Author's Note:
Okay, I've finally got chapter 10(11, 12, and a thousand words of 13) on the way. I've been working in my free time to get these chapters in. I've gotten a job so I don't have as much free time. But I work faster than before so it evens out. I've got the general plotline down, and should be done with Phase 1 in about 8 chapters after 13.
There'll probably be a pause to get my bearings together after that.
Besides that there isn't much else to say other than to enjoy and follow if you want to read more.
Chapter Ten: The Tenth HUMAN, and the Wingdings KALEIDOSCOPE
…
…
No dreams today then? Guess today is going to be a pretty quiet day today, that's good. I've been lucky so far with my dreams…most of them have been more confusing or disorienting than scary. I don't do well with fright…tends to leave me all paranoid and jittery. It's why I'm not a particular fan of the horror genre…tends to just fuck with me.
But most importantly…who the fuck is rummaging around in the fridge? I'm pretty sure Frisk is still asleep since she tends to knock on the door once or twice and almost knocks me out of my dreams.
And since it's a Saturday she'll probably sleep late…and is that growling?
You know what I'm getting up and checking it out. For all I know all our food might be being stolen by either Annoying Dog or some Temmies.
I rolled out of bed, landing softly on a blue layer of magic. I then used Lift on myself, adding instructions to move in a particular fashion.
Back on my feet in a plain black shirt, long monochrome striped boxers and armed with a pillow. I was combat ready…
I pressed myself against a wall, adding Reinforcement and making the polyester object stronger than carbon fiber and steel super alloys.
It was fairly dark, though that was the default setting in the Underground anyway…
The only source of light was an open fridge, and two shifting silhouettes were made visible by the light. I lifted my pillow in front of me, using it as a makeshift shield.
I could just about make out some words coming from their direction, the…child whispered while the lower to the ground companion answered in growls and hisses.
"What the f—frick." I censored myself, guessing that based on their small size. That the intruder was a small child…and swearing in front of children wasn't a good idea.
Frisk would probably kill me and Toriel would help…
I shuddered at the idea…
I stopped to check the time on my phone with only some light so they couldn't see.
5:20 AM
Shit it's early…seriously why the hell are these people in our small two room apartment?
I tiptoed over, my vision slowly adjusting to the dark with each second. I could now listen in more clearly, and tilted my head in confusion.
"Mhmm…wonder if they have moss?"
"Grrr…"
Who the hell would willingly eat moss as a food? And why?
"Ooo! This chocolate bar looks delicious…let's…mumu hmmm…" I focused reinforcement into my eyes, the improvement in my vision allowing me to see clearly.
…a kid…no a human kid? And a…what in all seven hells is that thing?!
"HEY!" The kid flinched at my yell, and the weird…lizard…dog…cat monster yowled hurting my ears with the sound. A sudden bang rung out from Frisk's room, and she burst out from her room in green shorts and a white gym shirt.
Her hand shattered a section of the wall, and her eyes shined in the dark, an intimidating aura radiating from her.
The kid whimpered and the frightening aura around her faded as her senses returned to her. She offered the kid a small smile, but it only scared them more…
Now that I have a better grip on my nerves, I can actually describe what the kid looks like. I wasn't entirely sure if they were male or female though I leaned more toward the latter.
The human kid was about a quarter of a foot shorter than me…rather tall for a kid younger than me. I couldn't really tell what their age really was… They were certainly a head above the rest of their age cohort.
They had messy brown hair and a roughly diamond shaped face, and their face was dirty with melted chunks of solid chocolate. Their big eyes and long eyelashes fluttered cutely. They looked to be of possibly Hispanic or Latin American descent. Still pretty adorable though…Almost innocent really…
Though that was quickly upended when I received a face full of razor sharp teeth and fangs.
CHOMP!
"Motherffff…" I growled as the strange beast beside her lunged for my throat, but my magic easily blocked the weak attack.
