Chapter 5

Having been indulged with her studies, it was with a jolt that Frisk tore her eyes away from the stack of books she hovered over and onto Toriel. The monster had yelped in surprise, scaring Frisk for the half second, and started using an oven mitt to beat out the fire on the stove. Once the flames had ceased, Toriel breathed heavily as she muttered words too soft spoken for Frisk to hear.

"What happened?" Frisk asked, setting her pencil onto the open notebook. Her monster mother may have possessed fire magic, but she never accidentally lost control of it, let alone start any fires. "Are you okay, Mom?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Toriel insisted. "I was merely distracted – a safety hazard I shall not repeat."

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing for you to concern yourself with, my child," Toriel answered, another one of her small smiles on her face. It may have been Frisk's imagination, but this smile seemed somewhat sad. "I merely forgot what today is."

Curious, Frisk questioned, "What is today?" She shifted through the birthdays of all the monsters she knew, flipping through the memories as if pages in a book. When no birthdates lined up, Frisk said, "There's something you planned to do today that you forgot about until now, right?"

"I suppose you could say that." Toriel returned her attention to the stove and again heated the pot, careful to not burn the soup she was making.

"I don't think it's too late to do whatever it is you need to do," Frisk offered, wanting to be of assistance. "I can help, if you need it."

"That won't be necessary, my child," Toriel replied, her gentle tone never changing. "This is something I need to do myself. Now please, continue your studies. There is nothing for you to worry about."

"Yes, mom," Frisk remembered herself saying.

As the white snow and Chara's face faded to black, Frisk wasn't sure why, in her dying moments, the memory was worth flashing before her eyes. It had happened the past summer, but the events leading up to it and following were of no immediate importance. All Frisk had to grasp was the date of the memory.

September 15.

She never did figure out why that date was so important to Toriel.


For a moment, all was black. An endless void. There was no sight, touch, or smell. The sound was both faintly loud and deafening silent. There was . . . nothing.

Then, as if she had jumped into a tub of icy water, Frisk's senses overwhelmed her. She bolted upright with a harsh gasp. Wincing in pain, she wrapped her arms around her midsection. The ghost of the wound that killed her lingered still, but it would fade within the minute. The pain always did.

As the pain vanished, Frisk felt the sturdy trunk behind her and the snow beneath her. Cold seeped into her skin and down into her bones, encouraging her to remove her arms from around her waist and upwards to above her elbows. Frisk shivered as she hugged herself and drew the blanket closer.

Well, she decided, I'd rather be cold than dead.

"How did . . . ?"

Snapping her head towards the speaker of the unfinished question, Frisk saw Chara staring at her. His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open. He looked her up and down as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What's wrong, Chara?" Frisk asked, pretending her anger at the boy was nonexistent.

"How did you-? How are you-?" Chara grit his teeth. "You should be dead."

It was Frisk's turn for her mouth to hang open. "You remember?!"

"Of course I remember!" Chara answered, his words snapping like dried twigs. "That sword went right through you! How did you heal yourself? How are you still breathing?"

All Frisk could do was shake her head. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know, and where is that stupid dog? Wait-!" Looking around, actually seeing where they were, Chara said, "We're back near the beginning. This is the place you decided to rest, and now we're back." Eyes narrowed to slits, Chara glared at Frisk. "How did you do that?"

Again, Frisk shook her head. "I really don't know. It just . . . happens." It was her turn to glare. "And it's a good thing, too. I can't believe you would betray me like that. You betrayed Mom's trust by getting me killed!"

Chara didn't seem to care for Frisk's anger. He waved his hand in the air as if wiping away the subject and pressed on with his earlier questions. "What do you mean you don't know how you did that? You died, and now you're alive again as if the whole event never happened!"

"Because it didn't!" Jumping to her feet, Frisk looked Chara dead in the eye. If she couldn't take out her anger by calling out his shameful actions, she would throw the answers to his questions at him as if they were weapons. She wouldn't sit below him as she did it, either.

"The day resets," Frisk explained, her words bitter. "Every time I die, the day starts over. Nobody remembers what happened because to them, it never happened in the first place. Only I remember. Well . . . ," Frisk sighed, "until today."

Clenching his fingers, Chara asked, "So you mean to tell me that you have died before?"

"Multiple times," Frisk answered, monotone.

"And every time you die, the day just resets, and you're alive again?"

