PATCHWORK SOUL - NEW MEDIUM

by TakaiWolf

DIRECT SEQUEL TO "PATCHWORK SOUL" — A few months later. A family of monsters and their little human kid try to start life anew beyond the confines of a giant mountain. Maybe they find something. Maybe they lose something. Time flows ever onwards, but sometimes it goes sideways, and it's heavier than they thought.

64. Let's discuss Chapter 64 over hot soup

Let's discuss Chapter 64 over hot soup

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Deep in a forest glade, sun glimmered in dappled streaks through a tightly packed, broad-leafed canopy. Trees here were massive, as big as any skyscraper, with ruddy trunks so large almost anyone would look like an ant beside them. A lodge nestled between them and a garden of ferns stood out for its angular shapes alone, since much of it was cradled in leafy vines with a white or yellow blossom here and there.

.

Birdsong whistled through the air, punctuated by the rapid of knocking of sharp beaks against wood. Some crest-headed wood ducks paddled around a long, oblong pond, only barely budging when a skeleton from nowhere stumbled back from the bank up to his knees in the water. The kid with him tried to cling to his hand, but he let her go, snorting out a laugh as he did.

"Figures," Sans said with a snicker. He picked up one of the ducks and carefully moved it aside as he waded back out onto the grass. "One outta two." He winked. "Not too bad."

"Knew it." Frisk turned and her gaze was instantly pulled upwards. Vertigo hit her in the brain. Her knees buckled and her jaw dropped. "Holy crap."

"What?" Sans said.

"Oh my god, did we shrink?" she squeaked.

"What?" Sans followed her gaze, his grin spreading wide. "Nah."

"Trees can grow that big?!"

"Yup."

"H-Holy crap!" She scrambled to her feet, reflexively shielding her eyes as she leaned back to try to catch a glimpse of the canopy. "I've never seen anything like that in my whole life!"

.

Sans chuckled. He gestured towards the large cabin. "Head on in when y'feel like it. I'm gonna pop back to the house. Need anythin'?"

"Um…" Frisk rubbed her head. "I'm not sure. My phone?"

"Ah." Sans tapped his teeth thoughtfully, then stuck his index finger up. "Got it. You okay on your own?"

She nodded. The skeleton smiled.

"Won't be long. And, uh, keep an ear out for the birds, yeah?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Perfect." He flicked finger guns her way and then vanished.

.

Frisk took a deep breath of the cool, forest air. There was a wobble in her knees, so she took a moment to sit in the grass and watch the ducks float by, unbothered by her presence. She closed her eyes. They stung with exhaustion. She put a hand to her head and listened to the pleasant ambience around her— the faint blurble of water, the wind that brushed through her hair; the chirping of wildlife. Welcome thoughts of sitting out in the grass with Sans and Undyne flooded back, and she let out a little sigh. Her homesick heart ached, but she was a little glad for it nonetheless. She wondered if there was a place with forests like this back in her world.

.

Despite the ache running through her, Frisk forced herself back onto her feet and headed towards the long cabin. There were a few flat stones imbedded in the ground leading up to it. They were cool to the touch. The large door was one of the only parts of place that wasn't completely overgrown. As she got closer, off to the side of the building, Frisk could see a garden that was showing only the barest signs of neglect.

.

The door's handle was far too high for the kid to reach. She could probably grab it if she jumped, she thought, but before she did, the frame warped on its own to shrink the door down to a perfect size for her. She blinked with surprise. She'd seen magic buildings shift before, but never without a monster to move them.

.

As her fingers hit the dull metal handle, a wave of magic coursed through her mind— the memory a large, deep blue hand pulling away from it; a sense of determination and anxious excitement running through the energy. Frisk shivered. She was pretty sure that was Queen Undyne.

.

The door was locked, but it hadn't been a few days ago. Easy.

.

Crystals in the walls flickered and brought light to a large room as Frisk poked her head inside. On the left was a sitting room with a low table and cushions covering the floor near a VC screen on a cabinet. Behind that was a big piano. Old, metal spears decorated the walls. The far right was a relatively modern looking kitchen, and beyond that there was a door left ajar.

"Um… Hello? Anyone here?" Frisk asked.

There was no reply. She brushed her feet off on the carpet and edged in further, eyes skimming everything curiously.

.

The door at the back opened onto a long room that had a few beds and a lot of potted plants in it. A table in the corner was stained with blotches of bright colours and there were rows of glass vials on top like the ones Papyrus used for his potions. Beyond that, there were two more open doorframes on the left.

.

As Frisk crossed the floor to inspect the other rooms, a shock of magic travelled up her foot and she saw a flash of yellow scales and spiral symbol glowing on wood. She looked down curiously and squatted, touching the spot with careful fingers. She could feel the faint hum of magic coming up through the wood. She cocked her head to the side. Maybe there was a door like the one in the throne room?

.

Before she could wonder further, a small commotion of birds outside forced a chill up Frisk's spine and sent her shooting upright, bracing herself in case she had to run. A warm, upbeat stream of melody caught her and her panic vanished. She sprinted back to the door just in time to see the the glowing wings of Papyrara fade as they yelped and crashed to the ground on their back, clutching Asriel to their chest. They held him up slightly with a triumphant grin on their face.

"Nyah hah!"

.

"You okay?" Frisk asked.

The huge skeleton turned their head, eyes glimmering. "Frisk! Yes! We are very much okay, thank you. We just, uh, aren't the best at landing yet. We've only flown once before, to be honest! I think we did a great job!" They snickered quietly. "Could be better, but at least we're fast, yeah?" They got to their feet, cradling Asriel close, but they went stiff and their bones rattled loudly. They screwed up their eyes. "Uh oh."

"C-Can you make it?" the kid asked.

Papyrara gritted their jaw. Orange sweat beaded at their brow, but they nodded.

.

The doorway into the lodge widened and grew on its own, enough to easily fit the giant skeleton and their charge. With a look of intense concentration on their face, they lugged Asriel through the building to the stairs past the room with many beds, and then up to the second floor. Frisk hurried to keep up.

.

Upstairs, there were a few more rooms behind closed doors, each one marked with a symbol like the ones in the tunnel back at the castle. Frisk took note of a flower, a dog, a shark, a spiral, and a crescent moon, way at the end of the hallway. Papyrara picked the moon and pushed the door open. Inside was a quiet, clean guest room with a writing desk, a couple chairs, and an old record player on a night table. There was a very large bed stuck against the wall in a cozy corner with a wooden chest at the foot of it. Cool, outdoor light streamed in through a wide window beside it.

.

The big skeleton barely got Asriel down onto the bed before their bones were overwhelmed with a radiant glow. Their form faltered and, with a shudder, Chara and Papyrus split apart. The girl, glowing red, plopped heavily onto the floor as Papyrus stumbled to keep his footing. Frisk dropped down to help Chara, wrapping her in her arms as the red began to fade away.

"Thank you," Frisk squeaked. "You sure you're okay?"

"Mmmhm." Chara sounded dazed, but she held to Frisk with strong fingers, then leaned back to press the heels of her hands against her forehead. "Oomf. Hah. That was a f-first, huh, Papy?"

"I'm just glad that villain decided to retreat when he did." Papyrus opened the chest to pull out a large, shark-patterned duvet and fluffed it out. "Also, that stranger was definitely a welcome surprise," he said as he tenderly spread the blanket over the unconscious goat and tucked him in. "Anyone know who that was?"

Chara shook her head.

"I think he said his name was Leirak," Frisk said. "…Pretty sure he's the monster I saw in the woods the other day."

"What, he followin' you?" Chara asked.

"He got the alert you told me to send, I think," she said. "He was wearing a crystal."

"Ah."

.

The freckled girl forced herself to her feet. She leaned over the bed and held Asriel's hand, running her fingers over his knuckles. "So… You were close, right? What the hell happened to him?"

"He started, like… doin' plant magic?" Frisk said. She slumped on the mattress, too. "He scared himself really bad and kinda went overboard with it. I think. I had to pull him out."

"And he didn't know…" Chara frowned. "So, what do we do? Do we…? Just leave him? Or…?" She gritted her teeth. "Please tell me Sans went to find some moonwater or something?"

