Hey, and welcome to chapter 8! This one's a big one folks, both in plot and length! This chapter is more than double my previous longest, totaling in at almost 5,000 words! I don't really have anything else to say, so enjoy the chapter!

A couple of hours after she had gone to sleep, Zenko walked back into the room.

"Oh, hey Zenko. Up already?" Asked Badd upon seeing her.

"Yeah, I wasn't that tired, I just needed to rest for a bit." She said, sitting on the floor next to Toriel's chair.

Toriel then spoke to the both of them.

"I would just like to say how happy I am to have you living here. There are so many old books I wish to share. I want to show you my favorite bug hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your educations. I have always wanted to be a teacher." Toriel said enthusiastically.

Badd coughed awkwardly.

"Hey, uh, while I appreciate the enthusiasm, me and Zenko can't stay here. I have duties back on the surface, and Zenko has friends I'm sure she misses."

Toriel appeared to be distressed for a moment, before quickly regaining her composure.

"I have something I must attend to. Why don't you wait here." She said a bit more forcefully than she meant to, before dashing off rather quickly.

"Wait, Toriel!" Badd called after her.

"Nice going Badd, you made her feel bad." Zenko scolded her brother.

"Aw man, I didn't mean to upset her! Come back Toriel, I'm sorry!" he yelled, before dashing off. Zenko rolled her eyes, and followed after him.

"She's not outside!"

"She's not in her bedroom either!"

as they regrouped by the stairwell, Badd noticed something shining that wasn't there before.

"Huh, what's that?" He asked.

"What's what? what are you pointing at?"

"That glowing thingy! can't you see it?"

Zenko shook her head. Badd looked over to Chara.

"Please tell me you can see it, I don't wanna sound like I'm goin crazy."

Chara squinted.

"Yeah, I can see it, barely though. looks like a flashing light."

Curious as to why he was the only one who could see the strange light clearly, Badd went out to grasp it.

As his hand began to touch the light, he felt a sudden rush of adrenaline and confidence. It was similar to what he called his 'fighting spirit', but this feeling was much more prominent and powerful. He felt like he could take on anything.

Recoiling from the light confused, he looked back at Chara.

"what the hell was that?"

"No idea. maybe we'll figure it out later."

"Well, at any rate, the only place left to check is the basement." Badd said, before the group headed down the stairs.

As they entered the basement, Badd and Zenko immediately spotted Toriel.

"Oh there you are. Look, Tori, I'm sorry if it came off like we didn't want to stay with you, it's just that-" Badd said, before being cut off by her.

"You wish to return 'home' do you not?"

Toriel's voice was deadly serious, a stark contrast from what they had come to expect of her.

"Ahead of us lies the end of the ruins. A one way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again."

"Wait, Toriel!? What do you mean? What's going on?" Badd asked, confused as to why the person he had come to know as a friend was acting so strangely.

"What the heck..? She never acts like this. What's going on?" Chara was confused with Toriel's behavior as well.

"Only one way to find out. Come on."

Badd continued forward, before once again meeting Toriel.

"Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die." She spoke, sending shivers up Badd and Zenko's spines.

"What do you mean? What happened to them?" Zenko asked nervously.

"You naive children. If you leave the ruins, they, Asgore, will kill you. I am only trying to protect you, do you understand? Go upstairs." She demanded, before moving forward once more.

Chara stared after her, confused and afraid.

Dad? Why did she say his name so spitefully? What did she mean when she said that he'd kill them? And come to think of it, why isn't mom at the capital? Just what happened after I died? Chara thought, before following after the siblings, who had gone on ahead.

Rounding a corner, they met Toriel, who was raising her palm to the door.

"Toriel wait! You don't have to do this!" Badd shouted out, startling her and making her lose focus.

"You still wish to leave? Hmph, you are just like the others. There is only one solution to this."

She swiveled around, facing the siblings for the first time since they entered the basement.

"Prove to me. Prove to me that you're strong enough to survive!"

"What!? Come on Toriel, this isn't like you, you know that I'll be able to protect myself and Zenko! This is ridiculous!"

Toriel didn't respond at all, instead deciding to form a fireball in her hand.

"Toriel blocks the way." Chara said in disbelief.

Badd dodged the first fireball that was thrown at him. He had noticed that she was ignoring Zenko entirely, instaid opting to only target him.

Must be tryin to make sure I'm strong enough to protect her. He thought.

Zenko meanwhile, had been pleading for Toriel to stop, asking her what was wrong, why she was doing this, but to no avail. Toriel seemed set in evaluating Badd's strength, and wasn't going to back down.

"Chara got any info on her?" He whispered to the spirit.

