:-"Daren't to say goodbye: Part 2"-:

Frisk wakes up and looks at their plate…

They must have dozed off and had another nightmare…

Frisk equips Sa Jacket, they feel safer now.

They pick up their fork and finish eating.

After watching some Anime DVDs, Frisk and crew get ready to go to the Monster camp.

Alphys looks at her phone questioningly… she's expecting a reply to her earlier message, but none have been received.
'dang it Sans, did you lose your cellphone again?'

Frisk is confused. They swear they were already on their way to the Monster camp, but… they also don't remember leaving?

Shaking their head to ignore the thoughts, Frisk approaches Alphys just as her phone malfunctions.

Alphys, frustrated, exclaims, "Oh gosh dang it! I just fixed this… Oh! Frisk… I'm sorry b-but… I don't feel comfortable going to the Monster Camp without my phone… I… I k-know it is silly but… could we head to the manor first so I can repair it?"

Frisk scratches their head… something feels off about this. "Uh… sure, Alphys. Hey… Uh… While you're at it. Wait… Did I already ask you to give phones to the guards?"

Confused, Alphys looks to the side as she thinks,
"uh… no, I don't… think so? I can do that though, we have some spares. Uh… An… anything else?"

Slowly piecing together what happened, despite the gaps in their memory, Frisk says,
"yea… Ch-… A certain someone is too shy to talk out loud, could you… make something so they can talk to me privately?"

Alphys, understanding completely being too shy to talk around people, replies "sure! I can do that."

Frisk notifies the group of their changed plans and they go back to the Manor.

They arrive without incident.

As Frisk waits for Alphys to make the changes to the SOCDev, Sans pulls them aside.

In his usual casual manner, with an undertone of "take the hint," Sans says,
"hey, kiddo, let me know if anything… strange happens today. K?"

Frisk nods and thinks for a moment… but they don't remember anything strange happening.

Sans glances down for a brief moment, then shrugs, "maybe I'm just seeing things."

Suddenly, Frisk gets an idea,
"hey Sans! I was gonna ask Toriel and Asgore if they wanted to come to the Monster village with us, would you like to tag along?"

Shrugging, Sans says, "i've got a lot of sleeping to catch up on, so maybe."

Slightly disappointed, Frisk replies, "oh… OK. Well, hope to see you there. Oh! And invite Papyrus for me please!"

Sans lets out a chuckle, "man, you're a real slave driver, ain't cha? alright, i'll let papyrus know."

Cheerily, Frisk says, "thanks! See ya later!"

Sans goes back into his room and Frisk departs to check on Alphys' progress.

Just in time too, because Alphys needs Frisk's head to make sure the device sits properly.

The modification is fairly simple, she turned down the volume, extended the speakers on the screen to reach Frisk's head (with some extra room to move), and put the speakers in a head set. The headset also has a mic attached, but it's going unused. Some additional modifications were made to allow Frisk to continue hearing things in the surroundings without the head set interfering.

With the upgrade complete, Frisk Straps the SOCDev back on and puts on the headset.

Chara is pleased with the upgrade, "thanks, Frisk."

Frisk thanks Alphys for Chara, who replies,
"right… I guess without Alphys this wouldn't have been possible."

With the upgrade complete, some cell phones put together for the guards, and Alphys' own phone fixed, the group begins to leave for the Monster camp.

Frisk remembers to ask Toriel and Asgore if they would like to go too.

They find Asgore first, in his usual spot in the greenhouse… he seems pretty upset.

Curious, and concerned, Frisk asks, "you OK?"

Asgore puts on his usual sad smile as he sees his visitor… well, visitors since Chara can't stay behind.
'Should… Should I tell them that I know…? No… No I will wait for them to tell me.'

Pushing his thoughts aside, Asgore gently hugs Frisk and says,
"Howdy Frisk! Thank you for your concern, I will be fine. Is there something you want?"

Frisk isn't convinced… but they doubt they can get him to talk,
"yea, I want to know if you'd like to come with us to the Monster camp."

Slightly surprised, Asgore responds, "oh, yes I think I would. I was planning to go later anyway."

