I Know Your Name

by ShiningwingX

Seeking shelter from a storm, a blind child descends into a realm of monsters. A chance meeting grants him a companion in the form of a ghostly girl garbed in the colors of flowers. Yet, what seems but a simple adventure becomes much more as memories of dark pasts claw their way to the surface. Lives forsaken, a name unspoken... what does this new future hold in store?

19. Chapter 19

Pre Chapter Notes: Hey everyone! We're finally back with another chapter. Strap yourselves in because this is probably the longest one yet.

Before we get into it though, we should probably explain a few things about what's been going on on our end. In truth, we were hoping this chapter would be done a while ago. However, a few factors resulted in it being delayed until now. The biggest of these have been work related. Without going into too many details, schedules and free time have been shifted around a good deal recently, meaning that a lot of the time we once had to devote to writing the story has been taken up by other things.

This followed a recent decision by KikiRukata to go back to school to try to earn a degree. So… it's been kind of stressful over the last month as you can probably imagine. Things have gotten better recently, but it's still been a struggle to readjust to the change of schedule. All this culminated in this chapter being spread out over the course of these last couple of months, with us working on it where we're able. Things are likely to remain complicated for a few months going forward, especially when classes start.

That leads us to where we are now. Due to how things are now and how they're likely to continue, we've decided to change up our writing process a bit. This shouldn't affect anything on you guys' end but it should make it a lot easier and quicker for us to get chapters done and uploaded at a more regular pace. We realize a lot of you have been worried about the future of the story, and despite our insistence that it won't become a dead fic we also realize that reassurances can only go so far. So for everyone who has stuck with us all this time, thank you so much. We hope this will answer a few of the questions you might have had.

On a more positive note: we've created a Discord server for IKYN. It's just a simple chat room right now, but if any of you are interested in joining to have a chat with us, just follow the link below. We'd love to get to know some of you!

Link to the I Know Your Name Discord server: https. (double slash) discord . gg / jfYHvw2 (remove the spaces and add the relevant symbols. Apologies for this, as Fanfiction doesn't like links.)

Now with all that done, we hope you enjoy the latest chapter.

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Chapter 19: The Scars of Humanity

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The child-like figure stumbled forward, red eyes blinking several times to adjust before looking around in worried confusion. Everything had changed. The twisting boardwalks, thick stalagmites, and distant lights of the village had vanished, replaced instead by a dozen small cascades. Their flows gathered into the shallow pool in which they stood, setting the murky water into a constant ripple.

"W..what… happ-" The glowing eyes widened as much as those thin slits would allow, and a hand shot up to clamp over their mouth. The voice that had spoken wasn't the childish tone of Frisk…

It was Lily's. Not merely her words delivered through the boy's vocal cords either… it was her own, distinctly feminine voice that poured from his mouth.

Fear and concern fought for dominance in the crimson eyes as she tried to calm the panic rising in her. With that shocking revelation, the reality of her situation became abundantly clear. The body she inhabited moved at her will alone without any input from the one who owned it. She'd only felt this once before, back in Snowdin… and even then she could always feel the boy's presence. But here, it was only her, alone in this strange place with no idea where her friend's aura had gone.

"Frisk…? Frisk!?"

'Oh please. Please be okay! Frisk!?'

The poor girl gripped the boy's precious stick tightly as she desperately waited for a reply. Where could he have gone? Was he okay? If she had control of the body then what did that mean for him? Was he… no he couldn't be. The thought was almost too horrible to imagine…

Several tense moments passed with Lily desperately fighting and losing the battle with her own panic before a small noise, like a sleepy groan, resonated in her mind.

At the sound Lily heaved a sigh of relief, the uncertainty releasing itself from her body. That small bit of reassurance that he was still there washed over her like a calming wave. She focused on it, and at last she felt him.

'Frisk…?' She spoke to the presence within the SOUL they shared.

She heard no verbal response, but somewhere inside her a warmth began to radiate. She couldn't claim to understand what was happening, but somewhere in her mind a sense of calm began to take hold. It was familiar… the same sense of comfort she had felt in the Ruins when they'd first made their promise, or beneath the tree in Snowdin following her memory of the garden and the shears… or even just recently after their unfortunate encounter with Flowey. It was a comfort she'd come to associate with her best friend.

It was enough to know that he was there.

With a mind now free of the initial worry, she took another couple moments to calm herself before taking in her surroundings. Trash was everywhere, some piles towering to more than thrice her height. Carefully, she pulled herself up onto the narrow boards and out of the water to get a better look. The bed of flowers that initially greeted her stood in stark contrast to the ocean of filth that surrounded them.

"Ugh…that's gross…" She complained as she grabbed onto the boy's shirt to ring out some of the water before trying to wipe her hands clean to no avail.

'I need to find some cleaner water at least. I could probably deal with the wet but…'

She fought the urge to gag, now fully experiencing Frisk's keen sense of smell in the worst way possible. Even the sweet scent of the nearby flower bed was not enough to overcome the sour, oily stench of the endless rubbish.

Shaking her head, Lily continued her journey through the trash piles, stopping occasionally to look at something a little closer before moving on.

Eventually, she noticed that the water was gradually growing shallower with each step she took. Seeing this as a sign, she quickened her pace, hoping to get out of this place as soon as possible. It was at that moment she spotted what looked like a training dummy just ahead. Lifting a brow, she began heading in it's direction, only to trip when the path swerved causing her to fall forward into the boggy water once more.

With a gasp, she pushed herself from the murky shallows, spitting and grumbling as she tried to wipe the foul liquid from her face. Seeing that it wasn't working only made her more upset. Stomping up to the training dummy the girl gave a cry of anger through the mouth of her friend before delivering a hard punch to its stuffed face. Feeling a little better she continued on for a moment, and relief began to wash over her tired spirit upon seeing solid land in the distance.

"Hey! Hey! HEY! What do you think you're DOING!" A voice screamed from behind her, shattering that same relief and sending her into a panicked sprint.

…Which quickly turned into a sliding skid, as the source of the voice soared over her head causing her to fall on her backside. The same dummy landed heavily in the water before her, splashing her with more of the disgusting liquid in the process.

"You! You! YOU! Couldn't finish the fight!? Then, I'll bring the figh-"

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Lily screamed, finally snapping from the stress of her situation. Glaring at the dummy, she pulled herself back to her feet, the red magic of her eyes growing darker as her ire grew.

"Ha ha ha! So I have your attention now?!" The dummy jeered, the face Lily had punched now twisted into a crazed snarl.

Lily, however was now far beyond the point of being intimidated…

"I have been killed more times than I care to admit. My best friend is unconscious. I've been dumped into this nasty water THREE TIMES NOW! AND YOU!" She cried, brandishing the stick two-handed towards the dummy. "I could really use you for what you are! So BACK OFF!"

The dummy started bouncing up and down in front of the irate human, grinning madly the whole time. "Yes! Yes! YES! Such anger! Such violence! This is what I want! Well, let's see how you handle this!"

The dummy's aggression bore down upon her, and in the next moment had Lily felt the odd sensation of Frisk's SOUL being forcibly drawn from her chest. She tightened her grip on the stick, more than grateful for the chance to blow off some steam.

Yet, her initial aggression turned to confusion as an odd feeling began to take hold. Glancing down at the newly roused SOUL, her mind nearly turned to panic as she noticed a stroke of light shining from within a second before the carnelian heart was bisected down the center. Lily winced in anticipation of the pain that was sure to follow, only to find herself confused by the fact that there was none.

"IT WORKED! YES! Feel my wrath! The anger and passion! Help me fuse with this body!" The dummy shouted, cackling psychotically at their 'success'.

Lily barely even heard the dummy's ranting as she looked on, dumbfounded as the two SOUL halves floated in front of her. They looked slightly different from one another. The left side had lightened slightly, and what looked to be a dark speck floated around lazily within. Meanwhile the right half had darkened somewhat and seemed to follow her own movements.

"HEY! DON'T IGNORE ME! FIGHT ME!" The stuffed simulacrum cried, launching what looked like tufts of cotton at her.

Lily gasped as the dummy's words brought her mind back to the situation at hand. She looked up only to see the strange projectiles drifting through the air in her direction. She tried to move out of the way, remembering how much magic attacks had hurt last time. Slow as they were, they wouldn't have been hard to avoid, the main concern being their erratic flight paths. However the left half of the SOUL...

Stayed in the same spot…

It bobbed lazily where it sat, heedless of the magic on a collision course with it. Eyes widening in surprise, Lily turned back and made her way as quickly as her legs could carry her to the SOUL-half that she believed contained Frisk. Stumbling desperately, she pushed it out of the way, only to get struck by one of the cotton-like projectiles herself.

Small bands of yellow appeared in her minds eye.

* Frisk - HP: 8/20
* Lily - HP: 12/16

'Crap, that hurt!' She thought through a wince of pain, even as the numbers pretty much confirmed her theory. 'If even two of those hit Frisk, then…'

The dummy began cackling gleefully as they began launching more puffs of magic while Lily tried her hardest to keep both herself and the second half of the SOUL from harm. Having to manage both at once made dodging much more difficult, even if the water's friction wasn't already making it hard to move. Lily had begun to feel the strain in muscles that weren't even hers as she weaved her way through wave after wave of magical cotton.

