"Tralalalalala~"

"Tralalalalala."

"Tralala~"

"Tralala."

"Tralalalalala~"

"La!"

The four singing Boss Monster children all look invitingly behind them to their parents with the same synchronous clockwork they've sung together with. Toriel and Asgore send them a smile and nod in acknowledgment. The family of six...six and a half…hunker down in quiet while they all observe River Person bobbing along with the gentle rocking of the boat they're all sitting comfortably in. The gentle clang of the children's combined voices fade away behind them, the crystals dotting the cavern walls having changed color due to the tone of their gentle humming.

The water behind the wooden boat shimmers with a calm yellow from the upbeat symphony sung by River Person and the four kids. What color will it be with Toriel and Asgore chiming in?

"Tra," River Person begins again, waking up the crystals in front of the boat with their subtle voice. "La! Lalalalala~" they continue, changing the hue of the cavern tunnel to a more simmered purple.

"Tra," Asgore starts as he takes tone for his family. They all squint as the crystals almost begin flaming from his booming inflection.

"La," Toriel extends, calming the intense orange into a more thoughtful amber hiss. Ember-like rather than full on flames. She breathes in again while locking eyes with the her family.

They're all ready.

"Lalalalala!" the entire family sings in unison. The sharp walls and ceiling around them turn into soft contours as the orange begins breathing with the crystals reacting to the combined song and all its distinct voices. The dark water turns into a river of cold lava akin to Hotland. It is just as warm as said lava from the radiating tender love shared between the Dreemurrs. The shadows cast from the crystals' shine are long, reaching for the family and the boat. They envelop the wooden vessel not as tendrils born out of darkness, but as caressing and careful curls of comforting claws that brush against the cheeks of the Boss Monster family.

It tickles them.

"Tralalala, tra tra tra la la~"

A deep blue blanket is thrown over the boat from the crystals. The water becomes water again, and gives it a reflecting depth enough that the crystals begin to resemble-

"Stars!" Asriel bleats with glee. His joy travels down both the long lengths of the cavern tunnel, but doesn't return. The family still have a ways to go, and they have gone a ways already. "They're like stars in the water." He waves his siblings over to the side of the boat, and Toriel leans closer towards Asgore to offset the shift in weight.

"You have to lean forward as much as you can, children, if you want to see the most spectacular of stars," Asgore advises with no bias hiding behind his words at all. Toriel playfully throws the back of her hand against his stomach.

"You're the one jumping in and retrieving them if they fall overboard," she reminds while failing to contain her amused giggle. She turns her head away, but Asgore can still see it reflecting in the tranquil water. The ripples created by River Person's boat are few and calm enough that Toriel's smile still remains a smile. It hovers just below surface, just like how the boat hovers just above it. "And you'll have to dry yourself up with your own fire," she adds as a threatening caveat.

"On second thought, don't lean out too much, children."

Toriel rewards herself for her victory by putting her husband's large arm around her neck as she rests her head against his chest.

For weight reasons, of course.

And for him to be able to reach if one of the kids make a splash. Hopefully not Aofil...well, hopefully not anyone, but if push comes to shove, particularly from Chara, most likely, then most hopefully not Aofil. Their first pair of clothing hasn't dried up completely yet, despite Asgore's best efforts. He's forgiven though for the reason that he had to wash out the spider pet's saliva all the way to Aofil's skull to get it all away.

He's not forgiven for how the saliva got there in the first place though.

Once he cleans the house after handing Toriel a parasol tea-drink while she sits in the garden reading a freshly bought book about snails then he might be forgiven.

Might.

For now he can run his soft hand over her arm while she watches her four children making up constellations.

"If you can find one that's connected like this," Frisk explains through a series of knots of their fingers, "then that one we can call 'The Snail'." The others agree with hefty nods, and begin scouring the water below. Asriel the most. He leans in closer with his white muzzle, almost touching his reflection's muzzle as he does.

