"HUMAN! Awaken at once!"

Frisk mumbled grumpily as he was suddenly stirred from his sleep by Papyrus' piercing voice.

"Wakey wakey!"

"Huh- wha-?!" he swatted away the gloved hand as it poked his cheek.

It was then that he noticed the towering stack of pancakes Papyrus was balancing in his other hand.

"Lookie what I made!"

Frisk had barely woken up as the pancakes were shoved in his face, only but a moment, before the skeleton pivoted and made off to the kitchen.

"Come, come, human! You must eat a hearty breakfast if you're to trek all the way to the Capital!" he called from the other room.

"Mmn…" He sat up, and with a long yawn, lazily pulled his stiff body from the warmth of the sofa and followed the other's lead.

As soon as he entered, Papyrus jumped in delight.

"Yes, sit, sit, human! I made up this special spot just for you!"

The table was set and everything; neat and specific, yet still completely over the top.

"Wow, uh…thanks." he replied, blinking up in awe at the enormous plate of pancakes he had served for him.

There was another stack equally as impressive at the other end of the table. It would have been beyond excessive with just one. He had made two.

'How much batter did he need for this? He must have been at it all morning. It could feed a family of 12. Who does this?'

Frisk glanced around for a certain food-loving skeleton, though he was nowhere to be seen. He turned to Papyrus with a look of confusion.

"Hey, where's Sans?"

The skeleton frowned slightly. "Sans is not here now. He's out. Working, hopefully…"

"Ah."

Papyrus seemed to brush it off immediately. "Anyway! What do you think?!" he asked with an excited giggle.

Frisk pulled a piece off with his fork and tasted it. ...The flavor really was...something else...

"Wowie! That's the same face you made when you sampled my world famous spaghetti! Which means..." A huge bright-eyed smile. "It must be positively DELICIOUS!"

"Mnn..." Frisk's face scrunched as he swallowed the food. "I-"

Papyrus pressed a finger to his lips, shushing him.

"No, no! You mustn't! The flattery! It is too much already! I'm not sure how many compliments my fragile soul can take!" he exclaimed dramatically, clutching his other hand to his heart.

He opened an eye, noticing Frisk's odd expression.

He moved his hand from the other's face. "Well... Perhaps one more compliment won't send me too far into a state of beflustered flusterment." An eager grin spread across his face as he stared at the other expectantly.

Frisk shifted uncomfortably, staring down at the food as he tried to respond. "...Its...out of this world?"

"WOWIE! What a cool thing to say about my cooking!" he squeed, holding his hands to his cheeks.

A moment later he froze.

"...Nyeh...heh heh... Well then!" A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "If it's as delightful as you say..." A bold gesture toward the pancakes. "Do partake to your heart's content!"

Frisk smiled awkwardly. "Th-thanks, but...yeah, uh...I think my heart is pretty content..."

"Nyeh?!"

His eyes shot wide open as he assessed the sheer amount of pancake left on the other's plate. The boy had only taken but a nibble.

"...Wowie...I guess humans don't really eat much after all..." He shrugged. "Oh well! More for me!" He stuck one with a fork and consumed the whole pancake in one bite. "And yes! You should be on your way to Waterfall, Frisk! You know how to get there, right?"

"Y-"

"Remember where we were yesterday? Where we had our super cool battle? Yes, just go through that misty stuff for a bit and you'll be there in no time!" he finished with an innocent grin.

"Alrighty then. I'll see you later Papyrus." Frisk spoke with a gentle smile.

His hand waved frantically as Frisk left to the front door. "Farewell, human!"

Frisk trekked through the snowy mist and into the entrance of the cave, where he saw Papyrus' brother behind another booth of sorts, slacking off again.

He approached Sans, who was reclined on a less-than-comfortable looking stool.

The skeleton peeked open an eye to look at him. "What? Haven't you seen a guy with two jobs before?" His groggy voice had an edge to it.

"…You ok, buddy?"

"Yeah…" He sat up with a yawn. "Didn't uh…didn't get much sleep last night s'all."

Sans stood and walked out from behind the stand. He looked like he had just gotten up. Well, even more so than he usually did.

"So yeah." he started, stretching his arms. "I'm uh…I'm goin' to Grillby's. Need a break from all this work…" His eyes met Frisk's. "Wanna come with?"

"Sure."

A slight smile. "Well, if you insist…" He circled the boy and motioned for him to come. "Over here. I know a shortcut."

Sans led him but a few steps before taking the human's wrist and blinking through a black shroud. Before the other even knew what happened, they were standing in the center of the restaurant.

"Fast shortcut, huh?"

Without waiting long for a response, he turned and began greeting the other patrons as they made their way to the bar.

"Here, get comfy."

No whoopee cushion this time.

Sans seemed to take note of Frisk's subtle confusion.

"…Somethin' wrong, kid?"

"Huh-? No. No, it's nothing."

He stared at him a few seconds more before speaking again. "…Ok then. Let's order." The hardness in his tone seemed to fade at the prospect of food. "So, whaddaya want?"

Frisk pondered a moment. "Fries?"

"Hm, that sounds pretty good." He turned to the bartender. "Hey Grillby, we'll have a double order of fries."

Wordlessly, the blazing man went off to the backroom to prepare their meals.

Unlike prior times, Sans was completely quiet. He just sat there, seemingly unbothered by the lack of conversation between them. It was so unlike him.

Frisk stared at the backlit bottles lined up on the shelves before him and frowned.

'What did you do?'

'"Hm? Are you talking to me?"'

'Who the fuck else would I be- C'mon, I'm not that stupid. Why is he acting like this?'

'"I have no idea what you're talking about."'

He could feel deception pouring out of his every word.

'Oh, of course not-'

Frisk snapped out of it as Grillby set two plates of fries in front of them.

'...Fine.'

"Ketchup?"

He looked to see Sans offering him the bottle.

"That's ok, thanks."

"Suit yourself."

He guzzled the whole thing in 6 seconds. Grillby was watching him silently. Frisk could only imagine the irritation hidden behind that stoic expression.

They spent about 5 minutes in silence to each other, just casually grazing on their meals. It wasn't until they were practically gone that the skeleton finally turned to him, almost in an abrupt way.

"Hey…I actually wanted to ask you somethin'…"

Frisk's body locked up a little under his stare. The room almost seemed to dim around them.

"…Have you ever heard of a talking flower?"

"Um…" He shook his head slightly.

Sans closed his eyes a moment. "Echo flowers. They're all over the marsh. Say somethin' to them, and they'll repeat it over and over…"

"Yeah?" His tone pressed him to elaborate.

"Well. Papyrus told me something interesting the other day." He leaned his head into his hand thoughtfully. "Sometimes, when no one else is around…a flower appears and whispers things to him. Flattery… Advice… Encouragement…" He took on a sudden grave expression. "…Predictions." He turned his head toward Frisk, eyes nonchalantly observing his expression and demeanor. "Weird, huh?"