"Dammit… come on, Frisk. This really isn't the time to be taking a nap." She complained, keeping her eye on the wildly bouncing dummy.

"Foolish! Foolish! FOOLISH!" The angry bag of cotton cried. "You think you can dodge me forever, huh?! Well, then try to dodge THIS!"

"Wha…?"

Lily's words were silenced as a veritable flood of magical cotton sprang to life before the dummy. Its loud cackling ordered the charge as all at once, the gossypium sea flew in her direction. There was nowhere to run from the impending tide… nowhere to hide where the great torrent would not find and smother them.

With no other options, Lily settled for the only thing she could think to do. She crouched low, curling into a ball of protectiveness around the two halves of her friend's SOUL.

'This can't be happening… we somehow managed to escape Undyne only to get sent back by this?!' She lamented.

Against her chest, the two SOUL-halves began to brighten.

'No… I can't let all that effort be for nothing.' The fibrous wave was only a few feet away. 'I refuse… I refuse…'

Brighter, and brighter… the two pieces of the SOUL began to resonate.

"I won't be killed… by a FUCKING PLUSH TOY!" She shouted as she suddenly sprang to her feet.

A crimson pulse radiated from the two halves of Frisk's SOUL as a burst of raw magical power burst from the girl and the body she wore. Formless comets of colorless light rocketed from her in all directions, splashing into the water, colliding with and toppling piles of trash, or bursting harmlessly against the cavern walls. The rest ripped into the wave of cotton, boring through it like a thousand arrows, piercing and dissipating everything they touched. Those that weren't obliterated completely were scattered away by the accompanying shock wave.

What stood in the wake of the display was a child with eyes of glowing crimson, breathing heavily. Taken aback by the sudden display of magic, the shocked dummy backed off a little, panting slightly from the exertion of their own attack. Unable to maintain whatever he'd done at the beginning of the fight, the two halves of the SOUL merged back together, allowing Lily to feel the presence of Frisk once again.

"W-Whatever! Who needs magic… when you have KNIVES!" The dummy screamed, producing a medium sized knife from their stuffing and brandishing it for a moment before launching it at the panting Lily.

"Wait wait WHAT?!" She cried out in alarm. Even as she spoke, the image of a similar knife entered her mind, and a strange sensation came over her. Acting on instinct, she reached out with her right hand, spun on her heel and grabbed the projectile before sliding to a stop. She blinked in surprise as she gripped the hilt of the blade in her right hand. Then, remembering the dummy she fixed her glowing glare upon it.

"This… is mine now…" she muttered, in as threatening a voice as she could muster through her own shock. 'H..huh? Where.. did that come from? Was it just instinct or… some kind of memory?'

"I'm… all out of knives." The dummy stated, nervousness replacing its crazed anger for a moment.

Though still confused, Lily noticed its trepidation. Hoping to turn the situation to her advantage, she twirled the knife in a flourish and spoke.

"I'm not."

* Mad Dummy isn't up to stuff.

"Huh? Frisk?!" A hopeful smile broke through her facade, only to fall slightly when there was no response.

"Who? Who are you talking to!" her opponent questioned.

"I don't think you should be worrying about that right now." Lily countered, holding the knife in one hand and Frisk's stick in the other.

"Weird, Weird, WEIRD! That's it! I'm out of here!" Mad dummy gave one last puff of stuffing in annoyance before flying off. Where it was headed, Lily didn't know nor care.

Breathing heavily but happily Lily urged Frisk's tired muscles farther along the path to the stretch of land. Climbing her way out of the water, she rounded a corner before finally collapsing against the wall she found there. The girl with the glowing eyes heaved a long, tired sigh as her friend's muscles, now under her control, loosened slightly. She couldn't have been sure how long she remained that way before a voice drew her back to the moist cavern.

"oh… hello… didn't see you…" it spoke quietly from nearby.

With some effort, Lily glanced up just as the formless speaker drifted easily over a nearby pool of water. The weightless body hovered gently a few feet away as if afraid to get any closer. The girl recognized them instantly.

"Napstablook…? Hey, we haven't seen you since the Ruins." Lily gave the ghost monster a friendly wave before gesturing them over.

The timid ghost seemed nervous but eventually complied, floating over to sit next to her on the ground. "i thought i heard someone… out here… everything ok, lily…?" They asked, looking at her with concern.

"Yeah… that was me. I got into a fight with a dummy down there." She grumbled before realization struck her. "Hey! How did you know it was me?" She questioned.

"oh… was i not supposed to…? sorry… but your eyes… and the way you talk…. give it away…"

"No no, you're fine Napstablook." Leaning back to look up at the ceiling, she watched as the crystals glittered far above. "Hey… Do you know of anywhere I can clean up? I uh… got dumped a couple times… hehe…" She grimaced while pulling at Frisks shirt. "I don't want him to get sick…"

"oh… sure… there is a waterfall… behind my house… it's small… and kinda hidden… but you can use it…" The ghost said, giving a small smile. "oh… and, you know… you could come inside too… that is, if you want…"

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Lily replied with a wide smile before standing. "I think I'll do that now. And… that's really nice of you. Frisk and I will stop by later after we get cleaned up, okay?"

"oh sure… that would be nice…" Napstablook said with a sheepish smile, before pointing to a pathway on the opposite side of the pool. "it's right down that path… the one on the left. i guess i'll see you there later…?"

"Sounds good." Lily said, her mood much improved after talking to the ghost monster.

Frisk's joints still felt a little sore but the girl eventually managed to push herself to her feet, offering a final wave to Napstablook. The phantom's sad eyes contrasted the genuine joy and gratitude of their smile, as they faded from sight, presumably to return home. They'd looked like that in the Ruins too, and Lily found herself wondering if it was simply a trait of ghost monsters or if something really was weighing on them.

In any case, the first order of business was getting Frisk cleaned up. Giving one last scornful look towards the dump, Lily turned from it and made her way toward the path her fellow specter had indicated, being unable to distance herself fast enough from that wretched place.

It wasn't long before the corridor opened up again, and it was there that Lily beheld a pair of strange shaped houses: one, a faded bluish gray which meshed with the surrounding cavern, the other a dull brownish pink which might have stood out if not for the aura of emptiness it gave off. The two homes were rounded and tall like silos but drooped mournfully to either side in a most melancholy way. Their conical roofs sat like lopsided hats upon the slouching upper stories. At a glance, the houses seemed to reflect how Napstablook themself often looked.

Lily took a moment to look them over, feeling strangely pensive before making her way around the back. What she found there was far less sobering. A trickle of water sang in her ears from the clear stream flowing down from somewhere above. It gathered in a small natural basin weathered out of the surrounding stone, shimmering in the light of the glowing crystals.

Quickly making her way over to it, Lily dipped Frisk's soiled hands into the liquid. It was cool to the touch but not freezing, and she felt a sense of delight at seeing the grime slowly lifting from the boy's fingers. She quickly set about rubbing down his face and hair, as the refreshing coolness seemed to reinvigorate her as well. It was a welcome change after the disgusting murk of the garbage dump.

And yet… in her haste to get her friend cleaned up, she'd forgotten one small but very important detail.

'Oh, God…' She thought as the realization dawned.

Washing his hands and face was fine, but what about the rest of him? His clothes were covered in patches of mud and murk which had probably seeped through onto his skin by this point. His boots were waterlogged too, and there was no telling what kind of diseases were swimming around in that horrible dump. She could wait for him to wake up but there was no telling when that would be either, and the last thing she wanted was for him to catch something due to her inaction.

Still, any other time she'd preferred to give him privacy when he wanted to bathe. That was only polite, and her lack of memory didn't preclude a loss of tact. Under the circumstances though, she didn't have much of a choice.

"S-sorry, Frisk…" She muttered as she set about removing his jacket, boots, shirt, and pants, leaving him in his undergarments in hope of preserving at least some modesty.

She quickly gathered his clothing and approached the pool, dropping them inside before moving to enter herself. At once she was met with the image of her friend staring back at her from the water's clear reflection. She quickly turned her eyes away from his svelte form even as a furious blush colored his cheeks, Lily's embarrassment made known through him. Shuttering her glowing eyes, she fumbled with the rim of the basin, attempting to climb her way inside by touch to avoid looking for too long.

That plan ended with her foot catching on a slick stone, sending her tumbling head first into the water with a yelp. She quickly surfaced, sputtering in surprise. Unlike the dump, this water was clean so it didn't bother her too much. Besides, it saved her from having to rinse him down the slow way.

Settling down on the edge of the fount, she set about scrubbing down the parts of his body she could reach, avoiding the reflection and trying not to think about it too much. Instead, she focused her attention on the specks of dirt and grime, being carried away through a small hole weathered into the nearby stone.

A gasp escaped her lips when she finally noticed the change. It was so subtle that she didn't realize it at first. Her vision hazed for a moment and a tingling numbness spread across the limbs she was controlling. Even the water began to feel a little less wet.

"Mmrrm…" Frisk's mouth voiced without her consent. "Nn… wha-?"

"Frisk…?!" Lily gasped as her senses settled back into place.

"L-Lily…?" The voice spoke again.

"You're awake!" She practically shouted, her joy radiating within the boy's chest. "I was so worried about you… are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere? What do you remember?"

The boy's head shook, his mind still a little foggy but he did his best to answer her questions in order. "I think, a little, and… and…?"

