I have lived a long life. A very fulfilling life. My experiences cover over two thousand years of history, half of that being trapped underground, but there was a time when I was revered across the lands. Respected. My teachings were sought after near and far, not just in combat but in language. In tactics. In math, science, and literature.
For eight hundred years, before the war, I taught those within the Kingdom of Dreams. I was attached to the Dreemurr family. To Asgard, my greatest friend. I know that my end nears, these long, long centuries of life are on the brink of collapsing. I am old, far older than I could have hoped to become with the things I have lived through.
Life is a teacher, the greatest of all, and your experiences, good and bad, amount as lessons. I wasn't always a teacher, as there were those who taught me a lot of what I know. Most prevalent of these individuals was Lord Fallion, the last of the old Lightway Mages. He and his siblings gave way into a much darker side. The Lightway Mages devolved after their death, segmenting into a sect of cults, most prevalent of these being the Messiah. With the rise of Christianity, the Messiah absorbed the religion and twisted it to their ideals, corrupting it into what it has become. Even to this day, the Messiah continues to grow more corrupt. They are a far cry from not only the morals, but also the power of the Lightway Mages. Lord Fallion trained me for fifty years in the most isolated place in the world, what was once called 'Whispering Mountain', a place obscured from the natural world by a paranormal presence. It must seem silly, hearing about it like this, but believe me, it was real. Shrouded in a never-ending fog. A place that time seemed unable to touch. The Whispering Mountain was a place unlike any other. No night, no day, it just… was. Trials and tribulations are faced there, this place being what it was, you were forced to face incredibly versatile challenges. From Titans to Spirits, the Whispering Mountain never lacked in supply of things that would try to kill you. It was a long fifty years spent within. Lord Fallion and his powerful God SOUL of Bravery are what enabled me to persevere in the end. It was his lessons, and my failures, that taught me certain arts of combat. In fact, he pulled many of the stunts I now do when he trained me, most notably having you try to land a hit on me. Lord Fallion was far greater than anything I have seen in this world since. I never actually did land a hit on him. Shocking, I know.
The years dragged on, and so did we. When we emerged from the fog, entering the realm we enjoy once again, it was like no time had passed at all. I haven't been back to the Whispering Mountain since, not for lack of trying. It is a place that has to want to be found. A place that forces you to face your demons, and I suppose it didn't show itself to me again since I had conquered the demons it threw my way.
Anyway, I continued to train under Lord Fallion for many more years before he passed on, and his power transferred to the next generation, though I never met that new individual. At least, not until now as it has moved on to you.
Armed with my advanced teachings, I sought to spread my knowledge and intellect further. I traversed the world for the next century, learning from the greatest minds I could seek out. It was through them that my name became known, and that eventually I was the one being sought out. However, there was one individual that stands out in my mind during these travels. Master Kaiji, an old sensei of the Schiatzo Clan, deep within the remote regions of the Himalayas. This clan still exists today, though I have learned that they are now allied with the Messiah, unfortunately. There was a time when honor was prevalent among them, and some of that old honor still shines through to this day, as I have seen in our new friend. Master Kaiji had much to teach me. I bested him in combat, in science and math, in most every topic outside of two very important things. Love, and control. He was wise beyond his years, maybe even matched me. He was already growing old by the time we met, and I admit, he was something unique to me. For several years, he taught me meditation practices, shared his clan's techniques in combat, and I in-turn taught him what I knew as well. Eventually, we shared a bond together, something unbreakable. For the first time in my life, I loved someone unlike how I had loved before.
I'll spare you the details, but our relationship was a very real one, and to this day I have not been able to move on. Regardless, I was inducted into the Schiatzo Clan as an honorary member. I taught the next generation with what I had learned, and what Kaiji had taught me.
I left when he passed on. Humans live incredibly short lives, unfortunately. That's just the sad truth of it. I would have given anything to trade my mortality with him, but alas, he got to go peacefully. I should be so lucky, but when I do go, I'll finally be able to reunite with him, and with Lord Fallion.
Now, I mentioned Asgard Dreemurr earlier. He is the father of Asgore, and was a tremendous King. A bit larger and burlier than Asgore, and a lot more aggressive. He had been a childhood friend of mine before I was apprenticed by Lord Fallion. Asgard was unique, as most Dreemurr kings are. He ruled his kingdom in peace, and was quite capable of stamping out invaders. He had a power to him that most monsters, not even Asgore, possess. It is said that Asgard could tap into the potential left behind through the magic he shared with Orion Dreemurr, the father of monsters. Orion is revered as a God among my kind, but he was very real. A legend. Myth. His tales are almost completely forgotten now, just like much of monsterkind's history during the purges after the Great War. When I reunited with Asgard during my travels, he offered me a position of prestige among his council. I, of course, accepted. I had more or less fulfilled my goals, and with Kaiji gone, I was ready to begin the next chapter of my life. I was titled as the Captain of the Royal Guard. As every captain before me, I was given a secondary title. A name to my legend. You see, every Captain uses a weapon unique to them. My predecessor was a Skeleton Monster named Verdana, and she was extraordinarily skilled with a mace, so that was her title. The Mace of Justice. Justice being what we as Captains serve to our enemies. My weapon being a warhammer, I was called the Hammer of Justice. It sounds better than the 'Warhammer of Justice'. Actually, hang on, thinking about it now that sounds cool too.