The boy responded with a simple, reserved, "Yeah."

"No idea what I'm talkin' about, huh?"

Frisk just shrugged with an awkward smile.

"Sorry for buggin' ya, then. Thought you might've...I dunno."

"…Why?"

"…Just a hunch."

A short silence before Frisk spoke.

"It's probably nothing."

"Yeah. Someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. Or something…" He patted Frisk's shoulder for a brief moment. "Do me a favor and keep an eye out, ok kid?" A smile as if he already agreed. "Thanks."

"…No problem."

The atmosphere, though exactly the same, suddenly felt much less private. Lights seemed brighter, sound was louder, movement of other people was once again detectable from his peripheral.

Sans spun around in his bar chair and stretched.

"Welp, that was a long break." A mischievous smile. I can't believe I let ya pull me away from work for that long." He chuckled softly. "Oh, by the way…I'm flat broke. Can you foot the bill? It's just 10,000."

"Oh yeah, let me get right on that."

"Pssh. Just kidding, buddy." He grinned and called out to the bartender. "Grillby, put it on my tab."

The man nodded once in his direction before going back to wiping down glasses like a little perfectionist.

Sans walked toward the door, but stopped just short of exiting.

"By the way…" He turned toward Frisk, who had followed him despite having not finished his fries. He froze a bit, a subtle uncertainty washing over his face a moment. "…I was going to say something, but I forgot." He shot him a goofy smile, playing it off as nothing more than a lazy man's forgetfulness.

He made his way out the door.

"Welp. Gotta get back to work. Be seein' ya, kid." He offered a brief wave before heading out.

The door closed.

Frisk pulled it open not a second later to follow, but the skeleton was nowhere to be seen.

He retraced the path to where he was prior. Sans wasn't at his stand. The place was empty besides a few loitering monsters.

A little armless yellow one, about the underground's parallel to a ten-year-old fanboy, was rambling to another monster about a certain heroine Frisk was soon to 'meet' for the first time.

Frisk made his way through the cavern, across a bridge stricken by precarious falling rocks; one of which had hit him over the shoulder and briefly knocked him down into the shallow, chilly water.

He knelt down in the grass upon hearing the footsteps, the guard appearing right on cue. Papyrus soon to rush in as well. His failed mission report, followed by an attempt at convincing the woman of peace over bloodshed. Of course, she would hear none of it.

This unfolding drama was no longer a surprise to him. What was once an ominous presence that made his heart pump with adrenaline no longer registered as a threat in his mind. For he knew exactly when and where she would jump out at him, and more importantly, how this would ultimately play out.

She faced the brush with her spear, scanning, eventually dropping her suspicions and disappearing into the dark. He crawled out a couple seconds after she left.

His little yellow shadow followed him.

The boy scrambled about excitedly as he spoke. "Yo! Did you see the way she was staring at you? That…was awesome! I'm sooo jealous! What'd you do to get her attention? Ha ha!" The monster began rushing onward. "C'mon! Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!" he exclaimed with a childish grin.

"Hey kid, don't go so-"

The little guy tripped and fell flat on his face.

"…fast."

"I'm ok, I'm ok!" he responded quickly, folding his head into his torso and somehow using that force to bounce himself back upright, instantly; like a living cartoon.

Frisk sighed, shaking his head with a slight smile as he ran off in search of his hero. His vigor and enthusiasm was…refreshing. In an annoying sort of way. Just like another monster he knew.

He walked onward, to an extraordinarily simple bridge puzzle. He could have just walked through, like the kid probably did. But he wasn't really interested in getting any wetter than need be. So he began solving it. Giant squeaking flower by agonizing flower.

'...He's awfully quiet...'

Strangely, this indirect provocation didn't stir any acknowledgement from the other party. Which, really, wasn't a bad thing at all. He appreciated the quiet.

He continued to the docks, riding over to the other side, where a certain warrior woman was waiting for him.

She attacked with an aggressive onslaught of neon spears, throwing up to three at a time. He was only scathed twice in their relentless chase, up until he threw himself into the safety of another wildly overgrown plot of swamp grass.

She pursued, listening intently over her aggravated huffing as she began scouring the area. He heard a sudden shuffling a couple feet away; the restrained squee of a certain fanboy, followed by a sigh and sudden stomping, quickly fading out in the opposite direction.

Frisk emerged from the grass again, and the young boy bounced after him.

"Yo…did you see that?!" He jumped up and down in disbelief. "Undyne just…touched me! I'm never washing my face ever again-!"

'God, this kid…'

"Man, are you unlucky!" the boy continued to ramble. "If you were standing just a little bit to the left-! Yo, don't worry, I'm sure we'll see her again!"

He tripped once more as he ran ahead. This did not deter him in the slightest.

'…is starting to get on my nerves.'

He followed anyway, past the very randomly placed table with crystalized cheese, onto the next room, were Sans stood, leaning against the cave wall next to an old telescope.

"Another break?"

"Huh-?" The skeleton's eyes snapped open and he glanced around with slight confusion before his focus fell on Frisk. "Oh. Heya, kid."

"What are you up to?"

"Just…tinkering with this telescope." He smiled. "I'm thinking of getting into the telescope business."

"Oh?"

"Heh. I'd usually charge 50,000 to use this premium telescope…but…since I know you, you can use it for free." He winked. "Howzabout it?"

"Sure." He pulled it to his eye and looked through.

"So? Whatcha think?"

"...It's just red."

"Really? Huh. That's weird." He pulled it over to his own eye. "I dunno what you're seein,' kid. I can see all kinds of cool stuff."

"Bullshit."

"Heh, no, yeah, it's broken." he said, pulling away from it with a grin.

"Probably wanna get that fixed before you try to sell people on it."

Sans shrugged. "It's not really mine. It's just here. Nobody bothers stealing it. 'Cause, y'know...it doesn't work." He sighed as he stretched his arms behind his head.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"Oh yeah." A sly grin. "Lemme just…get right on that…" he finished with a wink, before his other eye slowly closed as well, and he drifted back into his dozed off state.

Frisk smiled at him, and with that, continued his quiet journey through the dank, desolate marsh.

It was funny when he thought about it. Waterfall was basically like a cave system within a cave system. Crystals glittered on the walls and ceiling. The glowing echo flowers painted his surroundings in neon blue. Lilly pads and cattails were abundant in the flowing water; glowing mushrooms found mostly on the edges of the solid ground. The deeper he went, the less activity there was, yet the atmosphere still felt alive as ever.

There was a sudden rippling in the water next to him. Seemingly out of nowhere, a muscular horse-merman creature emerged sensually from the water. He winked at Frisk and sent him a mighty flex.

Frisk blinked at him a moment before returning with a half-as-mighty flex.

