Nemo inhaled sharply as he quickly sat up and brought a hand to his aching head. "What the heck…?" He asked softly as he looked around. "What happened?" He asked himself. HIs eyes widened as he noticed something. "Frisk? Frisk!?" He called as he shakily stood up. He winced as he continued to hold his head. He looked around one more time and confirmed that Frisk was gone. He looked down the cave path and realized that there's only one way they could've gone. He went through the entrance as he began his quest to find his friend.
He passed over the patch that he and Frisk met Flowey for the first time, but he wasn't there now. "No Toriel either. Did Frisk go ahead without me?" Wondered Nemo. He continued ahead through the next doorway. Nemo stopped in front of the glowing star. Nemo realized that he'd never once touched one of these stars. That made him wonder what they felt like. He extended his hand to it, only for it to go right through. He looked at his hand, and then back at the star. "Weird." He thought before he continued walking. He walked up the stairs and through the doorway into the next room.
He looked to see that the puzzle to get through this room had already been solved. "Did Frisk really go without me?" Nemo wondered. "But why?" He sighed before walking through the door. He looked across the room to see that all the levers were pulled and the spike's blocking the doorway to the next room had been retracted. He continued walking to the next room.
This was the one that the dummy, the calm one, not the one who tried to kill him and Frisk, was supposed to be, but instead there was just a pile of dust. "Did Frisk…? No, that's ridiculous… right?" He thought as he moved through the doorway.
He made his way around the bend and into that narrow path. Nemo vaguely remembered it, this is where that Froggit attacked him. But this time, nobody came. Nemo looked across to see the large mass of spikes that Toriel had helped the duo through, but this time, she wasn't here. Nemo had to tread lightly, testing every spot to make sure that he wouldn't get skewered if he stepped there. He let out a sigh as he made it to the finish. He took one look back at the spikes before continuing forward.
It was that extended hallway. Not having the patience for this walk, he jogged all the way to the other end. He walked through the doorway into the next room and saw the other star. He sighed as he looked down at it before continuing on his adventure through the ruins.
Getting through wasn't particularly difficult, considering that all the puzzles were already solved. But one thing was causing him some concern. Despite the amount of distance he'd covered, not one monster had approached him. All he could find… were piles of dust.
After what felt like forever, Nemo found himself at the entrance to Toriel's home. He entered the building and began to search around for answers. But he didn't find anything useful in her house, so he decided to go under it. He walked down the stairs and made his way to the Ruins' exit. He continued to walk, a walk that went by much faster without Toriel's continuous monologue. He stopped at the doorway when he noticed something that made his blood go cold. It was a large pile of dust, and he could see some purple scraps of fabric in it. He knew, without a doubt, that this was Toriel's dust sitting in a pile before him. Nemo brought a hand up to his mouth for a moment, and as he pulled it away, he noticed that something else of his was missing. "Where's my scarf?" He wondered. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked back at the dust. "I need to find Frisk." He then stepped over Toriel's dust and went through the doorway.
He made his way past the dark corridor and to the large exit way that would take him to the path to Snowdin. He brought his hand up, put it on the door, and pushed it open before walking through into the cold snow.
Nemo shivered as he made his way through the cold area. He was glad he was wearing closed shoes or he'd probably be dealing with frostbite sooner or later. He continued to walk until he stopped at the bridge that Papyrus had made. Nemo remembered that this was supposed to be where Sans came through and did his whoopee cushion prank. But nobody came… Nemo steeled his nerves before he continued through the bridge.
It took a while. But after wandering through the snow filled forest for what felt like forever, Nemo found himself crossing the bridge into Snowdin. Nemo stared in shock.
Snowdin… was abandoned. Nemo made his way through the town. He checked the buildings, but not a single monster remained. "Where is everyone?" Thought Nemo. He made his way to the Eastern end of the town. He paused for a moment as he looked at the home of the skeleton brothers. "Sans… Papyrus… where are you?" Suddenly a cold wind came blowing through. Nemo crossed his arms as he shivered. He then let out an alarmed cry when some type of fabric collided with and covered his head. After struggling with it for a moment, Nemo was able to remove the piece and examine it. His eyes widened, his blood seemed to turn to ice, and he could feel his heart plummet to the pit of his stomach as he saw what it was in his hands. It was Papyrus's cape. There were patches of white powder all over it. No… not powder. It was dust.
Nemo gripped the cape in his hands as he took off running, out of Snowdin and into Waterfall. "Gotta find Frisk! Gotta find Frisk!" He mentally chanted to himself over and over again.
He ran past Sans's sentry station, past the box and waterfall, through the weeds and the cliff that he saw Undyne for the first time. He ran over the flower bridges and through the doorway, he stopped running when he realized he was in the cavern with the glowing roof and the echo flowers. He noticed that the echo flowers were all dead silent. Nemo swallowed the lump in his throat before taking a left and going through the not so hidden pathway into the next area.
