Chapter 1

Although her legs burned and her lungs were begging for oxygen, Chara kept running.

The forest surrounding Mount Ebott was deceivingly quiet tonight, apart from her own hurried footsteps. Despite the calm silence, Chara knew she wasn't alone. They were most likely still tracking her, as they had been since she left her village earlier that night. Coming to a fallen tree, Chara tried to force her tired body over with a jump, but her exhausted limbs gave way and she tripped, absorbing the fall with a shoulder as she hit the mud. Giving herself a second to rest, as she'd collapse in exhaustion before long otherwise, Chara brushed her rain-soaked hair from her crimson eyes and glanced into the darkness between the trees.

Deciding that it wasn't safe to stay put, even though she hadn't spied any of her pursuers, Chara gradually rose to her feet. Resting a hand on her empty stomach, the human began to continue through the deep woods - slower this time. She still needed to catch her breath, after all. Chara often found herself sneaking out to these woods at night, as anything was preferable to the shabby orphanage she called home. Just the thought of her now-former home sent a jolt of rage through Chara.

That rage was quickly replaced with a stinging surge of fear as a shout tore through the silence. "Stop!" a gruff voice called from the shadows.

Clenching her fists, Chara turned and broke into a sprint once more, running for the cover of a trees. Just as she ducked behind the trunk of a great oak, a hail of bullet exploded from her pursuer's weapon, accompanied by a deafening chorus of gunshots. Chara couldn't stop herself from screaming as she heard the bullet ripple past.

"Did you see her?" she managed to hear a hushed voice over the ringing in her ears.

There came a swift, "mm-hmm," followed by soft footsteps. They were trying to be sneaky.

If Chara ran, they'd shoot her. Weighing her options, she took a deep breath and reached up for a branch. Clambering into the safety of the leaves, Chara held her palms over her lips in a desperate attempt to hush herself. Far below, she saw two figures cloaked in shadow convene around the spot she'd been hiding. "I swear she hid right here!" the first voice grunted.

"Well, she can't have gotten far. I'll tell the others to be on the lookout," the second added, unclipping a small radio from a belt, "The sooner we can get out of this place, the better."

As the two's conversation continued, Chara slid down the other side of the tree and, taking care not to tread on any fallen leaves, she crept away. Slipping behind a boulder, she watched as the two armed men separated - off to find her. Letting out a lungful of tension, Chara let her shoulders relax. Sucking in air, she turned and kept running.

. . .

Day had broken by the time Chara reached the end of the woods. Her eyes were heavy, her legs ached like hell, and her arm was thumping with a sharp pain from where she'd landed on it previously. At least she was out of the woods, hopefully having left her pursuers behind - whoever they were. Glancing up at the great Mount Ebott, Chara's lungs deflated. The sight of such a beautiful landmark was enough to give anyone pause, even given her own situation.

Eventually, she broke free of the awe-inspiring view. She collected herself, then traipsed onwards, practically dragging herself along the disused dirt path that lead up to the mountain. It only struck Chara when she was halfway up that she didn't really know where she was going. Away from those guys with automatic rifles, of course, but where exactly? A thick layer of panic shrouded her mind and she slowly lowered herself onto a boulder.

Chara wasn't one to cry, but the urge was strong right now. Sniffing, she held her head in her hands and, as her body began to quiver, she fought back the salty tears that were welling in her eyes. What was even worse than the prospect of being alone in the wilderness with nowhere to hide, was the fact that Chara had no clue why she was being hunted like some kind of monster.

Before she could think up a solution, she spotted a cluster of figures emerge from the treeline. Gasping, she fell to her knees, crouching beside the boulder. Peering out from around the rock, she watched the men through the filter of tears that clouded her vision. In the distance, she saw one - the tallest - step out in front of his cohorts. He then started pointing, likely giving commands. Chara's hurt lurched as he unknowingly pointed right at her.

With that, she leapt to her feet and began running once more. As yelling echoed around the mountain, she made for the jagged mouth of a cave. With any luck, she'd be able to hide within the darkness and pass her pursuers by. Shadows swallowed her as she ran into the cavern, the rising sun providing only a smidgen of light. As Chara slowed, she turned her head to check for any immediate dangers. It didn't seem like her pursuers had made it up the mountain yet.

Then, Chara felt her foot get caught on something. She saved herself from tripping twice in one day by grabbing a low-hanging stalactite, scowling at the vine that had tripped her. Then, her furrowed eyebrows raised in disbelief. Before her, like a tear in reality itself, was a deep pit. It looked almost otherworldly, as ghostly light shone from within. Chara would have investigated further, but a voice caught her attention.

"Th-That's far enough."

Chara froze, squaring her shoulders as she prepared for a spray of bullets to come her way.

"Turn around."

