~Chara~
Chara never thought they would come to appreciate a group of humans. Chara, usually, couldn't stand other members of their own species. Especially Frisk.
But... after following the group around, Chara could see... that some humans weren't so bad.
Chara remembered the times they had managed to physically appear in front of the humans. When they spoke to Percy and Cody... and when they appeared in Snowdin Forest, and Frisk chased after them... and then Frisk almost killed themself and Brayden. And the time in Waterfall, when Chara appeared in a puddle below Frisk's feet.
And at the very beginning, just before everyone fell Underground...
Chara pictured the scene near MTT Resort. They were floating nearby the bridge, gazing at Frisk. Frisk was watching them on the edge of said bridge. Frisk seemed like they were going to jump off and grab Chara, once again almost killing themself in the process. Thank goodness for Clover.
"Frisk is concealing their identity," Chara mumbled, watching the group through a window. They scoffed. "I should have realised it sooner. I am not surprised by their cowardice."
A voice gurgled behind them. It belonged to a man that was slowly melting away. Gaster. Chara glared at him.
"Not even you can change anything," Chara responded. "You are non-existent. And the world functions perfectly without you, does it not?"
They had a sad smile on their face.
"Yet... you could still exist," Chara added. "But... this timeline is messed up enough already. Do you think we want you there as well, causing mishaps?"
Gaster replied with a wave of his hands. Chara frowned.
"Frisk and I are not mishaps," they replied. "We are just at each other's throats. We are both here for our own reasons. Reasons that relate yet oppose each other."
Gaster glitched.
Chara smiled, their expression darkening. "Lying is lovely, is it not? Our determination can mould so much. Look what it did to Percy. With some of my assistance... he became something powerful that saved his friends. Look what it did to Frisk. Look what it did to you." Chara stared at Gaster, a glimmer in their eye. "You almost came back."
Gaster stared at Chara. They looked away.
"All the timelines Frisk and I have seen, never have we been to one like this," they said. "Everyone is here. Frisk. The fallen humans. Me. You. Asriel..." They looked down. "Ha ha. What a shame... what a shame it is all going to waste."
Gaster made a noise.
"How did this all happen...?" Chara stared at Gaster. "Well... it is a long story... but now, I am only here for one reason. To SAVE the world."
They looked through the mirror into ASGORE's home. They could see Frisk watching them. Chara's smile widened.
Despite everything, it's still you.
"Frisk..." they said darkly. "Do not worry. I promise I will kill you."
Frisk's eyes widened. They choked up. They pulled out their sword and shattered the mirror. They could still hear Chara's voice ringing in their ears.
Chara seemed to like that. They then skipped ahead to when Frisk was entering the Void with the other humans. Chara smirked.
Finally, the truth would be revealed.
"What is this place?" Clover asked, the kids following Frisk. The red-souled human kept their head down, walking in a straight line. There was just darkness surrounding them. No light. Cody shivered.
"It's like the Void..." he said. "Just like the Void."
"Yeah." Faye agreed, her smile almost creepy.
"Hey, who's that?" Brayden pointed ahead. Standing there was another Chara and Frisk facing each other. Chara looked angry about something, while Frisk appeared to be upset.
"Is that... you and Chara?" Melody asked Frisk.
They nodded, biting their lip and holding their breath.
"This... must be a memory of some sort, yes?" Percy asked Frisk. They nodded once more.
"A memory of you two..." Clover raised her brow. "Alright. Let's see what you got."
"You think you are doing something heroic?" Chara asked past Frisk angrily. "You really think you are saving the world?"
Past Frisk looked away for a brief moment, before looking back with a grin. They nodded confidently.
"You really are an idiot." Chara growled.
Past Frisk glanced at Chara. They were still smiling.
"You want me to join you?" Chara asked, scowling at past Frisk. "Never."
Past Frisk approached Chara, confidence in their every step. They held out their hand, a kind look in their eyes.
Chara stared at the outstretched hand for a moment, before abruptly shoving it away.
"I will NEVER help you," they growled. "Go to Hell."
They stormed off, leaving behind a sad Frisk. That Frisk looked down in despair as the memory faded. Current Frisk wore the same expression.