He resumed running across the docks and reached the piece of dock that carried him across the pitch dark water. Nemo sighed as he stepped onto the next dock and resumed walking. He realized that this was the section of dock where Undyne threw spears at him and Frisk. But there was nobody here this time. Nemo was concerned. So much so that it was making him nauseous. He continued to hold onto the cape in his hand as he ran across the dock. Once through he made his way through the weeds and to the other side. He walked past the box and the entrance to where that Nice Cream Guy had been that one time. He took a right and reached the area with glowing water.
Nemo didn't falter as he continued to trek ahead. He cleared the glowing waters, and that place he and Frisk met Onionsan. He passed the area with the statue that had rain on it. Nemo was surprised to see that someone had stopped to cover it with an umbrella. He could hear the music box within it playing. Nemo walked past the trash can that was supposed to be full of umbrellas, only to see that it was empty. Nemo rolled his eyes at the inconvenience and continued moving. He walked through the rainy area until he reached that cliffside that the Monster Kid helped him and Frisk climb. Nemo stared at it for a moment before backing away. He then charged at the cliff. Just as he reached it, he raised one foot and pressed it into the cliff at an angle that he was able to propel himself upward enough to grab the top of the cliff. His arms took a few scrapes that stung a bit, but he was still able to hoist himself up. Once on top, he continued moving.
He wound up on the dock where Undyne tried to stab him and Frisk through the floor. After a long and complicated series of twists and turns, Nemo found himself at the end of the dock, which was broken. Which means Frisk had been knocked over the side and into the darkness below. "F*ck my life…." Thought Nemo as he sighed before turning around and falling back first into the darkness.
Nemo coughed and groaned as he sat up in the bed of sunflowers. Never had he felt such hatred, yet relief for a flower before. He staggered to his feet and trudged his way through the dump. He passed the area with Undyne and Napstablook's houses and continued East.
He stopped in front of a doorway and decided to check it out. He was shocked to see that old turtle monster. "Wa ha ha! So you came here as well! Guess that makes two treats for me then!" Laughed the monster.
"I-I can't believe it!" Said Nemo. "So there are still monsters around! I thought that they were all gone!"
"Nah… there's no point in trying to go anywhere with these old bones. Doesn't matter anyway since this is the safest place." Said the monster.
Nemo opted to ignore the monster's strange ramblings and tried to see if he could get some answers. "What's going on? Where is everyone!?" He asked.
"They're evacuating. The ones who haven't died anyway." Replied the monster.
"D-died?" Asked Nemo.
"Haven't you heard? A human in a stripe shirt is going through the underground and killing everyone. I actually saw them about a half hour ago. They tried to attack me, but they weren't able, so they left." Explained the old monster.
"Striped shirt…? Uh… n-no, that's impossible." Said Nemo. "Frisk wouldn't… they couldn't…"
"What, are you not with them? You're a human too aren't ya?" Asked the monster.
"I-I am with them!" Said Nemo. "Or at least… I was… we got separated right after we re-...er… fell."
"I see… well, I'd be careful with that one. When I saw them, it seemed like they were walking a very narrow line between human and monster. And if they're continuing the way they are now, I'm willing to bet-" The old monster was cut off when the world suddenly went white.
"-ven't died anyway." Said the monster.
"...Huh?" Asked Nemo.
"Something wrong?" Asked the old monster.
"Wait, didn't you already say th-" Said Nemo in confusion. Then his eyes widened in realization. "No… oh no…"
"Kid?" Asked the old turtle.
"I-It was nice talking to you, but I've got to go! Bye!" Shouted Nemo as he went out the front door and ran. Through the water and to the path with glowing mushrooms. Nemo started moving down the path. "God, oh god! If Frisk came through here half an hour ago, then that must mean-!" Then the world went white again.
"-ven't died anyway." Said the monster.
"-they're fighting… Undyne…" Nemo stared in shock. Time was rewinding. Again and again. Frisk was fighting Undyne. And they were losing!
"Kid?" Asked the old monster. Nemo took off again. And the world reset.
Again.
And Again.
And Again.
The old turtle stared at the human, who was drawing tally marks in the dirt. He stopped after twenty eight. He then groaned and leaned his head against the wall. "Something wrong with you?" Asked the old monster.
Nemo sighed. "The loops are getting longer." He said.
"Pardon?" Asked the monster.
"Each loop takes a little longer. Frisk is going to win soon." Said Nemo.
"I don't understa-" Once again, a reset cut the monster off.
"-ven't died anyway." Said the monster.
"That makes twenty nine." Said Nemo tiredly.
"Eh?" Asked the monster.
"Screw it. Let's see if I can make it this time." Said Nemo as he exited the shop while the old turtle could only stare in confusion.
Nemo stared at the ground as he tiredly trudged through the remainder of Waterfall. He paused in front of the path that led to the Temmie Village, which he'd wound up finding some time around reset nineteen when he'd gotten bored and decided to wander.
He cleared the path illuminated by crystals before walking through a body of water and up the path of glowing grass. "Strange… I've never made it this far before…" Thought Nemo.
Page 36 End