Undertale is the intellectual property of Toby Fox. I make no claim to his property.

§ Art Cover Provided by 3eep on Deviantart.

§ Beta Reader by Yours, The Author on FF.

§ And a Major Thank you to NikkiCross on FF.

This Story is Rated M for heavy dramatic content, mature themes, and depictions of violence.

Disclaimer to all readers, Frisk in this story will be male and will identify as male. Likewise a certain "Chara"cter will be female and will identify as female. I am saying this so there will be no surprises and so you can make your choice on whether to support my story or not. I am fully aware the preferred consensus is that these characters are gender neutral and I am erasing that with my creative choice.

You are free to not read my story for this reason or any other you find valid. All I ask in return is that you see these iterations of these characters as solely mine and mine alone. I hope you afford me the opportunity to have my story told and that my story will earn the approval to explore this creative choice to its full potential. However, I will understand if you disapprove.

In conclusion, I simply hope you enjoy my story and what it has to offer; but you do not have to read it if you do not want to.

Being Human - Act I - Chapter 1

"Mom!"

Frisk's eyes flash open as he thrusts upwards to stand upon his knees. He sucks heavy breaths, before they break into rapid gasps to feed his starving lungs. His hands swiftly travel across his body, inspecting himself for injuries. While there are none, a sharp but subtle pain stings across his body, like a hundred needles all pricking him at once. Yet that is incomparable to the anguish deep inside his chest.

"Ahh! Make it stop! Please make it stop!" His hands race to his chest to soothe the pain, but to no effect.

Like two fists are digging into him to strangle and shatter his heart into a million pieces. His heart pounds with beats so heavy and loud they deafen his ears. His heart screams for help, but with nowhere to go, begs and cries for mercy from this unknown adversity. Frisk's eyes shut tightly as his face cringes from the overwhelming pain.

"Ugh! Why is this happening?! Please make it…! Stop?" In the flash of a second the pain vanishes, almost as quickly as it appeared. His heart races and his body tingles with static as he breathes a sigh of relief. He rubs and soothes the pain as best as he can, allowing him to soften his breathing and regain his footing.

"That actually worked? What was that?! Felt like I was being crushed from the inside. Did it happen when I fell down in that cave?" As his senses return, Frisk becomes aware of his surroundings.

"Flo-Flowers?" His hands shift through a bed of sun flowers.

They have chocolate brown buds and golden yellow petals. Their soft and springy texture gives them a luscious feel that makes one want to sink into them. A sweet and pungent smell brings a smile to Frisk's face as it graces his noise. Surface light shines through an opening in the stone ceiling, encapsulating Frisk in a warm pillar of bright light.

Altogether, they create a small piece from the world above, one which stands in sheer contrast to everywhere else.

Cold.

Dark.

Damp.

Those are the only words which can describe the rest of the cavern. The light from the opening only travels so far, leaving most of the cave in an impregnable shroud of black and bleak darkness. Any exit to this cavern is a distant and unknown thing, if one exists at all. A deathly silence hangs in the air, swallowing all of Frisk's cries and gasps into the silent abyss.

Frisk squats against the ground, sliding backwards until his back hits the hard and jagged wall, where he pulls his knees against his chest. He shakes and shivers, whimpering sobs while weeping tears. Crushed, both by the enormity of the situation and a constricting feeling from within.

"No! I didn't want to fall down here! Take me back! Mom! Where are you?! Please find me?!" Frisk cries in a broken shamble, using the sleeve of his blue and purple striped sweater to wipe away his tears. He is unable to move on, as fear and fragility paralyze him to one spot.

That is until an abrupt sharp pain slaps him across his cheek. A far cry from the soul shattering pain of before, more of an instant impact and one which passes as swiftly as it occurs. While not a pleasant feeling, Frisk collects himself.

"I… I can't just stay… here. Gotta find a way out." He says with all the strength of a field mouse. "A way back to Mom." Frisk forces himself back to his feet to crawl across the flower bed. Fighting against an enormous weight of doubt and dread with every step. He stops at the edge of light and shadow at the end of the flower bed. He takes what could hardly be called a step into shadows, and cowers away in retreat.

"I… I just... can't do this… I need you…Mom."

