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.

65. Whoa that's one big thorn in my side

Whoa that's one big thorn in my side Chapter 65

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No more than three hours after the attack, Frisk found herself with Sans in the chamber of the Soul of the World once again. The blasts and bones that had scorched the ground were easy to trace, but there was so many echoes that Frisk saw more of Asriel and Papyrus than who she was actually looking for.

.

The whispers of magic faintly stung her feet. She wasn't sure why she was so sensitive to it all of a sudden.

.

Down near the Soul itself, she finally caught Gaster's energy. The residual anger and cold, aching hatred made her nauseous. Added to that, the whole thing was unusual— not that she was used to this power yet, but every other time she'd used it, she saw through the eyes of the monster who had left the imprint. Through Gaster, she saw next to nothing but some sparks of coloured souls in a world of shadow.

.

It took a few minutes more to track where Gaster had vanished and reappeared in his strange, erratic teleport-bursts. Then, they took the search outside.

.

Autocatchers had risen in uneven rows in the area beyond the mountain and, up its rocky face, Ungol and a couple other large, spider-like monsters lurked with gleaming eyes. Guards patrolled the border of the field where grass gave way to trees. A few watchtowers had been erected there already— all of them disguised under bunches of false leaves. Out in the open, Mistral wandered the plain on high alert. Her scowl was clear even at a great distance, but she raised a hand to wave at them once she noticed their presence. Frisk waved back. She was glad to see her.

.

Despite the mess of energy, it didn't take too long to find what they were looking for. Several of Asriel's wild plants still glimmered nearby, pointing the way as they marked the trail of battle. The only thing left of the grassy mound that her brother had confined himself in was a few shining flowers in purple and gold.

.

Frisk backtracked from them and found Gaster's energy clinging to impressions in the grass. Tracing along it, she counted the steps between the man's erratic shifts. Sans followed along thoughtfully. He called up bones to pierce the ground at the spots the kid indicated.

.

Frisk didn't want to assume, but it felt to her like the power might be new to the aggressive skeleton. The jerkiness reminded her of the strange teleportations done by the Gaster who'd tried to kill her a few worlds ago. As she knelt to inspect another spot, she brushed her fingers through the grass and her snout wrinkled. Pressure was building in her brain, and couldn't shake a feeling that eyes were boring into the back of her skull.

.

"Y'okay, kiddo?" Sans asked.

Frisk's head snapped up and she hurriedly raised up from her squat position. "Y-Yeah. But I'm… uh…"

"Feelin' a little paranoid?" he said.

She nodded. "

"Don't blame ya," he said. He tapped the side of his head. "How 'bout here?"

"Little headache," she admitted. "I guess I'm just not super used to all this yet."

"Oh? New magic?" he wondered.

"Yeah," she said. "And sometimes it sees way more or way less, I'm still not totally sure how it works." She pouted. "I guess I still gotta practice with it to make it more, um, c-consistent?"

Sans nodded thoughtfully. "How far back can y'go, typically?"

"Oh! I'm not sure, but I've seen back like a thousand years before," she said.

"Huh." Sans scratched his head. "Imprint can last that long?"

Frisk nodded. "It was a place that didn't get touched for that long, though, so maybe that's why."

"Full of mysteries, huh?"

Frisk smiled sheepishly and shrugged. Sans thumped her on the shoulder.

"Then, that's probably enough, what d'you think?"

.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Mistral called as she jogged up to them.

"Yup," Sans said. "Whatever Undyne's plannin's gonna need to be thick as all heck, though."

"I am not surprised," she said. "But… I don't doubt that, with the right resources, it should be fairly simple. What's the measurement?"

Sans jerked his thumb back at the clusters of bone markers. "Twenty feet. At least." He pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket. "Uh. Anyone got a marker?"

Frisk handed him her red pen and he put the paper on her head to write.

"Sans." Mistral didn't look the least bit amused.

"It's fine," Frisk said.

"Thanks, kiddo." He scribbled for a few seconds, then gave her pen back and handed the note over to Mistral. "Hopefully she'll get the picture."

Mistral squinted at the paper. "You expect Undyne to be able to read this?"

"She'll handle it."

She scoffed. "No. I'll have to handle it." She folded the note and tucked it away in her armour, then pulled a clear, round crystal from the pouch at her waist. "Show me where his magic hit. The strongest place you can."

"Ooh. I know," Frisk said.

.

The kid guided her to an unassuming spot on the ground near Asriel's flowers where, not too long ago, Gaster had formed his bone golem. Mistral dropped to one knee and held the crystal to the earth. She closed her eyes. The gem on her forehead glistened with magic until a pleasant chime rang out. When she lifted the crystal, it swirled with blue and gold, and a deep, smokey black. She frowned.

"Unusual," she said.

"It's his, right?" Frisk said. "It's called a magic split."

"Mhm. It's rare, but I have heard of it," Mistral said with a nod. "But this darkness…"

"Probably some void stuff," the kid said.

Mistral got to her feet, carefully storing the crystal away in her pouch. "I'll duplicate this and pass it out amongst the guards. We'll be able to feel him coming, at the very least."

"Still no sign of him?" Sans asked.

