"Wake up Semi." Calibri woke me.
"Huh..? Are we dead..?" I glanced around me.
"No. We are alive." she laughed.
We were.. in New Home. Near the Palace.
"And right where we need to be." I got myself up off the ground.
I looked down the street, towards home, and thought of Arial. Then I looked behind me towards the Palace just a few blocks away.
Asgore first.
I hurried Calibri along with me inside and we made a mad dash for the throne room to find Asgore. As we reached the long corridor that came before it, we noticed there was no light coming through the old stained glass windows. And no eerie sounds from the Barrier. It was dark, and completely silent.
Was it.. gone..?
We found the throne room empty, rightfully worrying us both. We quickly passed through it to the back of the Palace, and walked outside to the underground's exit, where the Barrier would be. But we found it.. wide open.. The Barrier..
"Is gone.." I said under my breath in shock.
"How..?" Calibri gasped.
We cautiously walked forward together, out to the surface world that was open before us. We walked out and stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking the open world. It was a clear, crisp, night. And the stars were out in full view above us. I felt like I was falling as I looked up at them. They were so much higher up than I had imagined. On the horizon ahead of us were lights; a city maybe? A human city no doubt. The sight of it all shook me to my soul, and sent my mind spiraling with questions.
"What did I miss..?" I asked.
"Much more than I it seems." Calibri said in disbelief.
I tore my attention away from the sights of the surface world, and turned back to the dark underground behind us. I had no time for sight seeing. I needed to find everyone and tell them what was going on.
"Do you think that is where Asgore has gone?" Calibri asked, looking out at the city.
"Maybe.. I hope so." I said, glancing back at it hopeful. "But something's telling me we need to go back in order to find the others." I stated.
"Arial you mean?" she turned to me and asked.
"I can check on the Rift and whatnot while we look at least." I shrugged with a wink.
"Yes, o-of course." she replied a bit nervous.
Something was drawing me back in to the underground, a nagging feeling of both dread and hope. It was like an instinct telling me that I needed to go that way. But it of course had no reasoning to back it up. Something was not right I could sense. Something was still wrong here.
I did my best to convey hope as I looked up at Calibri for a moment. Her worried expression soon softened a bit, and she finally smiled down at me. With a hearty nod to each other, we walked back into the underground.
We found the entirety of New Home empty, and decided to head towards home, just to see. There were no signs of fighting in the city, nor monster dust, so that was a VERY good sign about where everyone had gone. But if everyone just left for the surface, why did I feel like someone was still here? Thatthey were still here? Arial and the others..
I had the bad feeling of being followed as we crossed the city towards our home. Someone was watching us. I kept an eye socket out, but never saw any moment or signs of life. Just empty, silent streets.
I stopped us at one point, sensing something.. I didn't like.
"What is it Semi?" Calibri asked.
"You sense that?" I replied.
"Sense what?" she looked around.
Something felt.. off. Maybe only I could sense it, as it felt like a bad reset had happened. Like something, at one time or another, had gone terribly wrong at this exact spot. A quick glance around found an anomaly in this area; a SAVE Point. It was glowing brightly along the street, right at the corner. I walked over to it and reached out with my magic and WP. The spark flickered and I felt healed by it, but I wasn't able to use it to the full. I wasn't able to SAVE. Something was.. No. Someone. Someone overpowered my WP with their own now. Who though..?
"What are you doing..?" Calibri asked with concern.
"Uh, WP thing." I turned to her. "There's a little anomaly here that only I can see." I explained.
"Oh?" she looked at me curious.
"It's not really of any use to me right now due to.. someone else having power over the timeline." I stated.
"Someone.. else..?" she grew fearful.
"Let's uh, keep moving." I walked past her.
"But Semi, our house is-"
"I know." I stopped her. "But knowing there is someone else in control of time right now, we need to make sure they're not trying to use the Rift. Or worse, already used it." I told her.
She agreed, and we headed out towards Hotland.
The elevator down worked for us, and riding it together was.. unsettling for me. There was still so much we needed to say to each other, but.. neither of us spoke up.
She finally gave in to the awkward silence and began asking me about our grandkids. I somehow didn't find talking about them too encouraging..
I used to..