Chara turns a glance over their shoulder to Toriel, who narrows her eyes sternly for a moment while she shakes her head. Chara shrugs, and moves their hand away from Asriel's back.

"Don't make your father jump in and fetch you," Toriel addresses in case any of the other ones gets the same idea. "He'll have to stop hugging me then, and that won't do."

Asgore stretches a smile for himself. He fluffs up Toriel against his sturdy chest, and she hums with content. He agrees, to stop hugging her won't do.

Not now.

Not ever.

He kisses the top of her head.

She responds by giving him one on his lips buried underneath his beard.

"Tralalala~"

"La la," the family joins in together again, shifting the color a bit lighter.

Asriel's furrow hardens against his more faint reflection. Dang it, now it's harder to find the stars with the lighter water. He's determined though! He'll find 'The Snail'! It's hidden somewhere among the strewn reflections. Somewhere, and somehow, he'll find it for Frisk. Then Frisk can show mom! And while he looks, he'll find the constellation for Frisk too. And Chara. And Aofil. And mom. And dad.

He's already found one for himself. It was the first one he figured out. The ones for his family will be similar, of course, but he's also figured out their differences.

Mom is gonna have some fewer stars for her contours so that it looks softer, just like how she is.

Dad is gonna have large stars at the top of his head that are similar to his horns.

Chara is gonna have their hair and cheeks visible in their constellations.

Aofil too, but it's gonna be easy to distinguish the two at a glance since they're gonna have different poses.

Frisk will have their long tail whipping out from behind them.

But first, 'The Snail'!

It needs a swirling pattern for its shell, and some small stars for its feelers. It might need a lot of luck to find one that looks exactly like how he imagines it to be, but perhaps Asriel will get lucky again? He got lucky with his own constellation, after all. He relays his idea for 'The Snail' to his siblings, who all listen with their ears sharpened enough to cut through rock. "We have to be quick to point it out so that mom and dad can see it," he finishes off with a thumb thrown astern over his shoulder. "So as soon as you see one, point it out as soon as you can!"

"Tralalalalalala~"

"Tra. La. Lalalala!"

The crystals in the river tunnel again darken their hue into a deep green that settles itself comforting over the siblings. Asriel shines up seeing the reflection in the passing water become clearer and easier to spot again, and he turns his head quickly over to River Person gently humming at the bow. "Thank you very much," he says with a smile after waiting for his ear to slide off his cheek. "I'll try and find a constellation for you too, River Person."

There's a slight shift in River Person's cloak, the first movement they've ever done. "Tra la la, you too," they wish back after their hood turns halfway to look back at Asriel's smile. Even if it's hidden beneath and inside a darkness most would refrain from addressing, Asriel can still feel the smile radiating out from inside the hood. "Can it be some notes, tra lalala la?"

That it can, and Asriel returns back to scouring the blank surface dotted with its reflective flakes of snow. It's like a street full of them that they're gliding through. A street full of snowflakes that they're all exploring.

The 'Snow Street'!

No, that's already one in Snowdin called that. Maybe another word synonymous to 'snow'?

'Winter Street'?

Yeah, that sounds good. Asriel and their siblings are looking for constellations in the 'Winter Street'!

The ripples from the gently rocking boat has the snowflakes stars in the Winter Street falling upwards and away from the wooden vessel only to flutter back into place where they began. So many colors and different shapes in this river, with a subtle ebb and flow created by the waves as the boat glides through it uninterrupted.

Kinda like…

Asriel lifts his head up from the water, to the slight surprise of his siblings, who cast questioning looks between them. He seems pretty deep in thought though, so they don't bother him about it, and instead return their long noses into the water. It's better if they stick it in the water instead of in his business.

"Bless you," Chara and Aofil wish Frisk as they dip their returning nose a bit too much into the water. Asriel keeps his head and back straight up still.

Gliding seamlessly and without interruption through a river…

Looking over the side of the vessel to faces staring back…

The only thing missing is for mom and dad to wave and be greeted as king and queen and this will be exactly the same as when they arrived in Home!