"No. And if he's smart, it will stay that way," the tall skeleton said. She began to walk back the way she'd come and the others joined her. "It would be stupid to make another move so soon. Unless he's desperate to end things quickly, he should wait until he's at least recuperated enough to create another bone golem."

"Oh. Great," Frisk said quietly. "You guys don't happen to know how long that might take, would you?"

"It's impossible to say without intricate knowledge of his magic and health," Mistral said apologetically. "But, I'd assume at least a few hours."

"Right." Frisk's ears drooped. "So. Um. What should I do now?"

.

The skeletons shared a look before Mistral turned to Frisk with a furrowed brow.

"I… can't imagine why you'd have to do much," she said. "You're a child."

Frisk winced. "But if he's coming for me—"

"The Dragonguard are here to stop any criminal from causing trouble." The big skeleton reached out and patted the kid on the head. "Don't worry. Maybe learn a little shield ditty or something to that effect, if it'd make you feel better."

"Oh. Um. Yeah, I guess it couldn't hurt," Frisk said.

"And stick with Sans," Mistral continued. "He may be weak, but his erratic movements will throw off that skeleton if he choses to try to pursue you."

"Right." Frisk nodded despite the lump in her gut. "Yeah. You're right. I… I'll try not to worry too much."

Mistral smiled approvingly. "That's a good kid." She looked at Sans. "Care to add anything? Of the reassuring variety?"

"Uh." Sans grinned sideways. "Nothin' goin' off the rails in the next ten minutes, far as I can see."

"And?"

He shrugged. "Tell ya again in ten minutes."

"Well." Mistral could hardly contain her exasperated tone. "That's something, isn't it?" She paused and knelt down before Frisk, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Just keep your wits about you. If you can handle our Queen at even a portion of her strength, I think you're going to be okay."

Frisk's ears perked and her tail wagged. "Y-Yeah?"

.

Sans snorted quietly, grinning sideways. "She ain't wrong, kiddo." He stretched sleepily. "We done here?"

"I think so." Mistral straightened up. "Do you have the set-up location yet?"

"Nah. Got a guess, but my brother and Alph are on that," he said. "I'm sure they'll be in touch."

"Alright," Mistral said. "Then. Feel free to leave. We can take it from here."

Sans nodded. "Welp. In that case, gonna head home to mail somethin' for my sis," he said, turning to Frisk. "Y'wanna come along? We'll grab some grub while we're there or somethin'. Or d'you want me to just take ya back?"

"I'll go with you," Frisk said.

Sans smiled. "Kay." He grabbed the kid's shoulder, pulled her four large steps to the side, then flicked a finger-gun towards Mistral. "Good luck. "

Mistral waved unenthusiastically.

.

In an instant, Sans and Frisk were standing in the snow between buildings on Snowdin's main street. Frisk's fur bristled at the chill and her stomach roiled uncomfortably.

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As they wandered to Stolas's mail kiosk, Frisk couldn't help her thoughts running away with her. Why did this Gaster hate her so much? How was his laser so powerful? Why could he use that strange grey magic? Most of all, why did he have to look so much like her father?

.

A nauseous chill permeated her little body. It was hard enough processing multiple universes, but for there to be more than one where a skeleton named Gaster with her father's face— and sometimes even his voice— wanted her dead… The heartache was deep and cold.

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What had she done? Or, what had someone else who filled her role in another world done? Why did she have to take the brunt of this anger? What did she have to do to stop him?

.

She knew there was no use feeling bad for herself, but the truth was that she felt completely horrible. She didn't want these monsters or the skeleton brothers to get hurt. She didn't want bad things to happen to Asriel or Chara. But she was kind of sick of getting hurt, too. She sighed quietly to herself as she trailed behind Sans as they wandered down the street. Maybe there wasn't another way. Part of her wanted to bunker down and hide in their basement, but that was no solution to anything. Plus, she knew Sans couldn't focus on finding home for her and Asriel until this was dealt with.

.

Muddling about in her thoughts, Frisk was quiet as they mailed Chara's letter and stopped to pick up some food from the one restaurant in town. She hardly said a word as they wandered back to the house. They picked up some extra clothes, Chara's sword, and the strange dream pouch, as well as Asriel's phone, which Frisk found stuck in one of the pillow piles near where he'd been sleeping that morning.

.

Once they were done in town, Sans whisked them back to the woods with the giant trees, missing the pond by a few feet this time. He stopped Frisk before she could move off, though, turned her to face him.

"Lemme look at ya a sec," he said, bending down. He held her face and poked around carefully, his fingers quickly finding the mark through her right eyebrow. The light in his dim eye rattled. "…Hm."

"What?" she asked.

"Your energy's kinda off, huh?" He lifted her hands; there was a tremble in her fingers. "You been real quiet."

"Oof. Y-Yeah. Guess so," she said. She drew back, rubbing one hand with the other. "Sorry."

He shook his head. "Wanna talk about anythin'?"

"I, um…" Frisk flinched. "I dunno. Guess I… kinda wish the guy didn't look like my dad."

"Same, though," Sans said with a sympathetic smile.

Frisk's eyes went wide. "Ohmigod. I…! Oh, crap, I'm sorry," she squeaked.