"It would seem so."

Whatever was going on inside Chara's head, he didn't let it show. Frisk carefully studied every little movement of his face, but his demeanor betrayed nothing. It was impossible for her to tell if he was angry, frustrated, or annoyed.

"We had better get moving." Frisk picked up her backpack and stuffed her blanket inside it. "Now that I know more, we should be able to make up the distance we lost and then some."

At first it appeared Chara was not going to follow, but soon enough he walked side-by-side with her. He can't be too far from the locket, Frisk recalled. Chara was just as stuck with her as she was with him. Saying nothing, Frisk stopped to pick up a large stick she found under the trees. She dragged it idly behind her, mind wandering in hundreds of different directions.

"You're lying," Chara said after they had been walking for a while, his words breaking the silence. "You do know how to come back from death."

"What convinces you that I'm lying?" Frisk asked, her voice quiet since she knew they were not too far from the dog that killed her.

"Nobody just comes back from the dead," Chara answered. "You're not the only human who died in the Underground, so why are you the only one able to reset? The only explanation is that one way or another, you found a way to die and yet not remain dead."

Frisk snorted. "You have an overactive imagination."

"You are hiding more than what you're willing to tell me."

"Can't you say the same, Chara?" Frisk glared at the boy. "How did you die?"

At Chara's failure to answer, Frisk mumbled, "That's what I thought."

When they came to the dog's station again, Frisk was careful to remain completely still as the dog – Doggo, if the name on the tag Frisk failed to notice before really was the guard's name – talked about how he knew someone was there even if he could not see them. This time sparing the can of food, Frisk hurled the stick as far as she could. To her surprise, Doggo chased after the stick and came back with it in his mouth.

He really is no different from a normal dog, Frisk thought as Doggo dropped the "ghost stick." Careful to remain as still as possible while preforming necessary movements, Frisk threw the stick a few more times. Had this not been an enemy who could turn on her if she moved wrongly, Frisk might have laughed.

"A stick appeared out of nowhere, then disappeared," Doggo said after he had dropped the stick the last time and Frisk didn't attempt to pick it back up. "Was it a ghost stick? Did I just return it to the afterlife? I need some dog treats to think about this."

Speaking not another word, Doggo walked back to his sentry station and disappeared behind it. Before long, the sound of snoring came from behind the counter. Frisk almost snorted in amusement.

Humming softly, Frisk made her way down the road. That was only one danger avoided. There was no telling how many other monsters could kill her just as easily as Doggo had. Maybe even easier.

"You have got to be kidding." Chara grumbled as he walked alongside her. "Did that really just happen?"

"At least I made it out alive this time, no thanks to you," Frisk said. She decided to pretend it wasn't Chara's idea to play fetch in the first place. "I'm certain you can agree that dying once is already terrible enough. Imagine dying multiple times. Even though I come back, it's still in my best interest to keep from dying."

Chara didn't reply. Such was fine with Frisk. She was still not over his murder attempt, and she felt no sympathy in comforting him over the ability she could not control.

For a while, they traveled in silence. When they stopped, it was because there were large spikes protruding from the ground, blocking the path.

"A puzzle!" Frisk exclaimed after reading the sign. "All I have to do is turn all the Xs to circles."

"Except you only have two Xs to worry about." Chara snorted. "This is perhaps the easiest puzzle in the world."

"Yes," Frisk reluctantly agreed. After half a minute of observing the circles and the rocks surrounding them, there was no denying that all Frisk needed to do was step on one X, make a complete one-eighty, walk to the other side of the rocks, and step on the final X. When she tried the solution and flipped the switch, the spikes fell without protest.

"That was anti-climactic," Frisk mumbled, disappointed. "I was hoping for a real puzzle."

"What is it with you and puzzles?" Chara shook his head. "Toriel often mentioned that you have this weird obsession with them."

Frisk didn't respond. She had no interest in talking to Chara. If only he felt the same.

"Are you going to be mad at me forever?" he asked as Frisk walked past the fallen spikes. "What? Is replying to me not worth your time anymore? Am I nothing to you now?"

Instead of answering, Frisk let Chara continue. Part of her wanted to yank off the locket to get some peace of mind, but she didn't. That must have been what Chara wanted, and when she was ready to wear the locket again, he would return to bothering her as if he never stopped. As much as he irritated Frisk, she knew her best bet was to let him get it out of his system now.