Hopefully Aofil and dad stick around so that the family is whole this time around when the boat docks at the Barrier.

Asriel chuckles to himself again before returning to join with his siblings' snail hunt. It's nice that all four are doing it together, even if it's only trying to find a constellation of one. Perhaps next time Frisk and Chara will want to follow with Aofil and Asriel to go actual snail hunting.

"Is that one?"

No, not even close, Frisk.

...Aofil and Asriel will have a lot of teaching to do if Frisk and Chara chooses to follow along, it seems.

"Close," Asriel still offers friendly and encouragingly. It's Frisk's birthday, after all. "Maybe we can find another with a much cooler swirl to it?"

Frisk agrees with a quick and determined nod.

"You ready too, Aofil?"

They nod equally determined.

"Chara?"

Same there!

"Then let's do it!"

Furry hands grip the edge of the boat yet again, and ripples begin flowing from the hanging ears dragging against the water's surface like paintbrushes. The water isn't cold, but neither is it warm enough for the Boss Monster siblings to not shiver when their eager ears first dip into the deep green liquid. Aofil lifts their ear up to feel at it, and Chara gives them a playful bump with their elbow. "You're not gonna catch any fish, don't worry," they say with a giggle that Aofil joins in with. "You think we can find us two as twins next to each other in the water? That way we're both twins in stars and in soul."

Aofil will do one better. Two better, actually. "Maybe we can find all four of us?" The raised ante begins glittering in Chara's eyes, even more than what the stars are already doing. Their own magic sparks the luster further as they breathe in excitingly. "And then six with mom and dad!"

Chara's ears splash loudly as they nod, but it doesn't faze them in the slightest. Instead it surprises them a bit seeing their own dark distorted reflection in the waves they created. They look back at Aofil, who chuckles at Chara's almost terrified expression. It's not often they let one slip, and that they're so terrified over getting their ears wet is rather funny. Why are they so worried all of a sudden? Even Asriel seems scared, almost like the two caught Muffin looking up at them from the water. It wouldn't scare Aofil though. Muffin's already done his worst to them, there's nothing more he can do to scare them. Especially when they're with all of their siblings gazing at stars to match their faces.

To be perfectly honest though, it's not really the constellations that interests Aofil. They'll keep a lookout for ones that resemble 'The Snail', but what really strikes their interest is the way the water looks. Specifically, how their face looks in it. It must be some strange magic from the crystals reacting to River Person singing again.

And incidentally.

"Tra lalala la!" Aofil sings out to finish off with River Person.

They do it...alone...though.

The wet tips of their ears flick droplets that force Asriel and Chara back to reality as Aofil look back and forth between them. "You missed the cue," they tease, but get nothing in return. Chara and Asriel look through Aofil as if they were invisible. Like how they look past their own reflection in the water to find the deeper stars.

Still nothing.

"Hello?"

Still nothing.

"Frisk?" Aofil tries to see if perhaps they have any idea what this is about, but all they get back is an equally confused shake of their brown head. Aofil's brow furrows, and they reach out for Asriel, who finally reacts. He catches Aofil by the wrist, but lets go of it almost immediately as if scolded. Aofil could almost swear that their arm turned lighter when he let go it, but the change in hue from the crystals has everything turning lighter, really.

"W...what happened?" they ask their stunned brother. "And you?" they also shoot over to their twin. "Did you see something scary?" Aofil leans in closer to Chara. "Like how dad reacted when mom showed that snail cage for him?"

"N-no," Asriel answers with his usual chuckle. The slight stutter isn't usual though. Mostly it is when he's worried about his magic, but with how he baked the snail pie earlier today, how could he still be? It was awesome! And delicious! "Chara and I...we..."

"We just have another gift for you, Frisk," Chara continues while scratching the back of their head.

"And you too, Aofil," Asriel adds.

Almost reluctantly.

