Thanks to coincidencless for editing.
Crunch!
Jeff bit off a piece of chocolate. Ah, the sweet taste of victory. Heavy metal blared from his stereo as he sat in his bed, his arm wrapped around his hot girlfriend, Paula. He held out his chocolate bar to her. "Want some?"
"With pleasure!" Paula bit into the chocolate bar, chewing it gingerly before swallowing and giggling. "As crazy as that demon is, she's got some good taste in sweets!"
Jeff grinned. "I wish I could have seen the look on her face."
"Oh, me too!" Paula exclaimed. "'No! It wasn't me! How could you betray me like this? I hate humans so much! I'll kill you!'"
"And don't even get me started on Frisk," Jeff said. "I bet he coddled her like a poor, innocent baby."
"Ugh, seriously," Paula said. "I can't believe I ever had a crush on him. He's such a sissy." She smiled flirtatiously. "Unlike you."
He laughed. "Yeah, we're the most badass hackers on the planet."
"We did hack a demon's phone," Paula said. "How many people can say that?"
"Well, technically," Jeff said, "we hacked into her dimensional box, not her -"
Paula pressed her finger against his lips. "Hey now, don't get all nerdy on me. Just let me boost your ego, okay?"
Jeff smirked. "There's something else I wouldn't mind you boosting…"
She laughed, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Yes, I think we deserve some… celebration."
She pulled him close and kissed his lips. Jeff closed his eyes, holding her tight as their kiss grew hotter. The taste of Chara's chocolate was fresh on their breath. He moved down to kiss her neck, eliciting a moan. Suddenly, Paula shoved him down onto the bed and leaned over him. "Take me, Jeff," Paula whispered. "Give me a ride better than Frisk ever could have given me."
Jeff winked. "You know I will."
Paula gigged. She began to unfasten her dress…
Ring! Ring!
Jeff clicked his tongue. "Oh, for…"
Paula shushed him. "Just ignore it…"
Yeah, of course. Whoever it was, they could…
Ring! Ring!
Jeff gasped. "Wait, Paula, that's the burner."
"Oh, shit!" She immediately jumped off of him.
Doing his best to ignore his pent-up energy, Jeff reached into his pocket and pulled out his alternate phone. It was Cade. Jeff answered. "H-hello?"
"Hey, Jeff," Cade greeted. "Great job cracking Chara's box, couldn't have done it without you. I can't wait for you to join us this weekend."
… wait, what?
"Th-this weekend?" Jeff asked.
"Of course!" Cade exclaimed. "It's almost time for the main event. I'm so thrilled to see you and your girlfriend in action."
"Wh-what are you talking about?!" Jeff demanded. "That wasn't the deal! We were just supposed to hack into the box and plant the evidence! That was it!"
Cade laughed. "Oh, it's cute that you believed that."
Jeff's purple eyes widened as ice gripped his soul. He looked at Paula, who gaped back in shock. What was happening? Paula grabbed the phone. "What the hell?!" she shouted. "You were supposed to handle that part!"
"Ah, Paula, you're here too," Cade replied. "You two having fun?"
"Cut the shit!" Paula said. "We said we'd help you hack her; we didn't say we'd help you kill her."
"Why not?" Cade asked. "Chara's a tough one. We need all the help we can get."
"We're not killers," Jeff said. "How can you expect us to take on a demon?"
"It's quite simple, really," Cade said. "All you gotta do is point and pull the trigger. Easy."
Like hell it would be easy. Chara was an insanely powerful demonic mage, and they were just ordinary LV 1 humans with no magical talent whatsoever. Jeff wanted Chara dead, but he didn't want to risk his own neck over it. He couldn't fight her; it was crazy. "Why should we listen to you?" Jeff challenged.
"Oh, I see," Cade said. "You want Chara dead, but you don't have the guts to do it yourselves? I get it, but if you're not gonna see this through, I'm sure the police would love to know that you were part of the conspiracy to murder Chara. Do you know what happens to attractive young men and women like you in prison? Are you into that?"
Jeff's jaw dropped as far as it could go. "Y-you…"
"You bastard," Paula breathed.
"Come on, Paula!" Cade cheered. "You can do it! Be a real woman! You too, Jeff! The world will be a much better place once Chara is gone. See you soon."
"Wait!" Jeff shouted. "You can't -"
Cade hung up.
Jeff felt sick to his stomach. Had that really happened? Cade was forcing them to fight Chara? He returned his gaze to Paula, as if to confirm what they had heard was real. Her terrified blue eyes said it all. It was really happening. They had to risk their lives fighting a demon.
So much for being badasses.
With a sob, Paula threw herself into Jeff's body and clung to him as if her life depended on it. "Jeff, I don't want to…"
"I don't, either," he said, "but we have no choice. I can't let you go to prison."
Paula hugged him even tighter. "I d-don't want Chara to h-hurt you," she said. "I… I won't let Chara hurt you."
Jeff clenched his teeth. The thought of Chara spilling a drop of Paula's blood filled him with rage. "I won't let her hurt you, either," he said.
Paula stared deep into his eyes. She kissed him again, bringing up her tongue. Jeff let her in, and they explored each other fervently before pulling away. "Jeff," she panted, "I want you to fuck me like it's our last night on Earth."
Jeff nodded. He would. He was going to fuck her like it was their last night on Earth.
Because it damn well might have been.
Chara sat at a table in a small conference room. Alpin sat next to her while Selena and Alphys stood by a TV at the front of the room. Alphys's claws trembled as Selena approached her with a devilish smile.