"Um. Maybe? He said he'd be a few minutes. Probably was gonna change his pants. He landed in the pond."

Papyrus snickered and Chara grinned from the side of her mouth.

"At least it wasn't the both of you," she said. She let out a little sigh. "I guess we'll let him rest a little, yeah?"

"I'll go get the kettle going," Papyrus said. "Aaaaand… Oh! Should I do wards? I should, right? I think I should."

"That'd be great, Papy. Thanks," Chara said.

He nodded and grabbed her to bump his brow on hers. Then, he turned his attention to Frisk and offered her a hug. She gladly took it.

"Don't you worry, friend," he said. "We'll get this all sorted out. And! You did a really good job."

"You, too," she said, squeezing him. "You guys were so brave. Thank you so much."

"Mhm!" He gave her a gentle forehead bonk and smiled brightly before placing her on the edge of the bed. "Alright! Won't be too long!"

.

As the skeleton strode away with purpose, Chara wilted and Frisk slumped forward with her face in her hands.

"Oh my god," she said quietly.

"Tell me about it." Chara said.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't bother. That guy was a psycho."

"I just…" Frisk sighed, pouting. "I hoped it was dad."

Chara looked at her with pity in her eyes. "I did, too. Would've been nice to see him again." She leaned back and stood up, stretching her arms out and cracking her knuckles. "Can you think of anything that made him go nuts like that? Anything at all? I mean. Not that it's your fault either way." She cracked a tired smile. "Unless you stole all his stuff or something, then it might be a little your fault."

Frisk snorted out a quiet laugh despite herself. "I don't think we even met him for real," she said. "Me and Az came outta the world that accidentally messed Sans up and, like, a minute later, this guy just started blasting us." Frisk frowned, wracking her brain. "Unless…? He was the Gaster of a world I did a reset for? And maybe he didn't like that? But I dunno why he wouldn't…?" She shook her head. "Ugh, that probably doesn't make sense. I dunno."

Chara folded her arms. "And he didn't seem very keen on explaining himself."

"Nnnnope."

.

Frisk turned to look at Asriel and her eyes welled up before she could help it. She quickly wiped them on the back of her hand. "H-He's gonna be okay, right?"

"I'm sure he will." Chara put a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "Our brother's pretty tough, for being such a fluffy crybaby."

"R-Right. Yeah." Frisk brushed her hand across her face again. "Yeah, you're right. He is." She smiled bashfully. "Don't think it's fair to call anyone a crybaby when I'm in the room, though."

"Oh come on."

"But I'm literally crying right now!"

.

Chara scoffed. Even so, she patted Frisk's back with a steady hand. "You got any clue what he was doing? I… don't think I've ever seen a monster do something like that." She folded her arms. "Dad had a green thumb for sure, but it wasn't from controlling plants. It was just hard work and a lot of care." She tilted her head to the side. "Actually. Now that I think about it. It shouldn't be possible."

Frisk stared at her blankly.

"They're not magic plants," the girl continued. "So… I'm not sure how he…"

Frisk frowned to herself. "Maybe…?" Her mind darted back to the magic lesson they'd have with Avenir. "…Oh. Oh!"

"What?" Chara's eyes glimmered and she got close. "You thought of something?"

"U-Um! Sorta," Frisk said. She put her hand to her chest. "It might have something to do with, um, the way we made his soul."

"Oh yeah?" Chara looked intrigued. "Why, was it really weird?"

"Kinda?" she said. "It's… his own magic and a little piece of almost every monster soul, right? But… it's a piece of mine, too."

"Oh?" Chara's eyes went wide. "Wait, can you control plants?!"

"No! No, no no, but—"

"Wait, do you think it could be that he was a flower for so long?" Chara asked. Her face paled and her eyes went wide and frantic. "Oh. God. He's not changing back, is he?!"

"I don't think so. I dunno how he even could," Frisk said. "Maybe it's connected, but…?" Frisk frowned. "Ah jeez, now I'm not sure. I gotta talk to him."

.

Chara huffed. "Ugh. Such a dork." She reached over to Asriel and gently pet his head between his horns. "Maybe a… a reset would…" She frowned and shook her head. "Mmh… Damn."

"No good?" Frisk asked.

"Too many variables," she grumbled. She sighed and tilted her head towards Frisk. "Hey. Did you think of doing your… reversing thing? Do you think that would help?"

Frisk tilted her head. "I… I'm not sure? I mean. What happened, it's… a mind thing, right?"

Chara's brow furrowed. "I think so, but who knows?"

"I don't really know how to deal with that kinda thing, but…" Frisk turned around and leaned up over Asriel, resting her hand above his soul spot. "His health feels mostly okay from here, but, let's see…" She carefully pulled out the red glow from his chest.

Both kids cringed at the strange reverberation around the outside of his melody that was suddenly very apparent.

"That's weird," Chara said. "Ah… Is that okay to mess with?"

"I… think so? I'm kinda trying to un-mess it." She gently reached her fingers into his energy and winced at how it bristled. She took a deep breath and then let it out slowly as she tried to sync her soul with his to guide it closer to normal.

.

Asriel's soul latched, but weakly. Frisk couldn't do much before it slipped away to grumble stubbornly on its own. She pouted.

"Asriel?" she asked.

He didn't stir.

"Maybe we should let him sleep it off," Chara suggested. "Unless you think winding him back would be better?"

"I'm not sure," Frisk said again. "Mind stuff, I don't really know how to do. And his soul… It's weird, like mine. I'm not sure if it's too, y'know… Timey." She frowned. "I'm kinda worried about trying, to be honest."

"Then don't. We'll just have to be patient," Chara said.

Frisk groaned. The other girl laughed quietly.

"I know how you feel," she said. "He only got sick once when we were kids and it was the longest two days of my life."

"Monsters shouldn't be allowed to get sick," Frisk muttered.

Chara smiled. "True."

.

"Yo." Sans stepped into the room from nowhere, lugging a big satchel over his shoulder. "Hey, pigeon, crashin' yet?"

"Crashed on the way in," she said. "Hah. Not yet. I'm sure it'll hit me soon. How about you?"

"Same. Into the pond."

"I heard." She chuckled tiredly. "Papy's doing wards."

"Smart kid." He used his blue magic to drag over the night table. He moved the record player aside and pulled a big, chunky, pinkish crystal with a rough, dim surface from his bag. He plonked it down on the small table with a few potion bottles, including one of swirling lavender. "Got his order back, too. Let's see…" He pulled out a folded sheet of paper and closed his right eye to read what was written on it.

"What's a ward?" Frisk asked.

"Spell you carve into something, reinforced in five spots, usually," Chara said. "Shields or alarms or—"

"Oh… Interestin'…" Sans mused.

"What?" Chara asked.

"Y'wanna pour that blue one over this rock?"

"Uh. Sure."

.

As Chara reached out to grab one of the bottles from the table, Sans took out a handkerchief and upended a vessel of crystal clear, faintly glowing liquid to dampen it. He took Frisk's arms and swabbed them quickly before handing the vial over to her.

"There. Moonwater. Pour the rest down your bro's throat, alright?"

"Wh…? Ah!" She rubbed her hand over her arm as the scratches began to close before her eyes. "Why waste it like that? Just give it to him."

"…And that's why I didn't give ya the choice," Sans said with a wink.

Frisk's face flushed. Chara snorted.

"Rude. But. He's right," she said. "Can you manage?"

"Yeah." Frisk scooted closer to Asriel. She rubbed his head, then held his snout and gently puffed air over his nostrils.

His mouth opened a crack. Frisk was careful, prying his jaw open just a little farther and then tipping the contents of the vial into his mouth. His face relaxed ever so slightly.

"See? Plenty for both of ya," Sans assured her.

.

A soft, blue mist began to waft around the room, floating in distinct, slow tendrils. Frisk turned curiously to see it emanating from the crystal, now stained blue with the potion Chara had poured on it. It smelled of cinnamon and tea, and carried a soft, subtle sound, like a distant wind chime.

"What's that for?" she asked.

"Asked for somethin' to settle wild magic," Sans said. "Instructions are to plunk a few of those hyacinth around. At least five. More's better."

"Not sure Az'd be super happy to wake up in a room filled with flowers," Frisk said.