Frisk rubs their face in his fur, "alright! I'm gonna go ask Tori too."

Asgore is saddened by that, but doesn't protest.

As Frisk leaves, Asgore catches himself staring at Chara's SOUL and turns his gaze away so they do not catch on that he knows.

Finding Toriel takes a little longer, because she is not in her usual place…

Eventually, Frisk finds Toriel in her room… it sounds like she's crying.

Frisk decides to let her be for now…

But Chara pipes up, "you're not just gonna leave her in there to cry alone, are you? It's pretty obvious that Toriel and Asgore got into a fight. You should comfort her."

After considering that for a moment, Frisk decides to knock on the door.

From within, Toriel stops her faint sobbing and asks, "(who is it?)"

Frisk replies, "boo."

Which elicits a sort of sad chuckle from Toriel, and she responds, "boo who?"

To which Frisk asks, "why you crying?"

Some slow shuffling later, and Toriel opens the door. The fur around her eyes is wet from crying.

She appears hesitant to look at the SOCDev, but she kneels and gives Frisk a hug.
"Pardon my wet fur, Frisk, I have been… coming to some unpleasant conclusions now that we are out of that dreadful place… Now that I have seen your wonderful family. I will be alright though, don't worry. Thank you for your concern."

Frisk hugs Toriel back, saying,
"It's OK. I was going to leave you be, but… my friend said I should check on you."

Toriel is pleasantly surprised, and responds by gently rubbing the container holding the SOUL and saying,
"Well, I thank… your friend as well. Hopefully I will meet them properly some day."

Frisk nods, "yea, one day. So… I was gonna ask you if you'd like to come to the Monster camp with us, I already asked Asgore and he said he will come… but if you are too sad, that is OK."

Slightly tightening her hug before letting go and standing up, Toriel responds,
"of course I will go, little one… Even with that man… We must put aside our issues for the sake of Monster kind… For now."

They are not entirely happy about that… Frisk frowns internally, then offers their hand to Toriel and walks with her to the lobby where everyone else but Sans and Papyrus are already waiting.

Chara notes, "Toriel knows it's me… I'm not surprised, but I wish she didn't figure it out so fast. Asgore probably knows too… I wonder if they fought because of me…?"

Frisk replies to Chara, "I dunno, I think they just have a lot of stuff to work through."

:-:

The group makes their way to the East gate without issues, most people are busy or otherwise looking away while they pass; so no one is the wiser. Anyone who does see them are too intimidated by the large boss monsters to try anything.

As they approach the eastern gate, Frisk sees Riverperson in the distance in Ebott river…

Frisk asks, "can we go say hi to Riverperson?"

Bernard looks down to Frisk, thinks for a moment, and says, "maybe later."

Disappointed, but not protesting, Frisk makes a note to ask later.

The group walks along the path until eventually diverging to a new path that leads towards Mt. Ebott.

It only takes a few minutes before they see the tall green shields protecting the camp… if it can be called that now.

Several log buildings have haphazardly sprung up. It seems the Monsters are not particularly good at designing a layout for a settlement…

Asgore sighs, "well… it looks like I will have to stay here for a while and help them organize the layout for the town…"

As the group approaches, Sans and Papyrus greet them at the entrance.

Frisk looks happily at Sans and Papyrus, Sans winks, and Papyrus waves.

Papyrus is the first to say something, "I THINK THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION SHOULD BE CELEBRATED WITH… SOMETHING! BUT NOT A BIRTHDAY PARTY… BECAUSE IT IS NO ONE'S BIRTHDAY TODAY."

With that declaration… Frisk is suddenly reminded about their plans from before the RESET…

Frisk says, excitedly, "OH OH! Before the RESET we were gonna throw a huge party, it was gonna be called the 'Monster mash!' I bet we could get Mettaton to play some music for it! We could dance and play games ALL NIGHT!"

Papyrus exclaims jubilantly, "I LIKE YOUR IDEA FRISK! I'LL GO GET METTATON! I HAVE A FEW MORE IDEAS FOR HOW WE CAN SET UP THE PARTY AS WELL! WILL YOU… LET ME… HOST?"