"Dr. Alphys," Selena said, "what was your role in the development of the original AlPhone?"
"I w-was the L-Lead Developer," Alphys stammered. "I d-designed it, d-developed it, t-tested it, th-that's why it's called the AlPhone, haha… g-get it?"
"I see," Selena said. "Would you say you are an expert in its design and usage?"
"O-of course," Alphys said.
"Then," Selena said, "in your expert opinion, is it difficult for an attacker to gain unauthorized access to an AlPhone's dimensional box?"
Alphys tapped her claws together. "W-well, there a-are some security m-measures in place."
"That's not what I asked," Selena pressed. "Is it difficult?"
Alphys's face flushed bright red. "N-not if they know what they're doing…"
Selena grinned. "Interesting. Can you tell us more about the critical vulnerabilities in your product that a threat actor might exploit?"
"W-w-well," Alphys squealed, "the AlPhone has to connect directly to the dimensional box for it to work, a-and it can be accessed from a-anywhere in the world, s-so I would say th-that it's about as s-secure as… public wi-fi? Like, it's basically one giant public network?"
"And how is that network insecure?" Selena asked.
"Y-you see," Alphys said, "the p-problem with public networks is that you can do something c-called packet sniffing, where you b-basically intercept network traffic and read its d-data."
"Is that so?" Selena asked. "Is that data encrypted?"
"Y-yes," Alphys said.
"Then what's the problem?" Selena questioned.
Alphys gulped. "Th-the dimensional box requires an ID and password for authentication. The password is stored in a hash, b-but if someone on the network sniffs it, th-they could do something called a replay attack and s-send the dimensional box the same message th-that a legitimate user sent to authenticate, g-giving them access."
"So they don't need to decrypt it?" Selena asked.
Alphys shook her head. "N-no."
"And what do you use for the ID?" Selena asked.
Alphys grew redder than a tomato. "… the user's phone number."
"So," Selena said, "are you saying that if a determined criminal knew Chara's phone number, they could feasibly intercept an authentication message from her phone to her dimensional box? And they could resend this message to the dimensional box and gain access?"
"Y-yes," Alphys whimpered.
Selena paced around Alphys like a shark. Even Chara felt a chill in the air as Selena kept smiling. "I must say," Selena continued, "this sounds like a serious problem. Are there countermeasures for it?"
"Th-there are," Alphys said.
"What are they?"
"O-one countermeasure is t-to create a unique session key every time the devices connect. Th-that way an attacker c-can't use the same message b-because they would need a d-different key."
"Does your product support such a protocol?" Selena asked.
Alphys frowned shamefully. "No… b-but starting with the AlPhone 2S…!"
"Objection!" Selena cried. "Irrelevant!"
Alphys flailed her arms. "H-hey! You can't object to your own -"
"Irrelevant," Selena growled.
Alphys slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Sorry…"
Smells like grilled lizard, Chara thought.
Selena grinned. "Thank you, Doctor. No further questions."
As her body kept trembling, Alphys walked back to the table and sat down. She gave Chara a sad look. "I'm sorry," she said. "You're in this situation because I released a garbage product. I should've known better."
Chara smirked. "It's alright, Alphys. I'm not angry, just disappointed."
A jolt ran through Alphys's body as she squealed in agony. "That's even worse!"
She laughed and pat her on the shoulder. "Really, Alphys. It's okay. We all make mistakes, and you've already fixed the problem with your newer models. Honestly, it's my own fault for using such an outdated phone for so long."
Alphys smiled. "Th-thank you, I'm glad you understand. It's like judging me for an embarrassing fanfiction I wrote years ago. Yes, I know it's weird that I had my self-insert and Mew Mew make out in a coffin! Stop reminding me!"
As Chara chuckled, Alpin cast a judgment glance at her. "Seriously, though. You're still using the first AlPhone? Really?"
"See?!" Alphys exclaimed. "Even the old guy gets it!" Alpin glared at her, and she threw up her arms. "Sorry! Sorry!"
Chara blushed. She had kept her phone for so long because it had been a gift from her mother. Well, that, and she was rather stingy with her money. She hadn't thought the expenditure was necessary, but after what had happened, Chara was going to upgrade as soon as possible. She really should have done it sooner. Someone as notorious as her needed to be far more careful.
Selena clapped her hands to get their attention. "Okay! That wasn't a bad practice run, but Alphys, please try to stay on topic. Opposing counsel will call you out on that."
"Sorry!" Alphys apologized.
"It's alright," Selena replied. "It's going to take some time for the trial to begin. Ugh, court procedures are too damn slow, but that's no excuse to slack off."
"Absolutely," Chara said. "You said you have more evidence to share, did you not?"
"Yup," Selena said. "Let's go through it." She held out a remote and clicked it, bringing up a file on the TV. It was a text document containing a record of network traffic.
"This is a log from Chara's dimensional box," Selena said. She pointed to a specific entry. "This is the insertion of the first KARMA weapon. As you can see, it came from an IP address that didn't belong to Chara's phone. Unfortunately, we can't track it because the attacker was using an anonymous VPN. They knew what they were doing."
"But it proves it wasn't me," Chara said. "If you can't track the missing five weapons, then why wouldn't I have put all nine of them there? Why would I have left four in my own box?"
Selena sighed. "As nonsensical as that would be, it doesn't prove anything. Prosecution can argue that you didn't believe you would be searched, or that you deliberately did it in an attempt to confuse them. It's still possible that you were the one using the VPN."
Chara grunted. "I assure you. If I had stolen the weapons, I would've done a much better job."