At that moment he was made acutely aware of the water surrounding his body. He shuddered lightly from the sudden coolness but eventually found himself settling into it before noticing the clear lack of clothing on most of his body. He raised a brow.

"I… think you might have to fill me in." He said finally.

"Sure but, um…" She began, nervously avoiding the reflection again. "Do you… think you can get the rest yourself?"

---

"No way." Frisk shook his head. "Really?"

He listened as Lily regaled him with the tale of her miraculous journey through the dump, while he cleaned himself off. In the time it took for her to finish her story, he'd managed to clean his lower body enough to justify putting his pants back on, for which Lily was extremely grateful.

"Yup!" the girl said, and Frisk caught the scent of her sweet and spicy confidence over the spring. "You should have seen the look on their face when their attack got blown away. Bet they weren't expecting that."

Frisk would have had a hard time believing it, if he hadn't seen first hand what Lily could do, as well as the strange magic he himself was capable of. He smiled, simply glad that no one was hurt in the end.

"Oh, and I also got this." She said, guiding his hand to the edge of the pool where she'd sat both the knife and his stick. "I caught it when he tried to throw it at me."

"That sounds… dangerous?" The boy said with some concern as his hand rested upon the wooden grip of the blade. A basic rule of the kitchen was to never grab for a falling knife, let alone a flying one. "How did you do that without hurting yourself?"

"I… don't know actually." The girl said, a little of her confidence fading to contemplation. "I saw it coming and my body just… reacted. Next thing I knew I was holding it. Apparently I'm good with these things…"

Frisk listened with fascination as she twirled the knife in hand, and flicked it into the air before catching it by the handle and setting it aside once more. Though he couldn't see this display, he'd handled enough knives to know that was an impressive level of coordination. Once he was sure the blade was safely out of hand, he retook control of his arms to run some of the water down his back.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Frisk said honestly. "And… thanks for protecting me."

Lily smiled internally, blushing slightly at the praise. She opened their shared mouth to reply when Frisk's hand brushed against a cut on the back of his neck. A sharp wince escaped his lips as a searing pain flowed from the agitated wound.

It was at that moment that something triggered somewhere within him. The mild pain of the cut suddenly intensified and changed, reshaping itself into something… something unfamiliar to him. In an instant, he knew… this pain was not his own. He felt his SOUL pulse in the wake of that agony, only peripherally aware of Lily's own cries from within his mind. His mind began to blur, the burning of an old injury he'd never suffered replicated unceasingly.

Again.

And again.

The phantom wounds burned against his unblemished skin.

A small cry of agony tore from a throat too abused to scream. The scourge descended with a wicked crack. Fresh pain spilled from the newly opened wounds as rivulets of blood covered the skin above in a moist, sickening warmth.

Then suddenly he was back in the pool… with only the memory of the pain as proof it has ever been. His mind swam in the haze of what he'd just experienced, and his empty stomach turned with a nauseous feeling. With some effort he managed to lift his head, and it was then he spotted Lily. She was sitting a few feet away, pressed rigidly against the wall on the opposite end of the pool, legs curled beneath her and hands wrapped around her torso. The look on her face was an unholy melange of mental torment and physical agony. Her fingers, where they could reach, were clawing feverishly at her back.

"Lily!" Frisk shouted.

When had she separated from his body? No matter, it wasn't important. Ignoring the ephemeral pain that prickled his skin, he made his way to his friend, wrapping his arms protectively around her.

"No more… no more… no more…" She chanted, eyes staring blankly at nothing.

"I'm here…" Frisk said, taking her face in his hands and pulling it gently up to eye level. "Look at me. I'm here. It wasn't real."

"F… fri…" She stammered, a small bit of clarity returning to her expression. "Fr...isk?"

"Yeah… it's me." He said, forcing a calming smile through his worry. "I know it was scary… but it's over now."

"You… saw?"

"Uh huh…" He said. He wished he didn't. "That… that was yours, wasn't it?"

Lily sniffled but nodded, affirming what he'd already concluded. They had shared instances of memory recovery before but this was different. Most of the time it was simply their own memories, but that… that was something from Lily's past: something he had seen and felt alongside her devoid of anything from himself. Distantly he recalled the strange dream he'd had after losing consciousness before. There was little chance of it being a coincidence. For now, he pushed the mounting questions aside and focused on his friend.

"I'm sorry…" she muttered, unable to say more than that. Frisk simply shook his head.

"It's okay now." He soothed. "Come on. I don't know if it'll feel better, but…"

He carefully guided the spectral girl from the wall and back into the pool. Lily, understanding what he was doing let herself down into the water along with him. There were no ripples where she sank, and the liquid left no trace of wetness on her skin. Yet, somehow the coolness did indeed seem to sooth her a little, and neither the dark skinned boy nor his pale friend had any desire to question it. They took a few moments to let the girl calm down before Frisk instead asked another question.

"What was that?"

"I don't know…"

"If it was from your memory, then…" Frisk didn't want to finish the sentence.

"It was horrible…" She muttered, her fingers reaching around to her back instinctively. "Can something like that even be real…?"

She sounded like she already knew the answer, but was merely praying that she was wrong. Her eyes pleaded for an answer. Frisk hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"There's one way to be sure." He said slowly. "Let me see."

Lily paused for a moment and then nodded understandingly. She turned slowly so her back was facing him in the water before hesitantly lifting the back of shirt. Unlike him, she'd had no reason to bathe or change clothes, so this was the first time he'd ever seen anything beyond her face and hands. Therefore, Frisk found himself even more shocked by the sight before him. Around seventy percent of her back was covered in scars. They varied in both pattern and severity, as if a number of implements brought against her flesh only to be replaced by something else at a later date. The most prominent of all was a deep gash running across her spine, the skin around it distorted from improper healing.

"Is it bad…?" She asked, turning to look at him.

Frisk felt the blood within him boil. He didn't get angry often but this… this was unforgivable.

"How could anyone do this to you…?" He said, keeping his voice as calm as his will would allow. "What kind of…"

He stopped before saying the word 'monster'. No, monsters wouldn't do something like this. He didn't want to think that any human would be capable of such a horrible thing either, but history spoke otherwise. He took a deep breath to steady his mind, carefully lifting a hand from the water before touching one of the marks on her back. Lily recoiled slightly.

"Sorry." He said, retracting his hand.

"It's okay." Lily said, pulling her shirt back down and turning to face him. "I'm glad you care. Not really a first choice for the only thing you can see, huh? Heh heh."

She chuckled awkwardly but Frisk shook his head. "I don't mind. It's still you, right?"

The scarred girl gave a sad smile. "You don't have to be nice, Frisk. I know how ugly it must look."

"Lily, I'm blind." The boy retorted, waving a hand in front of his eyes to emphasize that fact. "Do you really think a few scars will make me think less of you?

"But Frisk, I…" Lily began, but paused when the words escaped her.

"Let me tell you a story." Frisk began again, pushing some of the wet hair from his face. "Before I came here, and for as long as I can remember people have looked at me strangely. I didn't need to see them to know… it's just something I've always felt. For a while, I had no idea why that was. I thought it was just because of my blindness, and maybe that was part of it, but… well I always felt like there was something else to it." He paused. "Eventually, I found out what."

"What happened?" Lily asked.

"There was this kid at school, a bully who would always pick on me." The boy said with some disgust. "One day he asked me 'What even are you? You don't look like us… you don't look like anyone here'. That confused me, but sometime later I found out he was talking about my skin."

"Your skin?" Lily said incredulously. "You don't look strange to me."

"That's because you don't have much to compare to." Frisk said with a small smile. He was grateful regardless.

She looked over the boy's face. His skin was dark but not overly so: Light brown with just a bit of red and a touch of yellow. It wasn't like he was neon blue, or bright orange.

"I'm not like other people, Lily. I don't look like them. But, because I'm blind I can't even know why that is. Do you know how frustrating it is to not be able to even comprehend what makes you different?"

"Frisk… I didn't know." Lily said, moving her hand to his. He squeezed it gently.

"That's why I'm telling you this… because if these useless eyes have taught me anything, it's that that kind of thing isn't what's important." He said, giving her an earnest smile. "Whatever happened, whatever you look like… it won't change how I feel. You're my best friend and it doesn't matter to me if you have scars, or horns, scales, or anything like that… I still love you."

Lily's vision became blurry as she listened to Frisk's words and saw the heartfelt expression he wore. It was a clear and honest statement with neither romantic intent nor ulterior motivation… which only made it that much more meaningful to her. At last a genuine smile spread across her rosy cheeks, and she placed her other hand over his in the water.

"Thanks, Frisk…" She said, and her joy and affection reached out to him upon the scent of rich chocolate. "I love you too."

The scent brought a sense of happiness to Frisk's SOUL, serving as the ultimate confirmation that his words had the intended affect. Nothing more was said between them. There was nothing more to say. With a sense of contentment the two settled into the water (Lily more out of instinct than any real need) as Frisk returned to the task at hand. The spring's trickling song washed over them setting their spirits at ease.

A few moments later saw the two having exited the pool. Frisk stretched his arms above his head and sighed.

"That feels a lot better. Thanks for getting me here, Lily." He said, before his currently muddled spatial cognition caught up with him. "But, umm… where exactly is 'here'?"

