It turned out trusting Cohen to help them move was the right choice. The teenager was quite attentive now that he was willing to help reach Mt. Ebott, always keeping an eye on his cellphone and thinking quickly. Many times Cohen stopped them, saying 'wait, something changed!' and guiding the group to another direction. Patta had the feeling they were going in circles in middle of the forest, but it wasn't like they had any right to complain. So far Cohen had managed to keep them away of people, after all.

Patta and Frisk had roles in the plan, too. It was always possible Cohen could fail at some point, so the other two humans in the group were assigned to keep an eye on the surroundings, ready to alert everyone at the first sign of someone approaching. Patta had jumped the gun once, telling everyone to duck among the trees and stay still, but it had been just a deer, not a couple people trying to find Asriel. At least Asriel and Frisk had the experience of seeing a deer in person, so it wasn't all so bad.

"I'm sure I have seen a monster that looks like a deer" Asriel commented while the deer trotted away.

"Is there anything the Underground doesn't have?" Cohen asked, his eyes were shining with curiosity. Asriel smiled, shrugging.

"I don't know. Monsters come in many shapes and forms"

Asriel had warmed up to Cohen pretty quickly, too, choosing to walk near the teenager while Frisk and Patta stayed behind. Maybe the monster felt bad for Cohen, as they spent quite some time talking to Cohen about the Underground. Asriel told Cohen about the monsters he knew, about how everyone lived, the different stories he knew. Cohen listened everything with enthusiasm, making questions and commenting every once in a while. Although the teenager almost never looked up from his cell phone, his expression showed he was very happy to spend even a short time with Asriel as a friend.

At one point, while the group was resting, Cohen got everyone's attention. "Yo, we're running out of time. There are a lot of media people around Mt. Ebott right now"

"Damn it" Patta muttered "Are we going to be able to get there without being seen?"

"If we run maybe you and Asriel will be able to get on the mountain before the media catches you. The mountain is surrounded by a chain-link fence. I don't think it's electrified or anything like that. How good are you three climbing fences?"

"We're experts!" Asriel claimed immediately. Frisk raised their eyebrows at Asriel's exaggerated answer, while Patta said something along the lines of 'We have done that only once, that barely makes us experts'.

"Then you'll be okay. It is a tall fence but it should be no problem" At least the city was doing an effort to stop people from going onto the mountain, but it could always be better. Asriel hoped it was going to be as easy as Cohen said. Once everyone was rested enough they continued the trek towards Mt. Ebott, this time moving quicker than before.


Cohen did remind me of myself. Bravery and determination aren't that different, both are based on the same feelings. The difference is that they focus those feelings in different ways. Bravery is more to not to falter in the face of obstacles. Cohen has that in spades, most of the time. I admit I feel jealous about that.

But being brave doesn't matter much if it isn't tempered by prudence. Does that sound good? It's something I have scribbled over and over in the air with my remains. It's funny how many banal philosophical-sounding sentences and questions you can make when you have free time.

Unfortunately, Cohen didn't know a thing about prudence when he was a kid. He must be the one who lasted the least with Toriel, barely a whole day. He practically ran through the ruins, not letting something like falling into a mountain stop him. Of course, he had to rest, but he was a pretty hotheaded kid. "Thank you for everything, but I have to go. I have to return home!" he had proclaimed to Toriel with boundless panache. Cohen was the first human child Toriel tried to take care of since her arrived to the ruins, so it wasn't as difficult for her to let him go as it was for the rest.

It doesn't mean she didn't worry about him a lot, though. She gave Cohen everything she thought he could need. Food, explanations of every area in the Underground, and the way to get out of the Underground. Toriel didn't tell him what was needed to leave the Underground, though. If she had done it, I'm not sure how Cohen would have reacted. He was an energetic and fearless kid, but he was also nice. He wouldn't have killed Asgore.

…he didn't get there, of course.

Cohen jumped straight into the Snowdin forests, not minding the cold and the snow. He encountered monsters, but he ignored most of them. "Get out of my way! I'm in a hurry!" he told everyone he saw before running towards New Home. He didn't engage in FIGHTs; he didn't steer away from his objective…not even with the Royal Guard tried to stop him he raised a fist against anyone.

I think that was what doomed him, how he didn't stop to rest, how he never stopped moving, always running and never taking a moment to breathe and gather energy. I don't know if it is that Cohen needed to do something back in his home, or if he was unnerved by monsters – Ciruel seems to have been who endeared Cohen to the concept of monsterkind – but that kid was in a huge hurry to return to the surface. There must be a saying for that, but I'm not the type to use sayings.

The point is that Cohen…died from exhaustion. He tired himself out without not even reaching that painted bridge near Snowdin. Breathing harshly, Cohen leaned against trees and tried to rest. For one reason or another, he fainted, and as anyone can suppose, fainting in cold weather and on snow is not good.

He was found by a resident from Snowdin. Asgore was notified about the body, the SOUL was picked, and Cohen's bandanna and gloves were taken away. I suppose the monster who found him took those as a memento of the only human they would ever see in their lives.

Compared to the rest it could be said Cohen had the least traumatic death. It doesn't make it any better, though. Why does it have to be so unfair? Can't there be a human besides Frisk who falls down and doesn't either die or exterminate monsterkind? If anyone who isn't one of the six human SOULs falls into the Underground the monsters die. Imagine the details of that. But the six human SOULs seems to be doomed to die, no matter what. Is there something I'm not seeing, something that is spurring them to die or what?

I just don't get it! What is wrong with this world?!

…I'm so tired…


"Before I forget, there's something I want to give you, Patta" Cohen said abruptly, approaching the adult with something in his hand. He stared at that object for a moment, he looked calm but there was an underlying sadness that made Patta a bit uneasy.

