Plot!

The next morning, as Mysterion fixed his hood and mask, Brooke crossed the hallway to check up on Karen. She approached the bed and gently stroked the younger girl's cheek, causing her eyes to flicker open.

"Morning," Karen smiled up at her.

"Good morning," she smiled back. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mm-hm." She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Is this your house?"

"Ah, that's right. You've never been here before, have you? Yes. This is where I stay. Lucy stays out back, Trent stays in the basement, and Riley and Jake live in the room next to this one. My room's across the hall next to our…parents' room."

"I've met Lucy, but who are those other people you mentioned? Are they your brothers?"

"Not by blood. Um, Riley and Jake are a couple and Trent's just kind of…there."

"There are so many people living here," Karen exclaimed. "It's like Full House! Oh, Guardian Angel!" Mysterion had entered the room. "Are you all better now?"

"Yes," he told her. "What about you?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for coming to save me. Both of you."

"Always, Karen."

Brooke smiled. "Right. Anytime. Now, come downstairs and let's get you some breakfast. You can have whatever you want. Uh, except the Captain Crunch cereal. That's Trent's." They left the room to descend the stairs and enter the kitchen. "Ah, speak of the devil. Good morning, Trent."

Like every morning, the boy was sitting at the round kitchen table and furiously scarfing down a bowl of cereal. He grunted his usual greeting then paused upon realizing that other people where there and pointed his spoon at them. "Who the fuck are they?"

"Oh, uh, this is Kenny's little sister, Karen, and her Guardian Angel."

He looked a little lost. "Guardian Angel? Those are real?! Well, mine did a shitty job!"

Brooke snorted a bit. "Ah, ahem, right. Sit down, Karen. Don't worry," she added upon seeing Karen's worried expression, "you don't have to be afraid of Trent. He's a lot more of a sweetheart than he gives off."

He grunted but didn't say anything. Instead, he suspiciously watched Mysterion as he took a seat across from him. Although terrified of Trent as Kenny, Mysterion did his best to keep up appearances in front of Karen and remained calm and collected. He was starting to get a little worried and was actually relieved when Karen distracted Trent.

"Good morning," she told him.

Trent looked twice at her, looking a little surprised. "Uh…yeah. Morning."

"Do you know my big brother, Kenny?"

"Oh, I know him," he growled.

"Are you friends?"

"No."

"Oh."

"Karen," Brooke said. "What do you want to eat?"

"Oh, um… Do you have pancakes?"

"I can make pancakes."

"Really!?"

Brooke chuckled. "Yes. Just give me a few minutes." In the meantime, she brought over two glasses of orange juice and set one down by both Karen and Mysterion.

Mysterion looked a little surprised. "O-Oh. Thanks."

As she went back to start cooking, Karen continued talking to Trent. "So, you're like Brooke's adopted brother?"

He paused in the middle of taking another bite of his cereal. He was confused as to why this girl was still speaking to him. "Uh, I guess so."

"And you're not friends with Kenny?"

He made a face. "Wha- Just because he's her boyfriend or something doesn't mean I have to be friends with him!"

Mysterion twitched and cleared his throat.

"Why not?" Karen asked curiously.

"Because your damn brother is -!" He stopped himself then leaned back and slouched a little in his chair. "…Forget it."

Mysterion was shocked. He was worried that Trent was going to tell her about what had happened five years ago. That he would try and belittle her for her positive opinion on her brother. Luckily, he seemed to have thought better of it. He sighed with relief, earning him an odd look from Trent across the table.

"Are you okay?" Karen asked Trent. "You seem angry."

He grunted and looked away, his face pinkening just a tinge. "Why do you keep asking so many questions…"

Brooke chuckled and brought over plates of fresh pancakes along with a bottle of syrup. "Take it easy on him, Karen. I don't think he can handle such a cute little girl."

"Pfft." Trent rolled his eyes.

"Wow!" Karen perked up at seeing the pancakes. "I've never had hot breakfast before!"

Trent looked bewildered by that statement while Brooke only sighed a little. "Your brother should bring you over more often."

Trent made a face. "The fuck do you mean you've never had hot breakfast? What do you eat?"

"Asks the one who only eats cereal for breakfast," Brooke muttered.

"Sometimes I eat frozen waffles," Karen told him. "I usually let them defrost a little first. Other times we don't have anything."

He stared blankly at her for a long time, rapidly tapping his finger on the tabletop as if her response annoyed him. "That's…"

"Trent," Brooke said.

