What bothered me the most was that I had no way to know for sure when exactly Flowey would start existing. It could have happened two minutes after I returned to the Ruins, it could be one hour later, it could be in the middle of the night while I slept, it could be tomorrow, in three days or the end of the week...and it wasn't like I could stay in that remote place of this cave and watch the flower all the time. That'd be pathetic. Frankly, I already felt I was being pathetic to some extent by making Flowey exist, and I refused to fall any deeper into the already deep pit I had gotten myself into.

All I could do was leave the flower there and hope it'd go okay. It was too late to take a step back and consider this may be a mistake. My emotions had clouded my judgment, and only now I was starting to realize it.

-ooooo-

The next day I had returned to the Ruins. The flower was gone. I waited around to see if anything would happen, if Flowey would appear, try to deceive me or just try to find out about the most abnormal situation in the Underground given all the changes there were compared to all the other timelines, but nothing happened. I supposed he had gone somewhere else, that he was trying to find Frisk or something like that, and that I'd hear about him sooner or later. No big deal, I thought, I could just wait and see what happened.

Days passed. I never made another SAVE point, the only one I had was right when I left the flower in the Ruins. I spent all these days just...living a normal life, to some extent, and waiting. I even got careless with my social links, not trying to deepen them.

Only when I heard the rumors about Asgore turning strangely reclusive I realized what was going on. The last time someone saw Asgore was when he was getting storybooks from the Snowdin librarby. He was spending a lot of time in the castle, and 023 once said he had heard him talk to someone in the throne room, but when he entered he saw no one except the king. I tried to see Asgore, but the Castle was closed, and very few monsters could enter. The last time it was open was a couple weeks before that day.

Puzzled, I LOADed.

The same thing happened again. I was convinced it must have been Flowey, he must had gotten to Asgore and was talking to him. I could only imagine what he was telling him, how he was trying to manipulate him. Since I was at New Home almost every day, I took the time to go to the castle. It was sneaky to spy on Asgore like that. Just like 023 had said before, Asgore was in the throne room, talking with someone. 023 had entered, and Flowey had hid, so I didn't announce my presence, I just listened from the entrance.

"...you could even call it a miracle!" that was unmistakably Asgore's voice. His deep voice was full of barely concealed joy.

"I'm not sure I would..." that was Flowey's voice. In contrast, Flowey's voice sounded...I wouldn't say depressed, but it felt like it lacked genuine emotion behind it. It was nothing like the almost exaggerated friendliness I had expected to hear from him. Unsure I understood the situation, I crouched, grabbed the edge of the entrance and inched forward, just enough to see what was going on in there.

The king was sitting in middle of the golden flowers, near the throne. To his side there was a small table, with a tray and a teapot. Even from my vantage point, I could see a certain happiness I didn't remember having ever seen. It was the face of someone who had been relieved of something very heavy.

In front of him was Flowey. His stem was bent over forward, he looked rather miserable. I couldn't see his face. The momentary happiness I felt at seeing it had all worked was quashed, I didn't want to accidentally alert them. Trying to strain my ears to hear better, I leaned forward a bit.

"You have been very gloomy ever since you arrived, my son" My son? Did Asgore know...? "I'm aware your current state is hard to accept, so if there's anything I can do to make it easier—"

"No, it's not that. It's not about accepting this, it's just that..." he went silent for a moment. When he looked up, he had what I interpreted as a genuine expression of confusion, but there was something odd about it – it seemed empty, like even though Flowey was truly confused, I had the impression there was nothing other than confusion. No sadness, no anger, no apparent wish to return to normal...just confusion.

Maybe it was just my imagination since I knew about Flowey's lack of soul, because Asgore didn't notice anything. He tried to be as supportive as possible, in vain. It took a while before Flowey said something:

"Where's Mom?"

"Tori is..." Asgore took a deep breath, standing up with some difficulty "Your mother lives at the Ruins for the time being. She's watching over that part of the Underground" he lied. It was a bit surprising how easily the lie flowed once he had started telling it. "Do you want to see her?"

"...I'd like that" Flowey said mutely, before vanishing into the ground. Asgore stared at the spot where Flowey had been, he sighed and heavily sat on the throne. Now he had on his shoulders the weight of what had happened to Asriel. Frankly, I pitied him. I pitied he had to deal with the consequences of my stubbornness, the results of the experiment Alphys and I had done. I pitied him so much I took this matter into my own hands – again.