"If it helps him, he'll get over it," Chara said. She got to her feet. "Alphys have some here?"

Sans shrugged. Regardless, Chara headed out of the room on quick, quiet feet.

.

Frisk made a face. She looked around the room; it seemed like there was enough little spots to hide plants behind."Did you, um, find out what the flower she gave Az did?"

"Uh. Unclear. She was kinda outta it." He handed Frisk the paper he'd been reading from.

Almost all the writing was more akin to scribbles. There was a drawing of a crystal shape and five flowers, and something that looked like the word "min" beside it if she squinted at it sideways. There was a sad snake face and an arrow pointing to a smiley snake face on there, too, but she couldn't be sure what it was referring to.

"I'm, um, not supposed to be able to read this, right?" she asked.

"Nnnnope." He grinned sideways. "I'm used to it and I still ain't sure." He tapped one of the scribbles. "Can't tell if it's it comfort or carrot or somethin' else."

"I didn't even know that was supposed to be a word." Frisk rubbed her eyelids— they still stung a little.

.

Sans tilted his head. "Gonna get some rest?"

"Dunno if I can," Frisk said sheepishly. "Hope Chara does, though."

"Mhm." Sans leaned against the wall. "Might even get Papy to catch some z's. That'd be somethin', huh?"

"We're… safe, though, right?" Frisk said. "We have time to stay here, right? We won't just get jumped, will we?"

"Chill," Sans said. "This guy, he's new. Can't possibly know his way around. And, he's no Papyrara, so even if he did, it'd still take him ages to get from there to here, even with that half-ass teleport 'o his. Plus. Bone golem."

"Is that a big deal?" Frisk asked. "People keep saying that like it's a big deal."

"Oh. Heh. Kinda, I guess. It's an advanced battle spell," he said. "You basically form a second body that you gotta consciously puppet around. It's real tough and you can use it to amp up magic attacks, too. But, 'cause o' that first bit, it's exhaustin'. You gotta be way tougher than average to even cast one, but there's no way that creep ain't in a heap after all that."

"O-Oh." Finally, Frisk felt a little hint of relief. "So… So you think the guards can handle him?"

"If they find him fast," he said. "There was, uh… a lot of stuff about that battle that bugged me, t'be honest."

"Same," Frisk said quietly.

The skeleton leaned up off the wall and patted the kid on the head. "Welp. Let's hold off until your bro's up, okay? Save havin' to repeat junk."

"Yeah. Okay." The kid's shoulder's slumped.

.

Sans paused. He bent down and pulled her into a hug. She wilted into his arms.

"Told ya. We got your back while you're here," he said. "So. Trust me. Alright?"

"I do. I'm just… worried? A-And I don't want you guys to get hurt."

"Pff, as if we'd think y'wanted any of this crap…" The skeleton gently ruffled her hair before he pulled away and stretched. "Welp. Anyway. Just chill for a bit." He put her phone on the bed beside her before pointing towards the door. "I'll go check on the other nerds. Try to rest, huh? Maybe take a nap."

Frisk nodded despite having no plans to sleep.

.

She turned her attention back on Asriel as Sans sauntered out of the room. She scooped her phone up and, after a moment of thought, booted up the SOULSCN app. She carefully held her phone above Asriel's chest for a few seconds. The reading, despite her brother's soul roiling and bristling, didn't look bad. Strange, iridescent sparks glittered across it in an animation loop, but the app assured her that, though extremely unusual, it was a very healthy infusion of power. However, there was a warning on the screen under the red image it produced:

PLEASE SLOW DOWN! OFFKEYS IMMANENT WITHOUT REST! 休憩しましょ! KYŪKEI SHIMASHO!

.

Frisk sighed quietly. She clenched her fingers into the sheets. "You better not," she mumbled. She couldn't even articulate how sick she was of sitting at the bedsides of people she loved.

There were a couple stray strands of grass in the fur on his head. She gently pulled them away and flicked them onto the floor. He shifted slightly, leaning his head into her hand. Her cheeks flushed and she couldn't help a smile. She leaned closer and scritched his ears with her fingertips.

A big yawn announced Chara's return. The girl was awkwardly carrying a bunch of small flowerpots with purple blooms sprouting within them and a pitcher of water pinned between her arms. Frisk got up to take it and two of the pots from her.

"Thanks," Chara said. She put her plants down and took the others back from Frisk, carefully picking a spot for each before going back to grab the rest of them. "Can you water these?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure."

The pitcher was a little cumbersome due to its size, but Frisk dutifully drenched the soil of each blossom Chara placed.

.

The wafting mist from the crystal gravitated for the flowers. When it touched the petals, it formed a solid trail in the air. As it came into contact with the final one, a chime of magic sounded and the whole room washed over with a faint, blue mist. It was cool and refreshing, and glittered with the faintest sparkle of moonwater. Tension drained from Frisk's spine and a comfortable lightness filled her head. Chara let out a quiet, tired laugh.

"Oh yeah. You feel that?"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. It's nice."

"You know what this means?" Chara's eyes took on a mischievous glint.

"Um. No?" Frisk said.

"Five was the minimum." The girl grinned and grabbed Frisk's arm. "Come on."

.

Chara pulled Frisk downstairs. The spot on the floor the kid had sensed ebbing magic was opened up, revealing a set of stairs delving down into darkness. Right at the bottom opened up and, under the light of golden crystals, was a veritable jungle of fronds and flowers. Frisk hardly had time to feel awe before Chara was shoving a large flowerpot filled with tall purple and blue hyacinths into her arms.

"Is this okay?" Frisk squeaked.

"Oh yeah. Alphys won't mind," Chara said. "Just don't drop 'em."

.

With each flower placed upstairs, the blue mist strengthened and spread. Asriel's room was flooded with it, but the scent of the hyacinth blooms was starting to blend into it as well. Even so, he didn't seem bothered.

.

When Papyrus returned, walking much more sluggishly than usual, Chara quickly recruited him, too. Before long, the whole hallway and the other rooms upstairs were filled with potted plants. Where they went, the relaxing blue mist followed, until the whole upper floor was flooded with it.

.

It was a fool's errand to try to conceal all the flowers now. Chara had another solution. In one of the rooms on the ground floor, there was a large, square pool of water that took up most of the space, except for some wooden benches around it, and tall, decorative privacy screens up against the walls. They were embellished with paintings of ocean waves and flying birds. The screens were too heavy for either of the kids to move, but a little blue magic went a long way. They soon had a small room formed within the room where, if Asriel happened to wake, he would not immediately be confronted with the plethora of plants surrounding him.

.

"Hey, y'weirdos." Sans looked half-asleep as he joined them with steamy mugs of tea. "How can ya keep workin' in this? And after that fight, too. Whew."

"More flowers is better for Azzy," Chara said.

"Sure. Might as well be a greenhouse at this point," he said as he passed out the hot drinks. "Why don't you guys take a break?"

"Wowie, what an unexpected suggestion from you," Papyrus teased.

"Hey. Don't gimme that, goofball, I can see the wobble in your legs from here."

"What?!" Papyrus's cheekbones flushed and he looked down at his legs. "Nyeh! No you can't! …Can you?"

Sans grinned. The younger skeleton folded his arms and pouted. Chara snorted in amusement.

"You too, pigeon," Sans said. "Don't spill your drink, since your fingers are shakin' so much and all."

"Wha…?" She squinted incredulously at him and clutched her mug tighter. "You sure do see a lot for a guy with one eye."

Frisk tried not to laugh, busying herself sipping tea. The skeleton grinned and shrugged.

"C'mon now, don't overdo it just 'cause I said somethin'," he said.

"You guys did do that fuse thing two days in a row," Frisk said quietly. "And, Chara, even more, but with Sans, right?"

.

Chara's cheeks flushed. She smiled sideways. "What, you keeping track?"

Frisk shrugged. "I just… really like you guys? So, like I said, I don't want you getting hurt. It's… already too much, y'know?"

Chara's eyes went wide, as did Papyrus's. They shared a look. The skeleton chugged his tea and tossed the mug aside before beelining for Frisk. He scooped her up into his arms and snuggled her.

"You're right! You're very right, in fact, I am exhausted! Right, sister? You're also exhausted?"

