Asriel was trying to sleep, but he was cold. Before, he just burrowed into the ground to keep himself warm. Now that he was being carried around in a pot there wasn't room for him to do that. He woke up, shivering.
He looked around at the room, which was his once upon a time. Now it belonged to Uriel, his adopted sibling. After having dinner with his mom he and Uriel had gone straight to bed, the events of the day having worn them both out. Asriel was set on a table next to Uriel's bed.
Asriel wasn't sure how to warm up. He could try moving himself to Uriel's bed but that would spill dirt everywhere and he didn't want his mother to scold him. Maybe he could try waking Uriel and hope they had a solution? But Uriel was fast asleep and the clock read two hours after midnight. So, he supposed he was just going to have to suffer.
As he tried to fall back asleep, he noticed a drop splash into the pot. Another fell, splashing in a different spot. Asriel rubbed his face wondering where this water was coming from. Then the liquid came off on his clawed limbs. He rubbed his eyes and found more of it. Was he… crying?
He looked over at Uriel and only now noticed they were sniffling and whimpering. When Uriel rolled over he could see the fur under their eyes matted from tears. Another sniff and Asriel felt more tears fall from his eyes.
Asriel remember that Alphys had said Uriel had empathic abilities which allowed them to feel the emotions of others near them. Could they also project their emotions to others?
That realization made Asriel suddenly register the sadness that was coming off of Uriel in waves. Was Uriel having a nightmare? He would think given Uriel's reaction to a horror movie that they didn't get nightmares. He debated on whether he should wake Uriel up or let it play out.
Uriel started mumbling. "N-no, please. Don't." Asriel tilted his flower head to the side. What was Uriel seeing? "Stop, please. Don't… don't hurt…" Asriel was teetering between waking Uriel and letting it happen. "Please… no more. Not again… please…" The tears intensified and that did it for Asriel. He needed to wake Uriel, if for no other reason than they didn't accidently start making Toriel cry.
"Uriel, wake up," he said quietly, but loud enough that Uriel could hear him.
"No… please… I'll be good…"
Asriel was hesitant to raise his voice, hoping that his mom could just sleep through this. He tried reaching for Uriel, but his appendages were too short to reach them. So he whipped out a vine and extended it to Uriel, lightly shaking them at first. "Uriel, you're dreaming. Wake up," Asriel said insistently.
"Please… stop… no, please, not that…"
Now Asriel was feeling scared which meant Uriel was scared. Whatever it was, it was scaring them. Asriel shook Uriel harder and raised his voice a little, hoping that would do it. "Uriel, wake up!"
Uriel's eyes snapped open, and they bolted upright. "No!" they screamed.
"Uriel, it's okay," Asriel said.
Uriel looked at him, but curled up, no recognition in their pink eyes. "W-what?"
"It's me, Asriel, your best friend, remember?" Asriel asked gently as Uriel panted.
Uriel's breathing gradually slowed, awareness returning to their eyes. "Oh, right, Asriel," they finally said. "Sorry." They rubbed their face, noticing the matted fur.
"You okay?" Asriel asked. "Must have been one bad dream."
"It was," Uriel said shakily. "How did you know…? Wait, why are you crying?"
"I think it's part of your empathetic abilities," Asriel explained. "I was feeling what you were feeling."
"J-just feeling? Nothing more?" Uriel asked. When Asriel shook his petal head, Uriel sighed. "Good. I… I didn't want you to see that."
"What was the dream?"
"I don't wanna talk about it."
"Talking might help," Asriel offered.
"Tempting, but no. I'm not ready to share those demons from my past." Uriel sniffed, the horror from the memory was still present.
Asriel sighed. "Then, maybe a hug?" Uriel raised an eyebrow. "It helped Chara when they had nightmares." Uriel reached over and picked up Asriel, bringing the flower into a hug, his head resting on their shoulder. He also wrapped his arms around Uriel's neck.
As they hugged, Uriel noticed how cold Asriel felt. "My empathy didn't wake you up, did it?" they asked.
"No," he admitted. "It's cold in here."
Uriel thought it over and got an idea. They set Asriel down on the bed, then rearranged the pillows so they were on the table. Then they picked Asriel up and set him in their lap, then wrapped the blanket around them both. "Better?"
Asriel snuggled up into Uriel's chest as best he could. "Much." He relaxed before yawning. "Goodnight."