"Oh my..." Melody frowned. "How rude."
"Not much of a listener..." Faye said.
"I guess... you already tried talking to Chara, then," Clover scowled, eyeing Frisk. "They're not really... listening."
"They're stubborn." Percy added.
Frisk nodded with a sad sigh.
"I... I think Chara's just upset about something..." Cody looked downcast. He stared at Frisk. "You... you said they have... personal reasons about why they want to destroy the world, right?"
Frisk nodded, faintly gritting their teeth. They felt energy building in their palm. They were starting to lose their patience. Chara had corrupted this boy's mind. Why else would he be willing to give them so many chances?
"I think... I think we can still help them," Cody replied, smiling. "I know it sounds crazy, but-"
Frisk turned around and pointed their sword at Cody's throat, their glare harsh. Their breathing became heavy. Cody stumbled back in fright. Clover immediately stood protectively in front of him, returning Frisk's glare. The two stared at each other for a few moments, before Frisk's sword dissipated. The eighth human fell to their knees, covering their face with their hands.
Had they really lost control?
"Cody!" Melody shrieked. She stared at Frisk with horror. "What... what's wrong with you?"
Frisk looked down. Clover wouldn't let go of her brother. She was giving Frisk her death glare.
"I think... in their own way, they're saying Chara can't be trusted..." Faye spoke up quietly. She glanced at Cody.
"I... I guess... so..." he mumbled.
Frisk stared at their hands. Faye gave them a small smile and patted their shoulder. Frisk returned it with a nod. At least she was nice to them.
Chara was watching Frisk from a corner. Frisk ignored their creepy smile, telling themself it was just a silhouette.
"You are no better than me," Chara laughed, their eyes and grin melting. "You MONSTER."
Frisk glared at them.
"This is the real story," Chara smiled. "The story of the Fallen Angel."
Frisk's vision was consumed with white.
Chara and Asriel were sitting on a bed of golden flowers. Asriel laughed, putting a flower crown on his head.
"Now I look like a real prince!" he said brightly.
"One more," Chara said. They picked a flower and put it under Asriel's ear. They nodded with satisfaction. "There we go. Now you are a prince."
Asriel giggled. "Thanks, Chara."
"Mmm." Chara replied. They looked down, a sad expression on their face.
"Chara?" Asriel tilted his head, noticing their expression. "What's wrong?"
Chara smiled. They stared at the golden flower they were holding. Memories flashed through their head...
Asriel was holding Chara's body. He was walking through the village, humans glaring at him with fear in their eyes...
The monster was hit with blow after blow. Chara could hear screams all around them. But Asriel did not fight back.
"Asriel!" Chara yelled. "You have to fight back!" A tear almost escaped their eye. "You will die if you don't!"
Yet Asriel refused.
"Chara... I'm sorry..." he said. "I... I can't hurt them..."
"A... Asriel...!" Chara breathed.
Chara shook their head, stopping those thoughts. They were back to the present. Asriel was alive.
At least for now.
"Chara?" Asriel asked, waving his hand in front of Chara's face.
"Hmm?" Chara blinked and looked at him. They thought of their plan. Somehow, they felt prepared.
"You zoned out," Asriel told them. "Are you okay?"
"I am fine." Chara responded.
They put the golden flower on the ground and stood up. They walked away with shaky steps. They were not really prepared.
They were afraid.
Chara snuck out of the castle, looking for something. They eventually found it. The laboratory. The laboratory where Flowey would later be created. Where determination would be harvested and the Amalgamates would be born.
But Chara didn't care about any of that. They were looking for something different. They snuck through the lab. They could almost see their reflection on the shiny walls and floor. They skimmed through the rooms, until they found the right one. Making sure no one was there, they entered.
It was a small room full of building supplies, blueprints on a table, papers scattered around, and a pile of lab coats. Chara walked over to the blueprints and skimmed through them. Nothing new. Then they found a notebook full of research.
Perfect.
"Human SOULS," Chara opened the notebook, seeing the first page. They read through it. "There are different types of human souls and they vary in strength. Most human souls are a mix or a toned-down version of one of the seven primary traits. For example, a soul of Patience may not always be patient, they could also be kind or brave.
