The soft sound of a piano echoed around me…
I ached all over, like I had been crushed under a ton of rocks...
I forced myself to sit up as a feeling of dread passed by me, sending shivers down my spine like a cold wind.
I looked up and saw... Someone standing in front of me. I couldn't make them out in the darkness, but I could tell they were as tall as Asgore, but... far from being the kind King himself.
I tried to speak, but my voice didn't carry.
Then I felt like I had been punched in the face as my vision darkened—
I gasped in fear and woke up in my bed at home. I shot up, the pain I felt quickly returning as I fell forward on my face into the sheets. I shouted into them as the pain only grew worse, then waited for it to pass... It did, if only a little, and I slowly lifted myself up. I looked around the room and saw I was alone in here, the record player playing soft piano music on my dresser, a favorite record of W.D's I remembered.
"W.D—!" I realized.
Where was he? I took a deep breath and got off the bed, tripping down onto my knees as I struggled to hold myself up. I felt so weak for no apparent reason, making it hard for me stand back up. The pain I could push through, but this weakness was something else. I refused to let either feeling stop me, I had to find W.D and make sure he was alright. I walked beside the bed to hold onto it for support, then stumbled towards the door of my room. I reached the door, nearly falling, and held onto the doorframe for support as I caught my breath. I walked out of my room into the hallway, staying close to the wall for support, and started towards W.D's room, hoping to find him there. Please be alright…
As I went for his room, he came around the corner from the living room, wincing in surprise at the sit of me. He looked alright as far as I could tell, which was a relief.
"Semi!" he ran over, kneeling down and hesitating to touch me as his eyes darted over me with worry. "What are you doing up?!" he asked in a hushed tone.
"Lookin' for you..." I gasped for breath.
He stared at me intently, as if looking for something in my face. He peered into my eyes for a moment, making me a little uneasy to say the least, then sighed with relief.
"I'm fine Semi. And so are you it seems." he relaxed.
"Did Gerson and Mystrium make it out okay?" I asked as they came to mind.
"Yes." he nodded. "Mystrium has been having a harder time recovering though." he quickly added. "Toriel said his soul was 'damaged' in a way from the battle, she couldn't really explain it." he looked away from me, his expression showing both his curiosity and worry.
"That... thing, did do quite the number on him it seemed." I said.
"That 'thing' is a true monster. One that promotes and feeds on negative soul energy." W.D told me.
"How do you know anything about it?" I asked as I leaned against the wall to hold myself up. "And how to you manage to fight it even?" I recalled.
W.D let out a heavy breath, sitting himself down in front of me. I noticed the end of his tail twitch, signaling his annoyance at something, and I could tell he was upset. I gave him a moment to answer my question, but he didn't readily give it. In fact, given his expression and body language, I'd say he didn't want to answer me.
"De..." I said with a bit of annoyance at him not answering me.
"It's a long story Semi." he sighed.
I leaned my back against the wall and slid down it to the floor, crossing my arms as I kept my eyes on him. He glanced over at me and groaned, his tail wrapping around him.
"It..." he struggled to say, pausing for a moment. "Remember when I would go explore the caverns behind Home alone?" he reminded me, moving to sit beside me against the wall.
"When you were just a baby bones?" I remembered.
"Yes, when my curiosity was my greatest weakness." his tail curled up at his feet. "Far beyond the bounds of Home, off in a narrow cavern, I found a break in the rock. It reached up to the surface world, letting sunlight in." I noticed his countenance drop.
"That's cool." I said in a positive tone.
Where was he going with this...?
"One day when I was there, a flower fell through the opening in the rock; through the Barrier and down to me." he began to tell me, pulling his legs in and leaning over them. "Tied to it was a message written in Old Mons; a plea for help I found out once I was able to translate it later." he explained.
"That's why you loved learning that from Mystrium." I chuckled.
He nodded, then looked at me with a somber expression.
"It was a human, a young human, who I soon made contact with." he stated, his face blank of expression. "I would tie messages to bones I summoned and throw them at the Barrier with enough force to get the paper through after the bone would disappear." he explained, glancing upward for a moment.
