Casey couldn't remember how she got home, only that it took a while. The day's events were a blur, only one thing was clear. She liked Sans… romantically… a lot. The thought itself was bizarre, she'd never had that kind of feelings for anyone, let alone strong ones. Last time she remembered being interested in anyone was in elementary school. And now she was trying, and failing, to wrap her head around this all.
Why? How? For how long?
Questions were aimlessly floating in her head with no answers to follow. Too many to make sense of.

"It's just a stupid crush" – she thought, a sting growing in her heart the more she tried to convince herself. She didn't want it to be.
Part of her knew it would be best to forget that feeling, to see him as a friend like before, while another part fought against it. It proved to be easier than she'd think, whether because that desire of her was bigger or stronger she didn't know, didn't care. Despite her better judgement she clung on.

"If it's really just a crush than I can leave it alone" - a though flashed among many others, this one somehow far more noticeable, yet not much stronger – "There's no point to try and fight it. If it's nothing serious it'll fade in time"
Before she knew it, that idea overpowered most others. It felt like a burden was lifted at the thought of letting the matter rest. She let out a sigh calming her heartbeat, this was the best she could do.
Soon it would be nothing more than a memory.

Her heart finally slowed down, yet still fluttered with each little thought or image of Sans her mind created. A wide smile replaced her blank expression when her eyes rested on a finished painting. Dark and bright colors covered the canvas in countless streaks, some still gleaming in sun, yet to dry. She wondered if he'd like it, if he'd truly appreciate it.
She wondered if he'd ever like her.
Heat spread through her body, traveling up to her neck and cheeks, the soft wind blowing through her studio's window now the only thing to calm her. At that moment she was grateful her blush was never apparent.

Strangely she felt somewhat angry at herself, she told herself it was a way for her to drown the embarrassment, something she did subconsciously and couldn't control.
But it felt foreign.

Before her mind registered what her body was doing she found herself in the hallway already, failing to see much around.
Taking the thick book from its hiding spot in her wardrobe she sat down, its worn-out yellowish pages appearing almost white under bright rays, dark wood of her desk beneath made it look older. Opening the notebook with her own work she set it next to her.
She was going to free him, free Papyrus, ever single monster there was. For once she felt determination stronger than anything else, strong enough to consume her.

The world around faded away replacing everything with spells, long and beautiful. Spells for light, for wind and earth, for life. So many, so different, she wanted to learn them all. She thought she heard them, forgetting the words like a fleeting moment.
Each of them felt serene, yet powerful, together even more so. They filled her soul and senses to the brim.
Magic felt right, it was welcoming and warm like a bonfire in cool autumn night and she lost herself in the feeling. She knew the way back, knew the way away from it, but chose to close it, listening to spells' whispers instead. They guided her through an endless maze and she knew she'd reach what her mind was searching for was she to follow.

Blinking she found her room back around her, the path she took: at its end. The think tome was open on its last page, her notebook now had a little over a dozen more pages of scribbles. Everything in perfect order, no spaces, no blank pages or rows in between.
This time she could tell that a while had passed, it felt like a long and tiring journey. The room was getting darker, orange and red of the down were now dancing behind Ebott. Casey watched the colorful streaks in the air and on the wall behind her.

A long sigh echoed in the small room as the girl closed her eyes, mind recalling what had happened. She had finished the path, as she unconsciously began to call it. Though it was only one in many she had yet to discover and explore, this was all she could do for now. The magic in her was drained, she doubted anything could be done before meeting Sans.

A quiet grumble came from her stomach, she realized how long it had been since her last meal.
Casey got up turning around, but the moment she took a step her legs bent, knees hitting the floor moments later with a dull thud. Leaning on her bed she heaved herself up only now realizing that she had tried to hold onto it. Her entire body felt weak, didn't hurt like after running for too long, she just couldn't move, not easily that it. But she had to eat, her lunch wasn't nearly enough for the day.
Leaning on walls and pieces of furniture along the way the girl, slowly but surely, neared heaven, aka the fridge.

She normally wasn't too picky with food, so the feeling that she could eat pretty much anything was new to her. Her plan for the night was to eat then go to bed, but on her way back something distracted her. A sound she didn't know she missed that much.
From behind large double doors she heard a woman's laugh, muffled noise of the TV seemed to be of another show Casey would probably find dumb. But at that moment dumb didn't feel so bad, she found herself drawn to it.