"What is it?" they asked. Cohen looked at the ground for a moment before finally meeting Patta's eyes.

"I want to give this to you. It isn't really of any use to me anymore, and frankly I don't want to see it again. Bad memories…so please, have it" Cohen showed what was in his hand. It was his Youth Troop badge.

"Uh…if you are sure then okay. I'll take it" It was of no use at all, but it was obvious to Patta it wasn't easy for Cohen to give it away. It had been a big part of his life until recently, and although he had ruined it at least Cohen had the bravery to try to continue onwards.

Youth Troop Badge +1 DEF

A tin badge. A reminder to not to let yourself be trapped by your regret.

"And thank you for what you told me a while ago! I'm ready for whatever happens now. I plan to return, try to talk again with my friends and…well, if they don't want me back, yo, that is okay. It won't be the end of the world for me"

"I should get in contact with my family again" Patta mused "It has been so long since the last time I talked to my parents I don't even remember their voices"

"That is rough" Cohen said awkwardly. He sympathized with Patta but didn't know how to say it very well so instead he slapped Patta's back to express his support. If Cohen had the courage to continue on and try to make amends why can't Patta do the same? It was worth a try. If it didn't end well Patta knew it would hurt, but they wouldn't know how it would go unless they tried.

"It will. So, how close are we to the mountain?"

"It is less than a mile-"

"Guys, look!" Frisk exclaimed, stopping everyone. They were pointing at the light in the distance. They were almost to the edge of a forest glade, but they all could see silhouettes of people in the distance. Asriel, intimidated, stepped back until he was behind Patta.

"How are we going to get past them, Patta?" he asked, worried.

"I don't know. Maybe we should get the catcher uniform out and-" Patta reached for the knapsack, but Cohen stopped them.

"Let me deal with this. As soon as you see all them go away, the three of you must run in that direction. Keep going straight and you'll get to the mountain in around ten minutes, just at the other side of the last part of the forest" he instructed, warming up his legs.

"And what are you going to do?"

"You'll see" Cohen grinned widely and jogged to a side, deeper into the forest. Asriel, Frisk and Patta watched him go, a bit puzzled. The people weren't over there, what was he thinking? There was nothing to do other than waiting to see what would happen and hope Cohen knew what he was doing.

Slowly, the group started to approach towards the edge of the trees, being careful to stay out of sight from the rest. It was unfortunate Asriel had white fur; he stuck out like a sore thumb among the trees. The only solution they found was to make sure Asriel stayed all the time behind a tree. It was going to make it a bit harder to be able to run away as soon as it was time to do it, but there was no other solution.

"Yo! It was found! The monster!" Cohen's voice could be heard from the distance. Patta tried to look where he was coming from. Apparently he had gone a long way away so no one would notice he had come from the forest, and was now pointing away of Mt. Ebott "It is with that kid and that other person!"

"How far are they?" one of the people inquired.

"Like three minutes away! The news people are going to try to get an interview!" Cohen ran away in the direction he had come, followed by everyone who had been lounging nearby. Remembering the instructions given, Asriel and his companions ran in the direction Cohen had indicated. None of them said a word, focused on running and trying to save their breath.

Cohen joined them after a couple minutes. Before anyone could greet him, he made frantic gestures behind him. "Run!" he shouted. It didn't need to be said again. None of them needed Asriel's affinity for low intensity sounds to know there were a lot of people coming this way, everyone could hear it. Apparently someone had seen Asriel while he was running, and now a few dozen people were accurately coming towards where the monster was.

There wasn't time to check everyone was okay. Each of the four had their own escape as the priority in their minds, and hoped the rest wouldn't trip and sprain their ankles or anything like that. Thankfully, it didn't seem like such thing would happen. Asriel and Cohen were nimble enough to not to trip with the roots and the stones on the ground of the forest, Frisk was taking their time but managed to keep the pace, and Patta, although definitely not used to the terrain or the environment, had acquired a style that involved jumping often, although it made them quite tired.

"W-Wait, that is…!" Cohen suddenly stopped, extending his arm and grabbing the nearest person; Frisk. That got Patta and Asriel to stop. Before any of them could ask what was wrong, Cohen pointed in front of him. The group had reached the edge of a rocky slope that extended directly to the edge of the forest, and the trees around them were scarcer than in the rest of the forest. The sky was completely visible, and right in front of them, was the place Patta and Asriel had crossed journeyed thousands of miles to reach.

Mt. Ebott wasn't exactly a tall mountain. It wasn't beautiful, or particularly impressive, either. If it hadn't been for its reputation it would have been no more than a generic mountain in the mainland. It had a rocky base, and most of it was covered in trees and vegetation, a sign humanity hadn't tried to establish its presence on it.

For a moment Asriel felt like nothing else in the world existed other than that mountain. He knew he was standing above the large cavern monsterkind was trapped in, monsters resided many miles under the earth, right on the spot his feet were on right in that moment. So long ago, many centuries in the past, monsters had trekked up that mountain to be sealed underground. Now he was going to experience the same thing. Asriel wondered what monsters were thinking when they got to that place, after the war ended with their loss. Did they feel apprehension? Fear? Were they saddened the mountain was a symbol of their prison? Asriel…more than anything else, felt a longing for his home.

Now that he was so close to it he felt greatly determined to get there. Nothing would stop him.

The moment of introspection vanished when Frisk shouted Asriel's name to his ear. It seemed he had spaced out, staring at the mountain, and had forgotten about the crowds that were closing in. Voices could be heard clearly among the trees.

"Over there!"

"I can see them!"

"Is that the monster? I see something white!"