Aofil's head cocks to the side, over to Frisk, who mirrors the quirk. Their tail come up behind them almost like a question mark. "For me too?" Aofil doesn't understand why for them too. It's Frisk birthday, so why is Aofil getting a present? They and Frisk haven't planned anything for Chara and Asriel.

"T-that's for later though," says Asriel with his stutter just slightly audible. "For now, let's continue trying to find 'The Snail' for mom!"

A present can't be a bad thing, and perhaps Aofil said something that almost ruined the surprise. They shouldn't think about it more so that they don't spoil it for themselves.

Don't you agree, strange reflection in the water?

It nods as Aofil does, with the same bright cheeks and the same hair as they have. Same eyes with the same different color due to the crystals now having turned into an almost oppressive purple. The same purple that you get after having stared too long at something bright. Not as purple as Royal Purple though, because that color is the most purple!

Despite all of the familiar similarities, Aofil's reflection is still more different than it is similar. It's not like any monster Aofil's ever seen before! It must have been another one that River Person's ferried across this river. It's a much older monster, lacking any fur, and almost as white as Asriel is. The blossoms on its cheeks is the only thing giving its face any color outside its eyes. Some of Aofil's aura must be mixing in with the echoes of this older monster from the crystals. Mom and dad's said before that no other monster have ever had cheeks like Chara and Aofil, so Aofil's aura reacting to the crystals must be why the monster in the water has theirs too.

This is much more interesting than looking for stars!

"Who do you see?" they ask to their surrounding siblings. "The crystals are giving me another reflection than my own."

"You too?" Frisk gasps. "I thought it was just me."

Aofil gasps too. "And you, Chara?" They bump into their twin's shoulder to try and assert what kind of monster is in their reflection. It's too faint to see, unfortunately. "Aww, shucks." It's almost as if Chara doesn't have one at all!

Maybe that's why they were afraid before.

Or maybe Aofil can't see their siblings' reflections as clearly.

"Can you tell me what yours look like, Chara?"

"It's...me."

Nah, that can't be true. Chara's lying, and Aofil's pretty sure why. "You got an ugly one, didn't you?" They lift up their ear's twin carefully. "Does it have the blossoming cheeks on its butt instead?"

With a losing pout, Chara snags their ear back to themselves with a tug of their head away from their teasing twin. They glare back at Aofil, who pushes both their hands against their mouth as to not burst into laughter.

"Mine has no fur on it," Frisk explains as they lean closer to the others so that their reflection follows along. "Look," they say before opening their mouth and turning to the side. "It has no muzzle as well!"

"Mine neither!" Aofil demonstrates by swinging their head around. The hair on their reflection is lifted up by the motion, and Frisk makes a startling discovery.

"The ears!" They snap their head down to their own reflection, and part away the hair over their own hanging ear. "My ears too. They're gone!"

Oh what terrible fate! What woe and horror! This birthday started off so well and so wholesome has turned bitter and sour like those berries in dad's garden that weren't really edible, but the kids only found that out after the first handful. Now though? With having seen a reflection of themselves without their soft ears and muzzle? How could this reflection ever play 'Snoot and Hoot'?

Frisk shakes their head hard and leans away from the boat's edge while their hands wave back and forth to try and shoo the reflection away. They shiver as they sit down in the middle of the wooden seat.

"You others should also sit down again," advises Toriel while motioning softly towards the bright end of the long tunnel. "We're soon there now."

Asriel drums his claws on the rim of the boat. His eyes dart around in the water. Up and down. Side to side. Where? Where? Where! He's gotta find 'The Snail' before they land! He promised mom. He promised River Person he'd find one for them too, and-

"Asriel," Toriel addresses directly, and rather sternly, while still being soft towards him. It's important that he listens, but he has to choose that by himself. Toriel can only ask, she'd never demand from her children.

He looks back at his mom with eyes beginning to quiver. "B-but..."

"You'll get another chance on the way back, my child," Toriel promises with a gentle smile. "The crystals will be here for you still."