Aaron grinned. "Flexing contest?"

And so the flexing battle commenced. Aaron's built biceps vs. Frisk's barely toned arms. The merhorse didn't seem to care though; likely just glad to have someone to humor him in this way. This ridiculous display of arms would have surely sent every Tem within a tem-foot radius running for cover.

The boy sent another dramatic flex, despite his awareness that he probably looked like a total idiot.

'"Impressive."'

'Oh, shut up.'

'"My apologies, I was under the impression that you missed my little commentaries."'

The 'battle' intensified, and eventually Aaron somehow managed to flex himself out of sight.

He continued through marsh.

A soft shuffling, which would have gone undetected under normal circumstances, was made plenty audible in this quiet environment. He turned swiftly, and caught a brief glimpse of golden pedals popping back into ground.

'Little stalker.'

Frisk started across the long strip that bridged a deep reservoir of sorts. Tentacles shot up on either side of him mere seconds after beginning this walk.

He turned to his left to see the happy onion face rise up from the water. The gigantic smile plastered on his gigantic face was unnerving; his character made even stranger by his initial slow, restrained speech.

"Hey…there… Noticed you were…here…" If it were even possible, an even more ridiculous smile overtook his expression. "I'm Onionsan! Onionsan, y'hear?"

'Yep. Yep, I hear.' He tried not to make eye contact as the talkative onion followed him.

"You're visiting Waterfall, huh?!"

"Yeah."

"It's great here, huh?!"

"Yep."

"You love it, huh?!"

"Uh huh."

His eyes lit up. "Yeah! Me too! It's my big favorite!"

Frisk's pace became brisker with every word. But the chiming voice of Onionsan was unrelenting.

"Even though…the water's getting so shallow here… I…have to sit down all the time, but… H-hey! That's ok! It beats moving to the city!"

"Fascinating."

The onion's rambling just became noise at some point, eliciting the most generic responses from the boy as he set his sights on getting to the end of the room.

As Frisk began to leave the area, Onionsan bid him a long, drug-out goodbye before sinking back into the water by his lonesome.

A certain musical monster in the next room brought to him a reminder of the piano hidden off to the side. A nice place to take a break from all the activity that had resurfaced with these residents.

Frisk stood before it, touching his fingers on the old and worn keys. Single notes rang off the walls, which turned to hesitant combinations; a choppy practice that soon evolved to him playing simplified versions of famous compositions he was taught when he was young. What he remembered of them, that is.

He played the song.

He knew it so well by now.

As the last note was hit, the secret passage opened. Frisk just stared at it a few seconds, smiled, then turned to go back on the main path.

'"Not going in?"'

'He's just gonna take it.'

'"…Why bother, then?"'

Frisk shrugged. 'Just feels complete. I dunno.'

The water dripped from the ceiling like rain. This area of Waterfall held a major issue with water leakage; so much so that they had bins of complimentary umbrellas at both ends of this sector.

He took one, of course. Both for himself and the monster kid sheltering himself up ahead.

The child beamed excitedly as he saw this, for his lack of upper limbs would make it difficult to carry one himself.

Frisk walked with him at varying speeds, trying to keep the little monster dry under that umbrella as he ran about and rambled on about how 'super cool' Undyne was. He was more or less just a quiet listener in this one-sided conversation.

As the boy was going on about some school project about flowers, Frisk caught glimpse of something in one of the puddles' reflections. A flash of color that brought him to a halt and sent chills down his spine.

"You ok, dude?"

Frisk jumped.

The kid was looking up at him with innocent concern.

He shook his head a second, his eyes closed. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Hey, don't space out on me! I didn't even get to the best part yet!"

"Sorry, I'm listening. It was-" He rubbed his temple. "You were talking about Asgore's flowers, yeah?"

"Yeah. He was trying to teach us about responsibility and stuff. Which like I said, got me thinking…"

Frisk walked along with him, only half-listening. They eventually made it out of the rain to a ledge of sorts, with a lovely view of the castle off in the distance. They stopped a moment, taking this in, before the kid got bored and ran off ahead, looking back at Frisk expectantly.

As they entered the other end of the cave, Frisk returned the umbrella and followed the other to a steep ledge.

"Hmm…" The kid stared at it for a few moments, before suddenly perking up. "Got it!" He knelt down against its wall. "Climb on my shoulders."

Frisk laughed. "Are you kidding?"

"…Yo, you wanna see Undyne right…?"

He rolled his eyes and gripped what he could of the protruding rock and indentations in the wall.

The young boy watched in amazement as the other scrambled up and hoisted himself to the top seemingly effortlessly. "W-wow! That was…so cool!"

"Hey, hey hey-! Don't-!"

His face smushed into the rock as he made a sorry attempt to do the same. A muffled "Oh darn it…" as he pulled away, unscathed somehow, but clearly disappointed. "It's ok though… I'll find a way. I always do!" His enthusiasm returned and he rushed the other way, tripped, and continued unfazed in search of an alternate route.

As he did so, Frisk continued on, where the warrior met him once again. Spears shot straight through the bottom of the wooden platform he scrambled on; his only indication of them prior to impact being their distinct blue light shining through the cracks of the boards. This chase ultimately ended with her slicing off the end part of the old structure in a fit of rage to rid herself of him.

The fall knocked him unconscious.

"…Sounds like it came from over here…"

"O-oh, you've fallen down haven't you?"

"I heard a voice- A-are you ok?"

"You're hurt..."

"Please, I won't hurt you. I promise."

"So…um…"

"So what's your name?"

"…Chara. That's a nice name."

"My name is…"

He held his head as he awoke and sat up in the moggy flower patch.

Like all times prior, now that he was up, he couldn't seem to bring forth any memory of what was said in that strange, recurring dream. It was completely lost to him. As such, he shrugged it off as usual, and continued on his way.

There was no avoiding it; the only way through Waterfall's junkyard was to wade through the water to the grounded settlement up ahead where Napstablook lived. Though not before a battle with the stuffing of a very angry dummy. It wouldn't have mattered if he punched him or ignored him; there was just no pleasing that guy. By the time he was saved by his ghost friend he was a soaked mess covered in fuzz fragments from the fight.

At this time Napstablook was timidly apologizing for ruining his 'fun.'

"Oh no…I just wanted to say hi… Oh no… I'm sorry… Ohhh…"

Before Frisk could manage to get a reassuring word in, the other continued, passively as ever.

"Well…I'm going to head home now… Oh… Umm… Feel free to…'come with' if you want… But no pressure… I understand if you're busy… It's fine… No worries… Just thought I'd offer…"

"Well it's obvious you want me to."

Nap turned away, looking about as flustered as a ghost could.

Frisk shot him a warm smile. "I've got time."

"R…really…?"

"Of course."

He spent a good 2 – 3 hours with him before he finally moved on to the poorly lit mazes that led him down to Temmie Village.