Few more steps and her surroundings changed, smells and sounds shifted, strengthening. Walking to the sofa she sat down, gaze instantly fixing on the screen. It really wasn't too bad.

For a while Casey just sat there paying very little attention to the TV or anything else at that matter. But the noise, the music playing every now and then and her mom's random comments, most of which were directed at her, kept her thoughts from wondering too far.
Most of the time it was loud and hectic, far from calming, but she felt rested a bit more even before. The sweets she hunted from kitchen were long gone and she was tired, sleepy, but she still wanted to stay.

Curling into a ball she lay down, her head resting on her mother's lap. It was comforting, it felt like home more than anything could.
"Do you want me to turn this off?" – She heard the woman's voice speak quietly, a delicate hand resting on her shoulder. She probably thought the girl was falling asleep.
"Nah, it's fine" – Casey muttered closing her eyes. The noise helped.

A while had passed, voices changing every so often. She listened as chef Ramsey yelled at some unfortunate cook, she felt bad, but couldn't hold back few chuckles at some of his remarks. A few words were exchanged between her and Eilis. With her back turned to the screen she didn't look back once, didn't bother to. The several instances she heard and her mother's words were enough to have a proper understanding of the smaller world in the device.

It wasn't long before she felt her consciousness slipping a bit more my minute.
"I'm going to bed" – she mumbled trying to keep her balance as she got up too fast. The older woman only appeared happier with her daughter's decision.
Stumbling into the hallway she threw one more glance at her mother, wishing her good night's rest, before closing the door. She looked fine despite her tired voice, a lot better than Casey felt, that's for sure. Lucky soul.

Casey's eyes were half closed as she made her way through the corridor bumping into whatever unfortunate object happened to be in her way.
Through blessings of gracious furniture gods her painful journey was soon over and she was once again met with an embrace of soft fabrics. Somehow, in a short time, she forgot how comfortable it was in her room, in her bed and how much she loved it.

A sigh broke the dark silence for a split second as the girl closed her eyes. She'd have to ask Sans if feeling that tired was normal. Even when it happened only a couple of times and never that bad, it irritated her already.
The thought was forgotten in another.
"Right, I'll see him tomorrow"

It felt like an instance had passed when she opened her eyes. Darkness. Unnatural, calm darkness she knew couldn't, wouldn't end.
She looked down, but couldn't see her body, the darkness stretched in every direction. Moving her body didn't do much to help, there wasn't anything around but empty space. Whatever dream this was, seemed too real, too lucid.
She felt like she should be scared, dream or not this was unsettling, yet all she could feel was confidence.

Nothing seemed to change for a while, she couldn't even say how much time had passed, but it felt too long. Without thinking she called out to the first person that came to mind.
"Mom!"

She was sure she spoke, but nothing came out.

Silence. Deafening silence. She hated it, but it never faded. As time went on it seemed to grow deeper, refusing to break.

Times over she closed her eyes hoping to wake up back home. But the quiet rustling of the wind and her own steady breathing she heard each time, would always fade, the feeling of soft sheets over her body would melt away leaving only the empty darkness around her.

She waited silently, her mind creating random scenarios to keep her occupied, then the first change occurred. It was strange experience, strange feeling, one she couldn't put into words well enough.

A voice spoke, yet the silence was undisturbed, it wasn't audible, yet she knew it was there. Its language was foreign, almost like made up, yet she could understand what was spoken.
Whispers added one after another, though few in number it felt like there were dozens of them. They talked together, over one another, yet separately.

"you found us" "you found it" "learn - words" "remember"
"strengthen the spell" "The barrier" "crumbling"
"seal it" "seal them" "monsters" "stop them"
"s̭̫͓t́ą͉̻̬̼͖ͅy̛̜̼̟̠̯ ̘a͉̠͍̥̖͇wḁy̝"

"You're our only hope" "alone" "Forever"

"H̘̠̺́e͙̦l̖p̪̠̠ u̸͍͔̗̝͙̐̃ͤͦ̀͢s̶̤͓̭̺̟ͥ̌ͤͭ́ͣ̔"

Whispers were everywhere, she couldn't get away. Some would get closer, some stop far away, some disappeared. And it was silent.
Then they changed, shifted in a short howl, like a wind.
Spells, hundreds of them, one after another filled the emptiness. Louder and louder until she could hear them. Faint whispers.

