Dear Diary,

I've arrived in a strange place, and made an unlikely friend.

I'm writing this from what appears to be the old home of a monster. I found this diary in a side draw in one of the bedrooms. I have to admit: this isn't what I expected a monster's home to look like. It bares many similarities to the homes of humans. The house contains a kitchen and several bedrooms. There's a comfortable living space with a family table, fireplace and bookshelves. Flicking through some of the books, it seems that there are still some large differences between our races (especially regarding diet). But it's funny and somewhat relieving to learn that monsters appear to have the same needs as humans, right down to the little things.

There's also a stairway in the hall that seems to lead down to a basement. There's a chill breeze drifting up from there that's making the rest of the house a bit cold. I want to go down there and see where it's coming from. But my mind wanders when I'm tired, and will conjure up fearful images – dreadful possibilities of what it could be. So I'll block it out – shut it out of my head, and make do with the cold.

This is the place I have found myself in, without any real explanation or reason. And then there's my companion: Flowey. A golden flower, just like the ones that would grow back home – only he talks and...

Should anyone ever read this, I'll have trouble convincing them that this is all truth. They'll think I've gone mad. I won't blame them – I had my own suspicions at first. But I have gradually managed to convince myself of the reality of my situation. I am here, deep underground in the remains of a long-abandoned civilization, and Flowey is my guide. He's promised he's going to show me the way out of here, which is a great relief. I'm relying on him – more than I'd like to admit. As fascinating as this place and its history is to me, there's an eerie quality to everything that puts me on-edge. I can vividly imagine the monsters that once lived in this place, as if a part of them continues to inhabit these halls. It's times like this when I wish I didn't believe in ghosts.

Anyway, returning to Flowey, I'm still not sure what to make of him. He's completely unlike anyone I've ever met on the surface. He's sharp-sighted and mischievous, and I know he's already caught on to my panicky nature. But there's a sense of mutual respect between us. Though he seldom stopped talking today, he didn't push me to tell him anything I'd rather not share. I can only assume that he has secrets of his own – though this reticence doesn't appear to extend to his emotions. His shifts in mood are erratic and unpredictable, to the point where I have to be cautious about what I say for fear of getting a bad reaction. That said, I'd be lying if I said I didn't find his off-beat nature charming in its own way.

I try my best not to pry, but I have so many questions about this peculiar flower. His story is still unclear to me. How long has he been down here? Has he really been down here since all monsters were freed? Trapped here all this time, alone? He insists that it was his own choice, born out of a desire to 'change' – but what change can be so important to warrant living like this?

My curiosity is difficult to suppress, but I'm hoping I'll learn more as we travel. Maybe I can convince him to come with me back to the surface. I'll confess I don't like the idea of him returning to a life of solitude once I'm gone. It feels… unjust.

The strangest thing of all, however, is this closeness I feel towards him. A sense of familiarity I cannot explain. His friendliness and interest in me adds to the feeling that our meeting wasn't pure coincidence. That we might even share some sort of connection.

Now I really am rambling. I'm probably just imagining things. I've felt murky and unfocused ever since I ended up here. I'm sure I'm just tired.

I managed to find some clean bandages in one of the drawers. I suppose I should have taken some spares with me when I left home. Things were so rushed and I wasn't able to think straight. But hopefully these will tide me over until I escape from here.

…

Escape from what? Escape to...what?

That's enough.

I had a dream that night. I say 'night' as an arbitrary measure of time. Deep underground, it was impossible to ascertain the time of day. It was difficult enough to keep focus on the passage of time – it was almost as if time stood still in this empty world. Similarly, I only say 'dream' as a vague descriptor for what I experienced that night – because it did not feel like a dream. It was more like a clump of muffled, disembodied voices. Everything was dark – just like when I fell, swallowed up into the belly of the mountain. A single, gruff voice stood out amongst the dull cacophony, trying to reach out to me across this infinite darkness. They sounded deeply distressed. I was only able to catch the tail-end of what they were trying to say.