Filling her lungs, Chara did so. She looked upon the face of the stranger. He was obviously just as scared as her, his hand shaking as it gripped a small handgun. Actually, Chara had seen his face before somewhere. Had he been from her village? Yes, he was the baker's son. What was he doing here?

"Oh, God..." the man gulped, "You're just a... just a kid..."

Chara willed herself to ask why she'd been driven away from her home, and why she was being chased like this, but the words got caught in her throat as she fought back a whimper.

"Show me your soul!" the man's voice picked up a hint of order, although the inherent fear was still present. No questions asked, Chara nodded. Summoning her bright, red, heart-shaped soul, she watched the man's face go pale. Was that why she was being hunted? Because of her red soul? Come to think of it, Chara hadn't ever met anyone else with a soul like hers, but she'd always dismissed it.

"Wh-" she opened her mouth to confront him, but hurriedly shut her mouth as she saw his grip on the weapon tighten. Adrenaline flushed through her brain and she prepared to dive. It was too late, however. Before she even registered that he'd pulled the trigger, a sharp pain stabbed into her side. The bullet had, indeed, hit her, and a trail of thick, soupy red liquid began spilling from a tiny wound in her skin. The blood trickled down Chara's mud-covered sweater, her face flushing.

Losing control of herself, she felt herself fall backwards. Her leg caught on a rock and, as her consciousness faded, she watched the light of the morning disappear into the distance, accompanied by a sort of falling sensation. Then, the ground caught up with her.

. . .

The room that Chara awoke in was expansive and decorated with professional paintings, posters, and actual furniture - much unlike her tiny dorm back home. Wherever, Chara was, it was warm. She let herself fall back onto the soft mattress below, her brain having not yet caught up to her body. When it did, and when she remembered that her last memory was of being shot, she lurched up in the cosy bed. A paralysing feeling shot through her as she moved too fast, and she gradually lowered herself back onto the bed, her face frozen in a gasp.

If not for the agony coursing through her shaking body, Chara would've called for help. Instead, she laid back and gasped for air, her sharp breaths laboured. Gripping her bullet wound, she stared up at the roof. Then, heavy footsteps sounded from outside. Instinctively, Chara shut her eyes, trying desperately to calm her panicked breathing. She heard a soft creak as the bedroom door swung open.

Chara winced as light peeked through the tiny slit between her eyelids. "Are you up?" a soft, almost-pleasant voice asked. The nature of the newcomer's tone lured Chara to crack open an eye. As the face of the stranger came into view, Chara shot back, huddling in the very corner of her bed. Standing in the doorway was a monster - one that closely resembled a goat. She wore a long, violet gown and looked at Chara with calm, amber eyes.

The monster, her face one of sympathy, slowly stepped towards Chara's bed. "Please don't eat me!" Chara blurted, shielding her face with her arms.

Feeling her mattress sink, Chara peered through the gap between her arms. The monster was now sitting on the far end of the bed, her eyes showing concern this time. "Oh no, my child. I would never dream of such a thing," she promised, tentatively leaning closer to the cowering human. The soothing tone the monster exhibited gave Chara pause. Hesitantly, she lowered her arms.

"You... wouldn't?" Chara eyed her warily, keeping her distance, "But you're a... monster."

"Yes," the monster nodded. A warm smile spread across her fuzzy face as she introduced herself, "My name is Toriel. What is yours?"

Chara kept her eyes trained on Toriel, wary of any sudden movements. After building her courage, Chara responded, "C-Chara."

"It's lovely to meet you, Chara," Toriel beamed, "You were in quite the state when my husband and I found you. Unfortunately, magic doesn't heal humans as well as it heals monsters, but I did what I could."

Glancing down at her stomach, Chara slightly lifted her sweater. Inspecting the part on her side where she'd been shot, her eyes widened. The wound was completely gone - replaced with a slight scar lined with red. The wound had been the cause of her sudden pain when she'd lurched earlier, but otherwise, it didn't hurt one bit. Maybe, if Toriel was willing to heal her, she really wouldn't eat Chara.

"You must be hungry, my child," Toriel surmised, "Can I fetch anything for you?"

At the mention of food, Chara's stomach growled. Regardless, she adamantly shook her head. "No. No thank you," she decided, lowering her sweater.

"How about I lay some clean clothes out for you, at least?" Toriel offered, rising. She made her way over to a large dresser in the corner of the room and opened the twin doors. Inside, Chara spied a row of sweaters - coloured emerald-green with a cream stripe running along the torso. Once again glancing at her own sweater, which used to be light brown before it became caked with mud, Chara sighed. Her smile persistent, Toriel laid the sweater onto the foot of Chara's bed, along with a set of brown jeans. Slowly, Chara let herself stretch back out in the bed. "Change into them if you like, my child," Toriel suggested, "I'll be just outside if you need me."

Chara put on a wavering smile as Toriel left. As soon as the bedroom door closed behind the monster, said smile faded from Chara's face.