"It didn't throw it back at you? Like it did that one time?" I recalled his test at the Barrier I had seen in New Home.
"My magic was very weak then; there was not enough magical energy to reflect back that would cause any harm." he stated. "For years I thought it was absorbing it, but, I was proved wrong in that assumption..." he admitted with a sigh.
"So, did this human tell you about that monster? How did they know about it?" I asked him.
"They had done their own research into it… but…" he paused, then got up, gesturing for me to wait as he went to his room.
He came back with a book he had filled to the brim with sketches of ideas he had over the years. I had never seen into the book myself, as he kept it well hidden and told me to not look in it, and being the good older brother I was I promised I never would, and never did. I was surprised it was still here and not in New Home where he worked. He flipped to the back of the old book, and carefully pulled a yellowed page from the flap that held many other yellowed pages. He unfolded the page and handed it to me as he sat back down beside me. It was filled with childish sketches of some kind of device that allowed for travel to the surface. At least, that's what it looked like to me.
"What does this have to do with the human?" I asked, trying to decipher its meaning.
"We came up with that crazy idea together, but now, given what has been discovered about the Barrier, we have decided to revise it into something more useful, and probable." he explained.
"You're still in contact with this human?!" I asked surprised.
"In a way... yes..." he said softly.
"W.D! This is amazing! Monsters haven't had contact with a human in nearly 1,000 years! Why haven't you reported this to Asgore?" I said in excitement, jumping to my feet and nearly falling on him as he caught me.
"Because... well..." he stuttered to say.
W.D started to look disgusted with himself. What was he so upset about all the sudden? His disgust soon turned into sadness as he looked back at me.
"I should have said something the first time I met her... but, I didn't know what it meant at first, and we became such quick friends through our letters..." he paused. "I never thought she would... That the monster might..." his voice cracked. I gave him a moment as he held back tears, his expression twitching between anger and sadness. He held a straight face, taking a deep breath before speaking further. "I went there one day, and found her..." he paused, holding his breath for a moment. He let the breath out, along with a tear from his eye, and struggled to keep his composure. "I had no time to process what had happened, I just—! took her soul and ran out of there." he began to shake.
"You mean... they...?" I began to realize.
"The monster, the one we faced in the Abyss, caused her to fall through the opening, we knew it had to be, it wanted her human soul. But it did not expect me to arrive at that very moment and take it from its grasp." he calmly and clearly explained.
"So... you still have her soul with you?" I dared to ask.
He turned a blank face to me. The magical pupils of his eyes shimmered with an odd light for a moment. I sensed... some kind of power from him. It was similar to what I sensed from him when he was fighting the monster.
"Yes. Our souls have co-existed together since that day." he looked at his hand. "I am sure this fact with answer a few things about me." he looked over at me, almost smiling.
"Like your sudden growth spurt you got about that time?" I remembered.
He reached out for me to pass the page back to him, so I handed it over, and he carefully tucked it back into the book, then flipped to the front, glazing his hand over the first page. I looked over and saw it held a flower that had long been pressed between the cover of the book and the pages behind it. Its petals were still bright white against the yellowed paper.
"Still my favorite..." W.D said softly, before closing the book.
"So, does this mean you know what she knows? Or knew, I guess?" I asked him.
"We share thoughts, yes, and she is the reason I know so much on the subject of the monster we face now." he got himself up, slipping the book under his arm to carry.
"Does she know where it came from?" I began to get myself up. He held his tail out for me to hold onto, and lifted me up to my feet as I held on.
"Its origins are before written history we believe." he began to explain. "No human or monster record seems to know exactly where it started. All we do know for sure is that it has existed down here in the underground since the war, feeding off the hopelessness of monster kind." he stated.
"How come it hasn't made any trouble until now?" I fought against a surge of pain.
"It has been weak until now, but after centuries of fear and hopelessness..."
"So why target Mystrium?" I wondered next. "What's the connection there?"
"Not sure. And I doubt Mystrium will relay that information easily."