"Toriel. Threat level: Mid Dragon. Knows best for you." Was all Chara said.

Holy shit! Mid Dragon? That Frog wasn't lying! The punk hero thought.

He wasn't given the luxury for long though, as multiple fireballs came hurling towards him, significantly faster this time. Barely having enough time to dodge, the fireballs whizzed past him, striking the wall behind him, and incinerating a couple bricks into ash, and causing a tiny explosion.

She's making them more powerful too. And I can tell she's still holding back. Another fireball barely missed him, catching him mid thought.

Hating what he was about to do, he called out to her.

"Well, I hate to do this Tori, but if you're not gonna let us go, then I'll have to make you!" He said reluctantly before rushing her, swinging his bat at her with reduced power.

Toriel managed to dodge the first two swings, but the third managed to strike her in the waist. Badd, not wanting to hurt her, but also noticing that his swing, while still more powerful than a pro baseball player's, had done no damage at all, decided to up the ante a bit.

A couple more fireballs came hurling towards him, even faster still. He quickly blocked them with his bat, dissipating them.

Rushing forward once more, he swung his bat a little faster and harder.

Prepared this time, Toriel managed to evade his strikes for a solid 15 seconds, before he finally clubbed her in the side of the chest.

Grunting, the goat lady grit her teeth, before shooting a solid wall of fire up from the ground, meant to get some distance. She was caught off guard when Badd came shooting through the wall of flames, moving so fast that the wind pressure from his movement dissipated them.

Bracing herself for another onslaught, she jumped backwards, this time avoiding his numerous strikes entirely instead of weaving in between them.

Toriel, deciding that if she were to prepare him for Asgore, decided to stop treating him like a child. Creating an incredibly powerful fireball, she threw it straight at Badd at insane speeds.

This time, he wasn't quick enough. The fireball hit him right in the stomach, exploding on impact.

The force of the explosion made Badd fly back into the wall, his body creating a crater on it upon impact.

Toriel lowered her hand, hoping that she didn't hurt him too badly. Her worries were in vain, however, because as the smoke cleared, Badd was shown to be standing, still ready to fight, albeit breathing a little heavily. Now he was getting 'pumped up' as he called it.

He rushed Toriel again, this time at much faster speed. Caught off guard, she received a brutal blow to the stomach with power comparable to getting hit by a truck, sending her back a couple of feet.

She was weakening, but that just meant that he was passing her test.

"Come on Toriel, just look at yourself. You're pretty tough, but it's clear that you can't keep this up! Just throw in the towel before things get any worse!" "I will not let you pass until you defeat me in battle!" She stayed with finality, before appearing to blur out of existence, reappearing behind her opponent.

lighting her hands with fire, she started to throw a volley of flaming punches at Badd so fast that her hands appeared to the untrained eye as a blur. Unprepared for the new level of speed she had shown, the pompadour wearing hero was brutally assaulted by a combo of punches to his chest and face, before she ended it with a left hook to the gut. Badd staggered back, both from pain and the surprise of the gentle natured Toriel fighting so ruthlessly.

Chara watched the fight go on in awe.

So this is what mom is like when she's fighting. I can't believe what I'm seeing! Who knew she would be so intense!

Zenko watched on, while also surprised at Toriel's show of strength and brutality, was really scared for her.

Big brother is getting pumped up, he might not be able to control his strength. I hope he doesn't hurt her too badly!

Meanwhile, the fight raged on. Badd was hurting badly, but that was only increasing his power and speed, as well as his durability.

Toriel was also looking worse for wear. She had multiple bruises across her body, and her robe was ripped in several areas. Still, neither side was willing to back down. Badd rushed Toriel again, dealing progressively more powerful blows all over her body.

Finally, after a particularly devastating blow to her chest, which shook the entire foundation of the house, shockwaves alone cracking the walls, she collapsed to one knee, utterly unable to continue.

Relieved that he had finally made her relent, Badd walked up to her.

"I'm sorry for doin that Tori, but me and my sis need to get to the surface. We have a life up there."

He said, before noticing that something was off about her appearance, her entire form was wavering, as is if it were gas.

"You were stronger than I thought. Listen to me, Badd, if you walk through this door, keep going as far as you can. Eventually you will reach an exit."

Her voice started to get weaker, more strained.

"Asgore... do not let Asgore take your souls. Be good, won't you?"

She looked up at Badd, and smiled sadly.

"Badd, Zenko..." She spoke, before her form completely gave out, her body turning to dust.

"Oh god! Nonononononono!" Toriel! Oh god! I didn't mean to kill you! No!"

Badd completely lost it, going over to Toriel's dust and kneeling down, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Oh my god! Oh my god..."

