"A steady stream of refugees moved towards the capital. Most of the monsters quickly moved past the shrine, but a few stopped and shared updates with us; a panicked passerby said that Snowdin has already been cleared of life, and that the Dog Corps had fallen. Another even suggested that the entire forest had been set fire to and Undyne with it, although I doubt that story is credible. Regardless, it was clear that remaining to the back of here was no longer an option for survival. However, the intuitive among us knew better. If this truly is to be our end, then there was nowhere to run.
I've never seen the shrine so full of monsters before. One mother, somehow managing to speak about the details through her sobs, told me about how she watched the angel slaughter her husband who had stayed behind to protect her. Another told me, with curses under his breath, how he had hoped to eat with his friends from the capital at Grillby's before some poor lad whose sister had gone missing encouraged them to evacuate. Shortly before writing this, I was approached by a Loren who asked me if a star is coming. I confided in them the story that had been repeated to me since my birth: 'There is a prophecy. The Angel... The One Who Has Seen The Surface... They will return. And the underground will go empty.' They grew excited at the prospect of leaving with a real star, and I couldn't help but smile. Am I cruel? Maybe. Though adversity is the pathway to the stars. Even if the heavens fall, I serve the Delta Rune to the very end. After all, who am I to stand in the way of the will of the universe? Maybe now monsters can finally know freedom.
The passage of monsters outside our door has stopped. Aside from Loren, who grows more excited by the minute, quiet begins to settle in the shrine before we all start to panic. Eventually we all too will fall to silence. It's clear that our time has finally come."
- Mother Peapeck, Head Priestess of the Waterfall Shrine
From her final diary entry dated May 7th, 2115. Ascension Eve.
It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining though the yellow stained-glass windows of the throne room, casting ethereal portraits of a long-gone freedom on the throne of the now disposed-king. From the barrier room up ahead, birds could be heard, and a soft, slow breeze could be felt as air filtered through the narrow corridor to the outside. Every so often, the breeze would spike, rustling the golden flowers and grass that covered the floor. The air smelled of pollen and of the dust of fallen monsters. Smells all too familiar to the angel of death, Frisk Dreemurr.
Frisk sat sideways in Asgore's throne, their back against the right arm of the chair and legs dangling over the side. With a smug expression across their face, they stared at the demon who now stood at the edge of the flower bed. Their left hand gripped the red and dusty Real Knife, its own color exaggerated somewhat from the ketchup that still dripped from the end. There was no need to hold it anymore, but gripping the plastic handle to the most devastating weapon the Underground had ever known made them feel powerful. Once again, a 13-year old had taken down an entire kingdom. Once again, there was no one in the entire cave that stood a chance at stopping them. The monsters who had once fought an ancient war on a global scale had been bested by a child in less than a day. By this point, Frisk could do little more than regard their mortal struggle as literal child's play.
In front of the Creamcup-flanked throne stood Chara, motionless, arms to the side of the clean green and yellow sweatshirt they always appeared in, in contrast to Frisk's often absolute mismatch of clothes. In all the runs they had completed together, Frisk had never seen them move very much outside of battle, and they certainly never dropped the Stepford smile that always defined their face. Frisk had gotten used to their presence inside of them. However, aside from the commentary they sometimes provided, their thoughts remained a mystery even as the pair continued to reap life across the infinite. At first, Frisk was the same, quiet and unemotional. Stoic except for brief moments when their own rage came through. But after so many countless genocides, their expression now had grown to something much more sadistic and twisted. It didn't matter who stood in their way. Be it monster or human, they only wanted to destroy, to kill, to obliterate anything that stood between them and the path of the absolute.
"Fitting, right?" Frisk finally spoke with their now-trademark smugness in their voice, shrugging as they brought the knife to their sides "It's like I'm the true Monarch of the Underground now."
At first, Chara showed no intention of responding. Very rarely did Chara ever retort any of Frisk's quips unless it was a serious situation. So, Frisk was understandably surprised when, as they moved to speak again, Chara opened their mouth.
"Frisk. What is it that you want?"
Their startingly direct question caused Frisk to sit up in Asgore's throne. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
Chara paused before answering. "Is power what you truly…want? Together, we've destroyed countless universes. We've freed billions from the condemnation of life. And you've become the most powerful being in existence. We've eradicated beyond all measure and become exceedingly strong. But I sense…I sense that you are not satisfied."
Frisk held their puzzled look before sinking in Asgore's velvet throne to lean back and look at the ceiling. Above them, the stained-glass windows bearing the royal standard stared back, tinting an otherwise gray room with a golden light. A cloud passed over the vent exposing New Home to the outside, casting a shadow over the entire room. "I don't know. I haven't thought about it too much. Killing monsters, watching them struggle before I eventually end their miserable existence, it's been satisfying from the beginning. I've thought that what I've always wanted is power, but…"
They let their voice trail off, their thoughts echoing off the rafters of the empty throne room. What Frisk wanted? It was hard to define. What Frisk had always wanted was to escape, to regain control of their life when it felt like they had none. Killing, torturing, maiming, it had all been a means to an end of becoming absolutely drunk on the sensation of power. Power was insulating. The world had proven time and time again that the person that controls the most power might as well as control how the world spins. Everyone else, the weak, the feeble, the poor, could do little but spin along. Frisk had long watched the powerless struggle against the powerful and regarded it as an exercise in futility. And now, Frisk was the one who stood at the Gates of Judgement as the one who held the world in their hands. The feeling was immensely gratifying, but Frisk still found themselves extending their free hand towards the ceiling, as if to reach out and grab something more.
They closed their hand into a fist. "Chara. What I want isn't just power. I want…to rule. I want to dominate the world and become the one who dictates the course of history." They sat up again and stood up out of the chair, clearing their visage of dust before walking within arms' length of Chara. "Asgore was the king of an entire kingdom who blindly followed him and his will. Someone like me, someone like us would be able to do whatever we wanted to this world. Not just in the underground, but in the human world as well! No one would be able to stop us! We could rule from the throne and make the world into whatever we wanted. After all, what good is power without any one to use it on?"
Chara stared back at their shadow, taking pause at Frisk's answer before letting their red eyes flare. The immediate flash and steady glow from Chara's bright red eyes illuminated the black void that Frisk suddenly found themselves surrounded by. They had grown so accustomed to seeing the end of the world that they were unflinched by the demon's actions.
Chara responded in their trademark monotone. "I see. After so many resets, I was puzzled as to why you continued to have such a strong desire to destroy all over again. But everything makes sense now."
Frisk chuckled, closing their eyes as they soaked in the words of their accomplice. "So we're in agreement then?"
In a rare move, Chara extended their hand, expression unchanged as they continued to speak. "Yes, it is settled. I will use our power to reset this world and ensure our dominance. You've already finished it once, so you will have an advantage. Use it. If you wish to rule over monster and man, find a way to get through the Underground. At that end of that story, I will be there, waiting for you once again. I am certain that we will be the most powerful beings the world has ever known."
Frisk extended out their free hand without a second thought. "Deal. Us together, we can do anything." Chara's eyes turned wide and dark and their smile grew along their face. Frisk couldn't help from give a corrupted smirk at the anticipation. Any sane person should have been frightened, or terrified even by Chara's nightmare-inducing expression. But in front of their best Friend, Frisk found that they couldn't bring themselves to enjoy their horror tactics any less. They gripped Chara's hand tighter as they brought their knife to their chest, the blade pointed in the direction of their own SOUL. There would be no pain. Death, after all, only lasts an instant.
"Right. We'll be together forever."