Uriel laid their head down on the pillows. They might be sore come morning, but it would be worth it. "G'night."
Toriel went to wake up her children the next morning. She was still puzzled why her cheeks felt damp when she woke up. She opened the door to their room and was greeted by a strange sight. Uriel was wrapped up in the blanket, their head resting on the table, and they seemed to be sitting up. As she walked over, she saw the reason for the odd arrangement. Asriel was also wrapped up, his pot sitting between Uriel's legs, their hands keeping him steady.
Toriel smiled at the sight. It was truly adorable to see. Before she woke them, she pulled out her phone and took a picture. The flash was enough to wake the kids up. "Good morning, my children. Sleep well?"
"Sort of," Uriel answered, rubbing their eyes.
"Might I ask why you are set up in this most bizarre way?"
"Asriel was cold," Uriel said. "So, I did this so he could sleep with me and keep warm."
"Well, it was certainly adorable," Toriel said with a smile. "Breakfast will be ready in thirty minutes. Be at the table by then."
"Sure thing, mom," Asriel said.
Toriel left the room, leaving the kids to get ready. Well, Uriel was the only one who had to get ready. After getting dressed, they headed out to the dining room, Asriel in one arm. Toriel had baked all sorts of goods for both of them.
"What's all this for?" Uriel asked.
"I am just glad you are back here, Uriel. You too, Asriel," Toriel answered.
"It smells good, but you realize I can't actually eat," Asriel reminded.
"Oh, right," Toriel said sadly. "Sorry, son. I forget you are still just a flower."
"It's fine," Asriel said.
"More for me!" Uriel said, setting Asriel down on the table. They promptly started eating. After that horrible nightmare from last night, Toriel's food was a pleasant reminder that they were far away from all that horror. That part of their life, they had put behind them. Forever.
"Uriel, while you were staying with Asgore, I was thinking over your education," Toriel said as they ate. They gave a small grunt to let her know they were paying attention. "I hope this time I have found appropriate material for you. I will show you once you finish."
After breakfast, Toriel showed them the textbooks she had selected. Asriel got a glimpse of them. Some of them were basic algebra textbooks, others were science books about biology and technology. Asriel felt that some of this stuff might be too advanced for a twelve-year-old.
Uriel looked through some of the books and nodded to Toriel. "These are about right."
"Wonderful. I am still trying to work out a schedule for you that accommodates your visits. When I have finished, I will let you know."
"Okay." They handed her the books back before picking up Asriel. "C'mon, Azzy. There's something I need to check and I'd like your help."
Uriel ran back to their room, placing Asriel on the table. The table was in the right spot so Asriel could see the whole room and not have to turn much to see everything.
Uriel went to the closet, scanning through the old shirts.
"What are you looking for?" Asriel asked.
"Something specific," was all Uriel said. Eventually, they picked out a shirt, which Asriel recognized as one he used to wear. Uriel laid it down on the bed, then ran out of their room to Toriel's. They looked through her drawers until they found a magnifying glass. After that, they ran back to their room. They sat down on the bed, turned the shirt inside-out, and then began looking it over with the magnifying glass.
"Now what?" Asriel asked.
"You'll see," Uriel said. They carefully looked all over the shirt.
After several minutes, Toriel entered. "I would have thought you would be out and about, my child. You have usually gone to see your friends during this time."
"This is a little more important," Uriel said, not looking up from the shirt.
Toriel walked over and sat down next to Uriel. "May I ask what you are doing?"
"Before I came back here, I stopped by Alphys' place for a check-up," Uriel answered. "While there, we were discussing potential ways to fix Asriel. We eventually settled on a modified version of what was done to me."
"That would be make a clone of me and then transfer my Soul into the clone," Asriel spoke.
"Could that work?" Toriel asked.
"It might," Uriel answered. "If he was an ordinary Monster, no. But since he's a Boss Monster, his Soul can last for a few moments after death. Also, he has more Determination than an ordinary Monster, so it'll make his Soul last longer."
"But making a new body is the problem," Asriel said. "I want a body identical to my old one, but Alphys doesn't have my DNA, so there's nothing to clone."
"Why not have Alphys mix mine and Asgore's DNA again?" Toriel asked. "Uriel looks just like you."
"Because that was luck," Uriel answered. "I'm not sure how much you know, but the odds of the same combination again is very low and we don't even know if my new body is identical to Asriel. For all we know, I just have his looks, but wait a few years, and I'll start looking drastically different."
