Frisk's eyelids gradually fluttered open, the sound of the bedroom door gently opening stirring him from his sleep. The gentle sound of footsteps against the floorboards approached closer to the bed, and in the corner of his eye, he could see Toriel entering his room, carrying with her a slice of pie. She gently sat the plate down on the floor, and regarded him fondly.

"Sleep tight, my child", she said. Frisk closed his eyes tightly, feigning sleep as Toriel leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

As she exited the doorway, Frisk stirred. He carefully made his way out of the bed, still wearing the clothes that he'd worn yesterday. His eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, so he saw no need to turn on the bedroom light.

Besides, if he wanted to sneak out he'd need to avoid attracting attention.

He quickly picked up the pie on the floor and stuffed it into his pants pocket. He didn't need to worry about there being enough room: by the year 208X extradimensional pants pockets had become standard in most commercially-sold jeans. With the pie stowed away, he quietly slipped on his shoes and made his way to the door.

The door's hinges faintly creaked as he pushed it open. Frisk held his breath in trepidation, hoping that Toriel wouldn't hear him. Swallowing his anxiety, he pushed past the door slowly, letting it close as gently as possible as he made his way to the hall.

He looked around, and saw that Toriel was nowhere to be found. It was likely nighttime by now, and she likely had already gone to bed. It probably wasn't worth checking on her in her room, however: he had to move quickly to avoid getting caught.

Frisk hesitated for a moment. Did he really want to do this? Toriel had shown him nothing but kindness so far. Nobody had ever been kind to him before. Why would he ever leave?

No, he thought. Toriel was nice, but she was suffocating him. If he stayed, he would never have any freedom again. He knew he had to escape. And he knew exactly how to do it. Realizing this was his chance to escape filled with determination. Nothing would stop him from finding a way out.

He made his way past the hallway and to the descending stairs just inside the house's front door. Toriel had insisted that whatever was below was off-limits. Wherever it led, it was the only place left to go.

Without even thinking, Frisk rapidly descended the staircase. The cozy interior of Toriel's home gave way to a dark stone corridor that extended deeper into the mountain. His pace quickened as he followed the path, leading him to a turn. As he went around the bend, he found himself face-to-face with a massive stone door.

Finally. This was his ticket out of here.

"My child! What are you doing!?"

Crap. And he was so close, too. He turned around and saw Toriel approaching at a rapid pace. She moved down the corridor at a frightening pace, moving herself past Frisk and standing between him and the door.

"You mustn't go through there!" Toriel pleaded. "It is too dangerous! Please, go back upstairs and go to bed!"

Frisk frowned. Of course it couldn't be so simple. Now Toriel was blocking the way, standing between him and his last chance of freedom.

Toriel stared down at him, fear plainly evident in her eyes. Frisk simply stared back, his steely gaze demonstrating his unflinching resolve.

"Please... my child, you must understand. If you go out there, Asgore... he will kill you."

Kill him? Frisk snorted in contempt. Like that would happen.

"I see... so you do not intend to back down, then." Toriel let out a sigh of defeat. "Very well. Then, for your own sake... prove it to me. Prove to me that you are strong enough to survive!"

With tears streaming down her eyes, Toriel raised her hand, and a ball of flame formed in her palm.

No, it couldn't be. She wouldn't do such a thing.

"I... I am sorry..." Toriel choked. With a wave of her hand, the ball of flame shot forth.

The next thing Frisk knew, his entire body had erupted in a volcano of pain. He could feel the flames burning at his skin, eating away at his very soul. When his senses recovered, he saw Toriel staring at him, gathering her flames for a second attack.

Frisk suddenly felt an intense rage build up within his chest. Of course. He was such a fool. Toriel never really cared about him. She was no different from anyone on the surface. Looking for any reason to shove him to the ground and trample him.

He wouldn't forgive Toriel. She would die for this. Just like every other monster in the ruins.

Reaching into his pocket, Frisk pulled out the toy knife he'd found the previous day. He lunged forward at incredible velocity, and slashed Toriel straight across the abdomen. She let out a shriek of agony as she staggered backwards, before collapsing to the ground on one knee. For the first time ever, she stared at Frisk with an expression of pure horror.

"D-do you really hate me that much?"

Frisk didn't answer. Instead he lunged forward a second time, stabbing the toy knife straight into Toriel's chest. It pierced her flesh as easily as it would slice through butter. Toriel let out a pained gasp, and her body began to fall apart. Within seconds, there was nothing of her body but dust. Where she once stood, a small white orb fluttered in the air, only to fade into nothingness as quickly as it had appeared.

Good riddance. Now he could finally move forward.

As he stepped towards the door, however, Frisk paused, feeling something wet move down the side of his cheek.

Water? Why was there water on his face?

Not just water, he quickly realized. They were tears. But it couldn't be. He wasn't crying... was he? If it wasn't him crying, then who was it?

Suddenly, Frisk felt something else as well. It was a terrible feeling, unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. He didn't know what to call it... Remorse? Regret? Whatever it was, it was an awful feeling. He felt like he'd deeply hurt someone who was very close to him.

Now, Frisk really was crying. And he didn't stop for a long, long time.

Frisk awoke that morning in a cold sweat. Breathing heavily, his gaze darted around the room, desperately scanning for any sign of familiarity. He quickly realized that he was back in his new home above the surface. It was all just a nightmare.

"It's not fair," Frisk sighed. "Why do I have to remember everything?"