Snow-white writings appeared in front of her, one or few with each voice. She couldn't tell how far or how big it was. She reached out, waved her hand in front of the symbols. Nothing. Not even the dark silhouette of her arm disturbed them.
With each voice gone spells filled the mark more and more. The circle was huge, far more complex than any she'd seen so far. Every arc, line, even larger, different types of, symbols were now written, instead of painted. Thousands upon thousands of words and incantations created an image, power radiating from it: overwhelming.
When the circle was complete, darkness once again was filled with silence. Casey tried to speak, no sound came. But this time they listened, she knew they did.

"I want to remember this" – she said as if asking for permission.
They agreed, they promised. Then silence.
"Who are you?"
"Old Kings" "Your Kings"
"How old?" – She felt silly asking, but she wanted to know. She told herself it could be important, but in reality it was simple curiosity before anything else.
"Centuries had passed since our demise" – a gentle one answered. It felt like he was smiling, a warm, soft smile.
"Why… are you talking to me"
Silence. Darkness. Cold. It was so cold.

Then the voices returned, stronger, yet not louder than a whisper.
"You are the only one left" "Your strength" "Your courage" "We need to borrow it"
"We're fading" "Our magic" "Our knowledge" "You must accept it"
"We will prevail" "You will prevail"

A short, quiet gasp left Casey's lips and her eyes shot open. Her senses were sharpened like after a nightmare. It struck her as strange, whatever she was through wasn't close to scary, it was wondrous if anything. She stared out of the window, expression blank as she tried to sort everything that happened.
Sun wasn't out yet, but its new, dim rays were already brightening the deep indigo sky little by little.

Suddenly for herself, the girl sprung up and, putting on the first shirt she could find, rushed into the small studio.
Paper, pencil, nothing to distract her from work. The strange circle still fresh in mind she began to write. It felt like hours had passed since her memories began to take form and, it turned out, she wasn't too far off. Only a little over two hours had passed when she was done, a lot less than ever before, though it was exciting, she couldn't understand why it was different this time. She'd have to ask someone, she'd have to ask Sans.

Casey glanced back as Cinis stopped to drink from a small, clear lake. The large paper roll and the, slightly smaller, brown paper bundle rested behind her black saddle, safely secured under thin red blanket. She mindlessly began to clear the few fallen leaves from it.
A small movement in front of her snapped her out of her daze and her head shot back. With the horse done she, once again, hurried to the crack in the cliff that changed her life so much.
An unimpressed chuckle escaped her chest at the thought. That was the understatement of the century.
She learned to see magic, she heard her kings, that was much more than "changing her life".

Casey was almost at the cliff, about to take the last turn when all her thoughts vanished like they weren't there at all. A sudden urge, like a tug on her soul seemed to call her, ask her to take another path.
She thought she saw where it lead, only for a moment, only vaguely, but it was there. A lowland of a sort, red tulips mixed with green. Few rocks were scattered in it, almost as if arranged. It seemed to be somewhere at the base of Ebott…
It didn't matter. She ignored everything about it, her desire to see her friends was stronger.

"Why do I like him anyway?" – She furrowed at the thought – "he was literally threatening my life"

"Well, there was a reason for it, but I trusted him long before I learned about it" – a short silence was only broken by heavy thuds of hoofs – "was it his jokes, his voice? Was it because he showed that he cared? Our meetings and chats, his calmness?" – She felt irritated at herself, she wanted answers. Answers she didn't have – "maybe all of it, maybe none..? I don't know"
"I really should stop this, shouldn't I? Feeling this way won't do us any good. I…" – she sighed watching the horse's ears twitch – "I should at least try to hide it. I can do it"

The girl lowered her head with another long sigh, mess of brown hair flowing down over her eyes, but she didn't bother to move it. She wasn't particularly sad about her decision, didn't feel bad about herself. She felt empty, cold emptiness, nothing more.
That was good, right? That meant she could let go easier than she thought. At least, that's what she told herself.

