Oh no I let it set in Chapter 60

Frisk lurched upright, breathing heavily, lost in her surroundings and the blue of her hands for an instant until she toppled over from the poor balance she had up on one arm. She thumped onto her back, eyes skimming the star-prickled, blue and orange sunrise-sky, feeling grass underneath her as she rolled over. This wasn't right, she thought. Open sky? Dangerous. She would never have picked this sp—

.

Her thoughts stalled at the touch of a hand running through her hair and along one of her floppy ears. Her focus shifted to the sounds around her. The tweeting of unfamiliar birds, the wind whistling softly; the faint crackle of fire. Someone pet her again. She carefully sat up and caught Asriel's arm falling away from her. He smacked his lips and his hand ran over the grass lazily. He was still asleep.

.

Frisk rubbed the side of her head and looked around as her heart thumped uncomfortably. Asriel was sprawled out in the grass, looking rather comfortable despite not a scrap of bedding to be had. Sans, too, was fast asleep beside the smouldering remains of a fire, slumped on his back, arms behind his head. His peaceful, sharp-toothed smile was aimed at the stars. Papyrus had dozed off sitting up nearby, elbow on knee and cheek on fist, with his lyra resting carefully at his side

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"Hey." Chara's voice beckoned at a whisper.

Frisk whipped around to find the other girl sitting at the peak of their hill's slope, the sheen of the rising sun flitting off her hair. Even in shadow, her irises had a subtle shine. She patted the ground beside her. Frisk got up and tiptoed through the grass to take a seat at her side. The way Chara looked in this light reminded the kid a little of the first time she'd even got a glimpse of her, in the sunset on the plateau of Mount Ebott. She was a phantom then, stained through with sharp, orange light, extremely pale and gaunt, with shorter, scruffier hair and stark red eyes. She looked a lot healthier here, Frisk thought. She had to stop from rolling her eyes at herself— of course she did, she was mostly alive here.

.

"You okay?" Chara asked. She gestured back to Frisk's spot near Asriel. "Sat up pretty fast. Something happen?"

"Wh…? Um." Frisk rubbed her head. "…Bad dream, I guess."

"And the old you would've never slept out under the sky like that." She smiled wryly. "That happened to me a lot, too. Don't worry. You're safe."

Frisk blinked. "But how'd you—?"

"You didn't forget already that I was inside your head, did you?"

"A-Ah!" Frisk squeaked. "H-How much did you see?!"

"Enough." She cut her eyes at her. "Don't worry. I was like you, too. Still not totally over it. Out in the air; under a roof, doesn't matter sometimes, does it?"

"…Yeah." Frisk rubbed her head. "Even back home. Sometimes I'd just… have a dream or something and wake up all weird." Her eyes widened and the fur on her cheeks flushed a faint purple. "Um! P-Please don't tell anyone!"

"Don't worry." Her gaze drifted away to the sky. "I… never told anyone my whole deal, either. Mom'd never let me out of her sight again."

"Right?!" Frisk said.

"But… Who knows? Maybe it would've been better." Chara smirked. "Guess that'll always be a mystery, yeah?"

.

Frisk flinched. She was overcome with an ache in her chest. She snuck a little closer and reached out to hug Chara tight. The girl jolted, looking at the shorter kid with wide eyes.

"I'm alright," she said.

"I know. I know, just…" Frisk wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't fair. To know that someone else knew how she felt from personal experience— that was horrible. And to think that Chara wouldn't get a chance to talk to their mom back home about it— a nightmare. She pouted. "I… I'm so glad you found them."

"Huh…?" Chara blinked. She stared at Frisk blankly for a moment. She sighed and let out a quiet laugh. "You little nerd. I… Hah… I'm glad you did, too." She patted the kid's head with gentle fingers, her gaze drifting off to the sliver of sunrise. "I'm still pretty surprised, to be honest. That you took everything so well, I mean."

Frisk barked out a laugh so loud that she immediately put her hands over her snout to stifle it. "W-Well?" She lowered her voice. "I thought I was a trash-mess!"

Chara snickered. "You're thinking of me. Sorry for trying to make you hit me."

"S'okay." She slumped in where she sat, running her claws through her hair. "I just can't believe… It's kinda nuts, right?"

"Mhm."

"I'm glad you're here."

The girl's eyes bugged out. "Oh. Ah…" Her face flushed slightly. "Thank you."

.

Chara stretched, cracking her knuckles, and then leaned back, supporting herself with her hands. "So. What'd you dream about?"

"Weird stuff," Frisk said. "Like… I was a shadow, I think. And this purple thing kept biting my arms. And then I went into this black lake, I think, and there was a red river that I started to swim in." She rubbed her head. "It just kinda made me dizzy."

"Weird," Chara agreed. "Have you been seeing any memories? Or things from home?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe a little bit."

"Your dad came through a couple times, yeah?"

Frisk nodded. "He seemed so worried," she said. "I know he's been trying to tell me stuff. I hope it hasn't been too much time over there. I mean… Enough for… some chaotic time movements, though? I dunno."

"I have literally no idea," Chara said. "Is he the only one you've seen?"

"I think I saw Paps in a weird vision, but it was so quick." The kid pouted. "I don't think I've seen real Sans. It sucks. Literally still don't even know if he's awake."

Chara scowled at nothing, her gaze distant and steadfast. She grabbed Frisk's hand and squeezed it. "We'll figure it out."

.

Soft steps crinkled the grass behind them and Chara tilted her head back and cracked a smile.

"Are you two staying up?" Papyrus asked, sneaking up to sit with them. "It's alright if I stop pretending to sleep now?"

"Why were you pretending to sleep?" she asked with a laugh.

"Well! It was quiet! And I was just thinking about some things and I didn't want to wake anybody up." He sat behind his sister and scooped her into a hug, then shot Frisk a smile and patted her head affectionately. "Did I overhear you had a strange dream, friend? Are you feeling any better?"

