Prologue: The day she fell
…Once upon a time, there existed a silly little girl.
She was an outcast among her kind, the humans.
And she ended up running away from home…
Before long, the silly little girl stumbles upon a cave when her tired feet can no longer carry her in her journey.
There she found a hole…pitch black like the abyss, staring back at her soul.
And before she knew, it welcomed her into its embrace.
She was afraid…
Her legs were broken by the fall and her body was littered with scratches, dripping with blood.
She was in pain as her mind start to flicker with panic.
She sobs and screams as hard as she can the burning sensation filling her body.
As she felt her consciousness fades away, she spotted a mysterious man in white not so far away.
And her thought ends there…
It was unfamiliar warmth that Frisk felt…
She was half-expecting the coldness of the ground, but that didn't seem to be the case.
Frisk tries to move but immediately regrets it as pain shot through her body in torrent. She decided to stop.
Slowly, she begins opening her eyes, but the sudden brightness makes her squint in annoyance.
Not like it's the first time.
But there is a feeling soft fabric brushes through her skin, there lies a fluffy blanket on top of her…
That is when she noticed she is not the only one in the room.
Sitting there was an unfamiliar face, with features that normal people can consider to be unsettling.
She quickly jolted up despite the pain, a fearful look in her eyes as she tries to move away.
The figure stared at her for a second, surprised. But soon, it softened its gaze before trying to reach out.
"Did I scare you? Worry not, child, I mean no harm." The figure shows its hand, which strangely enough, seems to have a hole that she can see through "See?"
Nevertheless, it was a gesture that Frisk was familiar with. But she has learned that it is not to be trusted.
She scanned the figure before her, and now that she has a thorough look, it seems to raise more questions than she expected...
She was at loss for words. The man before her was a literal skeleton. Granted, she has never actually seen a real skeleton before and she was sure that skeletons don't have scar branching from their eye socket.
It was a bizarre feeling, seeing the human equivalent to the dead…a walking, talking dead. Yet, she doesn't feel any repulsive feeling leaking from him, from what is supposed to be a mockery of nature.
"Ah, it seems that my appearance may have disturbed you…for that you have my apology." With a slight bow, he spoke such extravagant words that confuse Frisk. Isn't an apology only done by someone younger? Sure, she doesn't know his real age, but it's questionable that a literal skeleton may be younger than her.
"Let me clarify something for you. As you may have thought, I'm a monster… a skeleton monster to be exact. My appearance might have caused you discomfort…but I'm not going to hurt you." The figure in the white coat said
"A…monster?" Frisk asked hesitantly. Sure, the tale of the monster is something she has heard before, but facing this strange monster, she couldn't help but wonder if there is something wrong with the legend.
"Precisely so, child. Maybe you were told many bad things about the monster race, but the monster is much more similar to humans than you think."
Or the opposite is true...
A suffocating irony filled Frisk's thought…but she respond with a skeptical nod
"Then, let me introduce myself. My name is Gaster. Wingding Gaster, I am a scientist down here."
And there he offered her a hand.
She was contemplating if she should respond. After some hesitation, she bit her lip and shyly shook it.
The hole inside his hand felt so…odd.
"Can I…know your name?" He asked
"Frisk." Frisk said, not used to being asked about herself "My name…is Frisk."
"No family name?" Gaster raised his nonexistence brow at the response
"…" At this mention, Frisk's face visibly twist unpleasantly
"Apology. It was thoughtless of me."
Deciding that he shouldn't probe further, Gaster decided to change the subject.
"Ah! You must be hungry right now…let me get you something to eat."
Leaving a confused Frisk behind, Gaster quickly goes through the pile of mess in his lab, albeit with great difficulty. After a minute or two, he pulled out a pack of instant noodles.
And after about 20 minutes of figuring out the instruction, Gaster just poured some water on it and let his stove do the work.
While Frisk is watching from afar with an uneasy expression…
And contrary to what she thought at first, the noodle is at least edible and is actually quite filling.