She tried to make that feeling stay, tried to make it take over. She hoped her emotions and feelings for him would fade, at least, a little bit. And for a moment she thought they did. For a split second she stopped making excuses, seemingly, ready to accept the fact that they were not meant to be.
"He sees me as a kid anyway" – she muttered. Somehow it made her feel a little better, more confident.
As if she found a reason behind her action, as if it wasn't her call to begin with.

The cavern was drawing near, glimpse of its entrance caught her eye. A bit closer and she could hear a quiet hum with an occasional 'nyeh' echo inside.
The smile she didn't notice disappearing was back on her lips growing in size with the excitement of meeting Papyrus.
Jogging to the opening Casey peeked inside. The tall skeleton was staring at his lap, a book between his red gloves was resting there. She'd seen it few times before: "Advanced Puzzle Construction for Critical Minds". She even asked to see it once, but couldn't wrap her head around it, so, after about an hour, gave up, promising herself not to fry her brain with it ever again.

Papyrus noticed her the moment her small shadow fell inside. Closing the book he looked up.
"Hello Casey" – he beamed, his voice loud as usual – "It's good to see you're well. It's been a while since we 'hung out'" – he spoke the last words in a hushed tone, as if worried that someone would hear – "that's what you call it, right? Sans always does"
It felt like he wasn't sure if he made a mistake and was trying to place the blame on his older brother. Casey nodded and his features and voice instantly went back to normal.
"In any case, I'm happy we met today. After an entire week you finally got to see the Great Papyrus again. It must be exciting for you"
"It really is" – she laughed looking around, Sans wasn't there. She let out a sigh of relief – "so, how have you been?"

The girl sat down taking the most comfortable position, her back against Cinis who fell asleep behind her. She was ready for Papyrus' endless rant, his joy and innocence she needed so much right about now.
"Is everything alright?" – He suddenly asked.
What?
"Yeah… Why?"
"My brother said you help Alphys get us out. Is that correct?"
Casey nodded, though it wasn't exactly accurate, Sans must've had a reason to say that.

She wondered where he was going with this, but there didn't seem to be an obvious reason.
Somehow he sounded so mature all of a sudden. His innocence disappeared behind concern, she'd never seen him like that. It made her uncomfortable.
"Then why doesn't it feel right?" – He held his hand to his chin as he came closer. His eyes narrowed, it looked like he was trying to read the answer within her – "It wasn't like this last week, what happened?"

She didn't know what was different, but didn't need to guess the reason behind whatever it was. That journal or how she liked to call it, the book: that was the only thing she could think of, everything else was just like before. But Sans gave it to her, he wouldn't unless it was safe, right? He really must've not known, whatever Papyrus was referring to must've been unintentional.

"Sans lent me a book" – she began, careful not to say too much. Answering truthfully seemed to be the best cause of action – "I read it a bit… it contained a bit of magic" – yeah, a bit, way to go Casey – "maybe that's what feels off?"
"It could be" – his voice was cheery again. Thank God.
"But I don't like it" – aaand it's serious again. Damn it…
Casey stayed still for a while, not making a sound. Part of her wanted to wait for him to speak, she didn't know what to say or do anyway. And Papyrus staring at her with an expression somewhere between suspicion and thoughtfulness didn't help.

"What do you mean?" – She asked after what felt like good thirty minutes, though it probably wasn't more than few. At that point she was kind of worried he wouldn't remember his last statement, but knew better than to question his memory.
"Well…" – he paused for a second, searching for right words – "there seems to be something mixed with your magic right now" – he said calmly as if it was a usual procedure for him – "As great as I am, I usually can't sense anything like that this fast, but this thing is very strong"
"More specifically, please" – she now looked straight into his eyes, not caring how harsh she sounded. The growing feeling of terror threatening to break free.

What did he mean 'something strong' was mixed in her? There was something in her?
The voices from last night returned to her mind and she scolded herself for ever forgetting. Whatever those 'old kings' did was now affecting her, it was too much of a coincidence for Papyrus to be mistaken. This, his words, proved one more time that the voices were more than just a dream.
She never doubted, but couldn't believe it entirely either, a small part of her was skeptical, a part of her that was now gone.

