Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale or any characters associated with it.

Chapter 11: Soul Magic

Screaming. Crying. There were so many voices that even if they were familiar, I wouldn't recognize them. I could feel it resonating through my body. It was so loud…and suddenly, they stopped.

I opened my eyes to darkness. I closed them again, and when I opened them, the darkness had cleared. I was in a grey room…the same grey room I had been in when I met Gaster. I slowly got up, my ears ringing as I try to focus. I notice Gaster is in the middle of the room this time. He was turned away from me, but had some point turned towards me. He stepped closer.

"You appear to be troubled" he said.

I shook my head to clear it "It's nothing…" I mumbled. He looked at me with an expression I can only say was curious, so I cleared my throat "do…do you know about soul magic?"

He looked at me a moment, then nodded "I had almost forgotten your interest in magic" he said. He thought a moment "as my brother said, soul magic is a magic that affects the soul, and is a magic all humans possess, whether they're aware of it or not" at some point, he had gotten close enough for me to get a good look at him. He was a skeleton…something I hadn't noticed before, however he had 2 cracks on his skull…I can't begin to imagine why. Most of his body was hidden under the cloak, however I could see his hands, which had large holes in them.

"Hang on…you said your brother. Sans is your brother?" for some reason, I had imagined Gaster not having family…certainly not living.

He gave me a long look, then nodded "yes, he is my brother…" he paused "…in that subject, you will find many of your answers from other sources. I suggest finding them there, rather than asking. Unless, for some reason, your immediate desire for that knowledge outweighs your desire to use magic"

I blinked a few times. He was right…I really hated how he knew what I was thinking "wait…so, I can use magic? Like, the kind that monsters use?"

"I said no such thing" he responded "…however, I would not rule out the possibility" I tilted my head "allow me to continue. Most monsters do not know soul magic, save for some basic forms to alter their own magical attacks. However, some train especially hard, and can alter a human's soul in a fight…humans, however, possess this magic from birth"

I thought back to Papyrus's battle "…Papyrus can use soul magic"

"That is correct" he responded "in fact, both my brothers can. They are both much stronger than you might think"

I thought a moment "…magic is supposed to benefit the person, or monster, using it, correct?"

"Not necessarily" he said "however, soul magic does both" he hesitated "would you allow me to show you?" I hesitated, but nodded. He placed a hand on my chest, and through the hole, he drew out my soul. It hurt, but thankfully it wasn't too bad. More like an aching feeling. "Interesting…"

I looked down to see my dark blue soul, then looked back up "…what's so interesting?"

He looked at my soul a moment, which made me very uncomfortable, then slowly turned his gaze towards me "forgive me…your soul is an unusual one. Most humans are not as loyal as you are"

"And that has to do with my soul because..?"

"Ah, yes" he seemed to focus "a souls color is determined by a humans dominant trait. For example…" I felt a shiver go up my body as my soul turned red. I suddenly felt an energy I wasn't used to. I felt like I could do anything I set my mind to, and I'd never quit. I felt determined.

"Red is the color of determination. The same color Frisk has" my soul then turned blue. I suddenly felt very heavy, but I didn't fall. I felt a different energy course through me. I felt like honesty would get me where I needed to go, and being fair was how I had to do it. "Blue is the color of integrity" suddenly, I felt lighter than normal, though I stayed in place "this kind of soul magic can manipulate how gravity affects the soul. If a human were to master it, they might even be able to make themselves weightless, at least for a time" my soul returned to normal, as did my feelings, then my soul returned to my chest.

"there are many types of soul magic, each with its own color" he continued, stepping a bit away "however, the two most interesting are Determination…and yours"

"Mine?" I asked "why is mine so interesting? It seems to do the same as Frisks"

"Were that true, that would be the very reason it's interesting" he said "not much is known about a determined soul, though I suspect you'll learn a great deal about them…however, even less is known about a loyal soul, as few people have loyalty as their defining trait"

I thought a moment "so…what can a loyal soul do?"

He smiled "that's the question you have to answer" he responded "even I am not sure what it can do…I would ask to experiment, but I would not know where to begin. Therefore, it's up to you to figure it out…perhaps help would be advised" he paused, seeming hesitant "I have a feeling, however, there is something more to your soul. Despite what abilities I have, changing your soul should have affected you more than it seems to. I advise caution when you experiment. That is all I can say for now, I wish you luck."

"Wait, what do you-" before I could finish, I was awake. I had decided to take a nap when I got home, and I was laying on the couch. I'd estimate it was some time mid-afternoon. The TV was on, again, to the same show. Man, was this all that was on?

I got up, stretched, and put on the hoodie. It was then that I noticed the piece of paper on the ground. I picked it up and read it.

"Well, I suppose it's helped me so far. It's getting worse, I can feel it. I don't want to talk to Sans, he remembers, I'm sure of it…maybe I just need a walk…maybe I really do need to talk to someone…it's been so strange, having someone else by my side, to hold my hand, to fight for me…something's bothering him though, I think he's picked up on the curiosity…has he noticed? No…I need to talk to someone about this, but not him. I can't-"

It just cut off. There was a strange scribbling, like the writer had gotten startled.

"Heya kid" I looked up to see Sans in front of me. When had he come in? "Ya know, I'm rather thankful you let Papyrus win. But I gotta ask, why'd you stop like that? He told me you just kinda stopped moving suddenly"

I hesitated a moment, looking at the paper. Sans suddenly seemed interested in it to. I gave it to him, letting him read it. When he looked back at me, I took a deep breath "do you…do you ever have nightmares?" I asked "but…they seem real? Like a past you forgot?"

He looked at me for a long time, then he looked back at the paper "…kid…I think we need to talk"

Yay! Another chapter done! Honestly, this chapter went in a different direction than I had originally intended. At some point, I just let my fingers type by themselves, and there you go! Anyways, feedback on what I'm doing right, or doing wrong, would be very helpful, as I wanna keep doing things you guys like, and stop doing anything you don't. Remember: I love criticism, reviews encourage me, and I'm open to input. Bye for now!