I LOADed. Back then it didn't seem to me like I was doing it often, but now I realize I was abusing this ability.

Back to the forty-second day. I found myself once again in front of the inert golden flower, back at the Ruins. The next day, I had to take a decision regarding what to do. Would Flowey go see Asgore again, try to use him for whatever plan he had? Or would he go see Toriel? Why did Flowey have to ask where Toriel was? Despite how different this timeline was to all the others Flowey had seen, Toriel's location hadn't changed much. I hadn't understood why he had bothered to do such thing, but at that time I was too focused on what Flowey could do. I decided to stop him from telling Asgore anything.

Getting to the castle was easy, waiting was the difficult part. I sat beside the throne room entrance, doing paperwork and paying attention to what could happen inside, but I heard nothing of what I expected. Monsters passed by, some entered the throne room, nobody paid me much attention. Since it was unlikely Flowey would be around when any other monster was visiting Asgore, I always looked in the nearby halls and rooms for any signs the flower was nearby during such occasions.

There was nothing. A couple weeks passed before I decided I had misjudged what Flowey would do. He must have gone to see Toriel.

I LOADed. Day 42 again.

Now that I think about it, if it hadn't been for this...power the deadline would have been reached already. Four months passed, and there was still no word from my master. What was going on with him?

I decided to wait until the next night before talking with Toriel. Since Flowey hadn't gone with Asgore last time, and asked where Toriel was, it was logical he had gone to see the queen last time, and most likely he'd do it again.

That night I met the queen, monster illusion ready – I didn't want to show myself as a human in front of Flowey. When I ascended the stairs and reached her home, I stopped, listening intently. It wouldn't be surprising if there was someone talking with the queen – the Royal Guards stationed in the Ruins surely had to see her all the time. I had to be careful. It'd be unlikely I'd be able to talk with Toriel without any problems, so I decided to be upfront about my presence here. I knocked the wooden railing of the stairs, the sound echoed in the house. "Your Majesty?" I asked aloud. A few seconds passed before I heard her voice.

"Please, come here" her friendly voice was coming from the living room. Even though it sounded calm and natural, I detected a very slight tremor in her voice. I looked around, to make sure no guard was around, and went into the living room. Toriel was sitting to the table, her crown on the wooden surface. Near it there was a plate with a piece of pie. Snail pie, most likely.

"Good evening, Toriel. I hope you have been having a good day" I said rather stiffly, clasping my hands behind my back. Toriel picked up her crown, smiling noncommittally. I couldn't avoid picturing a vault door closing – even though Toriel's courteous demeanor didn't waver, it was like she would refuse to let me catch her with her guard down. For a moment I wondered if Flowey was nearby, listening.

"I have been rather busy today – I believe you know what I'm talking about. It's no secret there's a child living in Snowdin, is it?" she clarified once she noticed I was confused. "I intend to meet them. I'll bestow onto them all the protection I can, as Queen of All Monsters. I won't tolerate Asgore taking action against them"

"...oh. That's...good" of course. I had failed to consider Frisk could unwittingly create a chasm between Asgore and Toriel. The Queen's protection would keep them safe, but I had no faith on them solving this situation amicably. I just hoped it wouldn't get worse – and that if it did, nobody would have to deal with the mess that'd ensue. I put a hand over the back of the chair, pulling it out to sit down.

"May I?" I asked, just to be polite. Once she approved, I sat down, trying to think of the best way to prod her for information. Being deceitful wouldn't work, perhaps being more direct would be better? "Have you...been visited by anyone unusual today?"

"It depends on what you define as 'unusual'" she said without missing a beat. I had to respect how well she could act natural "No human has fallen down, if that's what you're wondering"

"No, I was thinking of more along the lines of..." I drew circles with a finger on the table, hesitating. "...a...plant monster"

Something flashed in Toriel's eyes. The slight smile on her face didn't waver, but I felt like I had done a wrong move – she was alert now. "There are several Vegetoids here in the Ruins, of course I have met with one or two of them today"

"...right. Of course" I took a deep breath, glancing at the pie. I was pretty sure she had offered that to Flowey, but it wasn't like it was undeniable proof of that. There was no way to be delicate about this. "Have they...said something unusual to you?"