Frisk nods.

Metaphorical stars shimmer in Papyrus' eyes and he excitedly declares, "YIPPEE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE THE BEST HOST THAT HAS EVER HOSTED ANYTHING! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!" Then runs off to make preparations.

Sans chuckles, "well, that was unexpected. a party actually sounds kinda nice, could use something to distract from all the hard work I've been doing." Then winks.

Frisk giggles lightly, knowing that Sans is probably not really working, and they wave him over to walk with the rest.

The group, with the new addition of Sans, walks around the monster shanty town and speak with the monsters.

Eventually, Frisk splits off to play with the monster children while the adults work with the builders to make a better layout and plan for eventual integration into the human village.

Sans follows Frisk at a distance.

Chara informs Frisk, "Hey, Sans is following you. I wonder why?"

Frisk shrugs and whispers, "maybe he is just looking after me? Remember how he said to tell him if something weird happens?"

Chara thinks about that for a moment… "He did… hmm. Hey Frisk…? Have you felt like… you've forgotten something really important? 'Cause… I've been getting this feeling… that something isn't quite right… but I don't know what it is."

While Frisk tries to remember if they have forgotten anything, Monk sees them standing around and runs up to them,
"yo! Frisk! It's been a while dude!"

Frisk waves, then feels bad about it, "hey Monk. Yea, it has, hasn't it? What'cha playing?"

Excited, Monk replies, "yo I'm sooo glad you asked! We're playing that game you showed us last time! Soccer! Wanna join?"

Frisk puts on a subtle smile, "yea, that sounds fun! Hey did I ever tell you was Soccer was called Football at first?"

Monk shakes his head, "yo really? That's so cool! I bet the guy who made it was just like me! C'mon, I can't wait to see the looks on the other team's faces when they see you're on my side!"

Frisk giggles lightly, somewhat embarrassed to be put on a pedestal like that; they are used to other kids thinking they are too weird to play with… this is still new territory for them.

After walking to the rest, Monk announces, "yo! Frisk is on my side! You guys are gonna go down now! Nyeh heh heh heh!"

The other monster children are not as upset as Monk thought they'd be, they are actually happy to see Frisk again; he's OK with that.

The monster children, and Frisk, run around the open field trying to keep the ball away from the other team and while trying to get the ball into the other team's goal.

Frisk is surprised by how much better the other kids have gotten at playing soccer in such a short time.

:-:

The game of soccer goes on for quite a while… a couple hours to be exact. Frisk has to try harder now to be the top player, not that they want to be top player… but they love a good challenge. Several times, Frisk catches themself almost using magic to boost their efforts, but they decide not to. That would be cheating.

At the end of the game, Frisk's team wins, but just barely.

Happy, and still feeling the rush of excitement from playing, Frisk says, "wow! You guys got a lot better! That was really fun!"

Equally happy, Monk says, "yo! That was awesome! Frisk you should come hang out more often!"

Robert pitches in, "Yea! That was the most fun I've had in days… Even with that thing on your back you still beat us! That's pretty awesome. I hope I'm as good as you some day!"

Now upset for accidentally getting their hopes up, Frisk rubs the back of their neck and says,
"I'm… actually gonna be leaving to the sanctum soon… it's… really far away. I dunno when I'll be able to play with you guys again…"

The disappointment is clearly painted on all the monster children's faces.

Monk speaks up first, "Yo… that's alright! I bet you'll get to visit us more than you think! And if you can't… we'll just have to visit you instead! Yo, by the way, what is that thing on your back?"

Caprice speaks up, "Monk! That is rude… what if it is something really private?"

Frisk reassures them,
"oh, no it's OK! It's called the 'SOCDev.' It holds a SOUL that lost its body and lets them communicate… The headset is because they are shy."

Flabbergasted, the monster children all crowd around looking at the SOUL.

Drake comments, "I've never seen a SOUL before. It looks really cool."

Caprice notes, "It almost looks as cool as my hat… Almost."

Monk asks, "You, what's their name? Do they have a name? I bet they are just as cool as you if you're carrying them around!"