"Oh." Toriel sounded sad. "So, you are saying it might not be possible."
"I'm not giving up just yet," Uriel said. "There's one more thing I can try."
"Uriel, I admire your determination," Asriel said. "But maybe there are some things that are just impossible."
"Well, I…" they briefly paused when they found what they were looking for, setting the magnifying glass to the side, "don't believe…" using the claws on the tips of their fingers, they grabbed a white strand and pulled, "in the impossible." They were now holding a single white strand between their fingers.
"What is that?" Toriel asked.
"That is a single strand of Asriel's fur," Uriel answered. "And with it, we have DNA."
Asriel gasped when he realized what that meant. "You mean, we can clone me now?"
"If the DNA is intact and Alphys can get a sample from this, yes. We can make you a new body," Uriel said.
"Then let's go show her!" Asriel said excitedly.
"Let me get you something to carry that in," Toriel offered. She left the room and returned a moment later with a plastic bag. "Re-sealable. Should allow you to carry it all the way to Alphys."
Uriel took the bag and placed the strand of fur in it, sealing it up afterwards. They placed the small bag in their pocket, then picked Asriel up. "We'll be back by six," Uriel said.
"I'll have dinner ready by then," Toriel said. Uriel left, a skip in their step as they left the Ruins. Toriel was still nervous about having them leave, but seeing them so happy, especially Asriel, reassured her that everything would be alright.
Uriel arrived at Alphys' lab, Asriel still in hand. They walked to Alphys' main workspace. "Hey, doc, you here?" Uriel shouted. When there was no response, they continued. "Hello? Got something for you to see, Alphys." They waved the bag in their hand. Still no response. Uriel walked up to the entrance to the True Lab, wondering if Alphys was down there.
They pulled out their cellphone and dialed her number. Curiously, there was no response. "Okay, she must be busy."
"So, what do we do?" Asriel asked anxiously.
"Go down and see her."
"You're just gonna walk into her lab?"
"I'm the prince, she's the Royal Scientist," Uriel responded. "Why not?" Uriel pressed the button that summoned the elevator. The doors opened and Alphys walked right out and into Uriel, knocking them back. Uriel quickly caught Asriel before he hit the ground. "There you are."
"Sorry, didn't see you there," Alphys apologized.
"Why were you in your lab?" Uriel asked.
"Well, your bloodwork finished and the readings I got made no sense," Alphys answered.
"Is there something wrong with them?" Asriel asked nervously.
"No. They're perfectly healthy," Alphys assured. "It's the DNA test that confuses me."
"DNA test?" Uriel questioned.
"I ran one, just for fun to see the results, maybe even test to see if human DNA is compatible with specific Monsters. What I got made no sense." Alphys pulled out a tablet, tapping on the screen to pull up the results. "Weirdly, it found a familial match."
"To whom?" Uriel asked.
Alphys showed them the screen. "To Asgore." Uriel and Asriel looked, and sure enough, it said that Uriel was a partial match to the king.
"Well, wasn't Uriel's new body made from some of Asgore's DNA?" Asriel asked.
"Yes, but the match is way too high. It should only be about a thirty-three percent match. This is closer to fifty percent."
"Could the sample have been contaminated?" Uriel asked.
"It's possible. But weirdly, I did a test on your old human body – again, for fun – and Asgore is a partial match for you."
Uriel and Asriel looked at each other. "You sure your equipment is working?" Uriel asked.
"I don't know," Alphys answered. "But I'm running the test again to be sure."
"So, a second test should get the right result," Asriel said.
"That was the second test. It had the same results as the first," Alphys revealed. "I'm doing it a third time to be certain."
"Uh, anyways," Uriel said, holding up the bag. "Speaking of DNA, I got a sample of Asriel's right here."
Alphys took it and could see the white thread inside. "How did you manage that?"
"One of his old shirts," Uriel answered. "Figured with how much I shed that he would do the same, and sometimes you can't get all the fur out of something."
"Smart," Alphys said. "If the strands are intact, I can get to work. Getting the DNA will be hard, but once I do, I can mix in a little of yours to give him a partially physical form. Then I can make a body."
"This is exciting," Asriel said happily. "I'll be able to have real hands again. And legs so I don't have to be carried everywhere. And I'll be able to eat mom's food!"