"Don't be." He sounded surprised. "Sheesh, kid, relax. Not your fault."

"I-I know! I know." She rubbed her head. "I just wish… it wasn't like this, y'know?" She folded her arms. "Ugh, I do feel kinda woogy, to be honest."

He nodded. "Rough morning. Sometimes takes a little while to set in." He patted her on the head and straightened up, gesturing to the cabin. "S'okay. Let's chill for a bit."

.

Inside had just a hint of blue in the air. The kitchen was a bit of a mess, and there was a note left on the counter with a set of coordinates on it. Sans grabbed it and flopped on the couch while Frisk headed upstairs. The soothing mist still drifted, though not as strong as before. Some of the tension in her small frame dissolved as the light scent of flowers permeated the air.

.

All was quiet in the room at the end of the hall. Asriel was relaxed, snuggled up in his blanket. Chara was with him, having fallen deeply asleep slumped halfway across him. Seeing them like that was surreal for the kid. They looked so comfortable and happy, like they'd never been apart. She was so relieved, but at the same time, the dreaded question of what to do after everything loomed above her like a rockslide about to fall. She took a deep breath and pushed it aside. One thing at a time, she told herself.

.

Frisk quietly laid out the extra clothes and put Asriel's phone down on a chair. Before she slipped off, though, she heard him clear his throat.

"Welcome back," he said at a whisper.

She turned around quickly. He smiled at her and waved a tired hand. She hurried back to the bed and passed him his phone.

"How're you feeling, did you rest?" she asked.

"Still stiff. Not too bad, though," he said. He nodded at Chara with a smug smile on his face. "Tricked her into getting some sleep after you left."

Frisk smiled. "She needed it." She pointed towards the door. "I'll let you guys sleep, we can talk later."

"W-Wait," Asriel said quickly. He sat up a little. "It's okay. As long as we whisper." He smiled sideways. "She's kinda like you. She sleeps like a rock. Unless you call her name, pretty much." He beckoned her closer. "So did you find the stuff?"

.

"Yeah. Sans did some math and we figured it out," she said. "I'm still not sure what Undyne's planning, though."

"Papyrus said something about a river before they left," he said. "Maybe they're planning on putting him underwater somewhere."

"Can they do that?" Frisk squeaked.

"Can't see why not," he said. "Maybe in like an ice bubble or something? I know Undyne said something about that." He rubbed the back of his head. "When I went to, um, save Sans and stuff, I thought it was gonna be a big fight but Undyne froze me solid for a sec. But. I broke out really fast so…" He frowned thoughtfully. "If I could do it, Gaster can definitely do it."

Frisk pouted. "Great."

"But, then again, I was using fire magic. And, I mean, it's gonna be super thick, right? That's what you and Sans were figuring out, right? Was how far he can teleport?"

The kid nodded.

"How far was it?" he asked.

Frisk stared back at him. Her mind was totally blank. "Um." Her ears drooped. "…Far?"

"…Did you fall asleep?" he asked.

"No," she said.

Asriel frowned. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah. Yeah. Um. It's fine. Sans remembers," she said. "Sorry. I guess Undyne'll know. I… I'm sure they can do it. I don't know much about monsters fighting other monsters, but if anyone can do it, I bet it'll be her." Her brain was starting to hurt again. She rubbed her temples. "This sucks. I just hope nobody gets hurt."

.

Asriel tilted his head. "Why don't you just chill here with us?"

Frisk shrugged, her ears drooping. "I dunno. I'm all weird, I feel like I gotta do something."

"Did you rest at all since the fight?" he pressed.

"Um. A little bit," she said. "I'm fine."

Asriel frowned. "You almost got knocked out."

"But I ate and stuff since then," she protested. "I'm okay. Anyway, Mistral said maybe practicing some spells would be good. So. I might do that?"

"Won't that mess with your disguise?"

"Um… Guess I could just not play the last note?" She shrugged.

"Or you could just… not. Maybe." Asriel reached out for her hand. "C'mon, what's the harm in just hanging out? Taking a nap?"

"I don't wanna get jumped," she said. "I…! I know if we fight him again, he's coming after me and we'll be in a bad-teleport spot so Sans won't be able to help me much. Maybe if I could do a shield again…"

The boy's brow furrowed. "Didn't you used to be able to do one? You had one when we fought in the CORE, right?" His ears drooped. "It… never came back, did it?"

Frisk shook her head. Asriel grimaced. He handed Frisk his phone.

"If you can't find a good spell in that book Alphys gave you, check in the ones I have, okay? You're right. You gotta keep yourself safe."

Frisk tilted her head. She stuffed his phone into her pocket and hopped up onto the bed to give him a tight hug. He smiled and snuggled her gently.

"I'll come hang out once my legs don't feel like they're gonna fall off," he said.

.

Frisk gave her brother a smooch on the cheek and then headed back downstairs. Sans was asleep on the couch and, not wanting to wake him, she slipped outside.

.