The brightness and warmth of the light embraces Frisk. The sweet smell of the flowers fills his nose and caresses his mind. His mind travels back to a playground on a bright summer day with the smell of flowers in the air. Around him there is a pair of soft and nurturing hands to hug him. Frisk smiles as a strange, but comforting, feeling swells from his soul.

Frisk is filled with Determination.

"No. What am I thinking? I can't give up now. I've made it this far and I can't stop now. I know there's a light at the end of this tunnel and I'm going to find it!" Frisk shakes his fist in the air as he stands defiantly. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and takes a large step forward. After a moment he does it again.

And again,

And again,

And again several more times.

Frisk opens his eyes and is overcome with relief. Now deep inside the cavern, his eyes can adjust to the darkness. While there is not a large amount of space by any stretch of the definition, the area is a straight corridor and wide enough to comfortably accommodate him. Well, as comfortably as one can expect a cavern of hard stone to be.

Facing the darkness ahead, Frisk could not resist but cast his head back one last time.

The bed stands out with its bright and beautiful flowers in the distant, peacefully lying beneath a hazy light from the surface. A welcoming sight amidst this sea of dark and rock, and difficult to resist as it pulls on Frisk. While the cavern is more vivid, a dense darkness remains, masking whatever unknown waiting for him. Frisk stands between both sights until he lets out a deep sight and faces the path in front of him. The only one left for his journey.

"Well… only one way to go."

"One way to go" The cavern echoes his words back to him, turning a light bulb on in his head.

"You know you can never ever trust your shadow." Frisk whispers to avoid an echo. "Because they might be shady."

"Might be shady." Frisk smiles as his spirits lighten up.

"Oh wait! I got one more. I used to be scared of the dark, but when the lights turned on I saw something and I never turned them on ever again. The power bill!" His joke returns to him, allowing him to escape from this dark place and time with laughter.

Frisk walks down the corridor until he reaches its endpoint, lighter in body and brighter in spirit. Much to his relief, there is an exit into another section of this underground. Frisk walks through without any concern or worries. He did not notice for a single moment that this exit is not some natural opening inside a cave. But a carved and ornate gate standing in the shadows, and one not made by the hands of man.

Frisk enters a larger barren room, where he comes across an unusual sight. It is another pillar of light shining from the ceiling. At the bottom is not another bed of flowers, but a single solitary golden flower. With little to hold his attention, Frisk continues on without a second thought.

"Howdy!" The flower speaks and turns to face him.

Frisk stops dead in his tracks as a train crashes into his mind before he could process any of what just happened. This flower is literally talking to him and in an overly cheerful and jovial voice no less. Frisk could only look on in stunned silence at this sight. Despite his shocked appearance, the flower speaks as if there is nothing strange about this at all.

"I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower! Heehee. Golly, you must have taken quite a fall back there didn't ya? To wind up back here. Now don't ya feel silly for coming here?" As if to add to the absurdity, the flower winks its eye.

This can't be real… but it is. I…I…I can't believe… But it is! Frisk continues to stand, his mouth hung open and eyes filling his sockets. Shocked with disbelief, he looks down at this Flowey. He could tell it's the same kind of golden flower from the bed he landed on earlier. But this flower for whatever reason is alive and can talk to him. Frisk pinches his arm, learning this is no dream.

It has a wide smiling face and two small but welcoming eyes to go along with its golden petals, green stem, and leaves. Its voice comes out clear, carrying on with the demeanor of a child with a gentle and excessively jolly voice. Despite his stunned stillness, Flowey continues this one-sided conversation.

"Well aren't you quiet. Can't you even talk to little old me?"

"I… I was told not to talk to strangers."

"Stranger! You must be new to the Underground, aren'tcha? I'm no stranger. I'm Flowey, and I can be your best friend if you want."

"I don't need any friends. I just need to find my mom."

"You lost your mommy. Ah, that's so sad! I'm looking for someone special too." Those words catch Frisk's attention.

"But aren't you a flower? How are you-?"

"Chatting to you right now? This is the Underground, my friend! A magical and wonderful place filled with LOVE, where anything can happen!"

"Underground?" Frisk says as confusion consumes him.

