Over and over again, Nyssa meets Sans in the dark ruins. Each time Sans prepares to attack her, but he stops as Nyssa either speaks, or uses her power. Then, everything resets. Finally, Nyssa doesn't even leave her starting room. She simply walks to a wall and sits there, waiting to be found. Though it takes longer than normal, eventually Sans walks into the room.
"heh, never realized these ruins were so big… hey, kid, you look…" Sans pauses as he looks at Nyssa. "…we've been here before, haven't we?" Nyssa fakes a smile.
"So many times. This Chara person keeps resetting, and… I-I'm kinda tired of it all." Her voice is quiet and shaky. Sans simply stands on the opposite side of the room, looking at her for a moment.
"i didn't think i'd spare any human i found after what's just happened, but… it ain't hard to tell that you aren't an enemy of mine. in fact, you look pretty defeated. i take it you never did well against me." He smiles, and Nyssa looks at him in surprise.
"Y…" She smiles. "Heh… T-to be honest, you've only h-hurt me once, but… y-you've never o-outright spared me before." She stands. "I… I'm sure everything'll reset soon, but… Thank you, Sans." Sans shrugs.
"it's not really fair you get to remember all these resets, but i suppose i'll let it slide. you look like you've been through hell."
"You could definitely say that." Nyssa laughs lightly. She looks Sans in the eye. "Sans… this'll stop. When it does, we'll fix everything again… I can save everyone again." Sans looks surprise, but he quickly returns to smiling.
"in that case, i'm really rooting for ya k…" Before he can finish speaking, Nyssa is alone again, standing in the middle of the flowers. She sighs, but a slight smile is on her lips.
"I guess waiting here is the best option. At least it keeps me from getting attacked." She walks back to the wall and sits down, waiting once again. This time though, no one comes. She waits, and waits, and waits, yet no Sans appears before her. Not even Flowey shows to mock her. After a while, She gets to her feet. Then, slowly, she starts walking.
Each dust pile she passes makes her begin to raise her hand, but she pulls back, her thoughts a mixture of her passing out, and the possible need of it in the future. She continues on, until she finds herself standing outside the ruins. She looks out at the snowy woods in disbelief. "Where… Where is Sans?" She feels her heart stop a moment. "No… He… No!" She starts running. Each time she starts to get tired or sore, she heals herself. Her body keeps refreshing, but she feels the tiny bit of wear on her soul each time. She makes her way to Snowdin, but as she passes the home of the skelebros, she stops. She looks at it, then she tries to open the front door. It's locked. She frowns and walks to the window off to the left. She reaches up on tiptoes and pulls the window open. She grabs the window ledge, then jumps up. She pulls herself about halfway through, then she reaches out and presses her button. The green light shoots towards the table, hitting the container on it. The dust rises out of it, and soon Papyrus is standing next to the table.
"WHAT… HAPPENED?" Papyrus starts looking around.
"Papyrus! Over here!" He looks to see Nyssa, in the window. "C-can you open the door? This is starting to hurt my stomach." She half smiles.
"WAIT, HUMAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY WINDOW?" He shouts. Nyssa giggles.
"Just, open the door." She pushes back and falls into the snow. The front door opens as she gets back to her feet. Papyrus looks out. "Papyrus, look, you don't know me, but I need you to trust me. Sans might be in danger, and I… I don't know if I can do anything to help him by myself."
"MY BROTHER? I'M READY TO GO!" He starts to run out.
"Uh, y-you might want to… you know, get dressed." Nyssa blushes slightly as she looks away. Papyrus looks down at himself, and he blushes as well.
"O-OH MY! I-I WILL BE BACK!" He runs back inside, and Nyssa shakes her head.
"H-he's just a skeleton, but… h-he's… i-it's weird. So weird." She laughs. When Papyrus comes back out he's dressed, though he still looks embarrassed. "Alright, let's go!" Nyssa starts running, and Papyrus is right at her side.
"HUMAN, THIS IS A BIT STRANGE. I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME!"
"My name is Nyssa." She glances at Papyrus. "It's a long story as to how I know you or your brother, but… You two, even though you don't remember, did so much to change my life before. You're one of my best friends."
"WE'RE… FRIENDS? BEST FRIENDS?" Nyssa smiles at him and nods.
"Yeah." She looks forward again. The two begin to make their way through Waterfall, but they come to a stop when they turn a corner to find Chara standing in their way.
"Oh… You came to meet me. That's good." They smile, and a chill runs down Nyssa's spine.
"Th-that voice." Nyssa takes a step back. Papyrus looks between the two of them. "Y-you're the one that's been talking to me!"
"You remember. Well, that's good. Maybe now that I'm in a body you'll actually listen to me." Nyssa glances at Papyrus.
"p-papyrus?" Nyssa looks beyond Chara to see Sans. "y-you're… alive?" He shakes slightly, making a quiet rattling sound with his bones.