"Huh? Oh. We're behind Napstablook's house." Lily explained, nodding in the direction of the oblong structure sitting solemnly some ways away.

"Napstablook?" Frisk asked with fond reminiscence of the shy ghost monster they'd met in the Ruins. "They live here?"

"Yeah. He pointed the waterfall out to me after I told him I wanted to get you clean. I figured afterwards we could go relax and dry off with him. Maybe grab a bite to eat. I mean, you're still hurt so…" She murmured the last part, still feeling a little upset about the fall they took.

"Huh. Lemme check." Frisk said, bringing up the numbers and glowing bands of light that represented himself and his friend in his mind's eye.

* Frisk: HP - 8/20
* Lily: HP - 12/17

She was right. While the bath had done wonders in getting the boy clean, he still felt sore all over and according to the numbers he was far from peak condition. However, what interested him more was not his own numbers but those of his friend.

"Hey Lily! Look at this!" A wide smile spreading across his face.

She turned her head back to her friend, confused at what had him so upbeat. "Huh?"

"Look at the numbers. Your HoPe is higher!" Frisk clarified.

"Wait… seriously?" Lily concentrated her own thoughts on their lifeforces and realized what her companion was talking about. Her eyes widened as she took in the new numbers. "That's not what I saw earlier!"

"Yeah! When you first got hurt in the Ruins your maximum was only 15. Now it's gone up 2 whole points!" Frisk couldn't hide his happiness for his friend. "That's great! Pretty soon you'll have as much as me."

"Yeah… why though?" The girl's face fell a little as she remembered Flowey "When I was fighting the dummy it was only 16, so that had to have happened just now."

Frisk shrugged. Come to think of it, it was already 16 back when they'd encountered Flowey, and there was no telling how long it had been like that before. His own hadn't moved so maybe he just hadn't found the way to increase it. Or maybe his was 'normal', and Lily was just getting to where she should be. He didn't know anymore about it than her, so he couldn't really provide an answer. Instead he simply took it as a sign that things might be looking up for them at least a little bit.

"I guess we'll have to make sure to check it every once in a while and see if it happens again." Frisk said. "More HP can only help us, right?"

The small human took a moment to shake his head and run his fingers through his hair to get as much of the water out as he could. He would still have to deal with wet clothes for a while, but it would do to simply not be dripping every time he took a step.

Grinning happily, Lily grabbed for the boy's hand to lead them back around to the front of their ghostly friend's home before guiding him to the door. Giving a nod, Frisk gave it a few gentle knocks. It was only a few seconds before they heard a response.

"oh…lily… is that you…? be right there…" Spoke a familiar voice from the other side.

The children waited patiently until the door opened a moment later, revealing its ghostly occupant

"Hi Nasptablook!"

"oh… hello…" The ghost said timidly before their eyes turned from Lily to Frisk and back again. "frisk is awake, then… oh… i'm glad you're okay…"

"Yup." Lily said with a grateful nod. "Thanks again for pointing out that pool."

"oh… its no problem… glad i could help…. would you like…to come in…? if… you want to, that is…" they questioned, moving out of the door frame to let their guests through.

"That would be great, thank you!" Lily replied excitedly, leading her more solid companion into the house after their ghostly host.

Once inside the two friends looked around the simple but comfy dwelling of the soft-spoken phantom. A fridge, TV, and computer on a desk took up a good deal of the space. Along the wall to their right was some electrical equipment with a number of large black discs propped up beside it. Bringing it all together was probably the most plush looking carpet Lily had ever seen sitting in the center of the room. Apart from the slight layer of dust, it seemed like a perfectly normal little home.

"i'm glad you came over… i don't get many visitors…. it's….nice…oh….would you like…anything to eat…?" Napstablook asked, making their way to the moderately sized refrigerator in the corner.

"I could go for something, yeah." Frisk said. "It's really nice of you to offer."

Napstablook gave a small smile in return as they opened the fridge and pulled out a sandwich from within. "it's not much…but here you go…"

Frisk happily held out his hands to accept the simple meal. Yet, his fingers came away empty, passing through the sandwich as if it was not even there. He lifted a confused brow when his fingers met nothing and reached for the item again. The same thing happened. Lily looked at the sandwich questioningly, having seen Frisk's attempts to take it go unrewarded. Confused, she decided to reach out and try to touch it herself.

Only to… succeeded?

Her fingers rested upon the spongy bread and refused to pass through. Curious, she reached out and attempted to take it. Sure enough, the sandwich left the ghost monster's fingerless grasp and now rested within her own. Her hands gripped it as if it was solid matter. Solid matter that was, as she noticed upon looking more closely at it, somewhat see-through.

"oh…im sorry… its a ghost sandwich….i guess…lily could eat it though…?"

"She can?!" Frisk asked hopefully, his confusion and curiosity overwritten by excitement. "That's great! Go ahead, Lily."

"Is it really okay?" The girl asked turning back to her friend.

"Why wouldn't it be?" The boy asked. "Until now you've only been able to taste food through me. This way you can eat something yourself."

"But… I don't really need to." The girl hesitated. "Aren't you hungry?"

"We still have some food in the satchel. I'll be okay." Frisk assured her.

Lily held his gaze for a few moments but from the look on his face he was almost more eager to have her eat the sandwich than she was. In the end she relented, turned back to the sandwich in her hands and took a bite.

Frisk watched as the girl enjoyed the ethereal meal their ghostly friend had provided to her. He knew well that their connection afforded her only a shadow of the flavors he himself experienced with more corporeal fare. He had learned long ago to make the most of the senses he had, and the ability to appreciate good food had always been important to him. It was one reason he'd chosen to learn the culinary arts at such a young age, despite his limitations. Because of this, he always found this aspect of her spectral state somewhat sad.

His SOUL-sight turned to Napstablook who smiled faintly but said nothing. Still, the joy they felt: the simple joy of having people to speak to and enjoy a meal with was clear. Frisk had much he wanted to ask them - how ghost food worked, how to make it, and if it was possible for him to do so or if it required the touch of an incorporeal being. It would be nice if she could eat like this every day. Questions for another time.

Eventually, Lily finished the sandwich with a pleasant sigh before checking herself to make sure she hadn't dropped crumbs anywhere. Once she was satisfied, Napstablook gave the two children their shy permission to to explore the humble home. As always Lily took the lead, guiding Frisk through the small dwelling to the various curiosities within. The contraption in the corner and the disks surrounding it had piqued her interest. They seemed oddly familiar - not in the way that the statue or the shears had, but rather that this was simply something she had knowledge of.

"It's a phonograph." The girl stated, confirming her suspicion.

"Oh wow…" Frisk said, awestruck. "Those haven't been used in a while. Does it work?"

"yeah… it does. i've tried to keep it working… oh… probably haven't done a very good job though…" the ghost said dourly. "oh well… who wants to listen to an old thing like that anyway…"

"I would!" Frisk said enthusiastically.

"Same here." Lily voiced her opinion along side an agreeing nod.

"well… if you want to…" the ghost said, their voice brightening if only slightly. "i've… made a few songs too, if… if you're interested."

"You make music, Blooky?" Lily asked the ghost, still floating in the center of the room.

Their form faded slightly as their body bowed in a way not unlike the house itself, the slight smile they wore fading slightly.

"oh… that's… well…" They mumbled quietly. Noticing the girl's concerned stare, the ghost forced themself back into some measure of normalcy. "…a little... oh… but i don't know if you'll like it…"

"Now I really want to hear some." Frisk said, oblivious to the expression that colored the ghost's face a moment ago as he felt his way through the records.

The melancholy spirit drifted over and pointed out which of the oversized disks contained their own creations. The children fished them out and carefully loaded them one at a time onto the phonograph.

Music spilled from the cylindrical sound source. A number of tracks in a number of styles yet each one with that signature quirk that marked them as being from the same source. The small home was thus flooded with the soul of an artist too self-conscious to make their talents known. Not a single word was spoken as it did so… neither Frisk, nor Lily wished to interrupt the music for fear of missing anything. Sometimes it was calm and soothing: simple melodies with a single instrument or more complex orchestral pieces. At others, it was much more lively: the kind of catchy tunes designed to stick in the mind and make one want to dance. They sat quietly on the ground listening intently until eventually they reached the end of the final song.

"I liked this one." Lily said, once the phonograph fell silent once more.

She was holding one of the records, which from its position Frisk guessed to be the seventh one they'd played. Like everything in this house, the records seemed to be enchanted in a way that allowed incorporeal beings to hold them.

"I think my favorite was the fourth one." Frisk replied, remembering the sound. "The middle part gave me chills!"

"Why am I not surprised you'd like the slower ones?" Lily asked, causing the boy to stick his tongue out at her. "…but I liked that one too. Ugh, it's really hard to choose. They're all so good!"

"oh… heh heh…" Napstablook gave a shy chuckle. If ghost monsters could blush Lily was sure he would have been. "…i'm glad you feel that way… they really don't make songs like these anymore…"

The conversation drifted off into musical discussion, of which Napstablook seemed a little more animated when speaking of. The eyes of the normally dour phantom shined a little brighter when he talked about all the music that inspired him. It was truly impressive just how much he knew of the subject.

"This has been really fun, so far." Frisk complimented when the conversation began to wane. "What else do you think we can do?"

"oh… well… usually after a great meal and some music i like to lay on the ground and feel like garbage… it's a family tradition…" the ghost replied. "would you… want to try it too…?"

