Chapter 2

Eyes narrowed as she studied the drawing in her hands, ten-year-old Frisk looked up at Toriel and asked, "Are you sure this picture looks good? I think it looks stupid."

"Don't say stupid, Frisk." Toriel smiled to herself as she shook her head. "You did a fine job drawing our home. The picture isn't ruined because you didn't color in the lines as well as you hoped."

"But I'm not a little kid. I should be able to color in the lines." Frisk resisted the urge to crumple the paper. She sat on Toriel's bed with her legs criss-crossed as she set her most recent drawing aside and studied the items Toriel laid out. It was mostly clothes, boxes, and a collection of drawings Frisk had made for her mother. Toriel never threw a single one away.

"Think of it as a new art style, then," Toriel suggested. "Don't feel as if you need to limit yourself to fit into someone else's rules over how things should be done. Always choose to be creative, and more importantly, always choose to be yourself."

Too young to fully appreciate the advice given to her, Frisk huffed as she picked up the stack of drawings Toriel left on her bed. The motherly monster continued to clean out her closet, unaware of Frisk's shifting through the pile of childhood art. Frisk looked through each drawing. They got sloppier and simpler as she went through, documenting how far she had really come as an artist since first living with Toriel.

Yet as she kept going, the drawings began to get better than her childish hand could ever be capable of creating. Lifelike positioning, realistic shading, and vibrant colors made each world so real Frisk almost believed she could reach out and feel the petals of the golden flowers trapped within the canvas. While Toriel payed her attention to the boxes at the top of her closet, Frisk kept hers directed towards the paintings and sketches.

When she came to the last one, Frisk was disappointed to see a simple drawing of a yellow flower. It had six petals, a long, green stem, and two large leaves. In the corner read the following:

Happy Mothers Day!

To Mother

From Chara

Frisk frowned. Who's Chara? And why did Toriel take his mother's present?

She looked at the picture more closely. The condition of the paper indicated that it was well aged, and the fading colors showed this picture had been drawn years prior. Yet it was well cared for, as if Toriel always kept it in a safe place and removed it only when necessary. Such as now when she cleaned out her closet for, as she put it, "the first time in ages."

Looking at Toriel, who was now setting down the last box from the top of the closet, Frisk asked, "Mom, who's Chara?"

Toriel froze so that she stood as still as stone. Ever so slowly, she turned her attention towards Frisk to find the child with all the pieces of art laid out before her. Moving as if her limbs were too heavy, Toriel approached the child and carefully took the drawing out of her hands.

"That is nothing for you to concern yourself with, my child," Toriel answered not unkindly as she collected the rest of the pictures. "Do not speak that name again."

"Yes, mom," Frisk didn't hesitate to reply, not wanting to displease her mother.

Now, as who she assumed was this same Chara standing before her, Frisk wished she had not been so quick to obey. The human boy looked at her as if she were a bug he wanted to squash. Although she didn't know him, Chara seemed to know perfectly well who she was.

"What?" he asked, deep frown on his face, single brow raised. "Don't you have anything to say?"

"I don't know where to begin." Frisk quickly shook her head. Perhaps she was dreaming, and when she woke up, the boy would be gone. She stopped and looked in his direction again. Chara was still there. "How did you get in here?"

Chara chuckled. It was not a happy sound.

"I have always been here," he said, the words bitter and almost venomous. He pointed at her chest. "All this time, I was never far from you, trapped within that locket. It is the vessel of my soul. Wherever it is, I am also. Whoever wears it, my company will be worn as well."

Pinching her brows together, Frisk mumbled, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't." Chara growled in his throat. "How can you begin to understand when you don't even know who I am?"

"Then answer this." Frisk slowly approached Chara, fear melting away. He was the first human she had seen in years. There was a need growing inside her, one she always had but never dared acknowledge. Now that this boy was here, the need consumed her. The need for another human, someone like her, in this world of monsters. Although logic warned this boy could be dangerous, the emotional pull was too strong. "Who are you, Chara? Why is your soul attached to this locket like you say it is? Why have I never seen you before now?"

Frisk must have gotten too close, for Chara jumped away from her and glared at her to stop walking. Frisk obeyed. When he saw that Frisk was waiting to hear his reply, Chara said, "You are not the first human Toriel has adopted. I am. I am her son. She failed to protect me, and now I'm cursed to be fused with that heart locket. Only the wearer can see and hear me. To everyone else, it's as if I don't exist."

Chara sneered. "To you, I never existed until now."

"But why would Mom hide you from me?" Frisk questioned. It was the wrong thing to ask.