I explained things to her, got her up to speed on everything that had happened since she disappeared, and about what had happened between me and the others. Between me and Sans.. And she wasn't too surprised about it. She was surprised by my reaction though, saying it was nice to see me with a guilty face for once.
Heh.
Please let me find you.. all of you..
Once we reached the CORE, finding it in standby mode, we wasted no time starting for the Rift at its center. The maze rooms had been left in a straight path we soon found out though, making it impossible to reach the Rift. The only way to move the rooms would be to reactivate the CORE, but I wasn't sure about doing that. Neither was Calibri.
At least this meant no one could reach it. Or maybe that was the point. Maybe they were already there and had blocked the way in? Not knowing for sure was worrying to say the least..
Regardless, with the Rift out of reach, we decided to check on something else. Or rather, someone else. They came to my mind as we walked back and out of the CORE into Hotland proper.
Lillian.
Her soul had been locked away in the lab here since W.D forced their souls to separate. I had almost forgotten about her, as I didn't have the heart to go near her after what me and my brother did to her soul. I wonder, is she even still there, alive? And if so..
Stars I hope no one found her.
When we reached the lab we found it dark. The standby power coming from the CORE was enough to open the automatic front door, but not enough to turn the lights on. It was almost pitch black in here without them.
I shuffled in cautiously, Calibri close behind me. Our steps echoed around the room, telling me it was empty. There was no one, and no thing, here. Calibri held out the Star Blade, using its faint glow to light up the space around us. In its glow I saw specks of dust floating in the air. Some of the specks.. sparkled.
That's not a good sign..
I suddenly sensed a familiar dark energy in the room. I stopped Calibri behind me and glanced around through the darkness for the source. Ahead of me, near where the elevator would be, I saw.. something..
It turned its gaze to me.
Its melting white and black face was trying to hold a smile of some kind, but their entire body was melting away and reforming constantly. Their very being was being destroyed, possibly by WP overload in their body. They were just like..
"Mystrium?" I guessed out loud.
It rose its face up and stared at me as its smile seemed to wane. I stepped a bit closer and peered at its face. He was looking at me confused behind his melting expression. It was Mystrium. I had noticed his magical body destabilizing the last two times we met, but now.. it was much worse. What has happened to him?
"Hey friend." I reached out to him. "You're uh.. looking worse than me." I told him.
He hunched over and made a low growl like noise.
"It's alright." I said calmly and quietly. "Let me help you out Rimmy." I said softly as I tried to approach him.
He lunged towards me and made me step back.
"Semi.." he sighed.
"It's me." I smiled. "I got something that will likely help you." I told him, beginning my approach again as I gestured back at Calibri for the blade.
"No.." he replied. "Your soul.. your pride.. give it to me.." he reached out.
I stopped.
"Mystrium I have the Star Blade. Let me try and help you with it." I told him. "It can destroy that monster, so it must destroy his magic on a soul too, right?" I said to him.
"Your soul.." he began. "Is far too weak!" he shouted in attack.
I flinched and summoned a Gaster Blaster firing at him. The light from its magic filled the room and blinded me, even after it faded away. As I rubbed my eyes to try and get my vision back I heard a loud crash from the elevator. Once my eyes readjusted back to the darkness I saw I had shot the elevator with the blaster, snapping the cables and sending it down to the bottom of the shaft. Mystrium came into view, having dodged my attack, and rushed down the shaft.
He had only one reason to go down there.
"Mystrium!" I shouted as I chased after him.
I knew what he was going after. If she was even still here. She would have to be. Why else would he be here? How did he not have her already? Unless.. has that monster been waiting?
Without a second thought I jumped down the shaft after him, letting natural gravity pull me to the bottom as quickly as it would take me, and reversed my gravity at the last second to save myself from a nasty impact on the top of the elevator carriage. I got into the elevator through the maintenance shaft at its top, and found he was in there to my surprise. I immediately fired a blaster at him out of fear. The blaster was almost too big for the compartment and I was slammed into the wall behind it when it appeared. I quickly recalled it and raced out through the now shattered doors.
Mystrium fired black magic at me from the darkness, making it hard to see. I managed to dodge the majority of the attacks, but a few got me, and they hurt worse than Calibri's frying pan against my skull. The black magic sent chills and feelings of fear through me. I had forgotten what these kinds of magic attacks felt like..