"I mean, I guess I'm tired," Chara said, "but—"

"But!" He reached out an arm to drag a chair over for Frisk and gently plunked her down in it. "We just thought you might like some company, isn't that right?"

"I do! I just… also want everyone to chill, while we can," Frisk said.

"Then! We will!" He whipped around to Chara. "Right?! Sister?! We can drag some chairs in here, or…?!"

"I didn't bring any food. We could at least start something up," Chara said.

"Oh! Yes! Yes, exactly, a great job for Great Chef Papyrus!" Papyrus insisted.

"That's not resting," Frisk said with a pout.

"It is if it's a soup," the girl said. "C'mon, you must be hungry, right? I'm hungry. Azzy'll be hungry, too."

"This is extremely correct, sister!" He grabbed her around the middle and hefted her up, saluted, and then rushed them away away. His bones really were rattling a little bit, though.

.

Frisk huffed out a tired laugh. Sans grinned. He headed for the door, too.

"I'll be leavin' again in, uh…" He checked his watchless wrist. "Welp. Soon. Guard stuff. Shout at those guys if you need anythin'."

She nodded. He stuck his hand up, then vanished after a step. Frisk slumped. She got up and turned her chair around before plopping onto it. She put her tea aside and rubbed her temples. Her forehead stung a little when she touched it.

.

She pouted and leaned forward, reaching out for her brother's soul again. She let their energies sync up— his was a lot more receptive this time. She allowed the warmth of relief to set in. The blue mist in the air had to be helping, she thought. She settled back down, folding her arms on the bed; watching Asriel through tired eyes. Her blinks became lethargic, even as intrusive thoughts and a strange, impending sense of dread plagued her.

.

After what felt like just a second of cozy disorientation, Frisk shot up, eyes wide, puzzled as to what time or day it was until she caught something fuzzy and white shift from the corner of her eye. She jerked sideways to stare in shock as Asriel grumbled, shifting stiff limbs, unable to lift them.

"A-Az?!" she yelped shrilly.

His hand flopped limply to his side and his pale green eyes cracked open with a glossy sheen. Frisk was instantly sitting on the bed beside him, trying to contain her excitement.

"H-Hey," she said, forcing her voice softer, "how are you feeling?"

.

Asriel's eyes lingered on her before his gaze flitted around the room. He licked his lips with a grimace on his face. "…Am I a plant?" he croaked.

"No," Frisk said. She grabbed his hand and held it up for him to see.

Asriel squeezed her with trembling fingers and blew out a long, loud sigh. "I… I can hardly move."

"You can go back to sleep if you want," she said gently.

"…Is my soul breaking? It feels like it's breaking," he said at a whisper.

"N-No. No. It's okay," she said.

"Don't lie," he said.

"I'm not. Look." She pulled out her phone and showed him the recording she took. "That's yours. See? It's okay. It's just, like… kinda full of weird energy or something. It's sorta like… I dunno. You got stronger?"

.

The big monster stared at the screen for a second and then looked at her with watery eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, you're just freaking out. It's okay. I don't blame you," she said. She put her hand against his soul and glowed through her fingers, tinkering very gently as she'd done earlier. "Just chill out. Promise I'll take care of you."

"No, not that." He shook his head, ears flopping. "I mean… kinda that, but… Sorry to give you some other crap to worry about."

She laughed quietly and shook her head. "Nah. This is what I'm for, right?"

He frowned. "Frisk, I…" He gulped. "You're not hurt?"

"My head's a little sore," she said. "That guy chucked me kinda hard. I'm mostly okay, though."

"A-And… Chara? The others?"

"They're tired, but they're fine," she assured him. She smiled sympathetically, tilting her head. "I think you got it the worst, to be honest."

.

With great strain, Asriel propped himself up on his elbow. His eyes lingered on her face. He winced and reached out for her, his hand quaking as he carefully brushed her bangs from her forehead. He gently touched the cut that broke the line of her right eyebrow with his thumb.

"I-It… was me, right? I…" He wilted. "I'm sorry."

Frisk's brow furrowed. She hugged him tight and he pulled her in as close as he could. He sighed, his breath rasping. His voice caught and he choked, a sudden stream of tears pouring down his face.

"I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry," he muttered. "I'm garbage, I shouldn't exist, I can't, I—"

"Whoooa, no no no no," Frisk said quickly. Her eyes began to water in sympathy but she choked back the lump in her throat and puffed herself up. She let her soul glow warm for him and held him with strong arms."It's okay. It's okay. Breathe. You're okay."

"I'm useless, I couldn't protect her; I just wanted to protect you," he said softly. "And I just become… I t-turn into… I'm… I don't deserve what you did for me."

"Hey! Hey. It's okay." She drew back and held his fluffy cheeks, though his tears were wetting his fur flat. "It's no big deal, you just lost it for a minute, it's okay! You didn't hurt anyone."

"Not that," he grumbled. "I mean my soul! This." He put his hand over his chest. "You should have kept it all. I don't deserve to… I…"

"Az, stop it, that's the most not-true thing you've ever said. You're amazing. And I love you."

"Why?!" he croaked.

The kid was taken aback. "Does it matter?"

"Yes," he muttered.

.

Frisk tilted her head to the side. She sat up on her knees to look him in the eye as best she could. "Okay. From the second I knew what was wrong with you, I just… It sounds super weird; I wanted to protect you. I didn't want you to have to stay like that. Honestly, when we met for real for the first time, I just kinda felt like we were family. Maybe the same way I felt like family with Sans so quick, you know? Because… I mean. We're the same, right?"

"How can you still say that?" he grumbled.

"It's true," she insisted. "I said it before, but, you, me, and Sans? There's no one else like us. We're the same." She put her hand above her soul spot. "And, for just you and me, I… I kinda love that our souls are weird like this. And I love you. For real."

He flinched and squeezed her close. "I love you, too." He huffed out a rough, rasping laugh. "I can't believe it. You shouldn't… Ah, hell…" He gulped heavily. "Frisk, I'm… I'm scared."

"Why?" she asked. "What's scary?"

"Me. I… I…" He cringed. "I can't believe I…" He shook his head. "I-I'm scared of m-myself."

"Yeah. I get that," she said gently. "But… I don't think you should be. Can I show you something?"

He sniffled and, though a puzzled frown creased his brow, he nodded.

.

She pulled away from him and hopped to the bedside table. She pulled up one of the many flowerpots, one filled with small, budding blue flowers. She knelt on the covers with him again. He propped himself up a little more and looked at her quizzically. She held the pot up to him.

"This whole thing, actually, it might be really good," she said. "You kinda got, um… What do you call it, a green thumb?"

"Uh." Asriel looked at his thumbs.

Frisk snickered and shook her head. She scooted closer and grabbed his hand, hovering it over the flowers. "Just a little pull and I think you'll be pretty surprised. Um. If I'm right."

His eyes darted between her and the flowerpot. He gulped. He pulled on the stems with just a tiny tingle of magic. As his fingers drifted upwards, so too did the buds, blossoming fully into white and blue flowers.

"What the actual hell?" he breathed. "I c-can…?!"

"That's what you did outside," she said. "And I bet you can do it to any plant at all. Like you said. You're the strongest monster ever. But this can just be a small thing, too. You can use it to help people and make them happy. If you want. Asgore'd love it."

.

Asriel's jaw dropped. He stared at the flowers, and then his own hand. "Th-That's crazy."

"I know!" Frisk said, grinning. "Not so bad, though, right?"

"But how…?" He wiped his eyes. "Do you…? Can you do that?"

"I could maybe undo one that withered or something," she said. "Can't just straight up control plants, dude. That's all you."

"That's… Huh." He put his hand to his brow and leaned back in the bed. "I… might have to think about that for a bit."

Frisk nodded and she gently put the pot on the table. The flower petals seemed to sparkle.

.

Asriel stared at them for a moment. He huffed out a tired laugh and stuck out his tongue. "What a mess," he said. "Well. Did we win, at least?"

"Oh! Yeah. Chara and Papyrus did the Papyrara thing and it turned out okay," she said. "Oh! And here." She passed him her cold tea. "Finish this."

He downed the drink without question. His eyes shifted around. "…Is it blue here, or are my eyes screwy?"