To make the matter even worse, the crowds weren't only behind them. After the slope, and right near the tall fence that separated the mountain from the rest of the world, there were a lot more people, clearly more dedicated to see Asriel than most. There were a couple of those vans Asriel had heard about, strange antennas on top of the vehicles. Humans with large cameras and a couple microphones were wandering around, ready to move at the first sign of Asriel or his companions being nearby.

"We're surrounded!" Patta looked around, trying to find a possible path they could take, but they didn't see anywhere to go. Cohen didn't seem to have any ideas, either, and Asriel's only plan was to run down the slope and towards the fence and hope for the best. At least Frisk had the initiative to suggest something.

"Over here" they said, and stealthily ran parallel to the slope. It was as good plan as any, so the rest followed them, hoping it wouldn't end with a crash against the crowds closing in. The voices kept echoing in the forest, and Patta was sure they saw people several times while they ran.

"Where did they go?"

"I think it was that way"

"The mountain is in that direction, of course they'd go that way"

"There is a slope here! I don't see them!"

"I'll go down"

"I'll go with you. Let's ask those people for help"

"Wait, over here! I saw a kid with a striped sweater!"

Frisk winced, suspecting they had been the one to reveal the location. Cohen looked around, almost panicking. "We're out of time! To the mountain, quick!" Without waiting for a reply Cohen started to descend the slope, managing to get to the bottom without tripping. Asriel hesitated, unsure of how to advance.

"Follow me, Azzy" Frisk grabbed Asriel's hand, and the two of them slowly started to descend. While the children tried to overcome the downwards slope Patta stayed on the top, crouching and ready to distract anyone who gets near while the children were in such a vulnerable place. Cohen seemed to be doing the same thing from the point he was on, although judging by the way he was looking towards the left it seemed there was something making him very nervous coming from that direction.

"I think we got a minute or so, guys!" Cohen notified, making gestures for them to hurry. Patta quickly descending the slope, feeling their heart beating strongly in their chest. They had been on the run for hours already, and it was starting to take its toll on them. How were they going to climb a mountain if they were feeling so tired?

First the fence would need to be climbed, though. Cohen didn't try to climb; Frisk was the first to get there. The kid started climbing the chain-link fence, getting to the top and descending from the other side. Asriel didn't ascend, though. The crowds could be seen, and everyone was pointing at the monster. "Patta! Quick! I'll try something!"

"You can't be serious!" Patta exclaimed, but clung to the fence. Asriel seemed to be sure, and the way they pointed upwards told Patta there was no time for arguments. There was no time for the monster to climb all the way before everyone else arrived, and one single teenager wasn't going to be able to hold off everyone. Hoping Asriel really knew what he was doing, Patta climbed and jumped onto the other side of the fence.

"I'll try to hold them off, go, buddy!" Cohen hurried Asriel but the monster didn't listen, instead standing to Cohen's side "What are you doing?!"

"Maybe this'll buy us some time" Asriel lighted up his claws on fire, moving slowly and eye-catching way. Everyone who was coming and shouting fell silent, mesmerized by Asriel's fire magic, and because they were all waiting to see what he'd do. The most anyone could hear was murmurs coming from the crowd, the words indistinguishable. Patta and Frisk could only stare, it wasn't like they could force Asriel to climb the fence.

Asriel exhaled, feeling ready, and suddenly moved his hands in arcs, the embers he had accumulated flying through the air and falling several meters away of him. The magic fire flared and formed a wall that would reach an adult's thighs. The fire had been made to be completely harmless, anyone could lie in it and suffer absolutely no harmful effects, but nobody in the crowd knew it. Everyone backed off, eyeing the fire with apprehension.

While the crowd thought what they could do about the fire, Asriel turned around and started ascending the chain-link fence. It was a tall fence, but maybe he'd be able to get to the top before the crowds realized the fire magic was nothing to fear.

"Did you see that? It can do things with fire!"

"Do you think all monsters can do that?"

"That's scary"

"Illyria, get back here!"

"The fire feels lukewarm. I don't think it is fire"

"Look at the grass! It's not burning. It isn't even scorched"

"It must be an illusion"

"The monster did a trick!"

"I'll go forward. Stay back, Illyria"

Cohen's eyebrow started to twitch. "Uh, buddy, it didn't work" the teenager turned around to check how much Asriel had progressed in the ten seconds or so his fire magic wall had managed to hold off the crowds. He had barely ascended higher than Cohen's torso. Asriel turned his head around to look at the crowds and started to panic, freezing in place.

"No…no! W-What will we do now...?!" he squealed, grasping the chain-links so hard the metal alloy twisted under his fingers.

"Don't stay there, keep going!" Patta shouted, Frisk agreeing with a nod, but Asriel didn't move. He was completely stunned. Cohen, seeing Asriel wouldn't be able to continue climbing, had a sudden idea.

"Yo, fetal position, now!" Cohen yelled and grasped the back of the neck of Asriel's sweater, pulling out the monster from the fence. Asriel let out a 'woah!' of surprise, but his body unconsciously obeyed Cohen's order. The teenager didn't even bother to look at the crowds to see their reaction to what he was going to do "Patta! High pass!" Cohen stepped back three, four, five times and lifted Asriel in the air, thankful the monster was so light.

Asriel was hardly understanding what was going on. All he knew was that he felt weightless, and that something was grasping his sweater. He was jerked around for a moment, and just when he was about to uncurl to see what was happening the sensation of weightlessness changed.

Patta noticed what Cohen was going to do. Their first thought was how much they wanted to scold Cohen for thinking such an outrageous, drastic and potentially dangerous plan, but the situation really needed drastic measures to be salvaged.

Cohen gained momentum and then launched Asriel into the air with all his strength, aiming above the top of the fence and in Patta's direction. Asriel gasped, startled by the sudden flight he was experiencing, and flailed in the air. Cohen was a strong teenager, he had successfully tossed Asriel over the fence, now the thing was to not to get hurt when landing on the other side. Asriel closed his eyes and whimpered, waiting the impact against the ground.