"Yup! It's a long and boring story, but don't bother yourself about it. This is a place where all your hopes and dreams can come true."

"But I only have one dream that I hope to find. So unless you know how to get out, I have to move on to find her." In all honesty, Frisk is trying to escape this talking flower and the creeping tingling sensation it gives him. Like a hundred worms slithering in his spine.

"Wow! She must be the greatest person ever. Well, I hope you can find her. Since I'm a flower, I'm stuck here and can't go anywhere. Trust me when I say it's not easy; not easy at all. But you can't give up, no matter what!" For a moment, Frisk forgets he is speaking with a flower and frowns.

"I'm not sure… but… maybe we can… well maybe we can find them together." He rubs the back of his head.

"Huh!? Well… this is different." It says with sudden surprise. "But really? You'd help little old me find my friend? You promise?! Will you keep your word?" The flower blossoms with excitement.

"Yeah… I promise to help and I don't know anything about this place. So I'll probably need help too." That is all Frisk can bring himself to say, off put by Flowey's existence but finding comfort in their shared pursuit.

"Don't you worry friend, little old me will take good care of you. So how about it? You help me and I help you and we both find her together." It extends a leaf like an awaiting handshake. As Frisk stands before it, invisible forces push and pull him towards the flower. A piece of him does not trust this flower at all and is determined to leave it behind in dust. But with a hesitant effort, Frisk extends his hand to reach the flower's leaf.

"Sure let's do it, now how can-."

A vine shoots out of the ground, soaring at a speed that Frisk could not react to. The vine wraps tightly around his hand. Its leafy tendrils rough as woven nautical rope with an invasive grip that entangles his arm. It slithers across his arm like a twisted green snake until it ensnares his entire limb. Its grip on him tightens until his arm becomes paralyzed with pain.

Frisk frantically shakes his arm to snap the vine apart. When that is not enough to break free, he runs away as far as he can from Flowey. He pulls on the vine as hard as he can with the weight of his entire body. Frisk convulses in agony as the vine does not relent in its assault nor does his resistance seem to register at all. In desperation, Frisk uses his free hand and mouth to tear into the vine to break it.

He fails and a cheerful laugh fills the air.

Throughout this whole ordeal, Flowey does not change its demeanor or position as Frisk struggles, looking on with a sick smile. Despite pulling the vine with all of his strength, Flowey remains unfazed and does not show a hint of concern. Like it is holding onto a feather and laughs with a gleeful and happy heckle, as this tug of war between a mouse and elephant plays out to its apparent delight.

"Why are you doing this to me?! You're going to crush my-!" Without any warning, the vine violently yanks Frisk to the ground. His face meets the hard-stone floor with a heavy slam. Despite this, its grips refuses to relent, knowing the perfect spot to inflict great and tremendous pain, but stopping short of snapping his bones like a twig. The pain is unbearable nonetheless, becoming a noose as it squeezes the life out of his arm.

The vine drags Frisk across the ground towards Flowey, his face scraping across the ground like dried up gum on the bottom of a worn-out sneaker. Frisk tries to scream for help, but the pain forces him to grit his teeth behind his shut mouth. His face becomes numb as his vision dulls. Through it all, Flowey's laugh rings through his ears as he trembles in anguish.

Its laugh is delightful, like hearing the funniest joke ever told, but with a growing sadistic cackle. "You Idiot. Did you really think that I would just forget? And do you really think that I'm going to give you that chance?!"

Another vine shoots out to latch onto Frisk's other arm. They pull into two separate directions as strong as they can. The pain is agonizing, but before Frisk can black out or the vines can tear his arms out of their sockets, they stop their assault only to resume moments later. The room fills with cries of anguish and agony as tears cascade across Frisk's cheeks. The pain Frisk felt when he fell down here may as well have been a paper cut.

Flowey continues it's sadistic efforts with an enormous smile. But now this former friendly face contorts and twists to take on a malicious form. The flower appears like some kind of evil clown, combining the joy of a welcoming smile with the wickedness of a wild beast. Frisk does the only thing he can do.

"Please stop! Please! I'll do anything you want! Just let me go!" His pleas are silenced as another vine wraps around his mouth to slam it shut. The vines take the opportunity to squeeze his head like a grape, while rough tendrils and sharp thorns add to his misery.