Frisk and the chatting Chara walked through the white blanket. When they came across another circle and X puzzle, Frisk was happy that this one was set up in a more challenging fashion. In the span of ten minutes, she solved it. However, any joy she might have in completing the puzzle was gone before it began. After Frisk flipped the switch, a hot red flare shot upwards and exploded like a firework.

"The puzzle was a trap," Chara observed, speaking Frisk's thoughts.

"It was still necessary to solve to progress, though." Frisk shook her head. "We have to keep moving. Now that they know we're here – whoever they are – they will be coming. There is no time to lose."

"Well," Chara began as Frisk quickly moved forward and slightly off the path, "if they kill you, it won't be long before you come back again."


Far away from the humans, hiding away the barrier that kept them all trapped Underground, stood a large palace reflecting the little light that entered under the mountain. Inside the castle sat a monster of a king. He was large, complete with wide shoulders and a strong jaw. A red cape hung from his shoulders, and a red trident was in his massive paw. His golden flowers surrounded him – a reminder. A tormenter.

"You heard rumors of a human," he spoke with his powerful voice to the cowering monsters below him, "and troubled yourselves to find one, but come back to me empty handed?"

Two monsters, both built nearly as strong as the king himself, trembled in their armor. The one with rabbit ears coming from his metal helmet responded. "There are witness reports that a human was indeed living in the Ruins. Some monsters deny the existence of a human, but who says they can be trusted? Like, none of the residents in the Ruins claim loyalty to the king. Any one of those monsters could lie by saying there is no human."

The king narrowed his eyes. "But did you see a human?"

"Oh, well, you see, the thing about that is . . ." The guard shuddered under the intense gaze of his king. "No."

Roaring, the king shot to his feet and slammed the butt of his trident onto the ground. "You waste my time and resources over a silly rumor instead of first looking to see if it was true? Idiots! There have been countless rumors of a human Underground since we got our sixth soul over thirty years ago. Now that we need just one more, everyone is driven by wishful thinking. You have to first prove your sources before you can act on them!"

"Y-y-yes, sire." The guards bowed low to the ground. Neither one dared mention that they saw the former queen in the Ruins. Even though her refusal to surrender anyone to the royal guard was testament enough she was indeed hiding a human, neither spoke it. Mention of the king's ex-wife always put him in a sour mood, and it was decided to save the news of her disposal until after he had calmed down.

Before the king could say another word, another guard rushed in. Seeing that the king was in one of his moods, the guard dropped to the floor and exclaimed, "Forgive me, O king! We have just received word from someone who desires to remain anonymous. There is supposedly a human Underground after all, and it is on Snowdin Road!"

The king frowned. "How can we be sure the word is true? We are still in the process of settling the last false alarm."

"Because live feedback from our hidden cameras prove the tip to be true. They were checked after somebody set off a flare on the road." The guard sat up, her gloved claws digging into the tiled floor. "There is a lone human Underground. It is on its way to Snowdin right now. If we don't hesitate to act, we can have our final soul and be freed from our prison within mere days."

For a moment, none spoke. The king sat again on his throne, pondering and considering. If the human truly was on Snowdin Road, then perhaps the rumors of a human in the Ruins were true after all. Not that the king had any plans to tell the guards cowering at his feet such.

"I will go," said a disfigured voice within the shadows. From the darkened corner emerged the captain of the royal guard. Beating a fist against the armor over her chest, the captain said, "It will be a great honor to claim the final soul. Or if you prefer, great king, I can bring the human back here for you to have. Either way, I think this is a job best given to someone who won't leave without first checking all the corners." The last statement was clearly meant to speak of the other guards, who whimpered at the harsh words.

The king looked his captain up and down. His royal captain was the best of the best – maybe even better than him, not that he would ever admit it to anyone. Perhaps sending the captain will be more beneficial to him than going to retrieve the human soul himself.

"Very well, Undyne," he told her. "Bring the human back alive if you can, but I won't complain if you bring its soul instead."

The captain, Undyne, bowed low.

"But," the king cut in, his words sharp, "if you can't come back with the human, then don't come back at all. From here on, failure to capture and kill the human is punishable by execution. Am I understood?"

Grinning underneath her helmet, Undyne said with all cockiness dressed as confidence, "Perfectly clear. King Asgore, when I return, you shall finally become a god."