Guess who's homeschooled right now? Guess who hates that? A bunch of students actually! Really, I never blessed having a garden so much because it's been two weeks since the last time I set a foot outside of my house… And we're in for two more (for now…).

Anyway, here's the next chapter.

(Also, I may or may not have spent the last two hours drawing instead of writing the next chapters…)

Chapter XXV

What would you do?

What would you do?

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What would you do if your son showed up almost a two decades after you left him? What would you do if you were told your wife was gone? What would you do knowing she thought you loved your work more than her when she died? What would you do knowing you weren't there when your family needed you the most? What would you do if your mistakes became irreparable?

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What would you do?

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What should you do?

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'Dad? Why did you leave?'

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One simple question. A question Gaster would rather avoid, but can't. Papyrus wants an answer, deserves an answer. So why did you left, Gaster? Why?

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'What did your mother say?'

'She said you left because of work.' Papyrus looks dow, his voice fading into a whisper. 'That it was important.'

'It is. I would have never left if it wasn't.'

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It isn't enough, Papyrus still has doubts. Gaster can't blame him, he would have felt the same in his place. What can he say? The truth is too complicated for a child. The truth is too… harsh. However, Gaster doesn't want to lie either. Papyrus deserves to know, he deserves an explanation. "I left you because I love you" will not be enough, as true as it may be. Gaster has to tell him more — he wants to tell him more.

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'You know of the barrier?' Papyrus nods, silentious. 'Well, I am trying to find a way to break it.'

'How? Mom said only humans could do that?'

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"Said", not "says". How can a word hold such a power?

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'True. What did she tell you exactly?'

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Careful now. Gaster needs to know what Papyrus think is happening. Myriad didn't tell him the truth, she couldn't have possibly told him the truth. She would have protected him, even if it meant lying to him.

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'Mom said King Asgore needs seven humans to help him break the barrier. She said the Royal guard takes the fallen humans to meet him, and he tells them to help.' Papyrus stops, as if doubting his words, then resumes. 'Sometimes, the humans are mean and they hurt monsters, and they don't help the king. That's why the barrier is still there.'

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A childish version of the story, cleaned from the actual horror of the truth, as to be expected from Myriad. At least, it is rather correct — or correct enough for Gaster to explain his job using it. Thus, he offers his son a smile and wishes for him to believe what he is about to say.

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'She taught you well,' he says. 'We do need seven humans to break to barrier, but we need seven humans with different qualities.'

'Qualities?' Papyrus gives him a confused look, hoping to have an explanation.

'Main traits if you prefer. It is like…' Gaster pauses, thinking of a simple way to explain one of the basic of soul science. 'It is like your strongest personality trait. For monsters, it defines the types of magic we can use. For example, mine is perseverance.' Gaster calls for a bone, and it forms with a purple light. 'See? Purple is the color of perseverance.'

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Gaster now sees sparkles of curiosity in Papyrus's eyes — or, rather, in Papyrus's eye sockets. The child wants to know more. Gaster suspects he is mostly interested by the Royal guard's place in his story — after all, he did tell him he wanted to be a royal guard earlier.

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'And what's blue? What's blue?'

'Blue? Which blue?'

'Light blue!' Papyrus almost yells.

'Cyan, you mean?' — Papyrus nods — 'It's patience. Actual blue is integrity. You also have green, yellow, orange, and red for kindness, justice, bravery, and passion. Once we've got them all, King Asgore will break the barrier.'

'And what do you do?'

'I try to find another way, to do it without all the souls.'

'How?'

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Here comes the tricky question. How? Gaster can't tell Papyrus he is harvesting determination from the souls they already have, that he is harvesting determination from the souls of dead children. He is too young, he wouldn't understand. What should he say then? Should he lie? To his son? He can't. He thought Papyrus wouldn't be so curious, he should have known better. Then again, he knows Papyrus is hiding something too. The child learned the story he told him, and even though Gaster can tell most of the events mentioned genuinely happened, there is something Papyrus is covering.

And part of him suspects it has everything to do with the other monster he saw accompanying him.

It is fair enough, after all: a secret for a secret. He will tell him, eventually, when he gets old enough to understand. This thought should erase the guilt, at least for now. So he does the same thing Myriad did, he softens the truth.

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'The souls we already have give me their determination. It is… It is like a superpower the human souls have, and it can do a lot of things.' Gaster lets a smile form on his face at the thought of what his invention could do if he finds a way for it to work. 'I want to make a machine that will use this determination to stop the barrier from being erected.'

'The… souls…'

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It's not even a question, Papyrus already has his own idea. He is not smiling anymore, nor is he enthusiastic about what Gaster said. He is staring at the ground, his look empty of all emotions but despondency. He knows what his father implied: the humans to whom the souls belonged to are no more. Reality isn't some kind of fairy tale, neither is the Royal guard. He saw what Undyne tried to do, he knows humans can't "give their determination" or anything else directly from their souls. He may be a child, but he is not so oblivious.

And Gaster realizes.

Papyrus didn't hope for a solution which didn't need all the human souls…

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He hoped for a solution which didn't need any.

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But… Why?

Why would his son worry over humans? They are already dead! He is finally here, they are finally reunited… So why?

Why does Myriad have to be right even now?

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Why those words she told him all those years ago are echoing once more? Why does he feel like he is holding this letter again? Why those words?

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"And now, what will you do?"

Gotta catch them all! Human souls! XD

No, seriously, I thought it would make more sense to add this to explain why there are only six souls in the game (and why they all have their own color). Also... Red soul is passion. Why? Because we know determination isn't specific to red souls, even though they seem to have more. And what makes you determined? PASSION. That's it.

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See ya!