"Nano-DT Sequence complete. Welcome, Asriel Dreemurr 111217."

A calm man-voice. Icy cold. A smell like after rain. Sort-of elevator hum.

I stretch awake in a round glass pod, flexing some soft bluish pants and shirt. Warm jets of sweet fog fluff my pelt dry.

"Asriel, I'm Frisk. You've been dead for a long time." a child's voice this time.

Frisk's voice. I met her didn't I? And what's she, my friend, doing in this weird place?

I look where her voice came but find no one, unless her voice came from the pod itself.

I paw the glass and look out across a huge white room with a far window-wall as wide as Asgore's castle. Huge metal castles float against a black expanse of bright stars and patchy rainbow clouds, a few metal birds riding blue fire. After all the stories Chara told me of the stars I'm finally seeing them with my own eyes, no more Barrier.

No. Where did the Barrier go? Why am I in this sleek room among the stars instead of my stone city under glow-stones? Where's mom Toriel and dad Asgore?

"You're showing stress signs, Asriel." The pod's man-voice again. "Would you like to ask a question?"

Mom. Dad. This pod in this room. I think of one question to sum up it all, fearing the answer. "What's the time?"

"2237 years have passed since you last died." No. I'd last died in that grassy cave I knew. Asgore and Toriel are dead now, right?

"Where is this?" Too late, I said it. The pod projects images: patchy spiral with light green blob on one part, edge dot labeling where I am. Adagie hab-station, Kayhon-89 edge-sector, outer Orion Arm of Milky Way Galaxy. I don't know what those mean. "Please comply with all laws and cultural norms of the Delta Ascendancy of Earth. Sorry for any distress I've caused you. Shall I run anti-stress protocols?"

I pant hotly, clouding the glass as tears burn my eyes. All I've ever known is gone, replaced with this Delta whatever place and its weirdly made stuff. I want to ask about mom and dad but decide not to. "Nothing. Just let me out"

The pod turns liquid and dribbles away. The warm room air brings no smell, like someone had scrubbed all dirt from the air. I climb out, almost stumbling as my legs tingle awake on the plastic-like floor. I push myself to the cool window wall, ready to face the stars. No ground, just more stars and rainbow clouds below. Howdy, there's no below or above out here. I scrape my horns on the clear wall, shivering at how small I am. How did they build this room up here?

Pale light pools next to me, casting the image of Frisk the human child. I see she's still into that blue and pink stripe shirt. I almost want to embrace her in this strange place. Are mom and dad like that too now?

I talk to Frisk. "Hello there. It's kinda strange how you're here but not really here."

Frisk's outline shimmers like a ghost. "I like it here in the CLOUD with Mom and Dad. A lot of humans and a few monsters choose new forms when they come here, but I'm fine with this one. I don't miss my old body either."

"So you died? Mom and dad too?"

Frisk nods, annoyed. "We don't really die anymore. I mean we kinda die, but can't help it. Here, see where we've come."

A rainbow SOUL icon pops into the air. Frisk floats up and fades into white sparks.

Enable CLOUD Access?

Should I link my SOUL, the culmination of my being, to this cloudy place where Frisk now lives? The chance was offered to me, and I might need it later.

Yes

Energy, trillions of Human and Monster SOULs dancing in every possible thought or emotion. Information, those thoughts and emotions piling into complex forms and works of art that exist only as light. With such power I could crush ten billion Barriers, burn the world and all its timelines. But I need info badly.

"Where am I and what time is it?"

The CLOUD answers.

2237 years ago a pacifist child broke the Barrier, freeing Monsters from the Under. Together humans and Monsters built the Delta Ascendancy, this interstellar civilization I'm in right now.

Other beings? The CLOUD answers that too.

The crystalline Concilium each have many small SOULs that act as one. There are no single dominant traits in their society. Upon death their SOULs disband as trait-dominant beings with the intelligence of a dog. They lied to these Delta people of a machine that didn't exist.

The neural Soulmakers artificially grow SOULs in computers. SOULs are but parts for their spells and machines, and their magic can read minds and build realms. They're nice people, but I find the concept of making SOULs offensive.

The tyrannical Umbral-Game Imperium burn heretical worlds to defend their decadent way of life. Harsh power games shape their empire so even their undying Empress-Mind rules uneasily.

The Tekiihaj Slaughter-Creed kill and torture others to self-strengthen. In levelling up they find salvation and worth to their imaginary guys in the sky.

The peace-loving Uuskiaz Philosophy trust diplomacy rather than war despite the losses they've taken. Well, they sell good tech and food. Best luck to them.

"Asriel, are you OK?" Toriel's voice. I almost cry with relief. Doesn't matter if she's just a SOUL in machines. She's my mom, and she's alive after all.

I greet her, shivering at what's happening. "Hi. Mom, I didn't think you were… How's it like now?"

Toriel glimmers in a light pool, smiling in her purple robes. "We're all good here. If you want you can check out our History Club" she glimmers out.

She sends me a map of the metal castle I'm in.

Tired with joy, I cut from the CLOUD.

Down the hall I find a teleport circle and recklessly swipe the patchy spiral in the air. As my body lightens up and rushes in all directions I ready myself for the coming journey. There's a big world ahead.