Frisk shrugged. "Little bit." After a moment of thought, she smiled. "I, um… It's nice, actually. To be back somewhere that's not super dangerous."

"After what you told us, I don't blame you at all" he said.

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"Was something bothering you, Papy?" Chara asked.

"Not really, but thank you for asking," he said. "After what we talked about yesterday, I was mostly just skullstorming some decept mazes, but I was also thinking about plants, honestly."

"The hyacinth, still?" she asked. "Is it really that strange?"

"Well! Slightly. We're going back to town for a little this morning, right? I can just go ask the shopkeeper if she meant anything, I suppose," he said.

"If you really think it's that important." She turned to Frisk. "Hey, um, I was gonna ask—"

.

"Guuuyyyss…" Asriel dragged himself over to them, blinking heavily as he flopped around Frisk. "What're you taaaaalking about?"

"Morning, fuzzball," Chara said.

"Hey, Az." Frisk turned to give him a hug and he gladly snuggled her up.

"Good morning, new friend! I hope you slept well," Papyrus said.

"Mmmhm." He closed his eyes and smiled sleepily as he rested his chin on Frisk's head. "Best sleep I've had in a month."

"Well, that's something, at least!" the skeleton said brightly. "Hey. Can you tell me something? Are you filled to the brim with regrets?"

Chara spluttered. "Papy!"

"Oh, yeah, for sure," Asriel agreed. He opened one eye. "Why?"

"It's about that flower you got," Chara said. "He's practically obsessed."

"It's just that, my first time going there, the plants she gave me fixed the weird popping in the back of my neck," Papyrus said, "and when you went, the yellow rose and the lotus she gave you made a tea that helped you sleep after… You know. Didn't it?"

The girl's brow furrowed slightly. She sighed. "Fine. Are you going to try making a potion with the stuff or something?"

"Mmmmaybe," he said, turning to Asriel. "Would you be okay with that?"

"Mhm, sure, do whatever you like," he said.

"I think he's still asleep," Frisk teased.

He shushed her and snickered, squishing her floppy ears.

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Chara chuckled. She turned to Frisk. "Anyway. Like I was saying before this hairball interrupted." She had to hold back a smile as Asriel blew a raspberry at her. "…I was thinking, Sans and I might take a break today. Are you okay with that?"

"Take a break from what?" Asriel asked.

"Soul work," Chara answered.

Though Asriel looked confused, Frisk couldn't help a worried frown. Chara cast a glance back at the dozing skeleton near the fire.

"He did a lot yesterday. He's gonna need the rest." She hesitated and gripped her fingers tightly into her hand, then shot Frisk an apologetic look. "I know it's important for you guys, but we fused a lot yesterday, not to mention that other stuff. I'm not sure if it's s—"

"Oh! R-Right! Right, sorry," Frisk said swiftly. "I forgot that was all the same day. Y-Yeah. Of course. If anything happened to him…" She shook her head.

"It's prudent, also," Chara said. "Relax a day instead of pushing himself to collapse later."

"You don't need to convince me," Frisk assured her. "Yeah, definitely rest today."

Chara smiled. "Thanks."

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"What's fused?" Asriel asked.

Chara looked at him, wide-eyed. "Uh. Well…"

"We could show them, couldn't we?" Papyrus asked, a glimmer in his eye. "Frisk wanted to learn, didn't you, Frisk?"

"Oh! That!" She perked up. "C-Can I? I mean…! If I could, I would really love to!"

"And you have the perfect victim," Chara teased, elbowing Asriel.

"I have literally no idea what's going on," he said.

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Chara got to her feet. She pulled a small length of chord from her pocket and tied her hair into a short ponytail, then pointed down the hill. It was a fairly steep slope that lead down to a stretch of grassy field littered with yellow and white flowers, like dandelions.

"That should be far enough, right?"

"I think so!" Papyrus hopped upright, offering Frisk his hand to pull her up, too.

"Far enough for what?" Asriel asked.

"To not wake Sans up," Chara said. She beckoned to them. "Come on."

.

The girl walked with careful feet, and Papyrus pranced after her without a care.

"So, uh, what's all this exactly?" Asriel asked.

"I told you she shared her soul with Sans, right?" Frisk said quietly.

"Wh… Oh!" He suddenly looked much more awake, but he hurried to quiet himself. "Oh! That's what…?! Wait. She's gonna show you… and me?" His eyes lit up. "We can try it?!"

"If you're okay with it," she said.

"Well, yeah," he assured her. "A… safe version of that, that can't be anything but awesome, right?!"

"If I can do it," she said.

"And, like, if it's the two of us, it wouldn't be nearly as weird for you as just becoming bones, I bet," he said.

"I think it'd be cool," she said. "But if you change your mind—"

"Why would I?" He looked at her blankly.

Frisk tilted her head. "Well…" Her eyes darted towards Chara. "I mean…"

Asriel's brow furrowed. He followed her gaze and his mouth fell open. "O-Oh. Right." He gulped, then quickly shook his head, tossing his ears. "This is nothing like that at all! So don't wo—!" He stood up too fast and his paw slipped on the grass right at the edge of the hill, sending him unceremoniously rolling with a shrill bleat. He smacked right into Chara at the bottom and they both flopped heavily into the flowers.

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Frisk couldn't help but crack up, but tried to keep quiet as she hurried down to join them. "You okay?"

Facedown, Asriel grumbled, "Baaaah…"

"We're fiiiine," Chara said, rubbing her head as Papyrus pulled her to her feet.

Frisk snickered. She grabbed Asriel's arm but he heaved himself up on his own, spitting some grass from his mouth.

"God of Hyper Rolling!" she said.

"Pah! You know it!" He laughed and rubbed his head. "Ow."

"No wonder you named half your moves after chaos," Chara said.

Asriel shrugged widely and grinned.

.

"You name all your moves?!" Papyrus beamed. "I've been working on that, too! I told you, sister, it's not completely dorky!"

"Yes it is, he's a complete dork," she said, but she smiled, eyes glinting.

