Unmei Force Shattered Heroes: X-Changed Will
Chapter 4: The Painful Truth
When Richard was in the new timeline, he noticed that they were set in a different time period, evident from how some of the individuals were actually both younger and older than what he'd usually see them as.
As he slowly walked around the streets of the city, he found himself passing by humans and monsters, as they paid him no attention.
He slowly walked until he saw the Dreemur Household, which seems so familiar, but also so alien to him, considering that he was no longer considered their family, as X-Gaster revoked that privilege.
He only sighed, before he then turned to leave, only to come face to face with Asgore and Toriel, as well as a young Asriel, as Richard's expression shifted slightly.
"...Is there something wrong?" Asgore asked politely.
Richard was silent for a moment, as timelines of family life with the goat monsters flashed by in his head, before he then closed his eyes and shook his head.
"...No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't act so eerily in the presence of your house." Richard apologised firmly. "...It's just that… your home, it reminds me of a distant memory of warm family love long lost."
"...Are you orphaned?" Toriel asked back with a slightly sympathetic expression.
"...You could say that. I still have two young brothers that I have to take care of." Richard answered back with a sad smile. "...I know that as much as you would want to shelter us, you might not have the capabilities to take on three more mouths lost in this world without any reliable knowledge on them… Don't fret over us… we'll live our lives fine. I'll find a way to provide for my brothers… but if you meet us again… please remember and acknowledge us."
Richard then left, as Torlel tried to stop Richard from leaving, with a torn expression, only for Asgore to keep her in place, as he shook his head towards her silently, as they looked towards Asriel, who watched Richard slink away, a melancholic expression on his face, with some pity for Richard's condition.
Richard continued to walk, as his attention was elsewhere, until he bumped into a figure that was familiar to him, although far younger, with short twin-tails.
"Hey, watch it!" The younger Muffet stated with a crass tone, as Richard stepped back with a surprised expression on his face. "...What's with that face? Are you going to do something with me? I don't even know who the heck you are! Stop looking at me like that, or I'm going to make you my pet's dinner tonight!"
Richard returned back to reality, before he then rifled for his wallet, and dropped a few coins for her, which shocked the teenage spider.
"...Apologies, I didn't mean to be of harm. Here is compensation for what I've done. Good day." Richard stoically stated, as he moved around Muffet, trying his best not to look back.
"Hey wait, what's the big deal… HEY!" Muffet exclaimed, as Richard disappeared into the crowd, as she had a conflicted expression on her expression. 'What a weirdo, who gives people money as an apology for bumping into others, and then just leaves… I better stay away from him…"
Richard then walked to the outskirts of the city, looking for Chara and Frisk, before he then found them both standing over a patch of flowers, with their heads down.
"Hey, Frisk, Chara… I'm glad that you two are here…" Richard stated, as he walked over towards them, only to get no response from them. "...Hey…? Can you two hear me?"
Richard then got closer, before he then got close enough to see what they were looking down towards, as it was past-Asriel's heart locket, shattered into pieces, which shocked Richard, as he easily pieced together what happened to it.
"What…" Richard remarked, before he then shoved Frisk and Chara aside, before he then picked up the pieces of the fractured heart locket, facing them with a appalled expression. "What the hell are you doing!? That's-"
Richard paused, when he noticed the red glow in both of their eyes, as Frisk had hot tears in his eyes, both bearing hateful expressions, as Richard's expression cooled down to a stoic one.
"...I see how it is." Richard stated. "...But that still doesn't garner doing such a cruel thing to the memento of the Asriel we made a promise-"
"What promise…?" Chara bitterly snarled back. "You think that there will be freedom after what X-Gaster has done to us? All he did was make things worse and worse for all of us. That heart locket is nothing but a sign of pain for all of us. It's better off being thrown away."
"Then you've given up hope on making things better then?" Richard answered back, as Chara fell silent. "I understand how you feel about all of this, you have all the right to hate him. Problem is, you shouldn't take it out on our only memento of the Asriel we loved as a brother. That would be cruelty for him. Could you imagine… the memory of him turning in his grave in agony?"
Frisk looked away, as there was a sad look in his eyes, as Chara clenched his fists with a quiet 'Damnit…'.
"I'll make this anew again. It's not your fault that you did this. You're both just angry with X-Gaster and yourselves, so I'll help you." Richard answered back, pocketing the broken heart locket in his coat. "...Now then, you should try to find someone who can sympathise with us… You both look like as if you exhausted most of your options."
"...Yeah…" Frisk muttered with a grumble, as Chara and Frisk left the area.
Richard sighed deeply, before he then pulled out the broken locket, as he slowly used his magic to weld the locket back together, and keep it as pristine as it was.
Entry Number 0, Timeline Number 5
This is the fifth timeline, the one where X-Gaster decided he had enough of Chara and Frisk. Likely me as well, considering the situation.
How else would he have designed this world, so that we would be considering outcasts in this world, even among fellow humans?
Chara and Frisk tried to break Asriel's heart-locket… But I stopped them before they could grind into more fragments. They were just too angry to think straight at the moment.
I would be as well, if I learned that my father was a manipulative bastard who gave me timelines of suffering…
...Strange, when I write those previous words, a tingling feeling of hate permeates my heart… Could it be a key element of the dark past I forgotten…
I'm scared… Scared at what Chara and Frisk will do.
I can see that they're tired of playing nice children anymore. I got two vengeful time-travellers who want to get revenge on their master through any means necessary.
And… I'm stuck between both sides… because I'm still trying to find a way to save X-Gaster...
As soon as Richard made the finishing touches to the fixed heart-locket, he smiled, as it looked like it was in fairly good condition, save for a bit of discoloration where he welded the cracks of the trinket. Just as he was about to stand up, he suddenly heard footsteps, and turned around to see it was Alphys.
"...Alphys…" Richard stated with an even tone.
"What X-Gaster did to you… what I did to you… It's unforgivable." Alphys admitted, as she let her fall with a guilty expression on her face. "...I'm scared of what he might try to do to me, had I openly rebelled against him… You're stronger and more brave than me, so you had to take what I deserved… I'm sorry… So very sorry, Richard…"
"...It's okay." Richard answered back. "I'm used to being alone and hurt by others, believe it or not. I'm not going to lash out just because X-Gaster handed the same punishment to me. I worry more about Frisk and Chara, due to the fact that they're vengeful now. Considering that you're someone related to him, but not close to them like I am… They'll likely target you."
"...I know." Alphys declared. "...But I don't know what to do… I just came here… because I want to apologise… and ask for something that I feel terrible for asking."
"...What is it?" Richard asked, standing up.
"...I want to give that heart-locket that you have… to Undyne." Alphys stated. "I hoped that it would help win her affections. Besides, I'm sure that they tried to break it… Thank you for repairing it… and sorry for-"
"Before you continue, I have to politely refuse. This heart locket is all that remains of the hope that I promised Asriel in the first timeline, as well as Chara and Frisk, no matter how much they try to run from it. I didn't allow Muffet to keep it last timeline, and I can't give it to you, no matter how good a reason you have." Richard interrupted with a serious expression. "However…"
Richard then created a sukima, as it dropped a silver ringed necklace, with a diamond blade-shaped pendant attached to it. "...You can use this to convince her." He stated, holding it out for Alphys. "She always was the more combative one. I should know, I trained her last timeline. I know her fairly well."
"Oh.. You never cease to be kind, even at this moment… I'm so very glad…" Alphys stated, as she took the pendant. "...How can I repay you… I must, after everything you went through…"
"...Actually, I do have a way for you to repay me… Although it's going to be a bit… complicated." Richard admitted. "...But I know that someone as smart as you… can help me do this. Come closer, I need to tell you this privately."
Alphys did as she was asked, as Richard whispered the idea into Alphy's ear, as she perked up with shock on her expression.
"Richard… you're seriously proposing something as outlandish as this…!?" Alphys exclaimed with disbelief.
"...It's the only way to make things right." Richard solemnly declared.
