Perspective Start
-ep
…
beep
…
beep
…?
beep
...!
beep
Wh-what?
beep
What is that?
The sound continued, giving no tangible answer. The child felt numbness leave his extremities, allowing him to begin feeling fabric both on, over, and underneath him. A-Am I alive? The child thought, his mind re-establishing more associations from the sensations he was experiencing. The repetitive low beep, the solid cushioning he was sprawled on, the cool air he was bringing in by himself.
The very bright light piercing his eyes.
The child cringed and forced his eyes shut again. The pain was what sold him. I- I am alive. I'm alive! I'm- He blinked as his eyes adjusted. The light faded, showing a room with a wall of 2 windows with brown curtains. They overlooked a vast forest of commercial buildings bathed in orange sunlight. Contrasting the diverse landscape outside, the room was very spartan: light-brown tile floor, a commode in the corner, a wall-mounted television, and a simple bed with white linens the child woke up in. He then tried to find what was making that annoying loud beeping. Based on direction alone, he assumed that the sound was coming from the only door in the room. Above the tan metal door was a small device encased in small metal bars. A small dome of black glass. He looked down to the door and found no way to open it. No knob, no shackle, not even a slot to look out. The boy took a shot in the dark. I'm- on the surface?
He moved off the bed. The tiles felt cold under his feet.
After a small chime the beeping stopped. The boy sighed contently. He then placed his hand to his chin and closed his eyes. He needed to sort things out before he flew into an existential crisis. Ok, Ok, let's- just go with what I do know for now. Frisk kill- The child shook his head. No, no that wasn't Frisk. Frisk is too nice to kill, too soft. Something took her over before I could. Have to have been. He briefly thought about the fallen child that appeared when the timeline started. He then frowned. No, impossible. It would have happened before in other runs as well. He then tried to access the memories he acquired from ending that Chara's suffering. A few moments later he shook his head again with a scowl. He saw those eyes again. Damn it, too many holes. Whatever happened to Yousuke really scrambled his brain up. He perked up at the sound of a small pinging noise. He then saw a small pink square appear at the bottom of his vision. A thin translucent rectangle labeled with what appeared to be a salad of letters and symbols. The boy knew better.
?: "Yousuke, are you alright?"
The boy read the box then glanced at the glass dome again. At worse, whoever is watching me would just think I'm talking to myself. He rationalized. He then tried using his voice. "It's Chara, And yeah I'm fine." It was creaky from under-utilization but a few coughs alleviated the brunt soon after. "Where- am I now?"
The box disappeared and reappeared a few moments later with new text.
?: "Doesn't look like you're outside the void just yet. A holding cell maybe?"
The box refreshed again.
?: "Hang on, I'll try something."
?: "..."
?: "Assume the position, just in case."
Chara, not needing to be told twice, scrambled to the floor and curled up in the fetal position. Bracing himself.
A minute later he felt the room start to shake, he didn't dare open his eyes. Chaotic noise assaulted his ears as his body vibrated fiercely against the cold tile. Thankfully and not thankfully the noise was overshadowed by a louder than life air horn sound. The shaking ceased abruptly and the sound was immediately cut off. Leaving the child in silence, and in fear.
"O- old lady?" Chara stammered as he removed his hands from his neck. He then looked around and found the room unchanged.
The box appeared again slowly.
?: "You used the classroom?"
?: "Come on really?"
?: "Not everything in the game has to be explained in universe you know."
Chara had the sneaking suspicion the old lady wasn't talking to him, again. There she goes, talking to "someone else" again, like lives are not on the line. Chara then yelled out. "Hey Old Lady! Quit playing around!"
The text box scattered into squares then reformed.
?: "Oh!"
?: "oh"
?: "Sorry You- …Chara. I forgot you could hear that too."
The lady had no voice as far as Chara knew, so it was technically "reading that too". But the child wasn't about to start bringing up semantics at this point. "Forget about it," he huffed. "Just tell me what you were able to find out."
?: "Well there's a problem-"
"And don't give me that high concept excuse," Chara interrupted as he returned to his feet. "You know I'm not from this timeline."
?: "..."
?: "The room you're in is a projection given to your present reality to help ease your mind. Kind of like a- complete perceptive metaphor of sorts."
"Then- what's really happening then?" Chara narrowed his eyes. Ignoring the dread that was threatening to drop his heart into his stomach.
?: "Since you, as in the you you are now, is not from this timeline like you said, you are being uploaded into an address on the System mainframe."
?: "The System is like this timeline's version of an overseeing all-controlling deity."
And now I'm having a crisis. Chara shivered. This System thing- was that what took over Frisk?
?: "Do- you want me to explain more?"