By accident.

The limitless stretch of the Tem's paw hunted him down through nearly the entire maze until it managed to poke him, then withdrew in a snap, satisfied.

The water he fell into as he escaped the maze was significantly warmer than in the rest of the cave, like that of a bath. Which could only mean, he was nearing Hotland, and by extension, Undyne's battleground.

He wandered through the pitch black, coming to an echo flower at the very end of the room.

"…Behind you."

He turned to see the familiar glint of armor. The darkness lifted as she approached; something that mystified him still.

It was clear she was done chasing him. She meant business now. She began giving her preceding speech to killing him. Seven human souls, Asgore will become a war god; it was a spiel he'd heard 100 times.

Of course the kid jumped out to interrupt his impending doom just as she was to attack. This led to her dragging him away by the cheek to explain the situation, which, upon finding out his friend was human, resulted in an even more confused and conflicted monster kid.

And then a confused and conflicted Undyne, as she witnessed him rescue the armless boy when he had fallen from the bridge to a precariously thin ledge. Though Frisk couldn't see her face, he could sense the growing hesitance in her.

Frisk met her up ahead, where she stood proudly on one of many towering stalagmites at Waterfall's end. She proceeded on another speech, scripted to some extent, similar to the first.

"Understand? Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed. First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far…" A glance was shot his way. "I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people." Her gaze fell to the side. "It all started, long ago…" She stopped and turned toward him, swiftly, staring him down.

"No, you know what?"

Her tone was becoming increasingly hostile.

"Screw it! Why should I tell that story? When you're about to die?!" With a mighty battle cry, she threw her helmet from her head, finally revealing her face.

Frisk stepped forward as she went on, how they had waited their whole lives for this, how his death was the only thing that could bring them salvation, and himself, redemption.

She must have sensed the readiness in him, for she grinned and took on an aggressive stance. "That's it, then-! No more running away! Here I come!" she yelled as she lunged down from the rock's ledge and charged him.

Her attack managed to petrify the boy in his spot, allowing him only enough mobility for sharp deflections. With her iron resolve, and limitless spears, she pummeled him, unforgiving as ever.

His thoughts had been scattered throughout the day; understandably preoccupied with things of greater gravity. Nevertheless, he had completely neglected to bring along food for restoration.

By way of refrainment, he 'spared' her again and again, to no immediate avail. Despite having fought her a million times prior, he still got hit here and there by her swift attacks.

'"Wow. You're really bad at this."'

Frisk ignored him.

'"You seriously rushed in so fast you forgot to bring food?"'

He got no response and was instead met with the swishing, throbbing feeling of his host's health dropping down another few digits.

'"Oh for God's sake."'

With that Frisk's vision went black.

Ok. He died. No biggie.

So why wasn't he thrown back in time a few ticks to the beginning of this battle?

He was still aware.

This was weird.

He was starting to panic.

The blackout felt as though it wasn't present more than maybe 30 seconds, and in an instant, his vision was fully restored and he fell forward onto the ground.

Though, to his surprise he was met with a still battle ready Undyne, panting and sweating from exertion, staring blankly at him as if waiting for him to make a move.

'"Run along, Frisky."'

'What-'

She took a step forward.

'Oh SHIT!'

In a split second, he jumped to his feet and sprinted full speed down the exiting tunnels of Waterfall. He was caught two or three times, but always managed to wrestle himself out of her grasp. He ran past a sleeping Sans, over the bridge, and into the first room of Hotland; where upon arrival, the fish woman finally slowed and collapsed from the sudden heat.

He aided her with a cold cup of water, both to her gratitude and humiliation. She spared him a moment's glance of respect, before shooting to her feet and rushing back to the dank swampland.

Frisk got a glass of water. Sipped. Pondered. If there were no sequential hiccups in this, Papyrus would be arriving at Undyne's home within the hour; the only opportunity to befriend her. He wouldn't pass it up, nor should he make the skeleton wait around forever.

He backtracked, past a hushed conversation recorded amongst the echo flowers, deeper and deeper into the marsh.

Something was nagging him.

When the world was quiet, and he was certain he was completely alone, he spoke.

"...You helped me?"

'"It was getting too painful to watch."'

"Wait. Not only did you help me, but you spared someone?"

'"...I'm not against sparing, Frisk. Especially if it'll move this story the fuck along."'

They both fell silent; the only sounds being the slosh of water and subtle squish of moss as Frisk made his way back into Waterfall.

He was eventually the one to break it.

"So I was thinking-"

'"Now there's a concept."'

'Ha ha, shut the hell up.'

"I was thinking…" he started again. "…Maybe this can work out…"

'"What? Maybe what can work out?"'

Frisk was silent a moment, taking a deep breath before answering. "This."

'"Not following."'

"You. Me. This whole…thing we have going on…"

'"You mean me living inside you?"'

He shuddered at the sudden snickering.

"I-I guess. Yeah. That."

'"Really doing a 180 here, you know…"'

'"Sure this isn't just another mood swing?"'

"No. At least I don't think so…" A pause. "I mean…your combat skills are…impressive."

'"Thank you."'

"…Could be really useful, y'know?"

A soft huff on Chara's end.

'"…Well, I suppose. That is, assuming you're willing to trust me with your body like that..."'

"I'm not saying I trust you." He paused for a second. "Frankly, you're the lowest of the low of people I'd be willing to entrust myself to."

'"This comes as absolutely no surprise to me."'

Frisk sighed softly. "However…this could be beneficial."

'"To you."'

His lips curled into a smile. "Right. To me."

'"So…what exactly is making this so enticing that I'm just hopping all over it?"'

"I dunno. What did you get out of taking over for that short span of time?"

'"Like I said. You were failing miserably. I saved your ass so I wouldn't have to watch you redo the whole damn thing."'

The boy just shrugged.

'"What's that for? Why are you shrugging?"'

"Nothing. I don't want you to go possessing me left and right by any means, but maybe you'll do it once in a while to help out a…" he trailed off. "Help a Frisk out, y'know?"

'"Right…"'

"Hey, I may be relieved as fuck to be back here, but I'm about as sick of seeing the same sequences as you are."

'"I beg to differ."'

Another long silence as he wordlessly trudged through the muddy terrain.

"…It is kinda nice to have company though." he murmured under his breath.

'"Oh my God."' Chara chuckled in disbelief. '"Wow. Do you hear yourself? Saying you have any kind of desire for my company…"'

'"Just sad, really."'

"It's not."

'"Oh trust me, Frisk. It is."'

'"Besides, I thought for sure you were still incomprehensibly pissed at me…"'

"Ha. Oh believe me, I am." Frisk muttered. But…if there's one thing I've learned from all this, it's…that the high road is usually the road to long-term happiness, I guess…?" he said with a shrug.

'"…Wow."'