If it hadn't been for the request, Frisk and Lily might have thought they were joking, but the hopeful look in Napstablook's eyes suggested otherwise. Still, far be it for them to question the customs of others with all they'd seen in the Underground.

So it was that they made their way to the carpet in the middle of the room, and settled down. Napstablook followed suit as they settled themselves into a circle, heads meeting at the center. Far from 'feeling like garbage', Frisk found it instead to be strangely relaxing. It didn't hurt that the carpet proved to be just as soft as it looked.

"I like this." Lily said after a moment. "Feels nice to finally be able to take it easy."

"Yeah… we've been through a lot over the past day." Frisk agreed.

"...you guys have had it rough, huh…? oh… i know how that goes…" Napstablook observed.

"Yeah… But laying like this, I can almost imagine looking up at the sky." Frisk mused with a content smile. "Like all those problems are just… far away, you know?"

"heh heh… when i do this on my own, i just… feel pathetic afterwords…" The ghost admitted. "but doing it with friends feels… nice…"

Lily giggled. "You just called us your friends."

"oh… sorry… i didn't mean to…" The ghost responded solemnly.

"Don't apologize. We've been thinking the same thing." Frisk said, speaking for both of them. Lily smiled, having no reason to object. "We're glad to have you as a friend, Napstablook."

The three of them stayed like that for a few moments, enjoying a companionable silence while relaxing on the soft carpet. Eventually however, the two humans could no longer ignore the incessant prodding of reality, and they reluctantly picked themselves up. It was time to move on, and all of them knew it.

"oh… guess you gotta go, huh…?" Napstablook said as they stood at the doorway.

"Sorry… I wish we could stay longer but…" the sentence faded on the boy's lips.

Lily frowned at his side, noticing his struggle. She had a good idea what what was on his mind.

"You want to tell them, don't you?" She asked, inching closer to speak to him privately.

"Yeah… it doesn't feel right to hide it after they've helped us so much." He answered with a small nod.

"I think so too." The spectral girl agreed. "Besides, everyone is going to find out eventually. It'd be better for Blooky to hear it from us."

That was also a good point. Quite a number of monsters were already aware of the truth behind the small child and his ghostly companion, or at least one of them (the other would be a matter for later discussion), so it would not be long before word began to spread. In his heart, Frisk did not want to hide it anymore either and from the tingle in his nose, he could tell that Lily felt the same.

"Um, Napstablook?" Frisk began, his determination holding the anxiety at bay. "There's something you should know… it's about us."

---

The two children stood in silence after finishing their tale, watching Napstablook closely. The ghost monster had been kind to them up until now, and hadn't asked any questions even despite the state they'd found the two in. Yet, how much of that would change now that they knew what the two of them were? With all the resentment - justified or not - monsters held toward humanity, they were understandably nervous over how their friend would react.

"oh… so the humans i've heard about…" The perpetually dour ghost began. "that's you guys…?"

The two nodded solemnly.

"i see… guess it makes sense…" they went on. "your SOUL's a lot different from a monster's after all… ghosts are pretty perceptive about that stuff."

"It's the reason Frisk got so hurt." Lily, the first to speak, said. "Undyne knows who we are. We've been running for a while."

"Sorry…" Frisk said sadly.

"oh… what for?" The spirit asked, causing both children to give them a confused look. The faintest hints of a smile crossed their face. "…you've been nice to me… you didn't have to be… i'm no one special…"

"That's not true." Frisk said. "You're a great person, Napstablook. I've never met anyone who can make music like you can."

"Frisk is right. You helped us when we really needed it too." Lily added. "You're our friend. That is, if you still want to be now that… you know."

"heh heh… friends, huh…?" Napstablook chuckled lightly. " oh…is that what it means if… you don't really care what the other person is…? …when you just like them… and it doesn't matter what other people think… or… what they pretend to be…?"

"Napstablook… are you saying…?"

"oh… that's just… kinda how I feel right now…" The ghost answered Frisk's unfinished question. "…sorry if that's-"

The ghost's last words went unspoken as a light sniff drew his attention to the human boy standing nearby. His knuckles were raised to his eyes, wiping away the tears that had begun to form there. He shook his head and drew in a shuddering breath but said nothing as he tried to regain control of his emotions. It was as if all the tension he'd felt had fallen away the moment he heard the Napstablook's heartfelt words and his body, knowing not how to respond simply picked the first option it came to.

"oh… i didn't mean to make you cry…" Napstablook apologized, their body fading sadly. "i'm sorry, frisk… please don't be sad… oh…"

"Hee hee… that's not it, Blooky." Lily said, rubbing her friend's back as he continued to rub his slightly reddened eyes. "Look closer… see?"

Napstablook did so, moving closer to examine the boy. Quick as they came, the tears had largely stopped, though a few faint red lines remained as evidence of their existence. In their place however, was a broad smile that spread beneath the closed lids: a radiant thing filled with all the joy and relief its owner felt. Taking in another deep breath, Frisk turned to the phantom, his smile softening as he wiped the last of the tears away.

"Thank you…" he said in a small voice. "I didn't mean to cry… I just…"

"oh… that's okay…" Napstablook replied, fading back in with a soft smile of their own. "i think i understand…"

"Now I really don't wanna leave…" Lily sighed, now feeling a little emotional herself.

"Me neither…" Frisk agreed.

"you guys…" Napstablook said, before raising their head slightly, and gazing in the direction of something the two children couldn't see. "oh… but if she's after you… it's probably a bad idea to stay…"

"Huh? What for?" Lily asked, following Napstablook's gaze to slate of blue stone they were looking at.

"oh… i guess it didn't come up…" The ghost replied. "undyne… she lives around here too…"

"What?!" The girl's head whipped back to her fellow specter. "She lives here?"

Frisk said nothing, though his expression shifted to one of worry. It was unbelievable. Here they were, having a pleasant visit with a friend while blissfully unaware that the home of the ironclad captain was so close at hand. The very idea that they'd had nice wash and a couple of heart-to-hearts so close to their hunter's domain would have been funny if it wasn't so terrifying.

"...yeah… waterfall's a big place… i don't know when she'll get back…" Napstablook replied, voice as soft as ever despite their obvious concern. "…probably shouldn't be here when she does, though…"

"I guess we really should go then, huh?" Frisk said. "We'll come back when things calm down, okay?"

"i'd like that…" The Napstablook replied, a faint bit of eagerness peaking through their characteristic gloom.

They all stood in silence for a few moments. They all knew what it meant… what the next words would bring for the three of them. So they said nothing, drawing out the moment as long as possible, wishing that time could be delayed as easily as their voices.

"oh… i didn't mean to keep you so long…" In the end, it was the most soft spoken voice that finally broke the silence. "you guys have… stuff to do, huh…?"

"Yeah…" came Lily's reluctant reply. "Thank you so much for helping us, Napstablook… and for believing in us."

"oh… since you're going that way…" the ghost spoke up again. "…there's this old guy who lives out by the marshes… people say he knows a lot…"

"You think he'd help us?" Frisk asked hopefully.

"...i dunno… i've never gone to see him…" The phantom hung their head. "…still… might be worth a try… or maybe not…"

Frisk considered that for a moment before nodding. "I think it's a good idea. At worst, we'll just be right where we are now, but if he knows something that can help us."

"It really would be nice to have something to go on. We've kind of just been running around blind so far." Frisk made a noise somewhere between a cough and a snicker. The confused look Lily gave him slowly shifted as she realized what she said. "Oh… heh heh… sorry. So… to the old guy?"

Frisk gave a slight grin and nodded. "To the old guy."

---

At last, the three friends offered their reluctant farewells, one to return quietly to his art, the others to continue their journey. When at last the strangely shaped homes were out of sight, Frisk and Lily turned their attention to the direction Napstablook had indicated. The path sloped lower again as they departed the small village and made their way toward the marsh. In time, the long, spacious corridor they walked through slowly began to widen further. A faint aroma of greenery merged with the scent of water and stone upon Frisk's nose, moments before Lily laid eyes upon its source.

"Whoa…" She gasped, awestruck at the sight. "It looks like it might be even bigger than the wishing room."

"What's it look like?" asked the blind boy at her side.

"It's huge! The falls around us seem to all be pouring into this one place. There's water everywhere and it ripples all the time. I don't think it's very deep though, at least not around here. I can see a bunch of reeds and other plants poking out from it. There's a few islands and a lot more of those glowing mushrooms we saw before and I think… those are trees! Little glowing trees growing out of the water!"

Frisk listened intently as the girl described the marsh to him, a look of wonderment on her face. She continued, "There's a few echo flowers around the shore, but I don't see any further out… maybe it's a little too damp for them to grow here? Anyway, there's something else out there. I can't see it very well from here. It's some kind of… lights? They're different from the mushrooms or the trees though."

"Whew…" Frisk's mind was reeling trying to imagine the beautiful scene his friend described. "You think we'll be able to get through without getting lost?"

"Maybe…? It doesn't look too complicated to get through." The girl replied before her gaze shifted to something else. "Hold on… I see a cave near some of the falls. Maybe that's where the old guy lives? It's right over there."

She took the small boy's hand and guided him around to face its direction.

"Probably. Napstablook said he was close." Frisk replied. "Let's check it out."