Frisk feels a little overwhelmed, "uh… they… they…"

Monk notices that Frisk is uncomfortable and says,
"oh! Yo, I'm sorry. Hey guys, give 'em some space!" Then backs up a bit.

Frisk isn't sure why they don't feel comfortable with their friends around them…
"no, it's OK. I'm just feeling… different today. The SOUL is really shy, they-"

Chara interrupts unintentionally, "Hey, tell them my name is Face Buttz! He he he."

Frisk laughs a little at that and says, "OK… They say their name is Face Buttz."

The other kids don't laugh… It seems they've heard of worse names.

Monk asks, "Yo wait… was that… a Joke?"

Nodding, Frisk says, "Yea, they're pretty shy… They don't really want anyone to know their name yet."

Robert and Monk laugh, but the others don't get it.

Frisk notices Sans waving at them from a distance, "Sans wants to talk to me, be right back."

The monster children say various alterations of "OK!", as Frisk walks over to Sans, then they start talking among themselves for a bit before starting another game.

When Frisk arrives, Sans holds his hand out and says, "hey kiddo, hand me your cell real fast."

Frisk pulls their cell out, but asks, "what for, you're not gonna prank me are you?"

Sans chuckles, "heh, I could, couldn't i…? naw, i'm just gonna give you something. not sure if you've noticed, but i've been keepin' an eye socket on ya… so i figured 'why not give them that thing while your at it?'"

Frisk points to the SOCDev, holds out their cell, and says, "yea, they saw you following me. What's up?"

While taking the cell, Sans replies, "thought i saw something, but it's prob'ly nothin'. anyhow, i'm gonna give you the cleaned up version that book. you're probably gonna need it when you head to the sanctum, but don't read it till then. K?"

Frisk nods and waits patiently for their phone back.

After some tapping, a cord being connected to their phone from some other thing, and a brief pause, Sans hands their cell back,
"there ya go, all set."

Sans turns to leave, but Frisk remembers something, "oh hey! Wait! Remember how you said to tell you if anything weird happens? I didn't realize it at first, but Ch… they said something that got me thinking… I kept getting this weird feeling before we left to the manor, like… as if we already did all that stuff? But I don't remember doing it? I've never felt that before…"

Frisk can't see Sans' face, but his eye sockets are darkened… "oh, don't worry about that kiddo, just deja vu."

Contemplating that, Frisk shrugs and says, "OK, well… I'll let you know if anything else happens."

Sans turns half way and winks, "thanks, bud. stay safe, i'm gonna go check on papyrus."

Frisk nods and runs off to play with the monster children some more.

Going off in what is no doubt the wrong direction, Sans leaves.

:-:

The day passes well enough. Conrad and Marceline were not expecting to stay for so long, but they enjoy being able to meet so many fascinating people… They are also eager for the party, as they have not had a good chance to really let loose in a long time.

As dusk approaches, Papyrus and Mettaton get everyone's attention, then Napstablook starts playing some music.

Slowly, monsters start to crowd up in the clearing to watch Mettaton dance and listen to the music. Some of the older monsters prefer to stay away, though, because the loud noise is not pleasant.

Despite Mettaton's insistence that he wasn't going to have anything to do with music… He decided to debut his first ever song, "HARD DRIVE." It's a hit.

The party goes on for hours. Everyone is dancing, eating snacks (and 'dogs), playing party games, and having an all around good time.

Everyone except Jerry.

He keeps double dipping, licking his fingers before getting more chips, and slurping his drinks… but that isn't even the worst… He is challenging everyone to a dance off… Over and over… until he wins.

Jerry isn't even the best dancer in the world, he's… quite possibly… the worst.

As a consequence, no one hang out with him, and there is a large gap surrounding him as other monsters move away to go somewhere else.

Frisk is really the only one that doesn't mind too much. Jerry seems like a lot to handle, but they're sure he has a good heart at least.

After all, he berated the other monsters for attacking them and never attacked himself… He just needs… help.

He needs to become a new person.

So, Frisk decides to talk to him… but in the middle of their conversation Frisk sees something at the edge of the crowd of monsters… A shadow, darker than the night.