"...My only way to repent is to help you on that." Alphys stated. "Okay… I trust you."
Richard's only response was a faint smile of hope.
Entry Number 1, Timeline Number 5
It took some convincing, but I managed to get Alphys on board with the long-term plan I had in mind, in order to stop X-Gaster from going too far.
The plan involves creating an antithesis to the OVERWRITE Button. As long as its power remains unchallenged, X-Gaster will continue to commit atrocity after atrocity, without any risk of receiving consequences for his abuse of power.
I could say that the OVERWRITE button corrupted X-Gaster, and my goal is to undo that corruption.
It is a solid fact that OVERWRITE is superior to RESET, considering that like I said in a earlier entry, it erases all resulting timelines in the universe it was used in, creating a blank slate so to speak. An alternative use is to manipulate reality, by obviously overwriting certain values, such as location, power and other things. I experienced the latter when X-Gaster literally drove Frisk's knife right through me in an instant.
So what kind of power would be able to stand up against overwriting? Simple, that power is to RESTORE.
Overwriting may change things permanently, but in a computer system, it is possible to go back to a certain state by using a restoration command.
Restoring and Overwriting are yin and yang to each other, they contrast each other well.
Of course, it took me a while to even start making the foundations of the RESTORE button. It was a painful process, considering that I had to inject myself with various SOUL traits in an attempt to replicate the necessary elements to create said button.
Of course, every attempt failed. The power of Overwriting is the power of reality, something which cannot be easily replicated or opposed.
But I didn't stop. Bit by bit, I narrowed down the requirements for the Button, as well as strengthening my own SOUL in order to handle the power of the button.
My body is harmed many times by the process, and my mind is flayed by the countless backlash it did.
But there was an advantage to my experiments: X-Gaster didn't know their true purpose, because Alphys and I never logged such things, and we were always careful to ensure he didn't have any clue of what we did.
X-Gaster's obsession with perfection managed to help me a lot, because of the fact that he cast me aside, means that I don't even amount to a threat towards him. A conflicted assistant who refuses to directly defy him, that's how he sees me. And that's how I will keep it until I can gain the power to truly defy him.
Just a little longer… Hope is on the horizon… for everyone.
Alphys was sitting on a park bench, dressed in a black polka dot dress and a cute black polka dot ribbon in her hair, as she looked at the wrapped gift-box in her hand, containing Richard's pendant, that she was going to give Undyne, with a anticipating expression on her face.
Suddenly, she felt an oppressing air to the area, as she began to sweat, hearing approaching footsteps, as she squeezed her eyes.
"Hello, assistant." Chara declared with animosity in his voice, as Alphys looked towards them, as they had red eyes of anger. "So, today's your day off, huh."
Alphys trembled with fear, as she slowly rose up from the bench, and turned to run, only for Frisk and Chara to move in a flash, with Frisk behind her, and Chara in front of her, holding knifes at her, with the tips dangerously close to her body.
"Nu-uh… Don't run away." Chara threatened, shifting his knife forward to press against Alphy's dress to make his point. "He needs someone to talk to about his mistakes, after all, and Richard's long lost his right trying to help us. I wonder if X-Gaster really cares about you, what he would do if you suddenly became dust…"
"Tell us where he's hiding, and maybe we can spare your life." Frisk added with a frigid tone.
"...Do you think that Richard would condone you doing such a thing?" Alphys asked, after swallowing audibly to try and gather some courage to say those words.
"...Don't bring him into this." Chara snarled, as his frown turned into a growl. "Perhaps we didn't make ourselves clear, you're going to-"
"Hey. I was the first one to ask her out on a date today." Undyne declared, as she was dressed in a masculine tuxedo, with her hair neatly styled and a rose bouquet in one of her hands, as everyone turned to her. "Wait for your turn. As far as I know, babies like you are not allowed to walk around with knives."
"This is between Alphys and us. One more step, and we're going to kill you!" Chara threatened Undyne. "If you have no idea who we are, then don't do anything stupid."
"Pfha! There's no reason to know a couple of unloved crybabies like you." Undyne sneered back, revealing her fangs, as she crossed her arms. "Bite me, punks!"
A flash of anger appeared on Chara's and Frisk's face, as they disappeared away from Undyne, with their blades poised to strike, as Alphys was horrified at the scene, turning away when she heard the sound of slashing blades.
"Undyne!" She cried, as she turned back at the scene, expecting to see Undyne wounded, only to be dumbfounded like Chara and Frisk were, as Undyne was holding the knives by the wide sides with only her thumbs and index fingers, as the rose bouquet was in her mouth.
She then flung both of her hands up into the air, knocking the knives into the air, as Chara and Frisk tried to punch her, only for her to hand-stand and kick them in the face with her feet, leaping into the air, as the knives landed tip-first into the ground beside Frisk and Chara, as she landed right before Alphys, startling the lizard. She then spat out the rose-bouquet in her mouth.
"Your outfit's really cute." Undyne admitted.
"I-I like these flowers… Thank you." Alphys stated, as she was being led away by Undyne's comforting hand.
"Can't wait to see what's inside this box!" Undyne heartily laughed, as Chara and Frisk rose up.
"You wouldn't mind losing anyone because they're not Undyne, right!?" Frisk snapped at Alphys, which made her freeze, as Undyne cast a side-glance at him, as he had a heated expression on his face. "Asriel, Asgore, Mom and Muffet… Did you enjoy what he did to my family? Pathetic… I bet you also enjoy lying to Undyne."
'Hey, what the hell are you-" Undyne snarled, her hand clenching into a fist.
"I didn't enjoy that. I was scared… I'm still scared… And it hurts… knowing that Richard paid the price trying to protect you both." Alphys stated, as she had a pained expression and tone. "You have no idea how much I wanted X-Gaster to stop using that horrible button… How much I wanted him to stop hurting Richard… I really tried to help you in secret as far as I could, but it was too risky. If I had been caught, the consequences could have been worse… especially for you two… especially for Richard."
"We do understand, Alphys." Chara declared, holding an arm out to stop Frisk from snapping further. "I prefer having you as my enemy. He could have created a more perverse assistant… far worse than you or Richard. Richard's by our side, you're against ours… Anyways, if you really want to help us, stop being a part of a world made of lies."
Undyne looked back with a confused expression, before Richard then rushed in, huffing and panting.
"Wait!" Richard declared, before he then seized Chara and Frisk by their waists with his arms, restraining them. "...I'm terribly sorry for what happened earlier, Undyne… I didn't notice what was going on. When I heard the commotion nearby, I immediately rushed here to try and stop them. I'm glad that you didn't truly harm them. They're just truly upset, and have bad ways of dealing with it. It won't happen again, and I'll make sure that you'll have a good date from here onwards."
"...Thanks, I guess…?" Undyne asked back. "...Just take care of the brats, won't you?"
With that, Alphys and Undyne left, not before the former gave Richard a sad glance, to which he nodded back solemnly, until they were out of eye-sight.
"What the hell are you doing, she's-" Chara argued, before Richard glared at them with a cold expression of disappointment and anger, causing them to freeze.
"Not one word." Richard stated, as he took them across the park, as neither of them spoke another word after Richard did.
The three of them sat near the cliff overlooking the city, as Richard had a disappointed expression on his face.
"...I'm not pleased with what you have done. Threatening Alphys like that… What are you thinking, both of you?" Richard chided them with a glare in his eyes.
"Don't you understand that she's X-Gaster's assistant? She enabled all of this, and allowed this to happen to both of us… even you as well." Frisk argued.
"You heard what she said, she didn't have a good choice on the matter." Richard responded back strongly. "You're just finding an excuse to hate her, because it would be much better. Then why don't you hate me then? Just because I helped you?"
"It's not like that-" Chara shouted.
"It's like that, whether you want to accept it or not." Richard interrupted with a growl. "For all you know, I could be a sleeper agent working for X-Gaster, trying to manipulate you for maximum despair and betrayal, by acting as your reliable brother, and then stabbing you both in the back when you least expect it. How would you feel then?"