"Frisk's doing it, too," Asriel said defensively. "Chrono Shift!"

"…Really?" Chara cut her eyes at Frisk.

Frisk shrugged and nodded. Chara grinned and nudged her teasingly.

"Well, I already knew she was a dork," she said.

"True," Frisk said.

"Hey." Asriel levelled his finger at Chara. "Crimson. Claymore."

"That was your idea!" she retorted.

"Oh! Is that why you do that red blade on your swords?" Papyrus asked innocently.

"HAH!" Asriel barked.

Chara gasped dramatically. "Traitor!" She reached out to grab the skeleton, but he cackled and nimbly dodged away. Chara put on a serious face and gave chase. "Get back here, bone boy!"

.

Papyrus was much faster than she was, but gave up quickly, turning and catching her in his arms, letting her momentum knock them both over. The skeleton laughed loudly, and Chara snickered, too. Asriel couldn't help his eyes lighting up. Frisk plunked herself in the grass beside him and took hold of his hand. He gave her a squeeze.

"I haven't heard her laugh like that since we were little," he said quietly. His gaze drifted far away for a few seconds, but he shook his head and looked at Frisk with a big, sympathetic smile. He took hold of her face in both hands. "Thanks for this."

"Me? Wh-What'd I do?" she said.

"Everything. If you hadn't… If you hadn't been you, then… Who knows where she'd be." He booped the end of his snout against hers. "Hey. Don't worry so much, okay?"

"…Huh?" She blinked. "What d'you mean?"

"I know it's been rough out here," he said, "but you're doing a good job, okay? And I really think you've been doing a good job ever since you fell down that stupid hole."

"Jumped," she said under her breath.

"Whatever. Point is." He poked her on the forehead. "Relax this brain thingy of yours. And give yourself a little more credit, okay?"

"Kay. I'll try," Frisk said.

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Asriel nodded approvingly and got to his feet. A little ways away, Papyrus and Chara had pulled themselves out of the flowers as well.

"Okay, okay," Chara said. "You guys ready? Oh! And Frisk? This'll definitely break your disguise, so…"

"Oh! Right. Makes sense." Frisk pinched her ring between two fingers and closed her eyes. With a burst of her soul, her body glowed white-blue and her goat-like monster form shattered into sparkles as the amethyst stones on the ring swirled with magic. She sniffled and rubbed her face with her palm. "Bleh! Still weird."

Asriel snickered and gently mussed up her hair. "Okay. So… Like, this is safe, right?"

"Completely! We've done it a dozen times or more!" Papyrus assured them.

"Just, hold your memories close," Chara said.

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She crossed the grass to Frisk and grabbed her hand to hold it, palm up. Using her fingertip, she drew a line from the kid's hand to where the red soul glowed in her chest. "It doesn't have to be exactly like this, but I find it easiest from the hand. You need to visualize a pathway from your soul to there. Like… a vein, I guess. You're not projecting magic, but the soul itself, get it?"

"I'm not sure," Frisk said.

"Think about it. A monster's soul is connected to every single inch of their body. They are their souls. But us, I know we hardly have any connection points at all. We don't have to be that way, though. You'll know it's working if you start to get dizzy."

Frisk's hand went to her soul spot. She could feel the warm energy there, its hum melding with her heartbeat. "And just imagining it is enough?"

"Magic has rules but, really, it's driven by what you can imagine, isn't it?" Papyrus said.

"Azzy's dumb super moves are proof, right?" Chara said with a sideways grin.

"Uh, I think you mean super awesome Boss moves," Asriel said, crossing his arms and puffing up proudly.

"Wait, are you a boss monster?" Papyrus's eyes lit right up. "Oh my god! Can you show me your moves?!"

"Heck yeah I will!"

.

"Okay, okay, stop deviating, you knuckleheads," Chara said. She turned to Frisk. "Sorry. Where was I?"

"…Soul veins?" Frisk suggested.

"Ah! Right. So. That's a thing. It's easier than it sounds. But… the real kicker is this: you need to cast a time bubble on your body at the same time."

"A… time bubble?" Frisk repeated curiously. "On me?"

"Ooh. Have you not…?"

Frisk shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Well…" Chara frowned thoughtfully. "I think that's okay. This thing, the only reason I can even do it is because of this." She put her hand to her chest and let the glimmer of her red soul shine out. It lit across her irises as well. "This soul that I… stole."

"That abandoned soul that you found," Papyrus corrected.

"Whatever. The point is. It has time magic in it," she said. "Without it, this method isn't possible. But, Frisk, you should be fine. I mean, unless… y'know, like I said, this is a thing only people from this world can do."

"If it is, we'll find out pretty quickly, I think," Papyrus said.

Chara nodded. "Mhm! So! Use your time magic—"

"Chrono Shift," Asriel said, trying to hide a smile.

The girl gave him an incredulous glance and he grinned bashfully. She sighed and shrugged.

"Use Chrono Shift on yourself," she continued. "Pause your body. It allows you to pull your soul back into yourself and reverse the monster all at once when you do that. Both of you will come out completely normal. Um. In theory. I mean, it's never not worked for us."

"O-Oh! Okay. That sounds… I think that sounds okay. I've never done it to myself," Frisk said, "but I guess I don't see why I couldn't."

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"Oh! Another very important thing," Papyrus said, sticking a finger in the air, "is to make yourself very large!"

"Ooh. Right," Chara said. "You'll need to store your human body inside your monster one."

"We've found that usually inside the chest is best," the skeleton said, jabbing his thumb against his sternum. "So! Just make yourself larger than normal."

"Whatever normal is," Asriel joked.

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Frisk nodded. She remembered when Chara and Sans had soulbonded to do their work, they'd shown her a red glow inside their chest cavity. "Do we get to pick what we look like?" she asked.

"Did you pick when you fused with Sans?" Chara asked curiously.

Frisk tilted her head. "Umm… No. I don't think so. We just kinda came out like a dragon thing."