Frisk feels as if it's familiar… somehow…

They apologise to Jerry for having to leave early, and approach the shadow.

Jerry follows.

When Frisk approaches the shadow, it changes shape and rises from the ground.

* A VOICE IS HEARD CLEARLY THROUGH THE VOID…

"Frisk. Now is the optimal time for me to inform you that the Relic waits outside the Barrier."

:-:

Frisk recognizes the voice… It's CU-270… but it sounds… older? They begin thinking about what it means for him to be here, and they begin to feel a sense of Deja Vu…

"Frisk… no time to waste. David knows the relic is there… You have to get it. I cannot touch it."

:-:

Hesitating, Frisk looks back at the party, then asks, "you mean the Artifact? How am I even going to get there?"

"Same difference. I know a shortcut, follow me."

:-:

Frisk is surprised by the statement… that's something Sans would say.

They decide to follow CU-270's shade… but they're going to keep their guard up.

As Frisk starts moving, Chara speaks up, "Hey, are you sure you should be following that thing?"

In a whisper, Frisk replies, "I know who it is… they… seem different, but I… think I can trust them."

Chara retorts sarcastically, "Gee, THAT'S comforting. If you trusted them any more, you'd be siblings."

Frisk opts to ignore the remark and approaches CU-270's shade…

The shade moves backwards, with Frisk, and the world begins to grow darker… Frisk hesitates.

"Don't stop walking, wouldn't want you getting stuck in the void…"

:-:

Heading the warning, Frisk continues to walk until the world starts getting brighter again.

They're at the outskirts of Ebott Forest now, and the Barrier looms over head and pulses with powerful magic.

On the ground, just outside of the Barrier, is a small white orb.

Frisk turns to CU-270's shade, and asks, "how'd you get it out of the barrier?"

"I… don't know. I was fighting the Horror when… something happened."

:-:

Cautiously, Frisk begins approaching the barrier and the Artifact…

But a second shadow appears and blocks out the moon from Frisk's View.

Frisk looks to CU-270, but he's gone.

David's voice fills their mind.

'Red child… what an unexpected surprise. I wonder… why are you here alone?'

Feeling scarred, and foolish for trusting the shade, Frisk braces themselves and says,
"I'm… Not…. Alone..."

A manic laugh fills their mind, 'Let me guess… you think that Sans will protect you, don't you?'

Frisk doesn't reply…

David continues, but is now speaking out loud and he sounds serious now,
"child. I am not here to take your life. Not yet. I have… a request. A bargain. Will you hear me out?"

Chara is scared too, but it doesn't show due to the means by which they communicate.
"Frisk… this guy sounds like trouble. Just… keep him talking, I'm sure Sans followed us."

They are too scared to reply… but Frisk nods, mostly to Chara.

Pleased, David continues, "Sans made a grave mistake. I cannot truly blame him, due to all the lies I have given him… but this warning was… true. CU-270 is a danger, not just to those around it, but to reality itself. Its body has no DT… Determination… regulation… it doesn't store DT. The problem lies in the fact that CU-270 progressively generates more and more DT, without limits. The more determined it feels to complete a goal, the more DT is produced… and the more DT is released into the world. It will eventually cause a chain reaction."

David sighs, and paces slightly as he continues, "As it stands, CU-270 is in a one-sided battle. By my estimations… it has died at least 2416 times since it locked itself in the barrier. The amount of DT it has no doubt generated by now is enough to cause any monster, unfortunate enough to be near it, to instantly amalgamate… to turn into a mushy-"

Frisk interrupts, "I know what an amalgamate is…"

Chara chastises Frisk, "Hey, you know, it probably isn't a good idea to be snarky with this guy…"

Intrigued, David looks to the barrier and continues, "ahh… I wonder how you found that knowledge… Regardless, the point is… This barrier is trapping all of that DT within, but soon it won't be able to hold it all. When that happens, it will cause an explosion that will turn everything to Dust. My proposal… is a cease fire… of sorts. I want to rule the world. I cannot do that if there is no world to rule. Therefore… I… will aid you in stopping this monstrosity, if you-"

A voice behind Frisk speaks up, it's… Sans…? He sounds serious, "not gonna happen."