The kid was comfortable in the shadows of the massive trees. The essence of Papyrus's magic hung lightly in the air, warm and sunny despite the shade. Frisk guessed that must be the wards. She still wasn't exactly sure what that meant— in her brother's memories, the word mostly meant a lock, though Chara's description had been a little different. Maybe they were good for a few different things Whatever they were, Frisk did feel rather safe despite everything.

.

She picked a spot in the grass and grabbed her ocarina from where it hung around her neck. She rubbed her thumb over the star pattern on the top, her mind drifting back to Avenir. She wondered if she was just imagining the faintest feeling of her grandmother's magic under the pads of her fingers.

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Her breath hitched and she hurriedly busied herself searching for her magic book. She found it in her phone's item box near Avenir's mystery cube. She pulled them both out. She looked at the cube, turning it over gently in her hands. Its strange, runic surface definitely resonated with the feeling of Avenir's soul. To have these tangible things from back then made Frisk's heart thump hard in her chest. She grimaced, running her tongue over the sharp teeth in her mouth, then shook her head quickly. She put the cube aside and returned to Little Monster's Magic Notes: Volume 1.

.

Something about the words in the book made her a little dizzy, but she ignored that and focused on the music notes transcribed within instead. Almost all the spells in the book amounted to party tricks, with a couple harmless exceptions. Most of the easy spells had just one melody to play along. Some had two parts: a child with more magic aptitude could easily have their soul hum both, but a newbie might play one part on their instrument and have their soul play the other. She was eminently grateful to Sans and Undyne for having taught her how to read sheet music back home.

.

Frisk played the simple tunes to warm up. A little ditty to call up a shimmering, magic phantom bird or dragonfly, or a tune to bring up a floating nightlight, like she had already managed. She even practiced some things that veered more into magic with a tangible effect, like a simple spell to chill water into ice cubes. Even though she left out the final note, her soul flowed along with them until that last moment. It felt strange, but not unpleasant.

.

Once she'd covered most of that book, she delved into Asriel's phone for another one. Her brother had done expert item-stacking in his inventory. Half of his items were some sort of magic container that had to have dozens of other things inside. Unfortunately, he'd labeled nothing.

.

As she systematically checked bags, Frisk eventually found a couple books that might suit her needs. As she put them aside and stashed the bag they came from away again, she looked up and was startled by an array of small birds gathered close by. She rubbed her head— she'd been so zoned out that she hadn't noticed, despite their flittering wings and quiet peeping. They ranged from foresty browns and pale blue-greys to iridescent black and green. All of them, adorable. Frisk's eyes glittered. Birds usually weren't this comfortable hanging around so close to people except in the cities, where fat pigeons and clever crows mulled about casually and scarfed things left behind by others. Frisk was very familiar with those.

.

She watched for a while and then went back to the books. Lucky for her, the first one she checked had a large section on defensive magic. One of the easiest spells was called Turtle Guard, and the drawing of it on the page looked fairly close to the shield she used to have, with big, shimmering plates of magic intended to surround the user in a dome for a short time. It'd break her disguise, but if she had enough time to cast it, it would at least save her a hit. She gently blew the melody of the spell, memorizing it as best she could. It was getting easier.

.

A small amount of weight on her foot gave her pause. She stopped playing and looked up to find the birds had come closer. A little brown one with a yellow face and small feather tufts like ears stood on her, looking at her from one side of its head and then the other. She froze, eyes wide, while the birds hopped about without a care in the world. Frisk risked a move. The little critters remained unbothered. Very slowly and very carefully, the kid slipped her finger under the brown and yellow bird's feet and it let her lift it up.

"Cuuuute," she said quietly.

.

The second the word left her mouth, the birds flapped away in a chorus of chirps. Frisk pouted, ears drooping.

"Aw," she muttered. She went back to practicing, but the birds didn't come close again.

.

After a few more songs worth of practice, the noise of footsteps disrupted the normal forest sounds. Frisk heard a telltale, distant nyeh before she had time to panic. She got to her feet and stretched, though she felt a little light-headed. Papyrus came around the side of one of the massive tree trunks with Alphys.

"Was that you playing?!" he called as he stuck a hand up to wave at her.

"Yeah!" she said.

He grinned. "It sounded really great!"

.

"How'd it go?" Frisk asked as the monsters got closer.

"Good! We found a good spot t-to set everything up," Alphys said. "Not too f-far from here, actually. I-It'll be a lot easier for Undyne than having to generate all that water herself. Um, how'd it g-go with you and Sans?"

"It was fine," she said. "He's inside if you wanna talk about stuff."

Alphys smiled and nodded. "So. W-Were you, um, practicing spells?"

"Sorta," Frisk said. "Just kinda… trying to memorize a few."

"But you left them i-incomplete." The lizard tilted her head. "Oh! That was i-intentional, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I only have one more charge after this one to keep having a monster face."

"Aah. Okay. That makes sense," Alphys said. "I-If you really have to, I'm sure we could, um, recast or something if you use it all up. Even if it's, um, k-kind of an unusual spell, huh?"

"My brother did have to use the Soul to do it," Papyrus pointed out.

"Ah. R-Right." Alphys nodded. She patted Frisk gently on the shoulder and then smiled up at Papyrus. "Well. Don't worry. W-We'll deal with that if it comes to that, right?" She pointed towards the cabin and headed that way. "I'll go catch up with Sans. D-Don't work too hard, okay?"