There was an uncomfortable lull.

"What you did to me was...uncalled for at best."

'"I'm not going to beg for forgiveness, Frisk."'

"I'm not asking you to."

Hesitant silence.

"...I forgive you. If that means anything to you."

Chara was silent a moment before Frisk heard the dry laughter.

'"Sure you do."'

"I mean it."

'"You 'forgive' me for your own sake. So you can finally stop dwelling on it like a little bitch."'

"What difference does it make?"

'"None. Other than the fact that you're trying to buy into your own bullshit."'

A tense pause.

'"What if I told you…to this moment, I don't regret it."'

Frisk stopped walking.

'"That's right. I don't regret fucking you into oblivion. Not a single second of it."'

'…'

'"In fact, I look back on that time with elation in my heart. Your screams, your cries, your suffering… It is beauty in my eyes, and I revel in it…"'

His fists clenched.

'"What if I told you I'd do it all over again?"'

Frisk's breathing became noticeably ragged; his heart suddenly felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.

'"Sure you still want to forgive me?"'

A few seconds ticked by; his question left unanswered.

'"Exactly. So stop acting like you're doing me some noble favor. You're not as selfless as you try to be."'

Silence filled the room for a minute or two as the speechless boy gathered himself.

"Fine. You're right. I am doing it for me."

Chara didn't respond. A second later he heard Frisk speaking in jumbled thoughts.

'I'm sick of feeling shitty all the time. I'm sick of feeling angry and afraid and pissed off. I'm sick of holding a grudge and I'm sick of constantly wanting some kind of revenge- I'm sick of feeling sick every time I look in the goddamn mirror and see your fucking face-!'

'"Easy now…"'

Frisk halted with a grunt and took a long, deep breath. His feelings broke back into live speech.

"You're right. I can't forgive you right now."

"Hell, I might never be able to..."

'"That's more like it."'

"Do you get off on hearing that kinda thing, or somethin'?"

'"No. I just value honesty."' His tone was teeming with sarcasm.

Frisk began walking again. There was no further comment from his counterpart. Strange as it was, this sudden, constant quietness was uncomfortable to say the least.

Eventually, that annoyingly pacifistic side of him caved. He couldn't just leave this unsettled.

"Listen. This is really hard, so if you can go two minutes without teasing me, that'd be fantastic." he said in a flat tone, glancing up at the glittery cave ceiling. "Your shocking lack of remorse makes it that much more difficult…"

A brief pause.

"But for the record. What you did to me was disgusting and wrong, and-"

'"Oh spare me the self-righteous lecture."'

'Did you seriously just interrupt me?'

'"Oh, my apologies. Please, do continue."'

'"But if you could gloss over all the parts about my less-than-ethical self, that'd be super."'

"You hurt me. No matter how you see it, you hurt me. And it's been eating me up on the inside..." He took a shuddering breath. "I don't care if you regret it or not. Sucks that you don't…but…" His words trailed off before picking up again with a slightly more confident air. "But I am genuine in saying I'd like to put all of this behind us."

'"…Is that so?"'

Frisk nodded slowly, his hand making a tense, aimless gesture. "It's not like I can go the rest of my life without acknowledging you. Being forced together like this, wouldn't you agree it's in both our best interests to let bygones be bygones and at least try to get along?"

'"...You realize it's completely impractical to try to repress..."' he stopped, sighing after a few moments. '"Fine. I'll play along."'

A pause.

'"Though frankly I don't have high expectations for any of this."'

'"I'll try to be a bit more accommodating. That is, if it will make travelling with you less…taxing."' he muttered. '"But if its friendship you're seeking, I strongly suggest you look elsewhere."'

Frisk smiled in spite of it all.

"Definitely."

After a minute more of travelling, he arrived at the giant fish house. Papyrus was waiting outside.

"Oho! The human arrives!" He beamed as Frisk approached. "And what perfect timing you have! I was just about to hang out with Undyne! One of my many cool friends!" He gasped slightly. "You should hang out with us too! You're both so cool, I'm sure you would get along with absolutely no unforeseen problems whatsoever! What do you say, human?"

"Sure, why n-"

"Perfect! Stand behind me, so we can make it a surprise! Oh-! Also!" He pulled a wrapped dog biscuit out of nowhere. "Make sure to give her this! She loves these!"

The biscuit was shoved into Frisk's hands, and immediately following, Papyrus gave several enthusiastic knocks to the door.

The door, being the teeth of the fish house, slid up into the ceiling and down into the bottom ground like an opening jaw; revealing the lady-warrior, now dressed in simple, casual clothes. She was much skinnier than her armor let on, though still quite built with muscle. She wore an eyepatch over her left eye, and kept her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail despite the informal setting. Her voice was somewhat deep for a woman, and she spoke with a slight lisp due to her obstructive teeth.

"Hi, Papyrus!" Not seeing him, she greeted her friend, in a tone completely opposite of what she used with him. "Ready for your extra-private, one-on-one training?"

"You bet I am! And I brought a friend! His name is Frisk!"

"Hi Frisk, I don't believe we've…" She froze as the skeleton stepped aside.

Her eye glared spitefully at him, then darted to Papyrus, who wore that same stupid smile.

She gritted her teeth, fighting to keep her composure. Her eyes seemed locked in that widened, borderline psychotic look.

"Why don't. You two. Come in?"

Papyrus excitedly followed her inside, completely unaware of this drastic shift of mood.

"Here, Undyne!" he started as Frisk entered the house. "My friend brought a gift for you! All on his own!" He leaned to Frisk's ear and whispered, "This is the part where you give her the gift and you two become bestest besties!"

Frisk took a few steps her way and handed her the biscuit. "Yeah, um. Hope you like it."

"Uhhh… Thanks." she responded awkwardly. She snatched it quickly. "I'll, uh, put it with the others."

The biscuit was then tossed into a drawer with about 15 others identical to it.

Undyne turned to Papyrus, trying to disregard the human in her house. "So are we ready to start-?"

"Whoopsy doopsy! I just remembered! I have to go to the bathroom! You two have fun!" The skeleton shouted giddily before jumping out the window.

Undyne stared at the shattered glass now littering the floor, before slowly turning her attention to Frisk.

"So why are you here? To rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me even further? Is that it?"

"No. C'mon…"

"Then why are you here?" She perked up suddenly, once again shooting him that hostile grin. "Wait, I get it." Her eyes squinted at him challengingly. "You think that I'm gonna be friends with you, huh? Right?"

"Yeah, I mean that's what I was hoping-"

A ridiculous grin overtook her. "Really? How delightful! I accept! Let's all frolic in the fields of friendship!"

"Really?"

"No, not really, you dolt!" She scowled at him. "Why would I ever befriend you?!" Another despising glare. "Hell, if you weren't my houseguest, I'd beat you to a bloody pulp right now. You're the enemy of everyone's hopes and dreams. I will never be your friend. Now get out of my house."