David responds angrily, "dammit Sans, didn't you hear a word I said?! I know you were listening in! If we don't do something-"

Sans interrupts again, "No. What you're doing right now is worse than any damage Si-… CU-270 will cause."

Frustrated by Sans' refusal to listen, David unleashes his power. His eyes glow Orange once again, and a disturbing purple glow causes his terrifying form to become more visible in the moon light.

Frisk steps back… too scared to do anything else.

David begins attacking Sans, "why do you always find a way under my skin? Don't you know it is unhealthy for you to fight your creator?!"

Sans dodges and scoffs, then replies with his own barrage of attacks.

Chara is excited, though Frisk is afraid, "YEA! Look at Sans go! So AWESOME!"

Rows of bones fly through the air and dig through the earth, they seem more solid than usual.

The two exchange attacks for what feels like several minutes. Sans uses his blasters generously, paired with near-solid walls of magic bones.

David mimics this, but with more complex patterns… and no blasters.

After several minutes, the two cease… Sans is exhausted, but David doesn't seem to be even slightly tired.

Looking down at Sans, in a proud voice, David says, "you will never beat me, 'Comic' Sans. I taught you every trick you know…"

David sighs and continues,
"I am really tired of all of this. So, since neither of you pests will cooperate, I have no choice but to erase the Red child from existence."

Sans rushes in front of Frisk… They immediately notice something is off.
'How…? Wait… he probably just has a second jacket.'

Angrily, Sans says, "you wouldn't dare."

Frisk thinks back on their Anime-Warrior-Princess training, but… they are too scared to move. Too scared to think. Their mind is a mess…

David uses purple magic to move Sans out of the way and bind him and Frisk in place, then starts speaking in a strange language while making strange gestures with his hands.

The ground slowly starts to quake more and more with each syllable David speaks.

Frisk tries to run, but their legs wont move. They try to get rid of the magic, but it's too strong.

Sans is fighting his bindings as hard as he can, and… CU-270 must have never actually been here.

When David is done chanting in that terrifying language, Frisk sees his hand covered in strange black energy. He points at Frisk and they close their eyes as he speaks one final word.

The spell sounds terrifying as David releases it…

But… nothing happens?

The quaking stops slowly, and Frisk opens their eyes… and see that Jerry is in front of them. He must have followed them.

Sans finally manages to break free and starts fighting David off again as Frisk grabs Jerry's almost limp body. "Jerry!"

Weakly, Jerry says,
"you were the only one… who was nice to… me… … and… you… saved… … monsters… … … … I… … can't… … … …? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?"

Jerry stops moving, and his body slowly turns dull grey as he begins to vanish.

Frisk is filled with despair and regret… 'it should've been me… I'm the idiot who followed a shadow!'

* The desire to right the wrongs that have been made… FILLS FRISK WITH DETERMINATION!

*FILE SAVED
*FRISK FEELS REJUVENATED!

:-:

Sans is pinned again… Frisk clears their mind as much as they can, and uses magic to aid him.

Frisk creates a purple spear, and throws it at Sans backwards. It causes him to be pulled towards them and out of the way of an attack. David notices and starts to attack Frisk, but as he turns away from Sans, he is struck with a blaster.

Sans grins because he got the first hit in the fight… and that means he's already won.

David yells in agony as the lingering purple Karma poison eats away at his decaying flesh, then utters several words Frisk can only assume are profanities, and vanishes.

Frisk looks for Sans, but he's nowhere to be seen either.

They are all alone now…

A large white sphere catches their eye just outside the barrier… 'so… it was really here? Does that mean…?'

They pick up the Artifact and put it in Dimensional Box B.

Pockets: SnowPiece.
Box A: Ab Quiche, Hot Dog...?, Stained Apron, Ribbon.
Box B: Frying pan, Artifact.

Equipped:
Sa Jacket
Stick

Frisk doesn't have to think for long before they are answered. CU-270's shade appears again.

