There was this Voice I've been hearing since I woke up.

I had no clue if the words were being projected to my mind from afar or, and this is the far more worrying option, if they came for some kind of foreign entity inside of me. It's also possible I might be insane and that I am simply imagining the Voice in my head, but I feel pretty rational, so I doubt it.

Possession is not something unheard of in the Moonlit world, but the inherent Resistance I enjoyed to foreign energies as a Magus made such a prospect extremely difficult to occur. In the back of my mind, I hope that the Voice is simply some monster with an unusual and cruel sense of humor that is getting its jollies by playing a prank on me.

There is no way for me to know for certain.

Whatever the case, it definitely put me on edge, no question about that.

Turning my thoughts to my Craft, I frown. At the moment I only remember a few basic Mysteries: Structural Analysis, Reinforcement, Alteration, and I have the required skills and knowledge to set up some rudimentary Bounded Fields and I know the trick for exchanging Prana for physical energy, but there is this constant nagging feeling that I am still forgetting a lot. Beside the fact that I have got no clue what kind of Mysteries are stored inside of my Crest - the sudden activation of said Crest and that resulting point of light flash through my mind - I'm sure that there are also other spells that I had learned before coming to the Underground that are still missing from my recollection.

Said thoughts on my Craft eventually turn towards the changes I had noticed to my Circuits, not to mention the mystery of how my Crest and natural Circuits are pretty much identical in composition, output and quality.

The massive upgrade to my Circuit's quality and output is a massive boon, no question about that, but I couldn't think up of anyway how said upgrade possibly could have happened. The output and quality of one's Circuits are set the moment they are born. One's Circuits don't change or get more powerful over time. There are artificial methods to alter one's Circuits, yes, but they are inherently dangerous and I very much doubted said methods are capable of achieving the results I have perceived in my Circuits.

Pondering on it wouldn't give me an answer, I knew, so I moved on to the next topic.

I rub my closed eyelids. Since waking up my perception of the world had changed two times. First when I touched my SOUL - I open my eyes and briefly glance at the red sphere floating in front of my chest - and when I had fought Flowey.

What I had noticed so far is that when it happened I could in effect 'read' someone's SOUL, their most identifying traits becoming clear to me, and tiny dots appearing in everything around me, from rocks to flowers to even magical attacks, though I have no idea what these dots actually are. I could also see where a moving object is headed towards a few seconds in advance, as if I am gazing into the future of said object, while my perception of time slows down and I also gain an incredible clarity of perception.

The changes in my perception didn't explain how my own SOUL and those of the monsters I had encountered so far are visible when my perception of the world is normal. Or how said monsters give no indication whatsoever that they can also see their own SOUL or my SOUL for that matter. Do my eyes when inactive perhaps have a passive effect? Some Mystic Eyes are known to have functions that are always on even if the eyes aren't in use. Maybe that's why I can see SOULs even when my sight is normal?

Pausing, I rapidly run that last thought through my mind again several dozen times in quick succession. Then I promptly whack myself over the head.

Of course! Mystic Eyes! How in the name of the Root didn't I think of that earlier!

Oh, right.

Ten seconds ago the term Mystic Eyes didn't mean a damn thing to me as I didn't remember said term much less any knowledge associated with it. I must have learned about Mystic Eyes before losing my memory, and my idle musings must have lifted said knowledge from my subconscious mind on a fluke as my thoughts wandered.

This is a good thing. Recalling any kind of knowledge could only be a good thing. Especially knowledge that might help me further figuring out any of my abilities.

Focusing, I mentally summarize all I remember about the topic.

Mystic Eyes, a kind of Sorcery Trait that presents itself when a mutation occurs in the Circuits in and around the user's eyes. An ability that acts either as a single action spell that can be activated by simply running Prana through the Circuits positioned in and around the eyes or as a constant passive effect. There are also Mystic Eyes that have both a passive and active effect, which the Mystic Eyes that I apparently possess belonging to the latest category.

I, of course, don't remember how I came to possess this set of Mystic Eyes. Was I born with them? Did I gain them artificially? Or did the process that upgraded my Circuits so much also somehow grant me Mystic Eyes? There is simply no way for me to know.

There are many kinds of Mystic Eyes, with the eyes of Binding, Charm and Whisper being the most common. There also are more rare variants like the eyes of Flame, Illusion, Jinx, Enchantment and Contract, while some Mystic Eyes are so rare that they are only rumored to exist like the mythical Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

There even exists a kind of Mystic Eyes that combines all the abilities of Binding, Charm and Whisper. The name of said set of eyeballs, however, eludes me for now.