He sent a second attack wave at me as he took off down the main hallway. I pushed through the attacks and raced after him, ignoring the damage I received. And by ignore, I mean, hardly taking any damage at all. Even those first few hits didn't seem to damage me as much as they felt they had. It was like my defense had gone up.
The locket-!
I held Chara's locket I wore around my neck as I kept up with Mystrium. The locket must be giving me extra defense somehow. Even without a soul it in, it was a worth wearing piece of gold. Thanks for letting me keep it Chara.
Mystrium suddenly stopped and summoned black magic attacks from the floor. I managed to get around them without getting hit.
He fired magic from above and it shattered as it hit the floor around me. The shots that hit me tore through me, leaving a horrible cold feeling behind that slowed me down. It felt like getting hit with ice magic.
Don't give up Semi!
As I got closer to him he darted down the hall towards the door at the end that would lead him to the soul. And to the Extractor should it still be in there. I took a wild guess on my aim and shot a sharp bone through the darkness that would hopefully hit the control panel for the door and seal it shut. Bright sparks lit up the end of the hallway by the door, confirming my hit. Mystrium roared in anger as the door slammed shut on him. He looked back at me angrily as the sparks from the panel lit up a side of his melting face. I could see a huge black scar across his eye, one that he had long before any of this had happened to him. He had other scars now, all falling apart and reforming on his face. The WP in him was tearing his very soul apart. He couldn't handle it anymore despite having a human soul. Or maybe, he didn't have it anymore? Stars I hope that's not true.
He summoned magic attacks to hold me back as he began to pry the door open enough for his melting body to fit through. I got past what was left of his attacks and hurried up to the door behind him. I forced myself through the narrow gap he had made and tripped out the other side hitting the floor feeling like I had gone through a compressor.
I heard magic be summoned and instinctively rolled to one side, narrowly dodging black magic attacks. I fired back with a pattern of bones, but they all struck the wall across the room. Black magic attacks quickly came at me from every angle in the darkness and I was unable to dodge any of them.
I bared through the damage it dealt, and heard the next batch be summoned ahead of me. I immediately summoned and fired a Gaster Blaster in hopes of blasting them away, and maybe hitting Mystrium.
The light from my attack faded.. and the room was quiet..
I looked around for Mystrium but found him missing. The Extractor seemed to still be in this room, as I caught a glance of it in the dark on one side of the room, but I had no time to really look. I staggered forward in pain a bit as I began running to the next room. To Lillian.
Please oh please don't get her..
I rushed in and found him already in here. He turned back to me and I summoned a Gaster Blaster out of instinct. His black magic tore through the blaster and struck my soul directly, somehow bypassing my defense. The attack paralyzed me for a moment as my body tried to handle the damage he dealt me.
He swung me around and slammed me against the cold metal floor. I threw my weight forward to get me on my feet and swung a bone sword sword at him. He narrowly dodged and knocked me back to the floor with magic attacks.
His magic came up from the floor under me, tearing at my coat and soul.
Semi..! Don't give up!
I jumped back up and grabbed hold of him, summoning my magic along with WP to create an anomaly to transport us somewhere else. I could try to at least get him out of here and keep the soul out of his grasp.
As I summoned my WP along with magic in my hand, I felt black magic tear through me from behind.
Everything went black for a second.
Reality flickered around me as my WP tried to reset things, but it wasn't working. It was being hindered by whoever was stronger with WP.
Frisk..!
Chara told me to find a Frisk. Was it them? A human with powerful determination? Were they here..?
I held my magic together and used my gravity magic on it to complete the spell. I cast the magic and created an anomaly to take us both someplace else, and then..
nothing..
"Semi!" someone shouted at me.
I turned and saw no one around.
"Do not let such power corrupt your thinking." another voice said.
I turned back around and saw my house.
"Just because you can.." another said.
Everything around me flickered, as if it wasn't real.
"Does not mean you should." a stern voice said.
Fear filled me suddenly and I began to shake.
"But no matter what my friend." I kinder voice said.
Then everything began to break down. Reality was slowly shattering apart, bit by bit.
"Do not give up..!" a familiar voice said.
I woke up.
That was all.. a dream..? A dream of a memory..? A memory of a dream? A- No I'll stop there, heh.