"However, there are also some souls that almost/constantly exhibit one of the seven primary traits. These souls are known as 'pure souls'. They are very rare. Usually only seven of these souls will exist at a time, one for every trait. And typically, they are most likely to be found all together."
Chara put the book down for a moment. "The fallen humans... m-must be pure souls then." Their eyes widened. They continued reading.
"The pure souls usually have much more powerful souls than regular humans. They are able to withstand having powers, unlike regular humans. Very rarely, a pure soul will be born with powers. But mostly, the powers must be earned or given by a greater force of power."
Chara looked thoughtful. "Given..." They made a face. "Hmm."
They kept reading. "The human with the most DETERMINATION is able to save. This power can belong to any of the SOULS, but usually it will fall to a human with a red soul. The true nature of a red soul is unknown, but it is believed to be a mix of all the soul traits..."
Chara frowned. It was true - not much was known about their soul trait.
Chara flipped to another page. This was a chapter about timelines.
"There are many different timelines, especially for a single universe," Chara read. "This timeline will have timelines about it with different endings, beginnings and middles. Some timelines will be mixed together, and others will be corrupted. This timeline and all others mentioned most likely belong to a universe - a setting where similar events and similar characters appear. Most likely it will be known as an Alternate Universe (also known as an AU) - as it is a stem off the primary product."
Chara frowned. They already knew all that. They skipped to another page.
"Most characters stay in the universe they were born in, but a few do not have a particular timeline they live in," Chara read. "They jump from timeline to timeline, for a variety of reasons - no sense of belonging, looking for something, or just plain enjoyment." They frowned. "None of our reasons."
They read on. "Occasionally, one of these people may want to take someone's place in a universe, rather than live as themself. This is possible if they remove that person from the timeline and insert themself into the universe. However, sometimes this does not work and the one who inserted themself into the universe does not have much time in said universe. If this is the case, they must hurry to bring the original person back to the universe and then leave, unless they wish to become corrupted.
NOTE: If the original person and the new person live in the same timeline, yet the new one has somehow taken the place of the old one, the new one must leave after a certain period of time or the original and themself will become corrupted."
Chara frowned. Frisk and themself were from another timeline. They had inserted themselves into this timeline, just like the book said. A different Frisk and Chara were originally here, but the other two had to remove them so they could take their places. Chara felt a little bad. But they were here for a reason.
To SAVE the world.
Suddenly, Chara heard footsteps. They stood up, the book tucked under their arm. Panic raced through them. There were no windows or any other means of convenient escape.
So the child elected to hide behind a bunch of wooden planks.
Chara ducked, keeping their head low as someone entered the room. They held their breath, almost daring themself to see who was in the room. But they were not that stupid.
They heard mumbling nearby them. It sounded cross. A drop of sweat rolled down Chara's cheek. The footsteps were getting closer to them. The child felt their heart rate increase.
But thankfully for them... the footsteps turned around and left. Chara heard the door close, and the footsteps echo down the hallway. They let out a breath of relief. They stood up, grinning at the book. It was full of useful information. They would definitely be keeping it.
Chara snuck out of the room, entering the hallway, when a voice asked nearby them, "Leaving so soon?"
Chara nearly jumped out of their skin. They stared at the one who asked the question. It was the Royal Scientist.
"Uh... I..." they didn't know what to say. The scientist was intimidating them.
"You're that human child, are you not?" he asked, staring at Chara. They frowned at 'human'.
"Y-yes," they replied.
"What are you doing down here?" the scientist asked. He stared at the book Chara was holding. "Stealing my books?" He frowned. "How did you even get down here? You are not someone I'd expect to know this lab exists."
"I..." Chara paused. They got an idea. They smirked, putting on their creepy smile. "I know about a lot of things. A lot more than you think I know."
"Do you?" the scientist tilted his head. Chara's smile widened.
"Yes," they replied. They took a step towards the scientist. "And I bet you would love to find out everything I know. Such as..." They chuckled. "Trust me. I am the last human monsterkind will be seeing for quite a while."
"Hmm?" the scientist looked confused.
"No more humans will fall down after me for a long time," Chara responded. "A very, very long time."