The problem is that none of the abilities those kinds of Mystic Eyes are said to grant match up with what I have noticed my own eyes to be capable of. There's as far as I know no kind of Mystic Eyes that allows one to look at and interpret one's own or another's SOUL. Not to mention all the other abilities that I have noticed so far my eyes to have.

But I can't deny that they exist, because I myself possess them.

"Well," I muse aloud to myself. "Now that's figured out, how do I use them?"

After all, just knowing that I have Mystic Eyes doesn't mean squat if I don't know how to activate them.

In both previous times they activated - when I touched my SOUL and I was fighting Flowey - Od was freely running through my Circuits. Perhaps if I just switch on the Circuits I had noted earlier are connected to my optic nerves and pupil...

With a thought and a mental trigger said Circuits switch on, channeling a tiny trickle of energy to my eyes. Nothing happens. Frowning to myself, I slowly and carefully, afraid that if I supply too much too fast I might harm myself, increase the amount of Prana being channeled to my eyes.

I can feel my eyes burn and I hum a pleased tune to myself as my perception of the world shifts.

The dots reappear in everything around me, as I raise my hand in front of my face, moving it from side to side, said hand appearing to move in slow motion. The same phenomena that I observed during the fight with Flowey is also present, showing me perfectly a few seconds in advance how my hand is going to move. It's honestly a rather odd sight for me, seeing a ghostly future prediction of my hand's movements, but it's also a rather cool and extremely helpful ability.

Lowering my hand, I turn my gaze toward my SOUL and gaze into the culmination of my being, the emotions and traits making it up being seen and interpreted automatically by my eyes.

The first thing I notice is Determination, the emotions so thick and strong that it almost seems to make up the whole of my SOUL. I also see respectable amounts of Patience, Bravery, Integrity, Perseverance, Kindness, and Justice contained within. There are other traits present too, but they are few and of little consequence in my opinion.

It's when I try to gaze even deeper, the slight burning feeling in my eyes flaring up as I supply more and more Od to them, that more is revealed.

Steel, so much and so pure that it seems to stretch out into the infinite, sheaths the very seat of my SOUL, the Steel representing the very core of my SOUL and being.

And yet, the longer I stare at it, the more I am convinced something fundamental, or maybe even several fundamental things, are missing from my SOUL. I can't be sure of this since I have never observed the SOUL of another human (or at least, as far as I could remember), but I'm getting the impression that, if the SOUL of a living being could be likened to a puzzle with varying pieces making up its whole, several of such pieces are bend, warped or in some cases, missing entirely in my case...

RING~~ RING~~

My examination of my SOUL is interrupted by the sudden ringing of the cell phone in my jeans' pocket. Quickly turning my eyes off, I fumble for a moment as I take out said cell phone. Flipping it open, I accept the call with the push of a button, and before I can say anything Toriel immediately starts speaking.

"Hello!" She begins saying, voice bright. "This is Toriel. My errands are taking longer then I thought they would. You must wait five more minutes."

"Just five more minutes?" I repeat, just to be sure. "Sure, no problem."

"Thank you for being patient," I can hear Toriel's smile over the phone before she says goodbye and hangs up.

I click the cell phone closed and turn my gaze back to my SOUL, now appearing as a simple swirling sphere of incredible energy now that my eyes are no longer active.

Speaking about my eyes, they needed a name, didn't they? Something short and sweet that describes their abilities like with all the other kinds of Mystic Eyes. I couldn't just continue calling them my Mystic Eyes, now could I?

The answer came quickly to me. Just a bare second of thought and the proverbial lightbulb lit up.

The Mystic Eyes of the SOUL.

It made perfect sense to call them that, after all. The fact that my eyes made SOULs visible and interpreted them is the ability that most jumps out to me.

I hummed a pleased note to my myself. This momentary pit stop until Toriel comes back has payed unexpected benefits. Even if I don't have a clue how my eyes did what they did, their abilities will definitely come in handy if any monster were to attack me like that Froggit earlier had done.

Of course, said thought turns my focus back to monsters. I had several questions regarding them swirling in my mind, mostly regarding what they actually are, what their Thaumaturgy is capable of and any other abilities they might possess, and why some of them would be hostile to me on sight. They clearly aren't mindless beast like many of the Phantasmal Species that populate this world are. They had to have a reason, some kind of justification, to attack me.