.

As Alphys went inside, Papyrus knelt down to see Frisk's books. He picked up the one with the defensive spells.

"Ooh, were you working from this one?" he asked. A concerned frown marred his face. "…Ah. You're… not feeling very safe, then, are you?"

"I've been kinda worried, yeah," she admitted quietly.

The skeleton bent down and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry. You did really well this morning, though! And I will definitely protect you if something happens. You do know that, right?"

"Yeah, of course." She gave him a squish, then drew back and rubbed her hand through her hair. "Did Alphys have any idea how we're gonna find this guy?"

"Well." He grimaced. "Um. She… did say maybe to not mention this. But…" He tented his fingers. "Nyeh. I think you should know. She does think it's likely that villain will actually come find you."

Frisk sighed. She sat back down in the grass. "Yeah. Figured."

.

Papyrus sat down beside her. "I think we're safe," he said. "I mean, how could he possibly find you if you stay here? He's never been to the forest before. It's hard enough for most people to find things in here. Not me, of course, it's very simple for me, but I have been here a few times now. Plus! It's not like he even knows we came here!"

"I guess." Frisk folded her arms. "My hopes for all this going smooth aren't super high, though."

"Oh, come on! We're all very skilled and good fighters and—"

"Exhausted."

"I'm not!"

Frisk smiled sympathetically. "You fell asleep making soup."

"I…!" Papyrus cracked a smile. "Nyeh heh, I guess I did, didn't I? I'm sure that'll be enough!"

"Hope you're right," she said.

He tilted his head. "You sound very low. What's wrong?"

"Oh. Um." She laughed mirthlessly. "Is everything too much?"

"A little." He grabbed both her hands in his. His eyes darted to the blue fur on the top of her right, where little flecks of white had started to appear. "It's been pretty difficult, hasn't it? Do you want to talk about it?"

"I dunno what even to say," she said. "I'm a mess, and if even a single one of you gets hurt 'cause this weirdo's trying to get me, I dunno what I'm gonna do."

.

Papyrus tapped his fingertips together. He reached for the book again and skimmed the spell. His soul lit up bright in his chest and, after he hummed the melody aloud a few times, his own magic sang along with it. A big, solid golden dome of magic plates flickered into existence above the two of them, like a translucent, shining umbrella.

"Ah! That's not too hard. I'm sure you can do that one, no problem," he said.

She nodded. "Hopefully more than one time."

"Well…" Papyrus skimmed the page pages. "Hm. One minute cooldown. Might be a little slow, though you are very good at dodging, right?"

"Yeah," she said. "Pretty good."

"Then I think that'll definitely work really well!" he said. "Would you like to keep practicing? We could do it together. Oh!" His eyes lit up and he jumped to his feet, his shield shattering, showering him in golden sparkles. "I know! You pick some spells and learn them, and I can show you what they do in real life, how does that sound?!"

Frisk blinked. She held her ocarina. "…Actually, that sounds pretty good."

"I knew it!" he said brightly. He thumped his hand against his chest. "Don't worry, friend, we're going to get you so ready, that villainous Gaster-person will not even know what he's in for!"

xXxXx

Despite the tune not travelling far, Papyrus's magic permeated the air, even reaching inside the cabin. It was warm and energetic, and Asriel liked the sensation of it brushing through his fur. It felt like home.

.

The boy blew out a soft sigh. He wondered how their Papyrus was doing. If it had been a few days here, had it been similar back home? Did he miss them? He probably did— the guy put out such an aura of confidence, but he was clingy as heck. Asriel remembered teasing him about it— and not kindly— but Papyrus always retorted with a grin and what was probably a very deliberate misinterpretation of any insult he could hurl.

.

Just as Asriel was thinking about how he missed everyone back home, Chara shifted quietly and readjusted her spot nestled against him. He looked down at her and his eyes watered instantly. He carefully put a hand on her head, rubbing her hair. Nostalgia overwhelmed him. She used to keep it just above the shoulder, similar to Frisk's. When he first found her, it had been a scruffy, brown mop, untouched by soap or scissors for who knows how long. He could remember her always asking their dad to cut it short and straight, exactly the same every time. She'd let it grow out a little here.

.

Asriel sniffled quietly and rubbed his eyes on the back of his hand. He slumped heavily into his pillow and cuddled his sister. "H-Hey. Um. Chara?"

"Mmmmhm," she mumbled.

"Love you."

She gently whacked him. "…Sssame," she muttered. "Go back t'bed."

Asriel wasn't sure he wanted to, but he still felt too stiff to move too much. Maybe it was for the best.

.

Asriel spent the rest of the afternoon drifting in and out of a dreamless sleep. Chara came and went, as did Frisk, and sometimes Papyrus. Frisk would stroke his ears and quietly mutter to him about her worries when she thought he was asleep. She sounded exhausted, too.

.

When he was alone, his thoughts would carry him back to that abominable bundle of thorns and brambles he had become. He'd check his claws to make sure there was no bark beneath them and, every time, they were clean. The flowers in his room were a salve, but every time he caught a glimpse of them he was overcome with an uncomfortable flicker of awe and a chill of revulsion.