I sat up rubbing my aching head, and saw I was back in New Home. It wasn't the place I had in mind when I was using the anomaly, but it will work I guess. But wait, did Mystrium come with me? Is he here?
"Are you alright?" a voice asked me.
I looked up, and standing in front of me was-
A HUMAN?!
I quickly used my magic to pull myself away from them and summoned a bone sword out of fear. I stood ready to attack, but they.. just stood there and smiled at me. They didn't seem afraid. I looked them over and realized they were just a tad taller than Chara was. Maybe a bit older than? Their brown pants were tucked into their boots and they wore a purplish striped shirt, proving they were still a kid, just not a kid kid it seems. At their neck was a gold heart shaped locket just like Chara's. I instinctively reached up and grabbed Chara's that I wore.
Was this.. Frisk..?
They were patiently waiting on me to take my turn.. But I wasn't sure what to do.
"Hey." they got my attention. "What did the skeleton order at the restaurant?" they asked me.
I glanced around to make sure they were speaking to me.
"What..?" I meekly asked.
"Spare ribs." they grinned and snapped their finger.
Oh god..
"You got tibia kidding me." I tried not to laugh.
"I thought, being a skeleton monster, you would find a joke like that quite, humerus." they smiled.
"It's making me less coronoid about you that's for sure, heh." I side-glanced them.
"Sorry for surprising you." they shrugged their hands. "I didn't mean to scare you out of your skin." they winked.
"Stars kid where'd you learn jokes like that?" I laughed.
"A friend of mine." they answered. "Well, a couple of friends of mine actually." they looked off and chuckled.
"You got good friends, heh." I replied.
"Oh yeah. Toriel and the skele-bros are some of my best friends." they said.
"Skele-bros?" I snickered.
"Sans and Papyrus." they told me.
"Heh, oh yeah, those two-" I stopped. "WAIT! You know them?!" I panicked.
"Uhm. Yes." the answered confused by my reaction.
"W-Where are they? Right now?" I quickly asked them.
"That's one of the reason's I'm here actually." they said. "I tried calling them both but.. neither one of them answered their phones. Which is odd. Well, for Papyrus anyway." they explained.
The Star Blade-! Calibri! I need to find her! Even with the Star Blade she could get in trouble! And I needed the blade to give to Frisk! God Semi you idiot why did you just run off and leave her like that?! Stupid stupid-!
"I usually wouldn't be too worried about them but.." they continued, breaking my thoughts. "Some.. strange things have been happening lately." they stated.
"Strange?" I asked them.
They looked at me anxiously for a moment.
"Do you know anything about DT?" they asked me.
"DT?" I replied unfamiliar with the term.
"Determination. The power that human souls have that lets them persist after death." they explained.
They must mean Will Power. When did it begin to be called Determination? Not sure if that fits it better.. heh. How do they even know about it..?
"I.. might.." I hesitated to answer.
"Well, currently, I have the most DT out of anyone else, so-"
"So you have control of the timeline and can reset back to any point in your life when you were still top doggo." I finished for them.
"Uh.. yes.." they said in shock of my knowledge
"So lemme guess.." I scratched the side of my skull. "You've sensed someone else trying to reset time and have come here to investigate?" I guessed.
"There is only one other person, a monster, who comes anywhere close to being able to reset time." the explained.
"They live here still?" I asked.
"Sort of." they tilted their head. "He decided to stay here so he.. wouldn't hurt anyone." they stated.
"Sounds like a fun guy." I said.
"He can be, once you really get to know him like I have." they smiled. "But despite everything that happened.. I don't quite trust him." they looked to the side. "If he had the chance to, he would reset time and start his little game all over again I'm sure." they said. "Though I like to believe he wouldn't." they looked back at me.
"He sounds like a really fun guy now." I replied.
"Can I ask what happened to you?" they asked me. "Do you know anything about what's going on? Who might be trying to reset time?" they added.
I scanned the area around me and found it was just us here in the street. It was chilly, dark, and dead quiet. I took the moment to let myself think before replying with anything.
Whenever I was, things were now drastically different. Monsters were free. The boys had a human friend. Toriel was still around. And so was the monster, but not in full control of Mystrium's soul it seemed. He wouldn't be here if his soul had been absorbed. The boys were also missing, and someone was trying to reset time.