"Oh, I want to have so much more fun with you right now! You have no idea how much I want to hear you beg and cry before you die."

Die?! Why do I have to die!? Why are you doing this?! What did I ever do to you?! No! I don't want to die! Frisk thought as he hears this horrifying declaration.

"And since you promised to help me, I'm sure that you won't mind dying for your best friend. Besides I've waited long enough for this moment. Shame you won't be there to see how it all ends. Because this time you won't be able to come back kiddo!" The vines stop their assault, much to his brief relief.

"After all in this world it's Kill or Be Killed!" The respite passes as two vines emerge to ensnare his legs. The combination of all four vines suspends him in midair. Frisk does everything he can in his struggle, but this grip of greenery is impossible to fight against. Helpless against it, Frisk can only contemplate his seemingly imminent death in silent horrific terror.

A dozen tiny white pellets materialize in the empty space above and around Flowey. The flower smiles, but any trace of its previous cheerful demeanor is gone. It's smile is a truly terrifying sight to behold with black hollow eyes and jagged oversized teeth. If looks could kill, Frisk knew that he would already be dead. "Aw… don't give me that look, kid. Here, have a friendliness pellet!"

One of the pellets flies at Frisk, charging through the air like a bullet. It hits him dead center over his heart. Despite being held by the veins, Frisk lunges back and forth from the pain. Like all the previous pain combined into a single bullet and focused onto a single point. His sweater reddens from the impact.

Then something unexpected happened.

A small red heart appears between himself and Flowey. Floating in midair and glowing with a powerful red light. The heart shines like a star within this dark cavern, emanating an aura that is impossible to ignore. Like another living breathing being suddenly entered the room. There is a powerful presence, despite looking so frail and little. Frisk is so captivated, that for a second he forgets he's about to die.

"Ah, there it is. Well, I guess I should thank ya. I don't know how you did it, but you managed to bring her back to me. And this time you won't be able to ruin her. Once I take your soul from your corpse we'll finally be together again! Just the two of us! So tell you what, kiddo! To show my gratitude, I'll make this as painful as possible for you."

Frisk shouts at the top of his lungs. The force of his voice is so great he breaks the veins choking his mouth. This does not deter Flowey; if anything it relishes the pleasure of hearing Frisk's final words. If one pellet could do that much harm to him, Frisk didn't doubt that the remaining eleven will be enough to kill him.

The eleven pellets multiply and become seemingly limitless in their number.

"Please don't kill me!" Frisk screams, Flowey does stop to laugh.

"Now that's funny, thanks for the performance and laughs! But I've had enough. So Just Die!"

The pellets soar through the air directly towards Frisk. The small red heart frantically moves and shakes around as Frisk panics.

"Mom! Save me!"

A scorching sound screams in the air as a powerful stream of fire blasts through a doorway that had been covered in thick vines. The stream of fire charges into air with tremendous force and power behind it. The fire soars above Flowey and incinerates every single pellet charging towards Frisk. The fire divides into four smaller flames, each one hones in on each of the vines keeping Frisk suspended. They destroy the vines and Frisk falls to the ground, the red heart disappears as it fades back into Frisk, all to Flowey's disappointment.

"What!? They weren't strong enough to-!" Flowey burrows itself underground, barely avoiding another blast of fire. Flowey resurfaces to find its attention torn between Frisk's recovery and this new opponent.

"You dare to harm another child? I will not allow it, you despicable creature!" An enormous wall of fire emerges to engulf the ceiling. The darkness is blasted away under scorching flashes of red and orange, the air turns hot to the touch as the temperature skyrockets. Meanwhile a cyan bubble emerges to protect Frisk, there is no way to escape this attack and Flowey knows it.

"Begone or perish!" The wall of fire cascades down in a rapid descent towards the floor. Flowey burrows itself beneath the ground and disappears. The wall of fire stops and the flames dissipate, and the strange visitor hurries towards the whimpering child. Small bursts of fire in their hands in case the first warning wasn't clear enough.