Toriel had to know what that reason was. It's a question I had wanted to ask earlier, but Toriel had quickly directed me to the Dummy before I could and I had been distracted by the need to help fix the Dummy's damaged body.

Oh, well. I could ask her when she comes back for me. I just hoped she wouldn't make me wait much longer. There's only so much time someone can sit still and think deep thoughts in an empty room before it starts to wear on them.

It shouldn't take much longer now.

"..."

Why do I get the impression that I just jinxed myself?

---

I am annoyed. I am really annoyed right now. I am annoyed beyond all known reason.

RING~~ RING~~

"Hello. This is Toriel. I found what I was looking for. But before I could take it... A small, white puppy snatched it away. How odd. Do dogs even LIKE flour? Err, that is an unrelated question, of course. It will take a little longer. Please understand."

Click.

I don't get annoyed quickly, or at least that's the impression I am getting from my fractured memories.

RING~~ RING~~

* You hear heavy panting on the other end of the phone...

The Voice is back. Thankfully, the annoyance within me that has steadily been building up for around a good hour now and is on the verge of crescendoing into full blown aggravation doesn't allow me to truly feel alarmed at the fact that the Voice in my head doesn't seem to be leaving me alone anytime soon.

"Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!" the insistent barking of what sounded like a small pug come over the phone I am holding to my ear. My left eyebrow twitches.

* You hear a distant voice.

"Stop, please!" the voice might have been distant, but it was unmistakably Toriel's voice. "Come back here with my cell phone!"

Click.

I have been sitting still for over an hour now, looking at the same blank, purple wall to the point my eyes are starting to ache. I've used the intervening time to ponder my situation and any topic or question that crossed my mind.

But as I had thought earlier, sitting still and thinking deep thoughts in an empty room eventually starts to wear on a person.

RING~~ RING~~

"Snore... Snore... Snore..." I had to hold back from gritting my teeth at the aggravating noise.

* It sounds like a small, white dog is sleeping on the cell phone.

The damn Voice wasn't helping with its constant commentary, and why in the name of the Root is commentating on such trivial things?

* You hear a distant voice.

"Helloooo? Little puppy? Where are you? I will give you a nice pat on the head!"

* The snoring stops.

"... If you return my cell phone!"

* The snoring resumes.

Click.

I am a good kid, I tell myself. Something proven by the fact in spite of my annoyance I have not yet gone against Toriel's implicit instructions to stay in the room.

It should be noted, however, that by this point my left eye is twitching something fierce and that I am half a second away from bashing my head face first into the pillar I am leaning against. I could palm my face to show how exasperated I am, but sometimes that just isn't enough.

RING~~ RING~~

"Snore... Snore... ACHOO!"

* It sounds like a small, white dog sneezing in its sleep.

No shit, Sherlock!

* You hear a distant voice.

"Here, pup-pup-puppy!" again Toriel's distant voice comes over the Phone. "Oh, dear. I should not keep my guest waiting any longer."

There was a brief silence, only interrupted by the continued snoring by the thief of a little puppy.

"... Oh, no. How long has it been since I have talked to him? Perhaps he has been calling the phone, and..."

The clear worry in her voice gives me a bad feeling that easily overshadows both my annoyance with her and the damn dog.

"... Here, puppy!"

Click.

Okay, that does it!

Standing up, I huff to myself. There's a clear limit to my Patience, despite the respectable amount of it I have in my SOUL, and it has finally been eroded.

Besides, if things continue as they have up to this point I could probably end up waiting the entire damn day in this monotonous purple room. While I feel bad for disobeying Toriel, I am no longer willing to wait anymore, and I know that sitting still and doing nothing while Toriel is getting progressively more worried about me will make me feel even worse. So against my better judgement, I stand up from my sitting position as I make my way towards the corridor Toriel had disappeared through earlier, staff in hand.

I just need to get to Toriel, I think to myself. To do that I just need to solve whatever myriad of puzzles are ahead and get past any hostile monster that might attack me on sight. Then I can help her catch this annoying dog and get her phone back.

How hard could it be?

"Ugh, I just jinxed myself again, didn't I?" I groan loudly, just barely resisting the urge to smack myself over the head.