He cleared his throat and crossed his arms, looking away from Karen again. "…Well, at least you have your stupid brother."

"Oh yeah," Karen smiled. "He's my best friend!"

"Mm. Brooke, why have you been going around with your wings out?"

She shrugged. "I just feel like it."

"Right, well…" he got up and brought his bowl over to the sink. "I'm going back downstairs before you and the kid suck the life outta me." He left the kitchen.

"Did I do something wrong?" Karen asked.

"No," Brooke smiled. "He just thinks you're cute and can't deal with it."

"Oh! Okay."

Lucy entered through the backdoor and paused upon seeing Karen. "Oh, hello, Karen."

"Hi, Lucy!"

"Pri- Er, Brooke…" Lucy showed her a letter. "The Council has requested your presence for two p.m. today. They wish to discuss something with you regarding the incident yesterday as well as your…control."

"I see. All right."

"Um," Lucy shifted her feet and briefly glanced at Mysterion. "They…have requested that you bring Kenneth, as well."

"My brother?" Karen looked up from her plate.

"Y-Yes."

Brooke and Mysterion stared at Lucy then exchanged worried looks with each other. "What for?" she asked.

"I do not know. It's all Quinzel wrote." She handed her the letter.

"Who's that?" Karen asked. "What's a council?"

"A council is an assembly of persons summoned or convened for consultation, advice, or to assist in deciding matters of doctrine and discipline," Lucy explained. "Quinzel is the head of the Council that we are discussing."

"O-Okay…?"

.

Still afraid to leave Karen alone at their own house, Mysterion insisted that she be allowed to stay at Brooke's house instead. After lunch, they led her upstairs and into Riley and Jake's room. The two boys were sitting on opposite sides of Jake's bed and playing a card game.

"Oh, hey, beautiful!" Jake smiled at Brooke. "Whoa, who's the scary guy?"

"That's Karen's Guardian Angel. And this," she gently pushed Karen closer, "is Karen. She's Kenny's six-year-old sister."

Riley whispered something to Jake and he made a face like he had just understood something. "Oh, I get it. Okay." Jake smiled kindly at Karen. "Hi there."

"Hello."

"Listen," Brooke said. "We have to go take care of something, and we can't take her with us. But something happened yesterday and Kenny's home might not be the safest place for her right now."

"Was it ever?" Riley raised an eyebrow.

She ignored his question. "Can you guys watch Karen while we're gone?"

"Okay."

"Sure!" Jake smiled brightly. "You know how to play Go Fish?"

"Yeah!" Karen went over to them excitedly. Riley moved to help her climb up onto the bed. After she settled, she looked over at the medical items on the bedside table and the unused IV drip hanging up beside the bed. "Are you sick?"

"Yeah, but don't worry," Jake told her. "You won't catch it or nothin'. I'm Jake, by the way. That's Riley."

"Do you want to go first?" Riley asked gently.

"Okay!" Karen smiled.

Satisfied with their polite kindness towards his sister, Mysterion left the room with Brooke and met Lucy downstairs.

"Is everything settled?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "We can go now."

"Very good." She turned and led them out through the backdoor and over to the shed. They made their way down through the trapdoor, through the green rat room, over the piranha pool, and into the large Oracle Chamber that was connected interdimensionally to both the shed and the Nether castle thanks to the antics of Charles and Lamar.

"Where is the Council located?"

"A small pocket dimension of sorts," Lucy replied. "Oh, and you should stop speaking in that voice now."

"Oh," he cleared his throat and began to speak normally. "Sorry."

"And remove your mask and hood," she continued at a brisk pace as they entered the castle halls. "You were requested as Kenneth, not as Mysterion."

He complied and removed his mask, shoving it under his belt, then pulled his hood back. "So cute," Brooke said, causing him to blush.

Lucy sighed. "Honestly, we should have had you go home and change…"

"What would they want to talk to me for?" Kenny asked. He was starting to get worried. "Am I in trouble or something?"

"I do not know. But I am sure you are not in trouble. The parchment was yellow."

"Huh?"

Brooke was the one who explained. "Quinzel writes on red paper when he's mad."

They continued on through the hallways. Kenny was beginning to feel like he could recognize some of them now. He certainly recognized the big wooden door that led to Francis, the royal tailor. The castle wasn't really maze-like, like he had originally thought, rather it was just expansive. Along the way to wherever they were going, they met up with a huge elk that was almost the height of Brooke's Wechuge form.