Frisk pulls his arms and legs into himself to curl into a ball of agony on the ground. The sound of his grieving echoes in the cave as he squirms across the ground. Doing everything he can to ease the pain from Flowey's attack. His arms feel almost detached from their sockets, his innards like beaten jerky, and the red stain on his sweater grows larger. His mind is bursting from the seams as it processes this brush with his fragile mortality.

A few more seconds and he would have been gone forever. The only single positive feeling is the relief from knowing Flowey's exit, one drowning amidst a sea of anguish. "Mom! Please Mommy! Help me please! I don't want to die! Please don't let me die! Mommy! Where are you?! Mom I need you!"

He can detect the presence of a figure standing over him, but the pain makes it too difficult for him to recognize them. Whatever their actions or motives, Frisk is entirely at their mercy. Through this thick cloud of pain, a pair of soft hands reaches to grasp and steady him.

"There, there my child. You need not worry any longer, that thing is gone and I am here for you." Frisk can barely make out the words through the pain, but they do reach him.

They smoothly flow into his ears; their softness and tenderness calm his nerves and soothe the pain through mere words alone. Their hands gently grab him, but not with any invasive force, merely to hold him, to offer security and relief which Frisk hungrily takes in. "I am so very sorry that I could not have been here sooner for you, my child. I promise you right now that it shall not occur again."

Mom... Is that you?

Through the cracks in-between his closed eyes, a faint green glow shines across him. Frisk's breath almost stops, but not as quickly as the pain magically drains away from him. What mere moments ago was the second worst feeling in his entire life; shrinks to a far more manageable level. Frisk gets back to his feet, only to remember the wound on his chest the hard way.

"Ahhh!" Frisk throws his back as the pain returns with a vengeance. His hand goes to his chest before bringing it back to reveal his hand smeared with blood. The visual sends his mind in a crashing nose dive, until another hand comes from the corner of his vision to tenderly grasp his own hand.

"Listen, I know that you must be feeling a great amount of pain. The last thing you want to do is move around too much. But if I am going to help you, then I need you to show me where it hurts the most. Please tell me, and I will make that pain go away."

Frisk is uncertain at what to do next. To place his trust into this stranger and hope they will help him? Or will he discover another Flowey waiting for him to make himself vulnerable? The pain does not help in making a coherent choice, but it does bring clarity.

Frisk takes their hand and brings it to the open wound on his chest. "Here! It hurts so much."

"Thank you my child. Now do not worry and do not strain yourself, leave it all to me." A large warm hand presses against his chest, taking care to not cause any excessive pain. Behind his closed eyes, the strange green light shines again, far brighter this time as it seeps through the cracks between his eyelids. When the light disappears, it is not the only thing that vanishes.

What! It's all gone? How did they do that? Frisk inspects himself to confirm what he feels, or rather what he cannot feel. Frisk doesn't believe it; seconds ago, every muscle, nerve, and bone was screaming for help from a pain that would not relent. Now there is the faint and distant echo of that pain, as if Flowey's ferocious onslaught occurred days or weeks ago as opposed to mere moments.

"How do you feel now my child? I hope that you are better now. Please let me know and if there anything else that I can do for you—anything at all, and it shall be done." Frisk returns to his feet, his body and mind are still weary from the trauma. But compared to before, he is head, shoulder, torso, and legs above his previous state. He is still in disbelief at making a rapid recovery, although until a few minutes ago, he didn't believe in talking flowers either.

"I feel great now! It's like it didn't happen. Thank you so much! How did you...?" As Frisk faces his savior for the first time, he falls back to the floor for the third time and slides away. Unable to finish his sentence or to tear his eyes away from her.

"No! No not again! I won't be hurt again!"

She has two arms and legs like a human, but covered in white fur with two small horns poking out of her head. She wears a large purple robe that starts at her neck and stretches down to her legs, with only her fur covered feet poking out. Frisk can make out a unique and decorative seal on the robe: a series of three triangles lining the bottom with a winged circular rune hovering above the triangles. Despite all of this, this strange goat monster remains at the forefront of his mind.