Lily agreed and the two set off, making the rest of their way down the slope and into the bowl of the marsh. The sand was moist under their feet as they curved about the small shore to the entrance of the cave Lily had seen. As they drew closer it became more apparent that its mouth had in fact been modified into a simple entryway. Wooden posts framed the entrance, and above them the stone was smoothed out and etched with letters. At one point they might have meant something but time and the moisture in the air had long since worn them to illegibility.

Nevertheless, they stepped inside. Frisk raised a small hand and knocked against the wooden posts. They produced little sound, but it only felt right to show a little courtesy.

"Hello…?" He called into the gloom.

"Eh?" A voice called from within. "Someone say some'm?"

It certainly sounded elderly, higher in tone but with the scratchiness that comes from many years of use. A shuffling could be heard further inside as whoever owned it fumbled in darkness. A crash and shatter, like something fragile falling and shattering caused Frisk to take a reflexive step back. Lily instinctively moved in front of the boy, keeping her eyes trained upon the entrance of the cave in case any danger should spill out.

"Ah, needed t' replace that anyways… eh, where's the light. Wait… that wasn't the light, was it?" The voice spoke, followed by more shuffling. "Nope… that ain't it… I don't even know what that is… Ah, here it is!"

Lily watched as a faint reddish purple glow began to radiate from within the cave, casting the walls in color and light. The shadow of a hunched figure moved about amongst the glow before disappearing again.

"Well, don't leave us hangin'. Come in, come in!" The voice spoke again.

Frisk sighed at the invitation, relieved that it didn't seem like they offended the cave's owner at all. He turned to Lily, expecting at least some reluctance now that he knew about her particular dislike of cramped spaces.

And yet, strangely enough there was none to be seen. She simply looked at the entrance as easily as if it were the door to the home of the skeleton brothers. The fear and nervousness he'd seen in the tunnel before was practically non-existent. He opened his mouth to ask her about it but quickly released it probably would be better not to remind her of her phobia and instead asked something else.

"So, should we do the SOUL thing now or inside?" He asked, drawing her attention to him.

"Huh? Oh, that's right." Lily replied, realizing what he was getting at. "It would probably be better to do it now. Less stuff to explain."

Frisk nodded and called forth the crimson heart from his chest. After the usual ritual, his eye flared with Lily's presence and the familiar feeling of her spirit alongside his own. They were about to step inside when a vast shadow blocked their path from inside the depths of the cave.

"Yer takin' yer sweet time ain'tcha? Gotta be pretty slow if these old bones can outpace ya!" Spoke the voice from before, clearly belonging to the shadowed figure before them.

It shifted slightly, in place and from the gloom emerged a a pointed face that appeared rather turtle-like to Lily. The monster's greenish brown skin was wrinkled with age, its bald, freckled head covered by a safari hat of simple brown. It looked down at the small boy through the left of its big, yellow eyes while the right was shut, its lid swollen as if from an injury that never properly healed.

"Eh, wha's with the lightshow?" The monster cocked its head. "Looks like I didn't even need to pull out that lantern if ya already brought one!"

"I'm sorry, sir." Frisk said politely. "We were just about ready to come inside."

"Wahaha! I'm just messin' with ya." The testudian monster gave a ragged but hearty laugh. "Good to have someone with some manners fer a change, though. Follow me, and get the chill out. Just, err… watch yer step."

The elderly turtle turned slowly and lumbered his way back into the mouth of the cave. The two children followed as one behind him, rounding the corner into the dwelling proper while Lily kept a sharp eye out for anything that might catch on the boy's feet. It wasn't long before the cramped tunnel, barely large enough to fit the wide frame of the monster leading them opened into a fairly large chamber.

"Been a while since I've had any real visitors…" The monster spoke. "Name's Gerson. Gerson Boom."

"I'm Frisk." The boy spoke. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Boom."

"Ah, no need for all that 'Mister' nonsense. Just call me Gerson." The now named Gerson said turning his long neck to give a wrinkly grin. "And who'sa one with ya? The one behind that funny eye o' yers, I take it?"

Frisk and Lily were both taken aback by the old turtle's blatant acknowledgement of the latter's existence. Apart from Sans (who had experienced it around the same time they did), they'd always had to explain the situation to any monster they'd met. Even Flowey, despite how much he seemed to know, had only noticed some time later. All of this seemed to suggest that what the two humans shared was not at all common in the Underground. Yet, this monster - Gerson - had noticed immediately.

"I um… sorry. I wasn't trying to hide, it's just… I can't really talk to people except through Frisk." Lily stammered, trying find her words. "…My name is Lily."

"Aw, don't ya worry about that. When ya live as long, and learn as much as I have, ain't much that gets by you." Gerson said, gently dispersing the momentary shock. "Anyways, we can talk after we sit down."

Frisk and Lily stepped tentatively into the chamber as Gerson stepped aside to let them through. The dwelling itself wasn't all that impressive - a simple cavern worn naturally out of the rock with a only a few pieces of crudely carved stone furniture to differentiate it from any other cave in Waterfall. What was far more eye-catching was the countless number of objects strewn about the room, heaped in piles against the walls or otherwise scattered around the floor. In the center of the chamber, on a large stone slab was a simple iron lantern with a not-so-simple light-source. Instead of fire, a strange purple crystal was placed behind the glass panels, painting the room in a soft violet glow.

Yet, for as simple as the place was at its core, there was something different here. The air itself almost seemed charged with some strange energy, not oppressive but certainly noticeable. The constant hum of magic that pervaded the Underground, so subtle and ever-present that he no longer noticed unless he was listening for it, droned in Frisk's ears. There was power here, despite the quaintness of the place, that was for sure.

"So, what brings ya to this old turtle, eh? Wantin' to buy some'a this junk? I got plenty!" Gerson spoke amicably, taking a seat on one of the stone chairs placed around and gesturing for the two of them to do the same.

"Maybe… see, we were told that you know quite a bit." Lily explained as she guided Frisk to an empty seat. The boy fumbled a little before managing at last to pull himself up. "We hoped you might be able to answer some questions we had."

"That all? Well talk is free, I s'pose." The old monster said, scratching his chin. "Ask me whatever you wanna know. Ya tend to learn a bit about history when you've lived through as much of it as I have."

"Well… I guess the first thing would be what we can learn about the Underground as a whole. We've…" Frisk paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "We've mostly just stuck around Snowdin. This is kind of our first time in Waterfall."

"Hmm…" Gerson grumbled, giving the two of them a sharp look through his singular eye. He seemed thoughtful for a moment before at last he spoke again. "I think I got somethin' that might help ya out. Jus' gimme a minute to find it."

The old archeologist stood from his seat, and made his way over to one of the piles littering his humble abode. Frisk and Lily watched as he carefully picked through it. With little else to do, the children decided to take the opportunity to look around the room. Much of the stuff was just as Gerson described: junk. Bits of pottery or worn wood that might have been something at one point but had since been broken and just never thrown away.

A few were intact however, and some of them Lily was even able to identify: small sculptures, preserved paintings, carvings in wood and stone. Frisk listened intently as she described the area in his mind, filling the boy with wonder at just how much history must have been stored in this tiny room. It was all things that would not have looked out of place in a museum. Most prominently however was a large, tattered banister that took up most of the farthest wall. Emblazoned on its surface was that same strange Emblem the two had seen throughout the Ruins.

"Ah, here we are!" The old turtle announced, having at last concluded his search. He returned to his seat carrying what looked like a thick tome beneath one of his meaty arms.

He held it out for the children and Lily took it, laying it carefully in Frisk's lap. What she'd at first identified as a tome turned out to be a bit less impressive than that. What they held was a notebook, bound in purple leather, torn and patched from age and constant repair work. It was old to be sure, but didn't seem all that impressive on the surface.

"A notebook?" Lily gave the turtle a quizzical look, but returned her eyes to the thing in question as Frisk moved to open the front cover.

"Monsters - A Study of the Biology, History, and Culture of the Denizens of Mount Ebott." She read aloud as Frisk flipped through the pages. "Huh? Hold on Frisk go back to that last page."

"What is it?" Frisk asked as he did so.

"I think I recognize this one." She said, before reading the page aloud. "'Water Walker, Type: Amorphous Being (Purity)'. Appearance: This monster has the appearance of a water tank on legs. A volume of clear, clean water can be seen inside its transparent 'face'. The 'tank' is actually merely an apparatus to allow the monster to walk on land. It's true form is the water inside. Characteristics: Obsessed with cleanliness, these monsters hate dirty surroundings and will habitually clean anything that does not meet their standards. The water their bodies are made of (which also comprises their magic) is of the utmost purity, and possesses strong healing and restorative capabilities. They will shy away from anything 'unclean', but are easily calmed by requesting a wash."

"That monster Kidd was talking to. Woshua." Frisk said. "It sounds like him."

"Yeah. Keep going." Lily said, and Frisk continued to flip through the pages. "They're all here… the dog monsters, Snowy and Chill, the Moldsmals, Froggit… even Kidd is in here. Or at least, monsters like them. Just look at all th-"

A gasp of shock stole Lily's words from her mouth. Frisk instinctively stopped, catching a strange scent equal parts fond and forlorn from his friend. The girl stared at the page for a moment, taking control of one of Frisk's hands to trace the image of the monster depicted within.