"…please… wake up! You are the future of humans and monsters…"

I woke up suddenly with a jolt. I sat up in bed, completely mystified. "What was that?" I said aloud to myself, scratching my head. It almost felt like a memory – as if those words had been spoken to me, or through me. But I knew this couldn't possibly be true. I had no memory of those words – or the owner of the voice I'd heard.

But the voice's message had held some resonance with me. 'You are the future of humans and monsters.' I sat in bed for a while as I thought hard about the possible explanations for this dream and its bizarre message. Had the voice been addressing me with those words? And if so, what had they meant? Were those words my calling – my purpose?

Eventually I decided to put it aside. It was just a dream, I told myself. Dreams don't necessarily need to mean anything. But I kept those words close to me – and I still think about the meaning of the voice's message to this day.

I got out of bed and stretched. I could tell I'd slept a while before the dream had woken me. I got ready, catching a glimpse of myself in the hallway mirror before heading outside.

Flowey was already up and waiting for me, exactly where I had left him. "Mornin'!" he said cheerfully. "Sleep well? We've got a bit further to travel before we hit the next stop. Are you feeling better?"

I nodded. Some of my drowsiness lingered on but I was starting to feel better. Flowey looked pleased. "That's good!" he smiled. "But before we get going, d'ya wanna see something cool?" He peered around cautiously for a few seconds before continuing, as if to ascertain if it was safe to proceed. "Wait here for just a moment!" He dipped down into the ground and vanished. A couple of minutes passed before I started wondering where he'd gone. I looked around the clearing for any sign of movement but there was no sign of him. Perhaps he got lost looking for what he wanted to show me, I considered. Maybe I should…

My thoughts were cut short as something huge fell from the sky, crashing into the ground a few feet ahead of me and sending leaves flying in all directions. The sound was deafening. I almost lost my balance as the ground shook from the impact. After steadying myself and taking a moment to recover from my shock, I was able to identify the fallen object before me. It was a throne – the one Flowey had told me about earlier.

Flowey rose up in the seat of the throne, mimicking the sound of trumpeting fanfare. "All hail King Flowey the First! Ruler of the Underground!" he proclaimed loudly, accompanied by more raucous fanfare. The leaves were slowly drifting down around him like confetti. "Loyal subjects!" he decreed, "Bow before your King!" He puffed himself up in a regal fashion, looking at me expectantly.

As I quickly feigned a graceful bowing motion, I snuck a glance at the throne. It was an ornate design, made of gold and purple velvet. The back of the throne was fashioned into a pair of jutting horns, giving it an air of command. The seat was emblazoned a royal emblem depicting what looked like a winged being hovering over three triangles. An Angel? I asked myself.

This must be Asgore's old throne, I realised. I started to wonder: why was it left down here when the monsters left this place? And what was it doing here, in these Ruins of all places? I hadn't encountered anything resembling a throne room on my way here. Perhaps Flowey had moved it from its original location, I speculated. But why? I kept these questions to myself to avoid another reaction from him.

Flowey gave a thoroughly self-satisfied grin. "Impressive, right?" he boasted. "I used to have a crown too – before it was taken."

'Taken?' His choice of words made me curious. What was he talking about?

I only had a brief moment to ruminate on this before Flowey piped up again. "Alright, enough foolin' around! The King has ordered that we move out!" he announced. He turned to face the entrance to the house where I had slept. "Onward!" he cheered, vanishing into the ground in an instant.

I blinked a few times, uncomprehending. It seems his little game of playing 'King' had brought out some hidden energy in him. He had gotten himself so worked up that he'd run off ahead without me. This left me needing to find the way by myself – again.

But which way had he gone? I looked back at the house. Then I remembered the staircase in the hallway and the cold wind that emanated up from the basement. I grimaced. That had to be where he'd gone, and I would have to follow him down there. I braced myself for the worst as I headed back inside.