"Dang! What a shame..."

They both turned to see Papyrus peering through the broken window.

"I really thought Undyne could be friends with you. And the three of us could frolic in the fields of friendship together! But I guess…I overestimated her." A quiet sigh. "She's just not up to the challenge…" he murmured as he slunk away.

"Challenge?! What?!" Her eye went wide again. "Papyrus! Wait a second-! Dammit!" She turned to him sharply. "He thinks I can't befriend the likes of you?! Ha! What a joke! I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day!"

"Hey-"

"I'll show him!" A crooked smirk spread across her face. "Listen up, human. We're not just going to be friends. Oh no." She slunk closer to him. "We're going to be…besties." She held her hands to her cheeks. "I'll make you like me so much…you won't be able to think of anyone else!"

'"Heh."'

Two sets of snickering went off around him.

"It's the perfect revenge!" Undyne halted her tangent, her voice suddenly taking on an unnatural gentleness. "It's so nice to have you over… Why don't you…have a seat?" She forced a welcoming gesture toward the table.

Her stance was stiff as he did so.

"Comfortable?" She smiled awkwardly. "I'll uh…get you something to drink."

Undyne proceeded to lay out a variety of strange drink choices across the counter.

"All set! What would you like?"

As soon as he made the slightest move, a spear was chucked at him, effectively splitting her table in two.

She stared at him wildly as she spoke. "Hey! Don't get up! You're the guest! Sit down and enjoy yourself!"

She calmed down in an instant. "Um, why not just…point to what you want? You can use the spear!"

He flicked the spear toward the refrigerator.

"The fridge?! You want to have the entire fridge?!"

"No, I want more options."

"Gyh-! Why you ungrateful, insufferable-!" She stopped herself. She refused to give way to his teasing. "Too bad! You get what you get! Now pick something!"

He turned the spear toward the giant sword propped against the wall. Undyne sneered at him.

"Believe me, I would gladly give you your fill of swords." she muttered. Her eyes closed a moment as she tried to maintain her perfect hostess attitude. "If you weren't my beloved houseguest, that is!"

She opened her eyes to see the spear pointed teasingly at her.

"…You're joking."

Frisk sent her an annoying, mischievous smile. "Maybe."

"…Are you…hitting on me?"

"Maybe."

She clenched her teeth in an uncomfortable smile. "Ha. Well sorry, buddy. I'm not really into your type."

"What, humans?"

"…That too. Now pick a fuckin' drink before I throw one at you-!"

He flipped it in a random direction.

"Soda? Ha." She embraced the change of subject. "Actually, even though you pointed to it, you don't look very happy. Heh, that's fine! I think soda's kinda gross too. It rots your teeth… It rots your mind… It rots your fighting spirit-!"

"Why do you have it then?"

"Huh? Oh." A shy little smirk. "No reason."

The spear turned to the green container.

Oh, you want some hot chocolate?" She picked it up, eyes shooting wide in embarrassment at its lack of weight. "Dammit, this can's empty- Gyah-!" She yelled as she threw the can across the floor. "This is getting ridiculous, I'll just make you some freakin' tea!"

The pot clattered as she tossed it onto the stove.

"…It'll take a moment for the water to boil." She faced away from him, staring at the heating water.

A good minute or two ticked by in silence. Eventually, bubbling and fizzling noises were emitted from the pot.

"There we go…" Undyne walked over to his seat, placing a cup of steaming tea before him. She took a seat on the other side of the table, a cup of her own in her hands.

"Shit-!" He almost dropped the cup as he touched its scorching surface.

"Oh c'mon, it's not that hot! Just drink it already!"

Frisk reluctantly took a sip. It burnt his tongue on contact. He tried to discreetly set it down again.

"It's pretty good, right?"

"Mm." He nodded, his mouth still recovering from the burning liquid.

She grinned. "Nothing but the best for my absolutely precious friend!"

There was a sudden silence between them. Awkwardness began to set in.

"So, uh…" Frisk finally spoke, glancing off to the side of the room. "…I like your piano."

"Thanks."

"So you play?"

"Dude, I wouldn't own a freakin' piano if I didn't."

"Right, right." He held a palm to his face in embarrassment.

"Ha. One time Alphys'…uh…friend? Came over here. All he did was lie seductively on the piano…and fed himself grapes." She winced. "I don't really like that guy." A grin. "But I admire his lifestyle."

Frisk smiled with a nod. He glanced over at it again. "Will you play something?"

"What? I'm not gonna serenade you."

"For the sake of friendship?"

"Nice try."

Another long pause as they sipped their now slightly cooled tea.

"Hey… Y'know…it's kind of strange you chose that tea…" She glanced off a moment. "Golden flower tea… That's Asgore's favorite kind." Her eye closed and she took a deep breath. "Actually, now that I think about it… You kinda remind me of him. …Sort of." The woman's pondering words sounded more like she was talking to herself than him.

Silence fell again.

"Hey…" Frisk stared over at her. "…Can I ask what happened to your eye?" he implored hesitantly.

Her uncovered golden eye sharply locked with his. "Ha ha. It's none of your business."

"I'm sorry." he quickly apologized, averting his gaze.

She sighed, her expression softening some. "Accidents happen, kid. Nothin' you can do about 'em, 'til it's too late..." she finished with a shrug.

"…I see."

"Y'know, I was a pretty hotheaded kid."

"I hear ya…"

She chuckled. "Heh. Once, to prove I was the strongest, I tried to fight Asgore." A pause. "Emphasis on tried. I couldn't land a single blow on him! And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back!"

She closed her eye and turned her head. "I was so humiliated…" A fond smile. "Heh… Afterwards, he apologized and said something goofy…"

Her voice deepened as she imitated the man. "'Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?' Of course I said yes, and from then on, he trained me. One day, during practice, I finally knocked him down. I felt…bad. But he was beaming…" She erupted with a laugh. "I had never seen someone more proud to get their ass kicked! Heh. Anyway, long story short, he kept training me… Ha! And now I'm the head of the Royal Guard! I'm the one who gets to teach all the newbies how to fight! …Like, um…Papyrus…"

Undyne looked away with a sigh. "To be honest, though…I don't know if…I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard." Her head snapped in his direction. "But don't you dare tell him I said that!" She slunk back down in her chair. "He's just… Well… I mean, it's not that he's weak. He's actually pretty freakin' tough!"

Frisk just nodded along.

Her gaze was downcast again. "It's just that…he's…he's too innocent and nice. I mean, look. He was supposed to capture you. And he ended up being chummy with you instead… I could never send him into battle! He'd get ripped into little smiling shreds." A slight awkward smirk. "That's part of why… I started teaching him how to cook, y'know?" Her smile faded. "So, um, maybe he can do something else with his life…"

The woman perked up suddenly.

