Chapter 45
All the necessary thingsThe air is heavy, despite the song and dance that does its best to wash away the loss and lift the old monster's soul far into the other side this is still a funeral and these people are still mourning. Like Frisk so clearly is.
Celty flutters next to Sans' skull tapping his shoulder to signal they should follow Frisk back. "Your brother wants you to tell them we are relocating, . We can do it if you don't-"
He takes her hand in his bony claws and turns to look at her with empty sockets. "Not a damn word." He lets her go not wanting to step out of line, then turns around to glare at the other guards. "I fuckin mean it, don't tell them anythin. They have enough shit to deal with as it is. Start packing."
Celty nods sharply and together they watch the funeral goers return to Laurent's house to finish the party until Frisk slips away to sneak back into the safe house. It's a while before they get out of their room and when they do they immediately slip into the shower, leaving Sans by himself in the living room pretending to work on his handlinks. He sighs in relief, he wasn't really ready to face them either.
Frisk spends a long time in the tub, staring at their bones soaking, their ribcage almost empty save the two souls glowing inside. One yellow and one green, one heart pointing up and the other down, they wonder idly what would happen if they could use their own human soul. Would it kill them? Or would it be natural because it is their own soul? They swirl their hand in the water making tiny motes appear, waiting until they turn into flowers floating idly. They watch the plants take their place back in their ribs, slipping into the gaps between their bones naturally and for the first time the sensation doesn't make them uneasy.
Alphys and Undyne finish packing the last of their supplies rather early and prepare to head out, planning to make the best of the time they have to investigate the barrier. Though the lab is a fortress of technology and security they don't feel comfortable having one of the hosts back where Dahlia used to live; they make sure Ika is safe before they meet up with Argyle and head out.
"Did she try to read your fortune, old man?" Undyne asks, stretching her muscles, always prepared for a fight.
"That she did, yes. It was a rather interesting experience."
"Oh, no, she didn't tell you anything bad, did she?"
"Not at all, doctor. I found her charming despite her confusion. She is very adept at using her powers and controlling the fallback of her...condition. I think you may need to give her more credit." he says with some amusement.
"I'm not sure her powers are, um, reliable I guess. She said that she can't exactly predict things." Alphys looks up at him doubtfully as he laughs.
"If our fates could be so easily predicted I'd find it quite depressing. The possibility of change makes everything more interesting and perhaps more hopeful, wouldn't you say?"
Alphys smiles and nods, she hadn't thought of it that way, she figured they could use those powers to end their mission; but he as usual Argyle tries to see the bigger picture. She tried to be positive and think that even if Ika predicted their doom, at least there was a possibility she might be wrong, she also tried very hard not to think the opposite. The three of them take the tools with them and head out to the depths of the Capital, cutting through caves and old passages until they start to see patches of golden flowers. Alphys takes a few samples of the plants secretly and their group heads deeper until they reach the old barrier chamber. The tourists have been kept out temporarily so the team has about a week to gather data, they need to work quickly and precisely.
"As I said before we are looking for a solid structure, something easily overlooked but hard to destroy. All human spells require a physical base, especially something as long lasting as this. Humans had a tendency for circles but rather than a literal circular structure there should be various points that create the circle. Since seven souls were used to create the barrier there should be seven bases spread around the Underground."
"There has to be one here, it's close to where the barrier was u-unlocked."
Alphys looks around attentively, seeing the structure with new eyes since she began her studies of human magic. The natural flow of magic as well as the cave structure had determined the architecture of the palace, as it probably determined the way the barrier was constructed. Based on the electromagnetic readings she'd gathered she had a vague idea where some of the other bases could be, but was relying on Argyle to guide them.
"You said there was a chamber under here, correct?" He asks thoughtfully.
"Uh, y-yes there is."
Alphys' eyes shift to the stairs and he nods, letting her lead the way. He must have some idea of what used to be down here but doesn't comment on it, even after they walk past the seven dented spaces where the sarcophagi used to rest. He looks around until they find what he is looking for: a large pillar, it's base carved from a distinctly purple stone.