"I'm sorry, Casey, but it seems like even my greatness isn't enough to answer you" – he looked down, as if ashamed of himself – "perhaps Alphys will be able to help you, she's very smart"
"I'll ask her" – the young human nodded letting a smile dance on her rosy lips – "thanks Papyrus"
She wanted to change the subject, it felt weird and uncomfortable talking about something she was still wrapping her head around. And even weirder trying to come up with answers she obviously couldn't have. She'd have to ask Sans, as much as she'd rather not to right now.

She caught herself on that thought. Why did she immediately assume he'd know what was wrong? Sure he had answers before, but this wouldn't be the first time if he didn't either. All while Papyrus had already given her a hint, he was obviously willing to help. All she needed to do was ask.

"Say" – she began, glancing around one more time. They were alone – "is this a bad thing?"
He thought for a moment – "not really, no. But it's strange"
"In what way?"
"It's old, very very old. We don't have anything that old in the Underground… well except for his majesty and one other monster"
"Is it dangerous?" – She held her hand to her chest as a way to point at it, at them. Her voice was quiet, reluctant, but empty of the fear she possessed for the possible answer.
"I can't tell" – how was he so calm was beyond her – "it seems fine, but the barrier's blocking most of what I sense"
"Is there something I can do about it?"
It was getting harder to hide the panic rising in her. At that point she wasn't even sure if he could hear it.

"Give me your hand" – a deep voice inched closer and Casey's eyes darted from Papyrus meeting his.

How long had he been there?
How much had he heard?

His eye sockets were half-closed, little pins now ash gray, they had strangely captivating dim glow to them, she couldn't look away. His eyebrows furrowed he stared at her and it seemed like the air around him was darker. His smile was non-existent and she could swear she saw a cyan glow coming from between his teeth.
In one word she could think of, he looked enraged and she hoped she wasn't the reason. She did as he said without much resistance, he was too intimidating for it.
Before she realized that the barrier was a perfect protection, was she to disobey, her one hand was in his two, almost completely invisible from under snow white bones.

"The hell ya got yourself into?" – His voice was low and dark, laced with confusion and worry.
"I'm trying to understand that myself"
Didn't she show that enough?
"Dove, Paps can control and sense magic better than anyone else it in the Underground. But even I can feel that something's off. And now" – he squeezed her hand a little to emphasize what he meant – "now I can see it too"
He stepped closer and her fingers brushed against his shirt.
"Tell me everything that happened, love"

For a moment she glanced back at his brother, unsure of how to proceed. As if reading her mind he came closer, his smile easing her. He placed his large hand over his brother's in an attempt to comfort her.
"Don't worry, we'll help" – he said in his usual cheery voice. It sounded forced, she appreciated it more.

Casey nodded taking a deep breath before she opened her mouth to speak.
Silence.
She opened her eyes that seemed to have closed without her consent.
Darkness.

"Don't tell them" "You can't tell them" "anything"
"Don't trust them" "ever" "none" "You must keep away"

The voices came together, barely any time separating each, but she understood.

"You know why we did it"
"Yes" – she heard her own voice speak. She knew what they meant. The war, the massacre.
"You know we were right"
"Yes" – she wanted to stop herself, but the answer had already sounded.
She wanted to say how much she hated that past, that what they did could never be justified, but no other sound left her mouth.
The presence now accompanying each voice was growing stronger. She wouldn't dare fight, they were too powerful, too determined. She wanted to get away, to hide, she wanted this to stop.

It didn't.

"You will help us finish what we started"
This voice was new. The others ceased the moment he spoke. It was deeper than the rest, older.
It made her feel small, powerless, like a child in front of a lion. She felt her body shake as she held back the one word that was trying to break free.
"Yes" – her voice betrayed her. It traveled forth and the kings left. She felt lighter, safer now that the voices couldn't reach her.

Her friends' faces came into view little by little, slightly blurred by tears she felt streaming down her face. Sans' voice was calling for her, probably asking if she was alright. She didn't listen.
"The old kings" – her small, shaking voice echoed silencing the others – "they want me to complete it"

Silence. She hated it. She spoke to break it.

"Sans… They want me to complete the barrier"