Chara responds to this, "what a coward! Ran away as soon as trouble showed up! I say, ditch him and walk home. Just like you used to ditch… uh… well… I know you used to ditch someone! I just… don't remember their name. Gary…? No… Gerry…?"

While Chara tries to remember the name, Frisk asks, with a noticeably upset tone,
"why'd you leave? Are you really CU-270?"

"Yes. I'm sorry… I couldn't face him. I've tried. It… didn't end well. Let's go home…"
"I can explain everything later… OK?"

:-:

Though still hesitant… Frisk nods and follows CU-270's shade.

They feel like they're forgetting someone… but no one comes to mind.

:-:

Frisk is back at the party, and CU-270 has vanished again… 'He's probably in the shadows somewhere.'

Upon seeing Frisk, a monster shouts, "I found 'em! They're over here!"

Frisk's mother runs over, tears in her eyes, and hugs Frisk.
"My darling child, don't go running off without telling someone! What if you got hurt?"

"Hurt" is the least of their worries… David said he was going to erase them from existence… but it seems his spell failed or something.

Apologetic, Frisk replies, "I'm sorry, mummy. I won't do it again."

Reunited with their family and friends once again, they go home. Seems they missed the last bit of the party.

Toriel and Asgore stay in the monster camp, but promise to visit Frisk before they leave tomorrow.

The group of humans and monsters pass through the human village without issues, except that Frisk remembers that they want to say hello to Riverperson when they reach the gate… they'll have to do it tomorrow.

Back at their Gothic manor, everyone goes to their rooms and prepares to sleep.

In Frisk's room, a shadow waits… Frisk thinks back on when they waited in Sans' room in the dark…
'This must be how Sans felt when he saw me hiding in his room...'

Cautiously approaching, Frisk asks, "so, you wanted to talk?"

The shade nods.

"Did Sans give you the Necronomicon yet?"

:-:

Frisk is surprised that CU-270 knows about that, but nods.

"Good… You should read it now. Don't wait until you get to the Sanctum."

:-:

Puzzled, Frisk notes, "you're not doing a lot of explaining… what gives?"

CU-270's shade reforms to that of a young child, and sits on the edge of Frisk's bed… they seem hesitant.

"It's a lot harder to explain than I thought it'd be. I'm… not from this timeline."
"That is to say… I haven't gotten out of the barrier… yet."

:-:

Frisk feels like they understand, "so… you're from the future?"

CU-270's shade shakes his head.

"No… not your future, at least. Time travel is… difficult. I am from a… different future."
"Read the book, and I'll explain more. He cleaned it, right?"

:-:

Frisk nods… then pulls the book up on their phone and begins to read it.

It seems a lot of stuff has been removed… All that is left are entries for "First Gen" Skeletons that are made from human bones and appear to lack intelligence, "Second Gen" Skeletons that are made of magic and have personalities of their own, and the three types of Lich… And the "Void Born" Sans was talking about.

It is all a little confusing for Frisk, so they ask, "wait… if a Lich gets rid of their … flesh… and becomes a skeleton… shouldn't they lose their intelligence like a first gen skeleton?"

"Well… No. The first gen's are made from physical remains, and don't have a mind of their own…"
"But, functionally, they are skeleton monsters."

:-:

"Seems whoever made this book didn't treat them with a lot of respect… Just because something doesn't seem intelligent doesn't mean it can't feel emotions… I keep seeing 'Special abilities' being referenced, but there is nothing that talks about them?"

"Hmm… Sans must have removed that. That is OK, you can find them in most monster magic manuals."

:-:

"So… Sans is one of these 'Second Gen' skeletons, and I am guessing… that means he was a Lich's minion at some point? How did he escape?"

"I don't know how your Sans escaped. Your Sans isn't a Second Gen skeleton like mine was."
"He's a Hybrid. He rebelled at some point, and David… took his body from him. Permanently. I'm still figuring it all out."

:-:

"So wait… is… Papyrus a Hybrid too?"

"Hmm… I… don't know. Papyrus is a mystery wrapped in an enigma."