But Patta wasn't going to let that happen. They positioned themselves where they judged Asriel would fall, and when the monster soared in the air they extended their arms and got ready. The collision knocked the air out of Patta and made them fall onto the ground, a natural consequence of receiving a fuzzy projectile right onto the chest. Frisk didn't waste time, they immediately helped Asriel stand up and tried to help Patta.

"Did I…did I crash against them?" Asriel still couldn't believe what had just happened. Frisk nodded, pulling from Patta's hand in an attempt to get them to sit. The monster stared for a moment before realizing the full extent of the events of the last minute. "Patta! I'm sorry, are you hurt?" Asriel joined Frisk into making Patta stand up. The adult seemed to be fine, if a bit dazed.

The crowds that had followed Asriel in an attempt to see him had been caught by surprise by the teenager's action. It was recorded by at least a dozen cameras, half of them being of the media. Everyone was screaming in surprise, some in outrage and worry for the monster, others in admiration for Cohen. It didn't take long for the crowds to practically slam against the fence ineffectively. When they saw the fence wasn't going to fall down or anything, they gave up. Cohen was absorbed by the crowd and disappeared from sight.

Frisk, Asriel and Patta looked at the crowds, unsure of what to do. Should they say anything? There were so many cameras here! And practically everyone was clamoring for the monster to step forward and talk to them. It was almost surreal, and frankly Patta felt a bit disgusted by it all. However, it didn't seem like there was any ill will.

Asriel's eyes were wide open while he tried to understand just what was going on. The sudden onslaught of attention was disorienting, but the longer he looked at the people the calmer he felt, somehow. Maybe it was because he could feel the majority of the people there wanted him around. It may be just curiosity, or wanting to see the newest weird event in the city with their own eyes, but there were some that were different. Was that a poster over there? There was a teenager with a poster, large letters saying 'HUMANITY WISHES YOU WELL, MONSTER CHILD'. It was heartwarming in a strange way.

"…H-Howdy?" he greeted, taking a step forward. The crowds immediately focused on him, most of the hubbub dying. The monster swallowed, calming down and digging his claws in his palms. It was important to be steady and calm when there were so many eyes focused on him.

In the Underground there were monthly speeches in public. Both Asgore and Toriel gave reports and opinions about recent events, and since it was an important moment, Asriel was always there on the stage, listening carefully to what his parents said. Almost every monster in the Underground attended those reunions. It was to be expected that, when Asriel inherited the role as the King of All Monsters, he'd be the one to stand in front of everyone and talk.

That was why, right in that moment, Asriel tried his best to pretend there weren't a few hundred humans standing on the other side of the fence, and most likely lots and lots of hundreds of thousands of humans more in the city, maybe a few millions, watching through their TVs. Instead he imagined he was on the stage in the Underground, with all those monsters wanting to hear what he had to say. It wasn't a matter of a number; it was a matter of who was listening.

Imagining it was monsters instead of humans did help Asriel to soothe his nervousness.

"Asriel, are you sure about this?" Patta whispered. This either could go really good or really bad, no middle ground. Asriel seemed to be completely sure about it, though. When he turned around to nod at Patta, the adult could see the calm determination in his eyes. Asriel had acquired a certain bravery he didn't have when Patta had met him, they could see that clearly. Asriel had grown up more than they had expected.

The monster stood nearer to the fence, peering at the cameras pointing at him. For a moment he wondered what the people seeing him in TV would be thinking right now, but his attention was soon caught by questions reporters and journalist started asking. Trying once again to imagine what Asgore would do, Asriel requested them to be more orderly. He tried to be firm yet kind, and it seemed to work well enough. Most people stayed silent, only a few asking questions directly.

"Do you have a name?"

"My name is Asriel Dreemurr. I'm…uuuuh…" Asriel glanced back at Frisk and Patta for a moment. Frisk was gesturing him to continue while Patta was indicating to not to say too much about himself "…I'm just a normal kid, back at home"

"How did you get up here? Should we expect monsters to appear all over the surface any time soon?"

Asriel shrugged. "I don't know how I got up here. Sorry, I just don't know anything about that"

"Who are these people you are with? Our sources indicate that adult over there has been with you even before the first time you got sighted"

-ooooo-

"Byssa, look! It's him! It's my monster friend!"

Celia and Byssa were in Graham's inn. When Celia informed Graham she was leaving the city, the innkeeper offered her and Byssa a room to stay until the day she was going to leave. Apparently she had run away from her home, lying to her parents and telling them she was going to be with a friend for a few days. She was going to have to leave the city before they realized she was running away with Celia. The girl didn't mind it, though. All she wanted was to say goodbye to Frisk before leaving.

Of all places she didn't expect Frisk to be in the TV. When Asriel started talking she called for her cousin. Graham arrived too, drying his hands in his apron. Byssa feigned a smile, honestly she felt uncomfortable seeing Asriel again. "A monster…he seems nice"

The reporter asked who the people with Asriel were. The monster's expression changed immediately, acquiring a warmness and sincere appreciation Graham and Byssa found familiar. "They are my friends. I don't think I would be here if it weren't for them"

"Do you mean here on the mountain?"

"No, I mean I don't think I'd be alive"

"That's not surprising. Humanity would have eaten him alive if Patta and Frisk hadn't been with him" Graham sentenced, not noticing Byssa looking away in guilt. The weight of her actions was still fresh on her mind.

Celia's eyes widened "People would have tried to eat him?"

"Uh, I don't mean it literally, Celia…"

"Oh"

"Did someone try to attack you, Mr. Dreemurr?"