The elk had tall, tree trunk-like legs, with long flowing fur around its ankles and chest. Its head was only a skull, similar to the Wechuge, but without the sharp wolf teeth. Its brown fur was mossy and the long cream-colored fur on its chest was intertwined with flowers and vines. The most impressive part, aside from its sheer height, was the set of broad antlers atop its skull from which hung long tendrils of green moss.

"Ah," Lucy said. "Good afternoon, Lord Serene."

The elk looked down at them with vivid green eyes. "Ah," he nodded his head. "Good afternoon, Lucy. Princess. And you must be Kenneth."

"Uh, y-yeah. Hi." He felt like he was going to lose his balance and fall backwards trying to look up at the elk.

Brooke nodded back to him while Lucy preformed a curtsy. "Serene is the Lord of the Forest District," Brooke told Kenny. "He resides in the Serene Woods, which was named after him. All of the Lords of the Nether attend the meetings."

"So, that flying white elephant will be there?"

"Airavata. Yes."

"Shall we continue together?" Serene asked.

"Yes," Brooke smiled. "Let's go."

They continued through the halls at a brisk pace. Serene moved slower, but his height and long legs allowed him to keep up just fine. Finally, they turned the corner of one hall and entered another that only had a single door all the way at the other end. The hall was a bluish-gray with a black stone floor, unlike the rest of the castle which was white and gold with red carpet rolled out over white marble floors. Also unlike the rest of the halls, this hall did not have the fancy golden chandeliers from which colorful souls came and went as they pleased. Instead, it was dimly lit by the blue flames that topped the black candelabras lining the walls. The hall also appeared much longer than the rest, the door appearing to be very far away.

"This is the hall that leads to the Court of the Grand Council," Lucy said. "Which is on the other side of that door."

"All the way over there?!" Kenny asked.

"We'll be there before you know it," Serene told him and began to walk again. "Just keep your eyes on the door, or you'll go nowhere."

Kenny was a bit confused by that remark but followed the advice anyway. He stared at the door as they walked, resisting the urge to look at the blue flames lighting the way. This became increasingly difficult as the flames seemed to dance and swirl in the corners of his vision, making the hall appear to twist and turn. He was beginning to feel dizzy and his equilibrium felt off. He squinted, trying to keep himself focused on the door. It didn't appear to be getting any closer. Just when he thought of turning to ask Brooke and Lucy about it, he was suddenly standing only a few feet from the massive black door.

"Holy shit!" He jumped back a little.

"Language, please!" Lucy hissed. "I'm terribly sorry, Lord Serene."

"No need. Shall we enter?"

"How?" Kenny looked over the door. "There's no handle or anything."

Serene seemed amused by him. "The door is a portal, not a physical thing. I will demonstrate."

Kenny watched as the giant elk stepped forward and phased through the door. It rippled around him like water then settled back to stillness once Serene had fully passed through. "WHOA!" Kenny pushed his hand through then pulled it back to examine it. "Cool!"

Brooke chuckled while Lucy hid her amusement under a false look of impatience. "Come now, there's no time for games. Go on through the door."

He stepped through the door, feeling as if he was floating for a moment, then found himself standing in a dark hallway of sorts that stretched out to the left and right with a path straight forward as well. He looked around and spotted Serene heading off along the right. He was going to follow but was stopped by Lucy.

"No, no. We are going forward. You and the Princess are the subjects of the meeting, so you must face the Council on the Moon Deck."

"What's that?"

"You'll see. Come now." She led them ahead and out through an open doorway to a massive round chamber.

Kenny gaped around at everything. He thought the castle's main entryway/throne room was the largest room he had ever seen but this took the cake and the table together. They were walking along a long bridge that led to a huge round area hovering out in the center of the massive chamber. He couldn't tell how far the bottom of the chamber was, or if it even had a bottom, as it was obscured in pitch blackness. He was beginning to feel even more nervous as he noticed the onlookers. All along the wall, all around them, were railed balconies where sat thousands, maybe more, of strange beings and creatures that watched silently as the three of them crossed the bridge.

He couldn't tell about Lucy, but Brooke seemed to be very calm and collected. Then again, he remembered that they often attended these meetings. But how often was it that SHE was the subject? And why did they want him there?