"It's like a weird mist off some crystals and a ton of flowers," Frisk said. "There's supposed to be that moonwater stuff in it. I think it helped."

"Okay." Asriel rubbed his eyes anyway. "And, uh… Where are we?"

"Oh! It's this forest with the biggest trees I ever seen in my life," Frisk said, unable to contain her enthusiasm. She pointed out the window. "See?"

"I…" Asriel followed her finger. "…Whoa."

"And we're in this, like, cabin place? Pretty sure it's Alphys and Undyne's. It's set up kinda like if you combined Undyne's house with like, a cottage version of the lab, sorta? There's a whole underground part but I didn't see much except, like, she's growing tons and tons of flowers."

"Huh." Asriel sniffled. He wiped his snout quickly. "Ugh. Sorry."

Frisk smiled sympathetically. "You look a little better, though."

"I feel like trash." He laughed despite himself and rubbed a hand through the fur on his head. "…So. What now? Is it…? I mean… did the guy get arrested, or what?"

"Sans is talking to the guards about it, I think." Frisk frowned with confusion. "Or… maybe he already did? I, um… I'm not sure how long I fell asleep for."

Asriel nodded. He carefully patted her head. "Hey, um… Can we…? Can we go see the others?" he asked sheepishly.

.

Frisk got up and out of the way as her brother tried to get out of bed. He flopped before he could even swing his legs out.

"Oomf. Ugh. N-Not yet, I guess," he said.

"That's okay," Frisk said quickly. "I'll go get them instead, okay?"

He nodded.

.

Dodging the plants cluttering the hallway, Frisk raced downstairs. An unusual, sweet and spicy scent permeated the air. When she reached the kitchen, she had to stop from laughing. Papyrus was asleep standing up, leaning up on the kitchen counter, arms folded, a large wooden spoon his hand. There was a big pot bubbling softly on the stovetop beside him. Chara had dozed off, too, cheek on her fist as she slumped over the kitchen table.

.

Frisk stood on her toes and grabbed Chara's shoulder, shaking her gently. Chara shot up straight, blinking awake. She looked down at Frisk with wide eyes.

"Asriel's up," Frisk said.

"Ohmigod." Chara stumbled out of her seat. "Papy! He's up!"

"NYEH!" Papyrus jolted awake too, fumbling the spoon and reaching for the cupboard. "Bowls! We need bowls!"

"And noodles!" Chara said. She seized Frisk's hand and dragged her, running back up the stairs.

.

The second Chara and Asriel's eyes met, the boy gripped the comforter tightly, his ears drooping as he preoccupied himself running his fingers over the stitching.

"Sorry for worrying you guys," he said quietly.

Chara scoffed loudly and hopped on the bed, pulling him in to hug him tight. His eyes went wide and shimmery and he gritted his teeth and gulped hard as he held her in return.

"Y-You're such a moron, running in like that," Chara teased. "Didn't you take a blaster shot to the head?"

"I-I… guess so?" he said.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"What?! What for?!"

Her eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed. "What?"

"What?" he asked.

"I… Uh. I'm sorry I didn't kick his butt harder," she said with a determined frown on her face.

He sniffled. "D-Didn't you try to stab him with a rock?! And a stick?!"

"Listen. I had what I had." Chara pulled back, quickly wiping her arm across her eyes. She sat back on the bed and fished into her pocket. She found the crystal and then tossed it at Frisk, who caught it easily. "Reminds me. Keep that on you until you have to go, okay?"

"Uh. Okay." Frisk put it in her pocket. "Why?"

"Kinda an experiment," she said. "Don't worry." She sighed with relief and put her back against the wall. "Come up here, Frisk."

.

Though Frisk couldn't help a look of confusion, she climbed up onto the bed with them. Asriel grabbed her, sitting her on his lap and pouting as he rested his chin on her head.

"This is a mess," he grumbled.

"We need to decide something," Chara said.

"Oh. Demon Gang meeting," Asriel joked.

"Shush," Chara joked. "This guy. This… Gaster. If worse comes to worst. What do we do with him?"

"…What d'you mean?" Frisk asked.

"If he won't stop." The girl's eyes went cold. "Some people… will not stop. Ever. So. What're our options?"

"I just wish we knew why he was super mad," Frisk said. "Maybe then we could, like… at least know what he wants from us."

"I think he just wants to hurt people," Chara said. "Specifically you. Possibly Azzy."

Frisk winced. "B-But what if… Papyrus is right? We need to get him to talk and not just… shoot me."

"Okay," Chara said dryly, "but assuming he just won't answer, though."

"Um." The kid folded her arms. "I guess maybe we could try to trap him? If the guards can't, I mean."

"He broke out of Papy's blue cage in just a few seconds," Chara said.

"I guess he didn't care about the damage," Asriel said. "But, I get what you're getting at. No dust." He scratched his cheek and cracked a bashful smile. "Even though I, uh, almost tried to rip him apart."

"Aaah, definitely no dust!" Frisk squeaked. "I don't wanna hurt him!"

"Can I hurt him though?" Chara asked. "I mean, if I punch him again, you won't get mad, right?"

"Please try not to punch him," the kid said.

"But if we're right face to face again," she insisted. "Like, it's me or him. I can punch him, then. Right?"

"I-I guess?"

"Okay! I think that's fair." Chara looked up at Asriel. "Now, what about—?"

.

"Sooooup! Soup! Hot soup!" Papyrus barged in with bowls of steaming hot, bright red soup packed full of noodles and veggies suspended in his magic. "Asriel! I'm very glad to see you're awake! Are you feeling better?!"

"A bit. Thanks a lot," Asriel said with a smile. He gladly took a bowl of soup and some chopsticks as they drifted over to him, then passed one each to the other kids.

"Be careful. It's very hot," the skeleton said. "Both in temperature and in spiciness. It's one of Archwizard Alphys's favourites, though."

"It's, um, okay to be raiding their stuff, right?" Frisk asked.

"They won't mind at all," Chara assured her. She dumped some broth into her mouth and shovelled down some of the noodles. "Aah, Papy, you did great."

"Thank you, I know!" he said brightly. His eyes turned to the night table and he squealed in excitement. "Wait, that's the potion I ordered, isn't it?!"

"Think so," Frisk said. "There were instructions but we couldn't read it."

"Let's seeeee…" He reached out for the bottle and the note left with it. His eyes skimmed it quickly. "Confrontation potion?"

"Is that what it says?" she wondered.

"Well, yes, of course! But I'm not sure what that means," Papyrus said. "It says for whoever's soul it resonates with tooooo take with some sugar and then go to bed." He held it out to Asriel. "Here you go, friend, that's up to you, then."

"Uh. Thanks." Asriel took the bottle cautiously, turning it and watching the liquid inside swirl. "Do we know what it does?"

"Nnnnooo, no, I don't think so. It seems like this one'll only work on you," Papyrus said. "So we don't really have any data. But! It seems like! It's supposed to be beneficial in some way. I think."

"Are you still super stiff?" Frisk asked.

Asriel's ears drooped. "…Yeah, kinda."

"Maybe it'll help with your soul acting weird," Chara said.

"Could it be like something you're supposed to use after a con… confrontation?" Frisk said.

Chara shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time Miss Naja gave someone a potion way before they actually needed it."

"Well." The boy gave the bottle a suspicious squint and carefully put it back on the table. "Okay. Maybe I'll try it tonight if I'm still weird."

"Please. If it's not too much trouble," Papyrus said, leaning in with glimmering eyes, "tell me everything that happens? If you take it, that is."

"I will," Asriel assured him.

Papyrus beamed. "Thank you!"

.

The sound of the front door clunking open made all of them freeze. They could hear the mumbling of a voice that sounded like Sans, and another like Undyne, but there was a third they didn't recognize. Chara quickly grabbed Frisk's shoulder.

"Your ring," she said.

"Oh!" Frisk touched the gemstones on the band on her finger, activating her monster disguise in a surge of glittering magic. The sudden feeling of having a snout made her sneeze and almost drop her soup.

Asriel snickered and held the bowl for her until she got it steady. She tilted her head back to look at him.

"Thanks!" she said.

.