"Mr. Dreemurr?" Asriel seemed really baffled. He laughed for a moment before shaking his head "No! Everyone has been very kind to me. I was scared, and maybe I would be lost somewhere dangerous. I'm glad I met them" The monster looked back again for a moment, smiling "I don't think I could have found better friends than them up here"

-ooooo-

Patta wasn't someone who tended to show excessive amounts of emotion. They weren't stoic at all, but they had some restraint on their emotions. It was strange to them right now they were tearing up in live television, all because a child had just showed some honest appreciation towards them. Patta turned around to dry their eyes, hoping the cameras would continue focusing on Asriel and wouldn't notice them.

Frisk's usual neutral face changed into one of surprise before showing a happy grin. It was something Asriel had said at least once already, but it still felt good to hear it again. They didn't notice they had stepped forward until they were along Asriel, but it wasn't like that was a bad thing, as far as they knew. The crowd murmured, some of them cooing at the children's friendship and others expressing confused wariness.

The reporters weren't interested in Frisk. They didn't ask Frisk to move away, but they also didn't bother to ask anything to the human child. "Mr. Dreemurr, what will you do now? Why are you returning to this mountain?"

"The Underground is my home, I want to return with my family" Asriel answered, looking at the ground "I have been away for days…they must be worried about me"

-ooooo-

Ananas was a continent away, but she was watching the news report through the international broadcast of one of the channels from her city. Her husband had called her, saying there was a monster in the news and in practically every channel. Ananas had hanged, keeping her voice steady while thanking him for telling her, but as soon as she hung she immediately went to the nearest TV and put the broadcast on.

The reporter from the channel she was watching now pointed the microphone towards Asriel. "Will you ever try to return to the surface?"

"Uuuuh…not alone? W-We, uh, we all want to be up here…I don't want to be the only one…"

"That's a very good costume" An employee from the airport Ananas was at right now had approached, watching the news broadcast with skepticism. Ananas frowned.

"Why do you think it's a costume?"

"Monsters don't exist. That must be some kid in a costume. Don't you think if monsters were real there'd be a bigger uproar about it?"

"I was told in my country the rumors about the monster has been around for several days already. This is the end of it, a monster was found" She wasn't going to say she had directly interacted with the monster. It wasn't like that employee would believe her.

"It is no different than the monster of Loch Ness or the Yeti. Many says they have seen them and there's no proof of it. I bet by next week no one will remember this weird goat thing" he said, smiling sardonically. Ananas wasn't in mood for an argument, so she stayed silent and focused on the screen. It seemed the whole monster business was going to be confined to the city – at most it'd be to the country. It'd take every monster currently in existence to be on the surface for the whole world to believe monsterkind existed. One single child wasn't going to change that.

It seemed that, despite the unprecedented event that was the revelation monsters existed, nothing was going to change worldwide. Not even the city was going to have big changes. Once Asriel was gone, life would return to normal. Sure, everyone in the city would know monsters existed, but it wasn't like anything else would happen.

In hindsight maybe everyone put a little too much stock on the event that was Asriel's existence over the surface. It was not really as big deal as some may have thought.

-ooooo-

"What do you think of humanity?" Another reporter practically pushed everyone away until she reached the fence, passing her arm through the chain-links and almost hitting Asriel in the face with a microphone. Asriel pushed the microphone away, but decided to answer anyway.

"I…I think there is no correct answer to that? Humans, uh, aren't all the same"

Humans are inherently good. Humans are mostly good. Humans are good but can be very bad. Humans are the worst thing in existence. Humans are mostly bad. All those were opinions Asriel had heard from different people he had met, from Patta to Byssa. All those opinions were true to a point.

"It depends from each person. I-It's the same than monsters, in that way!"

That was the best answer Asriel could think. It sounded prudent, he thought. The answer caused some murmuring in the crowds, most likely because of the part about monsters and humans being more similar than they had thought. Some liked that, some felt rather unsure about it, but at least no one was outright shouting that wasn't true.

"Mr. Dreemurr do you know about the radio show that is being aired right now?" another reported inquired. Asriel scratched his ear, confused. Radio show? The Underground had many things but not a radio show. Something new to hear about!

"Oh…I don't. Sorry…"

The reporter's aide brought a large radio and turned it on, turning the volume to the max. A familiar voice sounded from the speaker, and everyone turned their attention to the radio. Asriel, Patta and Frisk recognized it immediately, after all, they had heard it just three hours ago.

-ooooo-

"Humans and monsters were known to live together a long time ago. Keep in mind those were medieval times, there were many social and life problems in that age that surely will sound barbaric of archaic to we the people of the present, yet monsters and humans managed to coexist"

Ciruel was speaking with the tone that befit a man who knew what he was talking about: full of authority and persuasiveness. It was a bit strange to be telling that to a microphone instead of to a person directly in front of him. The radio show hostess was to his side. She was looking at Ciruel, enraptured.

"Really? So, if monsters left the Underground, do you think we'll be able to live all together again?" her eyes were sparkling.

"I can say there are very good chances we can! Remember we have changed our mindset and social customs since the last time monsters were among us. It's true we had absolutely no contact with monsterkind for centuries, however, I believe when it's time for monsters to return we'll be socially prepared for it. It's true we humans have some problems regarding tolerance we still need to overcome, but in my professional opinion I can say the majority of humans will at least be willing to give monsterkind a hand" Ciruel smiled. He doubted he'd be able to see it all happen, chances were the Barrier would be broken long after his death, but he truly believed humans would get along with monsters. The recent events had reignited that belief.

The radio show hostess nodded, believing every word Ciruel had said. She turned towards her microphone and checked the clock on the wall. "You heard correctly, dear viewers! With the recent hubbub regarding that monster child the possibility of monsters living with us again is very real. Here at the station wish monsterkind the best and hope to see them again!