Asriel casts a glance towards Aofil.

"Asriel," Toriel says again, this time more understanding. Just as sternly though, but she knows why Asriel's being worried.

It's the same one starting to grow on Frisk's face as they slowly close and open their hands in rhythm with their breathing. Their claws barely touch the fur on their palm before their hands open up again. Their tail curls behind them, and the feeling has them straightening their back.

"Frisk?" Asgore places his large, white hand on his child's small, brown shoulder. This feeling they don't flinch at, however. "It is fine. You do not have to worry. We'll be at the Barrier soon. Just a bit more for your biggest birthday present."

Aofil looks over to Chara with a shrug. While the water's turned almost completely turquoise from the Barrier's overbearing white light, the mood's suddenly turned much darker. Asriel's looking worryingly at Aofil, Frisk seems to be afraid of their own hands, and even Chara's cheeks seem fainter, now that Aofil thinks about it. "W-why are you guys so gloomy?" They try and make eye contact with their siblings, but they catch none. "W-what's happening?" To their immense relief they manage to catch their mom and dad's eyes, which are ever so soft and caring.

"We had a lot of walking to do," Toriel explains after coaxing Aofil up on her lap. She's almost whispering it to them, as if it's a secret. "They're all a bit tired, that's all."

"You got yourself a ride all the way to the boat, didn't you?" With his gentle thumb, Asgore drags Aofil's fringe to the side away from their eyes. "Don't worry," he whispers. "They'll all cheer up when they see the cake we brought with us."

Aofil looks over their dad's shoulder to the cake box adorned with spiders and webs. It's tall profile is being held down by a pair of small, red tridents. Dad's tridents. Chara and Aofil's daggers weren't sharp enough to stick properly into the boat's wood, so he had to do it on his own. Maybe it was a good thing since Chara's so tired now. They might even have fallen asleep if they'd have to keep their magic up for the entire boat trip too.

With a small bounce with her leg, Toriel coaxes Aofil off her leg. "Sit back down with your siblings now, my child." She gives them a small push with her palms against their back, and give their tail a playful flick as they carefully walk over to where their siblings are sitting.

Frisk looks at Aofil deep in their eyes as they sit down. "Tired?" Aofil asks with a small tilt of their head. "Don't fall asleep before you have your cake." They then turn over to Asriel and Chara leaning onto each other's heads. "And you too!" Aofil scolds chillingly. "Maybe we should all dip our faces into the water when the boat docks so that we're fully awake for the last part of our birthday trip?"

...Not even that cheered them up?

The boat rocks to a halt, shifting the ears of all six Boss Monsters. "Tra la la lala. We're here," River Person informs gladly. Their hood turns for the second time. "Happy birthday, Frisk. Tralalalalala."

That at least got a bit of a smile from Frisk.

Now, time to debark back onto dry land and to the path leading up from the river to the Barrier.

The path is bright.

Really bright.

Really, really bright.

Whiter than Asriel, Toriel, and Asgore combined. It has the entire Boss Monster family squinting as they one by one step off the boat onto the bridge waiting at the start of the snaking path leading up towards the Barrier. The boat rocks as each monster debarks, but River Person stays completely still throughout.

"Welcome to the Barrier, your majesssstiessss," a blue snake monsters wishes well with a bow of its hissing head. "We've finissshed the trek now. I wissssh you well on your picnic." It then slithers into the boat with an ungraceful thud, which prompts River Person to continue further into the river tunnel. Their hum fades like the wake following along, leaving only a quiet water remaining.

Frisk takes Aofil's hand in theirs, holding them before they can follow the rest of their family off the bridge and onto land. "I just want to say thank you, Aofil. Just between the two of us now that I can remember it." They scratch their cheek while scoffing a bit embarrassingly to the side. "I...I kinda dipped my nose a bit too much into that strange reflection." They say it almost guiltily, as if screaming out in the middle of a theater production. They're supposed to be the main character of this charade, but they're the first one to speak up against the immersion. "Woke me up a bit, if you know what I mean?"