:-:

Frisk continues reading through the documents, and eventually gets to the only creation ritual left in the book… the one for making a Hybrid Lich… seems he left it because it's impossible to complete now.

As they read the steps in the ritual, they eventually get to a part where it states a warning…

"- This process will cause you to feel as though the SOUL is slipping away, hold firmly and DO NOT SQUEEZE.
- See the "Void Born" entry for more information if the Subject's SOUL shatters during this process. "

:-:

Frisk can't read any more. It's too… sad.

"You can skip to the warning in the last section. That part is the most important anyway."

:-:

Scrolling down past the description of a Void Born, and finds a large bold text warning…

"Do not turn a subject with a Prime SOUL into a Void Born. Current calculations and models indicate that their natural Determination generation can exceed the limit that physical matter can withstand, resulting in said matter to destabilize and fall apart. This is not done on purpose, but rather a side effect of how their SOUL and bodies interact with, store, and generate Determination. Excess Determination leaks out of their body/SOUL, and without a natural limit they will inevitably destroy everything. There are methods to prevent this, but so far the only workable solution is to keep the SOUL shattered and away from the subject. The first and only sign you will receive that a Void Born is beginning to generate excessive Determination is monsters around them starting to amalgamate, but by then it is already too late. It is unknown how their body reacts to the excessive Determination."

:-:

"So… you're going to… destroy everything?"

"Me? No, I'm past all of that… but the me from here…? yes and no. I… don't remember everything that happened."
"I'm one of the failures. My reality is already gone…"
"I figured out how to regulate my DT though, which is why I can be here now."

:-:

"Hey, I have a different question… was the Sans I saw from the future?"

"… I… don't know if I should tell you. Uh… Well… Hmm… See time travel is tricky."
"There is more than one way to 'time travel.' The safest way is to instead go to an alternate reality that is similar to your own, but not as progressed… that is to say, there is a reality for every second."
"Another way is with DT, but that is like… rewriting everything in your reality."
"Lastly there is 'time travel' proper… but you have to be careful or you can destroy your reality. I'd say… just forget any of that happened."
"OK?"

:-:

"I… think I understand. I'll try to forget about it, if it's that dangerous… Hey, do you go by CU-270?"

"Me? Hmm… No. Not any more. I go by… 'Player,' now. 'The Player' if I feel extra dramatic."

:-:

Frisk contemplates that for a moment, " why Player? "

"I go into other realities and… 'play around' to try finding the best results."
"I don't normally do much… I can change anything I want on a whim, but that's just… boring."
"Instead of forcing everything to be perfect, I 'play' and try to get what I want with small changes."

:-:

Confused, and concerned, Frisk asks, "what's the point?"

The Player simply Shrugs.

Not keen on the idea of someone playing puppet master with no real purpose, Frisk asks, "could you… not do that here? I don't want to be a puppet… What you do… it doesn't sound very good, even though you try to make things better."

"Hmm… you've never asked me to stop before. Interesting. Very well, I wont make more changes."
"But I'll be watching."
"If you change your mind… simply call my name."

:-:

The Player vanishes, and Frisk starts to feel more at ease.

Chara pipes up with their synthetic ire,
"Man! The nerve of that guy! I'M THE DEMON THAT COMES WHEN YOU CALL ITS NAME! That is totally MY thing! Who does he think he is?!"

Frisk giggles at Chara's outburst. Out of everything, that is a pretty silly thing to get upset about.

Wanting to go to sleep now, Frisk sets Chara up on the window sill and changes into their pyjamas, then lays down to sleep.
"Good night, Chara."

It's quiet enough that Frisk can still hear Chara reply from the headset, "(Good night, Frisk.)"

As Frisk starts to drift to sleep, however, they remember the Artifact.

They rush through the manor and knock on Alphys' door… but there isn't an answer…

Frisk decides to keep the Artifact with them until they can explain, and runs back to their room.

With their tiresome run through the manor complete, but unsuccessful, Frisk lays down in bed and slowly falls asleep.

:-:

The night is calm, the barrier is still shining.
David is scheming, and the player is watching.

Sleeping… it seems, is not going to be easy.