"What's wrong?" the boy asked. He didn't get a response so he turned his words inward. "Lily? What do you see?"

"I-it's Mom…" She whispered in his mind. 'Mom is in here, Frisk. Not just another goat monster… it's actually her."

"Mom… the one who wrote this must have met her. But then…" The boy reluctantly pried his eyes from the page, much to Lily's reluctance and settled them on Gerson, who was watching intently, waiting for them to speak. "Um… Mr. Gerson. Where… where did this come from?"

"That thing was written a long time ago… wasn't ever finished though." Gerson said wistfully, closing his single eye and leaning back in his seat. "Never really knew why he wanted to make it. Wouldn't be much use to anyone out there."

"Who?" Frisk asked. Gerson blinked a few times as if only just remembering the boy was there. He seemed far away, lost in his own memories.

"Hmm… I forget his name." The old turtle replied. "He was a smart little tyke though, 'specially fer a human."

"So… it was a human." Frisk muttered to himself. This confirmed his suspicions.

"Real curious sort. Kind that was always askin' questions, tryin' to learn things." The old turtle spoke, and a slight smile played at his scaly face. "Lot like you two, actually now I think about it."

Frisk was about to turn back to the book, now having a lot more to think about. However, when Gerson's words and the way he'd said them finally dawned on him he did a double take.

"Wait… you know we're humans…?" The boy asked, more confused than fearful. Lily's attention, which had until now been focused on the page of the book that described Toriel, turned quickly to the conversation at hand.

"Yep. I reckon most folk who look a'cha wouldn't even guess. Been so long since the last one fell 'n all." The historian explained. "But… I've seen a few in my time."

"Then… you also know that Undyne's after us." Frisk suggested. Gerson nodded.

"Undyne… she's always been a bit of a hothead." Gerson said. "When she was young, she'd like to follow me when I went around keepin' the local ruffians in line. Sometimes, she'd even try to help! Though… she wasn't all that good at figurin' out who was a bad guy or not. Still, she was always willin' to listen to my stories about my days in the Royal Guard. Think that might have been why she decided to join. Pretty soon, she made Captain."

"And now she's hunting us…" Lily said, remembering their most recent run in with their pursuer. "But even knowing that… even with all the horrible stories about humans and what we're capable of, you still let us into your home. You didn't turn us away or try to capture us… why?"

"Well, the first part's easy. I know even if ya wanted to ya couldn't do none 'a that here." The old turtle said, and tapped his foot against the floor of the cave. "As fer the second… let's just say I had a change 'a heart a long time ago."

His eye lowered to the book sitting in the child's lap. Even Frisk, his SOUL projecting a monochrome image of the turtle on his sight, could understand the meaning behind that. For Lily, having far more experience in reading expressions, it was only too obvious. They nodded in silent understanding but said no more. The gentle smile returned to Gerson's scaly face.

"Anyways… didn't mean to getcha caught up in an old turtle's memories. Ya got yer work cut out for ya, but if there's anything else ya wanna know, just ask." He said, leaving the door open to ask.

The two of them thought for a moment. There were many things they wanted to know, but it was hard to decide which one to ask. In the back of the cave, the banner bearing that strange sigil they'd seen around the Underground gazed down upon them.

"What is that emblem back there?" Frisk finally asked. "We've seen it all over the place down here. It seems important, but…"

"That thing? That's the Delta Rune. It's the symbol of our kingdom. It's called the Kingdom…" The old archeologist gave a long, dramatic pause, as the children listened intently. "…of Monsters."

Frisk's face gave a look of disappointment shared by both himself and Lily.

"Great name, huh" Gerson cackled. "Like I always say, Ol' King Fluffybuns can't name fer beans!"

"Wait… Fluffybuns?" Lily repeated the name. "Why does that sound familiar."

"Wasn't that the author of that book you liked in Snowdin's library?" Frisk recalled. "The one about gardening?"

"Oh yeah, that's right…" Lily said, and then put two and two together a moment later. "Wait, that means the one who wrote that book was the king?!"

"Sounds like the kinda thing he'd do. Never had much of a green thumb m'self… well, 'cep fer these. Wahaha!" Gerson cackled holding up his thumbs which did indeed bare a touch of green. Frisk and Lily both giggled at the old man's joke. "Anyways… That emblem actually predates written history. It's original meaning has been lost to time. All we know is that those triangles symbolize us monsters, and the winged circle symbolizes… somethin' else. Me, I jus' think it looks neat but most people… most people say it's the 'angel' - the one from the prophecy."

"A prophecy?" Frisk asked. "What's it say?"

"Well, I could tell ya… but it might be better to look it over yerself." the old turtle said and gestured to one pile set apart from the rest of the junk and artifacts scattered about his cave.

Despite the clutter littering the elderly archeologist's home, this one pile was different from the rest - so much so that Lily was surprised she didn't notice it before. Whereas the rest of Gerson's possessions were simply strewn about without any mind for organization, this one section was neat… orderly even. There were many different things in Gerson's abode, but only this one area seemed out of place. It consisted of a number of stone tablets, arranged in careful stacks to ensure there was little risk of them falling over.

"These're usually put up around Waterfall, so's everyone can read 'em." Gerson explained. "But once in a while, I take 'em down so I can fix 'em up. Moisture ain't kind to these stones, magic or no magic. Yer lucky ya came around here when ya did… saves ya a bit of a walk."

"These things… I think we saw some of the places they go just passed the Wishing Room." Lily observed thoughtfully. "Let's have a look, Frisk."

She guided the small body from their seat and the two made their way to the where the tablets rested, being careful to maneuver around any wayward items littering the cave floor. Feeling his way about the area, Frisk's hands eventually found one of the topmost slates and he lifted it up. The stone was surprisingly light in his grasp despite its hefty appearance.

Now able to examine them closer, Lily noticed that the writing upon them was not carved as she originally thought, but was actually inlaid into the stone via carefully shaped chunks of the strange blue crystal that was abundant in Waterfall. It was crude, and some of the stones were missing, but she was nonetheless able to make out the words.

"'The War of Humans and Monsters. We monsters have not always lived under this mountain prison. Long ago, we too walked the surface, hand in hand with the humans. No one is quite sure how the war began, or why the humans suddenly attacked. Indeed, it would seem they had nothing to fear for humans with their strong SOULS are unbelievably powerful. It would take the SOUL of every monster in our Kingdom to match the power of but one from a human.'" She read aloud and frowned. "That's… not a good start. That's all that's on here… go onto the next one. They seem like they're in order."

Frisk did so, setting the first stone carefully aside and picking up the next. Lily continued.

"'The strength of the human SOUL allows it to persist even after the death of the body. Ironically, this is the humans' greatest weakness for through this persistence of their SOULS, it is possible for monsterkind to absorb their power. Perhaps this is what the humans most feared as due to the transient nature of monster SOULS, it would be far more difficult for a human to utilize this ability themselves.'" The spectral girl paused for a moment. "There's an illustration carved here too… it looks like a monster but there's something… off about it. It's disturbing…"

The boy ran his fingers over the lower half of the slate, tracing the image Lily had described. The lines were rough and jagged, and felt very different from the rest of the stone. It felt… angry. Almost terrifying. Frisk didn't need sight to know that it must have been far from a flattering depiction.

It was at that moment, as he contemplated the image that a twinge of pain throbbed behind his left eye and he staggered slightly, just managing to avoid dropping the stone.

"Whoa!" Lily cried, helping to steady him and placing the tablet safely with the other one. This wasn't the first time he'd had a sudden loss of balance like that…

"Ow…" He muttered, instinctively shaking his head and regretting it a moment later.

"Is it happening again, Frisk?" The girl asked with concern. She knew what this usually meant. He, even more so.

"Yeah…" He confirmed. "I think it's something to do with these stones."

"Should I stop reading? If… if it's hurting you, then-"

"No, it's okay… keep going." He said resolutely. "If I'm remembering something now, it has to be important."

The spectral girl was reluctant to keep going after that, but knew her friend wouldn't change his mind when he was this set on it. She turned to the rest of the slates and proceeded to read.

"'In the end, it could hardly have been called a war. The humans, united in their superior strength were far too powerful to overcome. Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust. Fearing for our lives, we surrendered to the humans, throwing ourselves upon the mercy of our conquerors. At last it was decided. The survivors of the war were gathered beneath the mountain to await our fate. Seven of the greatest human magicians joined together and erected a great barrier, sealing us eternally within. Only a power equal to seven human SOULs can hope to break this barrier and free us from our imprisonment. But to acquire such a power is impossible, for even should a human desire to come here, this cursed place has no entrance and no exit. And thus we remain, never again to walk beneath the sun and stars…"

Lily quickly set the finished stone aside, and hastily moved to wipe Frisk's eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. Just the thought that the humans of that time could have been so cruel really got to her. But then… it wasn't surprising how far some could go. The scars on her back could attest to that. Quickly regaining her composure, she took a moment to check on Frisk. He was trembling, though she knew it wasn't entirely from the story. The sooner they got this over with, the better. She picked up the final slate.

"'However, there is a prophecy. The 'Angel'… The One Who Has Seen The Surface… They will return and-"

"'And the underground… will go empty'." Frisk stammered, finishing the words on the slate. "That's what it says… right?"

"Y-yes… but…" Lily struggled to form a response. "How…?"

"'Heed these words reader, and know of…' and then it stops. There should be more… but…" He trailed.