"Well, isn't this nice? We've got the skeleton brothers, reunited." They gently sway their knife back and forth. "To be honest, I was looking for a one on one. That's why I didn't even bother with fighting Sans this time. Well, it can't really be helped."
"Why are you doing this?" Nyssa shouts. "You're the one resetting, right? You're the one who kept making me relive that horrible moment! Who stole everything!" She glares at Chara. "Why?"
"I've already seen this world die. It was great." Chara smirks. "The thing is, I wasn't the one having the fun. You see, this body isn't mine. This body belongs to a kid named Frisk. They came here, and they destroyed everything, waking me up." They look back at Sans, then return to looking at Nyssa. "Of course, when we destroyed everything, they suddenly weren't happy." They laugh. "They thought they were above consequences! That killing everyone wouldn't be bad! At first they were just scared, but they kept going, and going, until nothing was left!" They start walking towards Nyssa and Papyrus. "They traded me their soul for their chance at a happy ending, but life isn't that simple. And once they realized their happy ending was mine to play with, they reset again. Thing is, I didn't promise them another chance after that. Their body, their soul, it's all mine now."
"Then why have you been harassing me?" Nyssa questions.
"Because you're different. You were unexpected. As well, your power… I want it." Chara stops feet away from Nyssa. "I haven't been able to get past my biggest obstacle. Even Frisk struggled with it." Nyssa glances at Sans. He's simply standing there, in shock. "Besides, there could be so much more fun if I could use your power and my own. The power to reset and the power to heal. Eternal life and unending retries. It's a perfect combo, isn't it?"
"Y-you can't have my power!"
"You think you have a choice?" Chara glances at Papyrus, then suddenly they lunge at him.
"No!" Nyssa starts to move, but Chara's attack is stopped by a wall of bones.
"I HOPED YOU WOULD CHANGE, BUT… YOU REALLY HAVEN'T." Papyrus quietly says.
"so far i've just stood back, but… i think it's time i got involved." Sans says as his eye begins to glow. Chara looks from one brother to the other and grits their teeth.
"So annoying." Chara's eyes stop on Nyssa, and they smirk.
"Don…" Nyssa starts to speak, but she's cut off when Chara lunges at her. She stumbles back, but Chara grabs her wrist and yanks her forward, making her lose her balance. "H-hey!" Nyssa shouts. Chara twists her arm behind her back and puts her knife to Nyssa's throat.
"Go ahead, kill me!" Chara shouts with a laugh. "You'll have to kill your only hope at saving anyone though!" Papyrus and Sans both look nervous. "She can heal, it's quite impressive. Papyrus is alive thanks to Nyssa here. If you want to kill me, well, it'll mean, one way or another, she's gonna die as well."
"Wh-what are you doing? What's the point of this?" Nyssa questions. Chara is shorter than her, so she's bent backwards, trying to keep the knife from pressing any harder against her throat.
"You'll see. Either I get my way, or we both die." Chara quietly says as the two brothers look at each other. "Monsters don't care. Humans don't either. No one matters. You're holding on to something as useless as feelings. Love, trust, hope? Those are all garbage. Kill or be killed, that's all that's ever been, and all that will ever matter. It's the only lasting truth."
"No its n…" Nyssa starts to shout, but suddenly Chara lets go and shoves her forward. Several bones run Nyssa through, and she simply stands there, the pain overwhelming her.
"See?" Chara shouts with a laugh. "They killed you without hesitation! Just like Sans did in every one of those resets! He tried, again and again!" Sans eye stops glowing.
"SANS! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ATTACKED! THAT HUMAN ISN'T AN ENEMY!" Papyrus shouts.
"i… i didn't have a choice! i have to protect you!" Sans shouts, though his voice is shaky as he watches Nyssa fall to her knees.
"It's ridiculous! Just give up on them!" Chara shouts. "Come with me! I'll never betray you!" A crunching sound fills the air, and the bones fall out of Nyssa before disappearing. The holes in her chest quickly heal, and she coughs up some blood.
"Th-that… S-still hurts…" She quietly says as she shakily stands. She covers some of the holes with her right arm, then walks to the nearby wall. She leans back against it and smirks at Sans. "S-seriously S-Sans… Y-you're so annoying. Th-this is the s-second time you've k-killed me."
"y-you're… alive?" Chara's smile disappears as Nyssa smirks at them.
"HUMAN! YOU'RE ALIVE! THANK GOODNESS! BUT, HOW?"
"I-I can heal. I can even revive the dead. That's what they want, that power…" She laughs. "But you can't have it!"
"Why do you think that's so funny?" Chara growls.
"Don't you get it?" Nyssa looks at Papyrus, then at Sans, and finally back at Chara. "I… didn't want to live before, you know. That's why I climbed the mountain. But…" She looks up at the ceiling. "Well, these silly skeletons took me in, and they… they made me feel like I actually meant something to someone. It's pretty crazy." She smirks at Chara again. "You can reset. Over and over we can do this song and dance, and you'll think that each time you're getting in my head, that you can make me hate them enough to let you have your way. That isn't going to happen."