.

Around dinner time, Sans joined them and they munched on dumplings. Frisk was going so slow it looked like she might just fall asleep where she sat. Despite a cautious suggestion she take a rest, she insisted on practicing with Papyrus again. Building up the muscle memory, she said. Chara went with them this time, and Papyrus left Asriel with some tea, some milk, and a bowl of sugar cubes before he joined them.

.

Sans was the only one that lingered. He gave Asriel a curious look as he lurked near the doorway.

"What?" Asriel asked.

"Ah. Sorry." Sans grinned sideways. "Was wonderin'. Y'mind if I take a look at your soul?"

The boy shook his head and the skeleton returned to his bedside. He reached over Asriel's chest and his claws glowed faintly, as did his left eye. The red soul surged out, glistening with pale iridescence. Asriel's eyes went wide.

"Th-That's sorta new," he said shrilly.

"Hm." The skeleton drew back, crossing his arms and tilting his head. "It's weird. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was chargin' a special attack or somethin'."

Asriel huffed. "Weird." He sighed. "I better be able to walk by tomorrow or I'm gonna be pissed."

"Your symptoms are pretty strange." Sans shrugged. "Welp. Long as we're not found out, we can stay as long as ya need." He grinned. "Hey, who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and Undyne and her pals'll catch the guy on their own and we won't have to do anythin' at all." He sighed wistfully. "That'd be nice."

Asriel's ears drooped. "Hey. Um. So… I know maybe this is a big ask? A-And you don't really know me that well, but—"

"You napped on me already, kid, I think we're well enough acquainted," Sans joked. "What's up?"

"Just, um… If I still can't move right, watch out for Frisk?"

"Course," the skeleton said.

"I… I'm kinda worried about her," Asriel continued. "She's pushing really hard. And… the longer it's been since the fight… I dunno, does she seem a little weird to you?"

Sans tilted his head. "…Come to think of it, she's been sayin' her head hurts most of the day. Even with all the stuff she's been eatin'." He tapped his teeth. "Wonder if our food doesn't heal a human as well as we thought… Then again, her HP seemed fine." He shrugged again and winked. "Welp. I'll keep an eye out."

"Thanks."

"Sure." Sans used his blue magic to drag the small table with Asriel's things on it closer to the bedside. "Just scream if you need somethin'." He vanished.

.

Grabbing the blankets tight, Asriel slumped, pouting, and turned to look out the window. Through those massive trees, the light was dim anyway, but now it took on a distinct golden sheen as the sun dipped lower in the sky.

.

He lay on his back for a few long, quiet moments, then looked at the side table where that purple potion glimmered. He gritted his teeth. He reached out and snatched it up and popped the top. He grabbed a pawful of sugar cubes, plunked them inside, then shook it up and downed it in one swig. It was incredibly sweet and tasted like green grapes and rosewater. He wiped his mouth and put the bottle back down. He smacked his lips and laid his hand over his soul spot, but felt nothing.

.

Asriel sighed. He stuck out his tongue. It felt a little heavy. He sunk into the mattress, his arm lolling off the bed. The blue mist in the air deepened until the colour looked like the waters in Waterfall. It wasn't until he noticed magic was leaking down his fingers and sparkling little starbursts in the air that he realized it must have been the potion's doing. Flowers reached upwards around the room, leaning over him as if to check how he was doing.

.

After a heavy blink, Asriel suddenly found himself standing in a jungle. He whipped around, eyes wide, seeing only vegetation stretching out forever. Even above him was so tightly packed with trees and vines that it might as well have been a tunnel. Large fronds and ferns sprouted everywhere, and the soft ground beneath his feet was dotted with glimmering flowers in purple, white, and gold. The scent was oppressive. He grimaced and checked his hands. They were normal.

.

His soul hummed softly. Something pulled him forward. Steps felt light and effortless. It was nice, compared to how stiff he felt laying in bed.

.

He brushed through the leaves. The farther he went, the less he noticed the scent. It also occurred to him that he had no idea where he was going or why. He paused and turned around. The way back looked completely different. A patch of purple hyacinth grew in a semicircle of trees with twisted trunks and silvery-green leaves.

.

Asriel edged closer to the flowers, frowning curiously. There was one, bright and gold shining in the centre of them. He'd know those anywhere. The underground was full of them.

.

"Well, well, well." A voice with a smug aura vibrated the world. "Would you look… who comes crawling back to me."

The earth shifted beneath Asriel's feet. Letting out a yelp, he turned to run but roots in his path caught his foot. The boy stumbled and dropped to one knee, grasping to the grass tightly as the ground grumbled and growled. It twisted around and raised up impossibly high, a mountain forming before him. It stretched higher and higher, leaning forward until a gleaming white face ringed with golden petals beamed down at him with a fanged maw and dark eyes.

"Howdy!"

.

Asriel gawked, plopping back hard onto his tail. "Wh… Wha…?!"

"Wha?! Whuh?!" the gargantuan flowery serpent said mockingly. "Golly gee, look at you down there, just as pathetic as ever! What are you doing?"

"You're…! Y-You're not real. You're not real," Asriel stammered.