"Yeah… but the tablet…" Lily began.

"It's broken." Frisk finished for her. "The bottom third… where the words of the prophecy should be. It isn't there, is it?"

Lily stared at the slate without reply. It was as he said… a jagged break across the bottom of the tablet, split through a line of words. The pattern of the break and the missing crystals rendered even that impossible to make out. She hadn't touched the broken spot, so there was no way Frisk could have known that. He didn't pick it up from her mind either - their connection wasn't quite strong enough for that. And yet, he somehow knew. Frisk was breathing heavily, his hand pressed against his non-glowing eye as the words spilled from his mouth, drawn from a place locked deep within his thoughts.

"What are these…? Words? …I can't read them."

"How many times have I seen these…? I wish I knew what they said."

"I see… a prophecy, huh? That's interesting…"

"Angel of Death? Nah… no way that could happen."

"'The Underground will go empty'. It would be nice wouldn't it?"

"But where are they? Why haven't they come yet?"

"Maybe… could I…?"

"I've… I've seen these before." He spoke through the pain as his mind flared with memories recalled all at once… of every time he'd laid eyes upon these stones… of every time he'd ruminated on their meaning. "More than once… so many times. Those words meant a lot to me before, I think."

"But it's broken…" Lily said reminded him. "How can you be sure?"

"I'm not, but…" The boy said, straining against the pain in his skull. "I just get this feeling I must have seen them before, or heard them somewhere… I don't get it, I should know these."

"It's okay…" Lily soothed him. "Don't force it."

"Yeah… I know that won't work." He agreed, rubbing his temples as the pain slowly began to ebb away. "I was just hoping there'd be more…"

"Still, we know the barrier broke before, right?" the specter pointed out. "It wasn't an angel that did that. It was you."

"Me…" Frisk muttered pensively feeling another, though far slighter, throb. "No… there's more to it than that. But… I can't remember what. It's okay though… seeing these gives me a better idea of what I want to do now."

"You mean that feeling you've been having?" the girl asked.

"No… that's what I'm supposed to do. I still haven't figured that out yet." Frisk clarified. "This is more about what I want to do."

"I think I know what you're getting at." she said knowingly. "You want to do it again, huh? Free everyone?"

"Yeah… and not just because it happened before." The boy explained. "These people… they've suffered more than anyone deserves to. If I know there's a way to help them, even if I don't know what that is yet, then I want to. It's the least I can do, after the me from before brought everyone back here."

"I still don't understand why he'd do that." Lily stated. "Why undo something like that after going to so much trouble?"

"I don't know." Frisk admitted. "But with these memories… I can tell that it meant a lot to him. It probably wasn't an easy choice to make. So… that's why I want to give that freedom back to them."

"You're talking about a barrier that's so powerful that everyone in the Underground would barely match a seventh of it. It won't be easy." Lily reminded him. "But I'm with you all the way. Let's do it."

"Ya kids okay over there?" Gerson called from the other end of the cave. "Ya been starin' at those things for a bit. Didn't know anyone could find that buncha rocks so interesting!"

Frisk jumped, having been so focused on the memory that he'd forgotten all about their host for a moment. The strange wall within his mind receded fully along with the pain at the old turtle's interruption. He was grateful he had though… there would be no getting by that for the time being. Better it went to the back of his mind until he needed it again.

"We're okay!" Lily called back to him. "Sorry, we're almost done."

The two took one last look at the slates before turning to head back to where the old turtle was patiently waiting for them. When his eye fell upon the face of the dark skinned boy a grin spread across his wrinkled lips. He seemed to be holding something, but from this angle, Lily couldn't tell what it was.

"So? Whatcha think?" He asked.

"It was informative… I think we understand a little more about what happened to the kingdom." the boy mentioned.

"Do you know what happened to the last tablet though? The broken one?" Lily inquired for both of them.

"A shame, that is…" Gerson sighed. "Happened a long time ago. Think there was a 'quake or… some'm. Split the bottom right off that one. No idea what became of it, but it took the exact words o' the prophecy with it. We get the gist of it from what's there, and what's been written down but…"

"That sucks… it would be nice to know what they actually say." Lily said.

"Well, if ya ever figure it out, you let me know. I'd really like to fix that rock." The historian said, and then smiled knowingly. "But… from the look of ya, it seems like ya found whatcha were lookin' fer anyway.

"We did. Thank you so much for your help, Gerson." Frisk said gratefully. "We should probably be going pretty soon though."

"That's fine. Glad to know this old soldier still has 'is uses." Gerson replied, not that he seemed particularly lacking in things to do, but still. "You kids come back any time ya want. I'll treat ya to a cup of Sea Tea next time! Wahaha!"

"I don't know what that is, but that sounds great." Lily said with a small giggle. "Oh yeah, your book."

"Take it with ya." the elderly turtle said as a Lily-piloted arm reached for the item in question.

"Just like that?" Frisk asked, surprised by the offer.

"Eh, I think you'll get more use of it than me anyways." He insisted.

"Isn't it important to you though?" Lily asked. "I don't feel right just taking something like that."

"Tell ya what…" Gerson said, shifting a little in his seat. "Since yer so keen on refusin' an old man's charity… gimme fifty gold, and I'll throw in these too."

He set the item in his hand on the table and pulled it away. It was a pair of metal framed, wide rimmed glasses. The lenses were thick, but covered in so many small scratches that their surface was almost completely clouded over. They still looked like they might give some clarity to the visually impaired, but they'd clearly been through a lot. Lily described them to Frisk who gave Gerson a questioning look.

"I appreciate it but… I have total blindless. These won't do anything for me." the red child explained.

"Take 'em anyway. They also belonged to the little guy who wrote that book." the hermit responded. "Maybe if you keep 'em with ya, he'll get to learn more about this place like he wanted."

Frisk turned over the glasses for a moment, wondering what it might have been like to speak with their owner. How many interesting things might he have been able to share with them? He didn't need to ask Lily what she thought as he felt the fingers of his right hand running over the leather spine of the notebook. Finally, he folded up the worn spectacles and placed them carefully in his pocket while Lily added the book in their satchel.

"I never thought of it like that." Lily said solemnly. "Then… I guess we'll make sure he does."

"You do that. Now scram, ya little scamps." Gerson said, with a wrinkly grin. "and be careful out there."

The children left the cave behind them, returning once again to the moist air and babbling springs of waterfall. Their shared gaze turned to the marshy region beyond Gerson's cave. The strange lights they'd seen before flickered like will-o-the-wisps deep within, while swamp plants and strange trees turned the bog into a strangely beautiful garden that stretched farther than Lily's sharp gaze could reach. It was daunting sight, but it was where they needed to go.

"We should probably find a place to rest once we get in there." Lily suggested. "I don't think you've slept since back at that cove."

Frisk gave a wry grin. "I think I slept plenty after that fall."

Lily giggled slightly. "That's not funny."

"You're laughing." He pointed out.

"Okay fine… maybe it's a little funny." She admitted. "But I'm serious. I can tell you're tired."

Frisk didn't disagree with her. The day's events had left their mark, and it would be nice to get some real rest again. He was already starting to miss that lumpy couch back in Snowdin. Finally, he nodded.

"Alright. Lead the way."

---

Author's Notes: Well this was a long one wasn't it? Hope that's okay. Ideally it might have been better to split it in two, but the progression of events was such that there wasn't really a good stopping place before this one. Doing anything else would have lead to one long and one really short chapter. Still, a lot of important stuff happens in this one so maybe its better to punctuate that with a longer chapter? Anyways, hope it wasn't too much to get through.

We decided to change up Mad Dummy's fight a little because… well, his attacks work well on a bullet board, but it's hard to translate that to a 3D plane. Instead, we decided to implement a lesser version of Switch!tale's 'Split SOUL Mode'. Seemed appropriate, given the state of the SOULmates. We might revisit that later on.

Napstablook has always seemed like the sort of monster who had a lot of talent but is simply too shy and has too low self-esteem to actually let those talents be known. It was probably nice to make a couple of friends who really seemed to enjoy his work.

Ah, Gerson. It was really fun to write his section. Something about the cheery old grandpa character is just endearing. As long as he's been around, it makes sense that he'd recognize Frisk and Lily as humans too. It also gave an opportunity to get some insight on one of the humans that fell before Frisk.

Finally, we've gotten some more hints on both Frisk and Lily's pasts. Hopefully the revelation of the scars wasn't too gruesome but it was necessary. In the words of Asriel "I know why (Name) climbed the mountain. It wasn't for a very happy reason.". No, Goatson it most certainly was not.

Frisk's odd skintone has been a planned reveal for a while (or, maybe not really a reveal considering how the in-game sprite looks). It's been vaguely implied a couple of times, but up until now there was no real reason to go into it. As was mentioned, the only two humans around to compare are himself and Lily. It should be noted (since some people like to complain about this) that this isn't an attempt to bring ethnicity issues into the story. He doesn't look quite like anyone. Make of that what you will.

The 'Waterfall stones' and Frisk's reaction to the prophecy have been a long time coming. A lot of his motivations before the current story are interwoven with that prophecy. It will be fully explored going forward.

Anyways, this was a lot to get through. We hope you all enjoyed the chapter. We're getting close to the climax of the Waterfall arc, hopefully the next few chapters do it justice.