"I actually don't understand why humans have to eat it that way. I think it tastes fine raw and with some spices." Gaster said with a curiously amused look
"You can…actually eat like that?" Curiosity leaked out of her solemn voice
"Yes…but maybe you shouldn't try it though. Monsters convert most of them into magic…trying that as a human may give you a stomache and possibly indigestion." He explained, which actually dissolve some pretty concerning thoughts from Frisk's mind
"So…can you tell me what's this place?" After a minute of silence, Frisk meekly asks
"Of course. You are in the Underground, home to the monster's race. We have been here for a very long time, trapped inside a powerful barrier." This interest Frisk somewhat, but he carries on "And precisely you are in my lab…it has enough components to treat the injuries from your fall, and it's my workplace. In fact, the state I found you in is...not pretty."
'Why did you save me?' This was what Frisk intended to ask, but not wanting to sound ungrateful, she settles with a small 'Thank you.'
"There is no need, child. Anyone would have done the same." Gaster responded, seemingly glad
"...really?" For a moment, a hint of skepticism appears in her voice, something is gone as soon as it appears.
"Of course." A response that did nothing to ease the hardened look on her face
"Then…what's going to happen to me now?" With an uneasy tone, Frisk voiced the question that has been plaguing her mind
"I can't say…but you have come here in a troubling time, child. Our kingdom has just lost our prince and princess in one night. The queen is in grief…and it didn't help that the king is not in his right mind right now." Gaster said with a troubled tone "I don't think the king will take this well…"
Frisk's lips quivered as she tries to respond, but ultimately lower her head in dejection.
"I'm-" Frisk averted her eyes "…sorry."
"Oh! No, no…this is hardly your fault." Gaster waved his hand to reassure her "But I really wish we have met under better circumstances."
A moment of silence…
"If what you said is true…will I…" Frisk asked, this time in a slightly withdrawn tone "…die?"
Gaster, for a split moment, wondered if he has heard wrong…but then he noticed her trembling hand…
"I…you don't need to worry about that. What important now is your recovery! Don't think too much about this, okay?" Frisk just nod solemnly...and Gaster was forced to end the conversation before it derail even more.
It has been a few days since the child named Frisk fell down and stayed at his lab, something Gaster finds to be most curious.
He hasn't seen many humans since the war…the only other one he saw is the Royal Princess Chara, but even then their contact was a bare minimum.
However, Frisk showed herself to be quite a…introvert. Communication wasn't her strong suit…and the topic they talked about quickly turned dead and monotonous. Granted, Gaster doesn't see himself as a good ice-breaker, and it only makes it more awkward.
Feel like two rocks trying to talk to each other.
There are a few things that Gaster noticed, however.
He noticed that the conversation turns when some particular topics are brought up, such as what happened before Frisk fell down.
It's concerning that this has become a pattern. Any attempt to learn anything more about Frisk just makes her feel uncomfortable…and Gaster decided he was going too fast with this.
Frisk also seems to be confused over simple gestures and appears to be skeptical of them at first. Did it have something to do with her past? Of course, there is a chance that she could be living in a secluded community where such things are uncommon. Gaster came across such communities in the war, after all.
However, the more he observes, the more unlikely it seems…
Gaster noticed she usually sitting, with her hand covering her body. It could just be the cold, but evidence suggested a fear of the surrounding environment.
The problem didn't just end there…
Frisk was usually troubled by night terror…
At first, it was small patches…and there he saw it slowly expand…
Small twitches at her finger, incoherent mumbles, highly reactive to sudden noise…he dismisses it as signs that she not having used to a foreign environment and her brain is on high alert.
But the word she screamed in her sleep…maybe he heard wrong, but…
He swore he heard words like 'Don't hurt me.' and 'Stop!' repeating time and time again…
Whatever she saw before falling down here…it was likely traumatic for her to be responding like this.
Worse, a girl so young…a child that was supposed to be bright and naïve…yet hidden beneath those eyes are a depth that he felt uncomfortable looking at…
But he doesn't intend to pry…everyone has things they want to keep under lock and key. And also the fact that touching that subject may break the frail gap between them.
That's the story for another time, however…
For now, no one but him knows about the existence of this human…Gaster does feel some concern about the present state of the king and queen. Alas, it was his duty as a Royal Scientist to inform them immediately in case a human fell down.
The fact that he withdrew the information this long could be considered treason, depending on who's asking.
However, Gaster can't bring himself to…not when the child is in such a vulnerable state…in a foreign place with no help coming.
It reminds him of...a cruel memory.
So Gaster decided to keep this a secret. At least until he felt the time is right.