They finally reached the round area; the floor was decorated with the phases of the moon. This must be the Moon Deck, he figured. He hated that it startled him when the Deck suddenly jerked and began to slowly rise up. It lifted high, stopping just below and across from a big fancy-looking judge bench where sat many powerful-looking beings. Kenny was surprised to recognize some of them: Brooke's father, the Grim Reaper, Jesus, God, Moses, even Satan. There were also many more that he did not recognize; a large pinkish-white rabbit, which stood out amongst the monsters and gods, three ginormous serpents, one of which had a set of brass scales hanging from its mouth, and at the very center, a robed skeletal monster peering down at them with yellow orbs for eyes.

The monster resembled a banshee, but its wings were intact and covered with gray feathers, and its head was narrower and longer, almost resembling a pterodactyl's skull. It sat with its elbows resting on the desktop and hands folded together just under its beak.

"Good afternoon, Princess," he said.

"Hey, Gramps," Brooke smiled.

The creature narrowed its eyes a little and snorted. "As impudent as ever, I see. Good to see that your run-ins with Nightmares has not killed your awful sense of humor."

"And you're as harsh and quick-tongued as ever," she laughed.

"Hm." He placed his hands on the desktop and pushed himself up to address the entire chamber. "Good afternoon, everyone," he said loudly and clearly. "Thank you for coming, as always. Some of you may already know, but we are here to discuss two things. The first matter is the sudden reappearance of the Nightmares."

A murmuring picked up around the chamber, making the place hiss like wind.

"The second," Quinzel continued, "is Princess Angel's issues of control over her powers." He sat back down in his seat. "First off, we have, by far, only received news of a total of five Nightmares appearing within the last two weeks. One of which appeared in the Nether's Sky District, another appearing in the Forest District, and the last three all appearing on Earth near or within the Princess' location. All five of which were destroyed immediately before they could harm anyone or cause any significant damage. It is not unusual for Nightmares to appear at times, even after the sealing of their King; however…" he glanced around the chamber with his eyes. "They are more frequently appearing. An indication that their King will soon return."

The frantic murmuring picked up again.

Quinzel waited a minute before clearing his throat and continuing. "That being said, we have posted multiple able-bodied monsters to keep watch in the areas of impact. And no, we do not know the exact 'when' or 'where' their King will return. I encourage you all to be cautious and aware. Report anything you find unusual. Now, the matter of Princess Angel." He turned his gaze upon the kids. "Angel has completely lost control in her new location once already, and has come close twice since. After careful consideration, I have devised an idea…" He locked eyes with Kenny and caused the boy to tense up.

"What is it?" Brooke asked. Lucy huffed but Quinzel and the rest of the Council did not seem bothered.

"A Wechuge's soul is powerful. Their lifeforce is literally their source of power. With the proper spell, your soul can be split into two halves. This would not harm you in any way, but it would halve your power, allowing you better control. Now, the only problem would be that the other half would need a living vessel to reside in, otherwise, it would fade away." He gestured a hand at Kenny. "I believe that Kenneth would be a fine vessel to house the other half."

"HUH?!" Kenny jumped and the entire chamber erupted with shouts of debates and argument. Only the heads of the Council were discussing it calmly.

Quinzel closed his eyes, keeping quiet for a few minutes before he shouted, "SILENCE!" All of the noise came to a sudden stop. "Ahem… Allow me to express my reasons for this choice. One: the boy's soul has already proven to be compatible with a Wechuge's, as seen when Queen Sol herself fused his soul with her own to combat Cthulhu. Two: the boy has a sense of good and justice, and holds a strong urge to protect others. Three: he and Princess Angel have bonded and become very close. She trusts him. Do you not?" He looked at Brooke.

"I – Y-Yes." She was just as stunned as Kenny was.

He nodded and looked to Kenny. "Kenneth. You have a will of your own. The Council will not vote on this matter unless YOU decide first. We will not force you to cooperate. Now, that being said… Are you willing to house half the soul of a Wechuge? Specifically, the heir to the Nether. You will gain the responsibility of protecting it, in turn, you will be protecting not only Angel, but the entire Nether. Also, since her power will be halved, you will have to assist her with the matters of the reappearing Nightmares and combating them. It is a massive, and dangerous, responsibility. Your curse already allows this, but with the soul of a Wechuge fused to yours, you would gain the eternal lifespan of one and the ability to reform quickly after death. However…you will be at great risk. You will become a target yourself. I'm sure I do not have to remind you what would happen if a Nightmare destroyed your soul… I understand that this is very sudden, so, do take a few minutes to decide."

Kenny blinked. "I'll do it."