"Hehe! Boy howdy, I sure take up a lot of room for someone who's not real, hm?" The creature grinned. "Answer me. What are you doing?"

Asriel shivered. "I don't—"

"Laying in bed like a big ol' bump on a log! Like a big loser! Come on now, fluffybutt, how do you eeeever expect to get over aaaanything ever if you just sit there feeling sorry for yourself?!"

"I-I'm not—"

"Oooh, boohoohooo," it whined, raising up mountainous claws and rubbing its eyes as if it was crying. "I hate fwowers and I hate weafs and it's soooooo hawrd to be the LITERAL GOD OF HYPERDEATH." It grinned big, jagged teeth. "Pathetic." It leaned in, turning its whole head upside down. "What a useless guy you turned out to be. Your own pwecious sister, smashed to the ground, and all you do is berry yourself because, tuwns out, you're scawed of a wittle gwass!"

.

Asriel gulped. "I… I don't have to answer to you." He got up. "Y-You killed—!"

"WE killed." It smiled. "You killed."

The boy wilted, his eyes watered. "I… d-didn't want… I don't…"

The flower cackled, the same sound that had once burst from Asriel's own throat. It leaned forwards, the world creaking as it did, until its house-sized snout almost touched him. "We're the same, you and I. Hehe! Oh brother, that's an old cliché if I've ever heard one. Where do you come up with this crap?!"

"Wh…?" Asriel blinked. "Where do I…?" His eyes widened. Though a shiver ran through every strand of fur on his body, he pushed himself up and onto his feet. "…You're right. I'm acting like a loser."

It nodded. "You are a loser."

Asriel shrugged. "Okay. That's fine," he said, smiling from the side of his mouth. "I also have a terrible sense of humour and I'm clingy and lame. That's okay, though, I got enough people that like me."

The big flowery beast tilted its head right-side up. Suddenly, it was a little smaller. "It's all just obligation."

"I still love them, though, so who cares?" Asriel said.

Again, its size withered. It squinted at him. "You can't protect them like this."

"Then… Then I'll…" Asriel gulped. He felt nauseous, but he reached his magic out to the ground below his paws. He could feel it pulsing; could feel the countless roots weaving through the earth. He raised them up and the thick, twisting wood of trees pierced upwards, reaching up past his height and waving back and forth like necks of cautious cranes. "I'll get stronger! Even if it means this is what I do again."

.

The massive flower looked amused. "You done?"

"No." Asriel pointed at him. "You were right about something else."

"Oh?"

"We are the same," Asriel said. "This…" He gestured at everything. "This is stupid. We aren't we. It's just me. It's just Asriel. Whatever you are… You're done."

"And yet. Here. I. Am." It pouted. "Golly gee, you sure are garbage at this, fuzzybutt!"

"Sure!" he said. "That's…! That's okay!" He reached out and grabbed the creature by the snout, holding it tight with both hands. "I've only had a soul for a couple months, you expect it to be perfect?! I'm working on it! You, me, whatever, who cares?!" He sighed, looking into those deep, jeering black eyes, and he leaned forward and rested his brow against the giant snout of the serpent. "I can… hate whatever I was. I can hate Flowey, whatever that means. But it's still just me. Isn't it? So… So if I'm gonna keep going, we gotta stop this shit, alright? We can't just…" He pulled back and gestured widely to the deep green vegetation around them. "…get stuck in a big stupid mind jungle saying oh howdy gee golly gosh"

"Finally" The flower beast grinned. "What a stupid way to talk."

"I know! I can't believe I kept that up and—!"

"And I put on that stupid voice!"

"And I just couldn't stop lying if my life depended on it!"

"It did, sometimes, remember Sans?!"

"Of course!" Asriel started to laugh. His mind felt a little clearer. He rubbed his hand through the fur on his head. "Man… I gotta figure out how to get home."

"…It's a dream, dingus," the flower said.

"Oh. Perfect." Asriel flicked finger guns and a magic star its way— and so did his roots. "Cause I'm Dreemurr."

The massive flower grimaced and snickered with a voice that was very much Asriel's. It rolled its eyes and gently headbutted him.

.

Asriel shot straight up in bed, panting, eyes bright. The outside was dark and the lights were out, but the flowers that grew up over his bed shone softly with pale, iridescent blue magic.

"Frisk?" His voice creaked. "Chara?"

A quick look of his frantic eyes told him he was alone. Though his legs were still a little stiff, he managed to get out of bed. His clothes felt stiff and itchy— he quickly changed into his own stuff again, chugged a whole pot of cold tea, and hurriedly stumbled downstairs. His ears perked to the faint tooting of an ocarina.

.

The night outside was cool and misty blue, and filled with the gentle hooting of owls. Frisk was sitting out in the grass, not far from the door. Asriel rushed to her side, plopping down beside her.

"Frisk, what're you doin' out here on your own?" he asked.

The kid's eyes bugged out. "A-Az?" She almost did a double-take. "Asriel?!" She stood up and hugged him tight around the neck. "You're feeling okay?!"

He snickered and held her close. "Yeah. A lot better. That weird purple potion really helped."