I groaned in disappointment, and pain. My whole body was starting to feel stiff the longer I stood. I tried to summon a bone ahead of me to test my magic, but the moment I did a sharp pain overwhelmed me. It was like I had fallen into a tub of thorns.
"Don't try to use your magic Semi." W.D bent over to hold me up. "Your body and soul have yet to recover from your overuse of it. You should go back to bed and rest, I will keep you updated on what's going on." he assured me.
"Right... You do that..." I said, annoyed with myself. "In fact, go check on the ol'cap for me will'ya?" I asked of him.
"Exactly what I was planning to do this very evening." he nodded.
"Is, uh, Mom or Dad here?" I asked as I realized they hadn't made an appearance yet.
"No, they went out shopping together near an hour ago, they should be back soon." he informed me, glancing down the hallway towards the front door.
"I'd think Mom would've been hovering over me when I woke up. That's not like her..." I noticed.
"Well, you have been unconscious for 7 days now, so—"
"A week? I've been out cold for a week?" I panicked.
"Calm down Semi!" he held me still. "Everyone will be glad to see you were in a REAL comatose state and not—"
"Fallen..."
"Yes..."
I hope they didn't worry about me too much... Who am I kidding? Mom's probably been watching me like a Palace Guard watching over the Royal Garden, just waitin' to see some movement. Boy, a whole week? I wonder what I've missed?
"Let me see you back to bed before I go." W.D gently prodded me that direction.
"Think you can fetch me a snack as well Nurse W.D?" I kindly requested.
"Yes." he grumbled. "And it is Nurse Gaster, you use the family name with that title." he corrected me.
"You're the Doc, Doc." I replied, keeping one hand on the wall for support and another towards W.D.
"I will have to make sure Toriel stops by to check on you soon. I don't know if I can live through taking care of you while you are awake." he groaned.
"Sounds like she might have to check on you when she comes by as well." I joked.
"Just get in bed and go back to sleep!" he shouted in annoyance.
"I was unconscious De, that's not the same as sleeping." I told him.
"I'm not arguing with you Semi, I have too much to do today, especially now that you're awake and alive." he hauled me up onto my bed. "Promise me you won't leave the house." he asked of me.
"Sure De, I don't exactly feel like going for a jog." I shrugged.
"Good." he nodded. "Now, what is it you want to eat?" he folded his arms.
"Since the folks are out shoppin' I guess we don't have much."
"I'll go see..."
W.D...
What is it?
What do you expect we will find?
I am not sure. Given what Toriel has told me, I expect he will not recognize me at first sight.
What will you do then?
Try to help him recall old memories to help him identify me I suppose. It all depends on how bad his mind is.
Be careful... Just in case...
I will Lillian, don't worry. If he has fallen victim... I will no doubt notice fairly quickly.
The trip to Mystrium's home in Waterfall from Home was a long one, but I reached it in good time using some of Semi's shortcuts. I navigated the labyrinth of crystal dotted caverns leading to Mystrium's house, and came out to the open cavern corridor where the door to his home was located. It was eerily quiet, but that was not unusual. I glanced further down the corridor, which led to the old crystal mines, and saw nothing in the faint crystal light. I walked up to Mystrium's door and prepared myself for whatever I might encounter concerning him. I would have to 'play by ear' as it were and work with his puzzling condition. After hearing Toriel's report I was not really sure what to expect, would he be willing to talk to me about what happened? Would he even remember? Toriel said his memory was not the best, not that it was ever perfect, and that his mind was reverting to times before even the war. Regardless of my concerns, I knocked on the door, and waited for him to answer. There was no immediate response, so after few more moments, I knocked again. Still nothing. Was he home I wonder? Or might he be...? No, best not to think about that outcome right now.
"Copperplate!" a voice shouted suddenly.
I looked down the cavern towards the mines and saw Mystrium running towards me with fear in his eyes. He darted up to me and grabbed my jacket, picking me up off the ground.
"They are back!" he told me terrified.
"W-Who? What's back?" I asked as his fear spread to me.
"The Nightmare Hounds! A pack of them are right behind me now!" he stated wide eyed.