"It depends on what you define as 'unusual'" she repeated.

"I don't know. Anything that sounds like they're asking you to do something, or anything that's plain suspicious. Look, I'm talking about a golden flower"

Now there was no doubt, I was treading on dangerous terrain. Her smile disappeared. "I don't know who you're talking about"

"I don't think they're being truthful with you; I just came here to warn you"

"What exactly do you think they're saying?"

At least she admitted she knew who I was talking about. Small victories! "I don't know what they may have said to you, I just think you shouldn't listen to anything they say. That's all"

"...I'll keep that in mind" she said "Regardless, I believe the warning isn't necessary. I'd like to think I'm decent at ascertaining anyone's intentions"

"I sure hope so" I mumbled "I'm just worried, that's all. I didn't mean to offend you"

There was a rather uncomfortable silence, I felt the queen's constant stare on me. It was like she was trying to ascertain my intentions, figure out if I was being truthful. I didn't think I'd be able to look at her to the eyes while she was doing that. A minute later, she stood up from the table, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Can you please help me? There's something I need to do, but I shouldn't leave the house right now"

"Sure, what's it?"

"Can you please take these to the village?" she took some bags from the kitchen. Food supplies, those seemed to be. "Please do so as soon as possible – I believe these will be well-received by everyone there. I made these with my own two hands"

Even though she sounded earnest, I had the feeling she was trying to get me out of the Ruins. At least she was being kind of subtle about it. I nodded and received the bags, walking to the stairs. Before I descended I raised my voice, impulsively taking a decision:

"If someone wants to talk to me, I'll be at the entrance of the Ruins in the morning– not this entrance, the other one"

"...I believe the Ruins will have to be closed for a while" Toriel brusquely said. I shook my head, hoping what I had just said would be enough to get Flowey's attention.

"Good luck with that" I said right before LOADing.

-ooooo-

Day 43

I was so nervous that night I wasn't able to sleep. I had no idea if Flowey would meet me – frankly, my opinion was that he wouldn't. My only hope was to pique his curiosity. If I could make myself seem like an unusual event, like something new, something he had never seen before, then he'd come, that I was sure about. Flowey had seen the timeline countless times, and I had been in none of them. That was my chance – I had to make myself...mysterious enough for him to want to know what was going on.

I had no idea what I'd say to him once we met, or what I could do. Despite everything I had seen, Flowey was...unpredictable. I knew no matter what I planned, I'd have to improvise.

When the lighting inside the cave changed, and morning finally arrived, I left the village. During the entire journey to the Ruins I kept thinking the same thing, over and over:

I only have one chance.

If I said the wrong thing, Flowey would remember. SAVE, LOAD, it wouldn't matter, he'd remember and I doubted I could fool him afterwards.

Toriel didn't seem to be at her house, the Ruins were very silent. My steps echoed, it felt like I was walking in a dream. There weren't many monsters around, the only ones I encountered were guards, and to them I said Undyne had sent me to find out if they needed anything. I got to the fence and in a moment of carelessness of the guard that was there at the time, I jumped over it, getting into the furthest areas of the Ruins.

I walked over deactivated puzzles until I reached the entrance of the Ruins. I descended the stairs, slowly walking to the circle of grass where I had planted the flower. It wasn't there anymore. In the spot where I had planted it, there was only a small bunch of moved soil. Nervous, I curled my hands into fists and bumped them together, and although I couldn't feel them, I was sure the feathers on the back of my head were sticking high in the air. I must have looked like some sort of freaked out chicken.

I don't know for how long I waited. I returned to the stairs of the Ruins and sat down at the top, my heart hammering in my chest. I waited, staring at the purple brick walls and the red leaves on the floor. Even if I had wanted to think and plan ahead what I could say, it felt like my head was filled with fog, I kept feeling like I was way over my head.

Finally I heard the voice I had been waiting to hear, coming from the other stairs, on the other side of the room. What I didn't expect was how he'd sound.

"Howdy. Did you...want to see me?"

He sounded very wary of me. It had none of the confidence I had perceived from Flowey in all those timelines. Maybe it was because in them, Flowey was talking with monsters he had seen thousands of times, and I was a new variable, one he didn't know. I chalked it up to that and nodded. "Thought you wouldn't come. You curious?" I said, turning my head around to look at him.