"Clever, it looks like a mistake, subtle but it can definitely work as a base. Quite literally. It must reach much farther into the ground, making it so hard to remove the monsters found it easier to just carve it into a column."
"The king and Gerson did a lot of the building back then and you're right, they built a lot of things based on the natural shapes; so that means these stones are probably part of buildings now." Alphys says while taking notes.
"Then we'll have to make sure we know where to look...this is truly an immense grid the mages created here, very solid." He says, absentmindedly reaching for the stone.
"So this is what we're looking for? Do they all have to look the same?" Undyne asks.
"They may not all have the same shape but they have to be made of the same material. They also have to be the same distance from one another." he replies.
"I'll make my drones go through the seven most magic filled places in the Underground. Hopefully it will narrow it down." Alphys says, busily typing away at her handlink.
Undyne half listens whilst keeping a wary eye around them. She never liked this chamber, perhaps because she once was one of the many to add a soul to it. It's not the same to kill during the rush of a battle than to preserve and live alongside the souls of your victims. The walls of this place were heavy with sorrow. Once they're done they move on with just enough time to scout the second magical base, hidden at the bottom of the elevator shaft in the capital; then it's time to go back home.
The guardswoman trudges in front of them, glancing at Alphys every now and then. She can read Alphys easily, her expression makes it clear she is dreading the moment she has to speak to Flowey, and though Undyne may not have forged a friendship with him as easily as the doctor had, she didn't want to see him hurt. Knowing your loved ones are in danger and that you can't be there to support them is the kind of pain she'd never wish on anyone.
When they get home that evening Alphys slowly puts all her things away as she prepares to tell Flowey that they're moving Frisk, again. She looks up at the ceiling, even from down here she can hear the noise Flowey and Ika are making in the living room. They are fighting over what they'll watch on TV, having more fun bickering than they probably would actually watching anything. She steps into the room awkwardly and asks him to come with her; they move into her still empty bedroom, even with all the machines humming in the background it feels awfully quiet.
"Um, I wanted to talk to you because...s-something's come up."
"Is Frisk ok?" He says immediately, it catches her off guard.
"I-eh yes, yes they're alright, mostly. It's-it's the host and...Dahlia."
She explains what happened with Dahlia first, somehow being easier to talk about an already existing issue.
"She won't get through to them that easily... they're going to move Frisk again though, aren't they?" He sighs, his level of acceptance seems off key and it makes her more nervous than if he were throwing a tantrum.
"That's true, they're going to take care of them...t-there's something else though..."
"Just say it already, I'm not going to leave you if that's what you're worried about. I know I'm more useful here anyway."
"The New Orleans host is dead...he-um Frisk...Frisk let him pass the human soul to them and t-the host, he Fell."
"So he's dead...that sucks but-wait...what do you mean passed it to them? Did Frisk-? They wouldn't-No way." he cuts off seeing her expression.
It makes no sense that Frisk would kill anyone, no matter how strange they'd been acting there's no way they'd hurt anyone unless...
"What exactly happened?" Flowey narrows his eyes at her and she bites back the stutters to make sure she relays the facts correctly. Unlike what she expected he doesn't lash out, interrupt or even reply. He listens quietly, with the kind of maturity she'd expect from anyone else his same age. Sometime when she wasn't looking, Flowey had grown.
"I'm going to talk to them. They're going to need all the help they can get." He says and turns as if to leave. "Do you have anything else to say?"
"N-no that's it for now.. do you want to talk about it?"
"Not right now, I want to talk to them first. Thanks, doc." He scuttles over and gives her arm a quick hug then leaves the room as fast as he can. She plops down on her chair with a weary sigh; in so little time things had changed quite a lot, by the time this ordeal was finished Alphys was certain none of them would be the same.
Flowey reached his room, jittery with worried energy, he does the first thing he thinks will help: he calls his therapist. Sylvia has little to say about the issue, at least to him. She thinks they need to do a conference call, all four of them at once, like that's going to be possible with everything that is happening. Flowey agrees to arrange the call but wants to wait a few more days for Frisk to recover and hopefully be somewhere they could actually talk. All Papyrus had told them is that they were going to send them to a place in Sweden, somewhere so obscure Dahlia wouldn't be able to track them. He wouldn't know when would that be, and if what Alphys said was right and Sans was supposed to speak to Frisk about it that just served to make him certain there would be delays.