I tore myself free from his grasp and quickly looked behind him to see—
"HOI! I'M TEMMIE BOI!" a small monster loudly declared.
"That's, uh, a Temmie, Mystrium." I told him, surprised to see one outside their hidden village here in Waterfall.
He looked back and flinched in fear at the sight of the small white Temmie. He quickly jumped behind me and dragged me into his house, locking the door as quick as he possibly could, then propped a chair against the door and cast ice based magic on it to seal— He can cast ice magic?
"There. That should hold them." he said with relief. "For now." he shivered in fear.
Do you sense that?
The fear or the mass confusion? He seems to have both ingrained in his soul right now.
I glanced around the room while I could to gather information, and I made a shocking discovery. The entire room was in disarray, much more than it was usually. Books were strung out on every surface, including the floor, and his mining tools were all thrown into a corner, showing no signs of recent use to my surprise.
"I take it you have been busy Mystrium?" I asked as he looked around the room for something.
"Busy? No. Just doing what I always do during a crisis such as this..." he shivered.
"What, may I ask, is the crisis?"
He didn't answer, just looked at me with a blank stare. For a long time. He then turned and went to his bedroom, quickly coming back out with a large book full of loose papers. He plopped it into my hands without a second thought.
"I need you to get this to your cousin Amiri." he told me.
"I don't have a cousin named Amiri." I informed him.
"Well whoever they are they need to have this book! I'm putting them in charge of the Royal Guard until I get this situation sorted out!" he shouted almost in a panic.
"Do you mean Semi? My brother?"
"You have a brother?"
Oh my...
"Yes." I told him, trying not to sound indignant. "Just how bad is your mind right now?" I asked him.
"Not as bad as Miss Toriel makes it out to be, I am still capable of carrying out my royal duties!" he answered.
"You just handed me a book to give to someone that will replace you for the time being."
"That's beside the point! I can still defend this kingdom when needed!"
I sat the book down on the table nearby, and began to stack some of the other books I found there into a neat stack, wiping dust off the table as I went around it picking up the assorted books.
"What have you been doing with all these books?" I asked him.
"Research." he stated.
"On what?"
"My- egh, He- That.. thing, as the human's call it."
The Dark Soul Monster?
I opened one of the books, a history tome, and saw a picture depicting a frightening monster. That was it! Lillian recognized it instantly from her own studies. I quickly scanned the Old Mons writing on the pages and found it had come 'from another world' as I translated it. A monster born with a black soul of pure hate. The more I read, the more frightening it sounded. And the more I believed it after my encounter with it.
It is a lot like what I had read...
"Just what is this monster?" I turned back to him, seeing him staring off into nothing with a startled expression. "Mystrium?" I called.
"Huh...? Oh. What did you say?" he finally answered.
"Do you need some rest?" I began to worry about him.
"No, no. I cannot rest. Not when there is so much to do, so much to... to plan for." he said nervously.
"Have you ever encountered that monster before?"
"Yes- No! Wait, yes. Just not... like this- like it was- is- whichever!" he said in confusion.
"How long has it been down there? In the Abyss?" I continued straightening the room.
"A... very long time." he answered.
"Was it ever a real monster? Or has it always just been sentient magical energy?"
"It... It was once..."
"What happened to it?"
"It was... I tried, with help, to destroy it, but failed."
"Before... the war?"
Mystrium grew quiet at the question. I kept quiet myself, waiting to see if he would ever answer it. I glanced at each book I picked up as I rounded the room, trying to see what exactly he was searching for in these old tomes that had been taken from the royal library in the Palace. One I picked up especially caught my attention as I glanced through it...
'The angel shall descend from above and return to the world below from whence they came. The world below shall go empty that day, leaving silence in its wake.' I translated from the page. It was the prophecy of old that related to the day monsters would go free from the underground, supposedly. I was not one to put much stock in old words.
One day...
Perhaps. But I doubt it will be in such a manner as described here, no one has ever left this place, much less returned to it. It's an impossibility. Even our two souls combined are not enough to pass through the Barrier.