"...I guess I am"

He kind of looked like I expected. Yellow petals, standing straight and without hiding. What I didn't foresee was the blank expression on his face, almost...worried. If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought he was worried about something. I waved at him. "I guess you're wondering who I am, right?"

Flowey nodded. "Are you the Royal Scientist?"

That was a question I never saw coming. It was farfetched, it was senseless, and I just couldn't understand how he could think I was the Royal Scientist. "Why would you think that?!" I was so surprised I sounded so indignant.

"I'm not sure. I just..." he looked away "You knew about me; you knew I was...what I am now" he paused.

"A flower?"

"You were looking for me, so I thought you could tell me why I'm like...like this now"

At this point I started to realize something was off about all this. Flowey sounded truly confused, it was throwing me off. I had no idea what to say, but a creeping feeling started invading me. I feared to find out if the thought I just had was correct, but I had to find out. "Let's start from the top. What's your name?"

Flowey was silent for quite a long time. A minute or so passed before he finally answered:

"I don't know how I should call myself, but...Flowey should be okay. I'm a flower now, so it fits me, right?"

I shuddered, trying hard so my face wouldn't show how horrified I felt. Tense, I turned around and buried my head into my hands, suddenly I felt like the floor was disappearing underneath my feet. I had taken for granted so many things, I had failed to consider a very simple and very important fact:

Alphys and I had just created Flowey in this timeline.

Flowey hadn't existed at all before we started the experiment. For Flowey to remember everything, to know what was going on with the Underground and all, he'd have to have existed already, like Frisk. The child knew, and I was sure it was because Frisk had always existed.

But this Flowey was different. What the Floweys in countless other timelines had done, seen and said didn't matter. They were a different Flowey, one the flower in front of me knew nothing about and had never been. The weight of what I had done was too much to process at once, but I knew one thing for sure.

I had been so blinded by the panic of Asriel not existing in the last timeline, so concerned about his life having been a price to pay to achieve a fitting end to the looping timelines, that I had condemned him to a soulless existence as a flower. I brought Flowey into existence in a timeline where he never existed and would have never existed if I hadn't gotten involved. This Flowey...was a completely blank slate.

"Oh my god, I'm such a moron..." I whispered to myself, hoarse.

I spent a couple minutes sitting there in shock until finally Flowey snapped me out of my reverie. "Are you okay?" he asked. I tried to seem like nothing was wrong. I didn't want him to see how much this had upset me.

"I'm fine. Listen, I think it's common sense, but just in case: going around telling people who you are isn't a good idea"

Flowey's leaves shook. Was that a shrug? "I know! Who'd believe me if I said I was Asriel? Only my parents would..." an idea seemed to cross his mind, because his attitude changed immediately "Wait, you can explain this to them! I don't know what you had to do with this, but you know what's going on, right?"

What was I supposed to say to that? Definitely not the truth, that much I was sure about. "I...I think I have an idea or two"

"Everything's so strange! I remember..." he frowned "I remember dying. I'm sure I died, after I..." he paused for a moment "I'm sure some time has passed, but why am I a flower now? And also, I'm sure I went back in time"

"What makes you think that?"

"I went to see Mom and Dad before coming here..." I tensed up a little. I really didn't know them to know about Flowey, would I have to LOAD again? I was getting tired of returning to the evening of the 42nd day. "I didn't talk to them, but they were doing exactly the same things I had found them doing before. It was like I was in a...I don't know how it's called. Derjebrew?"

I made uncertain gestures. "Something like that. I have felt the same, it's like we went back in the timeline. I don't know what causes it, it's been happening for a while. Only you and I can feel it"

"Why is it happening?"

"I don't know. It just is"

"And why am I a flower? Why am I alive again? If you know you have to tell me, I need to know!"

He was pressuring me as much as he could in his current state. I didn't cower or try to dodge the topic – much. "It's not really something we can talk about"

"What do you mean it's not something we can talk about?!" he scowled "Look at me, I'm a flower! If you know anything you have to tell me!" It was kind of pitiable to see him beg like that, so pitiable I briefly considered telling him – just for a second before I discarded that thought "Why am I alive? Why can't I..." he was at a loss of how to phrase it for a moment "...why can't I feel anything...?"