"Oh, sorry. I was talking for so long…" She stood. "You're out of tea, aren't you? I'll get you some more." She took a few steps to the middle of the kitchen, before she froze. Slowly, she turned back to Frisk. "Wait a second. Papyrus… His cooking lesson…" Her hands balled into fists. "He was supposed to have that right now!" She squinted at him. "And if he's not here to have it… You'll have to have it for him!"

With a sudden energetic leap, she jumped onto the counter, kicking everything off as she ran across.

"That's right! Nothing has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! Which means that if I give you his lesson…" She grinned wildly. "We'll become closer than you can ever imagine!" A hysterical laugh. "Afraid?! We're gonna be best friends!"

She sprung over, grabbed Frisk by his hair, and leapt back in front of the counter, where they began their crazy cook fest.

"Let's start with the sauce!"

"Oh my god, stop petting the enemy! I'll show you how it's done!"

Tomato juice covered the walls.

"Now-! We add the noodles!"

Suspenseful clanging as each noodle was carefully added one by one.

"Nice? Alright! Now it's time to stir the pasta! As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir… The better it is!"

Her spear annihilated the upper part of the pot sending splashes of scolding water everywhere.

"Haha! That's the stuff! Now onto the final step! Turn up the heat!"

"Ugh, let me do it-! See?! This is how you-!"

A fire broke out as the heater was spun to its maximum level. There was a small explosion. Ash covered their faces, and flames licked around them.

Undyne turned to him with a deranged smile, as if her house wasn't totally going up in flames. "So what's next? Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?"

The boy just grabbed her wrist and hurried her outside.

"Well, that was fun, huh?! We'll have to hang out again sometime-!"

"Undyne!"

"What?" She grinned.

"Oh." She blinked at the sight of her home burning down in shambles. "Well shit." She stared a few seconds more; then exhaled deeply, scratching the back of her head.

Frisk touched a hand to her shoulder for a moment, before withdrawing it and dropping it awkwardly at his side again.

She held her arms and sighed again. "…Kinda got carried away, I guess…"

"Yeah…"

The moisture in the atmosphere, in the air, the ground, the cave walls, was already aiding in snuffing out the flames. The smoke from this collected at the cave's top, creating a new kind of fogginess around them.

Undyne sat down on the wet, rocky ground, her eyes fixated on the destruction.

Frisk joined her. Personally he would have made more of an effort to put it out; had it been his own home that is.

"You ok?"

She nodded with a solemn expression. "Fine."

"Most of that stuff's made to be heat resistant, anyhow. The important stuff. It'll be fine."

"Still though."

She grinned suddenly. "Hey, it's not the first time it's happened, y'know. Once I accidentally smashed out half the kitchen with a boulder!"

"Ha." He chuckled along with her.

"…It was a cool looking house."

"Heh. I know some guys in Hotland. With their help, it shouldn't be too hard to rebuild." She smiled fondly. "Alphys helped me design it. I'm sure she's still got the blueprints and everything… Buried somewhere in her nerd junk."

He noticed she traced her fingers aimlessly on the ground as she spoke of her.

She straightened her posture and turned to him abruptly, her mood shifting.

"Hey. Lemme ask you something."

"Yeah?" The boy recoiled slightly as she shot him an unintentionally overbearing scowl.

"…Why'd you stop back there?"

"…Oh." Frisk glanced away a moment. "I didn't wanna fight you."

"You serious?" Her expression showed she was clearly dumbfounded by this. She crossed her arms across her chest. "Why not?"

He shrugged. "No need for it."

"…No need for it?" she repeated in a tone of confusion. "Buddy, I had every mind to kill you soon as I got my hands on you; don't act like there was no need to-"

She froze up a little.

"I mean, shit. If that's the case you've got some shitty self-preservation instincts, kid…" A smile forced its way onto her face as a discomforted chuckle escaped her. "Seriously, if it weren't for your mad dodging skills, you'd be so dead right now."

She punched his arm playfully.

A somber smile from the other. "Yeah. Guess I would, wouldn't I?"

"…Yeah…" The fish woman blinked back and forth between him and the ground. "But I mean…thanks anyway. For doin' what you did." She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "I owe ya one. Seriously. …Heh." That grin returned. "So if you ever need a little muscle to back ya up on your quests, you know who to call!" she finished with a flex of her arm.

"So this means we're friends, then?"

"Yeah, sure." she replied with a chuckle, brushing back a stray strand of burnt hair.

Frisk smirked. "So that means…you bested Papyrus' challenge after all."

"Ha! You bet I did!" She stood up proudly. "He should know better than to challenge me like that! Psh! Not like it was hard or anything. You're not so bad, for a human."

"Thanks, I think?"

"Welcome!"

The fish woman grabbed his arm and yanked him to his feet as well.

"I guess we should find you someplace to go. Or something."

"Nah, it's fine. I'll stay at my-" A brief hiccup in her words. "friend's house. Alphys. In Hotland."

"Ohhh…"

They both turned around to see Napstablook floating there in uncertainty.

"Sorry…I saw the fire while I was going for a…walk… Ohh…I'm sorry… I interrupted, didn't I…? I was going to offer…to let you guys stay…with me… But…now this…is really awkward… I'll just go… Ohh…"

"Wait, wait." Frisk waved for the fading ghost to stop. "We'd be happy to-"

"He'd be happy to!" Undyne pushed Frisk toward him with a grin. "I, on the other hand…" That tiny little smirk was back. "Have places to be. See you guys!" She waved to them as she rushed off to the riverboat.

"Oh…guess it's just…me and you, then…huh, Frisk…?"

"Looks like it."

"Oh…that's cool…"

There was a short silence.

"So do you wanna…go back…or hang out some more…or something…?"

"Sure."

He followed Nap to his home again. To some degree they simply repeated their previous hangout in the activities they decided on.

Come later in the day, Nap set up what he could for Frisk in terms of a more comfortable resting spot. He had an old blanket. That was about it. It embarrassed the insecure ghost, but Frisk reassured him that the makeshift bed was all fine and adequate.

They rested.

Frisk fell deeper and deeper into sleep, though never dreamt up anything of much significance.

Time and sequence were nonexistent.

There was a mist at some point, in which Chara showed himself through. He was noticed immediately by the dream's host, given the dull happenings around them.

He just stood there, staring at him from afar.

Frisk locked in the position he was in and stared back, emotionless. Eventually he let his arms go lax at his sides and cocked his head at the other.

Chara seemed to take that as cue to approach. He did so, silently, his cold, neutral expression never faltering.

He stopped mere feet in front of him. Blinking. Waiting.

'Waiting for what?'

Chara rolled his eyes. He wasn't exactly an awkward guy, but his reasonless presence was beginning to make this interaction just that.

Frisk shifted slightly as he spoke. "...What?"