Don't lose hope Drago.. One day you will see the surface with your own eyes...
"By the stars... what can I do now?" I heard Mystrium say to himself.
I looked back and saw him leaning over the table, he was tense as he tried to take a calm breath. At first, I thought he was beginning to sweat, but, that is not normal perspiration on his face I am seeing...
His soul...
He has been affected... This is bad. If the monster has control of his soul... What does that put it at?
Hate and Callousness... and with him... Confusion it seems.
Who could have known his scattered mind would one day be his downfall in such a way?
Be careful Drago...
"One has to wonder how someone with a past so dark could do any good in this world..." he said to himself. "Why—?!" he slammed a fist on the table.
I stayed silent, not wanting to ask him about something that clearly upset him and risk making this situation worse. But my mind flooded with questions as I realized I knew little about his past during, and before, the war. Asgore would openly talk about it to those who asked, even Gerson would at times, but Mystrium... He would only ever speak about it with the other two. Now, that past was catching up to him it seemed. Just what exactly happened so many centuries ago to lead to these events, to still plague him now?
A question that only he can answer...
Indeed. But how to get it without upsetting him further?
You have to help him first... Help him get free of the monster's influence...
How exactly?
Just... talk to him...
Right... You know I have little experience in up-building conversation.
I could speak to him...
If you wish to try, be my guest. Just be careful with what you say.
I will...
I set a book in its place on the shelf, and relaxed my bones as I turned to Mystrium across the room, still tense and visibly upset. I relaxed my mind, letting Lillian take full control.
Good luck Lilly.
"Your past does not define who you are now." she spoke through me, the tone of my voice higher pitched than usual as she used it.
"Not when it is a part of you; part of your very being and soul." he replied.
"Even so, that is not what you have become, is it?" she asked him.
"No…" he answered.
"Don't lose hope Mystrium. You are a kind monster, with a wound from ages past that has yet to heal. Please, don't let what is bothering you upset you anymore. I'm a friend that is ready to listen and help you." she held our hand out in invitation.
Mystrium leaned further over the table as he began to sink down in despair. I began to sense... Sadness?
Confusion, Fear, Sadness-
"A friend..." Mystrium spat in anger.
H-Hate...
I forced my body to step back as fear began to fill me, but the bookcase stopped me from gaining any distance.
Don't W.D! It will spread into your soul as well!
Than YOU stop feeling afraid!
"P-Please, Mystrium, don't despair." Lillian fought past our fear. "If we work together, we can find a way to stop this monster. If there is anything you know that could help against it, please..." she pleaded. "Let us help you." she said with kindly concern.
Mystrium stood up from the table and looked at us with an annoyed expression.
Dread.
I felt like running for my life as he stared at me. The sense of dread from before... from that monster—! He may be further gone than we thought!
"My failure has proven I am the last to ask for such information." his expression went blank. "Time and again I was fooled into thinking I had won the battle, but each time I was toppled by my false hope!" he lamented, pacing across the room. "Never have I understood my destiny in this world; my purpose. So many paths were set before me, and yet I choose to follow none of them, leading me to this point." he, stopped, looking at his hands in anger. "If I had done what was asked of me that day... I would have lived a life of peace, and never known loss or concern… I would have been in control." he clenched his fists.
But would you have as many friends as you do now? I and Lillian thought to ask, but he was quick to continue.
"I could have become what I was expected to become; a king, a ruler, a—" he stopped. "I could still do it actually... I could—!" he began to tremble.
Fear, Pride, Violence, Hate, Confusion, Sadness-!
All clear signs that he...
Megalomania..
A vision of his powerful magic shooting at me flashed through my mind. If we lose him to that monster— would anyone be able to defeat him in a fight? It would take Asgore, Gerson, and the entire Royal Guard!
"I promised you though... didn't I old friend?" he whispered, his tone and demeanor opposite of what it just was. "Forgive me Brianzar..." he quietly cried.
"Who was Brianzar?" I asked myself, accidentally out loud.
You never saw or heard that name, did you?
No... Much of that time period was lost...
Who was he than?
