Chapter 7: The Final Reset
They first noticed something was different when they left the Ruins. Frisk had a bad feeling. They turned to look at their haunting friend, Chara. While they weren't exactly on speaking terms anymore for not going through with the plan during the last reset, even they seem uneasy. They fidgeted and glanced everywhere at least twice. Something startled them to looking back at the Ruins. They stared wide eyed that the stone doorway. Frisk stopped walking and looked too. Nothing stirred the silence of Snowdin Forest until something blinked into existence. It was red, and it was fast.
"What are you doing?! Run!"
Frisk didn't question them and just ran for Snowdin. They were just in sight of the too wide barricade where they usually meet Sans when the red passed over them. It seemed like everything had slowed before everything exploded in white. Memories turning to dust.
Frisk woke up with fear clogging their throat and a sore back. They curled in on themselves and shivered, remembering the bad guys' shouts, their harsh grip. Frisk rubbed their red wrist, hoping to sooth the area where their bell used to be. Tears pricked their eyes when they noticed the yellow blooms surrounding them. Calming down, they glanced around. It was pretty down here. The big columns and vines gave this place a nice old Roman flower garden vibe, and with the shaft of light coming down on them, it seemed like a special place. Wiping their stilled tears away, they stood to get a better look around. They moved around until they came upon a standing shadow. They walked around it to get a better look.
It looked like an older girl's figure, but the darkness that cling to the frozen figure blurred the older girl's features too much to be recognizable, but they could tell that they were DETERMINED or resolute about something. The shadow girl had billowing long hair haloing them as their shoulders were thrown back and squared. Their arms were tight with their elbows close to their body and their fist clenched, palm up. Their torso was perpendicular with the ground. The legs bent but tight in a sure stance.
Frisk giggled. The Shadow Lady reminded Frisk of their mom during training. Frisk frowned and tears started to well in their eyes. The last time they saw their mom was when she went into Protection Mode. It was terrifying seeing her like that again. Frisk shook their head. It couldn't be their mom. She was right behind them fighting off the rest of the bad guys to protect them. Frisk tip toed a little closer to the Shadow lady to see if they could make out anymore details.
A heart wrenching scream echoed softly in their ears, making them freeze. Bang! Bang! Bang! Came an echo, Frisk clenched their hands together tightly in fear. They didn't know what was happening. They didn't like it. Not one bit. The cries became more desperate and softer until the noises disappeared, leaving a tense Frisk.
A sudden hissing sound startled Frisk into looking back at the Shadow Lady. What they saw terrified them even more. It was sinister dark red glow coming from the air to surround the Shadow Lady. It felt familiar somehow, but Fisk didn't want to stick around to find out which kind of familiar it was. Turning around, Frisk ran towards the archway out of this area. They didn't see the bright red smiling face within the blood mist as it giggled hysterically in the quiet room. The mist condensed until it formed a small child, Frisk's size, with that glowing face.
"Isn't this a surprise? I didn't think there could be anyone with more DETERMINATION than me or that other human. Now that you're here, I can finally end this timeline once and for all, ahahahahaha!"
Chara walked up to the Shadow Lady and started to hug her around the waist. They let the absorption process begin. Chara hissed and let go almost immediately after a moment of touch, a green haze was surrounding the Shadow Lady's figure. A tilted, cracked bright red SOUL bleeding green appeared before Chara, strengthening the barrier around its host. Chara glared at the almost upside down SOUL. Chara crossed their arms and pouted in a tantrum.
"If it's going to be like that, then I'll find another way in!"
Chara tried to overpower the damaged SOUL, but they were weakening. They need a SOUL to drain. Chara huffed and reluctantly left to find the other human. They needed to be sneaky since other human could sense their presence. With one last petulant glance at the better host, the poltergeist drifted off through the wall to find the other younger human to leach off them.
The Heart seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The Green bleeding dripped enough to form a broken green SOUL. A masculine figure phased into existence before the dark frozen figure. He smiled sadly and reached for the lady's face. He cupped her cheek gently, as if remembering better times. A red drop peeked out of the space where the Lady's eyes were supposed to be. The ghost was soon joined by other people of varying colors of broken SOULs until the shriveled weeping red SOUL tiredly flouts between them and the Lady shrouded in darkness.
Each of the varying people had different expressions ranging from either sadness to frustrated anger. They all wore hospital paper gowns expect for the Green Man. They were the other test subjects of the MageScientists.
Without DT knowing, they had squeezed themselves forcefully into her SOUL to escape the pain and torment as they died by her trembling hands. They were not proud of what they did, but they would not have changed their actions in the same situation. If anything, it was MS's fault that they could escape into DT's SOUL. Her SOUL was so hollow back then, like she didn't dare to feel anything other than DETERMINATION. In a way, they were drawn towards her power, seeking shelter, seeking protection.
Now they flouted before their kind-of-savior. DT had escaped from MS's clutches with K4. She lived. She was happy. Then K4 joined their ranks sobbing having learned too late he was going to be a Father. DT SOUL screamed and cried for nine months after. Tired and in pain, the soul protecting them was bleak and fading into darkness. Then a new SOUL formed slowly below the rest of them. Frisk came into the world bringing back faded hope and that bright DETERMINATION. The SOUL flared back into its bright crimson healthy glow. Everyone watched through DT's eyes as the child grew. They grew to love them as much as DT did. Everyone felt the rage, the despair, the desperation and pain at the MS for coming back, haunting them like the shadow behind DT
Now, they were all DETERMINED to help Kia in any way they could. Kai, the Green Man, hugged his wife, crying with her. B2 joined him. I1 wrapped her arms around Kia's side. J7 flouted over and hugged gently with all his might. PE2, she was behind him. The rest of the two dozen formed a clump around Kia.
They all looked up to the ancient magic surrounding all of the Underground. They reached out. A rainbow of colors rising up to draw out the ancient raw magic, they need this power to help her before she's too far gone. They need to right her SOUL before she disappears forever from her own DETERMINATION. They flared their colors brighter to draw out the Barrier's raw magic, just enough to help.
A drop came down. A brilliant flash of white covered them, rejuvenating them all. The shriveled weeping red SOUL soaked up the magic swelling a bright crimson before returning once more into its true state: A bleeding heart filled with DETERMINATION.
Slowly, everyone slipped back into Kia's SOUL, giving her strength. The last to go was Kai. His emerald green glow wrapped around his wife's SOUL in comfort. Whether for him or for her, he couldn't tell. He cradled her face with his large hands as he rested his forehead on hers. Tears welled in their eyes again.
"I'm sorry I left, but I would do it again if it meant for both of you to live again. Please be safe, don't get into too much trouble down here. I love you."
He faded away as he placed a kiss on her lips, wiping away her tears. Kia's black ice shattered. Kia shook her head to avoid the dizzy spell. Suddenly, she trembled with pain. She hacked and coughed up dark sand and ash. She stumbled into the nearest wall to rest a moment, leaning on it. When she opened her golden blue eyes, she stared at her 'blood' in shock. She checked the rest of herself. Her side crumbled to the ground in a pile of gray dust. She laughed hysterically. She cried glowing crimson tears. The SOUL within her shuddered, the multiple other SOULs in her SOUL quaked along with her in despair and rage.
They will help, in any way they can.