"What?" The other repeated immediately.

"What do you want, man...?"

He snickered briefly at his informality. "…Nothing."

...

'You're not really good at this, are you?'

A slight glare. "At what?"

"...Talking."

He scoffed. "If that's the case, you're much worse than me in that regard."

A couple seconds of silence between them.

"Well, if you don't have anything to say, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave."

"Oh, but I thought you wanted to get to know each other better! 'Frolic in the fields of friendship,' as it were." he mocked with a wave of his hand.

"I never said that. Not to you, at least."

He closed his eyes with a grin. "I know. All fine by me, Frisk. All fine by me..."

Their conversation trailed into quiet again.

"...My request from before still stands though."

Chara huffed with an air of irritation. "I didn't exactly come here for nothing, you know."

'You literally just said-'

He cut him off with a 'tsk' and glanced off. "...I have something for you."

"...What?"

"If you're willing to accept it."

"...Well, what is it...?" His voice was brimming with caution.

Chara met his eyes. "A dream."

...

"...A dream?" Frisk's head tilted slightly in confusion.

"Consider it a truce offering of sorts. To making our coexistence more tolerable."

"...So how does that work?"

Chara flicked his gaze to the side. "Well... Simple, really. You tell me what you want. And I'll fabricate it for you. Here. While your senses are at their peak."

Frisk smiled slightly. "That...actually sounds really nice..."

"Don't get used to it. It causes my form incredible strain." His eyes remained casually fixated on their surroundings. "However, I'm willing to do it this once as a gift. So pick something worthwhile."

"It can be anything?"

"Anything conceivable between the both of us is fair game, yes."

Silence swept over them as Frisk pondered this.

...

"I want to fly." He grinned awkwardly as the other rolled his eyes.

"...You're a very simple man, aren't you?"

Somehow Frisk's expression grew even more childish.

He sighed again. "Fine. Where?"

"Anywhere. Somewhere nice..."

Chara shook his head as he was met with another idiotic smile. The boy was clearly excited for whatever he was about to create for him.

"Alright. Take my hand."

Frisk's smile fell as he stared down at the other's outstretched palm.

"Go on. We'll need a linkage if we're to make this work properly."

"..."

His hand hesitated. He glanced back at the other with a slight air of mistrust.

Chara seemed to notice his uncertainty. "...It's not a trick. I promise." he stated flatly, his hand gesturing itself in a 'come along' manner.

Reservation still nagged him. However, reading into the demeanor of this usually cynical man, this was the most sincere he'd ever seen him.

"Ok..."

His hand was then clasped tightly in the other's cold grip. They were locked in something of an arm-wrestle position; secure, but without combative strain.

"Alright... Prepare for takeoff, Frisk."

Chara closed his eyes in focus. Moments later, subtle vibrations rang about the atmosphere.

Frisk gulped as he felt the ground falling out from under them. What was blurry, monochrome simplicity began melting in on itself; emerging from it watery splits of color. It ripped and bled through the washed-out shroud like paint, spreading around from a multitude of start points.

He clutched the demon's hand in both of his as their bodies defied gravity amidst their changing location. All prior subconscious workings gave way to this new creation; a glorious display of vivid sunset oranges, yellows, soft pinks, blues, and lilac tones. As the base color reached completion, sharp angles of grand, wispy clouds formed around them, their soft edges laced in a shiny, golden glow. They seemed to stretch off into infinity across this flawless expanse.

His vision broke from this scene, just long enough to pay a moment's heed to the one creating all of it. Chara was staring dead at him. Almost through him. His pupils were constricted to black pin pricks in orbs of fire. And then, without warning, his body disintegrated to dust; bursting into shining particle flecks that met and meshed with the sky as thousands of tiny stars.

Frisk was left alone, levitating freely in the air. Air that had just been given the effect of cold wind against afternoon heat.

He glanced around with uncertainty for a moment before attempting an experimental glide backwards, smiling widely at the little rush it gave him. He soon felt at ease with these new laws of physics and threw himself about in a playful manner.

The clarity in which he was seeing this world was beyond description, with details being progressively added even after Chara's disappearance. The colors were spectacular; the areal views and angling absolutely magnificent… It was unreal. Truly unlike anything he had ever seen. He felt as though he was inside a photograph of a sky shot; one that was captivating and perfect in every way imaginable.

A sudden voice shot through the air, the sound echoing and bouncing above Frisk's own gleeful laughs as he flew about.

"Hold up a tick, I thought you were afraid of heights!"

"I am! But not in here!" Frisk shouted back joyfully, taking another swoop and dive.

The boy flew on with childish abandon, for what could have been measured as miles, through a never-ending space of fresh air, freedom, and life.

There was an inevitable shift in this, as his worldly consciousness began pouring back in. Everything around him began slowly fading out into a bright white. He drank in every moment he could of the dream's duration leading up to this. With each passing second he felt even lighter, somehow, as he was lifted from his sleep.

Frisk awoke to a minor neck pain and stiffened limbs, from trying to rest on a wooden floor. He lied there a moment, still awestruck from what he had just seen. There was some slight creaking in the floorboards from the moisture and moderate temperature drop; likely the sound that stirred him. Eventually he sat up with a soft groan and stretched. He stood, now struck with restlessness, and exited into the caves again.

He heard the quiet, gentle melody of a siren girl singing to herself, somewhere out there in the neon waters.

He walked along the river's edge, staring up at the gleaming reflections from the cave ceiling. There was a long, lovely silence, before he finally decided to address what was on his mind.

'…Thank you. For doing that...' He smiled. 'It was really...' he trailed off in attempt to find the right word to describe his experience. It all seemed so clear a minute ago...

But nothing came.

...

'"It's no problem."' Chara finally spoke.

His tone was flat, devoid of pretty much any emotion other than obligation. In all honesty, Frisk couldn't read him in the slightest.

'...Thanks anyway.'

...

No response. Yet he couldn't shake this sense of someone stalking him. Or staring at him. He glanced around a moment; no one in sight.

'Chara?'

The feeling stopped instantaneously.

...

He held his arm awkwardly with a soft sigh. 'Well...I'm going back.'

Silence.

He turned and slowly made his way toward the little blue house.

...

'Are you coming too?'

A slight huff. '" No."'

'...Ok then.'

He went inside and lied down on the blanket beside the sleeping ghost, eventually making himself comfortable.

'...Hey.'

'"What?"'

'Where was that place from?'

...

'In the dream...?'

...

'"Nowhere."'

Frisk cocked his head slightly.

'"...I made it up."'

'...You did?'

'"Mhm."'

He blinked in slight disbelief. '...You...kinda have a beautiful imagination then...'

He felt a weird twinge in the back of his head.

Chara was silent. When he spoke again, his words came across forced, and distant.

'"...Just go to sleep, Frisk."'