(TW: Suicide.)

As they walked forward, they quickly found the two brothers again. Neither was looking at them, and Papyrus was going on about looking his "SUNDAY BEST…. OR A LEAST MY TUESDAY PRETTY-GOOD!" Chara couldn't look directly at either of them.

They kept thinking about Mom. As if the few minutes after they'd been too concerned with the justification to consider. Would she remember this later? Nobody seemed to remember anything from the last time. Except an off-hand comment about pies… And Sans had seemed to know they had been here before, but he didn't say anything too unusual. They looked at him now, but he side-eyeing his brother, who was just now starting to put together the fact that they were there.

Frisk, still, was silent.

"NOT A ROCK…?" They had missed some of the brothers' exchange. They looked up, just briefly, their eyes cold as they saw Papyrus realize they were a human. "BY PROCESS OF ELIMINATION! THAT MEANS IT'S A HUMAN! AHEM! HUMAN! PREPARE YOURSELF! FOR HIGH JINKS! FOR LOW JINKS! DANGERS! PUZZLES! CAPERS! JAPERS! BEING CAPTURED! AND OTHER SORTS OF FUN ACTIVITIES. REFRESHMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED… IF YOU DARE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

He turned and ran off at that. Their expression didn't change as they instead turned their attention to Sans. He looked back, and didn't look amused as he said, "...and you don't even bat an eye this time, huh?" With that, he turned and walked after his brother, again vanishing abruptly. They didn't react. They didn't flinch.

Now was the time.

16 left.


"Did something move? Or was it my imagination? H…. Hey! I can't stop shivering all of a sudden. Who… who's there!? Don't move!"

Their knife met its mark with uncomfortable ease. They felt their LOVE increase, and lifted a dust-covered hand up over their chest. It hurt. It shouldn't have hurt. It should've been getting easier, shouldn't it? They sat down, next to the pile of dust, in the midst of the snow. Their hand trailed up to the locket, frozen shut. Was none of it reaching their own soul…?

"Frisk."

Silence.

"Please say something."

But nobody came.

They lowered their head. Stop ignoring me, they wanted to say, but what was the point? Frisk was taking the brunt of this for them, most likely. They might as well take on the hardest part. If gaining LOVE would distance them, maybe… this was for the best. They deserved to feel all the pain it brought on.

It would keep them focused on their goal.


"OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU… MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE… QUITE SHOCKING!"

They didn't have time for this. They walked forward, halfway across the puzzle, just to see what he'd say in response to that. He seemed to be… sweating. "FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS… THE, INVISIBLE… UHHHHHHHH….? HMMM… YOU MUST BE HAVING CULTURE SHOCK. YOU SEE, WHERE I COME FROM, IT'S A LOVING TRADITION. TO SUFFER THROUGH HORRIBLE PUZZLES FOR NO REASON." Right. Yes. There was no reason to play along. The faster they got this over with, the better. They continued to move forward, as he started speaking again, "SO, UH, JUST WALK BACK THERE, AND…"

Papyrus stared down at them in disappointment, before looking at his brother. "SIGH… WHY COULDN'T WE GET A HUMAN THAT LIKES PUZZLES?" And without bothering them anymore, he turned and walked away. Sans did not follow this time, instead seeming to wait for them, but as they passed him by he said, "y'know, it would make my brother happy if you played along."

It would make them happy, too. So they wouldn't.


They continued forward, past Sans and his wordsearch (which they picked up, briefly, but it did not ease Papyrus's frustration with them in the least). They moved on to the first puzzle they knew Papyrus wasn't going to direct them on, only to find that the switch they knew they were supposed to press… was covered by vines. Their eyes widened, as they stared down at it, and finally, finally, Frisk said something. Or, they thought it was Frisk, for a moment. It sounded more like their own voice.

"That flower is going to get in our way."

He seemed to want to help, but not for the right reasons. They tried to pass off the voice, thinking maybe their thoughts were just getting a bit out of hand due to the LOVE in the body they were sharing.

When they reached the dog couple, they realized a bit too late that Dogaressa was perhaps the more furious of the two. For all Dogamy's promises of destroying you if you hurt his wife, she was on the warpath. Dogaressa picked up her fallen husband's axe, swinging them faster than Chara had predicted, landing a blow where no other enemy had yet managed.

"Shit-" they let out, their shoulder bleeding, throwing them off. They had to take a breath, lunging at her and driving the knife into her side, only for her to get another hit off across their chest. But they could see it now, the predictable way in which she moved, the same as before but just faster than expected. When she came at them again, they ducked under her swing, driving the knife into her once more, collapsing on the ground as she faded into dust.

They curled up into a ball, there on the ground, covered in dust. They breathed deeply for a few moments, trying to calm down, and then choked back a cry as they said, "I'm no good at this, am I…"

They tried to think back to their training. They were trained to control their powers, to defend themself… And all that went out the door when they started slipping. When they realized that even if they could control their abilities, they couldn't retain their determination. They were so, so afraid of screwing up, that instead of going quietly…

They took down everything with them.

And they still were.

They covered their bleeding shoulder and chest with their sleeves, arms crossed over their chest as they stood and made their way to the nearest save point. Through solved puzzles, over ice, trying not to fall, staining the pure white snow with human blood. Staining the underground with the determination they'd once been afraid of losing.

What a joke they were.


"hmm…. so this human thing was a bust, huh?"

Chara could still feel the pain of their injuries, but they had recovered. They now shambled, somewhat, trying to continue on in spite of that. They had crossed the bridge to Snowdin halfway, finding their path blocked as expected, listening to the rambling conversation of the two brothers. Papyrus was excited to capture them. They doubted he'd get the chance.