"It might take a few days," Alphys said. "I'll get to work on it right now."
"You sure Asgore won't get mad with you doing this little side project?" Uriel asked.
"I'm certain," Alphys said. "Besides, that's hit a wall anyways. Might as well do something productive."
"Well, we'll leave you to it," Uriel said. They waved to Alphys as they left the lab. "Excited?" Uriel asked Asriel. They didn't need to. They could sense the excitement coming from him.
"You bet. I can't wait to have real arms again!" Asriel said happily. "Thank you, Uriel."
"Just doing what I feel is right," Uriel said. As they walked, the excitement they were feeling was doubled by Asriel's own. It felt so good, they couldn't help but hum a special tune to themself. It was their lullaby, which they had always known.
Eventually, Asriel noticed the humming and frowned when he realized he recognized it. "Wait, that song, where'd you hear that?"
Uriel stopped humming to answer. "I don't know. I've always known it. I use it to sing myself to sleep when I have a bad dream. Why?"
"Because that's my dad's song," Asriel said. "At least, it's the same melody."
"You sure?" Uriel asked.
Asriel thought to himself. "Maybe hum it a little more and I'll put words to it, see if it matches to what my dad sings."
Uriel started from the top, and Asriel added lyrics.
"When the light is running low, and the shadows start to grow, and the places that you know, seem like fantasy…"
They stopped there. The songs were a match. "How do I know that song?" Uriel wondered.
"I dunno," Asriel said. "I asked my dad where he got it one day, because no one else sings it, and he told me that I'd learn when I was older."
"Let me guess, that never happened because you died," Uriel deduced.
Asriel nodded. "You know a song that only my dad knows and you may have a DNA match to him? What is going on?"
"Well, let's go ask him," Uriel suggested.
"Can I ask something before we get there?" Asriel asked.
"Depends on the question."
"Well, you call my parents mom and dad with such ease, so I want to know what's your relation to your real parents, if you have any?"
Uriel wasn't sure how to answer. They guessed they could answer part of that. "Well, I don't have a relation with my real mom, as I never knew her."
"Why?"
"She died when I was a baby. Sometimes, with humans, the mother can't survive having the child."
"Oh." Now Asriel was wishing he hadn't said anything. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine. You didn't know."
Uriel walked all the way to New Home, arriving at Asgore's castle. They had made sure to avoid being spotted, as they didn't want everyone to learn about Asriel. They made their way up to Asgore's house, finding the large Boss Monster outside, planting new flowers.
"Dad!" Uriel shouted.
Asgore turned to see Uriel coming up with Asriel in their arms. "Uriel, Asriel," he greeted. "What are you both doing here? Did you just come to visit?"
"Actually, we need to talk to you," Uriel said.
"About what?" Asgore turned back to the flowers, continuing to remove them from the pots and plant them in the ground.
"Well, Asriel told me about this song you like to sing," Uriel explained. "We want to know where you heard it."
"Which one?" Asgore asked.
"The one you used to sing all the time." Uriel debated for a moment before deciding to add something. "It was also the one you used as a lullaby."
Asgore froze upon hearing that. "Oh. That one."
"You said you'd tell Asriel when he was older," Uriel explained.
"Yes. But… I'm not sure if either of you are ready for that."
"Dad, please. We need to know. Where did it come from?"
Asgore finished up his planting before standing up. "I suppose you both have a right to know. Come inside." He walked into the house, the two kids following him. "I haven't had to share this story since we were all trapped down here."
"What is it?" Asriel asked.
"Truth is, I'm not an only child. At least, I wasn't always," Asgore revealed. "I used to have a younger sister."
"You have a sister?" Uriel asked in surprise. Asgore had never mentioned that in any Reset.
"Had," he emphasized. "She died during the war." Asgore led them to his room. "She was the second child in the family, but she was adored by everyone. I was older than her by ten years, so we didn't get along very well. She was quite energetic, even as she got older. She was born during the times when the relations between humans and Monsters were breaking down. Despite that, she had a certain fascination with humans. At times I called it an obsession." Asgore smiled fondly as he remembered her.
"What about the song?" Uriel asked.
"That she made up on her own. I don't remember when exactly she did, but she made it all up. One day, she started singing it. At first, it was pretty, but soon, she started singing it all the time, and it annoyed all of us. Even our parents tended to lose their patience with her because of it. But she loved it, singing it whenever she could."