"I am her greatest shame!" Chara roared. It made Frisk flinch. "I died, and she was unable to stop my death from happening. Not that it mattered – I deserved to die. Regardless, she had a monster magically fuse my soul with my old locket so that I could continue to live on. For years I have been existing in this half-life. Then you came along. To Toriel, I began to cease being. You were her new child, and I the mistake she wishes she could take back. She's trying to protect you. However, she knows she can't protect you forever. Sooner or later you will be found, and he will take your soul just as he tried to take mine."

The words were too much to process. None of it made sense. All Frisk could do was shake her head. "I still don't understand."

"What are you? Thick?" Chara wrinkled his nose. "Every human that has fallen into the Underground has been killed. I was the first and not the last. You're next. Didn't Mother Toriel teach you anything about how things work around here, or did you let her lead you to believe that everyone here is your friend and that to survive all you have to do is be nice?"

Before Frisk could respond, Toriel walked into the room. "Frisk, what are you doing-" She cut herself off when she saw the locket hanging from Frisk's neck. Covering her mouth, all wide-eyed, horror stricken Toriel could do was whisper, "I forgot to put that away."

"Mom . . ." Frisk took in a shaky breath, trying with questionable success to process what Chara had just revealed. "Is everything Chara telling me true? How many humans fell to the Underground? How many of them are still alive?" The last question was hard to ask. "Am I really in danger?"

Tears falling from Toriel's eyes, the monster said, "I never wanted to scare you, but now I see that I have let you live blind to the world around you."

Frisk felt blood drain from her face. She felt her body stiffen against her will. "How bad is it? How dangerous is it to be a human?"

"Very." Toriel chose her next words carefully. "Every human that has come here and left the Ruins has died. I could not save any of them. Not even Chara, my own son."

Chara growled in disgust, but Toriel truly must have not been able to hear for she continued as if he made no sound. "You were different, my child. You didn't try to leave but instead made a home for yourself here. As long as you are in the Ruins, I can protect you. Word doesn't travel from the Ruins often, so I never worried of monsters outside of the Ruins discovering that I was hiding a human. Here, you are safe from a world that would gladly see you die."

"She's telling you the truth." Chara examined his nails. "No sense in hiding any longer. Might as well die now so that they can take your soul."

"Why would the other monsters want my soul?" Frisk asked Chara, but it was Toriel who answered.

"I don't know what Chara is telling you: only the one wearing the locket can communicate with him. However, I will tell you that Asgore, our greatest enemy, will not hesitate to have you killed. Neither would a monster fighting on his side."

Unable to look Frisk in the eyes any longer, Toriel stared at the ground and finished, "There is war in the Underground, Frisk. One that cannot be won. The Underground cries for the blood of humanity. All would gather around to watch yours spill."

"And you never thought to tell me this, not in all my years with you?"

"I wanted you to feel safe."

Frisk's eyes burned. "You've been lying to me this whole time, haven't you? About this world, about its inhabitants, and about yourself?"

"Frisk, if you could begin to understand why I chose the path I did-"

"You lied to me this whole time!" Frisk accused, interrupting Toriel. "I was never your daughter, was I? Was I a pet to you?"

Toriel gasped. "Frisk, my child, I know you're upset, but there's no need to throw around those hurtful accusations."

Seeing that Toriel was right, Frisk wiped the tears from her eyes and stated, "I need a moment to myself."

"You might also need some chocolate," Chara, who Frisk forgot was there, added. "You seem moody."

"Shut up," Frisk said as she snatched the locket from around her neck. To her pleasure, the human was gone once the necklace was no longer being worn. She tossed the locket back onto the desk, pushed past Toriel as she left the room, and ignored Toriel's calls as she fled the home and ran aimlessly without looking back.


Frisk didn't know what she was going to do once she stopped running. She thought about screaming, throwing things, and even crying, but none of them appealed to her. Sitting on one of the boulders, Frisk watched the river flow by. The water was always going somewhere, never stopping but always moving on. It wasn't but twenty minutes later before Frisk realized she needed to do the same.

"I could stay here and pout all night," she said half to herself, "or I can calmly talk this out with Mom. There's no reason to hide anything anymore when I already know this much. We can figure this out together."

"Your mom must have had good intentions to not tell you the things she didn't," said the rock of whom Frisk sat on top. "In her mind, she must believe she was doing the right thing."

"Of course she would." Frisk sighed. "Even if I needed a moment to absorb everything, there's still no reason for me to say the things I did. First order of business would be to apologize."

"I'm glad you're getting the most out of this moment," the rock said after a while, "but are you done sitting on me yet? You're pretty heavy."

"Sorry." Frisk slid off the boulder. "Thanks for listening."

"Anytime, Frisk," the rock replied. "Tell Toriel I said 'Hi,'"

As Frisk waved at the rock, a few Whimsun flew past, frantically screaming, "The Reds! The Reds! There are Reds in the Ruins! They got Toriel!"