Anyway, Verdana was ready to retire, and she was comfortable being replaced with me. Like Asgard, I had known her in my youth, and she had heard of my travels. I outclassed her in just about every arena outside of sheer ferocity. She was incredibly tenacious in battle, with stamina like you wouldn't believe. She, Asgard, and I were a sort of trio together. When she retired, she actually moved on to become the Royal Mage. That position was a lot less direct than being Captain, and a lot less draining.
Something I should note here is that monsters, most notably Boss Monsters like Asgard and Verdana, are eternally immortal until they have offspring. When offspring is produced, an immortal monster gives that up, passing on their immortality onto their child. I'm sure you're wondering how a Skeleton Monster has kids. Ha! You can keep wondering, I'm not permitted to give that kind of information out. There are some monsters that just live for a long time, like myself. I'm no Boss Monster, just a commoner, but even common monsters like me can achieve great things.
I bring this all up because Verdana was the first of my two closest friends to give up her immortality. She passed it down to her firstborn son, Merriweather. I was the godfather, of course. It probably would have been Asgard, but he had too many responsibilities as king, so I'm sure Verdana didn't want to add any more pressure to his plate. She passed on a few decades later, cutting our trio down to a duo. It wasn't for several more centuries that Asgard gave up his immortality when he finally named a Queen.
See, royalty was confusing back then. There were hundreds of Goat Monster families, which were notorious for being the most powerful and capable race of monsters, but each family would only bear a single child, and their numbers were beginning to dwindle. Somehow, this didn't concern them. I suspect that if the Great War had never happened, the families may have simply died out. Alas, instead they were wiped out. Until recently, Toriel and Asgore were the only hope of continuing this. With her gone, Asgore is the very last of his kind.
Verdana's position as Royal Mage didn't pass onto her children. Instead, other monsters took up the mantle until one of her descendants claimed the title. Unfortunately, I can't remember who this individual was, though Asgore may remember. They used to be close. This new Royal Mage, Asgore, and Flouis, my protege who took over as Captain when I decided to retire, were the new 'royal trio'. It was nice to see the cycle continue like that, especially now that Asgard was slated for a death in a couple decades.
Sadly, his life was cut short by humans that snuck into the castle in the dead of night and murdered him in his sleep. This was where the Great War's roots took hold. Asgore was understandably furious and grief-stricken. He launched an investigation into the attack and found that the men had been sent by a rival human kingdom, commanded by a man named 'King Derek', who was actually a childhood friend of Asgore. I do not know why Derek did what he did, but it was the final spark that launched the Great War. I have my suspicions that the Messiah played their own role in it, possibly even orchestrating events. I wouldn't put it past them, but that's in the long forgotten past now.
When the war happened, there was fear like you would not believe. More than even now. Derek was uniting the human kingdoms not just across the country, but the world. From Germany to China, though they had different names at the time. Fun fact you probably didn't know. Monster kingdoms were being wiped out left and right, and it became clear that the end of monsterkind was on the horizon.
Asgore united his people with the Kingdom of Hopes, his marriage to Toriel aiding in this though they probably would have allied regardless. He even called upon the vast Army of Arachne, ancestors of that Muffet monster you've surely met by now. The final battle was fought in a valley overlooked by Mt. Ebott. At first, it seemed to be a last stand, but Asgore proposed an ultimatum. He dueled King Derek in a final fight to determine the future, just the two of them. This was a fight he ultimately lost, and the battle that took place after was the bloodiest I've ever seen. Humans, despite their short lifespans, are typically much more powerful than most monsters, with the exception of Boss Monsters. There simply weren't enough of them to go around. The Army of Arachne fell that day, almost completely slaughtered. We could see the futility of it all. It was those monsters that gave their lives so that we could escape. We fled deep into the old tunnels beneath Mt. Ebott, carved long ago by the dormant volcano. We trapped ourselves within, and when the Spiders were almost completely slaughtered, the humans instead sealed us underground. Magic used by the Lightway Mages, who were long gone by this time. It's here that I know that the Messiah was involved with at least our imprisonment. Miraculously, our leadership remained intact. The Royal Scientist saved Asgore from his fate at Derek's hand somehow, I don't know. I was busy trying not to die.
Then for a thousand years, we lay trapped beneath the surface. Hope was all but lost, and one day Asgore and Toriel gave up their immortality, and had a son. An heir. Then a human fell underground, and she was adopted by the king and queen. I remember this pretty clearly, it was brought up in a lot of heated debates. These two children represented a type of hope for us, but they were both somehow killed by the humans on the surface. Nobody's really clear on the details, not even Asgore, all we know is that both of them were killed, and it wasn't by a monster's hand.
