They ran and ran, far away from the soldiers that had cornered them, far away from the distant sounds of bombing. The trees around them disappeared in puffs of smoke and fire as they tried to make their way back to San's shortcut. As she looked up, Frisk saw a sky of fire, with helicopters looming threateningly over the trees.

Some of the flying machines were shot down by Gaster Blasters and a few stray bones that pierced through the hull and erupted in flames. As troopers roped their way down from the helicopters, spears flew through the air, impaling them and severing the cords.

Frisk hoped the trio of monsters were still alive and fighting. Judging from the distinct lack of screams and bones flying through the air, Frisk knew that Sans must have been injured in the skirmish.

She tried to stifle her crying as she realized, too, that the Gaster Blasters had stopped coming in and she assumed the worst of the Skelebro. Both of her friends had died engaging the enemy, and she hoped that at least they had a painless end. She could still hear Undyne shouting and Asgore grunting, so she assumed they were still alive and okay.

The ground in front of them erupted in jets of flame that burned the nearby wildlife to a crisp and knocked down the trees around it.

"That's their newest bomb. They call it HellFire" Chara whispered, having seen pictures of its development from their sabotage teams, knowing fully the extent of its potential. She shouted in a burst of panic "RUN FOR COVER!" as the monsters ducked and tried to shield themselves from the blast that came shortly.

The sky erupted in flames that made their way down, faster than even lightning itself, and completely decimated the ground as bright blue fire spread towards the trees in a pattern that seemed suspiciously like a skull had they been looking from the top. Clearly, those who designed it meant for total death and no mercy.

The flames scorched the barriers Toriel had put around them, as the fire had finally stopped raining down and left nothing behind, other than smoke and charred corpses of the unfortunate animals whose bodies had even survived the rough heat. In an overdramatic show of power, a lightning bolt followed, striking right in the middle of the fire and sending dust and earth flying everywhere.

The fire still raged on, even though the bomb had long ago dropped. "Leave it, mom. They designed it so that it would burn on until a certain time. It can't be extinguished" Chara said, the andrenaline of the bombing already making her fatigued rather than energetic.

They continued, making sure that they were far away from the fires, and finally breaking into a run again. Alphys gasped "they're using their magic" she explained "it should be impossible, unless... "

They're descendants of the elders. A chilling voice cut Alphys's train of thought, and stopped them all in their tracks. Only those that have proved themselves can use their magic, even just a mere extraction of it. As long as the SOUL survives, magic shall still be contained inside, contrary to the belief of many. The humans inherited magic from us, and that's why it doesn't come so naturally, for they are not as accustomed to it as us. There were only seven magicians in the human world, and all of them have long ago died. However, that does not rule out the theory of hereditary traits, Dr. Alphys. The voice mused.

Chara whipped out a penknife that had been conveniently placed in her pocket, though the bitter irony in the small sized blade made Frisk chuckle. "Who are you?" The brunette asked coldly, her thumb rubbing anxiously over the flat side of the blade.

Your dedication and love towards the other must be commended, Chara. Tendrils of darkness reached out, clawing at the ground and pulling it apart, making Frisk genuinely scared. What are you afraid of, Frisk? Surely you think not that I would hurt such an innocent soul as yours, especially with your beloved so close to you? I know not to anger a woman in love.

A shapeless blob rose out of the tear in the earth, bubbling and oozing disgustingly, before taking its shape as...

Alphys gasped. He couldn't be here. His soul had shattered, his body scattered throughout time itself. How was this truth possibly standing in front of her, when it by itself contradicted everything she had learnt from studying the timelines and the Void for a decade?

Well done, Alphys. Surely, you have done a good job in continuing my research. W.D. Gaster said, his crooked mouth lining into the tiniest of smiles for but a second, before his face contorted into pain. Pure, agonizing pain, that made his head feel as if it was being torn apart-

Probably because it already was. Hmph.

He gasped and regained his composure, bowing towards the former Queen of the Underground politely, greeting: My Majesty. I wish you well.

The old Royal Scientist was wearing a grey turtleneck and his former lab coat, signatue black with a pair of oversized sleeves. His hands... They could not have passed off as human, for they were all but intact, a large gaping hole in the center of both his palms.

"Who're you?" Chara pressed, her impromptu knife drawing dangerously close to the tall monster, only to have it snatched away by Frisk, who gave her a look, saying: We've talked about this, killing people isn't cool.