"Yeah?!" She leaned back and blew out a sigh of relief, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "W-What did it do?"

"I… think it… just helped me settle a couple things in my head," he said. "My soul feels a lot better." He tilted his head. "Seriously, though, why you out here alone?"

"Oh, um…" Frisk looked embarrassed. "I… was kinda having trouble memorizing stuff later in the afternoon. So I thought I'd just keep going a bit longer."

"So are they inside or what?" he asked.

Frisk's expression went blank. "Uhh… Sans is but the others went, umm…" She rubbed her head. "Dang it, they told me, ummm…"

.

Asriel's soul pulsed with worry. He carefully put a hand on her head between her horns. She winced. "You been kinda forgetful today."

"Have I?" She screwed up her face.

"Don't joke," he said, pouting.

"I'm not," she protested. "Ah! I know! They went to meet Undyne since she was gonna come check in." She grimaced. "Sorry. You're right. I dunno where my head's at."

"Maybe we get you some of that moonwater junk," he said.

"I dunno if it's that bad," she said sheepishly.

"Frisk, just lemme, okay?" he insisted.

"Okay okay." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Dude, I'm super glad you're up."

"Same," he said.

.

"Is that…? Azzy!" Chara clambered over the roots of the closest, massive tree, and sprinted out of the fog to meet them. "How are you?!"

"A lot better," he assured her, grunting as she jumped and hugged him. "Th-Thanks."

A little blue light caught their eyes. Papyrus and Undyne were not far behind Chara, with the tiny bulbs on the latter's earfins shining in the darkness as she walked.

"You're up! I'm so glad!" Papyrus said.

"Same," he said. "Um, how's everything going?"

"Good! Kinda," Undyne said. "Set up some guys in the trees, just in case. I heard a couple rumblings here and there but nothing we could really confirm." She sat down heavily beside the kids and brushed her hand through her hair. Her silvery stripes glimmered. "Oomf. Long day, huh?"

"Very much so, yes," Papyrus agreed. He thumped Asriel on the shoulder as he joined them. "You made it all the way out here, so you must be feeling better, right? Gasp! Did you happen to take that potion?"

"Yeah," Asriel said. "It was really weird but I think it—"

.

A thunk in the woods froze the group solid. Undyne leapt to her feet, spear in hand, eye flashing, a snarl on her lips. Something large passed in the shadows between the massive trees. Frisk stumbled upright and Chara jumped to join her, hanging on tight to her arm. She put a finger to her lips and Frisk nodded. The blue kid gritted her teeth. The owls had gone quiet.

.

A dark muttering and a fizzle of magic to their left drew them to it. Undyne rushed to put herself between it and the others. More silhouettes raised up between trees, rings of bright irises gleaming in the dim light. Asriel held in a growl, his hackles raising, and he slowly got up, shooting the queen a questioning look. Undyne held her hand out before him gently nudged Papyrus. He saluted and slunk off towards the cabin.

.

A form in the dark shambled from the misty gloom, eyes blazing with gold and blue magic. Frisk clung tight to Chara with one hand and her ocarina with the other. The freckled girl grimaced and quietly pulled her back with tentative steps.

.

A huge blaster skull loomed up and the man put his hand against it for support as he wandered.

"Chuaigh cos," the skeleton said at a low growl. His blazing eyes stared straight at Frisk, but clearly registered nothing. "…It's here. I know it's here. I feel it. So why…?" Another few steps and a wave of orange magic shot up through him and into the air, stopping him in his tracks. "Ah…!" He slammed his hand into the air and it hit against nothing, but nonetheless glowing, magic cracks formed at his touch. "Got you."

.

Undyne braced her feet in the dirt and pulled the mist around her like a cloak. "Go. North. Like we planned."

Chara yanked Frisk and they began to run as, with just one hit more, the ward's shield came down around them like glass and embers. Undyne roared, her spears bursting into a wall and lighting the night with brilliant cyan.

"YOU CAME TO THE WRONG HOUSE, PUNK!"

.

Right before the kids reached the door to the cabin, a blue warning shot through Frisk's mind and she dragged her heels to stop them. Asriel tackled them both to the ground as a blaster beam seared the air and slammed into the wood. A percussive blast of magic bullets sailed over their head, shattering the looming skull, and a patter of feet announced another newcomer. His mane of petals was instantly recognizable, even in the shadows.

.

"L-Leirak?" Frisk squeaked.

"Please get on my back," Leirak said, bending down to the grass. "Hurry. I'll get you out of here."

"What?! Where did you—?!" Chara demanded.

"Thanks," Asriel said, picking up Chara and putting her on the large monster's back. He scooped up Frisk and clambered on, too.

The big monster rose up again and immediately turned and broke into a gallop. Little vines sprouted from his back and carefully held his passengers.

.

"Wait, what about the others?!" Frisk yelped.

"That guy'll follow us, remember?" Asriel assured her. "Which, um, we actually want. You good with that, horse guy?"

"I'm not a horse but yes! Where to?"

"Towards the river," Chara said. "North."

"Got it!" Leirak tossed his mane and his eyes beamed bright red light, staining the mist an eerie crimson sheen, an easy trail to follow. "Hang on tight!"