The cyan-colored SOUL hovered inside of a glass tube, off to the side against the barrier. A massive figure loomed over the boy, who was quivering in place. His orange-tinted eyes shone furiously back at his opponent, the both of them steeling themselves, knowing full-well what was about to happen.
The King's eyes were closed, his brow furrowed, his hands trembling beneath his royal cloak for a moment. The barrier echoed and breathed behind him. The silence between the two grew unbearable.
"I am so sorry… Goodbye," he finally managed to croak out, before his face set, his brows furrowing as he threw back the cloak he wore, his signature crimson trident magically materializing in his hand in a simultaneous action.
So began the conflict.
A ball of fire erupted in Asgore's hand, which he proceeded to hurl at the boy, who leaped to the side as he raised his fists, padded gloves covering either hand, an orange bandana wrapped around his forehead as he moved forward.
It was him or the king, right?
Yet not so long ago, the boy found himself waking to the touch of a mother, who softly dabbed a wet rag against his face. His eyes slowly opened, and he found himself face-to-face with a large creature covered in white fur, with a kind yet concerned face, her worried eyes locking with his.
He was initially shocked, quickly scrambling backward before bumping his head against a wall. Softly rubbing it, he looked around to find he was in a room of some kind.
"Do not be afraid, my child," the monster smiled warmly at him. "I am Toriel."
"W-where am I?" the boy immediately asked, his bright eyes darting about the room. A lamp, a chest of toys, a rug, a wardrobe and a dresser… the bed beneath him was surprisingly comfortable, too.
"You have fallen underground," Toriel informed him. "I discovered you, badly injured at the end of your fall. I have brought you to my home, where you are safe, and healthy once more," her tone was soft and gentle as she sat at the edge of the bed, patiently staring at him.
He took a moment to gain his senses, before slightly frowning. "My dad…" he muttered. "I never… I… I need to go."
He immediately swung his legs off the bed, making for the door. "Wait, my child!" Toriel immediately called, but he was already gone from the room, having entered a rather homey-looking house full of warm colors. His eyes sought out a set of stairs that he immediately began to descend.
So the legends were true? Strange creatures existed, yet he was unsure of where this place was. Beneath Mt. Ebott? This was all some big mistake, he wanted no part of this world. His father needed him.
He'd be there.
"If this keeps up…"
The boy stared up at his uncle, face scrunched in worry. "Your father is having a tough time pulling through, and we don't have the kind of supplies to… help him get better."
"I'll get the supplies," the boy immediately stated. "I'll do whatever it takes. I… herbs, or maybe a witch, or-"
"Augustus…" his uncle cut him off, eyes closed, "the disease is incurable, the best we can do is hope he fights it off naturally."
Augustus shook his head at this notion. "No. I saw a book about special herbs in the library, I can use that!"
"August!"
The boy was already out the door, hurtling his way down the street.
He'd arrived at the library in no time at all, and was already scouring through the selection at his disposal, before he landed on a particular book; "The Magical Herbs & Supplements of Our World" by a 'Gerson Boom', whoever that was. He flipped through the pages, looking at illustrations of different types of fauna, none of which he'd ever seen before. His eyes skimmed through the words he could recognize, though not all of it he could efficiently read.
He finally came to a stop at a particular flower. The page said it was called a 'Vilivy', and usually glowed green when the moon was full during the winter solstice. The flower illustration looked very familiar, and with a jolt, he realized he'd seen that shape before on Mt. Ebott.
Being the adventurous child that he was, Augustus had often visited the forbidden mountain, but even he didn't dare venture too far- but he knew he'd seen such a flower there before.
And so that's where the brave child went. No words to his father, none to his uncle, he'd surprise everyone when he came back with the magical herb.
According to the book, it had the magical properties of curing any and all afflictions on mortal bodies, well, what he could read was that it healed sick people. So that was exactly what he needed.
Little did he know, he wouldn't be coming back. He wouldn't take the vilivies home, for he'd fallen into the realm of monsters, and was lost forever.
Out of Toriel's home, through a violet archway, and past a grand door… into a forest, filled with snow. It wasn't what he'd been expecting. Wrapped in only light clothing due to the hot summer on the surface, he wasn't dressed for something as cold as this at all.
Having been running, he now took the time to stop, gazing through the darkness ahead, as far as he could see. Snow and pine trees seemed to be all that was ahead of him. Augustus hugged his arms tightly to his chest as he trudged through the snow, eventually coming to a gap that he nearly fell into- a pit into darkness. The trees were growing much too thick on either side of him, the only way to progress was to jump. So he did just that, landing on the other side- before the snow gave out under him, and he started to fall backward.