Chara and Frisk were silent, as they digested Richard's words, as Richard then continued.
"Do you know why I'm trying to stop you, because despite the shitty role she's been put in, she's still a decent person? You know that I've been with her so much that I can see her true colours. She's not a monster like X-Gaster is." Richard declared. "Stop trying to blame her for everything wrong, just because of association. In fact, the reason why I'm telling you all this in the first place, is because I've coddled you both too much with positive reinforcement. You're beyond the point of carrots being able to fix your issues now. You need the stick to learn how terrible things would go, if you continued down that dark path. You'd become no better than X-Gaster himself right now, because you'd kill someone, just because they wronged you."
"But X-Gaster is far worse!" Frisk screamed back with anger.
"...From your perspective, yes. But you'll be equally, if not, more terrible, if you openly act hostile." Richard warned Frisk. "X-Gaster is clever, he never does his work in a way that proves his actions as evil. He could easily shift blame onto you both, if you're seen doing the same things he would. I don't want that at all for you both. I want you both to stop harbouring grudges, and hope for the better."
"...If only that were possible…" Chara sulked. "If she really is helping us, then how the hell does she help? Just by watching us?"
"Believe it or not, in the last timeline, she did directly help us… And it will soon be her demise." Richard answered back with a grim tone. "Even at this moment, out of a sense of atonement, she helped me work on something that can turn the tables on all of this."
"You… You are!?" Chara exclaimed with surprise and relief. "Then tell us, what does it involve?"
Richard was silent, as he glared at Chara, as his mind rewinded back to a particular set of words he told Alphys during the process of making the RESTORE button.
'Whatever you do, you mustn't let anyone, other than the both of us, know even the existence of the button, let alone the process. X-Gaster will scry everyone for the information. Delete any logs you make about any of this, do not utter a single hint of a word to anyone in ear-shot. Keep your mouth shut, and your mind closed. If he eventually knows of this… our only hope of stopping this… and saving everyone as well as him… will die in despair.'
"...Do you think that you have the right to know, after that shameful display?" Richard answered back with a dry tone. "...After what I've seen, it only proves me right that you are left out of the loop."
Frisk looked towards Richard with a sad look, before Chara felt something collide with the back of his head, as it was a wooden brick, as he hissed in pain and whirled around to see that the thrower was Undyne, who had a distressed Alphys wrapped around one arm.
"We finally found you. Never had a proper introduction, other than that guy, Richard there, so here I am." Undyne stated. "I noticed that your friendship with Alphys is going through a rough time. I may be a fierce bodyguard, but I know the best way to help friends reconcile is talking! Let's talk about your problems and feel better, no knives or hits this time, okay?"
Richard looked towards Undyne, as he smiled slightly, while Frisk and Chara shared a look with each other.
"I would be glad to help this situation along, Undyne, a talk is what they truly need." Richard stated, as he pressed against the shoulder of Frisk and Chara with his hands to make them understand his point, before Richard frowned."But still, are you sure that you're really ready to know about all of this?"
"Hit me with all you got. Gotta know everything to make an effective talk, right?" Undyne smirked back.
"True words spoken… Alright, this may sound outlandish… but everything we tell you is the truth… Royal Guard's honour." Richard sighed back.
So Frisk, Chara and Richard took turns recounting everything up to the current timeline, as Undyne listened intently with her expression shifting several times at opportune moments of the recounting.
"...I saved Frisk from X-Gaster, so he punished us by making everyone reject us in this timeline." Chara concluded. "Because Richard tried to save us, he got punished as well. Once he is satisfied, he will get rid of this timeline and move on with a new plan… No one can stop him, not after how he done Richard in… we cannot take it anymore… We are… weak."
Undyne's eyes shifted around, as she had a pitying expression on her face, as she looked toward Richard.
"...Like I said, that's the truth." Richard answered back with a solemn nod.
"Sadly, Richard's right. X-Gaster's ambitions are increasing more and more." Alphys stated. "After Richard was evicted from his role… Only I have access to the previous timeline's data. Nobody else knows his next move. Though, I've been studying him in secret, and there's a small chance to stop him permanently. His SOUL allows him to use the OVERWRITE button. Destroying it might not be a good option, but… if we can contain it somehow, we could learn how to use it… and our universe could finally have a normal course."
"Forget about it. That's a stupid plan." Frisk scoffed with disapproval. 'You can't just defeat your own creator. Chara and I can't fight X-Gaster either. Not even Richard…"
"Unless you get proper training." Undyne argued with an optimistic look on her face, as Chara lit up. "I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty good at kicking butts, you guys can tell. That guy sounds like a total loser, and I'd be glad to teach him a lesson. I'll help to make you stronger and work together for a fair cause."
"I'll pass. It's a waste of time." Frisk sighed, still not in agreement with the plan.
"I'll take the offer, then. But we must do it in secret." Chara declared. "X-Gaster cannot find out about this. Alphys, we're counting on you."
"...What about you, Richard?" Alphys asked Richard.
"...I wasn't fighting at my full potential against Frisk. If the only way to stop him, is to truly defeat him… then I'll do so." Richard answered back. "Rest assured, Chara… We'll stop him together. Frisk, I know that you don't believe in the power of belief… but you can be assured that we won't let this end in failure."
Undyne smirked, before she then wrapped her arms around Richard and Chara, surprising the latter, as she smiled. "Alright then! We'll give our best as teachers and students. We've got this, Karla!" She remarked.
"I-It's Chara… and he's a boy." Alphys added with a sweat-drop on her face, as Chara had an annoyed expression on his face.
Richard laughed heartily, as Chara became embarrassed in addition to his annoyance, as Frisk silently looked at them with a cold look in his eyes.
Entry Number 2, Timeline Number 5
It's been years since we've taken that deal.
While the RESTORE button has been making progress, I've been keeping an eye on Chara's training, even giving him some spars against me to keep him in shape.
He's been progressing quite well, now that he's tapping into his potential for combat. Never before had he had to fight for real, but with my help, he'll be a great warrior, not too below the likes of a few friends, like Tatsuki or Link himself.
But what worried me was how Frisk took to it… He seems to be becoming more and more distant with each passing moment. He said that he gave up on trying to find a way out of all of this… and I feel like he really believes that.
But it doesn't matter… We'll give him hope once again…
X-Gaster… I promised that I would help you… but now that involves stopping you from going deeper down the path you're travelling.
I only hope that I have enough strength… at least Undyne is helpful enough to train me also, even though the effects are minimal, and are merely just accustoming myself to fighting seriously, at my current power level.
"Time's up!" Undyne cried out, as Chara was standing among a field of dummies, most of them which were eviscerated, while she was sitting with Richard and Alphys on a wooden box, as Richard clapped his hands in an impressed manner. "52 out of 60 dummies in ten seconds… Hmm… You have progressed a lot, more than I expected."
Chara huffed and panted, as every limb on his body was lined with training ring weights, and there were twin swords in his hands. Richard slowly stood up, as he walked over, and patted Chara's head gently, which made the latter slightly annoyed.
"I'm glad that you're picking up my dual-wielding so quickly, even with the training handicaps." Richard complimented Chara. "At this rate, you'll be a great fighter that can actually take me on a serious fight."
"...I can fight well against you in a spar, you know…" Chara mumbled under his breath.
"Anyways, I was convinced you were going to show us your 'Special Attack'." Undyne told Chara.
"I'll do it when I fight X-Gaster." Chara smirked, as he dropped his swords, as they impaled themselves hilt-first into the ground with a loud earthly crunch, causing Richard to back away, before Chara then raised his hands, as red arrows of energy formed above his palms. "I'll make every second of his whole existence hell."
Chara then shifted the arrows into knives, before summoning a mass of them, as a bloodthirsty grin appeared on his face, and his eyes shone red. "The sound of his body being pierced over and over will be music to my ears-" He spoke sadistically, before he was conked on the head by Undyne's thrown boot, causing him to snap out of it, with a blank expression, as the knives disappeared.