The boy went stiff. There was the smallest difference in her form this time: a small white streak in the fur above her right eye. He nodded and the kid settled. She finally took a taste of the soup and instantly squeaked and snorted a little puff of magic from her nose. Everyone burst out laughing, including her.

.

"Oomf. Lemme just…" Sans edged in around the plants and poked his head in past the screens. He grinned. "Hey, fuzzball, welcome back. Y'alright?"

"Yeah. Sorta. Thanks," Asriel said.

"I got some big important people here to see you guys," he said. "Ya good?"

"Tell them to take some soup!" Papyrus said. "It's very good, if I do say so myself. Which I do."

Sans stuck his thumb and vanished. Papyrus shifted the screens and the plants around a little to make room and then left for just a moment, dragging a few chairs back in with him. He sat on the one near the bed.

Preceded by some clunking and snorting laughter from the hall, the kids were pleasantly surprised when the spiral-tailed Alphys entered the room with a smile.

"I h-heard you guys made quite the commotion," she teased. She shot them a sympathetic smile. "S-Sorry to see you again under circumstances like this. W-Were any of you badly injured?"

"We're okay now," Chara said. "But we were lucky."

Undyne burst into the room, too. She was dressed in a casual, short-sleeved white tunic and trousers, though she still had the black, horned crown on her head. "Sounds like quite the fight! Not gonna lie, wish I was there."

"Same, though," Chara said.

"We could've used, like, at least three more people, probably," Frisk said.

"Well! You are in luck!" Undyne turned and waved behind her. "Come in and meet these punks, huh?"

.

A huge monster filled the doorframe, which shifted just enough to let him stomp on through. He was a massive, black and white bird with a bulky, oblong body. He was dressed in leather armour and grey, feathery fluff for a mantel, with one big, iron pauldron over his left shoulder. His burning red eyes scoured the room and and the bright yellow crests on his head that seemed to double as eyebrows and ear tufts, raised up. He smiled, his long, pointy beak filled with shark-like teeth.

"Oh-ho! Lookit all these wee'uns," he said in a booming voice. "And the Red Ghost! Good t'see ya! You lot did that big fight, did ya?"

"Uh… Yeah," Asriel said.

"Ohh! I remember you!" Papyrus said, jumping to his feet.

"And I, you, little boney-boy!" the monster said, jovially shaking Papyrus's entire arm. "Nice t'see ya again!"

"This is Arnbjörn Penguigon," Undyne said. "One of those, uh, northern Mayors I mentioned."

"Your big bro filled us in on the way," the massive monster said as he settled down comfortably in a chair that was far too small. "But why don'tcha let us in on it from your point of view, eh?"

.

Chara pointed at the two goat-like kids. "They saw the most," she said.

Asriel and Frisk shared a look. He pointed at her. She hesitated. Alphys snuck in past the chair and sat on the bed. She put a hand on Frisk's shoulder, shooting her a warm, reassuring smile.

"You don't have to leave anything out," she said. "W-We already explained that you two came from somewhere else, like C-Chara did."

"Oh! O-Okay. Phew. So, um." Frisk bit her lip as she tried to reorganize her thoughts. "Okay."

.

She ran through the events of that morning in as much detail as she could recall. The only part she missed was when she was knocked for a loop, but it hadn't been very long. As finished up, Sans rejoined them, taking a seat on the chest and passing around bowls of soup. Everyone began to eat. Arnbjörn downed his in one gulp without a hint of reaction.

.

"Alright," he said, slapping his knees. He turned to Undyne. "What d'ya think, Queen?"

"I think this guy sounds like a friggin' pain-in-the-ass punk," she said with a deeply furrowed brow. She dragged a chair over and sat on it backwards. "Okay. Lay out this guy's powers for me. Let's see if we can't get some solid counters in mind."

"Well, he's a skeleton, like us," Papyrus said. "Soooo, he can do gravity magic and many extravagant and impressive bone patterns, and also use refined bones as swords, and his eyes lit up in both blue and gold, which means it's possible that he can do both stopping bones and going bones, and—"

"Seems like he can teleport," Sans said. "Similar to mine."

"Only in bursts of three," Frisk said.

The others looked at her quizzically.

"…How'd you know that?" Chara asked.

"I dunno, I was just watching," Frisk said. "It seemed like he could do three short ones in a row and then had to take a break. I'm not sure if it was the Soul or what, but I never saw him go too far."

"Oh. Right. Come to think of it," Asriel said, "when I was fighting him, he'd kinda just warp outta the way, but if he really wanted to get rid of me he'd probably wanna go way farther, wouldn't he? That's what I'd do."

"Same," Sans said. He tapped his teeth thoughtfully. "I know we pushed outta the no-go range after Papy dropped the smoke bomb. That guy was gunnin' for Frisk. But didn't zoom right over to 'er. Figure that means he couldn't."

"Okay. That's good," Undyne said.

.

"Good t'know the wee'un's a target, too," Arnbjörn said, looking cross. "But what kinda weak-backed-dust-munchin'-piece-'o-it goes after a child?"

"We still don't know," Chara said. "But… I'm sure that his only focus is her." She frowned and tilted her head. "I really went at him. Like. Seriously. I punched him; I tried to stab him at least three times. But… when he got me with gravity magic, he tossed me really gently, actually."

"Nyeh! Same here!" Papyrus agreed. "Actually, I don't think he even really tried to damage me at all." He looked at Asriel. "How about you? He threw you a few times, too, right?"

Asriel's eyes bugged out. He held onto Frisk's arm, his gaze flitting off to the floor and his ears drooped. "Y… Yeah. I just got the wind knocked outta me. Even… that blaster shot to the face, it… really didn't hurt that bad."

Frisk's ears drooped. Her lip quivered. "D-Dang."

"It wasn't like that for you, w-was it, sweetie?" Alphys asked gently, rubbing Frisk's arm.

She shook her head. "No, um, he…" She gulped. "He threw me so hard I almost passed out."

.

"Okay, yeah, guy's a freak. What else?" Undyne pushed.

"Maybe a dozen blasters," Asriel said. "Oh, and… a weird weapon. It looks like, uhh…" He held out his hand. His magic fizzled and his chest tightened. Though it took a moment, he called up a long, white weapon with a rainbow charge glistening through its capsule-like centre: his Chaos Buster. "It looks almost just like this. But, like… bone-ier? It's… really bad. I got hit with it before we got here and I, uh… kinda lost myself for a bit." He grimaced, letting the weapon dissipate. "I have a blaster, too. Or… had? It took the hit and I couldn't call it back. Still can't." His ears drooped. "Hope I don't have to remake it."

"He also paused me closin' a portal long enough to follow us when we were makin' a break for it," Sans said.

"Oh! Also important. Bone golem," Papyrus said.

Undyne winced. "Eesh. Okay."

.

"…W-Was there anything at all that slowed him down? Anything that s-seemed to trip him up?" Alphys asked.

"He freaked out at the plants," Chara said. "I think it caught him off-guard. But it took Papyrus and I fusing and some other guy running in to really drive him back."

"Maybe this is, um, kinda nuts to say?" Frisk said. "I, um, know I didn't see the end of the fight, but… from just watching it, it seemed almost like he was kinda dizzy at the start. He was a lot slower. But the longer we were there—"

"The faster he got," Asriel said, his eyes widening. "Y-Yeah, I was thinking that when I was trying to pin him out in the field."

"Same," Sans said. "S'like he just kept pullin' out more advanced techniques and movin' faster. Dodgin' me better; counterin' Papy…"

"Just like Gaster," Chara muttered. "Damn it. We need to be very careful."

"Wh-What does that mean?" Frisk asked. "Just like Gaster?"

.

Chara looked at her with sympathy in her eyes. "You've really never seen him fight, huh?"

"No?" Frisk said.

The girl tapped the side of her own head. "Not even your brother has?"

"Wh…? Oh!" Frisk shook her head. "Um, my memories, it's from before dad came back, so…"

"Well, lemme say, Sans didn't learn the big opening from Gaster. He's kinda the opposite," Asriel said. "He's, like… super methodical? It's actually kinda scary."

"Is it?!" Frisk asked.

"He starts out with pretty strong basic attacks, then adapts as he goes," Asriel said. "He was really good at that."