I hope this kid didn't come here because I tried to reset time. Surely it was someone else they sensed. Then again, if it was me they had sensed, that meant there was nothing to worry about.
But I knew that was too good to be true.
"I uh.." I forced myself to begin. "I created an anomaly to escape.. an enemy of sorts." I admitted.
"Anomaly?" they replied with interest. "You mean like a SAVE point?" they asked.
"Yes." I answered
"How-?" they stopped, looking at me in shock.
"I think you already know kiddo." I said.
"H-How though? Monsters can't handle DT, it destabilizes their magical form!" they stated with shock. "They can much less actually use it. Unless they.." they trailed off Iin a worried tone..
How did they know all this? Just who is this kid?
They cautiously walked up to me suddenly, standing about a foot above me as they looked down at me with concern. Their eyes widened as they peered at me. Instantly they grasped the locket they wore, having probably noticed Chara's locket that I was wearing.
"Random question, but, are you Frisk by chance?" I asked them while they were stunned.
They hesitantly nodded in answer.
"Good." I said. "Chara told me to find you." I told them.
"Cha-!?" they gasped.
"Long story short; they told me to find you so you could help, uh.. take care, of some things." I explained. Sorta.
Do they know about the monster too..?
They waited for an explanation from me, so they must not. I ignored it and changed the subject to something more important.
"You think the boys are here?" I asked them.
"M-Maybe." they stuttered. "Let me try calling them again." they reached into their pocket.
They pulled some kind of device out and began tapping on it, then held it up to their ear. A communications device huh? Odd design for a portable one. And so small. The kind from my time were pretty clunky, one reason I never had one.
Just how far in the future am I I wonder..?
They hummed with worry and tapped the device again to make another call with it. Still no reply it seemed.
"Nothing?" I asked.
"N-No.. just.. strange static noise.." they said. "It's almost like.. it's being blocked." they stated.
"Tried calling another number with it?" I suggested.
They quickly tapped it and made another call. They winced with worry and stopped it.
"Same." they told me.
"Interesting.." I tapped my chin. "I'm guessing that's not common, even down here." I asked.
They shook their head.
"I'm not sure where to start concerning that, but, I have someone I need to find besides the boys." I told them. "I um.. kinda lost her.." I said nervously.
"A friend?" they asked.
"A very important friend yes, she.. has something we're going to need." I replied.
"And I need to find Flowey. He's usually at the far end of the underground, so if you come with me, maybe we will find her along the way." they suggested.
"The fun guy?" I chuckled.
They nodded with a serious expression.
"Guess I ain't got much choice." I shrugged my shoulders. "You don't mind if we make a stop at the CORE do'ya?" I asked them, hoping they would say yes.
Because I REALLY wanted to get to the Rift and check on it, even if it meant having to jump start the CORE. Anything could have happen in the few minutes I was out just now.
They smiled and nodded to me.
Thank you.
As we rode the elevator down, we realized the CORE was now active. I wasn't too surprised, and I had a good idea as to why. I quickly explained everything Frisk would need to know about the possible situation, keeping the details to a minimum so they didn't get too confused, or worried. Just about as I was finishing up, the elevator reached the bottom and we walked out into the now active CORE.
"Semi!" Calibri shot up off the floor. "What happened? Are you alright?!" she panicked over me.
"Relax Cally, I'm fine." I assured her. "I even got me a human friend." I winked and pointed back at Frisk. "Are you alright?" I asked her.
"Yes." she answered calmly. "I was not sure what to do, after you just ran off on me!" she threw her hand up in anger.
"Euhhh yeah.. sorry about that.." I tried to laugh off.
"You best be." she tapped her foot. "Not a moment after you ran off down that elevator shaft I was napped by W.D's followers." she told me.
"Followers? You mean his assistants?" I asked.
"I assume you met them while in the Void." she looked right at me.
"But somehow they're here now?" I wondered.
"It's not impossible." Frisk said. "I have met them before, here in Hotland actually." they explained.
"You have?" Calibri was first to ask.
"Why would they be after you?" they asked her.
"The Star Blade most likely." she sighed as she glanced at it slid between the black sash she had tied around her waist. "I escaped them as they were bringing me here and managed to lose them. After waiting some time, I came here looking for you." she explained, looking at me. "I figured that if I waited here long enough, you would eventually show up." she sighed and pinched her brow.