Hopefully Aofil can look past that and still go along this last stretch. They'd notice either way, and it's probably for the better to come clean and speak up that the brainwashing has faded, as Aofil called it before it all started. The word has taken root inside Frisk a bit, so it's for the best if they admit it before it begins festering.

Aofil does know. They've known it ever since Frisk lifted their head up and stared at their hands like they weren't their own.

No need to feel ashamed though, Aofil's accidentally breathed in with their nose underwater too. It feels really strange, and even worse if the sneeze doesn't want to go off!

"So...um...thanks for keeping your promise, but you don't have to keep it any longer. I think it's better that way, because to be honest," the second disarming scoff is more reserved and slightly terrified, "I feel a bit uneasy that I don't know fully that you also know." Frisk blinks once slowly while they try to exhale their building worry. They're just rattling themselves up though with this. Once Aofil shows their humanity too it should be fine. "So if you could just tell me that you know then we can enjoy the cake without worrying if the other human isn't coming back. Please?"

"I know," Aofil answers with a wide smile pushing up their rounded cheeks.

"Alright." Frisk sighs in relief. They can feel their body straighten on its own. The worry has been lifted off them. "Good."

"Know what, though?"

Don't put the weight back down again. "Alright, funny," Frisk lies through a forced smile. "Just stop, please. I'm serious about beginning to feel a bit queasy."

What is it that's funny? Aofil's doesn't know what they're supposed to know. "What do you mean?"

The forced smile drains away from Frisk's face.

"Alright!" says Asgore through a small grunt as he lifts up the cake box into his arm. "You kids all seem a bit tired, so why don't you hop on my shoulders? Toriel, can you take one in your arm?"

"I could take the cake instead," she offers with a confident smirk as she rolls up her sleeves. She moves her basket up to the bend of her arm, and takes the cake box in both her hands off of Asgore's. "We want it to still be in the box and not eaten on the way up, won't we?"

Asgore has no idea what she's inferring by that.

Nope.

Not at all.

Not a single idea.

God, the cake smells so good though.

Just a bit of a climb left before he can taste it now.

Just...a...bit.

Asgore looks up towards the barrier with squinting eyes.

Just a bit of a climb for this just a bit tall and kingly monster.

After a steadying breath through his nose, Asgore reaches down with his arm and shoulder to pick up his children. Asriel and Chara goes on his right shoulder and…

Aofil and Frisk?

Where did they go? They were just around a second or so ago. No long shadows from up the stairs either, so they haven't begun on their own already. "Did you see the other two?" Asgore asks his wife, who turns around on the first step leading up to the Barrier. "They're not with you?"

Toriel shakes her head. "They're not with you?" she repeats with a piqued crescendo after having blinked hard twice.

"Frisk?" Asgore shouts as he turns around to look for them. "Aofil?"

His voice echoes throughout the vast cavern and into the river tunnel. At its mouth, behind a boulder, Frisk is collecting their breath as they force Aofil to sit down next to them. They can't do this in front of the...family...it's too much on Frisk. How will the illusion react if its creator has woken up from it? Frisk needs an anchor now, and only Aofil can be it.

Please, please be it!

"Can't you just ask me on the way up?" Aofil whispers while they try to peek their head out from behind the large rock Frisk dragged them behind. Frisk pulls them back behind it via their horns before their muzzle shows itself. They press both their brown hands hard on the sides of Aofil's beige muzzle to hold their head still while they look even harder into their confused eyes.

"Why don't you know, Aofil?"

"Know what?" Aofil's confused. It hurts. Why is Frisk acting like this? "About the present Asriel and Chara have? I don't know about that. I promise. Let my cheeks go. You're hurting me."

Frisk's eyes sink into shadows, and their hands fall from Aofil's cheeks, slamming against the wall behind them. Their back follows along with a painful thud, and they look down while their mouth begins quivering. "You can drop the facade," they plead. "Please, I need to talk to you."