"The longer the battle goes, the harder he gets to beat," Chara said. "I asked him about it one time. I remember him saying something like, he didn't want people to know where he was coming from. He said if he started with only basic attacks, when he pulled out something different it was more likely to catch whoever he was fighting by surprise. He even wore out our dad like that a couple times, even if your dad was technically weaker on almost every level."

"So… He learns our moves to do better counters and then just beats us up?" Frisk asked shrilly.

"Not if we just kick his butt super fast," Chara said.

.

"Alright. This is all great to know," Undyne said. "But I got a question. Chara. Reset and get the jump on 'im, or is that no good?"

"No good. Though, I did consider that," she said. "I have a couple problems with it. There's a few different ways that can go and I can't think of one in our favour."

"Y'sure?" Arnbjörn asked. "Y'couldn't just shoot on back and then head 'im off? We know what y'do, I'm sure we'd believe ya if y'asked for help."

"Definitely would," Undyne added.

"Me too," Alphys assured her.

"That's not the problem. But thank you," Chara said. "The problem is, assuming he'll be in exactly the same state we found him in this morning, we'll all still wake up at the same time. That means we only have around ten minutes before things go bad. It's not enough time for Sans to grab you guys, get people ready and through portals, and then to the Soul." She folded her arms and scowled at nothing. "Plus without him with us, if Frisk goes there, she probably takes a hit a couple times, and we can't risk this guy doing… whatever his plan is with her, whether it's to grab her or just, y'know, kill her."

"Okay. So. Frisk, stay home," Undyne said. "Easy."

"I… I mean… That might work, but… he's using time magic, too," Frisk said in a small voice.

"Mhm. That's the other part," Chara with an approving nod. "Time travellers or people using who can use time magic almost always remember time travel in general. If I send us back and he remembers us." She grimaced. "Yeah, that fight's going a lot worse for us. And Frisk being with us or not totally won't matter."

Arnbjörn frowned. "Because he'd know y'were adversaries. And he memorizes your attacks. Right." He rubbed his head. "By my beak, that's a conundrum I don't envy. Sorry, little 'un, thought it was worth a go."

"Yeah." Undyne's ears drooped. "Damn."

Chara shook her head. "Don't be sorry. I mean, if anyone disagrees, let me know, but I think the path we're on already has more of a shot than one where we're back in the same situation but he's already seen our attacks. Which, to me, seems the most likely."

Sans nodded. "Not worth the risk."

"You know it best, sister," Papyrus said. "So, whatever you choose, I'll support you a hundred and ten percent!"

.

"Okay. Time plan out the window," Undyne said with a nod. "That's fine. I got an easy fix." She tilted her head towards Arnbjörn. "Overpower him with numbers, right?"

"Aye, true," the big bird said. "Unless he just goes for pure power, a legion of Dragonguard should put a stop to that right-quick. Ol' bones can't counter three dozen at once, eh?"

"If he can use that grey stasis thing on people, three dozen's not gonna mean much," Sans said. "What's the plan, anyway?"

"Hm." Undyne tilted her head, then looked towards Alphys. "Any thoughts?"

"Well…" She folded her arms. "I'm really g-glad you guys noticed s-so much, even in a dangerous situation like that. I think it, um, sort of sounds like, if we could d-disable his ability to teleport, that might be a place to start."

"Maybe I can," Frisk suggested. "I could stick him in place for a little, I think."

"Oh! Yeah! Like you did to me, right?" Undyne said, eye brightened. "What's your range like?"

"I, uh… I dunno," the kid said sheepishly.

"She's new to it," Asriel said quickly. "It didn't project at all until a few months ago."

"Let's assume short range for now. That can be a backup," Arnbjörn said to Undyne before he turned his attention on Asriel. "Hey, boyo, what's with that plant power I heard about? That's like nothin' I've heard of before, and I'm old as rocks."

.

Asriel flinched. "Uh… Yeah. It's… I dunno how it—"

"I had an idea about that," Frisk cut in. "Remember that, um… Natura?"

Asriel's eyes went wide, his fur bristling. "Wait, you don't mean…?"

"Natura…? A... nature power?" Alphys asked curiously.

Frisk turned to her brother. "Remember what Avenir said? Humans with magic could be, like… Druids, sometimes, because of that?"

Asriel's eyes bugged out.

"Oh. OH!" Chara exclaimed loudly, jumping up onto her knees. She grabbed Asriel's shoulder. "That totally makes sense!"

"Does it?!" he demanded.

"Yeah! Your soul, it's…" She froze up and her eyes darted to Arnbjörn. "Does he know…?"

"That the wee blue un's a human? Aye," he said with an amused smile.

"Oops," Frisk said bashfully.

"Wait, c-could you explain that a little?" Alphys asked, wide-eyed. "This… Natura?"

"I just know what my grandma said," Frisk explained. "Where we come from, there's supposed to be like, a balance between humans and monsters. Monsters souls are, um… Celestial? And humans are Natura. Or something like that. And I think that means sometimes a human with a red soul could do, like… nature magic?"

"Right! That's true. Those idiots where I came from said that, too," Chara said. "They were practically obsessed with trying to find some kid to be their precious Druid." She sneered with disdain and puffed out her chest, and in a mocking voice, said, "First Druid in four hundred years! Or some garbage like that. Losers couldn't even see the colour of a soul." She cleared her throat. "Anyway. That means. Azzy." Chara squeezed her brother's shoulder. "Maybe that human energy in your soul— and maybe even your connection to plants from before— it's letting you use that magic that was supposed to be only for humans." She turned to Frisk. "Was that what you were thinking?!"

Frisk nodded. "Yeah. I think so." She smiled up at him. "Strongest monster. Right?"

Asriel gawked. His eyes traced back to the flower that he'd bloomed; the way it glittered in the light. He gulped. "I… guess so?!"

.

"I'm sure we could use that," Arnbjörn said.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second!" Asriel said shrilly. "I…! I hardly know how! I…" He floundered. "I-I…" His lip quivered and he looked down, his ears pinning back. "I'm still not f-feeling that well," he mumbled. "I'm… not sure if I can."

Chara's face fell. Frisk held his hands tight around her.

"I'll try with mine for now," the kid said.

"Um. Wait. Doesn't that mean we're… using you as bait?" Papyrus asked nervously.

Frisk shrugged. "Whatever we have to."

"I can't sign off on that," Undyne said.

"If he's only aiming for her and we want to catch him, that might be the only way," Chara said quietly. "Or we… I dunno. Go into hiding until you guys can go home?"

"Like I can just leave you guys with my problem like that!" Frisk squeaked.

"Shit." Sans rubbed his head. "Okay. First. What's the deal here? Overwhelm him?"

"Then arrest him," Undyne said.

"Gotta stop that teleport," Sans repeated.

.

Alphys twisted her mouth to the side. She raised her hands and drew yellow magic in the air. First, the mountain that housed the Soul of the World; then, the field around it, and a big, partial circle that stopped at the ground.

"M-Maybe it's temporary," she said, "but if we could just…" She moved her fingers around her image as if it was a 3D model and it shifted accordingly, zooming in on a section of the circle she'd drawn.

It formed into layers, and a large question mark appeared beside them.

"If we could… trap him in something. Near the Soul, j-just in case. W-Where the outer wall's thickness is just a bit more than can teleport through around the base, a-and too high for him to go out the top. W-Would that work?"

"Ooh. Yeah! I bet! We could do that," Undyne said. "Lead him to a place. Pen him in. Then BAM! Stuck in a… something."

"Ice," Arnbjörn suggested.

"Oh! Yeah! Ice works. Skeletons don't hate the cold, right? With the both of us, that should work great," she said. "Hey, Sans, you're a super nerd, how 'bout you find us those measurements?"

"How?" he asked, smiling sideways. "I mean. I can guesstimate. But it's not like I got a photographic memory of where the jerk was standin'."

Frisk stuck her hand up. "I can see past magic stuff, sometimes. Maybe I could find out."

"Uff da!" Arnbjörn barked. "What kinda magic y'usin'? Y'some kinda wiz-kid or what? "

"It's time stuff," Frisk joked. "I'm a demon."

"Well. I dunno what that means," he said, looking at Alphys, "but if it gets your numbers, I'd say let 'er give it a go."