"A common defense," Selena said. "Usually doesn't hold up well, I'm afraid. However, we have one more thing that might exonerate you." She clicked her remote, and a video appeared on the monitor. "This is the surveillance footage from the lab."
Chara felt a jolt run through her body. Of course! There had to have been cameras in the lab. She hoped the KARMA weapons were in plain view. According to Goner Kid, Cade hadn't moved while they had been stolen. Chara wanted to see how it had been pulled off.
Fortunately, the footage did include a good shot of the weapon rack. There was also a clean shot of Cade standing next to Chara while she talked to… well, Goner Kid was invisible, so…
"So, uh, first of all," Selena said, "what the hell are you doing, Chara?"
As far as the recording was concerned, Chara was talking to the air, with no trace of Goner Kid. Chara pursed her lips. "Umm, I'm talking to a Redacted, one of the people like Gaster."
"Oh, uh, if you say so," Selena said. "Well, the footage just gets stranger from here."
Chara watched Cade and the weapons closely, looking for any suspicious activity. Cade was just standing there looking bored, and the weapons remained undisturbed. What was going on? When had they…?
Suddenly, one of the weapons vanished into thin air. One-by-one, all nine weapons in the rack disappeared, but Chara didn't see anyone nearby. "What the hell?" she asked. "How is this possible?"
"I can imagine a couple ways," Alpin said. "One possibly is that the thief used a delayed teleportation spell. However, I didn't see evidence of either you or Cade casting one, so I doubt it. The more likely explanation is that the thief was using an invisibility spell, following you into the lab and stealing the weapons without either of you knowing they were there."
Seriously? How long had they been there? The whole time? Damn, they had perfectly slipped under Chara's nose. "Who could have done this?" she asked.
"C-could it have been a Redacted?" Alphys suggested.
"A Redacted?" Chara hummed. "Possibly, but Goner Kid didn't see them, either. No, it was more likely someone using magic."
Hmm… Chara had recently met someone with invisibility, hadn't she? What was his name? Tevis? Was it him? With the right scroll or staff, anyone could have used invisibility, but she couldn't deny the strong circumstantial evidence. In any case, Tevis was the most likely suspect that Chara had.
Chara gasped. Tevis was related to Atami, wasn't he? They both had the same last name. If Tevis was part of the plot to kill her, then was Atami…?
She clenched her teeth. Was Atami part of this?
… well, she didn't know it was Tevis. It could have been anyone, really. There was only one thing she knew for sure. "One thing is certain," Chara said. She looked at Alpin. "Whoever it was, they were in collusion with Cade. Obviously, I made no visible move to steal the weapons, yet Cade immediately claimed that I was responsible. What explanation is there other than he was trying to frame me?"
"W-well," Alpin stammered, "what else would you expect? The weapons had disappeared. He knew he hadn't stolen them, and there was only one other person in the room that he knew could have done it. How can you blame him for thinking it was you?"
"We were standing there the whole time," Chara said. "He could see as plain as day that I hadn't done anything. How could he assume it was me?"
"Heat of the moment," Alpin insisted. "He made a rash decision without thinking it through. That's all."
Selena folded her arms. "I doubt that," she said. "Take a step back and think about why Cade 'helped' Chara in the first place. If he really had been on Chara's side, then why would he have turned against her so quickly? And if this invisible thief wasn't working with Cade, then where had they come from? They had to have known that Chara and Cade were infiltrating the lab, and how could they have known if Cade hadn't told them? It's obvious what happened. Cade manipulated Chara to get his hands on the KARMA weapons."
For several moments, Alpin sat frozen stiff. Eventually, he slowly got out of his chair and stood. "Why would he do this?"
"I told you," Chara said. "He wants to kill me, and he's not the only one. Just a couple days ago I got a text message from some guy threatening to rape me, gut my throat, and castrate my boyfriend. Would you like to see it?"
Alpin was as pale as a ghost. "But, why would he want to…?"
"There's no shortage of possibilities," Chara said. "Perhaps he thinks I'm too dangerous to live, perhaps he thinks I deserve to die for the sins I've committed, or perhaps he just wants to kill a demon. Who knows?"
Alpin's heterochromatic eyes stared into space. "I… I'm afraid I must beg your pardon. I need some time alone to process all this."
Chara frowned. As much as she hated Cade, she wasn't blind to how devastating this ordeal must have been for Alpin. If she ever had children, she hoped they wouldn't do anything so vile… unlike herself.
How would her children turn out? Was she capable of raising a child? She had told Frisk that she would have loved to have his children one day, but the truth was that it terrified her. What if they didn't like her? What if they hated her? Any children she had would undoubtedly have to put up with so much harassment for having her as their mother. If they resented her for it, how could she blame them?
She shook her head. That problem was still years away. She looked back at Alpin. "Of course," she said. "Take all the time you require."
Without saying another word, Alpin walked out of the room. Meanwhile, Alphys's claws kept fidgeting. "Umm, I guess I'll go too." She started walking, but then she stopped and faced Chara. "U-uh, hey! If you're looking for a new phone, I promise the AlPhone 3 is perfectly secure! You'll never be hacked again! I guarantee it!"
Chara smiled. "Very well, I shall consider it."
"Th-thank you," Alphys whimpered. "I know it's hard to trust a brand after it's failed once, but I… I'll just go now."
Chara waved. "See you later, Alphys."
As Alphys quietly left the room, Chara turned her attention to Selena. "Thank you for helping me," she said. "Really, it means a lot."
Selena smiled. "How could I let down my fellow demon?"