Chara nodded. "It's the same with us. I mean, not the dragon thing, but it seems like it just sort of happens. But there's little things. Like our clothes. And if I tie my hair back, it can change… Ah." She shot Papyrus a smile. "Let's just show them. You ready?"

"Always am, sister!" Papyrus said brightly.

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Chara waved at the others to give them some space, and then held out her hand and closed her eyes. A spark of red light flared in her palm, not a projection of magic, but bright and with the faintest of heart-shape in its form. She offered it to Papyrus. He grinned, the orange-amber light of his soul sparkled in his hand and, as soon as he grabbed her, they flared up in a whirlwind of magic like a towering inferno.

.

Asriel's jaw dropped and he shielded his eyes with his arm. Frisk squeaked but couldn't help a look of awe as the orange and red spiral loomed up above them. Almost as quickly as it had materialized, the magic blew away like streamers of flame, revealing a massive, proud, four-armed skeleton in knightly silver armour that was emblazoned with a bright, orange soul-mark. In place of gloves or gauntlets, orange and amber wrappings wound around their hands and forearms, as if they were ready for a brawl. Their red scarf billowed behind them, long and flickering as if dissolving into fire at the end.

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The skeleton shot the others a big, confident smile. Though they had Papyrus's fangs, their face was more rounded than his was, with a more triangular jaw. They had two short, upward curving horns at the temples. One eye lit up in amber while the other was crimson, each side with a straight, black cut down their cheek from the centre of the socket. There were also two orange dots on each of their cheekbones.

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Asriel gawked, but Frisk couldn't help but beam, her eyes shimmering.

"Oh my god you guys look so cool!" she said.

"Ha! Thank you very much, friend!" Their voice was doubled— both that of Chara and Papyrus at once in an even split. "There! Very simple!" They bent down and moved their scarf aside to show below into their boney chest cavity, and also pointed to a gap in their armour under their arms.

Frisk leaned in curiously. A red light shone inside their entire ribcage, different from the soul that beamed out, identical to the colour of the one on their breastplate.

"That's where we hide the body, nyah ha ha!" They put a hand to their face and smirked sideways at themselves. "And, no, we can't stop laughing like that. I tried." They looked down at themselves and smiled with amusement, putting a hand to their chest. "Though I don't know why you would, sister!" They shrugged at themselves. "It doesn't suit me! But! Anyway! What do you think?!"

.

Asriel merely stammered incoherently in response. The big skeleton snickered and knelt down, grabbing his fuzzy cheeks in their upper hands.

"Azzy, relax! It's still us," they assured him.

"I know but holy crap," he squeaked. "I never…" He grabbed their cheeks, too. "It's so awesome."

They beamed and cackled, bumping their brow to his, and then shot a smile Frisk's way. They rested one of their lower hands on her head and ruffled her hair affectionately. "I think I mentioned, but when Sans and I did this the first time, it was totally by accident and it still worked. So I think it's easy enough that it won't give you too much trouble."

"Right!" She nodded. "If… If it's a thing I can do, I'm definitely gonna do it."

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"Oh hey, it's the Papyrara." Sans had appeared behind them, sitting casually at the base of the hill, looking groggy but pleased. He stuck his hand up to greet them.

"Good morning," Frisk said.

"Ah! Brother! Howdy!" Papyrara straightened up and bounded to him in a single leap, scooping him up into a hug. "How's your energy?"

"Not as bad as I thought," he said. He pointed up at their face. "New spots, hm?"

"We like them!" They snickered. "We're trying to teach Frisk and Azzy, since they were interested."

"S'a good thing to have in your back pocket, in a manner o' speakin'." Sans smiled sideways, turning to Frisk. "Even a weak punk like me becomes a lot more durable, so if y'catch a pal in a pinch, kiddo, y'can probably pull off somethin' kinda nuts."

.

"But, really, very seriously, keep your memories as closed off as you can, Frisk." Papyrara folded their arms, their brow furrowing worriedly. "I almost can't believe you have all of your Sans's memories. That must've been intense to deal with."

"It just kinda happened," Frisk said bashfully. "I think it was all just super quick and o-overwhelming. He got all of mine, too."

They nodded to themselves, but what was probably mostly Papyrus hissed an incredulous, alarmed word under their breath.

"We'll be careful," Asriel assured them. "I-I think Frisk kinda has some of mine by accident anyway."

"Kinda true," she said.

"What?!" Papyrara barked. "How?!"

"Well… From you. Chara," Frisk said bashfully. She hurriedly continued when the big skeleton's jaw dropped and their eyes flickered with dismay. "It's only a little! I got some of yours and some of Az's you had when you guys… You know."

.

The skeleton gawked. "O-Oh. Oh. God. I'm sorry," they said quickly, bending down and putting two hands on her head. "Were you seeing them when I was?!"

Frisk nodded. Papyrara groaned, putting their face in their hands. Sans patted them on the shoulder. They rattled for just a moment before making a sound as if they were clearing their throat. They straightened up with a proud stance, scarf flitting like a streamer in the wind, and then took Frisk's hand gently.

"You're going to be okay. I'm sure," they said.

"Are you?" she asked, squeezing their fingers.

They smiled. "Yeah. Yes. Totally. And absolutely. Are you ready?"

Frisk looked back at Asriel. He nodded and joined her.

"Let's go," he said.

.

Frisk's heart suddenly thunked with excited nerves. It was a strange feeling, giving one's soul away. With her brother, it had been so overwhelmingly emotional and bizarre. But, it was so freeing, too. They'd felt invincible. Once they'd split apart, she'd never felt so comfortable and understood by someone. She held in a quiet sigh. Just thinking about it made her miss him all the more.

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At the same time, the possibilities raced through her head. If this worked safely, she and Asriel could fuse into a big monster anytime they wanted. She could be a dragon with Sans or see what she and Papyrus together would form. She could even try it with Kid, or any of her other friends, or maybe even her parents. Not having to die and reset for it was such an exciting prospect for her that she couldn't help a smile.