"No, no, no! Bad human!" Undyne scolded Chara, with a raised pointy finger, and her other hand on her hip. "Remember lesson one: You're fighting for justice, not for bloodlust! I understand your frustration, but you're not trained to become a soulless killer."
Chara was silent, as he turned his head away, as Undyne pursed her lips, and walked over to place a head on Chara's head. "You're better than that, my dear student." She spoke majestically, with a look that could be said to be anime-like, with a raised thumb.
"Undyne, don't do that. It's embarrassing." Chara blushed furiously.
"Oh, don't you like seeing anime faces? Here's mine!" Richard remarked, before he then crossed his arms, adopting a passionate expression of spirit on it. "Chara Dreemurr! Don't believe in the me that believe in you, don't believe in the you that believes in me, believe in yourself who believes in you! Don't be distracted by the what-if's, should-have's, and if-only's. The one thing you choose for yourself - that is the truth of your universe!"
"WE'RE NOT IN AN ANIME!" Chara frantically shouted back, as the blush grew stronger.
"Really? Cuz you look exactly like a guy from an anime I've been watching with Alphys and Richard-" Undyne snarked.
"AAAGGHHH! I DON'T CARE!" Chara screamed with frustration, clenching the sides of his head.
Richard turned towards Alphys, noticing that she had a smile, which quickly faded away, as he knew what caused her mood to worsen suddenly.
The four of them then decided to lie on a pile of leaves, as Alphys took the moment to speak up.
"G-Guys…?" Alphys asked, as everyone else looked at her. "...Why aren't you mad at me? I lied to you about everything. Despite you knowing the true face of this world, you're still smiling and being nice to me. I haven't done anything good for you… Why even pretend you forgave me…"
Before Alphys could continue, Undyne moved towards her, as she then embraced her in a passionate kiss, as Chara was shocked, a blush rising on his cheeks, while Richard was briefly surprised, before he smiled, while Alphys herself was struck dumb, as her entire head began to light up in a light orange hue.
"It's not your fault, you dork! You're a good person. It's the only thing that matters." Undyne told Alphys, who began to cry. 'You don't have to apologise to us or your 'boss', nobody's perfect and that's fine. He failed himself for creating the ones that will destroy him someday, after all. You must understand that you're very powerful and important for this world, Alphys. You can change the course of history, bringing us all together again."
Alphys began to sob into Undyne's chest strongly, as Chara looked away with both embarrassment, and pity towards Alphys, while Richard let a expression of relief appear on his face, knowing that Alphys was still the kind friend that he believed in through several timelines.
After a while, Undyne and Chara left, as it was only Richard and Alphys on the pile, as they were silent for a moment.
"...You're saying all of this, because you know that it's only a matter of time, right?" Richard asked Alphys.
"...Yeah. X-Gaster wouldn't leave any stone unturned for what happened in the last time-line." Alphys answered back with a solemn tone. "...He knows that it couldn't have been you, who openly opposed him… and he's going to find that torn piece of the log soon… And then…"
"...I know…" Richard sighed. "...I can't believe that you're going to be punished yourself, despite having done nothing but show the truth to someone. That goes to show how far X-Gaster went. Far away from what he was like the first time you met him… You had the misfortune of watching his fall with me… and I'm sorry."
"...No, I might be scared of what he might do… But I don't regret what I have done at all." Alphys answered back. "...To ensure that your plan will not be found… I erased every single log I have made of myself. He won't know of our collusion."
"...Thank you. That brings me peace to my heart." Richard stated, before he then shifted around to turn towards her. "...I have something to give you… a likely vain, but also still minisculely possible hope that I can keep what remains of you…"
Richard then pulled out another necklace from his sukima, as it seemed to be a star-patterned dream-catcher.
"...This was a gift from a friend of mine… It was said that those who wield it… will be able to keep a part of themselves alive… even if the vessel itself is emptied." Richard stated. "...I won't say I'm certain that he might do it… But he would likely OVERWRITE you… we have seen it before many times… and I don't want to lose you entirely. I want to make a desperate attempt to keep even the slightest piece of you alive in whatever he makes of you… Because you're the only true friend I have here, other than Frisk and Chara."
"...I'll take it." Alphys stated, as she donned it around her neck, tucking it in, so that no-one could tell it was on her. "...At least you tried your best for me… and that's all that I'll need when I meet whatever comes."
"...Promise me that you'll keep on holding onto your thoughts of me…" Richard stated. "...Hold onto the thoughts of Undyne as well… even if they may seem to fade away… That is how… it will save you partially."
Alphy nodded back, as the two parted ways, likely to never meet again as the same people again.
"Don't count on me, never again." Frisk told Chara and Richard.
"Wh-WHY!? We were in this together… Frisk!" Chara asked with a betrayed tone.
"Every time we try to stop him, things get worse. We're going to lose, Chara." Frisk answered back coldly. "His world, his rules. It's not worth it to become stronger."
"Things are going to get worse, regardless of what we do. You saw what he did." Richard answered back sternly towards Frisk. "He will not stop descending down the depths of immorality to achieve his 'perfection', even though he will continue to sabotage himself to get down there. The only way this can end well, is if he is stopped before his madness and his strength reaches the thresholds."
Frisk was silent, before Chara then spoke up.
"Brother, this isn't you." Chara asked with a worried tone. "Are you okay…?'
"Stop calling me 'brother'." Frisk declared with no warmth in his voice, as he gave them a side-glance. "You and Richard, shouldn't coexist with me in the first place."
"...Is that it then? So you'll throw your one brother away, just to hide from the harsh truth then?" Richard asked with an edge to his voice, a glare in his eyes. "Just because you feel like it's hopeless to continue, that you'd give up anything, just so that you could feel safe again."
"Richard-" Chara tried to stop Richard, only to be shoved aside.
"Tell me, Frisk. Is this really what you have become?" Richard asked again, more strongly than before. "I want to believe that you wouldn't have sunken to a level this low. Letting X-Gaster do as his pleases, just because you believe you're weak and forever will be."
Frisk was silent, before he then turned away.
"...Then you made your answer." Richard answered back. "...And as a final act of respect… I'll honour it. Let us go, Chara."
"Richard…" Chara said with a torn expression.
"...He made his choice, we made ours. Don't insult him by trying to pry him from it." Richard declared, as the two left the area, leaving Frisk alone.
The three immediately travelled through a dark void, as Undyne was equipped in the dark heavy-armour that Alphys made for her, while Richard and Chara equipped themselves with their respective weapons, before finding X-Gaster, who turned to them with a stony expression.
"During my absence in this world, I understood that things happen for a reason…" X-Gaster started, as the three locked eyes with him, all glares. "At first, I thought I forgot to program them all to get rid of you both, and Frisk if given the chance…"
X-Gaster then had a thin smirk on his face. '...Then I realised my instincts were trying to tell me the answer was here all along." He continued. "...Someone capable of making their own decisions… and inspire my creations with stupid hopes to rebel against their own creator… As well, as someone who had the will to make the proper choices with a level mind to think of the effects of each and every one of them."
"...So you did incorporate me in your plans then…" Richard calmly declared.
"Where's Alphys, you piece of crap." Undyne growled.
"She was aware of what was going to happen." X-Gaster stated, as he moved aside, to reveal that Alphys was impaled on a spike laced with purple cross-marks, as there was her purple blood dripping down the spike and on the ground, and onto her lab coat, with the tip mixed with her white dust. "Does it pain you, Richard? Knowing that I killed the one person that you could have considered a proper acquaintance to you?"
"...It was inevitable. I knew that she stuck her head out to help us." Richard answered back with closed eyes, mourning Alphys's death. "But her sacrifice led to this situation, and the development of my resolve to no longer sit by and let you continue down this dark path. You must be stopped, there is no other option now."
