Chapter 7 - Stone

"Dad. Why is our home so weird and different?"

"What do you mean, son?"

"I tried to make a map of our house yesterday and I got lost trying to find the hall. Why so?"

"Well, it's so bad guys can't find their way around the place to hurt people."

"... Okay."

"Tell you what, son. Once I and mom are through with business, I will teach you how to navigate this place.
You need not worry about getting lost again. That sounds good. Right?"

"Sure... Was the castle like this when you were a kid, dad?"

"Yes my son, it was."

"For how long?"

"Since before my dad was a kid and his father before him... At least I believe so."

"What about his dad's father?"

"I'm unsure. My father never told me much about that man."

"... How was this all built, dad?"

"Rebuilt, my son... One stone at a time."

. . .

Adrian sprinted down the Castle halls - navigating it's layout with no complications. He was born in this place. It was his playground, his father's, his father before him, and so-on. If Adrian wanted to get somewhere, he knew exactly where to go and what to do. However, this was the exception.

He didn't want to go out and meet Asgore and Frisk again, but he knew he had to. He does not want to ask Asgore - an individual he just met and barely knows that uncomfortable question, let alone the ability to phrase it. The alternative was something Adrian did not wish to speculate.

Adrian knew what to do and where to go, but he was in dread of what could await him at his destination. The questions he feared the answers of. He knew he had to triumph over such dread...

But can I?

Can I persevere through this? Will I still bear the willpower to *Continue - even when the results are their absolute worst?
I just have to ask... They 'could' have Jamie... James 'could' be alive... But to have that hope after what I saw... The Envoy's flaming wreckage...
I need to know... If I want to know for certain, then all I have to do...

I just need to walk up to Asgore and ask if they have a body. Any child's body... That doesn't sound too hard to ask! All he would know is that he or his men found... He wouldn't know who the body would be of! He probably won't tell me if-...

Because he'd be afraid! He would think we'd attack the monst-... There would be a misunderstanding, and that... That would be bad for them. He might even lie about it, but as long as Jamie's body is found...

Asgore... Frisk... Back in that throne room when we first met... Why did I feel like I was meeting old friends for the first time? I never met them. I don't know them. But... Why? Or maybe, how?

Adrian's mind trailed.

Your request was to live with us in peace... A peace I once wanted a long time ago with-... I was different back then.
Why was I so naive? How could I be such a fool? If I didn't let Jamie go to the-... If I had just said said 'no'... If circumstances were different...
No! Focus on the task at hand!

Got out just yesterday, right? There's a lot of monst-... Any one of them could've found the body... I just need to ask... I...
I just need to ask... Just ASK.

Adrian arrived at the entry hall of the castle. He paused right at the entry threshold, one hand with his walking staff, the other gently pressed against the pair of doors. Outside would be the exit of his home - the great behemoth that was GreenGold keep.

Outside of those doors were the four rings of Green Gold castle's defense. The fourth and out-most ring was the ring the monsters had set-up camp in. Adrian knew how to get there. His will to *Continue was not ready. King Adrian, for the first time in a while would need to leave this place to find his answer. Once he opened those doors and walked through to the outside, that would be it. All that he had to do next was simple.

If the answer is no, then my son is likely never to be found - or found by someone who won't-... James's body would never be put to rest. But I don't have an answer to my question. If they have found it... If Asgore or his men have found... If the answer to my question is "yes"...
If I want to know for absolute certain, then...

Adrian took his hands, as he was pressing upon the doors, Adrian spoke - his words greeted by the bright colorless light of the sun.

"One day... The mouse must leave his hole to get the cheese!"

To say the least, Adrian's voice is not one of discretion. With great force, he shoved the great doors wide-open. Adrian bolted outside like a dog on a run. His *SOUL was filled with many things. Most have not touched his heart in a long time. For some of them, it was the very first time.

As fragile as it was, one of those many things was *Hope.

Ok, so this one's a little short for something that has been developed for roughly a month, but only because I was actually trying to cram an entire second chapter in here.

On the bright side, that's less work I have to go through for chapter 8, I... guess? I don't know.

Once this arc is over I will have no idea what to go with next, so please leave some reviews regarding the subject (or perhaps in general). I want to know what I'm doing right or wrong for the story and it's world.

At the end of this current arc is a bit of a surprise, but I'm not giving that away. Anyways, I'm sorry that this chapter's a little short but I still hope it keeps people somewhat invested until I get the next one out.

...

Unrelated note;

I have no idea how to develop these non-canon characters like Adrian, Jyack, and Gael in ways to get the audience to care. Why should the audience care for these other characters when there's already half of the UnderTale cast that I've not even touched as of this point?

Adrian is basically Humantale Asgore with a bootleg Game of Thrones vibe.

Jyack's just a random kid that was completely different from what I had in mind (he was originally going to be introduced as Gael's son, who would play ball with Frisk and Monster-kid).

I haven't even decided on Gael's soul color as of yet, and was not going to even introduce him until much MUCH later where he would challenge Undyne in a quarterstaff sparring match.

If I am doing something right already, then how am I going to know? Once the arc is over, what do the readers want?