"You can talk to me, Frisk."

"The real you."

"W-w-what do you mean?"

"DROP IT!"

Aofil lands hard on their behind as Frisk takes a harsh step forward with their fist balled down their sides and their gnarl thrown against their sibling. "I'm serious!" Frisk snaps while slashing the air between them and Aofil. "I can't be alone in knowing! You have to know too! It's..." They turn their head hurriedly from side to side as their breathing quickens. "That's why I brought you with me, Aofil. You're supposed to wake me up from this, not the reverse. I..."

"B-b-but it was dad that suggested that we'd go to the Barri-"

"No!" Frisk cries out as they grab the collar of Aofil's yellow and purple collar. "Into Endogeny! I thought you'd be the one to realize first." They swallow hard as they see no change in the childish glint of confusion and fear in Aofil's quivering eyes. "This isn't real, Aofil! We're in Endogeny. We're in an amalgamate! Asriel and Chara are our human souls. We saw our human bodies in the reflections in the water. Without you also knowing this will go from a dream to a nightmare. What if..."

Not...real…

What is…

What is Frisk talking about?

How tired are they, really?

"What if we can't leave?" Drained by the realization surging through them like a swelling injury, Frisk's hands slip from their sibling's neck. "What if our bodies..."

Frisk isn't feeling well. Aofil needs help. "Mom!" they shout as they crawl out from behind the boulder and into the sight of their parents. "Dad!" No secret is big enough for Frisk to act this way. For them to drag Aofil away by their hand and scream in their face. It's their birthday! Why are they so scary?

"No!" Frisk tries to throw Aofil behind the rock again, but they lack the strength. "Quiet! I don't want to look at them if you're still thinking they are your parents!"

"Frisk isn't feeling well!"

"Stop!"

But before Frisk can muster up another try, they're picked up by Toriel. Frisk meets her eyes, and begins struggling as they fight off the soothing warmth and motherly worried radiating from the soft, understanding eyes. "Calm down, my child." The voice is… "What's the matter?"

"I know," Frisk weeps while pushing Toriel away from them. "I know, and I'm scared that Aofil doesn't." Their head snaps over to Asriel sitting on Asgore's shoulder. "Why doesn't Aofil know?"

Know what? What is happening? "Dad!" Aofil coughs as they run at him with their arms outstretched. "I'm afraid! What is happening with Frisk?" Asgore gently lifts them up as they lunge themselves into his large and secure hand. They burrow their face into his shirt as he cradles their legs with his large thumb. "This is their birthday..." they cry into his chest. Asgore looks over to Asriel, who sighs deeply.

"I don't know," falls out of his tired mouth.

"What do you mean you don't know!" Frisk spits while almost falling out of Toriel's hands as they push off to get closer to the lying soul. "Why is Aofil still believing this? Talk to them!"

"I'm not believing it," Asriel answers solemnly. "But they are."

Believe what? What is there to believe? Aofil doesn't understand! They choke a sob, and wring their father's shirt closer to them. "I don't understand," they cough into the cloth, staining it with their scared tears. "Asriel's my brother, not my soul."

"He's not!" Frisk voice cracks into a bleat. They try to cough it away, but to no avail. "Aofil! You're a human! You're not a Boss Monster! You're an adult human! This is all an illusion!"

"An illusion you wished for," Chara reminds. "And one Aofil promised they'd keep for one day."

Asriel nods in acknowledgment. "At least it sounds like they got through to you, Frisk. It's easy to get stuck in a fantasy like this, and it's scary when it happens."

"If you're only pretending just to prove your point, Aofil, then-"

"They're not," Asriel interrupts. "That much I know."

"Why didn't you warn me?" Frisk's tail whips angrily, and their face bends painfully as they feel the tip at the end of its length brush against Toriel's head without a reaction from her. The same blank stare is cast from Asgore as well. They're just statues now. Their illusion is shattered. "You must've felt when I realized, right?" Frisk asks Chara without addressing their pretended name.