Chara snickered, but that reminded her of a concern she had. "About that," she said, "are you not worried that people will view your demon status as a conflict of interest?"
"Oh, of course they will," Selena said, "but so what? I'm your lawyer; I'm supposed to be on your side. Do people object when humans support other humans? No, so why can't I help you? I'm going to get you out of this, and anyone who has a problem with that can kiss my demon ass."
"Heh, I guess you have a point," Chara said. She had a thought, and her tone grew more serious. "May I ask you something personal?"
"Shoot," Selena said.
"How are you faring now that the public knows you are a demon?"
"Heh, I have gotten some crap for it," Selena said. "Not nearly as much as you, though. I can't say I've heard anyone threaten to rape me or castrate Nate."
Chara noticed a glaring omission. "But have they threatened to kill you?"
Selena nodded. "Some have. They didn't like monsters, and they don't like demons, either."
Chara gave her a sad look. "I'm sorry you have to deal with that."
"You still have it far worse than I do," Selena said. "Don't take this the wrong way, but people don't have as much ammo to use against me."
"Heh, no offense taken," Chara said. "Even if I have it worse, I still feel bad for you." Her frown returned. "Are you certain that you wish to help me? The public's hatred of you will only grow if you do."
"Not exactly," Selena replied. "Yes, anyone who hates you will hate me for helping you, but you're ignoring the other side of the equation. As much as people hate you, there's also a lot of people who love you. So for every person I piss off by helping you, there will also be someone who respects me for it. Public opinion of me will not degrade so much as it will polarize, so don't worry about me. I'm not afraid to let people know where I stand."
Chara looked at her with admiration. "Beautifully said. You are an incredible lawyer. I can see why Nate has fallen for you."
Selena smiled. "You flatter me."
"I mean it," Chara said. "I was an actual princess, but I could never speak with such inspiration. I envy you."
Selena laughed. "Are you sure? Your speech is pretty sophisticated if you ask me."
Her face flushed an embarrassed red. "That's different. I may have acquired some courtly manners from my mother, but I cannot appeal to people's hearts the way you do. I simply do not have the charisma."
"Aww, don't sell yourself so short," Selena said. "Public speaking is easy; you just gotta raise your SPEECH skill! Anyone can do it!"
That piqued Chara's interest. "SPEECH?" she asked. "That's a stat?"
"Haha, I'm just messing with you," Selena said. "Still, whether it's manifested by a statistic or not, you can get better at anything with experience. Practice makes perfect, right?"
Oh, for… she couldn't believe she had fallen for that. She smiled. "There is truth to that," she said. "However, I also believe that natural talent is a thing. Take humans versus monsters. If a monster hones their skills with dedication, they may defeat a human in battle, but if the human trains and fights with equal determination, the monster will be hopelessly outmatched. Some people just have more potential than others."
Selena smiled warmly. "Chara, you are the World Master, the most determined being in the universe. Even with the reset ban, people would kill to have your power. I mean, you could literally become a god if you had to. I don't think you're short on potential."
"Heh, not even I can be good at everything," Chara said.
"Well, I'll give you that one," Selena said, "but I think it goes without saying that you've already come a long way. Just have faith in yourself."
Chara gave a small laugh. It really was polarized. While some people wanted her to burn in hell for eternity, others were like angels to her. "Thank you," she said. "People may hate me as much as they desire, but I always appreciate those who are kind to me."
"I mean, yeah," Selena said. "I can respect people even if they hate us, but it's the ones who don't have their facts straight that really get to me. Someone once asked me if it was true that I need to feast on human flesh to survive, ugh."
Chara smirked. "Yeah, we can only dine on human flesh, blood, and coffee."
Selena smiled back. "Oh, I get that reference, you weeb."
She gave another laugh. "You have good taste."
Selena chuckled, but then her expression turned serious again. "Although, we better make sure that people get the facts right for the trial."
Chara nodded. "How do you feel about our odds?"
"Pretty good, I think," Selena said. "Remember, burden of proof is on the prosecution, and we have a solid case that this is exactly what it is, an attempt to frame you. As long as we demonstrate enough doubt, you should be clear."
"Should be," Chara said.
Selena pursed her lips. "Right. With all the evidence we have, the idea that you did this is honestly ridiculous, but some people are truly idiots. They'll try to twist the facts as much as they can to paint you in the worst light possible. We have to be ready for whatever nonsense they might throw at us."
Chara smirked. "They'll try to demonize me?" She waggled her eyebrows.
"Story of your life, isn't it?" Selena asked. "Although, I am impressed with how well Alpin seems to be handling this."
"I know," Chara said. "There's really no way Cade and I can both be innocent. What's going on in his head?"
"Desperation, I imagine," Selena said. "He's too honorable to use you as a scapegoat, but he doesn't want to incriminate his son, either. I wouldn't want to be him right now."
Yeah, whatever Alpin was thinking, it was probably…
SHIT! Alpin swore. Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit…!
Shit!
With panting breaths, Atami raised her sword to block an overhead strike from Tevis's energy blade. Magical sparks flew off her rapier as she felt their weapons clash. She swiped Tevis's blade away and pulled back her own sword for a thrust, but Tevis jumped back and disappeared in a flash of cyan energy.
Damn it, not again! Atami frantically swiveled her head around, but all she saw was the green grass of the open plain, illuminated by the sunset's orange light. Where was he?! Atami swung and thrust her sword in random directions, desperately struggling to strike her invisible opponent, but her panicked blade found nothing but air. As she flailed wildly, she felt an energy blade pierce her lower back. She grunted as she saw the blade protrude from her stomach. Tevis pulled it back, and dust sprayed out of the wound as Atami instinctively clutched it. Bastard cousin.