He wasn't going to find out if I didn't tell him, that I was sure about. If I told him and later I regretted it, I wouldn't be able to undo it. Still...right now I had to do damage control. That included making sure Flowey wasn't going to turn the Underground upside-down looking for an explanation as to why he was a flower now. If I could soften the blow...

"You're soulless now"

Nailed it. Way to go, me. Flowey's jaw dropped, somehow. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It means you don't have a soul"

"I know that! I just—why don't I have a soul?!" Flowey sounded rather distressed, so much for a moment I wondered if he was truly feeling distress in a way that having no soul could hinder "I just want to know why!"

My eyes darted to a side while I tried to recall if I had thought about how to touch that topic. "You were...revived. I'm not sure I can say why or how, but—"

"Why not?! I'm not a kid, I can understand whatever happened!"

I really wasn't going to be allowed to dodge the topic, apparently. If trying to avoid it didn't work, then I decided to go with the next best option that wasn't explaining and admitting I had ruined his existence. "I don't know how or why it's happening, Flowey. I just know you exist, and that's it"

Seeing he wasn't going to get anywhere by interrogating me, Flowey sighed, his stem bending forward in an arch. If it hadn't been rigid enough to keep him standing, his face would have hit the ground. "I don't get why this is happening, and Mom and Dad can't help me" he looked up, quietly wondering: "What should I do now...?"

Letting Flowey do whatever he wanted could only cause trouble. I doubted he'd tell anyone he was Asriel, or try to kill any human he encountered, but keeping him away from the village was a good idea. Trying to avoid him meeting Frisk could be good too. The problem was how to do such things. Getting him to help us all with our objective of shattering the Barrier could be good, too. I hadn't thought yet what to ask him to do, but first I'd have to convince him to help. Not realizing this wasn't the best time to bring such thing up, I said: "Listen, there's something going on in the Underground, and I'll need your help to deal with it. If you help me with that, I'll help you. Easy, isn't it?"

Flowey narrowed his eyes, I could tell he wasn't convinced at all. "What'd I have to do?"

"I don't know yet. All I'm sure about is that you have to stay away from the ghost farm area" that was close enough to the Hidden Village, I hoped that'd be enough to keep him away from the humans. "Let me think and I'll tell you—"

"...no"

I knew I wasn't really making a good case as to why he should help me, yet that blunt 'no' still came as a surprise to me. "Eh, w-what?"

"I'm not doing anything. I don't know what you're planning but I don't want to be part of it" he scowled with obvious displeasure towards me and added, sounding childish yet rightfully outraged: "I don't trust you" Once he let that sink, he disappeared into the ground.

What I had expected to be a tough conversation with Flowey went rather badly. I knew the odds it'd be a disaster were very high, and it was a disaster...for reasons different than the ones I had thought about before. I stared at the hole Flowey had disappeared into, trying to understand how exactly I had gone wrong.

I chalked it up to the horror that was finding out you didn't have a soul, and your body being completely different to what you were used to. There are many differences between goats and flowers! Anyone would be freaked out if you found out you were completely different than before, and even more if the last thing you remembered was dying.

The only person I could think wouldn't take it badly was...well, myself. I don't remember a thing from when I was just as Shadow from the collective unconscious of this world. Although I have a lot of memories, it feels like there's a difference between those memories and my memories – the memories I have made during these last few weeks. I had to admit it: I was an empty vessel that contained a borrowed portion of a person's soul. Flowey was a vessel without a soul, but his situation was similar in some ways to mine. I knew that.

Yet I had just tried to manipulate him. That was what I had tried, manipulating him to avoid trouble and to fulfill goals, and I had done it willingly and having decided it by myself. I couldn't blame my master, this had all been my decision.

... I really am an awful person.

-ooooo-

Things couldn't continue like this and I knew it. My actions were causing more trouble than good, especially to those I cared about.

I had to change. I had to be less selfish, stop doing everything without thinking carefully of the consequences. Here I had been, despising my master – the other part of myself, technically – without realizing I was just as bad as him. My self-awareness was at an all-time low, and it's precisely that what didn't let me notice I was screwing up as badly or worse than my master.