"I did, and I thought Aofil did too." Chara and Asriel trade the same look they did while leaning over the boat's edge. "But apparently not."

Frisk's heavy breathing heaves their small body up and down in Toriel's caress. Their eyes dart from Chara, to Asriel, and finally onto Aofil, who looks away as if they're about to be attacked. They again burrow deeper into Asgore as much as they can for defense.

Dammit all!

"I know," Chara acknowledges with a slow shrug. "Maybe we should cut this short, Frisk? Or do you think you can...Well, I know that you can't do the rest of the day now."

"I'm not sure about Aofil either," Asriel adds while motioning down to a sobbing child Boss Monster Aofil. "I don't know if I can keep my promise about not having them remember if they become more adamant about being a monster child as a reaction to this."

With a final push, Frisk jumps down from Toriel, who's now stopped moving entirely. They don't look back at her. It's all gone too far now. "The Barrier is the metaphorical exit?" they shoot over to Chara and Asriel while blinding themselves by the Barrier's light so that they don't see Asgore either.

"Yup," Chara answers after they and their ears have landed firmly back down on the ground. Asriel lands next to them, and his ears a brief moment later. The two grab Aofil by their sweater and jeans, and lifts them down despite their desperate grip to hold onto their father's robe.

"Dad!" Aofil yells in confused panic, but he doesn't react. "Mom!" they try desperately for a second time, but with no reaction from her as well. Stunned, they can only stare at their frozen parents as they're dragged up the stairs by their twin and by their brother.

What...is...happening?

They push their ears over their eyes.

"It's all a dream. It's all a dream. It's all a dream. It's all a dream. It's all a dream."

"Will Aofil be fine once they're back in reality?" Frisk shoots down the stairs over their shoulder. The purple from the brightness covers the forms of Toriel and Asgore at the bottom of the stairs.

This time though they're leaving those distorted memories behind. They have someone else to save this time around.

Frisk curses themselves.

But it is not enough.

"Hey," they say. They won't mention the name. Their soul will know that they're talking to it.

"Yes?" Chara answers.

"I'm gonna say this out loud so that Aofil and or their soul might remember it too, but if there's any memory that slips by you two souls, then have it be this feeling, alright?" Frisk wants to raise their voice as a threat, but it would just be waste of energy at this point. They're not talking to actual beings, after all. Save the pretend breath for reality.

"Did you enjoy it while it was still real to you?" Asriel pries. "For Aofil's sake?"

Frisk nods, to Aofil. "Thanks for keeping your promise, even if you're keeping it too much right about now."

"Thanks," Asriel answers for Aofil.

"Don't think about it."

"That's the plan."

The Barrier begins peeking over the end of the stairs. It is just as Frisk remembers it.

That doesn't bring them any comfort though.

"Alright," they address behind them as Chara and Asriel arrive with Aofil in sobbing tow. "Should we just go through?" They can see their human reflection ask the same question in the reflection of the Barrier. They also see the reflection of Aofil sobbing as a human with their legs curled up to them.

It's...strange.

Asriel and Chara aren't in the reflection.

It's just Frisk and Aofil.

Which is good.

"Just out of curiosity," Frisk asks into the Barrier. They look up to their human face, but it looks up as well. "What would've the cake tasted like?"

As if dragged by invisible ghosts, Aofil glides closer to Frisk inside the Barrier. They bleat as their sweater is released by the invisible hands. They land on their tail as a Boss Monster, and as a human.

Stranger still.

"Chocolate," Chara answers, which prompts a rapid turn of Frisk's head. "Just kidding."

Frisk won't acknowledge that. They only shrug with their Boss Monster shoulders at their own reflection, who shrugs back with its human shoulders.

"You were right about a second thing too, Aofil."

They grab Aofil by the collar.

"It's really uncomfortable when your soul is talking back at you."

And step into their human self.