---

I pass the threshold of the Perimeter Barrier Toriel had set up earlier, feeling the tiny threads of Prana tingle across my skin as I did so. The second I step outside the Barrier, I feel a tiny shift in reality behind me, and I glance back to see not an open pathway leading back into the room I came from, but instead a bare, purple wall.

Raising an eyebrow, I extend my senses. Despite the fact that I know that the wall is fake and my sensitivity to magical phenomena as a Magus, I can barely tell that the wall behind me is fake and not real, an illusion conjured by Toriel's Perimeter Barrier. Hell, I could barely even feel there is Prana in said construct. And if it weren't for the fact that I had passed through said Barrier and made brief contact with it just now, I wouldn't have been able to tell even that much.

Impressive. A Bounded Field of this quality, one that works on a subconscious level to keep anyone passing by it completely ignorant of its existence, would be the mark of a first rate Magus.

It's even more impressive when you take into account it barely took Toriel half a minute to set this thing up. If Perimeter Barriers can be likened to Bounded Fields, then Toriel must be highly proficient in this kind of Thaumaturgy in order to be able to manage such a feat.

Continuing on as I make a mental note to ask Toriel about the mechanics behind Perimeter Barriers later, I walk down the torch lined corridor. I emerge in a much more well lit up room, where I am quick to realize that I am not alone anymore.

And it isn't Toriel.

Immediately on high alert, a bare my staff on the small being directly in front of me, a figure that is very familiar.

A Froggit is squatting on the ground, both the bulbous eyes on its face and the pair between its legs are trained on me, its nostrils flaring.

I immediately notice the tiny patch of torn skin that is smeared with dried blood above one of its eyes, and I take on an aggressive stance at the revelation that this is the very same Froggit who had attacked me not too long ago.

The Froggit noticed this, and in an apparent bid to avoid any ugliness raises its front paws of the ground in the universal gesture of meaning no harm.

"Ribbit, ribbit. Wait, human! I'm not here to fight you," the Froggit speaks through its croaks. "Ribbit, ribbit. I just want to talk."

Suspicious, but unwilling to attack first, I marginally lower my staff and glare at the frog-like monster.

"Well, I'm listening. Speak."

Froggit gulped at my no nonsense tone, the vocal sag under its jaw suddenly expanding at the sudden intake of air.

"Ribbit, ribbit. I wanted to apologize," Froggit said, and I blink owlishly at it. "For attacking you, I mean. It's the dumbest thing I have ever done, and I have no excuse."

Caught off guard by the apology, I frown at the Froggit, not really sure what to make of it. The Froggit isn't making any hostile gesture to me and I can't feel any hostile intent from it, but I wasn't able to tell it was hostile to me last time either before it attacked me without any warning. And I can't exactly take it at its words, now can I?

I briefly think that it would be wonderful if I could somehow be sure if the Froggit is lying or not, some kind of tell that could make it damn sure if its words are trustworthy. But then I realize that I am able to see much more then that with the application of a bit of Prana.

The Circuits leading to my eyes switch on, and suddenly the world has several extra layers of depth for me alone to observe. Everything slows down to a crawl, dozens of dots appear in my field of vision while my gaze penetrates the Froggit's SOUL to the point that it becomes like an open book to me.

"Tell me," I said, my voice flat and devoid of any infliction. "How can I know that you are telling the truth? That this isn't some ploy to make me lower my guard?"

My activated Mystic Eyes bore into Froggit, who squirms on the floor at my damning questions, with all the intensity of a laser as my enhanced perception takes in every little detail in its stance and facial expression. If there's any kind of tell of a bold faced lie, my eyes will definitely catch it.

Froggit shuffled anxiously in front of me as its mouth open and closed, trying and failing to think up of an adequate answer. Finally, it lowered its eyes in shame.

"Ribbit, ribbit. There's no way I can prove my sincerity to you," Froggit muttered. "All I can give you, ribbit, ribbit, is my word."

My eyes narrow. Neither my enhanced perceptions nor my instinct gave any sign that Froggit was lying or feeding me a half truth. The monsters stance is relaxed, open, and friendly, with no hint of deceit in its facial expression, eyes and demeanor. Furthermore...

I focus on the small, swirling white SOUL of Froggit, and peer into it.

Froggit's SOUL spoke of a calm and placid personality that neither sought out nor desired conflict. Like Toriel's SOUL, its main attributes are love, hope, and compassion, with a great many of different and varying traits coming together to form the basis of a placid, almost meek, nature, one that utterly abhors battle.