Now it's time for our questions segment. If you'd like to ask our specialist in monsters anything, please call our number!" It didn't take long for the phone to start ringing. The hostess made a sign with her hand, the call was transferred to Ciruel. "You are on air! What question do you have?" the hostess encouraged.

"Hello? Uh, mister…" the woman on the line sounded young. She wasn't able to decide how to call Ciruel, so instead she went for the question "If humans and monsters were living in harmony so long ago why did the war happen?"

The scholar fully expected that question to arise at some point. "My ancestors' findings aren't conclusive, but from what has been found I can say we weren't exactly living in harmony with monsters. It was not their fault. As I said, those were tough times, the social values were different, and due to that the relationships between humans and monsters were cordial yet tense"

"Wouldn't it happen all over again?"

Ciruel exhaled loudly and glanced towards the radio hostess. She seemed very interested about the answer to that question too. "Times have changed. While monsters and humans had no contact for centuries, I think this also means a chance to restart. Whatever caused trouble back then is surely gone, and humanity as a whole is more open-minded than it was so long ago.

You may have heard about the monster child that is currently roaming somewhere. I'm happy to say he has been accepted by the great majority of the inhabitants of this city. I have personally checked the comments and the trending topics today, and I can say the monster has gained the city's attention. What people say about the monster is interesting…"

-ooooo-

Asriel had returned with Patta and Frisk, and the three of them had sit on a rock near the fence, listening to the radio show.

"Excuse me, miss, would it be okay if we read aloud a few excerpts of what has been posted in the social networks?" Ciruel asked to the radio show hostess.

"Of course, please go ahead. I'll read a few too" There was silence for a few seconds "'We're not alone in the world. People talked about aliens and monsters far away, but they were always nearer than we thought.' That puts things in perspective, doesn't it?"

"It does. Look, something was just posted: 'The monster is in TV! His name is Asriel, and he speaks really mature for his age. How cute!'"

"Oh no, I wish I could be seeing that right now…"

"I'm sure it'll be recorded and posted everywhere. This is a sample of how much interest everyone has about the mons-about Asriel. Everyone is talking about it right now"

"'He wants to return with his family. They raised him well. I'd like to meet them too'

"Wow, there are so many people saying they want to meet other monsters too! Do you think this is mere curiosity or that there is something else going on?"

"The impression I have is that most of the people who are writing do want to meet monsters not just because of the novelty, but because they are willing to meet people who are different to us and want to interact with monsters. It's a friendly approach we should all try to follow as well" Ciruel said.

Asriel felt a strange mix of emotion overcoming him. He wasn't sure how to describe it very well, but he did know there was both uncertainty and happiness in it. So now there was a lot of interest in monsters, all because of him. Not only that, many were watching the news report about him right now. The monster supposed that, if there were any overwhelmingly negative messages, neither Ciruel nor the radio hostess would read them aloud.

He wasn't wrong. The number of offensively negative messages was so low you could count them in one hand, but Ciruel didn't ignore more tempered adverse lines. "But of course not everything is positive. While most people are accepting of monsters and want to know more, there are some that express wariness or dislike of Asriel. Let's see…'I don't think I like this very much. Sending a child as the first monster to be seen could be a strategy to make us let our guards down. If it works then adult and more threatening monsters could arrive an invade us'"

Patta scowled. Of course there'd be some who would think something like that. Asriel frowned and the cameras, rather rudely, focused on his reaction. Frisk ineffectively tried to cover the view with their body, but Asriel stopped them. "It's okay"

Ciruel continued talking. "In my personal opinion I doubt wariness based on something like this being a ploy from monsters should be taken seriously. I met Asriel personally, and the conclusion I got is that he is no more than an innocent bystander, in every way possible. There is nothing to fear"

"…I'll have to visit him and thank him for trying, I suppose" Patta murmured to Frisk. Frisk didn't reply to that; they were looking at the ground with blank expression.

"I don't know Asriel at all, but I think it's unlikely this is a ploy of any type. Let's take more calls. Please feel free of asking anything to our expert here, but remember the calls are screened to avoid-" the radio was turned off and the hostess was interrupted.

Asriel was resigned. He had expected some to think negatively about him, but not that it was some sort of plan. "I…I swear there's nothing like that going on…"

"Do you still not remember how you got out of the Underground?" once another reported inquired. Asriel raised his head. He tried to sound firm, but he couldn't hide the way his voice trembled.

"I don't know. I just…somehow got up here. I don't remember anything, but I'm sure it's nothing like that! All I want is to return home…"

-ooooo-

Mahiru, Selby and Cam were hanging out in Mahiru's home when the news report started. There had been no comment beyond gasps and 'what the hell?!' when the cameras showed Cohen literally throwing Asriel over the fence at Mt. Ebott. The channel they were watching had not focused on the monster, though. Instead, the reporter had managed to catch up to Cohen. Running away through the crowd had been impossible, so the teenager was pretty much cornered. "Excuse me, may I ask a couple questions?"

"I'd rather not" Cohen replied and tried to move away, but the crowd was too thick. Taking advantage of that situation, the reporter placed the microphone nearer to Cohen.

"Why did you aid the monster to get over the fence?"

"Fuck off!" he spat. Mahiru winced, it seemed the broadcast could only barely censor the word instead of cutting it off altogether.

"Did he tell you anythi-"

"He told me nothing! I was helping him return home. Is there a problem with that?!"

"He was doing what?" Cam seemed to be in a lot of disbelief "After everything that happened in these two days Cohen did what?!"

"No way! Why would he…" Selby shared his confusion. Mahiru smiled slightly, though.