Zenko ran over to him, also in tears, before embracing him. "I already lost mom and dad! I can't lose you too!"

He sobbed, clutching Zenko close to him. Chara watched on in a mixture of horror and sympathy. Normally, she would be beyond infuriated with Badd for killing her mother, but the way he immediately panicked, how he was sobbing on the ground, more than anything she felt sorry for him. He was doing what he believed he had to, and he payed the price for it.

Badd was a wreck. He would do anything to go back and redo things differently. He would do anything. Suddenly, his soul started to glow within him. And then everything went black.

Reload.

Badd, Zenko, and Chara found themselves at the top of the stairs once more.

"What... the hell? What just happened? Why are we here again?" Badd asked. Zenko, confused as well, asked the obvious question.

"Did we just, time travel?"

Chara was in deep thought.

"It might just be possible! I have a hunch. Badd, your soul is red, the same as mine was. It's the most powerful of the soul types. People with it are known to be able to accomplish anything if their soul is powerful enough."

"Ok, but that doesn't answer how we went back in time."

"I'm getting there! My guess is that your soul is so powerful, that we were able to turn back time in order to accomplish your goal."

"Wait, if it's MY soul that turned back time, then how come you guys remember? Badd asked.

"Perhaps it's because you were in contact with Zenko when you rewound time. As for me, it could be because my spirit is bonded to you."

"Weird." Badd said, before realizing something.

"Wait! This means that Toriel's still ali

ve! I can make it right!" Badd said before rushing down the stairs, the other two close behind.

Seito looked at the homey looking house with confusion.

What's a nice looking house like this doing in a place infested with monsters? He thought.

Realizing that he wasn't going to get answers unless he went inside, he opened the door and entered.

It was quickly made apparent to the trio that Toriel did not in fact remember what had happened.

Saying the exact same things up until the door. However, when she issued the challenge to Badd, he realized that he couldn't solve the problem the same way he tried to last time.

He raised his bat, Toriel, expecting him to attack, was shocked when he threw it to the side.

"What are you doing?" She asked suspiciously. "I'm not going to fight you Toriel. I don't want to hurt you."

Badd spoke with such conviction, that it threw Toriel off guard.

"What are you proving this way? Attack or run away!"

She shouted, flinging multiple fireballs at him. But as they passed by him, he noticed that they were slower and weaker than before he even started fighting last time. However, they still made a hard impact with the wall, shaking the foundation of the house slightly.

Seito had been inspecting the house for a couple of minutes now, and he could tell that Metal Bat and Zenko had been here.

What confused him was that they had appeared to have had a host. There was a pie with three slices of it missing. Tasting it, he became even more suspicious. It was the best pie he ever had. One of the few things he knew about Metal Bat was that he couldn't cook to save his life. So, seeing not just a decent dessert, but a delicacy was strange.

Surely no human would live here, right? But, there was a small suspicion in the back of his head that maybe their host had been a monster. He wrote it off as ridiculous though. But he couldn't deny the evidence he had found that suggested otherwise. There was white tufts of fur stuck in the drain of the sink, and all the furniture seemed a little too big for an average human.

Suddenly the house shook. Not very much, but enough to get Seito to notice. There was no one on this floor, but he hadn't been down the stairs yet.

I've found you, Metal Bat. He smirked, before making for the stairs.

"Stop it! Just go upstairs! Toriel shouted blasting a huge stream of fire from her palms, but as Badd went to dodge, he realized that the flames were swerving around him. He smirked. He knew that he had Toriel beat.

"Come on Tori! You don't want to fight me and you know it!"

"I know you want to go home but, please, go upstairs." Toriel pleaded.

"No can do, Tori, I'm sorry, but Zenko and I need to get back to the surface. We have things we need to do, and I need to fulfill my role as a hero." Toriel sighed.

"No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The ruins are very small once you get used to them. My expectations, my loneliness, my fear, for you two, I will put them aside."

Toriel lowered her hands, signaling the end of the fight. As Badd moved to pick up his bat, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

"I've finally found you, Metal Bat."

Seito had walked in to a very peculiar sight. Metal Bat's sister was hugging him, congratulating him on something, while a white furred monster watched them with a sad smile.

What confused him the most was that the monster was not attacking.

"Strange, I didn't take you as someone who would hang around monsters. Tell me, why is it still alive? You look no worse for wear, so you clearly have not been engaged in combat." He said, a scowl on his face as he came closer to them.

Zenko, having recognized his voice from all his time on the air, as well as his songs on the radio, looked over to Seito slack jawed and stars in her eyes.