August was saved as a pair of jaws snatched onto the collar of his shirt, and yanked him to safety. He tumbled into the snow, face planting, before quickly scrambling back to his feet and finding himself face-to-face with a large, fluffy black dog, who stood on its hind legs, and had piercing blue eyes that gazed back at him in curiosity.
"U-uh…"
"Oh oh, ooo wee ya?" the dog replied, cocking his head to the side.
August blinked, completely nonplussed. "What?"
"Oh, I thought you were doing monkey speak," the dog said. You'd think the human would already be a little prepared for a talking anthropomorphic dog after his earlier encounter with Toriel, but this was not the case, and his eyes widened.
"Y-y-you talk?"
"If we're being honest, I'm surprised humans can still talk as well. From the stories, we all thought you'd have killed each other off by now," the dog replied with a shrug. "I should probably be trying to catch you and deliver you to the capital, but Flouis stripped my rank recently, so I'm feeling rebellious."
August was completely confused, having no clue what this creature was talking about. Seeing his face, the dog cleared his throat. "Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Banner Barkington," he placed a paw against his chest, "and you are?"
"...Uh… A-Augustus. Augustus Weber."
"Can I call you Augie for short? I should call you Augie for short," Banner asked, before laughing, which sounded like a booming bark rather than actual laughter. "How'd you get down here anyway?"
"I… fell," Augustus replied, "down a hole, and… a monster named Toriel helped me."
"Toriel, huh? She's still alive?" Banner stroked his black chin, before chuckling. "You look like you're freezing. Let's head to town, the local inn's got a warm fireplace and serves some good hot chocolate."
Hot chocolate sounded pretty amazing. He'd only ever had chocolate once before in his life, and now he would get the chance to drink it once more? He was still rather weirded out by this place, but this simple thought eased him a bit, though he refused to lose sight of his goal.
Banner Barkington led August, or 'Augie' as the dog monster seemed intent on calling him, along the snowy paths that led into a town he called simply as the 'Snowed-In Town'. They passed by a few other monsters, all of which exchanged friendly waves to the two. Rabbit monsters, more dogs, and even a six-armed spider-like monster.
Once they got to the Snowed-In Town, it was obvious why it was called as such. The place was absolutely covered in snow, with paths dug out for doors in houses to open, and for monsters to wander and mingle.
"It's not much, but I certainly call it home," Banner stated, his lips stretching back with a yawn, showing off his rows of sharp canines. "This is the inn I mentioned," he directed August to the nearest building, and was overcome with warmth once inside.
The inn was very simple. The entrance doubled as a living space, where a long, comfy chair sat in front of a crackling fireplace, a monster couple seated there, leaning lovingly against one another.
August was given a hot chocolate for free, and sat in a couple of squashy chairs at the edge of the room with Banner, the two making casual conversation, one subject leading to another, Banner curious about the bandanna the boy wore, and why he carried padded gloves at his hip, before August mentioned Mt. Ebott being a forbidden place to travel, catching Banner's attention moreso.
The dog monster tilted his head curiously. "If it's not allowed, why'd you come?"
"I… well… it's my dad," August said, "he's sick, and I read about vilivy flowers that could heal him."
"Vilivy? Say, I think I know a spot where some of those grow. So you plan on getting out of here, then?" the monster asked, and August nodded eagerly. Banner let out a weary sigh, scratching the back of his head, kicking his leg a couple times as he did so. "Look, Augie… I'm gonna come clean. You probably won't be able to leave."
"What? Why!?" August demanded, standing up immediately.
Banner's eyes shifted, before he continued. "Our king. He passed a decree a long time ago, that any humans that fall underground… well… that they should be delivered directly to him, and…" the monster didn't seem to be able to finish his sentence.
"Would he let me go?" August asked immediately, gripping the handle of his empty mug tightly to the point where his knuckles were white against his skin.
"I… maybe. We'll see."
Banner Barkington took Augustus out of the Snowed-In Town, passing into a cavern full of glowing flowers of all types, some that echoed your words, some that spit a foul-smelling goo in your face, and even vilivies. August was sure to stuff his pockets with the flowers, before they came upon a small village tucked against the slick walls of the cave.
"This is the Dhelaron Province," Banner stated. "I uh… technically can't take you any further. If you want to, you'll need to talk to my boss."