Most importantly, it shows me beyond even the faintest shadow of a doubt that at its core Froggit is a good person.

I'm confused. Why would anyone with such a kind and gentle SOUL, someone who is ill at ease at the more notion of battle, suddenly attack a ten year old kid? It didn't make any sense. It went completely against Froggit's nature.

"Why did you attack me then?" I asked, honestly curious.

Froggit blanched at the question. The frog-like monster looked scared to answer. I frowned.

"Ribbit, ribbit. O-oh, um, that's not important," Froggit said hastily, a bit too hastily. "It's not anything important, really."

Froggit's SOUL, in the depths of which I could easily see a sudden maelstrom of fear and trepidation, shuddered, as if in distress as the words left the monster's mouth.

I knew instantly what that meant.

"Liar."

Froggit closed its eyes and lowered its head, confirming my suspicion of what the SOUL's reaction meant. Hmm, I guess there is more truth to that old saying that 'lying is an affront to the SOUL' then whoever coined it could have known, especially if the culmination of one's being reacts like that to a lie.

With these eyes, it's impossible to effectively lie to me. People's lips might spew lie after lie, but to my eyes their SOUL will always show if they are telling the truth or not. I feel pleased that my hunch was correct. Clearly, these eyes have more uses than I had initially anticipated.

Still, that meant that the Froggit did have a reason to attack me, one that is damn important and somehow justifies assaulting me without any warning.

And it might be strange, but I am definitely curious what that reason is.

"I don't like being lied to," I said, positively growling. "You did have a reason to attack me, and you still do for all I know. How can I trust you if you won't tell me why?"

Froggit looked like it was caught between a rock and a hard place, its eyes jumping from my face to all over the room as its lips moved, trying to say something but no sound emerging. It clearly hadn't been expecting the sudden new direction the conversation had taken.

"You better start telling the truth," I growl, my Mystic Eyes still activated as I look Froggit dead in the eye. "Or I will consider you my enemy and act accordingly."

Froggit looked back at me for a long moment, seeing how serious I was. Finally, it closed its eyes and sighed sadly.

"Ribbit, ribbit. Fine, I will tell you the truth," Froggit said, its voice heavy with something I could not entirely place. "Ribbit, ribbit. I'm warning you, though, it's not pretty."

I gesture for the Froggit to get on with it, not amused by its paltry attempt to make me retract my question.

Froggit shifted uneasily.

"Ribbit, ribbit. Human, do you know why we monsters live down here in the Underground, instead of on the Surface together with humanity?"

Frowning, I ponder what Froggit had just alluded to. It was rather odd that all monsters lived down here and that humanity was entirely ignorant of their existence, yes, but most mundane humans didn't know anything about the Moonlit world or had any inkling of the non-human creatures that live in the shadows of said world either, except what is spoken about in folklore and myths that many cultures produced before the existence of Thaumaturgy was hidden from the majority of the world many centuries ago.

Most Phantasmal Species, a collective name for magical non-human beings, either live in areas with a low density human populations, are extremely difficult to reach, or have migrated to another plane of reality. Because of these facts the population of Phantasmal Species that inhabit the world is at an all time low.

If looked at from that perspective, one could consider the monster's segregated existence from humanity down here to be par for the course.

No, the damning thing was that I, a Magus, someone who knows far more of the world's hidden side then most people, had never heard of them before today. It could be that I have simply lost any kind of knowledge about monsters thanks to my fractured memories, but I doubted it since my knowledge on Phantasmal Species seemed complete.

And THAT little fact, above all, didn't add up.

That Froggit had even brought it up means that there must be an important reason for it, that there's more behind the monster isolation from the rest of the world down here then is immediately apparent, and I find my eyes widening as the realization hits me.

"You don't live down here by choice, do you?"

Froggit croaked sadly, which its SOUL reflected all to clearly in its depths.

Something tells me that I won't like what Froggit is about to tell me.

* You feel a cold pit forming down in your stomach.

"Ribbit, ribbit. Human, do your people remember the Great War?" Froggit asked another question, one that I answered with a raised eyebrow. "Apparently, you don't."

Froggit sighed and absently shifted on its legs and forearms.

"I'm not an historian, so I can only tell you the abridged version known to all monsters. If you want to know more then the bare bones, it would be better to ask Toriel when you see her again."