"The Reds?" Frisk questioned, heart sinking. The Whimsun were scared of their own shadows, but if something had Toriel, Frisk was not going to pass off their fear as nothing.

"Reds? In the Ruins?" The rock did the closest thing to a scream a rock can do. "Frisk, you must run. Now! Wait, where are you going? Don't run to the danger!"

Yet Frisk did not listen. Something was wrong. Toriel was in danger. No coherent thoughts passed through her head. All that mattered was getting to Toriel, even if it meant walking right into the mouth of the peril.

It took Frisk minutes to get home, but those moments felt like lifetimes. When she came to the front door, relief washed over Frisk. Everything was just as she left it on the outside. Maybe the Whimsun were freaked out over nothing. Maybe the rock was wrong. Maybe everything was okay, and stepping through the door would prove exactly that.

Only walking through the door erased all traces of relief Frisk felt.

The walls were burnt. The furniture was either turned over or destroyed altogether. The floors were scratched, as if someone had been dragged on the floor and had dug their claws into the wood to keep from being drug further.

"MOM!" The cry exploded in Frisk's chest and ripped through her throat. Without a thought, she began to run about like a madwoman as she searched for any sign of Toriel. Their living room was demolished beyond recognition. The kitchen was worse. Frisk tried not to look too long at all of the blood coated knives as she could only hope it was not her mother's blood she gazed upon.

"Mom?!" Frisk cried, rushing down the halls. "Mom, where are you?"

"Frisk?!"

Hearing Toriel's voice, Frisk shouted, "Hold on. I'm coming!"

Adrenaline continuously pumping throughout her body, Frisk slammed her slim body against the door to Toriel's bedroom.

"My child, be careful!" Toriel's voice called from the other side, but Frisk didn't listen. All that mattered in that moment was getting to her mom.

When Frisk finally broke down the door, acquiring a bruised shoulder and arm in the process, she searched for a pile of white and ran straight towards Toriel when she found the monster.

"Mom." Frisk knelt beside the bleeding Toriel, who leaned against the wall parallel to the bed.

Red poured from Toriel's midsection. She tried halfheartedly to cover the gaping wound with a single paw, but there was no hiding the lethal cut. Toriel put on her best smile and simply said, "I guess this is it for me."

"N0!" Frisk shook her head. Her throat was constricted. Her eyes were burning. This wasn't happening. "You-you're fine. It's just a cut. I-I can clean it. You'll be all right. Pro-promise."

"Don't make promises you cannot keep, my child. The blade was coated with deathlust. It will only be a matter of time before the poison reaches my heart and takes me away. There is no salvation for me. I'm sorry."

Using her clean paw to caress Frisk's face, Toriel furrowed her brows and warned, "They know you're here. Asgore will be looking for you. Frisk, you must run away. You must go to the surface. It is not safe for you here. As long as you remain in the Underground, your life is in danger."

"But what about you?" Frisk asked, barely speaking through the lump in her throat. Her chest ached deeply, the pain spreading from the inside out. This was not happening. Things like this should not happen. They should never happen. It all must have been a bad dream, a nightmare from which Frisk could not wake.

"It's time for me to move on to the next life." Slowly, Toriel shifted her attention away from Frisk. Looking at something Frisk could not see, Toriel said, "As for you, my child, I could never apologize enough for the things you went through because of me and for the things I could not protect you from."

Frisk furrowed her brows, confused. Then she realized that Toriel was wearing the heart locket. She was speaking to Chara now.

"You and Frisk must escape the Underground," she continued to tell Chara. "Asgore will stop at nothing to take your or Frisk's soul. He shall not have either. Chara, you need to take Frisk to the barrier and out of the Underground. You two need each other now. Guide her and take care of her, and I know she will take care of you."

Whatever Chara said in reply, Frisk could not hear. All she heard was Toriel tell her lost son that she loved him one last time. It was enough for Frisk to believe she was listening in on something that was not meant for her ears.

Returning her attention to Frisk, Toriel said, "Take the locket and put it on now. Quick! Before I disappear."

Not hesitating to obey, Frisk removed the locket from Toriel's neck and put it around her own. When she did, Chara was standing beside her. His face betrayed no emotion.

"Mom, I'm so sorry about earlier," Frisk said, lacing her fingers through Toriel's bloody ones. "I shouldn't have said any of those horrible things."

"No, my child." Toriel used her thumb to wipe a tear from under Frisk's eye. "It is I who should apologize. I kept you ignorant of the world around you, and now you have to face the punishment of my mistakes. Be careful, my child. Find my friend. He will protect you. Trust Chara. He will be there for you like no one before him has."

"Not that I have much of a choice," Chara muttered.