"How do you know that?" the scientist asked. His eyes widened. "Wh... who are you?"
"I am the Fallen Human, and the Angel of the Prophecy," Chara replied. "You are just a monster."
They walked away, the scientist staring at them. Chara smiled. They did enjoy messing with people... on occasion. Plus, it helped them escape from bad situations. They prided themself on that. And they got to keep the book as well.
A smirk appeared on the child's face. They walked away.
"There are two parts to a human soul:
The DETERMINATION and the spirit (the personality). Without the spirit, DETERMINATION is merely itself. The spirit is similar to a ghost without DETERMINATION, but it cannot be seen by anyone, unless there is a lot of determination nearby. A human soul is not a human soul unless the two are together. They can be split, but the chances of this occurring are incredibly rare."
"Huh," Chara made a face. They flipped the page. "A spirit can return to a regular human soul if they receive determination. With enough determination, a spirit can form a physical body made out of this determination. This power, however, requires at least some determination from seven DIFFERENT human souls (and in some circumstances, the souls themselves can be used - in this case, the spirit will become god-like). This type of human has great power... they also do not require basic human necessities, such as eating. However, if they are away from their sources of determination, their body will be destroyed."
"Hmm," Chara flipped through a few more pages. "Some human souls are born with no determination - the only way they can get it is from another human. (NOTE: This is very rare.) However, this means the other human can control them (to a high/low degree, depending on the human/s). Other times... humans can use other power sources... such as HATE or Fear, which both have consequences..."
Chara frowned. They swore Frisk said something about HATE once, did they not...?
"Hey Chara," Asriel peeked his head into the room. He was wielding some golden flowers. "I have the buttercups."
Chara smiled. "Excellent."
Asriel was stumbling home, still holding Chara's body. His soul was cracking. Chara was staring at him. They had nothing to say. They only smiled.
Asriel walked to the bed of golden flowers, the favourite place of the best friends. Toriel and Asgore saw this and stared with horror.
"I... I'm sorry..." Asriel smiled.
He collapsed, turning into dust. Chara felt themself being pulled away from their determination. They were used to this feeling. But this time, they refused. They would not give in. Chara held onto their determination for a few more brief moments. They had a message to deliver.
Chara floated upwards, on the verge of collapsing.
"It's not over yet!" they yelled, their soul glowing. Asgore and Toriel stared at them, their eyes widening.
"With the determination of seven human souls, I will return," they promised. "I will shatter the barrier and bring monsters justice. The Fallen Angel will rise!"
And with that, Chara lost their determination. And their world disappeared. The child smiled.
I'll be back, they thought. I promise.
Frisk was lying on the floor, their hand over their heart. The kids had returned to the area outside the Judgement Hall. They were all watching Frisk with worry. The child with the red soul sat up, shaking their head. What had they just seen...?
"They're okay...!" Faye said brightly.
"Hey!" Cody said. He kneeled down next to Frisk and gave them a tight hug. They gently patted his shoulder in response. "Are you okay?"
Frisk nodded, leaning back and gazing at him. Their eye felt strange...
"I'm... really sorry about what I said..." Cody apologized, bowing his head. "I didn't realise it made you upset."
Frisk waved it off with a small apologetic smile of their own.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU GUYS TO STOP GOING TO SLEEP ON ME!?" Brayden complained, waving his arms in the air.
"You're one of the heaviest sleepers I've ever met, Brayden." Percy told Brayden. Brayden glared at Percy, putting his fist in his palm.
"Well," Melody glared at both boys. "I'm just glad they're okay."
She helped Frisk stand up. They nodded gratefully at her.
"I guess we're ready to go on?" Clover asked, folding her arms. "We've got a bit of butt to kick."
"HECK YEAH!" Brayden yelled, punching the air.
Frisk took a deep breath. They ignored Chara's voice in their head. But their skin prickled at the thought of themself (and possibly Chara) disappearing because they were from another timeline... that wouldn't happen, right?
Frisk frowned. Chara was safe. But Frisk wasn't so sure about themself...
Frisk glanced at their palm, feeling a searing pain in their eye. They had a feeling that they were in for a bad time.