I nodded, mentally readying myself for some uncomfortable truths. Then I gestured for Froggit to continue.

Froggit rubbed the side of its face. Its eyes, including the set barely visible in between its forelegs, close as it lets out an explosive breath. "Listen, human. What I am about to tell you isn't a pleasant subject by any stretch of the imagination, one that I'd rather not dwell on for long, so I'm just going to focus on the essentials, okay?"

Growing impatient at how Froggit was constantly stalling, I gave a sharp nod and told the monster to get on with it.

Froggit's eyes opened and locked with mine, "Ribbit, ribbit. The Great War was a short but brutal conflict between humanity and monsterkind some three thousand years ago. The cause for the conflict is unknown, though we do have theories, but if the records in Waterfall are to be believed it was humanity that instigated it."

I listened with rapt attention, all the while the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach grow heavier with every word spoken.

Froggit's nostrils flared, "Ribbit, ribbit. Conservative estimates put the death toll of monsterkind in that two month long war to be a little over half our population at the time, around one hundred thousand monsters in total," the frog-like monster said, and I gasp at the number. Froggit nodded grimly. "The Great War was a terrible and a very much one sided affair. As far as we know, there were absolutely no human casualties. Every time we tried to fight back ended up with our forces crushed and routed."

I frowned heavily. Are monsters really that outmatched by humans? Froggit didn't appear to be all that powerful, true, but Flowey had been incredibly dangerous, and a single misstep during our battle could have been the death of me. And Toriel... power practically radiated off of her, enough that her mere approach had put me on edge.

At least some monsters had to have the power to kill humans. I have already met two who are serious threat if they wanted to be, and I haven't been inside the Underground for over a day. On top of that, I am a Magus, someone who generally is far more dangerous and capable in combat then most mundane humans.

If monsters could be a serious threat to me, then they had to be at the very least equally as deadly to the common foot soldiers that the fast majority of humanities forces consisted of some three thousand years ago. Magecraft was more bountiful and widespread back in the old days, yes, but that didn't mean that everyone could actually use it. Even in the Age of the Gods only a very small minority of the human race had the required prerequisites and the talent necessary to be able to use Magecraft.

What Froggit was telling me didn't add up.

It did believe that it was telling the truth, though. Its SOUL made that abundantly clear.

"Ribbit, ribbit. After we capitulated," Froggit continued on to say, breaking my chain of thought. "What was left of our species was gathered at the base of Mt. Ebbot at the orders of the human leaders that started the war. Then they forced us into the caverns that reside underneath this mountain, and seven of their greatest wizards combined their powers to create a Barrier that has trapped us down here for millennia. This has been our reality for generations."

I felt somewhat nauseous as Froggit finished its story. No wonder at least some monsters would be hostile at the very sight of me. If what Froggit had just told me is as true as it believes it to be, then their people have been trapped underground for over three thousand years thanks to the actions of humans.

Any able minded person would at the very least resent the one responsible or the one they held accountable for it. To be fair, I, like the rest of modern humanity, had nothing to do with the Great War, but I could definitely see why some monsters would lash out at any humans that stumbled into their prison.

In light of this information Froggit's actions start to make sense. The attacking me part, not the part where it apologized for attacking me. Did it have a change of heart? And if so, why?

"There's more to the story than that, isn't there?" I asked the rhetorical question.

I looked at Froggit. The frog-like monster looked incredibly reluctant to continue. The fear and trepidation that has been clearly visible in the Froggit's SOUL ever since I asked why it had attacked me spiked sharply. What in the name of the Root was it so afraid of?

"Ribbit, ribbit. Human, the Barrier that keeps us here, the Barrier that has kept us from seeing sunlight for over three thousand years..."

Froggit looked down and clenched its paws, obviously forcing itself to continue.

"There's one way, and only one way, to break the Barrier and set us free," Froggit looked back up, and I am startled to see tears in them. "And that's with human SOULs."

* Your veins turn to ice.

I take a sudden step back from Froggit, the still activated Mystic Eyes of the SOUL showing me that Froggit had told me nothing but the truth, and in my shock the Voice that has been my constant companion since waking up in the Underground sounded almost mocking even as its infliction remained the same ghostly whisper.

"Seven human SOULs are necessary to break the Barrier," Froggit continued on to say, but it sounded distant to my ears, faint.