Sighing, Chara pulled the knife back, closing it shut and depositing back into her pocket.

"He's the old Royal Scientist, none other than W. D. Gaster, maker of the Core, the DT machine, and the apparatus in his lab that he used to study the timelines." Frisk explained, wary eyes focused on Chara. "He supposedly died from falling into the Core, but... " Frisk turned to Gaster, "you didn't, right? You fell into that apparatus, that's why it isn't working" Frisk pressured the man.

Toriel and Alphys looked at Frisk in shock, while Chara still eyed the robed monster suspectingly, distrust clearly evident in her eyes.

You're correct. Gaster replied after a long silence. I fell into my own machine when I was on rest. My work couldn't afford to be stopped. I was so, so close to finding out about the anomalies, about why events in our timeline were so delayed, but... He chuckled. That was the Prince, wasn't it? The Flower I had cursed to live without enotion, without life itself, I hope had been given a merciful end to. He didn't deserve the pain I put him through. Gaster let a tear slip through his cracked eye.

Either ways, I require your assistance if we are to win this losing war. He looked up at the group before him, posture upright and firm, eyes now brimming with Determimation.

I need the Core.

-Meanwhile-

They ran for their lives.

"Asgore, get out!" Undyne yelled at the king, currently a few meters in front of her. "I'll hold them off!" She snarled and took a soldier's head clean off by flicking her spear.

Asgore shook his head "I won't. I will not lose another monster to them." I will find Sans. You get out." Ignoring the spluttering fish, who was clearly not used to being refused, he turned on his heel and leapt through the trees, crown loosened on his head.

And he landed right on top of a very unlucky human, who got his chest crushed right on impact. Looking around, he spotted a flash of blue light, and the distinct rattling of bones could be heard. "SANS!" Asgore roared, cape fluttering behind him as he made his way towards the fallen Skeleton, impaling any who dared oppose him on his way.

And oh, dear gods, was his condition serious. Bleeding from both his eye sockets, mouth tipped in a tired smile, legs crushed and ribs cracked, lay Sans, who laughed as he slowly died, life already fading from his dim eye sockets.

Spotting Asgore, he called weakly. "Lord Fluffybuns? Well, I am graced by your honour, Sir." He chuckled madly, chest heaving slowly. The king knelt beside him. "Sans-" he began, but was cut off by the skeleton. "Go on, do it. By now you should know the only weakness I have, which is fucking myself. So, considering this, you should pass judgement and hand over my role as Royal Judge to someone else, damnit, cos I am too old for this. Just kill me, give me my judgement, and go." He coughed, blood dripping from his mouth now.

"I promised Gaster that I would protect his children before he fell. So please, Sans, if I couldn't save Papyrus, let me save you." "Too late for that, grandpap. Look, I'm dying. Yay." As his arm turned to dust, he muttered softly, one thing that would always haunt Asgore until his death. "You think my dad would have been proud of a failure like me, who couldn't even help his brother and died to a tree?" Before disappearing completely into dust.

"My, my" The General chuckled from behind them. Had Asgore known Undyne had followed him and heard Sans's last words, he would have felt pity, but seeing her as the General's hostage, surrounded by soldiers, made him mad.

"You" the boss monster snarled viciously, teeth glinting in the sunlight. "I've already lost my Judge. I won't lose my Head."

"Oh, but you already have, Lord Fluffybuns." Holding up a tube filled with green fluid, the man smiled, before taking off his mask.

"So it was you, Kreller."

Void

Gaster coughed unsteadily, fatigued and pained. Making a manifestation of himself from different realities was tiring and dangerous, as your own soul could get caught up in the very fabric of time and may never return, but it had to be done.

Looking at Kreller, who he once called a friend, sickened him. A traitor nonetheless to the monsters, he was a powerful human who had been the one to push Gaster into his own machine as it just started operating, making sure that he stayed around long enough to ensure the Scientist's demise.

He was a traitor to the throne.

And knowing him, a soon-to-be traitor to humanity as well.

A/N: Two chapters today to make up for not posting yesterday. My OC hhas been revealed, and his backstory's all that's left to cover for him. For Gaster, I'm planning to bring him into Reality in a few chapters or so, so be prepared guys.I just realized what an AU is and I may have just accidentally made one myself by teasing a little bit of Kreller's involvement in the underground, cos this never happened in the game.Either ways, bye!