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Frisk held out her hand and focussed on the energy in her chest. She closed her eyes tried to imagine her soul pumping through her heart, flowing red through her veins with her blood. Her arms tingled with heat.

"Keep going, keep going!" Papyrara insisted. "Let her concentrate." They snickered quietly. "Oops, sorry."

"S'okay. I'm tryin'," Frisk said quietly. She let her magic swell, running its power through her body. It made her ears tingle. It was just like attunement with Undyne, she told herself. Push the energy out, feel the flow. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

.

A strange tightness pulled at her soul and her head spun with vertigo. Papyrara gasped and cupped their hands under hers.

"That looks close!"

Frisk cautiously opened one eye. There was a white light with a tiny prickle of red in the centre floating in her palm. Papyrara smiled right in her face. They patted her on the head, then straightened up to hop back quite a ways.

"Azzy, go ahead!" they called.

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Asriel joined Frisk with anxious excitement, and she turned to him, light cupped in her hands, and offered it to him. He gulped.

"Man. This is kinda intense," he said.

"Yeah," she said. "It was kinda a lot when me and Sans became a big dragon so, if it's too much, don't be afraid to tap out, okay?"

"Pff! As if!" Still, he hesitated when he reached for the light. "We… both have control, right?"

"Yeah. I can chill a bit if you'd rather just—"

"No! No no, it's fine, it's… Ah, heck, let's just…" With iridescent red in his paw, he clapped it against Frisk's and gripped her tight.

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There was a spark. A static shock. Then, they erupted into light, a rainbow-white starburst overtaking them.

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Vertigo was first. It was as if they were jettisoned into the clouds. Strength came next: energy pulsing with a deep, warm solidarity through every note of their being. Frisk grasped tight to her brother and he clung to her desperately as their souls wrapped together and—

.

And…

.

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The world is white fog. Sound muffled. Rumbles like the impact of giant pistons slam the ground. They feel more than hear. Chills shudder through cracks in their body.

.

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Asriel blinked. He couldn't move his head, and yet it moved without him.

.

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His head yaws back and forth, searching for a red light in bluster of white. He rears up as a many-storey building raises to meet him. He raises a massive, thorny paw of plant tendrils and crushes it, debris falling through his fingers like sand. Nothing remains of it, but intense energy surges up into him. It stings his mind but he locks the wailing voices away in a thicket of brambles. More vines sprout and his jaws twist into a grin. It's still not enough. He needs more.

.

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"Wh-What's happening?" he asked shrilly. "Wha—?!"

Someone was shouting. He tried to listen.

.

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A flash of blue in the corner of his eye pulls him.

.

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He squinted through the blizzard. Was that…? "Undyne?" He tried to pull away, but nothing changed. "Undyne, get away, get—!"

"ASRIEL!"

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Something slammed into him, a burning heat. He was yanked into skinny, strong arms, and his vision washed out completely to white.

"…Frisk?" he asked weakly.

"It's okay, it's okay, relax," she said.

He couldn't see her— couldn't see himself, either— but he clung on. They plummeted.

"I-I'm sorry!" he whined.

.

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Everything's frozen. His leaves are gnarled and twisted. How long has he been here? How long has it been snowing?

.

Crunching footsteps rouse him in a panic. How long did he sleep? He squints through a blizzard and sees some huge, towering form bundled up tight, clutching a stick for support. Not a monster, no… A smile drags itself across his face. He can't believe his luck. What kind of idiot goes hiking in weather like this? And even partway up a mountain? Someone as stupid as this deserves whatever they get.

.

He reaches out a thick vine to catch onto the hiker's leg as they take a step. It's more than enough. They stumble and fall from the edge of the mountain and it was like they were never there. He snickers and, eyes glimmering, slithers from beneath the shelter of stones and peers over the edge. He can't see much except below the faintest glimmer of orange light. He can feel fangs sprout as he grins.

"Oopsy-daisy!"

.

.

White stains over red. Deep, intense heat. The CORE. Asriel's vines tug at the control panel. Levers clunk lower. The spiral of magic above him pulses and—

.

.

Frisk's back again. She's come alone. Idiot. She doesn't find him, even though he trails her by just inches. Stupid kid should never have come. A jab and some thorns in the right spots would do the job. But, he freezes. He does nothing. Why does he do nothing?

.

.

He's in the shadows, now, ducked down under the petals of another flower. Frisk enters the garden. Sans is with her. Hot jealously swells through him and he curses himself to shove it down. But, when he looks at her, he can almost see that red soul in her chest. If he could just pluck it right out…

"Go away," he mumbles under his breath. "Get out. Go. Don't…" He grunts and whisks himself away into the cramped, claustrophobic earth.

.

.

Dark shatters. He's in the snow. It's too bright for him, and he squints up at the short skeleton in blue as he stands upon the steps leading up to their home, staring down at him with an unreadable expression. Asriel cracks a tired smile. He raises a leaf, hoping Sans won't decide to incinerate him on the spot. The skeleton makes no move to. They don't hate the sight of each other yet. That's good. Or maybe it's dangerous? He isn't sure.

"Sorry," he says limply. "Bet you thought you wouldn't see me so soon."

"Sorry's still in your vocabulary, huh?" Sans asks.

"Heh. Guess so." A wry smile twists his face. "Came to ask you a favour. One you might actually go along with."

Sans folds his arms and raised his brows. "…I'm listenin'."

"Keep Frisk away from me. If she wants to look for me, don't. And if you spot me, don't tell her."

"…Welp. Won't be able to stop her every time, but I don't have any big opposition to that," the skeleton admits. "Curious 'bout the why, though."

"I…" He grimaces. "For a second. I… I think I…" He rolls his eyes. He feels like an idiot. "Ugh, okay, it's stupid as hell, but I think I loved her. For a sec. When she… You know. With the souls and stuff." He frowns. "I know she… wanted to help me. I know you two tried a bunch. But it's useless. Right now, I… I don't want to hurt her. But I can bet that'll change. So. Don't let her waste her time on me."