"What happened to her?" Asriel asked. This he had never heard before.
"When she was seventeen, she went to visit a village of Monsters, to show that the royal family would support them. While there, the village was attacked. By the time we got there, it had been razed to the ground by the humans and she was nowhere to be seen." Asgore sniffed a little at that bitter memory. "She believed in humanity so much and it cost her her life. I honor her by singing her song when I can, to remember her."
Uriel grabbed Asgore's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm so sorry," they said. They could feel Asgore's sadness. It wasn't enough to make them cry, but it was still sad.
"It's fine," Asgore assured. "What's truly sad is because of how the humans attacked, we could never identify her remains. We had no way to know which pile of dust was hers, so we were unable to perform our ritual for her. I remember the song, and sing it, so I can still feel close to her." Asgore smiled a sad smile. "Sometimes, when I do sing, it feels like she might still be alive, like she can hear me from wherever she is."
Asgore opened the door to his room, allowing the kids to walk in. Asgore went over to a drawer and pulled out a painting. It was rather small. He handed it to the kids so they could see it. "This was our family portrait."
Uriel held the painting in their left hand while holding Asriel with their right. They looked at it, and they could see two tall goat Monsters in the back, a teen standing in the middle and his hands were on a little girl in the front.
Asriel tilted his head as he looked at the depiction of his aunt. "Huh. She looks kinda like me."
"Yes, you do have a great resemblance to her. Both of you." Asgore was rooting around his stuff for something else, eventually finding another small painting of her. "This was the last time she was painted."
Uriel set Asriel down on Asgore's desk as they took the portrait. This must have been her as an adult. Something about her looked familiar to them.
"What was her name?" Asriel asked.
"Ariel," Asgore answered. "Her name was Ariel."
Asriel raised an eyebrow at that. "Ariel?"
"That's what my parents named her," Asgore said.
Uriel was only half paying attention to the father and son's conversation. They were staring at Ariel's adult image, unable to shake the familiarity. The name was also familiar, like they had heard it before.
Pieces started to slide into place, gears in their head turning as they made several connections, all of them disturbing. The song they knew from childhood, the one ingrained into their memory, was one that this Boss Monster had made up and loved. She supposedly died during the war, but if they were unable to identify her, then could that even be possible?
Alphys' tests said that Uriel's old body had a partial match to Asgore and Uriel just learned that Asgore had a little sister who has been missing for a long time. Uriel also remembered that Boss Monsters don't age if their parents die and they have no children, making them functionally immortal.
It couldn't be. And yet, the possibility was very real. Uriel backed away, realization dawning on them. Asgore and Asriel didn't notice, the two still talking about Ariel. Uriel was no longer listening. A small part of them was happy, but was overshadowed by a feeling of dread, making them nauseous.
They ran out, wanting to run from the conclusion they had come to, but they couldn't outrun it. It was horrible, shocking, terrible. Tears started forming in their eyes. They didn't want anyone to see them like this. So, they kept running, going someplace to hide for a while.
Meanwhile, Asgore and Asriel didn't notice Uriel's sudden disappearance. "She's also the one who came up with the name 'Uriel'," Asgore explained. "She wanted to name her first son that."
"Wow. So, I had an aunt, and you never told me," Asriel said to Asgore.
"I wasn't sure you'd be able to understand why," Asgore said. "But I suppose you and Uriel deserve to know. By the way, what brought up this curiosity in my sister's song?"
"It's hard to explain. Uriel, maybe you could explain better than I…" Asriel trailed off when he realized Uriel wasn't there. "Uriel?"
Asgore looked around, panicked. He picked up Asriel, briskly walking out of the room. He ran to the front of the house and found Uriel's cellphone laying on the ground. Asgore picked it up, horror filling him. "Uriel?" he said, his voice carrying around the area. "Uriel?!" he shouted when he got no response. "URIEL!"
When the light is running low
And the shadows start to grow
And the places that you know
Seem like fantasy
There's a light inside your soul
That's still shining in the cold
With the truth
The promise in our hearts
Don't forget
I'm with you in the dark
End of Chapter 12
A/N Cliffhanger. Next chapter is gonna have a lore dump, though I think some of you can guess part of it now. I've left enough hints that it doesn't need to be said. That being said, we are approaching the climax of the story.
Well, see you next week.