Tevis reappeared and nonchalantly walked around her. "You're too anxious," he said. "Calm down and focus. Don't let your nerves get the better of you."
That was easy for him to say. Did he realize how hard it was to fight an enemy with Invisibility? She wished she had Sense Enemy to counter it, but only purple souls and demons had that skill. Still, she had beaten him before. It wasn't easy, but she did have a trick to find him.
Atami healed herself while Tevis kept pacing in a circle around her. Once she finished, Tevis stood in front of her and pointed his blade. Atami got back into her fighting stance and hurled a fireball at him. As he cast a barrier to block it, Atami closed in and rapidly thrust her rapier. Several strikes went through Tevis's armor, each leaving behind a small, dusty wound.
Tevis struck back with a thrust of his energy blade, stabbing Atami's sword arm. She growled and threw another fireball, pulling her arm off the blade while Tevis sidestepped it. As she raised her sword for another strike, Tevis threw a smoke bomb into the ground and vanished into the thick cloud.
Alright, don't panic. Atami took a deep breath and summoned a tightly-packed circle of fireballs around herself. She shot them outward. At the same time, she cast Flow Acceleration to speed up her reflexes. She watched her fireballs travel in slow motion, looking closely at each one as their flames flickered and lit up the smoke. Where are you?
There! Atami saw two of the flames shift as if something had blown on them. She focused her gaze between the two flames and swung her rapier. She felt it connect with Tevis's energy blade, canceling his invisibility spell. Tevis reappeared, and Atami swung her rapier with all her strength. She hindered his movement with a stab to his kneecap, and Tevis retaliated with a slash across her chest, scattering her mimic body's dust on the floor.
Atami ignored the injury and kept attacking, slashing and piercing Tevis's mimic body while he sliced her up with his own blades, but Atami was faster. She pulled her rapier back and ran it through Tevis's chest with a powerful thrust. His HP fell to zero, and his body dissolved into dust.
She lowered her rapier and panted. That was not an easy win, if she could've even called it that. Atami closed her eyes and willed her magical body to dissolve, returning to her real body sitting on the floor. She felt lightheaded as she got back up, and it wasn't just because of the battle. She hadn't been feeling well at all in the past few days. It was like the gears in her brain just wouldn't turn right. She had always suffered from these problems, but the Chara situation had brought on the worst of it yet.
She wished it would stop.
Tevis pat her on the shoulder. "Good work," he said. "As long as you concentrate, you are a force to be reckoned with."
"You let me win," Atami said.
"True," Tevis said. "You won't get any second chances on the real battlefield; that's why I want you to be ready. Don't show your enemy any fear, and we will win this."
Was she ready? Could she really take on Chara? They had herself, Tevis, Cade, the other two, and five KARMA blasters on their side. Was it enough? Probably. As strong as Chara was, it was hard to imagine her surviving all that firepower, specifically designed to kill demons. They had this, so why did she feel like her head was being crushed by a boulder? Why was she feeling all this anxiety? There was nothing to worry about, so what was the problem?
"It wasn't even about that," Chara said. "Do you not understand? The very fact that I could…"
"Tevis," Atami said, "why do you think Chara tried to kill everyone?"
He shrugged. "Does it matter? Maybe she thought humans were a threat to monsters, or maybe she's just a crazy bitch. Either way, she deserves to die."
Atami was surprised to hear that. "Really? You think Chara might have actually cared about them?"
"It's possible," Tevis said, "but it really doesn't matter. Some things are beyond forgiveness, and what Chara did is way across the line, no matter the intention. Evil is evil. Whether it was for the benefit of her people or for sadistic pleasure, there is no salvation for a mass murderer, even if she did fail in the end."
Atami wasn't sure how to feel about that. She had always assumed Chara was just what so many people had made her out to be, a psychopath who had tried to make her own adoptive brother destroy humanity. She had never considered that there might have been more to it than that, despite what a lot of other people said. What if they were right? What if Chara had done it to protect monsterkind? Did it change anything?
"And don't forget," Tevis said, "Chara is too dangerous to exist. With enough kills, demons have the potential to become literal gods. Didn't you say you wouldn't want that power in anyone's hands? Let alone Chara?"
Yes, that was it. The very fact that she could destroy everything was the reason why she had to. In Chara's mind, humans would never have trusted monsters with their power to absorb human souls, so she believed she had no choice but to give them the very thing that they had feared.
"… aren't we proving her point?" she whispered. "If Chara's whole thing was that she had to kill us because monsters were… because we'd never trust monsters, then… aren't we proving her right? Aren't we basically saying that we'll kill anyone who's too dangerous, just like she thought?"
"Hardly," Tevis said. "Like I said, demons are an abomination. Monsters may be just as dangerous, but at least they aren't freaks who don't know how to stay dead. Besides, we aren't going on a crusade against all demons, just Chara, and if Frisk wants to get in our way, we'll kill him too."
Atami frowned. She still didn't like the thought of killing Frisk at all. Even if he had made the mistake of reviving Chara, he was also the reason why monsters had finally been freed from the Underground. He was a true hero. Was it right to kill someone like that for being too forgiving?
She held her forehead. It hurt. Why did it have to be so complicated? No wonder people wanted to make things as black and white as possible. It was so much easier to think that way.
"Having second thoughts?" Tevis asked.
Atami struggled to find words. "I…"
"If you're gonna back out, do it now," Tevis said. "Hesitate like that on the battlefield, and Chara will cut you down."