Mystrium suddenly drew his sword, thankfully not towards me. He instead held it out in front of him, gazing at its enchanted blade glowing faintly with a pure white light, much like Mystrium's, well, hair I guess you could call it, and his own magic.
The Star Blade...
Forged by humans...
Enchanted by monsters...
A weapon that was designed,
to defeat the Dark Soul.
And Mystrium has had it since the war began, a holy relic from the distance past, compared to a normal monster's lifespan anyway, to the Boss Monsters it was probably just like yesterday.
"I did what I had to..." Mystrium started to say. "I never meant to cause so much fear, but my hand was forced— and you forced it!" he held the sword straight u, laying his head against it.
"Can I ask what you are talking about...?" I dared to speak.
Mystrium stared at the sword for a moment, then at me. He walked up and spun the sword in his hand, returning it to its sheath, to my great relief... He unbuckled the belt that held the sheath from his waist, and wrapped it around the sword, then held it out to me.
"Take it." he told me.
"Wha-? A-Are you sure?" I flinched.
"I saw you use it against that— that monster." he fought his anger. "You never could have done that without help; without the friend you have." he looked me in the eye.
Does he...?
There was something about his expression I did not understand. There was determination in his eyes, such I had never seen in him before. It gave me a sense of inspiration, and courage. Was this really Mystrium I was looking at?
"Now take it! I am no longer worthy of wielding such a blade." he shoved the sword at me.
"B-But you're the Captain of the Guard! You will need—"
"Not as much as you will need it." he sternly cut me off.
He held the sword out to me once more. I held my hands up under it, and he let it fall into them. The sword seemed to weigh more than I remembered.
He has passed the burden to us...
"Until things... clear up..." Mystrium rubbed his forehead with his wrist. "That sword will be needed, and I can't use it with... with the state I'm in." he stated.
I held the sword tight and looked at him.
"You are aware of your true condition then?" I asked, unafraid of how he may react.
"Perhaps too well aware." he gazed at the sword in my hands. "I choose to heed the words that haunted the back of mind for years; to fight back, and no longer listen to the dark force that threatened the world… Now I can hear it again..." he rubbed his head again.
"Don't give up Mystrium." Lillian told him as she put our hand on his shoulder. "Keep heeding those words." she added.
"You as well." he replied. "Human." he softly smiled.
Me and Lillian smiled back at him. Then he got a panicked look on his face.
"Drat! I forgot to make—" he ran to his bedroom shouting. "Oh. I did make my bed… Thank the stars I won't have to hear from the maid this day." he sighed with relief.
I have noticed something W.D...
That I haven't?
His power... Do you sense it?
His soul power? Now that you brought it up, it does seem different. Wait, are you suggesting he—
It's too great a difference not to be. I am not the only human down here...
Technically you are just raw, concentrated, soul energy, but yes. There is enough of a difference in power to indicate a human soul fused with his, and that would mean there are indeed two human souls in the underground. How long has he had it I wonder? And what happened to it for it to weaken enough for me to sense the difference in power? Is it even still part of his being, or did that monster...?
I froze with fear at the thought. To do something like that; take an absorbed soul right out of another being, would require enormous power. If that thing had the power to do that
—and now had a human soul— what was it capable of with such power? What would it do with it?
"I suppose I should inform the Guild of my leave, they might—" Mystrium walked back into the room, shaking his head and growling at himself. "Royal Guard Mystrium, Royal Guard. Palace, not Castle, Underground, not... not the surface..." he went over out loud.
If this Brianzar was a friend of his... Did they work to defeat the monster all those centuries ago? Could he be the soul?
A friend he lost...
A friend in need.
"You!" he suddenly shouted at me. "What are you still doing here?!" he demanded to know.
"I-I—!"
"Take this book—!" he picked it up from the table. "And take it to Amiri!" he plopped it in my hands on top of the sword. "And make sure the Wizard Division knows of the Nightmare Hounds!" he told, before shoving me towards the frozen door.
"I can't—!"
"Give me—!" he pulled the sword out from my grasp.