"You know me so well." I chuckled.
"Far too well.." she sighed.
"Those goons are probably the ones who activated the CORE if they were heading this way." I suggested. "Which means the Rift is definitely a part of whatever's going on right now." I stated.
"It was on when I got here so I do not doubt that at all." she looked down one of the paths.
"Which also means we don't have much time." I said. "Frisk." I turned to them. "You got any experiencing in battling monsters?" I asked them.
"Lot's actually." they said with surprise at me. "B-But I-I never killed a-any..!" they stuttered with fear.
Their smile was forced, their eyes betrayed their words, and their posture was stiff. But I'll let it go. I don't exactly sense any LV or EXP in their soul, so what they're saying is true.
In this timeline.
"Good." I simply replied. "Because there's probably going to be a lot of it coming ahead here." I told them. "But luckily-" Calibri was already handing the Star Blade to me. "We got this." I took it from her and tossed it to Frisk. They caught it and it knocked them to the ground. "That there is the Star Blade, the only weapon capable of combating black magic. Only a human soul can wield its real power." I explained.
Frisk got up and struggled to lift it, as it was almost as long as they were tall. In their hands, the blade began to glow brighter than I had ever seen.
"You'll get use to the weight." I snickered.
"As far as I have heard, it does not actually harm souls that are pure." Calibri stated. "If you wish to test that, we are both available." she offered.
"You just wanna see me get whacked with it don't you?" I said to her.
She looked down at me with a smug expression.
"Go ahead Frisk." she invited them. "His soul is corrupted anyway. He could use it!" she laughed.
Then I felt her gravity magic hold me in place when I tried to move.
"A-Are you sure?" Frisk asked nervously.
"Mostly." she admitted. "But he will be fine! He has taken his fair share of hits and survived them all." she assured them.
"YOU ARE ONE SICK WOMAN CALIBRI." I told her.
"This is for your own good Semi." she leaned over me and whispered.
She then stepped away from me as Frisk got a good grip on the blade and got ready to attack. I struggled to move, but Calibri's magic held me down good. I wasn't sure myself how this would go. Would I be hurt by it? Would my old soul be able to take it? This attack was coming from a human, who could easily kill me! Frisk suddenly came running at me, and swung the sword right through me and my soul.
The enchanted magic ran through me, but I only felt it for a moment. Then I felt.. nothing..? There was difference in how I overall felt.
"Semi? How do you feel?" Calibri walked back to me.
"Uhm.. no different..?" I responded confused.
"Wha-? But it-!" she gasped in surprise.
"His soul is not corrupted." Frisk stated. "I sensed his soul as I hit it, and sensed nothing that could have been corrupting." they looked at the sword curiously.
So I.. I was fine? How? I swear I was just.. Maybe I.. I really have changed. I escaped it on my own somehow. I was.. free..
My attention immediately turned to Calibri beside me.
"HA!" I pointed with a shout at Calibri. "I TOLD you I had changed!" I stood with pride. "I, Semi Gaster, can over come ANY obstacle! Even my own pride!" I stated with, well, pride.
"Are you sure about that?" she replied with doubt.
"I'm allowed to gloat a bit aren't I?" I laughed.
"Not in this instance Semi!" she shouted angrily at me.
"Hit her with it next kid!" I told them. "Who knows, maybe SHE'S the one with a corrupted soul!" I laughed.
She summoned a bone and whacked me clear across the room with it.
"Perhaps they need to slice you through a second time, dear." she told me.
"Alright but that means you get hit twice too, honey." I replied.
As I was getting up, I saw Frisk become worried, and even heard them whimper slightly. My focus stayed on them as Calibri came over complaining.
"You might be clean in your soul Semi, but your mind is still-"
"Stop Calibri." I interrupted her, keeping my eyes on Frisk.
"Don't interrupt me Semi!" she shouted.
"No. Seriously. STOP." I told her with a glance.
"YOU stop for a second Semi and-"
She got quiet as we both heard Frisk sniffle. Calibri looked back in shock at them. Both of our parental instincts must have kicked in, as we both grew visibly concerned and went up to Frisk as quick as we could.
"I'm sorry." they smiled as they wiped their face with their sleeve. "You just reminded me of Asgore and Toriel." they chuckled.