"Oh my gosh! It's Sweet Mask! Big brother, look! It's Sweet Mask!" Zenko called out, pulling her brother's hand and jumping up and down in excitement.

Badd looked over, and indeed he did see the last person he wanted to.

"Oh, it's YOU." He groaned.

"I expected the association to send someone after me, but I wasn't expecting you. You have a couple of days off from photo shoots Mr. celebrity?" He snarked.

"Big brother don't be mean to Sweet Mask! What did he ever do to you?" Zenko scolded Him.

Badd bent down to Zenko, and met her at eye level and spoke to her softly.

"Look Zenko, I tried to hide it cuz I know that you idolize him and all, but big bro and Sweet Mask don't exactly get along very well."

"That's an understatement." Seito butted in.

"So, Metal Bat, I'll ask again, why is that monster still alive?" He motioned to Toriel, who now had an awkward smile on her face.

"look, you're probably not gonna understand this, but Toriel here isn't a bloodthirsty, mindless beast. She was the one who helped us get through the ruins." Badd explained.

"And I'm supposed to believe that? Look, I don't know why you're defending a monster, but if you're too spineless to get the job done, then I'll just do it myself." Seito said coldly before moving towards Toriel looking to behead her.

"You can't!" Zenko called out, rushing in between them.

"Miss Toriel helped us out when another evil monster attacked us! And she invited us into her home and cooked us a pie! She's not bad, I swear!"

Seito seemed to think of that for a moment before the scowl returned to his face.

"Or perhaps she's just tricking you, waiting for your most vulnerable moment to strike, maybe she 'saved' you from that other monster just so she could have you to herself."

Badd then spoke up.

"Y'know, I thought that too for a while. But as I got to know her, I realized that she has no alternative motive. She's just being kind because that's who she is. I'm starting to realize that monsters down here are different from the ones on the surface. Lemme ask you sumthin, did any monsters attack you on your way here?"

Seito gave him a sideways look.

"No, but I do not see how that has anything to do with this situation." He said, before Toriel decided to speak up.

"Excuse me, but I believe that I can offer a solution. Sweet Mask was it?" She asked kindly, to which he just glared at her suspiciously.

"How about this. I will allow you to attack me, and I will not fight back. If you truly believe that I am as evil as you say, then you should be able to slay me without hesitation. But if you hesitate, even for a moment, I will know that there is some doubt in your mind, and you will have the guilty conscious fearing that you have taken an innocent life."

She finished hands on her sides, and head held high.

If she plans to catch me off guard with a counterattack, then she's a fool. Seito brought his hand back into his signature swiping motion, aimed at her neck.

Time seemed to slow down as he started to swipe, the closer he got, the more he expected the monster to move to attack, but as his hand got closer to her, he began to frown.

She was not making any sort of movement. No flinching, not even a twitch. She just stared into his eyes and smiled softly.

Just as his hand was about to connect with her neck, he stopped, just a few millimeters off from cutting her. He looked down at his hand, before bringing it up to his face and balling it into a fist, rage and confusion written all over his features.

"Graaaaahhhh!" He shouted up into the air.

"You!" He pointed a shaking finger towards Toriel.

"What are you proving by doing this?! What?!" His eyes had become scarlet red, something that only happened when he was In a rage.

Toriel simply smiled at him.

"That you are every bit deserving of your soul." She said, serving to confuse Sweet Mask further.

"What the hell do you mean by my soul?" He asked her, still seething at his own inability to carry out her execution.

He felt a faint tugging in his chest. Suddenly, a bright yellow heart came into being in front of him.

"That is your soul. The very culmination of your being. Human souls come in seven different colors, each representing that human's core trait. Yours is justice."

Seito looked at his soul in awe.

"Today you proved that you are capable of recognizing who is good and who is evil, a trait of justice. Weather you realize it or not, you know deep down that I am not truly evil."

Badd and Zenko stared, surprised by how wise Toriel was, while Chara just smirked.

That's the mom I know.

Seito stared down at his soul.

"I... I wish to be a hero that can always uphold justice. To be a hero that everyone can count on to vanquish evil. I can't believe I'm saying this to a monster of all things, but, thank you. Thank you for teaching me that I still have a long way to go before I can be that hero."

He looked up at Toriel, and smiled.

"I don't believe that I've made your acquaintance. My name is Seito. However, to the public knows me as the handsomely masked Sweet Mask, renowned singer, actor, model, and hero." He introduced himself.

Toriel smiled. "My, that's quite a list! I regret to say that I only bear one title. I am Toriel, caretaker of the ruins."

She said. Seito held out his hand, and Toriel firmly grasped it In her own.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The two talked like old friends for a while. Sweet Mask eventually went over to Badd and gave him a smile.