I nearly dropped the book when he pulled the sword out and shoved me back from the door. He swung the sword at the ice and it shattered into the smallest of shards. If I wasn't busy being terrified by his rash actions, I might have actually enjoyed the effect. He slapped the sword on top of the book and kicked the chair aside to get the door unlocked and open. He then hurried me out and slammed the door behind me.
At least he didn't hurt you...
The door almost immediately opened back up, and he leaned in the doorway rubbing his face.
"If you get the chance, tell Asgore I am sorry." he told me.
"What for?" I turned to him, struggling to balance the uneven load in my hands.
"For everything..." he said.
He closed the door right after, leaving me in the silence of Waterfall. I laid the book down and got the sword back in its sheath, and debated how to carry it for a moment, then decided to wear its belt longways, putting the sword at my back. It still felt heavy, even for a long sword. I was indeed carrying a great burden. The only weapon capable of destroying the Dark Soul Monster was in my hands now.
Mystrium will not be able to help...
No. I need to go see Asgore right away, after I take this book to Semi that is. It is a good thing Semi has shown me all his short-cuts, I should be able to make good time using them.
Once I was on the main path through Waterfall, I opened the book Mystrium had given me to see what it was, and to make sure I was delivering what was intended in case he handed me the wrong book. It was a binder book filled with past Guard logs and patrol routes. It had current assignments scattered throughout its pages along with maps and reports from Guards and citizens alike. I flipped to the front and found the most recent reports, many of them concerning outbreaks of violence across the underground in the past month or so. I found this interesting, as such reports were rare earlier in the year. Each one was highlighted, with special notes made on where, when, and who was involved.
Influence from the monster...?
I suppose that is possible. It is a fearful discovery if true.
If it continues to absorb negative emotions and soul power...
These reports may become even more frequent yes, something to watch for in the coming months. I will have to tell Semi about this so he can keep an eye out for any other changes in monster behavior. By the stars, Semi... Can he handle this responsibility in his condition? He will not be happy to receive the assignment I'm sure. Perhaps he could pass it to the Lieutenant, or handle it together with her.
We need to find a way to stop the monster from gaining power...
That would call for the entire underground to stop feeling hopeless, which I doubt will happen given the 1,000-year mark of our imprisonment down here coming closer with each passing year.
We need to give them hope...
If you were actually here that might be possible.
I'm sure you will figure something out Drago...
Thanks for the vote of confidence.. Though I doubt I will come up with something very soon. Unless...
Unless you find a way to make it work... As dangerous as it may be to try...
The power of space and time... It would require great amounts of power to even activate. Perhaps, if I can get my geothermal generator perfected... Yes. It would be just like that episode of Doctor Time! Vast amounts of energy converted into electricity to power a rift through dimensions! If Doctor Time can make it work, so can I!
You do realize that show is a work of fiction, right?
You do realize I have magic at my disposal, right?
Point.
I cannot afford to waste any time! We need to hurry!
The next day, I found Asgore, and informed him of what I had experienced during my visit with Mystrium. He wasn't too surprised to hear he had passed the direction of the Guard to someone else when I told him of it.
"I see, so he has entrusted Semi with the responsibility?" Asgore asked as we walked through the Palace otgether.
"Yes, and there is something else he has entrusted to another..." I began to tell him.
"What is that?" we stopped near a balcony that overlooked the city of New Home.
For security reasons brought out by Semi, I had Mystrium's sword belted at my hip, hidden under my long jacket out of sight. If anyone saw me with it, questions and rumors would no doubt spread about how I obtained it. As I reached for it to show Asgore, Erudi came running up behind him in quite a panicked state.
"Asgore! We have a problem!" he told him with obvious fear in his voice.
"What is it Erudi?" Asgore turned to him concerned.
It wasn't often Erudi would be this troubled by something, which told me he was about to report on something very dire.
The Dark Soul Monster..?
Stars I hope not..
"You need to speak with Toriel right away! She has... very troubling news to report from Snowdin." he told Asgore, gasping for breath.
"Is she here, than?" Asgore was quick to ask.