"Easier said than done," Sans says.

"It'd be best if she forgot about me. So… So. Make her life a good one." Uncomfortable heat courses through his face. "Or, don't, I dunno, just keep her away from me."

.

.

He hides from her. She won't stop calling. He waits for his body to melt for the… How many times has it been?

.

.

He's shorter than her. The garden, but flowers are at eye-level. He hates that. He hates their smell. Frisk looks exhausted. She has one of her brother's blue hoodies around her shoulders. She gently pushes a slice of pie on a flower-print plate towards him. He curls a vine around a fork and feels nothing but shame and regret. She pets his head and he wants to disintegrate. He can't keep her trapped here like this.

.

.

They're in the Ruins. It's quiet. Faint sun lightly glimmers down from that hole above. Frisk sits beside him. She has some bandaged cuts on her arms and her face is bruised, but she looks happy despite that. He's happy, too. He doesn't want her to go. Even so…

"C-Come on, Frisk. Don't you have somewhere better to be?"

"Az, don't," she says.

"My time's almost up. You and Sans can't keep resetting forever."

A grimace crosses her face. "I… I know, but… I can't just leave you like that. W-We're friends, right?"

His soul sinks. "Of course, but…" He sighs. "I… I can't promise I won't do something stupid when I turn back for good."

"I know! I know. I'm… I'm gonna figure this out."

He looks into her eyes and feels— what was it? How many times had it been? She's so stubborn. He loves that, but it makes him ache. He takes her by the shoulder and then…

.

.

Asriel yowled. His sister held him. They were dizzy. They were falling. She ached for him and he tried to apologize, but nothing came out. She engulfed him in red. It was warm. Comfortable. Familiar. Burning.

.

.

Something pierces through their arm. It hurts. Chara screams. He doesn't know where it came from. He doesn't know what to do. It's like he's seeing ghosts. Scared people before him in a town lit by fire.

.

"FIGHT, ASRIEL!" She roars with a voice like thunder. "WE'RE GOING TO DIE IF WE DON'T!"

"I… I c-can't! I can't, I—"

"YOU HAVE TO! OR LET ME! WE HAVE TO FIGHT!" She strains; their claws dig into her body. "WE FIGHT OR WE DIE!"

The humans they can process through their maelstrom of an existence react with revulsion and rage. They have weapons. He holds firm. He can see parents fleeing with children. Scared faces twist to anger. Something plunges into their back.

"FIGHT!"

"Chara, th-they're just normal people, we c-can't—!"

"AFTER EVERYTHING THEY'VE DONE TO MOM! TO DAD! TO ALL OF YOU! DON'T YOU WANT TO BE FREE?! WE HAVE TO STOP THEM! THEY DESERVE IT!"

"That wasn't these people!"

Her rage builds into a fiery heat. "YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEM! THEY DESERVE TO BURN!" She heaves out a roar that bursts from their mouth. "FIGHT! WE HAVE TO! FOR ALL THE MONSTERS! TO BE FREE! WE HAVE TO FIGHT! WE FIGHT OR IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING!"

.

.

With a blinding flash of light and searing heat, Asriel and Frisk split apart, toppling heavily onto the ground. Asriel doubled over, clenching his fingers tight into the the grass and heaving for breath. Frisk grunted and took a deep breath, her arm and back aching. The fragments of his memories that had been locked behind time raced through her mind. She dizzily forced herself to her feet and ran to his side, though her limbs were weak and wobbly. She grabbed him around the shoulders and hung on tight.

"Az, breathe," she said quickly. "You okay?"

"Shit," he snarled. "Shit shit shit."

.

"Azzy?!" Papyrara knelt beside him and cautiously put their hand on his back.

The boy jolted upright, wide-eyed and tearful. The huge skeleton looked aghast and pulled him into their arms.

"It's okay. It's okay. What happened?" they cooed.

"It's… fine." He gave them a careful hug, then pulled away from them to turn to Frisk. He huffed and dragged her against him. "I'm sorry, sis, I couldn't hold it."

"No, no no no, don't say sorry," Frisk assured him. "It was my fault, I shouldn't have—"

"Nooo, it wasn't you, it was…! We can try again!" he insisted. He held her shoulders, staring into her eyes. "I wanna try again."

"A-Are you sure?" She held his head. "That was a lot, huh?"

Asriel's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped open.

.

"Let's maybe do a little pause on this, huh?" Sans edged in, sitting down with them and offering the boy a canteen. "Don't push it."

Asriel cautiously grabbed the drink and, paws shaking, took a swig. He passed it to Frisk, too. She sipped it delicately. It was chilled tea and it settled a little of the tremor in her fingers.

"I c-could go again," she said.

"Kid. Careful," Sans warned. "It's hard on ya."

.

Frisk flinched. Asriel grabbed her hand.

"It's okay, forget it," he said.

The kid looked at him skeptically.

"Wait," Papyrara said, "but didn't you just say—?" They shut their mouth.

Their form wobbled and shone white, and after a second, the girl and the skeleton flopped apart, Chara's form stained red for a few extra seconds. She rubbed her head, hugged Papyrus tightly and kissed him on the cheek, then turned to Asriel. She joined him on the grass and held his arm as the colour of her soul receded to just redden her irises, as it had last time.

"What happened?" she asked again.

"N-Nothing!" he said shrilly.

"Liar."

"Nuh-uh!" He got to his feet quickly and offered Frisk his hand. "Never mind, l-let's try one more time!"

"Wait," Papyrus said again, "but didn't you just—?"

"Az, it's okay," Frisk said.

.

The boy scrunched up his face and shook his head back and forth forcefully, ears flopping all over. He pushed his hand closer to her insistently. "Just one more try."

Though her befuddlement was clear on her face, Frisk passed the tea back to Sans and stood up, brushing her pants off. She took a deep breath, called up her soul once more, and slapped her hand into her brother's. They burst in an iridescent star, but that same awful, final memory overwhelmed them. The light faded and they tumbled apart awkwardly.