"I think that is good. It wouldn't be nice to keep the monster away of his home"

"What do you- okay, yes, you are right, but remember everything Cohen did! I don't get this at all"

"Maybe he changed his mind"

"Shut up, guys, it isn't over yet" Cam said and increased the volume of the television.

"What would your opinion of the monster be?"

"I-Is this going to be on TV?" Cohen looked directly at the camera. Apparently he didn't realize this was a live broadcast "Uh, erm, y-you know, the monster has a name! His name is Asriel!"

"Would you say he holds any ill will towards humans?"

"What? No! He doesn't!" Cohen said emphatically "I knew him only for a little while, but I doubt he dislikes humanity in any way. I saw how much he trusts the two he has been traveling with!"

"And what do you know about the adult and the child the monster is with?"

"The guy is a pretty nice guy, and Frisk won't let anything happen to Asriel. What do you want me to say, that Asriel is manipulating them in any way? Because that is not what is going on at all, I saw how those three get along!"

"When did he meet them again?" Selby wondered.

"But he is right, they are nice people" Mahiru said. She didn't tell all the details about what had happened the other night, all she had told them was that she had fallen during the pursue, hitting her head against the sidewalk and giving herself a concussion, and that Patta and Frisk had helped her "They helped me. I also talked briefly with the monster, I think he is nice too"

"Nice people don't maul other people's hands" Cam muttered bitterly, rubbing the bandages on his hand. He had lied and said a dog had bit him – as if anyone would believe a goat monster had done it – and had needed to endure a rabies shot. That had cemented his dislike for Asriel.

"That was Cohen's fault. He told you to get him" Selby was upset with Cohen too since the night before. He didn't understand how after Cohen's little spectacle less than twelve hours ago his former friend could do and say all that stuff he had just seen.

Mahiru changed the channel, looking for a program that showed more about the monster, not about Cohen. "So, guys, are you going to give Cohen another chance?"

"Hell no"

"If I do it'll be in a month or two" Cam narrowed his eyes "I don't want to hear of him for a while"

"You do that. I won't be his friend ever again" Selby seemed quite sure about that.

-ooooo-

"Don't you think this has gone for long enough, Asriel?" Patta asked, Frisk nodding in agreement "What are you even trying to achieve here?"

"…I'm not sure" Asriel admitted. His reason for standing there and letting himself be interviewed was not clear not even to himself. It wasn't because he got a sudden memory telling him to do it, or because he craved attention right at that moment. The monster had an inkling of what the reason was, but wasn't sure how to express it "I think I just didn't want to leave without saying anything…I think that wouldn't have been good"

"It's no problem" Frisk said. It wasn't like there was anything to be done, though. Asriel had already been recorded, broadcasted and heard by at least half of the city inhabitants, and at least Patta and Frisk had the impression it didn't go badly. At least Asriel made clear enough he had no bad intentions towards humanity, and with some luck everyone would think the same about the rest of monsterkind "Let's go"

"Yeah, let's go" Patta stood up from the rock. Asriel nodded and raised his voice.

"We, uh, we'll get going. Thank you for listening to me…and for everything. It was nice to meet you all" Seeing the monster was about to leave, the crowd immediately started asking more questions, demanding more words, practically begging Asriel to not to leave yet. It had all been enough, Asriel turned around and walked towards the start of the path that went into the routes on Mt. Ebott. Frisk ran to catch up with him, but before Patta could do the same one single reporter focused her attention on them.

"Excuse me, aren't you afraid you may go missing on Mt. Ebott? Are you aware of the legend of this mountain?"

Patta stopped and tried to not to look afraid. "…Both Frisk and I know about it"

"Do you trust the monster to keep you safe while climbing it?"

"I trust myself to keep us safe. That is all there is to say about the matter" Patta turned around to follow Asriel and Frisk, but the reporter had one last question.

"Would it be okay if we waited for you and the kid to return later?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever" All Patta wanted was to go away, having a flock of reporters and cameras focused on them was not something they wished in the near future. Promising themselves they'd look for alternate ways to leave Mt. Ebott, Patta went into the trails.

The noise of the crowds was gone after a few hundred feet into the trails. Branches and leaves formed arches way above them, similar to the forest they had left not too long ago, but the trek was slightly easier. While it was true the path was uphill and therefore had the potential to be quite tiring, there was a clear and wide trail, a scenic route of sorts. Mt. Ebott had the potential to be a beautiful tourism point if it weren't because of the legend that hung over it.

Frisk and Asriel had stopped, waiting for Patta. "This mountain is nice" Frisk commented, looking towards the barely visible sky.

Patta looked at Frisk. There was something they needed to tell them, but first… "It is. Now the problem is to find a way into the Underground. Any ideas, Asriel?"

Asriel looked around as if he expected a sign to tell him where to go. "…I don't know. Maybe it's near the top? The castle is near the Barrier, and the path towards it is sloped upwards"

"We are going to explore Mt. Ebott! I can't believe we are here" Despite the legend it seemed Frisk was quite excited about climbing the mountain. It was difficult for Patta to share that enthusiasm. They were still feeling quite nervous about it all. Asriel did have an easier time dealing with Frisk's sudden panache, and the two children got ahead of Patta.

"Wait for me, you two! This is Mt. Ebott, you know this is…this place is…" Patta froze. Blurry images flashed in their eyes. Leaves, trees, dirt, the sky…a humanoid shape…it was all indistinguishable. It all blurred together, as if a movie reel had just been dragged over their eyes at a very high speed. Those images weren't alone, though. All noise was gone, Patta couldn't hear a thing. But over everything else, there was also a feeling, an emotion that made everything cohesive:

Primal, irrepressible, unrestrained terror.

Patta's legs trembled violently, they had to support themselves against a tree to not to fall down. They started breathing faster, and without realizing it they started to wail. They felt despair, intense fear, and wanted nothing more than everything to be okay. Over everything they just couldn't understand why this was happening to them, why they had been suddenly invaded by such intense emotions.

