Chapter 12: Questions and Answers
I don't know what's been happening with Asriel lately. He appears to be avoiding me from time to time, but I don't know why. Whenever I talk to him, there is fear in his eyes. Things haven't been the same since he had that nightmare. Did I do something awful in his dream? Is he afraid that I might hurt him? Could it also be that he is afraid that something will happen to me? I need to figure out what is happening because I don't like avoiding each other. Whatever he is going through must be hard. I hope he can choose to tell me and not let me force it out of him. There was something strange that night. He had a bad dream, but he wasn't the only one that had one. Mine wasn't bad or anything, but it was strange to say the least. At some point during the night, I felt another presence. It wasn't like anyone was standing in the bedroom or anything; it felt like a different presence inside of me. I know, weird right? All the sudden, I felt like I lost control of my body, like I had no control over my body movements. I don't know what happened then, but shortly after, the feeling was gone, and I felt normal again. I brushed it off like it was only a dream…but was it? If it weren't a dream, that would be a probable cause to why Asriel has been avoiding me. However, that doesn't explain that presence I felt inside of me. Who was it? Why are they trying to take control over my body? I think about these things until a reasonable cause is pieced together. Could I have been possessed? No, that can't happen. I mean, I know ghosts are real, but would any one of the ghosts in the Underground want to possess me? I don't believe so. The questions keep arising as I feel like I am being torn away from my brother.
I make my way back to the usual spot to think but find something surprising as I arrive. Asriel, who usually never comes here, or always comes later or with me, is here before me. Clearly something is bothering him. I walk up and take a seat beside him as we stare out at the open water.
"Hey Azzy," I begin, "I'm surprised to see you here."
"Heh, yeah, I wanted to come out here because I know this is where you think about everything. There are some things that I need to think about as well."
"Does it have to do anything with avoiding me?"
He cringes at my question. He knows how much he has been avoiding me and it's hurting him as much as it hurts me. I understand sometimes he wants privacy, but he isn't saying anything to me at all.
"Look, Frisk…I'm sorry for avoiding you. There's just…things running through my mind that I can't get rid of."
"Would you like to talk about it? Would that help?"
"I don't know, Frisk. Ever since I had that bad dream, I've felt uneasy and scared."
"It's alright, Azzy. It was only a dream."
"No, it wasn't just a dream. It…it felt real."
"It felt real? What happened?"
He hesitates, but eventually tells me.
"There was this…voice in my head. It threatened to take control of my soul and your soul too. This voice…wants you dead, Frisk."
"Do you recognize this voice?"
"I knew who it was instantly, and I feared the worst."
"Who was it?"
He hesitates again.
"Chara."
"Chara? As in…the first human Chara? The one that was your best friend?"
"Yes."
I take a moment to try to gather any information that could better explain what happened that night.
"The presence I felt," I say aloud gaining Asriel's attention, "was it hers?"
"Yes, I remember waking up and looking over at you and saw you were tossing and turning until you faced me. You opened your eyes, but it wasn't your eyes. It was the eyes of someone evil. It controlled you and it spoke through you."
"I remember feeling a presence inside of me, but I couldn't make out who it was. Next thing I know, I feel like I was being controlled."
"That was her."
"What does she want with me?" I ask.
"You've probably heard the story about the two of us. She fell down and became a part of our family. She hated humanity and wanted to destroy it. We came up with a plan that she would eat a buttercup flower, which are very poisonous, and I would absorb her soul. Together, we would pass through the barrier and take the souls we need from the surface and use them to break the barrier. The part that I didn't know about is her wanting to destroy humans. I brought her body back to the surface with me, and the humans caught me. Because I absorbed her soul, we had a split control over my body. The humans attacked me, and she wanted to take control of me and kill them. I refused to let her take control and we took the hits. I brought her back with me to the Underground where we died in the flower patch."
"How is it possible that she's still inside of you?"
"You know that a human soul can last longer after death than a monster soul. When Alphys extracted me with DETERMINATION, I was brought back to life as a flower. What I didn't know is that a part of her soul remained with me. That's how I was able to show different emotions. Now that I'm normal again, she wants me to continue where we left off."
"She wants you to take my soul and break the barrier so she could destroy all humanity."
"Right."
"But…how was she able to take control of me?"
"You gave me a part of your soul. She can use your soul inside of me to transfer inside of you."
He pauses and takes a shaky breath.
"That's why I'm scared, Frisk. She can control the both of us, and she will do whatever it takes to get her way. Even if it means possessing you and killing yourself."