Back out? If she did that, Tevis would fight Chara without her. The thought of losing family to that demon was unbearable. She couldn't let him go alone. She shook her head. "N-no, I'm with you."
"Then don't be afraid," Tevis said. "What we're doing is justice. It doesn't matter what her motives were, it doesn't matter how sorry she is, it doesn't matter how much she's changed. This isn't little league. We don't hand out awards for 'Most Improved.' When you try to commit genocide, you forfeit your own right to live. That's how it is, and how it should be."
Right, how could anyone argue with that? Since when had anyone ever forgiven genocide? Murdering billions of innocent people, there was no excuse for it. People had been rightfully executed for far less, so why not Chara?
… but, by that logic, wouldn't they have had to kill Asgore? And everyone who had supported his war with humanity? She looked back at Tevis. "Wh-what about Asgore?"
"He should die, too," Tevis said. "Even if he had done it to give his people hope, he was still telling them that war was the answer to their problems. It's a shame that Toriel couldn't change their minds."
That was the only fair way to look at it, wasn't it? If Chara had believed that war was necessary for the survival of monsterkind, then Asgore was no better than she had been for perpetuating that belief among his entire kingdom. If Chara deserved to die, it made sense that Asgore deserved to die as well.
But she liked Asgore. She liked Undyne. She loved pretty much all the monsters she read about in the stories of Frisk's adventures, even the ones who had really tried to kill Frisk and wage war with humanity. Even if they had been flawed or misguided, Atami believed that they had all been good people at heart. Was it possible that Chara was no different?
Atami gasped as Tevis suddenly grabbed her shoulders. "Listen to me!" he urged. "If you're gonna do this, you can't have any doubts. You can't show Chara any weakness. You go in, fully intent on killing her, or you don't go in at all. Do you understand that?"
She looked away from him. "If I don't go, what will you do?"
"… I can't just ignore her," Tevis answered.
Of course he would. Of course he would put her in this situation. Tears began to form in her orange eyes. "Th-then, I can't just…"
He gave a frustrated frown. "What made you feel this way? Is it Elodie?"
Elodie? Was it Elodie? Yes, this was all her fault! Everything had been fine until she had fucked with her head. Atami clenched her fists. She couldn't let Elodie…
… no, she was lying to herself. As much as it had pained Atami, her confrontation with Elodie hadn't changed her mind about Chara. It wasn't meeting Chara herself. It wasn't seeing how much Frisk and Asriel loved her. It wasn't any argument Elodie could have made. No, the thing that had changed her mind had happened just a few moments ago. It was Tevis's own words, admitting that Chara might not have been as evil as she had thought. Chara, Frisk, Asriel, Elodie, they could have said anything that they wanted, but she wouldn't have believed them. It had taken the word of someone she'd trusted to finally break her.
Not that she saw everything his way…
But, was she willing to risk it? Even if it was possible that Chara wasn't a total psychopath, was she willing to take that chance? The power to destroy the entire universe, in the hands of a college student who had already tried to wipe out humanity once. No, Tevis had said that it was possible, but possible wasn't good enough. The risk of a murderous demon destroying humanity was too great. They had to eliminate her.
But, again, that had been her whole point.
Fuck.
"Atami, just tell me what you're thinking," Tevis said.
She sobbed. "I… I don't like this anymore."
"You really think we're proving her point?" Tevis asked. "Look, it's simple. Some of the monsters are innocent. Chara is not innocent. Killing Chara is not the same as wiping out monsterkind. She can spew all the misanthropic bullshit she wants, but we aren't proving any of it. We are the good guys."
It wasn't the same…? Right, right, it wasn't the same. They weren't the same. It was different. It wasn't genocide. It wasn't murder. They weren't murderers. They were good; Chara was bad. They were good; Chara was bad. They were good; Chara was…
"I'll ask you one more time," Tevis said. "Will you stay, or will you fight?"
"I… I won't stay," Atami said.
"Then what are you doing?" Tevis asked.
"I'll… I'll fight."
"Who?"
"Chara."
"To the death?"
"To the death."
"Not good enough," Tevis said. "Say it with confidence. Imagine I'm Chara, and say with no fear or hesitation that you'll kill me."
Atami gripped her rapier tight. "Chara, you are going to pay for what you did to Asriel. I'll kill you."
"Is that so?" Tevis asked.
"I'll kill you," Atami spat.
He shoved her off balance. "What was that?"
"I'll kill you!" she shouted.
"Will you?!"
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Tevis gave a satisfied huff. "Good, no more fear."
Atami took several deep, ragged breaths. What was all this nonsense about Chara being good? Asgore wasn't like her. Asgore hadn't tried to make Asriel kill anyone, just… just royal guards, who had signed up for it! Completely different! Besides, Chara probably was just a psychopath. At least they weren't psychopaths. At least they weren't remorseless killers. As bad as they were, at least they…
At least she wasn't as bad as Chara.
Faking confidence had never been one of her strong suits, but she needed it now more than ever. She locked eyes with Tevis, not showing a hint of doubt. "I won't back down," she said.
"Of course you won't," Tevis said, "but first…" He handed her another scroll imbued with the training body spell. "We must prepare."
Atami took the scroll. She was going to fight him as if he were Chara herself. She would show him no doubt, no hesitation. Their lives depended on it.
And she wouldn't show any sign of how scared she was.
After night had fallen, Chara sat in her dorm room, at her computer. It was time to conduct some research. She typed in a search query, Marcus Alpin. She clicked enter, and a wiki page of him appeared. She clicked on it.