I had decided to return to the village, and right at the crevice where I had to slide to get into the tunnel that led to the village was Undyne. She wasn't alone, there were two kids with her: Ananas and Monster Kid. There was a rope tied to their waists, and on the other end, was Undyne, clad with her armor and with the rope tied around her torso. She was standing there, digging her heels into the ground. Judging by the marks on the rocks behind her feet, she had been doing this for a while already.

"She's not moving!" Monster Kid said. Ananas flicked her hat upwards, she seemed very serious about whatever they were doing.

"Keep going, I'll push her from the back" she went back to turn around Undyne and start pushing her, Undyne wasn't going to let that happen. She stopped Ananas with a hand against her forehead, she was grinning.

"This isn't going to work at all! You're going to have to think of something else!"

"I won't be stopped!" Ananas smushed her face against the gauntlet, stubbornly refusing to back down.

"Seriously, that won't work" in that moment, Undyne looked up and noticed me. "Well look who decided to come by"

Ananas looked up as well, her face brightening. "This is perfect! With his help we can do this" with Monster Kid barely following her pace, Ananas climbed the crevice until she reached me, took me by a hand, and tried to take me to where Undyne was. "You're going to help us, right? Come on, we need another person and you're an adult, you can help us!"

"...what exactly are you all trying to do?" I wasn't sure I understood the point of all this, all Undyne did as a reply was gesture at Ananas to tell me. The girl nodded and said, with a lot of pride:

"Undyne is training us!"

She hadn't been kidding when she said she'd try to get our trust, apparently. I pointed at Monster Kid. "Him too?"

"Of course" she replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. You don't deny Monster Kid a chance to spend time with the monster he admires. "We're supposed to drag her all the way to the end of this tunnel" she pointed at the end of the passageway, to the plateau right before the stairs that led into the depths of the village.

"We have moved her like five inches!" Monster Kid added, looking at the grooves Undyne's boots made on the ground.

"That isn't much, and we don't want to stop until we win" Ananas took some more rope "This is where you help us. With you, we can get her all the way to the village. You'll be helping us, right?"

Hardly anyone could say no to anyone asking with such bright eyes and eager disposition, especially when right behind her there's another kid with equally bright eyes and eager disposition. Before I knew it, I had a rope tied to myself and got positioned on the back, behind them, them raring to start pulling as soon as Undyne indicated she was ready. We were all separated by a couple feet of rope. I grabbed the rope trailing behind me, trying to get a good grip on it. "So what's the plan?"

Monster Kid looked at Ananas, she was the one in charge. With lots of determination, she squared in front of me and gave orders:

"You'll be the last one in the row. MK is having trouble keeping the pace, you'll have to help him. I'll be in the front and do most of the work"

"I thought that's what I was here for"

"No, I'll guide you. I know what I'm doing" she said "We'll do the ol' one-two, everyone at the same time, okay?"

It was easy enough to understand, what I wasn't sure about was how effective it'd be. It seemed a bit simple, and didn't really account for Undyne's weight or anything like that. I didn't voice my concerns, though, I simply nodded and got myself ready. "Let's do it!" Monster Kid was ready too, his tail was wagging.

"Go! One! Tw—ack!"

I had barely gone a few steps forward when Undyne pulled from the rope, catching Ananas by surprise and making her stumble back and fall on her rear. Monster Kid barely managed to stop himself from falling, and I instinctively pulled forward. Behind me I heard Undyne laughing uproariously, celebrating ruining Ananas' immediate plan. "Annie, are you okay?" Monster Kid hurried forward, trying to reach her, but Undyne kept the rope taut, making sure he wouldn't even come close to Ananas.

"Undyne, that's cheating!" Ananas protested, picking up her hat from the ground. She got her footing for a second before Undyne managed to throw her down to the floor again. I tried to use the bit of rope I had in my hands to stop her from making Ananas fall, but to no avail, Undyne was too strong. Growling with frustration, Ananas turned around and started crawling. "Whatever. Don't give up! Keep going!"

"A-Alright!" Monster Kid tried to follow her pace, but it was difficult to do when the person in front of you wasn't even walking. His legs were also shorter than mine, we couldn't even walk in a synchronized manner.