"Hmph." X-Gaster scoffed, before turning to Undyne. "Alphys knew how mad I was going to be, otherwise she would have not made that armour you wear. But do not worry. I'm not mad at you. That liar is not a problem anymore. If you don't want to end up like her, I suggest you leave and give me MY human. You as well, Richard, unless you want to waste that 'sacrifice' you claim to exist."
"...Your human? ...Haha…" Undyne laughed, before clutching the pendant Alphys gave her. "The human is MY student… and we're going to beat the crap out of you."
Suddenly, Chara summoned a hail of red knives, while charging at X-Gaster. Before throwing a spread of knives into his body, as the rest cut across his robe, as the two looked at each other, as there was a twisted expression of excitement on X-Gaster's face.
Undyne then leapt into the air, before she then crashed down onto X-Gaster with a double-handed smash that sent the skeletal scientist flying back, before stopping on the ground facing down, and slowly raising his face, as there was a empty smile on his face, even through his head was cracked, with purple blood leaking from his wounds.
"The way you show your emotions is so amusing, Chara." X-Gaster declared with a sickly sweet tone to his voice. "That's why you have always been my favourite. Frisk doesn't deserve you as a brother."
"Shut the hell up. Don't talk to him like that." Chara snarled back.
"I will give you everything if you give me your DETERMINATION." X-Gaster declared, as he summoned a series of floating hands, which surged towards the group, as purple spikes protruded from them.
Richard moved forward, before he then drew his blade and demolished each hand with a well-aimed strike.
"That's not going to happen. We both know that you're lying." Richard answered back. "It's time to stop all of this, X-Gaster. I won't let you do otherwise."
"No one in this world needs you anymore." Undyne snarled. "You won't change the course of this world."
Undyne walked forward, and pointed her spear towards X-Gaster, as Richard did the same with one of his blades.
"You are my creation. If you destroy me, you will die, too." X-Gaster answered back, uncaring about his current status.
"We're not going to kill you. You're not that irredeemable." Richard answered back. "...Undyne might not believe in you, Chara hates you… But I still know that the X-Gaster that wanted the best for everyone… is still there. You just need to stop doing this… and accept that what was the first timeline… is the best we can have."
"Psh, don't waste your breath." Undyne scoffed, before facing X-Gaster. "I'm here to keep you in confinement, until you regret what you've done. Maybe Richard will help knock some more sense into your head. We will take care of this world, and you will be forgotten by everyone."
"You're so ridiculous, the both of you." X-Gaster laughed hauntingly.
Suddenly, Richard noticed Alphy's body rise up, as her eyes were black now, with the purple spiked irises that X-Gaster had as well, although there were tears in her eyes.
"Your hopes and dreams do not work in my reality." X-Gaster and Alphys declared in unison, as Alphys raised a hand, as the abomination replications of Asriel, Asgore, Toriel and Muffet appeared before the group, being white melting abominations that had hollowed eyes, jagged mouths, and clawed hands.
Undyne was shocked, while Chara froze at the spot, as memories of the four raced through his head, while Richard merely grit his teeth.
"...Damnit…!" Richard cursed, before the abominations screeched as one, before they rushed towards the group.
"Chara… Chara…!" Undyne shouted, as Chara was unresponsive, before she then used her spear to push back the Asgore abomination, which was slowly forcing her back. "RUN!"
"Wake up!" Richard shouted back, as he used his blades to keep the Toriel and Asriel abominations back. "Chara, you can't let this get to you! You need to snap out of it, you need to fight back! They're going to torment us! CHARA!"
Suddenly, the two of them were forced back, as the abominations advanced towards them.
"...We're not out of odds yet." Richard answered back. "Even though they might be fairly strong compared to their original counterparts...they can still fall like any other monsters… Undyne, I ask that you fight until Chara snaps back to reality."
"Don't need you to tell me…!" Undyne shouted back, before she then launched forward, as she created several lights on the ground, as they turned into spears of white that surged towards the abominations, piercing them, as they staggered slightly. "NGGGAAAHHH!"
Richard then drew his blades, before he then slashed at the Asgore abomination, cutting into the melting flesh, and downing him, before he then fired a series of ice shards at the Asriel abomination, pinning him down.
Undyne then immediately thrust her spear right through the Toriel abomination, who slumped over, while smashing the Muffet abomination with an armoured fist, knocking her down.
"...Is that really the best you have…?" Richard remarked. "...If this is your attempt to make amalgamate replications of the ones we lost… it's a failure… They can still be harmed like any monster. This fight is over already."
"Oh, is it?" X-Gaster remarked, as Alphys immediately flexed her hands, as the abominations rose again.
"Urgh…" Richard remarked, as the abominations made their attack anew.
Despite how Richard and Undyne tried to fight the abominations off, as Chara tried to help them, after taking a moment to get his head back to reality, the three of them were left weakened, as the abominations in fact grew stronger with each 'revival' they had, until they were starting to replicate the very attacks of the original.
Richard was the first to collapse, as the Asriel abomination managed to cut down Richard, as he fell to the ground, barely conscious, as blood oozed from the countless wounds that the Asgore abomination's trident, as well as the warped blades that the Asriel abomination wielded, caused to him.
"RICHARD!" Chara remarked, before he then heard the sound of something being gutted, as he turned around to the horrific sight of Undyne being gutted by the Muffet abomination's arm, coated with purple blood, as the fish-woman's armour was almost completely destroyed.
"...Heh, guess it's too much for me… Sorry, kid… You're on your own." Undyne weakly smiled, before she then slowly faded into white dust, making Chara panic heavily.
"No… No no no…" Chara remarked, before the abominations advanced on him, as he tried to take them down, only for them to shrug his attacks off.
X-Gaster watched with dark amusement, as the abominations beat Chara into the ground, leaving wounds and bruises everywhere, while Richard weakly watched with despair and horror on his face, trying to move his body to attempt saving Chara. However, as he did, from his blurring vision, he noticed Frisk, who was watching from behind a barrier, with a pained expression.
"...Frisk…?" He wheezed slightly.
Frisk clenched a fist on the wall, gritting his teeth, as the Asgore abomination picked up the barely responsive Chara, whose head was leaking blood, and his entire body was wracked with cuts and bruises all around, by the collar, as he then suddenly flashed before X-Gaster.
X-Gaster then pushed Chara's head up with a single finger, as Chara tried to struggle with a hateful expression. X-Gaster then placed one hand over his own chest, and the other on Chara's chest. Richard's eyes widened, as he recognised the posture.
"...No, stop… You can't…" Richard remarked, as he slowly tried to crawl forward, before the Asriel abomination pinned him down with a heavy foot on his back. "...X-Gaster, stop… That's your child… He's your child…!"
Suddenly, X-Gaster pressed his hand forward, as his purple SOUL, and Chara's red SOUL manifested in front of them, as X-Gaster had Chara's SOUL grasped in his hand, as purple spikes jabbed into it and X-Gaster's SOUL, as there was the loud sound of heartbeats, as Chara was consumed with indescribable agony, as he screamed and screaming, writhing about. The spike on Chara began to darken, as the cross-marks turned red, while Chara's SOUL slowly turned half-red and half-purple. The spike linked to X-Gaster darkened as well, as the red cross-marks moved towards his SOUL, as his soul also turned from full purple into half-red and half-purple, as his wounds regenerated before Richard's eyes.
"STOP! STOOOOOP!" Richard cried, as he struggled himself, before Muffet slammed his head into the ground with a powerful boot, causing him to bleed from his head, dazed, as Frisk clenched his other fist, as tears threatened to leak from his eyes.
After the process was done, Chara slumped over unconscious… while Richard watched as X-Gaster raised his head… revealing that his left eye turned red, as there was a triumphant smirk on his face.
"...Perfect, with this DETERMINATION… I am finally closer to the perfection I seek… This has been a… beneficial timeline." X-Gaster remarked, dropping the unconscious Chara on the ground, and turning to Richard. "Now, as for you…"
Richard felt himself being seized up by the Asgore and Asriel abominations, by the shoulders, as X-Gaster leaned in close to him.