.

Asriel flopped onto his back and Frisk collapsed over top of him like a sack of potatoes. He groaned and dragged her into a hug.

"No good, huh?" Sans said.

"Nnnooo…" Asriel whined. "It's my faaauuult."

"It's fiiiiine," Frisk assured him.

"But I really wanted to…" He pouted and sat up, holding the kid in his lap with one hand and rubbing his head with the other. "Man," he said, looking at Chara and Papyrus, "you guys are lucky."

Chara smiled sympathetically. "No. It took some practice with the two of us," she said. "It was after I got my memories back."

"Oh." Asriel's face flushed and he suddenly looked very interested in the ground beside him. He twirled his claw in the long grass. "Y-Yeah. That… does make it harder, huh?"

Chara gave him a probing look. He pretended like he didn't notice. Frisk rubbed her eyelids with the heels of her hands.

"Dang," she mumbled.

.

"Aw, sorry it's not quite there yet," Papyrus said. He pulled a few potion bottles out from inside his shirt, pausing over the one Frisk had given back to him. "Oh! I forgot! What's in this, friend?"

"Soup," she said with a sideways smile. "From another timeline. And like a thousand years ago."

"Oooh! Is it very healthy? You're looking a little wobbly, would you like some?!"

"I'm okay," she said.

"Well, maybe I have something else…! Ummm…!" He patted down his pockets.

Chara sighed. "You dorks…" She pushed herself to her feet. "Let's just go home and get breakfast or something." She grabbed Papyrus's sleeve and pulled him along with her. "We'll start packing up."

"Oh! Very right, sister! Let's!" he agreed.

.

Frisk started to join them, but Chara shot her a knowing glance back over her shoulder.

"Just relax, we'll handle it. Won't be long," she said.

"O-Oh. Um. Okay," Frisk said.

Sans smiled sideways. He patted the kid on the head, put a hand on his banged-up knee, and pushed himself feet. He stretched groggily. "Good try, kiddos." He looked up the hill, let out a sigh, and then vanished.

.

Frisk slumped, grateful for Chara's foresight. She turned back to her brother with an apologetic smile. "You okay?"

"Yeah! Yeah. Fine," he said.

"Were those… all new?" she asked.

Asriel's eyes went wide. He winced. "So you… saw them, huh?" His ears drooped. "I… N-No, only some of them, but…" He turned his head sharply and snorted, a little flame puffing from his nostrils. "Damn it, I didn't wanna pump your head full of that crap!"

"I know." She flopped down beside him. "It wasn't… I dunno. It was kinda like watching a movie but with, like, a little bit of narrator or something."

Asriel perked up. "S-So it wasn't right in my head? It wasn't like you were me?" He gulped. "It w-wasn't like what happened with you and Sans?"

"Nope."

"Promise?" He got close to her face. "You're not saying that just so I won't worry, right?"

"I wouldn't!" she squeaked.

"You a million percent would!" he said.

Frisk shook her head quickly. "Promise. I wasn't… I didn't feel like I was you."

"You swear?" he insisted.

"Super swear," she said.

Asriel pouted, hunching over and miserable like a dog caught in a cold downpour. "…Okay."

.

Frisk shot him a puzzled look, her brow furrowed. "That was so weird though, if it was stuff that… technically never happened. I didn't even think you could get those back." She scooted closer to him. "I'm sorry."

"What?! No, no no, why?!" he barked.

"I knew stuff was tough. Back then? When I visited." She folded her arms. "I didn't know it stressed you out so much."

"Aaah! Nooooo nonononono." He grabbed her desperately by the shoulders, eyes wide, pupils narrowing to slits. "No no no no NO! I—! I was that stupid flower! Of course I was a mess! It's not how I'd…! Oh my god." He sighed out heavily, drooping, and he pressed his brow against hers. "…I'm sorry about the town," he said in a small voice.

"I'm sorry you remembered," she said. "Was it just that little bit we both saw, or…? Did you feel more?"

"F-Felt a little more," he said quietly. "You didn't get that too, did you?!"

"N-No! No."

.

He wilted with relief and pulled her into his arms. "…Good. Good, I'm glad." He flinched, bearing his fangs. "I-I'm sorry, too. For… For my plan with Sans."

"What?!" Frisk couldn't help but laugh. "Why?!"

"…I dunno, lyin's bad and stuff," he said sheepishly. "I shouldda told you."

"Oh! Jeez, no, don't worry about that!" she assured him. She snuggled him and let her soul glow warm against his. "I already knew. Sans told me when we lived up there. I kept having dreams about you and trying to sneak back out to the mountain on my own for a bit."

"Aw man, Friiiiisk…" He held her cheeks in his hands, his face twisting into a pained pout. He gently smooched her on the forehead. "…You're a good sister."

"Th-Thanks! I hope so." She reached up and grabbed his ears, carefully petting his fur. "I'm sorry it didn't work."

"It was a million percent my fault," he said. "I… I mightta been able to handle it if…" His gaze drifted away to the side.

They both knew. Frisk still felt a phantom ache at a few choice spots on her body. Asriel did, too.

"It's okay. It's a lot," she assured him.

"We can try again," he said. "A different day. I mean. Y-You know how to do it, right? So…"

"I'd definitely love to try," she assured him. "But…" She shot a tentative glance up the hill.

A quick flit of movement up there and a hushed nyeh made the kid smile. Asriel rubbed the back of his head.

"I mean…" She shrugged. "I'm not the only one."

.

Asriel's fur stood on end and he shivered. "Ah…" He laughed at himself. "Maybe. That might be worse."

"Sorry," Frisk said quietly, "I shouldn't have—"

"Don't worry." He got to his feet and rolled his shoulders, popping his back. He gritted his teeth, words stuck on his tongue for a few seconds before he could force them out. "I wonder, if… we could've done this back then…" He grimaced, but then took a deep breath and cracked a smile. "Heh. No. We still would've died." He patted Frisk on the head, shoved his hands into his pockets, and then headed back up the hill. "Shout if it's too steep, huh?"