Some of the heads of the Council looked visibly surprised by his quick answer. Quinzel only watched him closely for a long moment before nodding. "Very well." He lazily waved a hand. "The Sisters of Fate will judge you now to show the rest of the Council the type of person you truly are. Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos…"

The three ginormous serpent monsters leaned forward, their long bodies stretching out over the entire head of Council and all the way down to face the boy. They actually had arms and hands, tipped with sharp claws. The first was solid white with blue eyes, feathers, and pointed ears. The second to reach him was black with red eyes, instead of feathers she was covered with hardened scales that pointed up and out like spikes. The third, the one bearing a set of brass scales, moved between the two. She was gray with feathers along her head and spine, but her face and underbelly were scaly; her eyes were the same golden color as the set of scales she held in her jaws.

"Wait a minute!" Brooke said. "No!" She looked at Kenny. "Are you crazy!? You're seriously going to allow yourself to become an even bigger target?!"

"Princess…" Lucy said quietly.

"NO!"

Lucy flinched and a silence filled the chamber as the Princess' echo faded.

"Wouldn't I get a say in it, too!?" She turned on the Fates. "It's MY soul!"

"Angel," Quinzel said darkly.

"You are afraid for his safety," the white serpent said.

"We understand…" the black one said. Their voices were charming and echoed with hisses.

"But if the boy is willing…"

"And the Council decides…"

"NO!" Brooke stamped her foot.

"Stop this behavior, NOW!" Quinzel demanded.

She shook her head, her eyes wet with tears that threatened to fall. "You can't! I can't lose him, too!"

"You won't…" Atropos, the black serpent, said. "A spell of the universe prevents us from sharing all we know of one's destiny…"

"But we can say this much…" Clotho, the white one spoke. "You will not lose this boy. Dangerous times approach…but the only way you could fail…"

"Would be to not allow this…" Atropos finished.

Brooke was breathing deeply, but looked to be listening. She clenched her fists then jumped a little as something touched her arm. "Kenny…"

He smiled softly. "I told you, right? I'll stay with you. I won't let anything or anyone change that."

She hugged him tightly.

Lachesis lifted her feathery head and opened her mouth. The scales hung evenly from her sharp teeth before they began to move. They took a quick dip over towards Atropos, but just as quickly dropped on Clotho's side with a loud clanging sound the reverberated through the chamber.

"Now," Quinzel said. "You have heard the proposition and seen Lachesis's judgment. Cast your votes." With a wave of his hand, candles with little white flames appeared before everyone in the Council. The Fates leaned back into their places to cup the flames in their claws before they vanished. Quinzel rested his beak on his folded hands and watched the white flame in front of him, waiting. After several minutes, his flame erupted into a bright green blaze that burned the candle away before vanishing itself. "I see…" He lifted his head. "It has been decided. This boy, Kenneth McCormick, will act as the vessel for half of Princess Angel's soul and power."

Beside him, the Grim Reaper nodded. He stood up from his seat then shot out large black wings and flew down to the Moon Deck with his scythe in hand. He nodded to Kenny then turned to his daughter and gently brushed her hair out of her face. "I trust the Sisters," he said quietly. "And I trust both of you. Now…" He stepped back and raised his scythe. "This WILL hurt."

She took a deep breath and braced herself. "Okay."

He swung the blade down at her. The spectral blade passed through her body; her purple soul flared into view as the blade made contact with it and sliced through it, tearing half of it away from her. The Reaper grabbed the half in his hand as his daughter fell over, then turned his red eyes onto Kenny. "Come here."

He was worried about Brooke, but managed to force himself to approach the Reaper.

"This will not hurt you as much as it did her, but it might burn a little."

Before the boy could question it, the Grim Reaper had thrust the purple flame into Kenny's chest with a force as if he had punched him. He fell back, winded, and clutched at his burning chest. It felt like heartburn tenfold. He gasped air, feeling like his lungs weren't working, then finally caught his wind and began to breath. He panted a little, feeling the burning fade, and was relieved when Brooke went over to his side to hold him.

Quinzel watched them for a moment then nodded. "A successful fusion. We're counting on you, boy."

To be continued…

Plllllot! I'm so weird... Ah, so I've been writing an Undertale story in my spare time. It's weird and super angsty haha. (Like most of my stories...) I dunno if I'll ever upload it on fanfic though. Maybe someday. It depends. For now, I'm writing it for fun and I let my best friend read it. He reads everything I write. He even reads each of these chapters before I share them. So, you can blame him for approving my trash lol