Sans shuffles into the bedroom, the determination to be there for Frisk outweighing his apprehension. He, better than most, knows well that sometimes for a wound to heal completely you have to go through the pain of pulling out the arrow that inflicted it.
"Come in, Sans." Their voice calls from inside after he knocks. It is raspy and grave again, he can guess it'll stay that way for a long time.
"Hey kiddo, how ya doing?"
They eye him from the bed, laying on their side, not even bothering to hide the fact they've been crying and shrug.
"I made ya breakfast, waffles." He says lamely.
"I like waffles." They say, staring at the heaping plate.
"Yeah, I know."
It's painful to see them like this, even more so to add to that pain. They stare at him for a long time and he holds their gaze, letting the guilt he already feels swell and ache on his soul. He hoped that somehow he could hurt as much as they do, if only he could take the pain from them by doing so.
"What happened?" They ask, sitting up and eating slowly. When did they get so damn perceptive?
"Dahlia, she uh...she attacked a truck full of prisoners an helped 'em escape. She's like a terrorist now except-"
"Except people think she's a hero. I know, I saw."
"Ya watched the news?" He asks, genuinely surprised.
"No, just, I realized I can't see the news from here. I've...I've been outside, I saw the real news on TV and I spoke to people. A lot of them think she's a monster rights protester." They pause eating and look at him evenly. "I...I have something to tell you too."
"Yeah...I know."
The light in Frisk's eye turns hard like flint, then it's softens. They don't seem to have enough energy to stay mad at him long.
"Truth is I haven't been sick I...I'd been spending time with Zunzee, that's his name, the host here. He was trying to... convince me to take the human soul and I was trying to convince him to go with us. But you probably already knew that... Have you been spying on me, Sans?" Their voice is so vulnerable, so broken the guilt chokes him.
"I-sorta... I put a tracker on your handlink. I really thought you were sick this whole time...the-Papyrus had someone put a bug in your boots... probably when Mettaton 'repaired' them. They must've-fuck! I'm-I'm sorry, Frisk!"
They're crying again, hands coming up to cover their mouth and muffle the sound, he hadn't seen them like this since he first found them on the grave. The food spills on the bed as they curl up on themselves while magic pours from their eyes as tears and light, Sans wishes they had to stop to breathe. After a bit he approaches carefully, in case they want to be alone, but they let him and he wraps his arms around them climbing onto the bed awkwardly.
"I'm so tired...just so damn tired.. why do you...?" They mutter, unable to form a sentence, still he feels their anger and betrayal in those few words.
"I'm sorry I keep lying. It's because I don't want ya to get hurt, but it's doesn't really do anythin. I know it's not an excuse an I-I didn't..."
"I lied too." They say in a small voice turning to look at him. "I lied to you too."
Their tear stained face makes his heart break a little and his eyes water in response. Sans grits his fangs, he can't afford to start crying too! He can't be weak when they need him! But they see it, of course they see it and instead their expression softens. Frisk reaches out and their hand cups his cheek, thumb wiping the tears out of the corner of his sockets as their own fall on the bed.
"I don't like it...but I know why you did it. I get it..." They pull him in and hold him tight, he hugs them back and lets himself cry over their shoulder where they can't see him.
Nonetheless, Frisk can feel his distress in the erratic hum of his bones, the glow of his soul is still warm but aching with sadness. They become aware that there is something in their own chest they hadn't noticed, like a tenderness that's been enhanced. They can almost feel the weight of his guilt as a solid thing and some other indescribable feeling pouring out towards them, something tender and pure.
Frisk uses the flower in their eye, already burning with light to glance at his soul. It is trembling with feeling, shining a deep red that almost turns blue, radiating a gold light that shines like a dark fire hot enough to melt steel. They can sense just a part of what he's feeling and even just that is quite intense. Knowing that he cares for them so deeply and the fact he is genuinely trying to improve gives them hope and some of the peace they were desperately needing.