.

Frisk watched him go; saw him immediately get pulled out of view by his sister. She sighed and took a moment to breathe. Her head hurt. She cautiously checked her arm, but there wasn't any new mark there. Putting her back to the hill, she flopped back down on the grass to rest. Her breath trembled every time she drew one in. Her heart ached and her eyes welled up, but she quickly wiped the tears away on the back of her hand.

.

Dim forest stretched out just across the field, and the breeze made the flowers bob gently back and forth. She hadn't noticed before, but some close to where they were sitting were bigger than others— maybe twice the height. The leaves glistened with morning dew. She used to like sipping that off larger plants away from the cities, a long time ago. Well, maybe it wasn't all that long ago, she reminded herself.

.

A shift of movement in the trees drew her attention. She glanced up and her heart thumped with surprise as her gaze settled on what must've been a monster standing between the trunks. They were a quadruped, about the size of a horse, with a body of pale, twisted tendrils. Their face was like a dog's skull with ram horns carved from wood, a mane of glittering gold wreathing their neck. They stared at her with big, black eyes.

.

Cautiously, Frisk raised her hand to greet the monster. They jumped in surprise, eyes shifting back and forth. Even so, they raised a talon in return and then quickly darted away, vanishing in the shadows of the forest.

.

The kid got up and hurried up the steep hill to join the others. Sans looked to be taking a nap again as Papyrus doused the remains of the fire. Chara and Asriel sat together, murmuring to each other. Frisk took hold of her ring and released its magic, instantly transforming into her goat-like form. She sneezed, rubbing her snout tenderly. Chara took note and waved her over.

.

"Doing alright?" she asked.

"Yeah. Somebody in the woods saw me down there," she said. "They waved, though, so I think I'm okay."

"Who's creeping in the forest this early in the morning?" Chara scoffed. "Weird."

"We were creeping in the field this early," Asriel said.

"On the contrary, we were very loud and very bright, which I wouldn't call creeping at all," Papyrus said with a grin.

"True," Chara said.

Frisk snickered. She quickly wiped her eyes again.

"You sure you're okay?" Asriel asked, leaning in close.

The kid nodded. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine."

.

"Sorry you guys had bad luck," Chara said. "But it looks like you had the method right, at least."

"Thanks," Frisk said.

"To be honest, though," she said, folding her arms, "I was worried that would happen."

"…Kinda crossed our minds, too," Asriel admitted. He sighed. "I thought I could just muscle through it."

"Pfff. Yeah, no, that's… No." Chara looked at Frisk worriedly. "Seriously."

"Really, I'm okay," she said.

"Even so!" Papyrus joined them again. "Your turn!" He scooped her into a hug and glowed bright for her.

Despite everything, his magic chased her shudders away. She gladly clung to him.

"Thanks, Paps, you're great," she said.

"Nyeh heh heh, I know!" he assured her with a grin. "Ooh. You are very cozy and soft, friend."

"Thanks!" she said.

.

Asriel smirked. He didn't feel very well, though. He slumped where he sat, rubbing his hand through the scruff of fur on his head and getting lost staring at the grass beneath him. He was a mess.

.

All those souls… All those people. He knew it'd happened, but… He put his hand to his chest, feeling the warble of magic beneath his fingertips. He didn't deserve this, did he? He was garbage.

.

He forced himself to take a few deep breaths. Frisk had told him that without that horror, they'd never have reached this future. And, of course, he was happy existing again. Those people were alive again, too. They'd never know. But, he would. Frisk would.

.

Chara patted his shoulder and he jerked out of his trance. She looked worried, but all he could see was her face from hundreds of years ago. He drooped and pressed his snout to her forehead as her young voice screamed at him in his mind to fight. He still couldn't believe it was her, here with them now. He wanted to say it, but he was afraid if he opened his mouth he'd just start blubbering.

.

She looked at him like she knew. She squeezed his shoulder and straightened up. "C'mon, Azzy, let's go." She nodded towards the others.

Asriel hadn't noticed, but they were already on their feet, ready to go— even Sans, though he was still heavy-lidded and groggy looking. Frisk stared at Asriel, her bright, red eyes shining and worried. How long had he zoned out for? He gulped.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah! That's cool," he said. "Um. Where to?"

"Home first," Chara said. "Then the city this afternoon. Unless you'd rather just sit here and mope."

He wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Instead, he shook his head. Chara thumped his back and gave him a little smile.

"Good." She kissed him on the tip of his snout and he couldn't help a bleat. She snickered. "Come on, then."

.

She grabbed Frisk's hand and waved over her shoulder as she lead the way back down the hill. Sans wandered after them with a lazy gait, but Papyrus lingered. The skeleton gave the goat boy a reassuring smile.

"Give yourself some time. You really will be okay," he assured him, offering his hand. "I believe in you."

Asriel flinched. "Y… You do, huh?"

"Of course! Our sister has always thought you're great. So! I know she's very much right."

"I dunno 'bout that," Asriel said quietly. "I'm, uh… Heh. I'm basically a mess. And I… I've… hurt a lot of people. Even just now, I… hurt Frisk 'cause I was so impatient."

"Asriel…"

"It's just…!" He sighed. "I… I'm really not a great person. Really. I'm not."

"Come on, now, Asriel," he said. "Everyone can be a great person if they try!" He flashed a bright grin. "And I think you're trying very hard! If it helps, you can believe in me, and I'll believe in you, okay?"

.

A shiver ran up Asriel's spine, but he couldn't help a smile. He took the boney hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. Papyrus beamed. Asriel hesitated a moment, but then squished the skeleton into a tight hug. Papyrus froze up with surprise, but then snickered and held him, too.

"Nyeh heh, I think I'd like your world," he said quietly. "You people are so full of hugs."

Asriel snorted. "You'd fit right in."