"S-st-stay away from me! I-I m-mean it! I won't let you h-hurt me like Fl-Flowey did!" Frisk tries to shout to force her away. Instead his words emerge in broken stammers and loose stutters. As Frisk tries to defend himself and increase the distance, the monster approaches him with a slow speed and calm demeanor. Frisk backs away from the goat monster, refusing to leave himself at the mercy of another stranger. His hand comes across a small wooden stick and on instinct he picks it up to defend himself. She stops her approach before entering his personal space.

"Please… I understand how you must be feeling, my child. You must be thinking that I look very different from humans. You must be afraid about what I might do to you; and I do not blame you for feeling that way. Especially after what you experienced with that wretched and vile Flowey. But please, you must believe me when I say that I mean you no harm."

Frisk cannot explain it but there is a piece of him commanding him to lower the stick and to not harm her. Despite remaining defiant it is difficult to ignore. There is gentleness to the monster's voice, one that holds neither bite nor bark. So calm, reassuring, and soothing; it carries an authentically that was missing with Flowey's voice.

"How do I know that I can trust you? How do I know you're not just trying to trick me like Flowey did?"

"You don't know, and I cannot prove it to you here or now. Please, I promise you that I will not allow any harm to come to you. You just have to believe me, my child." She extends her hand out to Frisk.

"No! Just go away! I know how to take care of myself! I can do it by myself. I don't need you!"

"I am sorry child, but I must disagree. If I leave you alone- which I will not even entertain doing- then Flowey could return. Trust me when I say that neither of us desires that outcome." Frisk sighs knowing she has a point, the last thing he wants to do is face that wicked wild flower ever again.

Frisk sits at an impasse as the monster stands before him with an open invitation in her hand. The room becomes far too small for his liking as cold sweat drips down his neck. Her hot breath hangs over his head while her dark shadow drapes across the ground to surround him. He pushes his screaming instincts to the side and musters the will to ask a question.

"Who…Who are you? How did… did you do that stuff? The fire? And the green glow?" The monster gives him a gentle but bright smile.

"Oh, I am ever so rude. I never did introduce myself, I apologize my dear child. My name is Toriel and I am the caretaker of the Ruins, and if you wish it, I will care for you as well. As for the 'stuff' as you call it… Here in the Underground, we can perform magic. True magic, not any charlatan tricks you may have seen on the surface. It is simple but difficult to explain, I would rather do so under better circumstances. So please, take my hand."

Magic is real! Monsters really exist! Did I hit my head or something? How is this happening?! Despite knowing he is not dreaming, Frisk could not help but stagger as these world altering and life changing revelations sink into him one at a time. Wondering how no one on the Surface knows about any of the monster, but he tables those questions for later. Far more concerned with the monster standing in front of him.

Frisk intensely stares at her hand. Despite being a goat monster, her hands are similar to his, albeit larger and covered in fur. As times passes, images flash through his mind. Most of the time she appears to be miles away and he would have to cross a boundless distance to reach her. In other moments she is inches in front of him with leafy thorns waiting to tear into him without remorse. Rarely, he sees her as she is.

Patiently awaiting his choice, she drops her hand and returns it to her side. "Very well my child. I can understand how you must be feeling right now after your fall and your unfortunate encounter with that Flowey." Her voice is sweet, but turns sharp as a dagger when she utters the creature's name.

"So how about this instead. I will guide and protect you in the Ruins, but you can travel on your own until you are more comfortable with me. I will take somewhere where you will be safe and sound. Is that alright with you?" Frisk doesn't do anything for a few moments until he nods his head in hesitant agreement.

The monster clasps her hands together as she smiles. "Splendid! Just follow me now, and please do not leave my sight. No matter what happens, you must stay with me."

She walks ahead to the exit as Frisk trails behind her. As they leave together, Frisk cannot help but notice her pace is slower than before. Frisk reduces his pace, and she meets it. Frisk walks faster, and she matches him step by step without delay. They leave the room through a stone doorway. The ground crunches as they step over scorched vines littering the ground.

Well at least she'll keep Flowey away. I can't believe it. There are actual monsters down here! Dangerous monsters; they'll kill me if I'm not careful! I need to find the exit out of this place without her knowing. Then, I can get back to finding mom. Frisk thought as he goes over his options and hopes he will not stay down here in the Underground for very long, while a piece of him struggles to understand what's happening.