"...Truly, you have proven to be a greater nuisance than Alphys…" X-Gaster stated, as he painfully seized Richard by the chin, to keep their eyes locked with each other. "I have had half the mind to OVERWRITE you like I did with her… But now that I see how much of a benefit you provide me with all of your interference… I believe that you are a greater help under your own free will, rather than under my thrall."
"...I won't… let you… continue this…" Richard wheezed back with a hint of defiance in his voice. "...This isn't… over… I will… stop you… I will… save you…"
"...And still you continue your delusions of saving me, like a broken record." X-Gaster mocked back. "...I think that you deserve temporary exile for your actions… When you're done reflecting on your actions, I expect you to be more compliant, otherwise I will find other ways to make you comply by force."
Richard merely bowed his head. "...Do as you please… I don't regret anything I have done." Richard declared firmly.
X-Gaster merely snorted, before he then created a glitched portal, and tossed Richard through it.
"Now then… it's time for the next phase." X-Gaster remarked, turning towards Frisk, who was on his knees, crying in despair at the fates of his one caretaker, and his only brother.
As soon as Richard woke up, he found himself in a white void, slowly rising up, and finding that his wounds had been treated.
"What the…'' Richard remarked, as he inspected himself again, seeing if he had truly recovered. "How the hell did this happen…?"
Richard then looked around, as he could see only the white void around him, as he clicked his tongue.
"...So X-Gaster really threw me in here… Figures…" Richard answered back. "...At least he has no way of finding out about the counter plan... I can use the time here to continue developing it… I must finish it before X-Gaster reaches the moral event horizon… He's already becoming someone different."
"Oh, and like you're any different?" A voice like Richard spoke, as the original Richard froze, not expecting to hear those words.
"...Who's there?" Richard asked firmly, before he heard footsteps, as a exact duplicate of himself appeared before him, as there was a dark smirk on his lips, and a disturbing aura around him, that made the original flinch. "...What do you mean, I'm no different?"
"Oh please, you think just because you 'conveniently' forgot the juicy parts of it, that you're absolved of what you have done?" The clone remarked with a sickly sweet tone, as the smirk showed teeth. "I'm sure that you're happy playing the great big hero, but let's not kid ourselves here, that was never a choice for us. We're blackened, down rrriiiighhtt into the core of that black shell we call a heart. And I couldn't have been so overjoyed to be who I am."
"Don't fool me, I know that the flashes of memories tell me a terrible story, but all I can remember is the pain of being a victim from them, and the brief hint of hate striking someone I truly despised. What is so evil about us there?" Richard answered back. "...If you're so sure about my sins, then why don't you tell me about them? I bet that you're some construct created by X-Gaster to berate and chide me so that he can mold me into the same kind of assistant he turned Alphys into. Or am I wrong?"
"A construct? A fucking construct for that bone-head!?" The clone asked with wide eyes and a disbelieving tone, before he then threw his head back and laughed madly. "Ahahaha, that's the most fucking rich thing I've ever heard! Me, a slave to that amateur of a puppet-master? Oh my god, you're splitting my sides here! BWAHAHAHAHA!"
Richard didn't say anything, before the clone then let his laughter die down, before facing Richard again.
"Oh, you're serious." The clone remarked with a blank expression, before the arrogant smirk returned. "...You know, I don't blame you, poor little Richard has been stabbed in the backy-wacky several times over, and you want to protect what remains of your big-boy hero persona. Well then, let this be a taste of the delightful truths I offer you~ That X-Gaster of yours? He would vainly dream of creating something as perfect as me, who knows you inside out 110% clearly. Besides, what can that weakling do? He's not Yukari. His only talent is manipulating others. If I were in place of you, before he could even think of touching that OVERWRITE button, I would have killed him a hundred times over with different spells and means. That's how pathetic he is, although that is not as much as you are right now."
"Then you are…" Richard started, before he then stopped, already knowing the answer. "You're some part of me, who manifested himself within this realm."
"Ding ding ding, somebody give this smart-ass a prize!" The clone remarked, mocking hitting a bell with a hand, with a sarcastic tone. "Why yes, I am you, and you are me. And don't try that Shadow shit with me, your denial doesn't matter to me, because one way or another, you're going to learn the full truth about yourself. Consider it the end of that partial amnesia you have."
"...How do you know things that I don't?" Richard questioned with a serious tone.
"Well then, how about the fact that old Near-lio buddy, who's been residing in our head, keeps a very detailed log of our memories. Otherwise, how could I exist to give you the well-needed refresher lesson?" The clone stated, tilting his head slightly. "But then again, that name wouldn't mean anything to you. After all, your knowledge of him is a part of what you're missing."
"Near… Why does that name sound so familiar… and so… terrifying." Richard stated, placing a hand on his head.
"Well, considering who he is, I wouldn't blame you for it." The clone answered back, shaking his head. "But I guess that I've been too much of a blabbermouth. Who fucking cares about these other things? I'm already mentally trembling with glee at what's going to happen next."
Richard fell silent, as the clone then clapped his hands several times.
"Now then, let's talk about what you've forgotten." The clone stated, before snapping his fingers, as the world turned into Gensokyo, which surprised Richard. "...I'm sure that you're quite familiar with Gensokyo, are you not?"
Richard only nodded back, as he did not know what to do, as the clone's smirk merely grew at the response.
"Heh, of course you do, your little home realm, the only one where you can find proper solace in." The clone sneered. "Peaceful and calm, where everyone gets along with a jolly dance of danmaku and holding hands, singing the song of the world. Something like this… truly makes me feel like vomiting."
The clone's face contorted into one of extreme disdain. "What fucking lies these are." He continued, his tone turning bitter and sour. "Peace is just a work that the pathetic use to define cowardice away from conflict, and friendship? Hah, there's no true thing as friendship. People believe that there is, but there is nothing that matters about it. Although, I do respect their opinions. Everyone to their own. And that only pisses me off further, because some idiots think that they can enforce their principles on others, and expect it to work. You're only as loyal to someone as you want, and you have all the right to throw others away, because you know why? Everyone else has the same right, some refuse to exercise like morons, and those are the ones that end up being ruined by those who have the will to do so without any remorse."
"...I don't believe that shit." Richard growled back.
"...Oh, you like to keep to that opinion, don't you?" The clone scoffed. "That's why you're never going to become something of value in this entire world. Nay, not even in this entire multiverse. Just like all those simple-minded morons you call the Hero Alliance, who think that being a hero is the best thing in this entire multiverse. Bah, if I had my powers, I would show them how wrong they are. They can garner all the power they want through the power of 'friendship and hope', but nothing truly matches the power of vengeance and cruelty in reality. The only constant for all of existence, is hatred."
Richard was silent, as he merely glared at his clone, who then snapped his fingers again, as the Gensokyo he was in, turning into one filled with bloody corpses, and nature ruined everywhere, as Richard's breath hitched on the sight of it.
"Yeah, a real fucking sight, ain't it?" The clone declared, smirking again. "You wouldn't think this great land of paradise would be ruined, wouldn't it? Turns out in her infinite wisdom, Yukari Yakumo never expected to be played by the Lunarians, who planned the destruction of this land by its own residents through manipulation. Well, our Yukari Yakumo wouldn't make that kind of pathetic mistake, but the Yukari Yakumo managing this reality? Heh, might as well be a narcoleptic guardian at this rate."
"What is this…?" Richard remarked, before pain struck his head, causing him to wince. "Urgh... What…"
"Oh, you're starting to remember. Good, good." The clone stated. "That'll save me some time trying to go over useless details. Now then, let's see what this beautiful scenery gives you. After all, some of those flashes are related to it."
"...Koishi… fishing rod… Cirno… Flandre… chainsaw… Third Eye..." Richard muttered the names and objects, as if they were important to him, before his face paled, as the words linked to memories in his head. "...No…"
"That's right, welcome to the very deleted scenes of your own memories, something that someone did." The clone cackled. "Now, I don't exactly know myself who fiddled with our memories, but if I find them, I'm going to make them wish that they never did that, when they'll be spending an eternity in existence-rending agony… But let's focus on the main topic. I did say we're not different from X-Gaster, aren't we?"