"N-No s-stop…" with the hesitant command the beast ceased its feeble attack and I relaxed without a pair of jaws around my throat.
I kind of need that to live you know. And what the heck are you?
Hmm…? Same pattern as a jaguar, it's babyish features indicate a juvenile animal, and I can see a resemblance to some manner of crocodilian? Certainly an odd little critter…it's jaws have various different shaped teeth.
For a reptile it's rather mammal like isn't it?
Neat…
I turned to the child, not liking the expression of fear on their face. They were shaking, hiding behind their…pet.
"Hey…what are you doing here?" The kid blinked at my quiet statement and I kept my hands where they could see them. Didn't want the poor child to get frightened off.
"I…was hungry…" the kid was tightly gripping onto the half eaten chocolate bar. "Did you want it back? I'm sorry…" the human gave me a heart breaking expression with their mirrored eyes and I sighed.
"No it's okay…you can have it. In fact you can take what you like…we can always get more." Frisk didn't bother to refute my statement, and discomfort hit me at the sparkle in that kids eyes.
"T-Thank you." An apple was their first victim, and soon after they fed some cooked beef to their friend. The strange…little whatever it was crushed and sliced the flesh with frightening ease.
While they ate I decided to ask a question. "What's your name? If you don't mind me asking." They paused in their chewing through of a few pieces of ham.
"K-Kris."
'Take care of them…will you?'
I almost flinched but suppressed the urge, not wanting to alarm them. I knew their name was the same as the protagonist of Deltarune. And that…dream…that dream of a hill of swords…
"It's nice to meet you Kris. Did you come through the Barrier?" There was a hint of fascination on Kris's face and I almost grinned.
"Is that that what that bubble is? With those weird symbols…" I didn't see any symbols when I fell, though I was certainly blacked out through the crossing.
So I'm not one to talk.
"Yes…the Barrier is a powerful magic spell created by seven powerful human mages to seal the Monsters deep underground."
"Monsters?"
The apartment shook with frantic knocking and Asriel's voice boomed through the door.
"Hey! Is everything okay in there?! I felt your magic act up! Either way I'm coming in…" the door was forcibly opened and I palmed my face.
There was a sudden silence as Asriel burst into the room. The tall as hell boss monster froze up when he made eye contact with the tiny human.
"That's a monster?" The two of us nodded and there was a deep sense of curiosity behind Kris's eyes.
"Uh howdy?" Asriel greeted Kris with a confounded expression, his goat ears flapping with his cautious movements.
Kris was shaking their head in disbelief. "You're too fluffy and cute to be a monster…" Asriel groaned and Frisk giggled at their blase reply.
"He is a monster though…but not the evil kind…Asriel is a fluffy boy though…" I decided to end the train of thought, enjoying the horror written on his goat face.
"Damn it Brandon!" I grinned as Kris relaxed and giggled at Asriel's expense.
My grin fell away at the dark look on Frisk's face, the woman clearing her throat for attention from Kris.
"Kris? Why are you here? How did you find this place?" I knew Frisk didn't want to ask the tough questions, and Kris's whimper was the reason why.
"I…can't go back…I refuse…there's nothing left for me on the surface." Kris started shuddering and Frisk rushed towards her.
Oh dear…that is not a good sign of a healthy home life.
"That's fine…it's okay…you don't…" Frisk was incredibly gentle with the poor kid, speaking calmly and quietly so they wouldn't panic.
The moment was interrupted by the loudest, most annoyed and prolonged sigh I had ever heard in my life.
"Are you okay?" I suppressed the urge to aww at the genuine concern in Kris's voice.
Asriel was rubbing the bridge of his nose with his left hand while his right pulled his golden tinged head hair.
"I'm…fine…this is okay…everything is fine…" Asriel sighed for a second time, turning to face the concerned little human. "Just…if you have nowhere to go…we're going to have to inform my parents…probably Gaster too. He probably has the most experience with…humans."