Chara closed his hands into fists. He could feel warmth spread through his chest. Followed by a rhythmic tempo, sending more prickling sensations though his chest and upper extremities. "It's happening whether I understand or not. Please- go on, I'll be alright."
?: "You are being given a new perspective. A new body, an identity, and a set of pre-programmed memories to go along with it, handpicked without your say of course."
"Why?" Chara asked.
?: "..."
?: "I think the system is interested in you. The current you."
?: "Here. I think this might shed some light on the subject."
The box glitched and sputtered. When the box finished it was moved to the dead center of the boy's vision.
The text in the box read:
(Mandatory: Judgment) Completed.
Despite your previous actions. You have been given clemency.
Your second chance has been approved.
New Task Generated and Accepted (Mandatory: Putting Your Best Foot Forward)
Rank: E
Description: You are to start your new life, the memories given to you will help you get settled and productive. Abide by the rules, acclimate to your brand new existence, and a Followup will be scheduled. And remember, this new life is a privilege. One that is as easy to remove as it is to grant.
Rewards: Innumerable
Chara's face grew white as he read the messages. He had a sinking feeling that he wasn't supposed to be reading this.
?: "You weren't supposed to read these. I had to decipher them."
?: "..."
?: "I'm sorry. If I had any idea the system could just do that, I would of interfered."
"Forget about it. I think we both didn't understand what we were dealing with," Chara wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead.
His attention was immediately diverted to a series of taps coming from the door. Turning towards it he froze as the cell door briefly broke apart into squares, only to immediately consolidate into a plain white door with a brass long-handled knob.
"Hello?" A young female voice from the other side squeaked as another series of taps emanated from the door. "Yoki? Are you home?"
Chara hesitated. Yoki? Who the hell is Yoki? He thought. His mind immediately went to thinking it was a shortened form of Yousuke, however as he felt new memories start to answer for him, he realized this wasn't the case. At least he perceived that to not be the case, he didn't really want to dwell too much on the specifics. He could spend days doing that with the memories he acquired from the many other versions of himself already.
Truth was, he discovered through trial and error that all he needed to do was remember just enough relevant things from a timeline to act like he belonged. And then gain information from either following Frisk or possessing them to fill in the gaps.
He lamented the fact he probably can't get in contact with Frisk anymore after he leaves the room, but it wasn't the first time. And with even more depression he knew it wouldn't be the last time either. I hate Timeline logic.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by a massive bang which caused both him and the door to shudder, "Hey punk! You better not be sleeping in there!" a gruffer female voice called out.
"Susie?!" The first voice cried immediately before another bang shook the door. "W-wait stop! You'll break his door again!"
"Then he should probably wake up before I do," the second voice- now named chuckled.
Chara looked at the area between the two windows. "Will you still be with me Hannya?"
?: "I'll help in anyway I can. Knife Brat :)"
Chara thought shaking his head with a smile as the text box disappeared from his vision. Ok, here we go acting again. Resigning himself to the whims of the powers that be, he mentally prepared himself then grabbed the knob of the door and pulled. Bright light eclipsed the room he was in, blinding his vision and the surrounding environment.
Chara was filled with Determination.
Analysis complete...
Address qualifies for advancement...
Adjusting Awareness parameters...
Process complete...
Address is now Standard 4
Integration process Complete
Yoki Sado was filled with Determination.
Home - Act 3
Frisk gasped loudly as she struggled in the darkness, sending the blanket she was wrapped in to fall off her bed. She pulled herself into the fetal position quickly. And for a few very long minutes she trembled as her senses acclimated from the jolt of stimulus. She forced her eyes to look at the stuffed animals that lined up between the bed and the wall. Slowly reassuring herself by opening and closing her hands. It took a few moments of doing this action before the child felt able to untangle herself. Rolling slowly onto her back, she placed a hand to her chest and gave out a soft sigh. "I'm still me," Frisk said quietly with a smile. "Thank you Annoying Dog."
A snore pulled Frisk's attention away from herself. She turned her head to the source and through the darkness of the room spotted a figure sleeping on a bedroll at the opposite end of the room. Thanks to the nightlight nearby, it didn't take much time for the figure's identity to be realized. When did Ed get back? Frisk thought before turning to the large black coat that was draped over the nearby lamp. Then in the corner of her eye she saw what looked like a bread loaf of dark fur curled around itself in a dog bed. Again thanks to the soft light she was able to notice the long black needles threaded among the animal's purple fur. Being curious and taking the distractions in stride, Frisk pulled out her cellphone and aimed it at the animal.
Anyu Yuri
LV: 1 (KR: Gray)
HP: 350
AT: 100 (45)
DF: 70 (0)
A young Tanuki monster born from a Hackwitch. (Subject to Edit)
Nominal
I have several questions. Frisk remarked raising a finger. Then, after taking note of the new additions made to the phone's check feature, Frisk aimed the device at the sleeping man.