So the monster led August through the small town to a rather small home, which was slightly leaning to the side, made of lime green tiles.
The monster that opened the door had blue-green scales covering his body, piercing golden eyes immediately seeking August out. No words were exchanged between Banner and Flouis as the dog monster introduced August to him, before saying a hesitant goodbye, and fleeing out of the Dhelaron Province.
With Banner gone, August felt increasingly worried, especially by the serious glances Flouis cast at him. The human tried to make conversation, but the captain didn't seem at all interested, leading him out of the glowing caverns to a series of metallic walkways over a lake of lava, eventually passing through to a large city built of grays, towers stacking into the sky, some nearly touching the cave ceiling. At the end of it all stood a magnificent castle.
Finally, here, Flouis spoke to the boy. "The King is here. He is waiting for you."
With that, Flouis was walking away, leaving August to stand awkwardly at the bottom of the grand stairs leading up to the castle's front entrance. His gut twisted painfully as he began to wonder if the king would even help him. Would he understand his situation? Would he let him out?
The King stood in the center of a large garden of golden flowers, his gaze dark, his eyes carrying a great sadness as he watched August enter the throne room. "Hello," Asgore greeted, pursing his lips.
August slowly nodded in reply. "Hello," he returned.
They stood there awkwardly for a few moments, before August spoke again. "A friend said you might help me through the barrier," he said. Asgore's gaze darkened still. "My father is very ill, and I have these-" he pulled out the vilivies. "-to help him get better. Will you help me?"
Asgore was silent for a long moment as he stared at the flowers in the boy's hand, before he turned his gaze away, staring at the stained glass window depicting King Derek.
"One of us would have to die," he finally stated, turning his gaze back to August. "To pass through the barrier, you would need to carry the SOUL of a monster, something you can only obtain… through killing."
August's heart stopped, before it sank, and he opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"You know what must happen. As… difficult as it is, this is something we must do. Please… follow me," Asgore left the throne room through a door in the back. August nervously, and cautiously, followed suit, before they entered the end of the underground, the yawning chasm of the void stretching around them.
"This is the barrier," Asgore said. "This is what keeps us trapped underground. To destroy it and free my people, I need seven human SOULs."
A hole seemed to open in the ground behind Asgore, in which a large glass cylinder rose, a glowing cyan SOUL inside of it.
"I don't want to do this… but it's for the betterment… of everyone," his face fell.
"... Ready?"
His own SOUL had appeared before him, pulsing the same orange as his eyes, and with a great magical force, he could feel its power wash over him. As a wave of fire rolled over him, he raced through it, his entire body enveloped in an orange light.
It seemed to work- he passed through unscathed. The light left his body, centering around his gloves, which he proceeded to launch at the King, who merely swiped his trident through the air, slamming August away.
He could taste copper as he rose back to his feet, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. There were no alternatives to this battle. It was kill or be killed, and that was all there was to it. He continued to launch his attacks against Asgore, who remained rooted to the spot, knocking him back each time.
Neither exchanged words as their duel continued. August was giving it his all but he found he was completely unable to do anything to the King, who stood firm, continuing to launch powerful attacks made of flickering flames at the child, who was beginning to wear down, feeling his magic fade each time he used it.
Then the fire started to burn at his skin, and he was forced to let go of his offensive in an attempt to stay alive. Their battle continued on for what seemed like forever, Asgore's attacks never wavering in the slightest. Each one just as powerful as the last.
It wasn't until August was lying on the ground, blood running down his face, covered in burnt skin, when he realized he wasn't going to see his father again.
Asgore raised his trident, and- he hesitated. The weapon trembled in the air as Asgore stared at the defeated form of a child.
He hardened his resolve, and felt his heart shatter as he brought the trident down.
…
…
"... That's two."
Asgore stared down at the body of the human, his SOUL of Bravery hovering over him. It was Gaster who had spoken, who now stood beside Asgore, the skeleton's face unreadable.
"Are you… alright?"
"... No," Asgore replied, his gaze averting to the ground, "I may never be again. This is the second SOUL… but why children? It breaks me… to have to do this…"
"Don't forget," Gaster assured, the SOUL hovering toward him, "we will see the sun again."
The SOUL and the body were removed by the scientist, leaving Asgore alone as he stared at the ground, his eyes welling with tears that he quickly wiped away. Staring at the spot the body had been, he slowly walked away, headed back to the throne room.
And to await the next SOUL that wandered in, secretly hoping that day would never come.