The following days at the safehouse are spent packing, Frisk is quiet but they're holding up, Sans on his part is still surprised that somehow owning his dishonesty had brought them closer. He doesn't admit it as often as it happens but Sylvia had been right. In the long run honesty did make things better, even if taking that first plunge was excruciating.
"I wanted to ask you something." They say, pausing.
"Yeah, go ahead."
"Did you...does your soul really change...after you've killed someone?"
Sans tries not to drop his bag. "What? That's not-where'd ya hear that?"
"...I read about it." They say avoiding his eyes.
He grumbles some swears, puts his things aside and sits on their bed patting the space beside him. They trudge over meekly and sit, but the glance they give him is fierce, this is really getting to them. Sans sighs and scratches his skull tiredly while he chooses his words.
"When someone does something, how do I put this?..uh, ya already know that souls can get scarred. When you do somethin fucked up to somebody else, a part of ya will carry it. Ya can call it Karma or Karmic Retribution if ya wanna get technical; the point is that it's kinda like a wound and if ya don't let it heal, the thing starts to fester."
They nod gravely, with a thoughtful expression and he has to give them credit; they had more guts than him if they could hear this for the first time without shuddering.
"But I want you to listen to me, an listen good." He reaches for their cheek but veers his hand off to their shoulder instead, he doesn't know if he can do that yet without seeming like a creep. "I know what it's like...to kill someone. Someone who deserves it an... someone who didn't." His eyes glow intensely at that, they wince but don't look away. He lets his hand slide off and reach tentatively for theirs, they grab his claws between their long fingers in response.
"The kind of things that stick to yer soul is the kind of shit that shouldn't be forgiven. Letting someone go in peace when that's the only thing anyone could do to help... that's not...yer not a murderer kid. You showed him Mercy. 'S just this time that meant you had to help him go to sleep."
"Thank you." They squeeze his hand before letting go, then start picking up the mess of food. Sans shakes his head and pulls them off the bed by the hand. He extends his free hand at it glowing red; the blankets funnel the food into the trash, then the sheets peel off the bed and turn into a bundle which floats after him.
"Imma wash yer stuff. Go take a shower and I'll get ya some more waffles, alright?"
"Breakfast in bed and laundry service? Guess you still have some sugar left in you." They joke, almost like they usually do.
Sans blushes and scratches his cheek self consciously, almost two weeks after and he still was trying to get that window paint off his face.
"Guess, I got a sweet spot for ya kid." He shoots back and smiles, they smile back. They're hurt, but they'd heal just like he had after all those years. He knew that somehow they were going to be fine, both of them.
The day wears on and they join the guards in packing the last of their belongings. Frisk pushes a box they're carrying into the back of the van and shuts the door for him, which is too high for him to reach he notes with a little annoyance.
"Sans, there's something I want to do before we...leave, I guess." They look at him meekly, rolling down their sleeves and starting to head back.
"Go ahead."
"I want to say goodbye to Laurent, he...I just left after the funeral and he really cared about Zunzee so I don't want to leave without, you know, him knowing I'll finish what he started."
"What who started?"
"Zunzee...He believed that what they did to the human souls was wrong and that they should be free to go wherever it is the dead go; and I think he was right. I promised him I'd try to do it."
They pause, he frowns seriously and nods, they relax visibly before continuing.
"This guy Laurent was his apprentice so I wanted to give him my email… so we could keep in touch."
They look away for a moment, Sans puts his hand on their arm and gives them a lazy grin when they look up.
"Sure, lemme tell these guys." He nods towards the house where the guards are doing their rounds.
"Thanks."
Sans shrugs and leads them inside, they tell Ceres where they're going and he decides to come with them; so together with Antoine the four of them head down to the ravine. The town looks so much different to Frisk in the daylight, the humans and monsters crowding and passing by seem strange to them. The hut where Zunzee spent his last years looks the same as it ever did, only now they can hear the loud sounds of hammering and music coming from inside. Frisk exchanges a look with the others before knocking on the door which opens quickly, framing Laurent sweating and shirtless holding some boards.