"Ed"
LV: 10 (KR: BLUE)
HP: 20/20
AT: ? (45)
DF: ? (99)
Fun: ?
EXP: 90
NEXT: 30
WEAPON: Indigo Hackwitch Knife (Void Steel) (?)
ARMOR: Coat of the Forgotten Scholar
GOLD: 5107
Flee on Sight
Kami what did I miss today?! Frisk thought, white-faced with her mouth gaping like a fish. Without hesitation she selected KR.
Karmic Alignment (KR): A simplified Judgment rule-set created by the 2nd Royal Judge to determine a person's morality.
(KR: Red): Due to the nature of your actions alongside your intention, Judgmental action is required.
(KR: Blue): Due to the nature of your actions alongside your intention, even though EXP has been earned, it has been determined that no judgmental action is required.
*Added by the 4th Royal Judge
(KR: Gray): wait and see
Frisk just shook her head in astonishment at the description of Gray status. Sans... For the rest of the description however, after mulling it over in her head for few moments she decided not to comment. Morality wasn't something Frisk believed she had a right to address anymore. Even though her sins are wiped off the board with each Run's beginning. Just because no one else remembers fully what she did, didn't mean she was a good person. All that said, the fact that Monsters are able to determine what constituted good Execution Points by such a simple measure made her curious.
What happened to make the Monsters decide what was considered good killing? What was acceptable to kill or not? Is killing a human considered good KR? The questions continued.
Unfortunately because of Toriel: a) uncharacteristically not enacting a teaching curriculum during the week and b) possessed way fewer books than she's supposed to, Frisk couldn't find the answers she desired that way.
But to her surprise, this Toriel (also uncharacteristically) allowed her a lot of freedom instead. With only the rules of always keeping the phone on and coming back before dark she basically had free reign to explore the Ruins on her own. Toriel didn't even intercept her when she tried to enter the passageway to the rest of the Underground. The blue fire was there every time she checked, but the fact that she was able to wander back and forth on her own was a welcoming change of pace.
It's was also historically how Asgore handles teaching whenever he had the role of Ruin Caretaker. Which deeply intrigued the pint-sized adventurer.
However the child could only theorize if it was just how Toriel was this time, or this change of heart was brought on by the actions of the other human in the room. She glanced at the slumbering man in question and allowed her curiosity to pick the next topic in her phone.
Coat of the Forgotten Scholar
A black jacket infused with scraps of an old lab coat.
Self-cleaning
Lemon-scented
Fire-proof
I was wondering where that was coming from. Frisk commented giving a sniff in the direction of the hanging outer ware. Her eyes then opened wide as a thought came through. She could find out more about Ed's armband now. For some reason thoughts about that armband continued in the back of her mind throughout the week. Taking care to not have the light from the action shine directly in Ed's face, she materialized the mysterious cloth from the INV.
This looks more like a girl's hair ribbon. Frisk observed internally as she slid her hands across the soft white fabric. Ignoring the growing warmth in her chest, she fiddled with the rather large fabric until she saw a large marking of kanji in the middle. "わんわん" (Doggy) It was written rather crudely in permanent ink. Not like it was written in a hurry, but like it was written from someone who just learned how to write that way. Frisk then noticed small droplets as they formed on the fabric. Only to then be aware of the streams trickling over her cheeks. Surprised, she wiped her face with her sweater sleeves. She then noticed the scent of burning wood wafting heavily from the cloth.
Must be allergies. She concluded quickly, wiping away stray tears that were still sneaking out the bottom of her sight. I wonder if I can ask Toriel to make this Self-cleaning as well.
A shuffling noise made her freeze. She closed her phone shut and shoved both it and the ribbon under the covers. It was only after a glance around the room that she felt her cheeks warm up. It was just Ed moving in his sleep.
Frisk calmed down as she watched the man attempt to settle on his side facing the wall. It was a few moments afterwards that she felt comfortable enough to continue her research. She turned her attention back to the phone. Notably the yellow text at the bottom of the Check window. She poked the underlined text.
FIGHT Perimeters: In an effort to determine threats, the 2nd Royal Judge created exceptions to the FIGHT dimension to prevent unnecessary danger to the monster populace. If a monster does not fit the criteria to Fight a certain perimeter, the dimension will refuse to function for that monster. The perimeters are as follows:
Nominal (N): Lowest form of threat. Can be sent into the FIGHT dimension by non-guard combatants, even those younger than 14 surface years. Humans and Terracotta automatically start at this tier.
Approach with Caution (AC): Second form of Threat. Those below Sentry Guard rank are not allowed to FIGHT threats at this tier.
Approach with Extreme Caution (AEC): All threats at this level can only be fought by those at Guard rank or above. All Hackwitches are defaulted to this level.