"…ta…lp...okay?" a voice sounded in the distance. Then, as sudden as it started, it ended. Those blurry images vanished, the sound of the wind and the birds filled the surroundings, and most of that intense fear went away. It wasn't completely gone – some of it remained because of the intensity of the moment – but at least they weren't on the verge of breaking down.



Something was tugging down on their scarf. Patta shook their head and looked what it was. Frisk was there, with an expression of intense worry. "What happened?" they whispered "You seemed very scared…"

"Scared? They almost screamed! What happened?!" Asriel now was the one frightened, mostly because he had no idea what had just happened to Patta. Patta tried to smile to calm him down, but it looked more like a grimace than a smile.

"…I got a sudden headache. I'm okay" they said as calmly as possible, taking deep breaths to keep themselves under control. It was a lousy excuse, and Patta knew it. Judging by Asriel's face, he didn't believe it not even for a second, but he didn't press further. He nodded slowly.

"…okay. If you say so…" Asriel didn't go away, instead staying near Patta as if he expected the adult to break down again. Patta tried to tell him they were okay now, that it wasn't going to happen again. The monster child ignored that. Deciding it was a waste of time to try to get Asriel to not get so fussy about what had happened.

"Frisk, shouldn't you be going home now? This mountain is no place for you" Patta decided to get that out of the way too. Their intention had been to let Frisk stick until they got to the base of the mountain, but the crowds of people wanting to see Asriel had forced a change of plans. Now that they were away of the crowds this was the chance to get back to the original plan "I can accompany you to find a spot where there aren't any people waiting"

That got Asriel alarmed again. Frisk wasn't going to change their mind, but Patta surely would keep insisting unless there was a good excuse. "B-But there's going to be a lot of people everywhere. They'll be waiting for you" he said, trying to not to sound like he was looking for an excuse for Frisk to stay around. Patta didn't seem to notice Asriel's hesitation, instead trying to look between the trees. It wasn't possible to see all the way to the fence from the point they were in.

"You got a point there. I don't think I like the idea of Frisk getting cornered by all that people. If Frisk goes alone…I think it'll be better if I go with them"

"Don't let Asriel get to his home alone" Frisk hurried to say. Patta scowled, as if that thought had ever crossed their mind.

"Of course I won't! Who knows what dangers is on this mountain, but…"

"Let me stick around. We can return together after he's in the Underground" Frisk disguised their real intention very well, Patta had no idea about it. Although Frisk wasn't sure what they'd do, exactly. Waltz through the Barrier and then pretend to be all 'whoops, didn't mean to do that'? And what would Patta do after they realize Frisk is on the other side of the Barrier, trapped possible for the rest of their life? As if Patta would just walk away.

Frisk bit their bottom lip. They had just realized they hadn't thought this all very well. They hadn't taken into account how Patta would react. Maybe if they got separated from them during the way back then…no, that would only make Patta wander around the mountain. That would only increase the risk of them going missing. In fact, both Patta and them were in risk of going missing! What were they supposed to do now?

Patta couldn't even imagine what was going through Frisk's head right now. Having no idea of any of that, Patta sighed. "Fine. But stick close to me, Frisk. Asriel and you are both my responsibility" Patta extended their hand. Frisk nodded and grabbed Patta's hand, their nervousness making them grasp it tighter than they intended. Patta interpreted it as normal fear about the threatening nature of Mt. Ebott. "Frisk, we'll be okay. Don't worry. I'll protect you"

"I know you will…" Frisk muttered. They were actually grateful for that, which in turn increased Frisk's guilt for what they planned to do. "Thank you, Patta"

"Don't mention it" Patta affectionately ruffled Frisk's hair and looked at Asriel "Come on, let's go. We have a mountain to climb now"

Asriel nodded, and the three started walking, but the monster was very worried too. Unlike Patta, he knew very well what Frisk had been thinking about. He really wanted to calm Frisk down, give him some reassurance, but with Patta so close to Frisk it was way too risky. Instead, Asriel got closer to Frisk and grabbed their other hand. "Are you still sure about this? I'm having second thoughts" Asriel decided to take the risk and whisper that to Frisk. Frisk's turmoil seemed more important than Patta catching wind of what he was saying, that is how he saw things right now. Thankfully, Patta didn't hear Asriel at all, too focused on trying to find a way into the Underground.

Frisk nodded and whispered back. "I haven't changed my mind…I still want to go with you. I just don't know…" they trailed off. There wasn't much time left to think about what they'd do. Asriel didn't realize what Frisk's hesitation was, though. He hadn't thought about what Patta would do.

And Patta…they had their own concerns. The intense feelings of fear and despair that had invaded them not too long ago were still fresh in their mind, and they didn't understand how or why it happened. In many ways it felt similar to certain moments that had happened during the past few days. It didn't feel like a subconscious order, like it had happened when they were impulse to enter the alley that led them to meet Frisk and Celia. It felt more similar to those sudden images that had invaded their mind when they had seen Asriel's drawing of New Home, just that this time it had intense emotions attached. What was going on?

The last part of the journey had started. Mt. Ebott was the last obstacle. The three of them steeled their resolves and continued, hoping for the best.


Why did you go silent a moment ago? That happened ages ago, and it isn't even you anymore. You shouldn't let it bother you that much.

ITI WTAWS AA TSERFRIEFAYINGR--

-Sorry. I didn't mean to say it out loud.

It was a terrifying moment for me, and…it doesn't get any easier for me to watch this.

I have watched this part of the timeline hundreds of times and I still feel so, so hopeless…

You wouldn't understand.

On second thought I shouldn't have asked. I don't care that much.

Proceed.