"EXACTLY! IT'S POINTLESS! MAYBE YOU WERE RIGHT TO BE LAZY ABOUT PUZZLES."

"me? right about something? really?"

"YEAH! WHAT AM I SAYING! YOU'RE STILL COMPLETELY WRONG!" Papyrus came to the conclusion that the human child was not his intended audience. That he should appreciate Undyne more. "A VALUABLE LIFE LESSON! NYEH HEH HEH!" He turned and left, for what they knew would be the final time before their fight. They weren't exactly prepared, but they marched forward nonetheless, not even hearing whatever it was Sans was saying, until he spoke up, "...say, i've been thinking."

They stumbled to a stop, turning their head in his direction to signify they were listening. He had to know what was up. He had to know something was wrong. "Seems like you're gonna fight my brother pretty soon. Here's some friendly advice. If you keep going the way you are now…"

They lifted their head slightly, eyes widening as his went entirely black.

"you're gonna have a bad time."

And then he was gone. Vanished. They stared at where he'd been, and noted the eerie silence that ensued. Even the wind seemed to have died down. Briefly, they considered what they knew of his capabilities - he was slippery, came and went as he pleased, could disappear without a sound. Though he seemed lazy, it was possible that there was more to him than meets the eye. Yet knowing of the potential danger to his brother, he did nothing. Knowing what fate might befall him, he did nothing.

They proceeded into town, not wanting to accept they wished he'd do something. That there was something he could do.

They were so bad at this, weren't they?

It was almost completely empty. They saved, and wandered into the store, somewhat baffled. "Please don't hurt my family," said a hastily written note on the counter. They stared at it for a few long moments, wondering if it mattered that some monsters got away. Upon exiting the building, and staring at the ghost town, they wondered just how many would get away… How many would they need…

How could they keep justifying this?

Doubt was ever-present in their mind. They shambled toward where they knew Papyrus would be, pausing only to glance at Monster Kid, who said, "Yo, everyone ran away and hid somewhere. Man, adults can be so dumb sometimes, haha… Don't they know we've got Undyne to protect us!?"

Chara didn't respond. He wouldn't hear them if they did. They looked at the huge Giftmas tree at the center of town. One of those traditions that they'd played a part in - Dad would dress up and deliver gifts, because Chara had mentioned the holiday and how they'd never gotten anything. Mom would attempt to be sneaky and hide the gifts, but Ri and them always found them. And they were scolded, again and again, but they did so every time.

They shook their head, turning away. Monster Kid called after them, "Yo… Is something wrong…?" But they kept on walking, until they reached the end of town.

They stumbled into the fog, and braced themself.

"HALT, HUMAN!" exclaimed the tall skeleton, and they continued to march toward him until he insisted, " HEY, QUIT MOVING WHILE I'M TALKING TO YOU! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY." Unfortunately for both of them, Chara liked Papyrus. They really did. He was a bit loud and obnoxious, but… they would let him get a word in. Didn't they owe him that much? They had ignored him this whole time, after all.

"AHEM. FIRST: YOU'RE A FREAKING WEIRDO! NOT ONLY DO YOU NOT LIKE PUZZLES. BUT THE WAY YOU SHAMBLE ABOUT FROM PLACE TO PLACE… THE WAY YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN DUSTY POWDER" His expression became concerned, and they were filled with regret at giving him this opportunity when he went on, "IT FEELS… LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH. HOWEVER! I, PAPYRUS, SEE GREAT POTENTIAL WITHIN YOU! EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY! AND ME, I HARDLY HAVE TO TRY AT ALL! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!

They had to stop this. They had to stop letting him speak, before they regretted things more than they already were. They couldn't give up, and so they moved forward, only to be startled by the force in his voice as he said, "HEY, QUIT MOVING! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT! HUMAN!" He crossed his arms, regaining… what little composure he may have had, and said, "I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW! BUT WORRY NOT! I, PAPYRUS… WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND TUTOR! I WILL TURN YOUR LIFE RIGHT AROUND!"

They were shaking now. Their friend? They'd killed everybody up to this point. He had to have known. He had noticed their behavior. He knew something was wrong. But he was still offering to be their friend, to put them on the right path?

This… this…

Idiot.

They went closer. Their footsteps were slow.

"I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING. ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE? WOWIE! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING! I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!"

He held his arms open. He was giving them the opportunity to change their mind. He was giving them the opportunity to turn their path around. But what were they supposed to do? They couldn't sacrifice Frisk. But this plan was stupid, wasn't it? They were killing these monsters, but what about their souls? If they absorbed the souls and became a god, that must include the ability to reset and bring everybody back, right? What were they supposed to do? What was the right thing to do…?

Papyrus is sparing you.

They lifted out their hand, to Papyrus, arms wide open. Waiting patiently.

The knife glitched into it -

What to do, what to do -

- and quickly met its mark.

It cut through the flimsy locket as if it was nothing. Their eyes widened. Papyrus's eyes widened. They thought they heard him shout something. They felt his arms wrap around them as they collapsed. But all they could see was red, red - was it his scarf? Was it their blood?

They couldn't hear anything, but they felt Frisk's soul shatter.

They choked out, turned over, and they were in the void. They felt the knife in their heart, but they were in the void. They could feel the tears pouring down their face, and the hand that reached out to wipe them away. But when they opened their eyes, it was not Frisk, but an all-too-familiar, ever-smiling face.

It was them. The real them.

The other Chara.

"I think we need to talk."


A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I will be editing the Ruins portion of the genocide run in the near future to make it more... coherent. I don't like how I wrote it. I am also trying to be more mindful of assuring things are probably edited for (as people have pointed out a number of errors in the past from me not double-checking, which by the way thank you). Hopefully will have more for you within the next few days!