Flee on Sight (FoS): The highest form of threat. No monsters except for the Captain of the Royal Guard, the Royal Judge, The King, or a Boss Monster are allowed to FIGHT threats at this tier. All Active Hackwitches (Glowing eyes), Humans with Python abilities, and Pale-eyed Terracotta are considered this tier.
(Note: All threat levels and BNC warnings are updated daily at 12am.)
I feel like this will be a problem when Papyrus tries to capture us. Frisk theorized as she scrolled through the description. She then checked herself.
"Frisk"
LV: 1 (KR: Gray)
HP: 1/1
AT: 0(0)
DF: 0(0)
EXP: 0
NEXT: 10
WEAPON: Stick
ARMOR: Bandage
GOLD: 51
Nominal
Ok our INV is shared but our Gold isn't? Who built these things?
"Hey," A woman's voice broke Frisk's concentration. Frisk followed the voice and found the small purple raccoon-dog giving her a heated stare. The monster's mouth moved. "Can you be a little quieter?"
Frisk's face heated up as realization struck. She bowed quickly. "I-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," She whispered. "I didn't know I was thinking out loud."
The raccoon continued her glare.
*Great. First I have to hear that guy's nonsense, then I have to hear that brat project her inner Sherlock.
She then lowered her head, and closed her eyes.
*First rest without nightmares and I have to deal with this. Might as well be tied to that tree again.
Frisk gave a glare of her own in response. That can still be arranged you overgrown rat. Frisk thought, after taking great care to keep her mouth clamped shut this time. Then, having no desire to start something in the dead of night, Frisk closed the phone, placed the ribbon into her pocket, and laid back down. Then with a huff, she began to calm herself down. She's not worth it. She'll be gone next Run.
A hollow feeling filled her chest, one that she was very intimately familiar with. She berated herself wordlessly.
Also unfortunately for the child, thinking about the Run also made her start thinking about her current predicament. She turned her head to the sleeping man and sighed. Besides the attempted possession, Chara's reasoning stuck with her. She was going to need to rely on Ed to get through the rest of the Underground. She had her endless experience, but it didn't mean anything if she dies in one hit. She scrambled through the various scenarios in her head. What if the monsters outside are more aggressive? What if this Undyne actually aims her spears when she tosses them? And what about Ed? What if Ed doesn't want to leave the Ruins?
…
Two images embedded themselves in her head. Two states. One covered in shadows, one bathed in light.
One that didn't happen, one that did.
They only shown themselves for a nano-second, but it was enough to force a thought straight to the forefront of her mind.
I need water. Do you know what I need? I need water.
…
By the time she was able to fully process her surroundings again she was already in Toriel's kitchen. Forcibly gulping down mass-distributed water magic like it was the only thing that mattered. Drown it! Drown the thoughts! Ed is still alive! That didn't happen! Shut up! It was the feeling of "water" trickling down the wrong pipe that made her frenzied actions end.
By the time she was able to breathe normally again she was sitting on the floor with her head in her hands. She unconsciously reached into her pocket and pulled out the white ribbon again. She then spent the next few minutes just feeling the softness of the fabric between her fingers, and hearing the soft humming of the fridge.
The soft repetitive humming of the fridge.
A few minutes later Frisk lifted her head again. Her mind clearer and her heart heavier. Well- at least I know why he was on the mountain now. She then lowered her head and groaned sadly. "What a mess."
It was times like this that she cursed her curious nature. Because even in her solemn state, her mind started goading her with questions. What drove Ed to jump? Was he aware at the time? Was it an accident? Does he regret it? Does he even remember it? Is it alright to ask? Will Ed give his soul to Asgore? Does that still count as a pacifist run?
Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I'm not asking him something that only I know happened! Frisk bonked her head repeatably against the cabinet behind her. She then slid down the counter till she was laying on the floor. Rubbed away the slight pain she just caused herself. Why am I even thinking about a pacifist run at this point? There isn't enough monster souls to make up the difference now.
Frisk gritted her teeth. The truth of the matter was apparent. I gotta get out of here. If I can convince Ed to come with me I will have a better chance to survive. The more time I survive the more things start falling into place. She felt herself calming down again. The questions and worries lessening in severity. I'm not really good at mental stuff, but I can try to help if Ed feels like opening up to me. And- and it isn't like I'm the only one he would be able to. Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys are great people to confide in, once they get over themselves. And Sans is always willing to give an open ear. Frisk narrowed her eyes. Usually- anyway.
She slowly returned to her feet. The feeling of resolve steeling her nerves.
I'm worrying about nothing.
I just need to stay determined.
Things will work out in the end, they always did before.
After a quiet return to her bed, she was able to drift back to sleep.
She had plenty of time to hash out the finer details in the morning.
Or at least that was what she fell asleep believing.