Pain.

That one small little word carried so much weight as Frisk's eyes weakly opened. The core had melted in the heat of the eruption, the metal walls caving downwards, and had cooled. The room now looked like a dome.

Frisk lifted their arms, and caught a glimpse of the burns on the underside of them. They looked away, gagging at the vision that was now stuck in their mind.

Getting to their feet, Frisk headed out through a hole in the wall, the one Togore had left. With every step, they could feel a pain in their feet rising, bringing them closer and closer to death's doorstep. The trail ended at the MTT Stage, which was surprisingly untouched. That's why he cleared it out. Frisk thought grimly. He didn't want anyone hiding in there.

Frisk walked onto the stage, which was littered with the face steaks that the audience had hurled before being slaughtered. Frisk hungrily grabbed one, tearing at it with their teeth. As they ate, they felt the burns going away... The pain in their sides fading...

Why am I alive? Frisk wondered. If the heat was enough to melt the core, why didn't it melt Frisk?

De... termin... ation? That seemed to be the answer to everything now.

Once they were healed up, Frisk meandered around, taking in the destruction on the inside of the volcano. But that didn't compare to what Frisk saw once they got outside.

The child's jaw dropped as they surveyed the once green, lush scenery. It was now burnt to a crisp, pillars of smoke rising from the remains of the fields. Ashes, sparks, and dust seemed to clog the air, making breathing a pain. Frisk looked up at the sky, which was covered in darkness. The volcano, although it had quit spewing out lava, was now pumping the sky full of ash and smoke. Here and there, small pools of lava had collected, bubbling and spreading over the ground. Frisk looked to the west end, which had not been spared. Sans's hotels had been obliterated, their rubble and framework scattered across the beach. Even the beach itself wasn't recognizable, the bright, yellow sand had been covered in dark ashes.

As Frisk surveyed the devastation, the only thing that came to mind was that this was all their fault.

Frisk walked along the mountainside, and they noticed that the small houses that were on its slopes had also been levelled. Most of them, anyway. Frisk saw one that seemed relatively intact, then watched as it burst into flames, and Togore walked out of it.

He's destroying everything... monsters... houses...

Frisk slowly followed as Togore incinerated the remaining houses, which usually had an unfortunate monster hiding inside. Some ashes by their feet moved, and Flowey slowly rose from them.

"This..." Flowey paused. "...I've never been able to do anything like this..." Flowey looked up at Frisk."We went too far! He's destroying everyone and everything! I was trying to twist someone to their breaking point, not destroy everything!"

Frisk watched as Togore continued decimating the village. "You have to rewrite! This can't go on anymore!" Flowey begged, but Frisk didn't listen. They were too distracted by the place the Sentinel was going to next.

The hat shop.

"What are you doing? Don't be an idiot!" Flowey growled. "Please... let's just go back to fighting over a happy ending!" Frisk ignored Flowey's plea, they had to see what would happen. They had to.

Togore shot a fireball through the door, and did a double take when he saw someone inside. "You made it?" he laughed. "Who even are you?"

Amabilia's sweet, soft voice now rang out in terror: "Please, I have nothing to do with you-" "Shut up." Togore growled in response, walking inside. Frisk slowly hid behind a large boulder that the volcano had shot out, and watched as the Sentinel dragged Ama out and threw her to the ground. He turned back to the hat shop, and swiped his hand. Fire flew from it, and consumed Ama's store.

Ama started to get up, but Togore put his foot on her back, pinning her to the ground. "Stay where you are..." he warned. "...or this will just get more FUN for me..." Frisk's stomach twisted into a knot. "...and more HORRIFYING for you!"

Ama looked up at Togore, and Frisk couldn't help but remember when the two were in love, and Togore would've done anything for her.

"You... don't you care how horribly those... those innocent monsters... how they must've died?" Ama asked, to which Togore responded by laughing. "I don't CARE about HOW I get the kill... I just care about getting the kill!" He watched as the store started collapsing. "Why not do something if you're good at it? I'm great at killing! I'm creative with it!" Togore grinned, then continued to boast. "I mean, didn't you see that volcano go off? That was me!" Ama looked at him, horrified.

"And I got all the execution points from those who died in the eruption!" He cackled. Oh, no... Frisk remembered what Flowey had said about indirect killing. Togore probably killed all the monsters left on Te Deum besides the ones at this village. His level of violence was probably at an unprecedented amount...

Ama shuddered, then her eyes looked at Togore. "Togore..." she said, her eyes having the glow they had during her 'episode' the first time the two met. "...you're alive... why..." she blinked. "...The armoured guardian... Malum-bringer... oh, no, Togore!"

She leaped up, grabbing his arms. "Togore, this isn't you! I know you! I..." her voice softened. "...I love you. I know that right now, you might not have a shred of dignity in you... I know that it seems that you can't go back..." she held on to him. "...but I know that there's still a way! Don't you remember, too?"

Her eyes searched his for any sign of the monster from another timeline. "Just... come back with me, and we can forget this... give up this... massacre... and come back." Her eyes watered. "I'll always take you back, I promise. Please, Togore. Please. "

Togore's head lowered, staring at the ground. His brow was furrowed in thought. His arm lowered, the tip of the spear touching the ground.

Frisk gasped. For the first time, Togore was relenting. Was her love for him that strong? That it could cross a timeline, due to her experience in the core, and bring back the Malum-bringer from the darkest pit his mind had gone to?

"You know... you..." His eyes met hers, having a soft glow to them. "...you're right." Togore rested his hand on her shoulder, and Frisk sighed in relief. This nightmare was over.

"..." Togore made no sound, staring into her eyes.

SWOOSH!

Frisk screamed as Togore's spear ripped through Ama, who choked, staring at him.

Togore gripped Ama's neck as she looked at him in horror."...There's not a single shred of dignity in me. And there's not an ounce of remorse in me." He twisted the spear. "No feeling when I look at you, at what i just did to you... and you know what?" His eyes sparkled with malice, fury, and nearly every other fearful and detestable quality of a corrupted soul.

"I like it."

He ripped the spear out, and let go of Ama. She collapsed onto his feet, her back shaking with her unsteady breath. She looked up at him, crying, broken, and dying.

But still, she didn't let him go. She rested her head on his foot, clinging to his ankle.

Then she vaporized into dust.

Togore chuckled, walking through her dust, and Frisk watched in shock as he headed to the castle.