The world fell away around me, and even as it continued to speak I was so far withdrawn in the depths of my own mind that I could no longer register Froggit's words or even take in my surroundings. In that very moment, utterly unknown to everyone but myself and maybe the Voice, a violent conflict was raging in my mind.

I didn't know it at the time, but this short and fierce conflict would decide the fate of multitudes.

My dream, my very reason for existence, is to be a Hero, a person who puts his own needs and wants secondary for the betterment of others. In short, the life of a Hero is the very embodiment of sacrifice. A true Hero spends his time bettering his skills, putting in incredible effort to hone their prowess in battle, giving their blood, sweat and tears in order to uphold ideals that drive them ever onward in the face of constant struggle, sacrifice, and adversity, risking their life and limb for the sake of other people.

That's the kind of person that I admire and the kind of person I aspire to be.

* Then why do you hesitate, you ask yourself.

The Voice perfectly echoed the inner struggle I am facing right now, one that is so fundamental to me as a person that I had to lean heavily on my staff to keep myself from toppling over as I desperately tried to work out the wild thoughts and emotions surging through me.

By all rights to satisfy my ideal of being a Hero, of being a person that always puts the needs of others before mine, I should voluntarily hand over my SOUL. In order to truly honor that conviction, I should give the monsters the key to their freedom, because that is what Heroes do; sacrifice their own lives and happiness for the sake of others.

My clenched hands squeeze the staff I am using for support, making it creak lowly as the wood strains underneath the pressure.

But I don't want to. Something inside of me rebels at the mere thought of simply giving away my SOUL. And while I'll admit that I fear death like any other sane person, I don't have a sense of self-preservation like most people do, especially when it comes to aiding other people, so that wasn't stopping me either.

It should be so easy and clear cut, at least for me. I held a piece of the puzzle that the monsters needed to attain freedom. I give the monsters my SOUL, and they will be one step closer to getting that freedom. Yet it isn't. Something is stopping the automatic reaction of offering up my SOUL, but I don't have a clue what, and that scares me.

And that uncertainty truly frightens me much more then I am willing to admit.

"Ribbit, ribbit. Human, are you alright?"

The concerned words of Froggit pierce through the fog that had settled over my mind. Taking a deep breath, I clamp down on the wild thoughts and emotions and calm myself down by force, finding my center through sheer bloody minded stubbornness.

"That's why you attacked me, wasn't it?" I asked, my voice raspy. "You need my SOUL."

No wonder Froggit hadn't been giving off any impression of hostility when it attacked me before. Despite humanities ancestors being the cause for the monster's imprisonment down here, I could see no hidden resentment in its SOUL. Froggit didn't hate or even blame me for monsterkind's confinement, it just needed my human SOUL in order to finally set its people free. I didn't sense any hostility because there was none there to begin with. Froggit had attacked me because it had to. Hell, considering the composition of its SOUL, it probably saw the attempt at taking my SOUL as an distasteful job it had no choice but to do.

But that then of course brought up the question why Froggit was no longer interested in taking my SOUL, and why it apologized for attacking me in the first place.

"Why won't you attempt to take my SOUL again?" I asked, sounding uncertain. "Why even apologize? You did what had to be done. You have nothing to feel sorry for..."

"Yes I do! All of monsterkind does!"

The sudden shout from the former mild mannered Froggit was enough to startle me, and I flinch, taking another step back from it, feeling deeply uncertain at how to respond to that. Froggit took a deep, shuddering breath, and once again looked me in the eyes.

"Ribbit, ribbit. Human, you aren't the first of your kind to come here," Froggit confirmed one of my fears. "And all of them died and had their SOULs taken."

Froggit fell silent for a brief moment, then spoke up quietly.

"Ribbit, ribbit. Some of them were but innocent children, just like you..."

* You feel like you have been punched in the gut.

Indeed I did, and I had to fight to keep my lunch down. This... this was beyond anything I could have imagined, even in my deepest, darkest nightmares.

War and what could only be called genocide. The imprisonment of an entire group of intelligent beings for over three millennia for reasons unknown. The required killings of the guilty and innocent alike in order to set those people free...

"Ribbit, ribbit. I myself I have never encountered a human before you," Froggit said, clenching its paws. "But the thought that the freedom of monsterkind is to be paid by the blood of those unlucky enough to find their way into the Underground, including children, is enough to make me want to vomit. When I attacked you earlier, I had to convince myself that I had no other choice, that it was my duty to my people to take your SOUL, as I am certain many others have done before me..."