'Please don't ask about Cade's past.'
Alpin was hiding something, and Chara was going to find out what. She read through the article, jumping to his personal details. Alpin was married to a woman named Mara. They'd had a single biological child together, named Jaren, but he had died in 2124, about three years ago.
Curious. Chara kept reading.
Alpin's son, Jaren Alpin, was a distinguished officer of the Military Police. On September 9th 2124, he had fought in a raid against a criminal organization notorious for its trade in slavery and child pornography.
Chara blinked. Had she read that…? Yep, child porn. God, some humans were disgusting. She kept reading.
During the raid, Jaren was gunned down by criminal forces and declared KIA. On September 23rd, Jaren was posthumously awarded a medal of valor for his brave service. Marcus Alpin and Mara Alpin grieved for their son's death. In his memory, they adopted…
Chara slammed her fist on the table. No! No, no, no…! Cade was not…!
… a fifteen-year-old victim of the organization who Jaren had helped…
No! No! No! NO!
… rescue, Cade Felwinter.
Chara rested her forehead against the palm of her hand. So, Cade had been a child slave, probably molested by all kinds of sick creatures and forced to molest other children so they could get off watching. Fucking humans. Well, not all humans, but fuck those humans. Alpin hadn't been kidding; it was practically the worst thing that could happen to a person in the modern world.
Chara dared to read more on these criminals. The organization had supposedly operated for over a century. Most of their slaves were forced to work on farms, mines, and factories day-in and day-out, getting as little as two hours of sleep, and the rest were forced into prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation. About a quarter of the victims were children, and anyone who disobeyed was brutally tortured as an example to others.
And, whenever they needed to dispose of someone, they would sell the victim to the highest bidder, for EXP.
Chara looked away in disgust; she couldn't stomach anymore. These people made her drug-trafficking biological parents look like saints.
However, Chara still failed to understand what Cade's past had to do with her. She understood how traumatizing it must have been, but why was Cade targeting her? She wasn't a…
Then again, she hadn't been much better, had she? She may not have been a slaver, but trying to wage war against all of humanity was even worse. Perhaps Cade's suffering had given him an aggressive sense of justice, and that was why he wanted to punish Chara for her crimes. Or maybe he was just crazy. She didn't know.
Still, she wasn't going to hold back. If she had to kill Cade to save herself, she wouldn't hesitate. If Cade wanted to kill bad people, he should have picked someone who was actually committing evil, not someone just trying to live her life. Chara hadn't planned on fighting again, but she wasn't going to lose any sleep over self-defense.
Especially not if Frisk's life was on the line.
Chara heard the door to her room open. She snapped her head back and saw Atami walk in. Chara felt her pulse skyrocket at the sight of her, and she saw Atami jump as if an electric shock had run through her body. Why? Was she really…? No, she was probably just surprised to see her. Chara had been gone for a while. That made sense, right? Knowing Atami, she was probably deep inside her own world, expecting her room to be empty, when suddenly she opened it and saw Chara inside, making her jump. Atami was just being Atami; that was all.
… at least, that was what she would have liked to believe, but it probably wasn't true, was it?
Pretending nothing was wrong, Chara cleared her throat and smiled. "Oh, greetings, Atami. Do not fear, I am not dead. I simply had a little accident the other day, but the doctors assured me that I am in good health now."
Atami avoided eye contact, as usual. She walked awkwardly to her desk and placed her laptop on it. Meanwhile, Chara kept smiling at her. "So, any plans for the weekend?"
Atami said nothing. She just ignored her and logged into her computer.
"Well, I have plans," Chara said. "My boyfriend and I are…"
God, how stupid could she get? She had to make up a lie.
"… going to… "
Come on, Chara. Improvise, improvise! Impro… oh!
"Improv!" she said. "Yes, Ebott University improv. They are so funny. They do… puns, and… scenes… and… charades, it's great! Haha… so, yeah. I'll be staying with Frisk at Ebott University over the weekend. It's going to be so wonderful to see him again. I know it's only been a week, but, well, it hasn't been an easy one."
Atami turned her head. "Y-you'll… be with Frisk?"
… why had she asked that? Chara didn't like it. She didn't like it at all.
"Y-yes," Chara said. "It will be a much-needed time for escapism and revelry."
"Oh." Atami turned back to her computer.
Chara pursed her lips. "So… what about you? Are you staying here…? That's nice. You shall have the room to yourself for the next two days; I'm sure that will be very liberating."
Atami kept ignoring her. Chara sighed; she could take a hint. She went back to her own computer and closed her browser window.
"Why Asriel?"
Chara turned around and locked eyes with Atami. "I'm sorry?" she asked.
Atami stared at her with a tired expression. "Why did you use Asriel? Of all people, why him?"
Oh, Chara frowned. "That's a good question. Indeed, few monsters are inclined towards violence, but Asriel was exceptionally docile. I suppose it made him easier to persuade, but it also made him less likely to fight once the moment had come. There were monsters who were more willing to fight humanity, just look at Undyne. Had I conspired with a monster like her, our plan may very well have succeeded."
"Then why didn't you?" Atami asked.
"… because I loved him," Chara said.
"You loved him?" Atami asked. "Then why did you risk his life? Why did you try to make him kill?"
Chara felt like she had been punched in the gut, but she knew the answer. "Because I was selfish," she said. "If I was going to sacrifice my body and soul for monsterkind, I wanted it to be Asriel. I wanted my brother to be the bearer of my soul. He was my best friend, my brother, and I wanted us to free our family together."