"I love you, Mom," Frisk whispered, another tear falling from her eyes. Toriel wiped that one away, too.

"I love you too, Frisk." Toriel laughed one last time, the sound shaky and weak. "I love the both of you. Take care, my children."

With a final breath, Toriel went completely still. Her body grew whiter and whiter until she was the color of ash. Then, more quickly than she went still, her body shattered into millions of pieces. Dust particles danced around the room, falling into a single pile. Just like that, the only mother Frisk ever knew was nothing more than a pile of ashes on the floor.

Tears fell more rapidly now. Nothing made sense. Not anymore. So many questions whirled around the pressing emotions, demanding to know why this happened and why Frisk was unable to stop it. Blame and guilt crawled up Frisk's shoulders, making themselves home on one who would not instinctively shake them off.

"You need to get moving," Chara said after a while, his tone betraying no emotion. "If you want to live, you need to get away while you can. The Reds will come back to see whether or not you have returned."

Wiping her eyes, Frisk replied, "I know. I know." She was quiet for a moment. "How many were there?"

"Three."

"And they were looking for me?"

"They offered to leave Toriel unharmed if she surrendered you to them. Of course, she refused. I guess dying is better than whatever cause they were fighting for."

Frisk shook her head. "Who are the Reds?"

"As far as you're concerned, Stripes, the Reds are the ones who want you dead." Chara clicked his tongue. "Looks as if you want yourself dead, too, if you're not in any hurry to save your skin."

"I'm not too worried about that." Frisk slowly rose to her feet.

Single eyebrow raised, Chara simply replied with, "Oh?"

Forcing a half smile on her face, Frisk simply returned with, "I have a secret."

Heartrate refusing to slow, Frisk looked down at herself. "I will need a moment to change before we begin our journey. I . . . I don't want to go anywhere with part of Mom's remains stuck to my sweater."


Moving as if her limbs were too heavy to bear, Frisk changed to a rose-pink sweater with two light brown stripes, black leggings, khaki shorts over the leggings, and gray boots. She retied her hair using the same white ribbon from before. After replacing the locket around her neck, Frisk collected Toriel's ashes and moved them to the garden. Chara followed.

"Goodbye, Mom," Frisk told the ashes before sprinkling them on the flowers and vegetation. She wanted to say more and give Toriel the proper eulogy she deserved, but the words would not come to her. All she could think to say was her goodbye, knowing that even if she had a century to speak about the love Toriel gave her, it would not be enough.

"Do you have anything you want to say?" Frisk asked Chara, feeling awkward. They both shared the same adoptive mother, yet they had never met before now.

Should I think of him as my long-lost brother? Frisk thought. Or is he really no different from any other stranger?

Chara shrugged as he answered, "I have a lot of things I could say, but none I think would be appropriate to mention."

The two stood for a moment longer. Then Frisk looked to Chara and asked, "I would imagine going to the surface means leaving the Ruins?"

"Where else would the barrier be?"

"Not close by, I'm afraid." Frisk hugged herself. "To leave the Ruins, we will have to take the door in the basement, right?"

"I'm surprised you know that's there."

"Just because I never tried to leave before doesn't mean I was ignorant of an exit. I just had no desire to go back."

"No sense of adventure?"

"No desire to leave the first real family I ever had."

Chara snorted. "Did you really plan on staying here forever?"

"I don't know. I never thought that far ahead until now." Frisk chewed the inside of her cheek. "What about you? Did you think you were going to spend the rest of your life in the Ruins?"

"My life is already over, remember?" Chara answered. "There is no 'rest of my life,' just existing alongside whoever wears my locket. I go where they go and stay where they stay. I never had a say in any of this."

Studying Chara from the corner of her eye, Frisk carefully thought about the next words to say. "How do you feel about leaving the Ruins now?"

"I feel like nothing." Chara narrowed his eyes. "Nothing matters, so why bother having feelings?"

Frisk did not have an answer, so she chose to not respond. She forced herself to go to the kitchen and begin packing food for the trip. Her knowledge of the Underground outside of the Ruins was nonexistent – she did not know how much to pack and how long she should try to make it last. Working quickly while Chara merely watched, Frisk fought the trembling inside her as she mentally prepared herself to leave the Ruins for the first time in eight years.

Suddenly, Chara frowned.

"What's wrong?" Frisk asked.

"Someone's coming," Chara answered. He smirked. "You better hide."

"What about you?"

"Only the wearer of the locket can see and hear me. I'm perfectly safe. You on the other hand . . ."

Reacting without thought, Frisk hid inside what was left of the fridge. Despite the shelves being completely torn off, the fridge was still in enough working condition to keep its inside cool. Whoever was approaching needed to come and go fast.