"How could I be similar to him? I never would have done the same things!" Richard argued back.
"Oh, but you did… And you forgot about these. Whoops, looks like you're the worst possible choice for little Frisk and Chara as their caretaker. You got a real list of offences, enough to get you an entire building's worth of death row sentences." The clone remarked with a hand to his mouth. "But context, context, context. Always need the context for you. So let's give you it."
Richard watched as the world shift, before he was in the Misty Lake, as there was a projection of him facing a dishevelled Cirno.
"Richard… Do you think that someone will fix the madness here… I'm scared…" Cirno asked the projection.
The projection looked away with a regretful look, before then smiling back sadly.
"...I'm sure that it'll come to an end. Everything will go back to normal." The projection declared, although Richard knew that it was a lie from the tone itself, while the clone's smirk really grew.
"...Ah yes, the lowest but most prominent of sins: lying." The clone remarked at the scene. "You know, I think that considering how many times we have told powerful lies, it would have been second nature for us to lie without ease."
"Lies are not a sin, so long as they do not involve resulting in terrible things in the short and long term." Richard argued back. "That projection of me lied to give Cirno hope."
"Ah yes, hope. One of the most powerful medicines to one's negativity, but also the greatest poison." The clone casually responded back, before snapping his fingers, as the next scene showed a monstrous Cirno who was consuming and tearing humans ferally. "This is what your little lie resulted in. Poor little Cirno held hope for the better, and when everything crashed around her, she finally snapped and turned into a maturing kaiju. And believe me, that's just bordering the least cruel of lies you've told. Good intentions, bad results… Am I right?"
"...Lies are not enough to create such a cruel being like you." Richard stated.
"And I agree, if your only problem was your lying, it would be disappointing. Who feels crushing guilt over lying for some generic reason? Definitely not you." The clone stated back, before his expression darkened. "No, the fun parts start from here."
The clone snapped his fingers, as the scene changed into a area before the Myouren Temple, as the entire area was filled with the bloody corpses of the followers, including all of the notable residents of it, as Richard looked at each body, and felt dread drop in his stomach, when he saw the countless slash wounds that gouged the innards of many of the dead out, as well as the various marks of elemental attacks on the corpses as well.
Suddenly, there was the sound of metal skewering the flesh in an even rhythm, as Richard was startled by it, before turning to the clone, who put his hands behind his ears as a gesture.
"Ssshhh… Do you hear that? That's the sound of another murder being performed. Oh boy, I wonder what spectacle we're going to see!" The clone spoke with a manically excited tone and expression.
The clone and Richard immediately entered the depths of the temple, as more torn and abused bodies could be seen, while they got closer and closer to the sound of the rending flesh. When they reached it, they found themselves seeing a projection of a bloodied Richard, plunging his blade into Byakuren's body over and over again with a hateful expression, as the youkai buddhist long perished from the glazed look in her eyes, and the pool of blood on the floor beneath her.
"Ah yes, the first time we got what we deserved." The clone stated, placing his hands on his face with a perverse expression of sadistic joy, twisted smile on his lips. "Just watch us go! Such hatred on our face. Such killing intent channeled along the blade, stabbing through that back-stabbing bitch until her insides are mince and blood. The look on her face when she was taken by surprise, until we severed her spine with the tip of the blade. Oh, how I wished that she would suffer longer, but we didn't have enough power to properly make her suffer. Killing her this way is the best we can have, but we know that she lined us up to be executed as a 'traitor' to her cause, in one of the timelines. You pleaded for her to stop, you tried to beg her to see sense. But there was no mercy, there was no understanding. Your head rolled across the floor, as she took your head, and declared a public enemy executed, as the thousands upon thousands of youkai who once looked up to you, celebrated your death. Isn't this what karma is? Paying back all of the debts that people have incurred you with by blood? That's the only thing that matters, nothing else proves true, and no-one has the right to refute that. They all deserved to die for their involvement, and we achieved that with no opposition."
Richard was silent, as the projection kept on stabbing the dead body.
"Alright, enough of that." The clone remarked, as he snapped his fingers to get both himself and Richard back into the white void. "Now then, I suppose that's given you a real wake-up call. But let me show you what you really want, what you wanted to avoid, but also wished to remember. Our mind is a paradox, but not when the desire of curiosity wins out."
"...No more…" Richard stated with a shaky tone.
"...Hoh, just the appetiser, and you've had enough?" The clone asked with a taunting tone, and a condescending glare and smirk. "My my, before all of this mind jumbling, you would have simply remained silent, and endured it all. But I suppose that when you have lost all your experience of hell itself, you returned back to the even more useless fledgling you were, scared of all this despair and hatred."
The clone then walked towards Richard, before seizing him by the sides of his head, as the clone's face turned sadistic. "Unfortunately for you, I have no intention of letting you go." He declared with a sweet tone, which only made his words more terrifying. "Your pain amuses me, and I will continue to torment that shell you call a mind until you are back exactly where I want you. And trust me, I can do this all day, and in fact, I invite you to keep being ignorant. Like sex, the more you edge towards breaking, the more pleasure it gives me. There's nothing more beautiful than watching someone with resolve be given a hope spot, and watch their faces turn into the greatest works of despair that I've ever seen!"
The clone then let go of Richard, who staggered back, before the clone then snapped his fingers, as there was a projection of Richard facing Reimu, as the two of them were fighting against each other, much to Richard's horror, as he noticed that neither side were being cordial, as they were emanating killing intent.
"Why, you could imagine the faces of our 'friends', when we stabbed them in the back, to acquire that sweet, sweet power of Koakuma's." The clone remarked, licking his lips eerily, while the projection and Reimu fought above him. "It took several timelines to accustom ourselves to that ability of hers, by consuming her entire body, flesh and soul, but once we got it… Oh, things only got uphill for us. We made a promise to acquire every power in Gensokyo, so that we can kill that bitch that tormented us for thousands of timelines, Yorihime. She was truly an insurmountable obstacle, but we weren't going to give up, our little seed of hatred blossomed with each atrocity she did to us, pushing us to grow further and further."
Soon, the projection immediately killed Reimu with his blade through her chest, as the two descended. As Reimu gurgled her last breaths, the projection merely looked down at her with cold uncaring eyes. When Reimu finally perished, the projection immediately raised his arms, as a white wisp of energy moved from the dead body into him.
"I'll give it to Reimu, she really lived up to her title as the shrine maiden who rocked Gensokyo." The clone continued. "...How many times did she kill us, even though we acquired a lot of powers in preparation to face her? I can't exactly remember… All I remember is the euphoric maniacal joy of finally acquiring that power, the power that would have made us greater than Yorihime. Reimu was the last… but not the first we betrayed."
Suddenly, the entire scene exploded, as there were countless projections of Richard fighting and slaying each and every resident of Gensokyo, as he absorbed their powers, while Richard himself could only watch the faces of horror, despair, and betrayal from those that were killed.
"No… Stop… Stop…!" Richard demanded, as he clutched his head with both of his hands.
"Stop? Hahaha, you can't stop what's already passed. After all, we've killed those 'friends' of ours countless times." The clone remarked, as the fights continued, with more bodies piling around the two. "Why should they be our friends? What's the point of making friends with someone that you're going to kill and throw away? They don't need to know that we don't need them to live our lives. They're just kindling to our great big flame… the flame that will consume all of reality into ashes."
Suddenly, the bodies rose, as they bore hateful looks towards Richard, surrounding the pair.
"How could you… How could you do this to me…?" An undead Marisa remarked.
"I thought… you were… my friend…" An undead Sanae stated.
"I should have never trusted you… Yukari made a mistake…" An undead Reimu stated.
Those were only a few of the curses thrown towards Richard, as he began to hyper-ventilate, as the clone walked towards him with an expression of dark glee on his face.
