"How in Hotland is this possible?!" Undyne hissed after she pulled Alphys aside. "Don't get me wrong, but..." She raised an eyebrow sceptically. "He was dead."
Alphys nervously paced around. "It's, um... It's kind of... complicated?" She sighed. "Oh, bother. Who—Who am I even kidding? I'm... I wasn't—wasn't completely... completely honest. When I told everyone the truth about what I'd done in this lab... I... I didn't say—I mean, um... I—I left some... things... out?"
ASRIEL asked if he could use Alphys' bathroom. Undyne couldn't believe he was actually there, nor know what to think about it, but for Alphys' sake, she tried to withhold her judgement of her.
"What did you do?"
Alphys closed her eyes. "It's... complicated. It really is. I don't want to get into this..."
"No offense, but you'll have to." Undyne crossed her arms. "Unless you're planning to keep this kid here forever, you're gonna have to start explaining sooner or later. Better start with explaining it to me than to ASGORE."
"I... I can't." Alphys shut her eyes. "I'm sorry, Undyne. I... I've failed you—all of you." She dragged her foot on the floor, not daring to look up. "I just—Should have known I can't... Can't live without the consequences."
Alphys stiffened when Undyne put a hand on her shoulder.
"Listen, Al, you're reverting. You're reverting into the person you were before. You've come too far for this."
She put her arms around Alphys' small form. Slowly, the scientist returned the embrace. They stayed like this for quite a while and Undyne smiled, feeling their joined heartbeat.
"...Miss?" ASRIEL's voice was what made the two women finally pull away from the hug. The boy was looking at them, clearly concerned. "Are you alright?"
Undyne narrowed her brows. "He's not like the others," she said quietly. If this wasn't an Amalgamate, then it meant it wasn't really the king's son. But if so, then what exactly was he?
She cleared her throat, moving away from Alphys. "She'll be okay, kiddo." She put on a grin. "Hi! I'm Undyne. Nice to meetcha!"
ASRIEL reluctantly put his small paw in her extended hand. She shook it vigorously.
"Say, Azzie, this is gonna sound a bit funny, but... Can you remember how you came to be here? What happened right before you met Dr Alphys?" She smiled encouragingly. "It's okay if you don't remember!"
ASRIEL bit his lip, looking away from her. "I... I don't."
Undyne narrowed her eyes, observing the boy's reaction closely. He swallowed, a droplet of sweat forming on his forehead.
"Hah!" Undyne grinned. "If that's what you say! I believe ya, kid!"
ASRIEL nodded his head. "...Okay."
He walked out of the room, still a bit nervous. Alphys exhaled with relief. She looked at Undyne.
"I... I had no idea you were so good with kids."
*(𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗...)
ASRIEL closed his eyes as he leaned against the wall. Slowly, he slumped down to the floor. He buried his face in his paws. This was all wrong... All wrong...
He could still hear the two women's voices from the kitchen. They probably thought he had gone.
"...telling you, nothing good can come of this."
"What else can I do? It's not... I mean... He's v—He's very lost... Troubled..."
ASRIEL sighed. He was troubled, but not in the way Dr Alphys thought he was. She only saw what made sense for her, what she could understand. While Undyne, whoever she was...
"He's not." Her voice cut through the silence like a spear. "This child... Whatever he is... When he told me he didn't remember anything? He was lying."
ASRIEL could imagine the way Alphys' expression changed after those words. She would take his side, no doubt. That's what people like her did.
"He's scared... Of—of course he doesn't want... to, um... think about it. It's... It's all very typical."
"He's hiding something." Undyne scoffed. "Just as you are hiding him. Don't you think the boy will want to see his parents eventually? Or worse, someone will find out? What will you say then?"
Reluctantly, ASRIEL looked up. He clenched his paws into fists, then opened them again. Life, in this way... It was strange to feel emotions again.
𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛.
Slowly, he stood up. He looked down at the green striped shirt he had been wearing for what had to be centuries now - it was torn and worn now. Just looking at his clothes made him realize how long it had been, how old he was... There was a centuries' worth of memories trapped in a preteen kid's body.
He swallowed. No, he wasn't exactly a child, either. The years hadn't caught up with him—he wasn't an adult, but he wasn't the little kid he had been, either. He looked more like... something in-between. He was surely taller now, and there were even little horns starting to grow from his temples.
ASRIEL smiled. It was almost poetic. Of all the possibilities, I had to hit puberty. It felt as though he was punished for his sins in this way.
Slowly, he walked back to the kitchen. Alphys and Undyne stopped talking the moment he entered the room. ASRIEL felt their sight on him and it was heavy. That was how everyone would look at him from now on. That's how everyone would see him: as the boy who came back to life. Everyone would treat him differently.
Everyone... but Frisk.
ASRIEL felt his heart skip a beat as he thought of his newest friend for the first time since he'd come back. What had happened to Frisk? They had survived, hadn't they...? Frisk would be the only one who would understand, because they were the only one who knew. Maybe if ASRIEL managed to find Frisk, he would manage to find a friend.
ASRIEL felt some new confidence, new resolve—almost determination. The way Undyne and Alphys were looking at him was no longer a burden. Now, it was a hope.
"Um... Miss Alphys?" he started uncertainly. He closed is eyes, thinking of all his hopes and dreams. He smiled widely. "Can I get a glass of milk?"