"Metal Bat, no, Badd, I know that we have different views on what makes a hero, but I believe that we are going to be stuck with each other for a while, at least until we can get back to the surface. So I would believe it best if we were to attempt to get along."

Badd looked at Seito, shocked.

"Hey, I don't know what switch Tori flipped in that head of yours, but you keep actin like this and I might actually be able to tolerate ya."

Seito rolled his eyes, but was unable to keep a smirk off his face.

"Glad to see we're on the same page, then." He said, before looking to Zenko.

"And you're the sister I've heard so much about. Zenko, was it? It's a pleasure to finally meet you." He said with a friendly smile.

"Wow, thanks Sweet Mask! That's so nice of you to say!" Zenko said, still in disbelief that she was meeting THE Sweet Mask himself.

"Oh, please. We're going to be traveling together, call me Seito."

"Well, as nice as it is getting to know each other and all, I think it's about time that we get out of here. It's been nice meeting you Tori, hope we can see each other again someday."

Toriel started to tear up, before rushing over and embracing he and Zenko in a bone crushing hug.

"Be good, will you not?" She whispered.

"You know, you remind me of mom." Said Badd, Tearing up a little.

"Are you, crying Badd?" Seito said with a smirk.

"W-what!? No! I'm an S-class hero! I don't cry!" He shouted.

Seito just laughed. Giving Toriel one last wave, the group left through the door.

As they walked down the long hallway that supposedly lead to the rest of the underground, Chara decided to make herself known to Seito.

"Hey, what's up?" She suddenly materialized in front of the handsome hero, startling him.

He swung his hand forward as an instant reflex, but it just phased through the spirit. Quickly regaining his composure, Seito turned to Badd, who was doubling over laughing.

He waited with a deadpan expression on his face.

"Are you finished?" He asked plainly.

"Y-yeah, god that was great! What's up?" He said after calming down.

"I didn't know that you had a ghost as a companion."

"Spirit, not ghost."

"Okay, spirit."

"Well, her name is Chara, and she's kind of stuck with us because she's bonded with my soul or sumthin."

"Hm, well, it's a pleasure Chara."

They eventually came across a room that had only a single patch of grass. And upon it was a sight that ruined Zenko and Badd's moods.

"Don't play dumb with me. I know what you did." Flowey spoke.

Badd, having a dreading suspicion as to what he was talking about, responded nervously.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, weed!" He spoke shakily.

Flowey just chuckled, before his face morphed into Toriel's, scaring the crap out of Zenko and pissing Badd off.

"You MURDURED her! And then you went back, because you regretted it." Flowey said, before turning to a confused Seito.

"And you. In this world, it's kill or be killed. So you were able to play by you're own rules."

Seito didn't like the way this flower was talking. He knew exactly what it was talking about. The fact that the flower witnessed that event unfold without him noticing unnerved him.

"You spared the life of a single person. I bet you feel real great. You didn't kill anybody this time, but what will you do if you meet a relentless killer? You'll die and you'll die and you'll die. Until you tire of trying. What will you do then?" Flowey continued, now talking to both of them.

"Will you kill out of frustration? Or will you give up entirely on this world, and let ME inherit the power to control it? I am the prince of this world's future. Don't worry, my little monarchs, my plan isn't regicide. This is SO much more interesting." Flowey finished, cackling wildly before diving under the ground just before Badd brought his bat down on the area he once was.

"What was that flower talking about? It said that you murdered Toriel, but she's alive and well. How is that possible?" Seito said, glaring suspiciously at Badd.

The punk hero shifted under his gaze.

"Well, it would be a bit hard to explain, I'll show you if I can get the chance."

"Hm, alright, hide your little secret for now, but I'll hold you to that." Seito said, before the group opened the door separating the ruins from the rest of the underground, stepping into the unknown.

And that's a wrap! I know some of you may have questions about some things in this chapter, so I'll try to answer some of them before they're asked.

The reason Toriel was so out of character during her fight against Badd Is because she wanted to prepare him for fighting Asgore, and she knew he could take a lot of punishment based on his stories.

As for why Sweet Mask's character changes so quickly is because as follows. My personal belief is that Sweet Mask already believes himself to be the perfect hero. Toriel showing him that he still has imperfections humbles him, and makes him realize that he is not above failure. This realization is why he is so much more passive and accepting after this.

I hope that explanation cleared things up a bit. As always be sure to review, and I'll see you in the next one!

Looking back on this chapter, I realized that for a mid Dragon, Toriel was insanely weak. I've edited the story to say that she was holding back the whole time, just so things make a bit more sense.

Edited 3/15/20