"You doubt my power?"
"No. Your power is real." Nyssa pushes off the wall. "But so is mine. You really should pick your battles better, kid. You can reset all your like, but no matter how many times you do, no matter what you do to me, I'm the one opponent you will never get past." She starts walking towards Chara. "I can't die. And once that fact is known, these guys, the ones who can actually fight, unlike me, they can do whatever they need to kill you. I won't hold a grudge against the only people who have ever made me think life is worth living."
"Th-they're just using you then! They don't care!"
"They do though! Even though they don't remember me, I know they care about me, and will continue to, just like they did that first month I lived here." As Nyssa gets close, Chara begins to back up. "I will gladly risk my life, go through hell, all for the sake of the people who made me finally believe I shouldn't be dead. Reset all you want, I'm not afraid of being attacked. Why should I be? Sure, it hurts, but I can't die." Chara hits a wall, and Nyssa stops just a few feet away from them. "But you can. You can die, over and over, and each time you have to go through the same, boring days, hours, minutes, all of that, just to get back to that moment so you can try again."
"Y-you think you can stop me?" Chara grits their teeth. "I am determination! I am power! I will destroy this world, over and over, and make you feel that pain!"
"Try it. I'll stop you every time."
"You don't get it…" Chara smirks. "I am determination. I have nothing in life but this destruction. I don't care what it takes, I can endure it all for that final, beautiful end. That power isn't something a fool like you can comprehend!"
"A fool, huh?" Nyssa laughs. "You didn't even realize what you told me."
"What?" Nyssa holds her hand out, and the green light shoots out from it, reaching out to Papyrus, Sans, and Chara.
"h-hey! what is this?" Sans shouts.
"This is my power. I heal." Chara smirks.
"You idiot! You healed me! I…" They suddenly stop smirking.
"No, I didn't." Nyssa winks. "You don't own that body of yours, or that soul. Now, I can't say I know everything about souls, just what Sans told me in that old timeline. What I can say though is that your host, the one you traded souls with, is still in that body of yours, and they probably don't want this either."
"Wh-what… Have you…" Chara doubles over, dropping their knife.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Papyrus shouts.
"There are two people in that body! I simply gave the original owner a little revival. If they truly wanted to make things right, then I figured they'd stop Chara, at least long enough for us to stop all of this."
"Please…" The voice coming from Chara is different. It's softer. "Help me… Stop this…" Nyssa feels her heart break a little at the sad sound.
"I'm trying." Nyssa looks at Sans. "Sans! There has to be a way to destroy a soul, right?"
"wh-what? are you crazy?" He shouts. "we need that soul! and what good…"
"Without a soul, Chara is powerless! It would permanently kill both Chara and this kid if we can destroy their shared soul! It's the only way to stop the resets!" Sans hesitates.
"i-i think we can. when a human is killed, the magic down here will extract their soul from their body. we could destroy their soul really easy."
"Then that's what we have to do. I know you want their soul to get out, but they'll reset too quickly!"
"IF THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO PROTECT EVERYONE, THEN IT'S WHAT WE MUST DO!"
"D-don't you d-dare!" Chara shouts.
"Then we need to move quickly! One of you has to kill them!" Sans looks at Papyrus, then his eye begins to glow.
"that i can do. i hate to break a promise, but at this point it's not really one i can keep." He holds his hand up, and bones appear around Nyssa. She looks around herself. The bones fly forward, and she watches them pierce through Chara. For a moment, nothing happens. Then, they smile, before falling to the ground. It only takes a moment before a red heart materializes just above the bloody body. It simply sits there, a gentle glow coming from it.
"W-we need to…" Nyssa starts. Suddenly, bones appear around it and run it through. Nyssa looks at Sans, but he looks surprised. She then looks to Papyrus.
"I… WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE SURFACE. I ALSO WISH THAT THEY HAD CHOSEN A DIFFERENT PATH. IT LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THE HUMANS IN THAT BODY DID CHOOSE DIFFERENTLY. THEY WANTED IT TO END, SO THAT EVERYONE ELSE COULD BE HAPPY…" Papyrus looks ready to cry. Nyssa looks back at the broken body in front of her.
"I… think this was the right thing." She falls to her knees. "O-okay, I'm done." She falls onto her back and stares up at the ceiling. Tears stream down her face. "I-I'm overwhelmed, I-I'm tired…" Papyrus and Sans walk over to her, and she smiles up at them as they look down at her. "S-sorry. Healing wears down my soul really badly. I-I just need to sleep for a little while, then we can start reviving everyone again." Papyrus smiles as he picks her up.
"I CAN'T SAY I UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED, NOT COMPLETELY, BUT I DO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU NEED SOME REST, AND NO YOUNG LADY WILL BE SLEEPING ON THE GROUND WHILE THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS AROUND!" Sans smiles, and Nyssa giggles.
"Thanks Pap…" She closes her eyes and curls up in his arms.