"Now that's the face and look I'm looking for." The clone stated, before raising Richard's chin with a stiff finger, as the latter had a look of guilt and despair on his face. "That's the face of someone who knows how cruel reality really is. Someone who knows that we're a broken mess inside and out, that we're nothing better than a pair of sociopaths who want to see this world burn. Not to worry though, we still have Kaguya and Heiwa with us. They're the only two that matter. Everything else means nothing. Not even Yukari, not even Gus, and most certainly not that nobody whose name is Yun."
Suddenly, the clone's body glitched, as his entire attire turned into tattered black robes that made him look like a vengeful wraith, as there were scars adorned across his entire body.
"We only live for the sake of vengeance, dear self…" The clone continued with a malicious tone. "No matter how you try to dress it up as anything else, our only hobby is to kill and torture who we wish, under the pretense of justice and fairness. We're not saviours, we're destroyers."
"I…" Richard breathed with shaking hands.
"Oh, don't worry, you won't be alone anymore. Because I am here." The clone continued, as the smirk on his face grew into eerie lengths. "Unlike all of those weak shadows of the heart, or your evil intentions, I do not wash away by some mere purification ritual, or some sappy understanding cliche. I'm a part of you that will never, never go away. Besides, if you really want me gone, then why do I exist in the first place? You know that you need me, because without me, you'll never be able to be something greater, as that cruelty and pragmatism is what makes you better than a hero sometimes. I do care for you, my naive shell, and I enjoy what I do… And let me make this clear for you, like the last time we met…"
The clone then closed his eyes, before opening them, as they turned into black voids with red pupils, as his smirk showed far too many teeth to be human.
"Ï̵̥͕͕̹̬͇͕̼͖̪̀̂͆͠͝ͅ'̴̛̘̣͕͔̤̣̺̘̹͇̝͍̻̘̉̌̈̾̇͛̀̄͑͋͑̉͝M̸̖̖̹̞͇͛ͅ ̸̨̬͔̟̯̪̌͛͜Ǟ̷̢̢̛̼̬̫̪̱̯̩̣̙̂̔̀͑́̍̕͝L̶͖͇̺̭͌̽̎̏͑̍͑̆̓̕Ẅ̸͍͍̝͕̥́̃̽Ä̷̛̤̆̉͗̓̀̀̚͘Y̶̧̳͔̒̔Ş̴̛̺̥͙͙̩̬̯̱͗̂̅͒͂̽̐̒͘ ̴̭̺̪͊̍͂͊̋̋̉̍̍͒̈́͆ͅH̵̨̲̺̝̰͉͈̗̫̮͔͓̲́́̀̅͠E̷̩̞͎̻͕̳͎̝͋̋̉̓͝R̴̢̜̞̹̀͌͒̍͘E̸̜͎͑̓̉̏͝ ̴̛̛͇̫͔̂͐̅͋̒̈́͘͘͘͠͠Ẁ̶̨̛͚̩͚̰̮̜͔͙̩̺͙͍̇̿̎͗̆̾͗̉̈̈́̍͘Ï̴̲͖̮͍͙̻̐͊̅̓́̈́͋̚͘̕T̵̢͉̬̪̤͔̀̉H̷̨̬̟͈̜̱͍͎͙͖̰̘͓̍̊͂̿ ̵̢͍̝̦̥͔̣̝͕̳̯͈̠̿̑̈́̓̑́͗͗̚Y̴̢̛̻̮̯͙̣̦̲̒̑̒̀̓̆͊̈̌̑̕͝͠͠Ǫ̷̠͉̝̱͇͈̱̬̖̹̫̪̾̀̕Ṵ̸̋̎͛̄̈́̃͑̈́̽͠." The clone spoke with a distorted voice.
Richard only silently breathed, before the clone snapped his fingers, as everything returned to the white void.
"Now then, that should give you a good idea for what you're going to be doing next. Hope you learn your lesson from this." The clone remarked, turning to leave. "I'm not going to be so kind as to give you a repeat lesson on this, and I know you don't want that either, with that fragile mentality of yours."
Suddenly, there was the sound of glitching, as a purple portal appeared behind Richard, as the clone reacted to it.
"Oh, it seems that our little talk finished just in time." The clone stated, before sneering back at Richard. "Well then… Ciao, my cute little shell."
Richard was about to protest, before a series of skeletal hands dragged Richard through it, before the portal closed.
"Ah, X-Gaster, X-Gaster… You think that you're so smart that you have everything dancing to your little jaunty tune. For shame…" The clone remarked, shaking his head. "If you truly knew about me, you would start regretting what you have done, because you've poke a real large bear, and a murderous one at that. The fact that I can manifest before him…"
The clone then raised a hand, as his hand turned into a black solid claw. "...That just means that Yukari-sensei's seals are starting to fail." He remarked. "...Oh, you are the greatest failure in this reality… because you're going to be the one who unleashed the same monster that destroyed two whole universes in his rampage."
The clone then chuckled with dark amusement. "Oh, how I'm going to enjoy watching the spectacle from where I'm sitting." He said. "I wonder if those of the Hero Alliance will realise in time what is going to happen, and how they'll amount up to Richard once that side of him awakens. Villains are destined to lose… but what about fallen heroes? I'm sure that they're going to have a real hard time trying to keep him down, when he's literally running on the immense hatred coursing through him, with partial access to all of the powers sealed from him. Whether it's going to be a win or a loss… It's going to be a slaughter one way or another… and I'm going to enjoy watching it with a chip in my mouth."
The clone then faded away in motes of purple particles, leaving the void barren again.
Richard slowly landed on the ground belly-first, before he then slowly rose up, before noticing that X-Gaster was before him, with Alphys beside him, and holding onto one of his fingers, was Frisk himself.
"...Has your time in the void given you some time to reflect on yourself?" X-Gaster asked back.
"...Yes." Richard stated tersely back, considering what the dark clone told him. "...Where's Chara? What happened to him!?"
"Do not worry, he is here." X-Gaster remarked with an eerie smile. "...You're looking at him right now."
"What…?" Richard exclaimed with shock, before he then turned to Frisk, as the child was silent. "Frisk… what happened to him? What did he do to him!?"
Frisk didn't respond back, only to open his eyes, as one of them was red, and the other was purple. Richard's mind flashed back to what happened with Chara's SOUL, as he began to tremble.
"No… This can't be…" Richard breathed with disbelief, as he staggered back with a shaky voice and trembling hands. "Chara… He can't be… I was supposed to… I…"
Richard then collapsed on his knees, as timelines of memories with Frisk and Chara flashed in his head, and he fell forward with his fists to the ground, letting out a pure cry of anguish.
"NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Richard screamed, before he then devolved into loud screams of emotional pain.
X-Gaster watched with a stoic look on his face, as Frisk didn't change his expression, merely looking at Richard with stony eyes.
However, as they heard his cry, a faint ghost of Chara formed behind Frisk, as he had a torn expression on his face, with tears flowing down his cheeks like rivers, while XAlphys turned away, as tears flowed down her cheeks, while she placed a hand over the dream-catcher amulet inside her coat.
Entry Number ?, Timeline Number ?
Why….
WHYWHYWHYWHYWHY!?
WHY THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN!? HOW COULD CHARA JUST GO OUT LIKE THAT!?
Frisk… I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…
I've failed you all… I couldn't do anything in the end… I couldn't save you both..
I'm a failure to the end… that clone of me was right… I was never useful… I was useless to the end…
I… I don't know what to do…
I can't even defy X-Gaster anymore…
This is it… the end...
Yukari… Siege… Gus...
Don't look for me… You don't deserve to be with a failure like me…
I deserve to suffer like this… This is my karma…
At least… I can try to salvage some hope…
I'll still… try to hope that there will be some solace in this world…
Frisk… Even if you are a puppet… Even you, Alphys…
I'll care for you both… Because at this point…
I have nothing to lose… Not anymore.