His breathing intensifies as he begins to sob.
"I…I don't want to lose you, Frisk."
I wrap my arms around him as he cries into my shoulder. This explains a lot. I can understand why he is avoiding me. He is absolutely terrified about what could happen. I comfort him for a while until I think about what the next step is. Eventually, an idea forms in my head.
"Azzy, we need to talk with Sans. If anyone can find a way to stop this, he can help."
He nods in response as we make our way to Snowdin to meet with our skeleton friend. Of course, the easiest place to find him is at Grillby's. As we walk in, we are greeted by some of the residents of Snowdin as well as some members of the Royal Guard. We easily find Sans at the bar with his favorite drink in his hand.
"Hey Sans," I call to him.
He turns around to meet me.
"Hey kiddo. What brings you here? You know you shouldn't be eating here otherwise Tori is going to yell at me for ruining dinner."
"Oh no, we aren't here to eat. There is something urgent that we need to talk about."
"Something urgent…"
Asriel and I nod at his response. Sans looks over at Grillby, who is standing on the other side of the counter.
"Grillby, I'll be back to finish the drink."
Grillby nods as we head out of the restaurant and into his home.
"Don't worry about Pap," he says, "he's out training with the Royal Guard."
He takes a seat next to us and continues.
"So…what is this urgent matter?"
Asriel and I look at each other before looking back at Sans. I begin to explain.
"Well…it seems like we are being controlled by something…"
"Controlled by what?"
"Someone you may know from many timelines ago…the first human."
"Chara?" he asks.
Asriel and I nod indicating his response was correct. His eye turns blue in anger and he becomes frustrated by the things that are happening.
"I thought I killed that brat long ago. How is she still alive?"
Asriel jumps in, "A part of her soul is inside of me. When she died, I absorbed her soul so we could cross the barrier. When the humans attacked me, she tried to take control of my body so she could destroy the humans. I wouldn't let her, so we both died. When I became a flower, a part of her soul was still left inside of me. Now that I am back to my old self again, she wants me to continue our mission."
"What was your mission," Sans interrupts.
"Our plan was to cross the barrier and take the human souls that we need to break it. Now, she wants to destroy all of humanity. We only need one more soul to break the barrier, so she is going to be targeting Frisk."
"Anything else I should know about?"
Asriel and I glance back at each other, thinking about anything else we need to tell him.
I add, "From what Asriel says, she has enough power to gain complete control of our bodies. She can control Asriel because a part of her soul is inside him, but she could also control me too. Since I gave him a part of my soul, she can use that to transfer inside of me and fight for control over my body. It will be harder to gain full control of me than it will be for Asriel."
"And she would do whatever it takes to get her way," Asriel jumps in.
The two of us sit in silence as we await San's next comment. He takes a moment to think about everything that has been said and plans the next move. While he's thinking, he speaks.
"Are you sure this really happened? Are you sure this wasn't just a dream?"
"It didn't feel like a dream…it felt real. I was awake when I saw Chara take over Frisk for a moment. Ever since that night…I couldn't get myself to sleep over fear of becoming possessed," Asriel replies.
"I felt it too in my sleep. I felt another presence inside of me. I believe this is real," I jump in.
"Does Tori know about this?"
"Mom doesn't know," I answer.
I don't know if we should tell Toriel about this situation. I mean, I get that she is trying to protect us and everything, but I don't want to see her hurt over what could happen. I don't want her to get in the middle of this and potentially risk her life to save us. On the other hand, she could possibly know something that will help us and will always be there when we need her. If she knows, it will help make explaining this problem a lot easier. As we wait for a response from Sans, he pulls out his phone and dials up a number.
"Hey Tori, it's Sans."
I can't hear the voice on the other end of the line, but it's clearly Toriel.
"Would it be alright if the kiddos stayed at my place for the night?"
Asriel and I look at each other in confusion at his question.
"Great! Thanks Tori, I'll talk to you later."
He ends the call and turns his attention back to us.
"Now that you can stay at my place for the night, we got some places to go."
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"We are going to meet an old friend of mine. You may or may not know him, but he hides in the shadows and almost never comes into view of monsters or humans. He was the royal scientist before Alphys. He should know what to do.
Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well! This chapter is a little bit shorter than usual because of my planning for the next few chapters. Please let me know if my chapters are too long, too short, or just the right amount. I am looking to improve the story as it goes on and I do appreciate the feedback. As always, if you have any recommendations or comments about what will happen next, feel free to let me know! I will see yall next time!