"In the throne room, yes." Erudi nodded.
"Very well." Asgore nodded back, leaving immediately for the throne room.
Erudi caught his breath from his run here as I walked up to him and looked at him with concern, he returned it through his glasses as he straightened them.
"Toriel has reported a contagious disease that can prove fatal to monsters." he told me, knowing I would ask.
"What? A new disease? Out of nowhere like this?" I replied a bit shocked, my mind recalling all the medical knowledge I had gained from Toriel over the years, and how little monster kind had in general.
It wasn't very often disease was a problem for us, but when it came around, it was like exploring a whole new frontier. This is just what we need, something else to cause worry and fear.
That may be the point...
Boss Monsters I hope not...
"It seems so." Erudi said somberly. "I have already ordered the Guard on medical grounds to quarantine the sick and watch over the Snowdin area." he told me.
"Drat. I will need to inform Semi of this..." I groaned at the thought of traversing the entire underground to Home another time.
"I'm sure he knows by now since he is in Home." Erudi stated.
"Most likely yes." I folded my arms and thought over the situation.
I heard Erudi gasp, he was looking at me in disbelief for some— DRAT! The sword! I shouldn't have lifted my arms!
"What are you doing with that?!" he asked in a hushed tone.
"I-I can explain this! Mystrium himself entrusted me with it!" I quickly told him.
"What-? Why?! Do you realize what you have?" he asked confused.
"Yes! I do!" I sternly told. "Please! This was something I was about to tell Asgore." I informed him.
"Why would Mystrium give you that sword? He— I never understand that monster!" he groaned as he held his head.
"You should try talking to him now..." I sighed.
"I guess it doesn't matter much right now." he sighed. "Just be careful with it." he sternly told me.
"I will." I answered.
Erudi folded his arms, irritated now, and looked out at the city past the balcony. I glanced out at the city myself, hearing the normal bustling sounds of the city. For how much longer would anyone hear such sounds of life if this disease got out of hand...? Erudi's antenna twitched once or twice before he looked back at me, gesturing for me to follow him.
He led me to the throne room; Toriel leaving just when we arrived. She stopped when she saw us walking up, her expression more downcast than I thought possible for someone like her.
"Erudi I—"
"Say no more, I and the others will do all we can to help you find a cure." Erudi told her before she could even ask.
"Thank you." she replied with some relief. "I will bring you any information I gather here to the Palace." she told him.
"We will solve this Toriel." he nodded to her. "No mystery stays hidden forever." he said; his usual catchphrase when facing a new challenge. "W.D, with me." he then ordered.
I followed him into the throne room, seeing Asgore's hand slide down the edge of his throne as he walked around from behind it. His expression... that's the expression of someone who has suffered loss. I know this is bad, but, is it really already that bad of a situation?
"Erudi. I want you to concentrate all your resources on finding a cure for this unknown disease." Asgore ordered him.
"Already in progress Asgore." Erudi replied.
Asgore looked at me, squinting his eyes. I figured he was looking at the sword under my jacket, so I took the belt off and held the sword out for him to see.
"He gave that over as well did he?" Asgore did not sound too surprised.
"Yes." I laid the sword out across my hands.
I walked up to him and knelt down, holding the sword up to him.
"You should take it Lord Asgore, as a Boss Monster, and as King, you have more right to wield this blade than I." I offered it up.
"No." he chuckled. "Mystrium gave it to you. Even out of his mind, he knows who he can trust." he pushed the sword back down to me and smiled. "If I have need of it, I will know to call you." he stated. "But for now, I do not think you will be using a sword." he said.
"Indeed. We have pressing, scientific, matters to attend to." Erudi stepped over to me. "On your feet Doctor," he lifted me up by the collar of my jacket. "we need to get a medical lab prepared for Toriel and ourselves to use." he explained.
"Yes Sir!" I answered.
"And don't lose that sword." he added, shoving it at me.
"Of course. It will stay on me at all times." I told him.
Asgore and Erudi both nodded to me. Through their stern expressions I could tell they were glad to see me taking this all seriously.
How could one not?