It was useless. We were so uncoordinated we couldn't drag Undyne further, we were doing worse than before I had arrived. Undyne stayed in the same place, looking almost bored while she held us three of us back with no effort from her part. The more Ananas tried, the more frustrated she got, like she didn't understand why three working at once weren't doing better than when there were only two. She was sweating, pulling and scratching from the rope, and crawling stubbornly. Monster Kid was doing better than her, he kept trying to approach her, without much success. We were too far from each other; he couldn't do anything.

After several minutes of trying, Ananas huffed and sat, crossing her arms. She was almost pouting. "I don't get it, I thought we'd be done by now!"

"We're doing something wrong?" Monster Kid suggested.

"I just don't understand what we're doing wrong" she waved to Undyne "Undyne, can we rest?"

Soon we were all sitting on the plateau at the top of the stairs that led to the village. I stared at the roofs of the cottages, listening to them. "What did we do wrong, Undyne?"

Undyne patted Ananas' back with a surprising amount of care, making sure not to hurt her. "Can't tell you, squirt. You'll have to find out by yourself"

"Come on, can't you give us a hint? Even a small one?" she pleaded, joining her hands together "I know you made this to train me, but I don't know it's helping. If I knew..."

"So it's like an exam?" Monster Kid wondered "If you knew the answer it'd have no point?"

"Something like that" Undyne nodded "It's about something I had to learn when I entered the Royal Guard long ago"

"Like...teamwork?"

"Maybe" she said. Clearly she was having a bit too much fun playing the role of improvised mentor to Ananas, who was listening to her talking with Monster Kid about it "There was someone I used to follow around – Gerson, the Hammer of Justice"

"The old monster from the shop?" I inquired, even though I knew it was that one.

"Yeah, that one! He may not look like it now, but he was seriously cool back then. He could swing that hammer and turn a rock into dust" she grinned fondly "I used to swing a toy and pretend it was a hammer, I dunno how many toys I broke doing that" once she was done going down memory lane, she continued: "He tried to teach me some stuff, but I understood it all better when I joined the Royal Guard. This is one of those things"

"Did he teach this to you?" Ananas picked up the rope.

"No, this is an exercise we do at the Royal Guard. It's meant to teach—oh, wait, I can't say it. That's still something for you to figure out by yourself"

The thought of a challenge seemed to be encouraging for Ananas. Instead of getting frustrated by having to think, she nodded, looking very determined. "I will"

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Undyne sounded proud "You kind of remind me of myself, you know"

"Really?" Ananas, surprised, whispered, mostly to herself, although Monster Kid and I were close enough to hear her: "I hope when I grow up I'm as cool as you, Undyne..."

"She's great, isn't she?" Monster Kid jumped a little.

Ananas nodded. "I'll think about what she said, and figure out what she wants me to know. You're going to help me, right?" Needless to say, Monster Kid agreed immediately. Then she turned towards me: "You'll help me too"

"Me?" I thought she'd try to be as independent as possible, or try to get as little people involved as possible so she could solve it by herself, yet there she was, not asking, she was outright telling me she expected me to help. It was kind of rude, but it also warmed my heart a little. I wanted to think that meant she thought I was reliable enough to help her.

"I'll figure it out, and then we'll all try again. When I'm ready you'll help me, and the three of us will drag Undyne all the way here" she said it with such certainty all I could do was agree. I really did feel like Ananas wanted to rely on me. I felt myself growing a little closer to her.

-ooooo-

Monster Kid and Ananas immediately started discussing what Undyne had meant with this little exercise she had made for them, while Undyne talked with Cohen at the base of the stairs. Although she now knew where the village was – apparently Ananas had told her that day, as a sign of trust – she didn't dare to approach it further than where she was. From the distance nobody would be able to tell Cohen was talking to the captain of the Royal Guard, so they judged there was no danger. As to myself, I was sitting on the edge of the plateau, thinking.

It was clear to me what Undyne meant Ananas to discover. Undyne knew this girl wanted to be the guardian of the village, the person who'd protect everyone. She'd be a leader, in other words. That must have been why Ananas had been so eager to take charge of this challenge, directing Monster Kid and I on what to do.

Ananas was doing well as a leader. She had organized us and given us instructions, and she had the drive to try to reach objectives. What she had yet to learn was that she had to rely on those she was in charge of.