Back into despair we went, and for a long time, a lot of bad choices were made. I had a falling out with Asgore, uncomfortable with many of his decisions, but in the end it's thanks to what he did, and the aid of Frisk, that we were able to escape the eruption of Mt. Ebott. You know the rest. We moved to the surface, tried to integrate… now the Messiah are back in full, clearly intent on finishing what they started. I won't see this conflict through to the end, my boy. I accept that, and I hope you will too, but that doesn't mean I won't go down singing. There was a time I was a beacon of hope for my people, and I'll fill that role again, no matter the circumstance. A lot is at stake here, more than you can possibly fathom. If the Messiah wins this? That's the end of our tale. Everything will have been for naught.
I don't intend to scare you or intimidate you with this tale, merely educate you. Help you understand our plights from my perspective. I know that my recounting isn't completely accurate, there'll be hiccups here or there, but after I've lived for so long… some memories start to become fuzzy. Hard to remember. I spent a few hundred years training, then the rest of that millenia teaching. Regretfully, most of my time spent underground was alone. I retreated into myself, maybe even lost some of my sanity along the way. The world continued to change, not just for us but on the surface as well. It's been interesting, catching up on all that we missed. The purge of monsterkind, when anything relating to us was wiped from texts, and eventually memory. Barely anything survived. Then the cultural renaissance, the outlawing of magic, the witch hunts… I remember a time when magic was the bedrock of human civilization, and to see it now? It baffles me that so few humans actually know magic, or even that they possess SOULs. They've devolved in a sense, and evolved in a way that focuses on technology. Humans have incredible ingenuity, though their time spent against magic and monsters seriously set them back. Monsters had working televisions before Columbus sailed the seas.
That's not to say that humanity hasn't accomplished anything, their technology is on par with the types of things we have now. The Messiah are somewhat of an amalgamation of magic and technology, not too dissimilar from the direction monsterkind has been heading these last few centuries.
And here I am rambling. I do that a lot, even in writing, but I have a lot that I need to say. That I want to say. No offense, but not just to you. I never reconciled with Asgore. I never finished Undyne's training. Anything good I put out into the world is long gone. Forgotten or destroyed. I regret many things, but you? You're a good kid. I know you don't believe me when I talk about your SOUL, but I can recognize it anywhere. You possess the God SOUL of Bravery. One of seven God SOULs, capable of the most powerful magic. It's almost like coming full circle. You trained me in a past life, and now I get to return the favor. One final hurrah for me. I want to at least leave something worthwhile behind. As much as I hate it, regret is simply a part of life. Even at two thousand years old I find many things to regret. About Lord Fallion, Kaiji, Asgard, Verdana, Asgore, Undyne… and many, many more.
I know I've mentioned the possibility of my death throughout this letter, or perhaps this is something of a brief autobiography. I want to say that my death is almost certain… so certain, in fact, that I may already be gone by the time you read this. Upon this realization, I understand that your training will be incomplete. Undyne and Asgore can teach you as well, but ultimately, I have a final assignment for you.
Our mutual friend of the Schiatzo Clan. I've arranged for him to take you back to his clan when this is all over. There, you will learn more and advance your training. Alongside that, I want you to find the Whispering Mountain. I want you to train there for as long as necessary. You'll know when it's your time to leave. I know this may seem like a daunting task, and it most certainly is, but I have faith in you and your abilities. You'll come out on top of this.
And some more advice… the path you're heading down is very different from Frisk. I know you care deeply for her, and she you, but she's a very focused individual. Don't be heartbroken if your relationship becomes something less than what you desire. Don't be like me. Don't fall in love, and let that love control you for the rest of your life. This is especially urgent for you, considering your shorter lifespan. You're both still very young. I understand this may sound strange to you, but all I ask is you heed this advice.
Finally, I must conclude this. This mess of a tale I've devised for you. It's all over the place, I know, but what can I say? Being this old and crazy, I'm surprised I can still speak complete sentences. Most of the time, at least.
The home I own, my library, my belongings, I leave all of this to you. I trust you'll make good use of what I leave behind, and maybe you could even finish my book about you. Just imagine it for a moment. The teacher begins the story, passes, and the student completes it. There's something wholesome about it.
Use my resources to your advantage. Pursue my assignment, but don't forget to indulge in yourself from time to time. Make sure you at least have fun, that's most important. Stoic badasses are cool, but you're already who you are. I don't want to change you. You've managed to make me smile more than I can remember. I'm thankful that we crossed paths, Terrence Boom. That's right, I said 'Boom'. As far as I'm concerned, you're my boy. More than just my student and a friend. You're like the son I never had, cliché as it sounds. I hope you remember me and my teachings, and one day, that you pass them down to the next generation.
Anyway, this has gone on long enough. I could write so much more, but I don't think I need to. You can read my books for more in-depth things. Just don't sell or burn my books, okay? I worked hard on those, and some of them are written on papyrus. No, not the skeleton. I spent time in Egypt, you know. Actually befriended a pharaoh. That's a totally different story, so I'll remind you to read my books.
Good luck, my boy. I'm proud of the progress you've made, and my only wish is that I could see the man you grow into. Still though, having been allowed to be a part of your life is enough to allow this old turtle hermit some peace of mind.
Until we next meet.
By: Gerson Boom
(You know. Autobiography and all. Don't sell this either. Or burn it.)