For a while, Atami just stared silently, her orange eyes unreadable. Finally, she turned away. "What a load of shit."
Chara shook her head. She had already given up trying to reason with her. Any further attempt to do so would have been a futile circuit of repetition. She looked away and went back to her own business, though she wasn't sure what to do. She just wanted the day to be over. Tomorrow, she would finally be reunited with Frisk, and they could spend a day forgetting about all their troubles.
It had been a long week.
Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!Shit!
Alpin bolted through the halls of the dormitory that Cade was living in. He reached his door and knocked forcefully. "Cade!" he shouted. "It's me; open up!"
"Oh?" Cade called. "Is that you, Half-and-Half?"
Alpin didn't have time for his crap. He pulled out a spare key to his room and stuck it inside the lock. He twisted it open and shoved the door aside. Cade was sitting in his chair, smiling gleefully. Alpin held his staff high as he walked in, shutting the door behind him. "Cade, what were you doing inside that lab?"
Cade laughed as he rose from his seat. "Why, I was just enjoying the scenery, checking out the cool -"
Alpin cast a spell, Muffle. A magical barrier coated the walls, preventing any sound from escaping. With that problem taken care of, he pointed his staff at Cade and slammed him into the wall with blue magic. As he kept him pinned, Cade kept laughing. "Why so rough, Daddy?"
"Don't lie to me," Alpin hissed. "What are your intentions for Chara? What are you planning?"
Cade grinned. "Alright, Dad. I trust you. I'll tell you exactly what I'm doing. I'm going to make this world a better place."
Alpin gaped in horror. It was true; it was all true. His worst fears had been realized. Cade was… Alpin struggled to keep his quivering staff trained on Cade. "Th-then, I must..."
"Not so fast!" Cade chirped. "At least hear out the incredible offer I have for you."
"I'll never…!"
"I can bring your son back."
Alpin paused. Cade could bring back…? He shook his head. "No, that's impossible."
"Is it?" Cade challenged. "When I become God, anything will be possible. I will be able to bring back anything that has been lost, and if you cooperate, I will ensure that you are rewarded."
No, Alpin couldn't listen to him; he was crazy. "My son is dead," Alpin said.
"Funny," Cade said. "That's funny coming from someone who already tried to resurrect him from the dead."
Alpin's breaths were rough and ragged. Slowly, he lowered his staff, letting Cade fall to the floor. Cade smiled. "Ah, that's better."
As his chest thumped rapidly, Alpin glanced around Cade's room. The standard definition TV, the VHS player, the bulky computer, all technology from the time period that Cade had originated from. The story that Cade had been rescued from slavers was only partially true. He had been a slave, but he hadn't been saved, not quite.
Alpin may not have brought Cade into this world, but he had brought him back.
"When I'm done," Cade said, "Earth will be a paradise. The deserving will thrive, and all of the garbage will be cleansed. Doesn't that sound amazing? What kind of fool would resist?"
Alpin's old heart pounded with more strength that he'd thought it had left. Cade, God of the World, a being with absolute power. Could Alpin truly accept it?
"Now, I know what you're thinking," Cade said. "'But, Cade! We can't let you have that kind of power! Don't you know that absolute power corrupts absolutely?' Well, don't you know that you're full of shit? I'm not here to make people suffer or destroy the universe for the lulz. As long as you are an upstanding citizen, I am a benevolent god. There will be no more conflict, no more strife, I will usher in the ultimate golden age. What do you say, Father? Won't you help me become a true hero?"
Alpin's staff trembled in his hands. "I…"
"There's just one hurdle," Cade said. "To ensure our success, I'll need to become World Master, and the fastest way to do that is by killing Chara. If I don't deal with her first, she just might stop me. We can't have that. We have no choice but to kill her before she kills me."
"H-how can so say that so lightly?" Alpin asked. "She never did anything to you. Don't you feel any regret?"
"Don't you miss your son?" Cade retorted. "He was a noble warrior who had fought so many horrific slavers and killers. You know he didn't deserve to die. Chara, on the other hand, tried to destroy humanity. Who would you save? A true hero, or a mass murderer? Easy choice if you ask me."
Alpin froze stiff. He did want his son back, but the cost…
"Of course," Cade said, "this is far bigger than one family. This is for the good of the entire universe. Humans, monsters, demons, whatever aliens I find out in space, all their lives will be perfect. There's no reason to fight it. Hell, without me, you'll probably destroy yourselves pretty soon with all the damage you're doing to your own planet. You need me. I'll save everyone who deserves to be saved."
Alpin… didn't know what to think. As he hesitated, Cade's smile gradually vanished. "Dad, I… I know this sounds crazy, but I swear that I only want what's best for the world. I won't rule over it like some tyrant. I only want to help everyone. Please trust me, Dad."
Trust… him? Trust... Cade? Trust his son?
"Please," Cade said. "I would love the chance to meet my brother."
… yes, everything that Cade had said made sense. Although his gut reaction had understandably been terror, why would he reject Cade's proposal? Power was power. In the wrong hands, it could lead to catastrophe, but in the right hands, it would lead to paradise. Cade may not have been Jaren, but he was still Alpin's son. Who was he not to trust him? Thanks to Cade, his family would be whole again, and the entire universe would be a better place.
Alpin bent his knee.
"Cade," he said, "do what you need to do."
Cade smiled innocently. "Thank you, Father. I knew you wouldn't let me down." He approached him, and he embraced him in a warm hug. "I love you so much."
Slowly, Alpin returned his embrace. "I… I love you too, son."
"Don't worry, Dad. Just leave everything to me."