"Where yat, Frisk?" He nods, eyeing Ceres warily.
"I'm good, I came to say goodbye Laurent. Oh and this is-"
"Sans, yeah? And y'all guards."
"Yeah, they're guards."Frisk says stepping in his line of sight, he focuses on them but his posture remains tense. "Dahlia attacked a jail car and freed some monsters. Everyone thought I'd be safer somewhere farther from her so... I'm leaving."
"Sound like ya got a lot goin on." He says softening, he signals them to come in, though only Frisk and Sans can fit in the hut.
Laurent puts his shirt on and offers them some lemonade, the guards accept politely but keep a safe distance while he and Frisk talk. They talk about the townspeople, the effect of Zunzee's death and what it meant that Laurent was now the town's hougun. He was already busier than before, almost every day someone would come asking for his help, but he was happy to continue his master's legacy. Once they exchange contacts, Laurent gives them a warm parting hug, patting their back heartily.
"Keep ya chin up, lil flé. I'm sure da old man is putting a good word for ya over dere. Fore ya leave I got somethin for ya, come 'ere." He waves them closer and rumages through one of the shelves before pulling out what looks like a tiny, leather coin purse. "Take Zunzee's gris gris. It'll keep yer light on for ya, whenevah tings get too dark for ya ta see."
He puts the string over their head until the tiny sack hangs low on their neck. They take a good look at it, the scaly leather looks like croc skin sewn tight, it feels as if it has something inside, like beans. On the front it has a tiny tooth like a clasp and some feathers, the string looks hand woven with tiny wooden beads. It's clearly some sort of charm, with actual magic they realize as a bluegreen haze of magic emanates lazily from it, calming but filling them with clarity. It reminds them of Zunzee's soul, like a small part of him had lingered along with his host's magic. The green soul inside them swells in response and when they cry, this time it is with some form of nostalgic joy.
Something in New Orleans had changed Frisk, Alphys realized, it seemed traveling and their circumstances had forced them to grow faster than she thought possible. The doctor's mind was still reeling from the conversation; they'd asked her help to 'free' the human souls. While she agreed that it was the right thing to do, releasing the souls would solve their current problem whilst creating another. If they released all the human souls that would make Frisk, as the only remaining host, a target for the rest of their lives.
To top it off, at this point they just didn't know enough about their condition to assume Frisk's soul was safe from the peculiarities of being a host. They didn't know what would happen to them if they freed the souls, would it affect them all? Could they keep frisk safe when she wasn't even sure how long they would last in their current state? A human soul in a monster body was unheard of.
This was going to be an issue, she needed advice and a good listener, she needed to talk to Argyle later. But first there was a conversation she had pending with Flowey. She found them both in the the living room, Argyle was messing with his notes and talking to Ika. Beside them Flowey sat quietly, either playing or taking notes on his handlink. By luck or some sort of irony they were talking about human magic.
"...the almost parasitic nature of it. Even if it were given a body it would not be a complete being."
"Ohh, that would be bad! If they were like ghosts and can take empty bodies everything would be fine, just fine. Like repotting a plant, ploop!" Ika nods, Flowey raises a tiny brow at her.
"But you know as well as I do that ghosts do have bodies, they're merely not corporeal bodies. A soul with no body, on the other hand is not a complete being: it's feelings without understanding, memories without any real context. For us humans the body is a huge part of our experience of being alive. I think that if a monster soul were strong enough to be transplanted they would retain most of their sense of identity. A human one however...would simply not be able to." The mage shifts through his papers thoughtfully, Flowey puts his handlink down with an exasperated sigh.
"Well, what if you put that soul in a brain dead person? Wouldn't the soul just take over that body and walk off?"
"You are very morbid, little prince." Ika pats his head and he hisses at her.
"No, I don't think so. Not only would that be immoral but that person already has a soul. Putting another in there won't fix their brain damage, the soul would just be stuck in a body that is unable to move. Human bodies are not interchangeable vessels, they're not blank slates because our brains are as much a part of our identity as our souls."