We all were too separated from each other to pull from Undyne effectively. Although there was an attempt to keep us coordinated, the moment one of us failed to keep up was the moment the plan was ruined, and since we were too separated from each other, we couldn't help each other. We had to be closer to each other. Personally, I think by being near each other, we'd be able to pull from the rope with more strength. By being closer to each other, as a team, we'd be able to complete the challenge.

And although I doubt Undyne ever imagined someone other than Ananas could find meaning to it, it was making me think.

I was the leader of a team that strived to shatter the Barrier. Everyone relied on me to tell them what to do – nobody else knew anything about Shadows and Personas. I'm not sure if they even suspected all the information I had was secondhand. They all followed me without questioning, they trusted me to tell them what was the best thing to do and to take the right decisions. Nobody named me leader, I was the defacto leader because there was nobody else that could do it.

If I wanted to help everyone better and make steps towards being a better person, I had to stop hiding information. I doubted anyone would be happy to hear what I was hiding, but it was better than keeping it to myself and lying for longer. With some hesitation, I approached Ananas and asked her to come with me downstairs, to where Undyne and Cohen were waiting. Ananas and Monster Kid looked at each other, the girl shrugged and followed me.

Once we got to the bottom, I got Undyne and Cohen's attention. "Got a second?" I took a deep breath, preparing myself. There was no softening this, so I judged saying it without beating around the bush was a good idea. "There's something I need to tell you" They all exchanged looks of concern. They must have sensed my unease, so I opened my mouth and started: "I—"

And then it came back.

It wasn't like a direct order; it was never like that. It always felt like a faint suggestion, an almost unnoticeable thought that came naturally to me. Going against them was technically not an option, but they always felt like they were my ideas, so I never really felt conflicted about them. Until now.

"N...Nevermind"

Uneasy or not, I couldn't go against my master's wishes and instructions.

GAME RESUMED

-ooooo-

Flowey burrowed through the ground aimlessly. The soil everywhere in the Underground was soaked in magic, making it easy for him to move, and he could feel what was above the surface so he doesn't smash against something unbreakable. He didn't have a concrete destination, all he wanted was get away from the Ruins and from the frustrating person who had refused to tell him what was going on.

He was certain that guy knew. He knew he had once been Asriel, he told him he had no soul, no way he didn't know how exactly he had been...revived? Revived as a flower. And he had refused to explain, the nerve of that person! He had even pleaded for it, and that guy refused to say anything!

All Flowey was certain about was that he didn't deserve any of what was happening to him. He died, he didn't ask to live as a flower, he didn't ask to now be aimless in the Underground, with no plan and no future ahead. He was just a child, what was he supposed to do now? Asking Mom and Dad hadn't helped. They had both been willing to help, they had treated him like the son he really was...and he had felt nothing. No affection, no relief, it was just an empty feeling of 'is this all?'. It had puzzled him back then, but now he was starting to take it in stride.

Toriel used to say you get used to a lot of situations in life. Having no soul was no different.

I have to think. Flowey stopped moving underground, trying to focus and put his thoughts in order. He was sure that reptile with feathers at the Ruins had something to do with how it seemed everything had...gone back on time? It felt familiar in some weird way. Flowey was sure the guy had caused it somehow, he had proven it with what he had said at Toriel's house...the day before? Many days from now, in the future? This isn't working! It was too much to process at once! Feeling like he was suffocating from the impossible mess he had been brought into, Flowey surfaced, gasping for air as if he truly had been asphyxiating under the earth. Wooden planks cracked right where he emerged, he shook his head to clear away the bits of wood that clung to his petals. "Golly, that hurt..." It was barely better than emerging through the stone floors of the castle.

Dazed, Flowey opened his eyes, blinking owlishly. He seemed to be in some sort of shed. Books and lots of paper with diagrams and writing littered the place, there was a sleeping bag in a corner. And most important of all, he wasn't alone. His arrival hadn't gone unnoticed.

There was someone staring right at him. Flowey bent back, startled, and quickly examined the person in front of him. Someone with antlers...no, they were branches. His face and hands were also covered in some purple gunk, trying to simulate fur. Flowey saw right through the disguise: this was a human. Why was there a human in the Underground?! The only human who had been here was Chara, and that was...long ago. He knew a lot of time had passed, had more humans fallen into the monsters' kingdom? This one clearly was an adult!

The human lifted his thick glasses to take a better look at Flowey. "Aaaah...Paps? Paps, we got a guest here"