"Uh.. I don't recall them ever yelling at each other." I replied even more concerned about those two.
"They don't so much now, but, for a time, Toriel especially, was never happy around Asgore." they explained, still smiling. "Even Papyrus getting mad at Sans upsets me sometimes.." they said softly.
"I-I can assure you my child, w-we do not hate each other if that the idea you have." Calibri was quick to assure them. "We just.. do not always get along." she glanced down at me.
"Makes you wonder how we ever got married doesn't it?" I tried not to laugh.
"It's alright." Frisk laughed. "It just means you're not willing to admit you're still friends." they stated.
Me and Calibri looked away from each other instantly. I was embarrassed by the statement, because it was true. I wasn't sure why Calibri looked away though. Maybe she felt the same? Stars we are such a mess, heh.
"Asgore and Toriel are the same way." they continued. "I can tell Toriel still cares about him behind all her anger." they smiled.
"It seems all I do is worry about Semi, as much as I hate him." Calibri lamented. "He is a selfish fool and inconsiderate monster.." she said angrily. "But.." she sighed, looking at me. "I know it is possible for him to do better." she stated. "I have seen him in much better straights." she said.
Is that how you felt about me when you left?" I dared to ask her.
"It is why I never should have left in the first place Semi." she replied. "We were both in the wrong that night.." she said somberly.
""Pretty sure it was just me that was wrong." I nudged at her leg and winked up to her.
She smiled at me, just like I was hoping for.
"I think the rooms are moving as we leave them.." Frisk stated as they looked behind us.
"I think you're right." I replied, stopping us at an intersection. "The only way that could be happening is if someone it at the controls." I stated. "So someone knows we're here and is keeping us here." I glanced around at our choices going forward.
Not that it mattered which we took it seemed. We had been wondering around in the maze of the CORE for some time now, completely lose in its ever changing maze.
Calibri suddenly gasped and walked backwards into me. I turned around and looked past her to see what spooked her.
"Mystrium-!" I said harshly in a whisper.
Didn't take him long to catch up to us did it? He stood a ways down the path from us, staring our way with his melting expression. I stepped up beside Calibri and got ready to defend us if he attacked.
If, heh.
"Is that.. Mystrium?" Calibri asked.
"'Fraid so." I answered. "Glad you remember him." I glanced up at her.
She looked more confused than scared suddenly.
"I know him." Frisk stepped up. "He ran away when I tried to talk to him. I never found him again after that." they explained. "It's nice to see you again!" they shouted in a happy tone down the path at him.
Mystrium flinched in fear and instantly disappeared into thin air.
"Aw.. He did it again." Frisk sighed.
Why did that..? How did this kid even meet him before now? I'm beyond confused..
"Well.. at least he is gone." Calibri said. "I was getting a dreadful feeling from him." she stated.
"Word of caution to'ya kid." I got Frisk's attention. "I wouldn't recommend trying to make friends with him, not as he is right now." I explained to them. "Next you see him, try using the Star Blade on him." I pointed at in their hand. "A good whack or two from that should release his soul from the dark magic on it." I explained.
"Like it was suppose to with you." they said.
"Yup." I winked.
They looked at the sword for a moment, then nodded to me.
"Now.." I turned. "If I'm right.. west should be down this path." I looked at. "If we can keep our bearings and keep heading in that direction, we should eventually get out of here into the center of the CORE." I explained.
"How far to the Rift than?" Calibri asked.
"Not far." I answered.
"Let's go than!" Frisk charged ahead.
"Whoa! Slow your pace there! We DO NOT need to get separated!" I chased after them with Calibri.
The CORE's sounds suddenly grew louder. Or had they been that loud and I just didn't notice until now? If so, something was going wrong somewhere in the system. Something was probably skipped during the startup process seeing how it was activated so quickly. But if W.D's people did it, surely they knew how it worked and wouldn't have made such a mistake.
Unless they were in a hurry.
I picked up my pace and ran beside Frisk, helping to keep them heading in the right direction. We did our best not to get turned around in the ever changing maze. Calibri kept us from charging ahead too quickly, I kept us orientated, and Frisk was good at solving any puzzle locks we were met with.
Worry filled my mind as time went on. If Sans and Papyrus had been missing, could this be why? Will we find them deeper in? Or worst..?
Please.. PLEASE.. be alive..