"Do you think the souls know that?" The flower looks at him seriously.
"I'd say know is not the right word. My theory is that the souls are naturally attracted to hosts of similar frequency, like magnets. The green soul was attracted to a bluegreen soul; the bluegreen here ended with Madam Ika's green soul. Even Dahlia, her soul is naturally orange-red and so far she's gathered the orange and yellow. All hosts have been matched with souls of similar frequencies and I hardly think that's a coincidence. What do you think, doctor?" he asks turning to her.
"I-I think that if you're right that might've given us more time to stop her because she's not compatible with the others yet."
"Quite, it will give us time to research this properly."
"Um, not really. I was talking to Frisk and they want to see if we can 'free' the souls. If instead of catching them we turn them back to normal, l-like how they were before the barrier, maybe they'll just, um, dissipate like regular human souls? But to do that...we need to figure out how the barrier works sooner, a l-lot sooner."
"Well then, so much for buying time...Though honestly that does seem like a better long term solution. I've been looking into the formulas that were used to make the other barriers. Mt. Ebbot's seems to be of Celtic origin, so my companions in Ireland are gathering some information for me. We need to have an idea of the formula they used if we are to reverse its effects. Though the seven souls unlocked the barrier its magic is not completely undone, not yet at least."
"Well, it's not like it came with instructions." Flowey mutters.
"Actually it might've, problem is that the knowledge of the formula used and how to reverse it, was lost in the witch hunts." Argyle explains.
"They wasted time fighting everyone. We can't do that too. Not too much time for us." Ika says.
"I was telling him that Dahlia probably won't even be able to use all seven, her soul would break. Only a boss monster could handle it." Flowey puts in before Ika can sidetrack the conversation.
"T-that's right, a boss monster could absorb all seven souls if they had to, but a normal monster can't handle that much magic. Maybe that was on purpose, boss monsters are the oldest and strongest, t-they were the ones that lived with the humans when the barriers were made. Maybe the humans made it that way on purpose?" Alphys adds, finally sitting down with them.
"Perhaps, it could also have been a matter of convenience, boss monsters were rare, even back then. Either way the fact the solution was so readily available to monsters from the start makes it feel as if this was meant to be a failsafe to free them in case..." Argyle's eyes are tired and distant.
"In case the mages couldn't do it themselves." Flowey finishes. "They didn't trust each other back then either, guess some things don't really change, huh?" Flowey mutters.
"Least they knew what they were doing was wrong. They could've left us there forever and ever." Ika says whilst messing with Argyle's notes.
"It makes sense, not all humans were in favor of the barrier...Unfortunately it seems that for both humans and monsters the knowledge on how to undo such magic was lost." Argyle says putting his notes back in a stack.
"Dad told me they didn't get to keep anything, they were forced under right after the fight so there was no time. A lost of monsterfolk were killed so whatever history we had before the war is mostly gone." Flowey snarls, there is an awkward silence after. The conversation was going in circles, they didn't have an answer just yet and they knew it.
"Flowey can I...talk to you for a bit?" Alphys asks.
"Yeah, sure doc."
He follows her out of the room and into her lab, the others stare after them for a moment before resuming the conversation. Alphys knew that very soon they'd figure how the barrier was made, they were so close; but the matter of freeing the souls was a whole other project. At least they'd figured out more or less where the other hosts were and how to block human magic; the safe house could finally live up to it's name and keep Frisk and the others safe.
Two projects down...only ten more to go.
"Have you spoken to, em, Frisk?" She starts, he rolls his eyes.
"Yeah doc. They're fine. Or as fine as they can be with all the screwed up things that keep happening to them. What do you want to know?"
"I wanted to talk to you, about Gaster's journals..."
"Go on." He looks at her sharply, his patience was always short.
"I-I think I know what he was doing w-with the flowers...it...just look, please." Her hands are shaking as she puts down her handlink, he needs to see this for himself.
"What did holey hands do this time?" He growls.
She shakes her head quietly, the light reflecting off her glasses hiding the nervous tears. Without anything else to do, she braces for the intrinsic wretchedness that comes from revealing somebody else's worst secrets.