The frog-like monster's voice became but a whisper.

"But then you showed concern for me after I attacked you, and I could no longer delude myself."

Froggit's eyes hardened then and its SOUL pulsed as if to underscore the conviction of what it told me next. "Ribbit, ribbit. Human, while I am too weak to be of any real aid to you, I do have some advice if your willing to listen," Froggit took a deep breath, "It's widely rumored in the Underground that one of the humans that came before you, a child just like you, someone with great Integrity, willingly gave up their SOUL without fighting back once they learned of our plight," I gasped quietly at this. "I am telling you to not follow in their example. No one should have to give up their life, especially a young child, for such a bloody cause no matter how well intended it is."

I hesitated agreeing to that. Despite something holding me back from doing the exact same thing that kind soul before me had done, the urge to offer up my SOUL of my own volition was still very much there. Could I selfishly hold onto my SOUL in spite of what I have learned? Did I have that right?

Froggit must have seen the conflict in my eyes, because it immediately spoke up.

"Ribbit, ribbit. Please, human. Promise me that you won't kill yourself for our sake. It might bring us freedom, but the price would be too great to bear."

I wanted to agree. I really, really wanted to agree. But just like something unknown was keeping me from giving up my SOUL, my ideal of being a Hero kept me from opening my mouth and simply saying yes and binding myself to that promise. Again, Froggit noticed this, and opened its mouth to plead with me.

"Please."

In the end, it was not the instinctive desire to preserve one's own life that is innate to most living beings or the unknown reason that kept me from handing over my SOUL as my ideals require of me that made me say yes to Froggit's pleading, but the utterly broken sound carried by that one whispered word.

"... Okay, I promise."

Froggit immediately brightened and shot me a grateful look, one that I didn't deserve. I had already realized by that point that even without the promise I would have held on to my SOUL regardless. My hesitation to unquestionably follow my ideal of being a Hero in spite of my convictions more than proves that.

"Ribbit, ribbit. Thank you, human," Froggit smiled as if a great weight had been lifted from its shoulders.

"Anything... anything else that I should know?" I asked hesitantly. Despite not being a historian, Froggit had shown itself to be rather knowledgeable.

"Ribbit, ribbit. I have one more thing to ask of you, human, and then I will be off," the frog-like monster sighed. "If a monster attacks you in the future, at least try and act in a way that will make a monster less inclined to fight you, and if they are no longer interested in taking your SOUL and back off, please, show some mercy, human."

"Of course," I readily agreed.

"I realize that this is a highly unreasonable thing to ask after making you swear to preserve your own life, but please, human, if and when other monsters attack you, at least try and resolve the conflict without bloodsh-"

Froggit blinked, cocking its head when it realized that I had already agreed. Its lips were still moving but no sound emerged.

"Ribbit, ribbit. You do?" It asked in disbelieve, which then rapidly faded away as it came back to its senses. "That's... good. Thanks for being so understanding, human."

I nodded. In truth, I had already resolved in the privacy of my own mind to not kill any monster that I might encounter as I journey ahead if I could help it. In spite of the fact that monsters had killed every human being that had stepped foot in their domain, they still were every bit victims in my eyes, just like those unfortunate humans.

Having endured genocide. Being trapped down here for over three thousand years with the only way out through the power of the SOULs of the ones who trapped them in the first place. Being forced to kill innocents in order to attain their freedom...

Even if some of their actions were nothing less then reprehensible, they were at least understandable, and monsters like Toriel and Froggit had made very clear that not all of them agreed with killing any human they encountered to accomplish the very understandable goal of seeing sunlight again.

That, combined with the fact that they were casualties of their circumstances and ancient human cruelty, labelled them victims to my mind.

* You swear to yourself that you will one day set the monsters free without giving up your own life, and that quiet resolution fills you with determination.

The Voice murmured in my mind, echoing the thoughts and intentions that had yet to fully form. It carried a note of something that I couldn't quite place, but if I had to make a guess it sounded almost like a combination of surprised, approving and grateful.

Whatever the Voice was, it had neatly summed up what I was intending on doing before I had even consciously realized it.

It shouldn't be surprising, though. After all, isn't that what a Hero of Justice would do? What a righteous person would do if they could, even if they weren't willing to give up their life and very own SOUL to do so?

No, even now that I have resolved to stubbornly and selfishly hang onto my SOUL, I still very much intended on setting the monsters free.