"It'll b-be your numbers, too, Arnbjörn," the lizard said. "Someone has to a-actually spring the trap, right?"

He rubbed his head. "Aye."

.

"Welp!" Undyne slapped her knees and got to her feet. "Looks like we can start to get underway."

"We can?" Papyrus asked blankly.

"Yep! Alright." She pointed two fingers at Sans and Frisk. "Math team. Get us the numbers. Alph." She pointed at the short lizard. "You're on location scouting. Papyrus, wanna go with her?"

"Oh! Obviously, yes, I will, absolutely," he assured her.

"Great! Find us a place within the low-teleport zone to set up. Preferably a spot with a lot of water."

Alphys smiled. "I have a few places in mind."

"Arnbjörn, I need you to organize those other Mayors," Undyne continued.

"Bah, they're green!" he protested.

"Don't care, whip 'em into shape," she said. Her eye darted over to Asriel and Chara. "And, you two—"

"He needs to rest," Chara said sternly.

Undyne tilted her head, her ears drooping slightly. "Ah. Right. Okay, that's fine, he can rest." She jabbed her thumb against her chest. "I'll grab Mist and organize a patrol and some lookouts to see if we can even find this bozo." She turned to Sans. "You said he went north from the Soul, yeah?"

"Seemed so," he said.

.

"Un… Queen Undyne?" Frisk said sheepishly.

"Sup, kid?" Undyne asked, leaning forward with her hands on her hips.

"I'm… really sorry about this," she said quietly. "If it weren't for me, then this guy wouldn't even be—"

"Hey. Stop that right now," Undyne said, poking the tip of the kid's snout with a claw. "You guys are the victims here. You can't blame yourself. That's stupid. He's the one attacking you outta nowhere, yeah?!" She smiled sideways. "Come on, kid, buck up."

Frisk gulped. Alphys patted her hand gently. The blue kid slumped.

"Okay, I'll try," she said.

The big monster bared her sharp teeth in a wide, bright grin. "GOOD! Now. Time for MORE SOUP!" She shot the kids a sympathetic smile. "Just relax for a bit longer, okay? Things'll be fine."

.

As the grownups and Papyrus headed back downstairs, Frisk's shoulders slackened and she turned to hug tight onto Asriel. He gripped her close, burying his snout in her hair.

"Why'd it have to be plants?" he grumbled.

"Sorry," she said. "I get it. Seriously. I'm…" She huffed quietly. "I know you're having a hard time."

He grunted out nothing. Chara frowned sympathetically.

"Fate is cruel," she said, halfway in jest.

.

Asriel groaned and drew back from Frisk with a pout on his face, ears drooping. Chara wrapped her arms around his shoulders and then scooted off the bed.

"Well. Guess we won't need so many plants in here anymore, since you actually woke up today," she said, bending down to pick up a flowerpot stashed behind the privacy screen. "Want me to start getting rid of some of these? Is the smell bothering you?"

"I, uh…" Asriel squinted. "N… No. No, it's okay. Don't bother."

"Huh." Chara straightened up and gave him a quizzical look. "Okay. If you're sure." She headed to the small desk across the room, dragging a chair with her, and she fished around inside the drawer.

"What're you doing?" Frisk asked curiously.

"I'm… Ah!" The girl fished out a piece of paper and a long pen, and quickly began to write. "Just writing a letter. Don't mind me." Her mouth formed a thin line for a moment. "Things are getting a little intense. I just thought… Well. Never mind, it's… Just gimme a minute."

.

Frisk tilted her head quizzically, but didn't pry. She turned back to Asriel. "Do you want any more soup or anything?"

"Hurry if you do, if I know Arnbjörn, he's gonna finish the rest of the pot," Chara said.

"I wonder if I could reverse a thing that had food in it," Frisk mused. "Like… if it wouldn't get pulled back outta someone, that might actually be a super good idea."

"What, have you never tried that?!" Chara asked.

"I-It's still new!" Frisk said.

Chara twisted in her seat and pointed a stern finger at her. "You gotta start thinking more out-of-the-box with that, then!"

"D-Don't try now, you'll waste a Decept charge!" Asriel protested.

"I will if you want," Frisk said quickly.

"No! No, I'm…" Asriel's eyes welled up. "I-I'm okay."

.

"Ah! What happened?" Frisk squeaked, hanging onto him.

"Azzy?" Chara got out of her chair and crossed back over to him, brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"I…" He huffed; sniffled. "I just…" He wiped his eyes. "Sorry, I… Thanks. Both of you."

"For what?" Frisk asked.

He shook his head, but he pulled her into his arms and snuggled her. He also opened his arm to Chara and shot her a hopeful look. She rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless and sat down with them. He gladly hugged her, too, his soul beaming warm with a little of its regained strength.

"Thank you guys for being so nice to me," he said quietly.

"Oh, stop, Azzy, of course," Chara said.

"Y-You never had to—"

"We're your sisters, idiot," she teased.

His shoulders wilted, but he nodded despite his eyes starting to water again. He huffed and laughed, rubbing them quickly on the back of his hand. "M-Maybe I could do with a little more soup."

"Aah!" Frisk leapt up. "Got it!"

.

As she sprinted out, almost knocking over a plant in the hall, Asriel sighed.

"You don't need to run!"

"I wanna make sure there's some left!" she called back.

Chara laughed quietly. "She's good," she said.

Asriel smiled. "You should tell her," he said. "About what you thought of her."

"Eh?!" the girl blushed. "N-No. No way. That's… so awkward."

"She'd love it," he said.

Chara shook her head. "I'm glad you found her. She's the sister you deserve. A hell of a lot better than I was."

.

"What?! No, don't say that!" Asriel said shrilly. "I'm a total disaster, I don't deserve anything!"

"Of course you do!" Chara insisted.

"Whatever, it's not about that! A-And I want you both as my sisters. There's no law that says I can have only one human sister."

Chara smiled ruefully. "But Azzy, c'mon. She was… here for you. You know it, she's better in every way."

"No. Nooope. No. Not better. Different." He frowned very seriously at her. "I… I made that mistake, too. Comparing you two, I mean. But it wasn't right. It was dumb. It's just 'cause I missed you so much! It wasn't fair to either of you."

"And also 'cause we kinda look like cousins," Chara said quietly.

"Listen. Doesn't matter," Asriel said.

"I kinda don't mind that though."

"Oh. Well. Then it's good. Whatever. Don't deflect, okay?!" Asriel heaved out an exasperated sigh. "What I mean is, you're my sister. I'm always gonna love you." He tilted his head. "I dunno why you'd even go there."

.

Chara shrugged sheepishly. She stared at the ground. Asriel blinked.

"Is… that what you were saying sorry for?"

"What?! No!" she yelped.

"Come on, it wasn't 'cause you didn't kick Gaster's butt hard enough!"

"It… It was a little," she said with a pout. "I… just… I wish I'd kept you safe. And I wish I'd… been here when… Ugh! Stop it, look at me, I'm a pathetic mess."

.

Asriel stared. A light plinked on in his head. His face flushed as he remembered what Frisk had said to him when he'd woken up and, looking at Chara's expression, he understood every word. He leaned forward towards her and snorted a warm, harmless flame onto her face. She spluttered and waved him away, gently pushing him and snickering.

"Azzy!"

"I get it," he said.

"Get what?"

He smiled smugly and folded his arms. "You're a mess. I'm a mess. Frisk's a mess. We're just a bunch of messy mess people. We can all just go in a circle thinking we don't deserve whatever, but it's too late, we all have each other, and… And that's cool. S'okay. Demon Gang."

Chara scoffed. "I never should've participated in that."

"Stop it. You love it."

"Shut up, don't say that so loud," she said in jest as she gave him a gentle whack. She let out a sigh and got to her feet. "I… I'll figure it out."

Asriel tilted his head. "What part?"

"All of it." She clenched her fist and hurried back to the desk. "Don't worry. Get some rest."

"I… I'm feeling a little better, though," he said bashfully. He tried to scoot closer to the edge of the bed. "Maybe I could—"

She turned on him quickly with glinting eyes and an aura very much resembling their mother's. He gulped and sat back in the bed, pulling the blankets up to his neck.

"Okay! I'm resting!"

Chara smiled and turned back to her letter. "…Good."