Yeah…I might be an older brother, but I wasn't exactly the ultimate pinnacle of a caring person. Besides keeping him from doing stupid things, I haven't been the best caretaker, that's more my parents department.
Frisk might be able too…but whether she needs the additional workload…who knows. Chara…is a definite no…she's nice and all but the caretaker of a seven years old she is not.
"Is that alright with you?" Kris nodded to Frisk's question knocking me out of my train of thought.
We…should go deal with the fallout…
"How fascinating…a third human falling…it hasn't happened in this way in the usual timelines." Gaster muttered under his breath just below the hearing range of Kris but not below my hearing range. The child fidgeted as he tapped a strange instrument against their body. On several screens, I could see what looked like readouts of their vitals…though to be frank I didn't understand them much.
"Are they healthy at least?" The motherly voice of Toriel broke in, the goat monster having showed up soon after.
Gaster replied swiftly. "Some signs of malnutrition…but it isn't too bad. A consistent diet should be enough to fix it. Some old healed bruises and burns as well…hmm…" He frowned momentarily, turning to me with question in his eyes. "What did say you their name was?"
"Kris." The instant I said it he flinched and shrunk back, though he quickly calmed himself, needing to do his job. I didn't like that expression of guilt on his face one bit.
I yelped when I felt a body coil around my leg, only marginally relaxing once I realized it was just the strange crocodilian that Kris had brought with them.
"Her names Kapro." Kris gave me a shy grin, and I smiled back hoping to make the kid comfortable.
Now that my thoughts were organized, I could feel utter fascination at the strange species I was being trapped by.
The usual thick scales of…whatever species it used to be was replaced by a beautiful coat of feather like down. It's amber eyes blinked innocently, though there was a more reptile like air to them. It felt unnatural…then again being descended from reptiles tends to imply a more alien mindset than us synapsids.
And there's clearly been a significant boost in intelligence or at the least in empathy. Then again crocodile's close relations with birds would indicate some capacity for growth in their intelligence and brain size.
And I also remember studies of rudimentary tool use among crocodiles. Using sticks as bait for nest building birds…
Anyway…it…She(?) seems friendly enough. I wonder if she'll let me…
With a grunt I gently lifted the roughly 30 pound predator into my arms, being careful to not touch any sensitive spots. Both Gaster and and Toriel gave me stupefied expressions and I brushed my hands against Kapro's coat…
Oh my god it's so soft and fluffy…
"Hey you know what this is Gaster?"
The skeleton man scowled. "How in gods name would I know what that…creature is?!" He grumbled under his breath and threw his hands up.
I scowled back. "Can't you scan her like you scanned Kris?" He stepped back, his eye lights wavering as he paused.
They widened. "That…could work…I do have a very…very large DNA database…sourced from…human technology. Place it here please." He gestured to the metal table that Kris had been standing on.
I did so…and he began to scan the critter the same way he had been scanning Kris. For the next few minutes we waited in silence, the machine taking more time to analyze a completely unknown species.
Slowly the number on the screen ticked upwards and my feet started tapping against the floor.
90%
Closer…
93%
A little more…
98%
A few more…seconds?
99.99%
Yes!
…
…
Gaster shook his head, and gave the scanners a good tap, the machines sputtered and let out a ringing sound indicating completion.
He stared at the results, his forehead furrowing(somehow?) at the given results.
"That's odd…it says here…that this being has close relations to…turtles and birds? Though I haven't read the complete file as of yet."
Birds and tu—
Oh.
"Some type of crocodilian. Crocodilians share close relations with both of those groups, splitting off…in the late Permian to early Triassic…"
"Ah thank you. That should narrow it down…" He input something into the machine, and it popped out another answer.
"What does it say?" Kris asked with curiosity lighting up their eye.
Gaster answered with haste. "Some form of alligator…most likely a South American caiman of some variety…how it diverged so drastically I have no idea."
"Pretty neat actually…wonder if this provides some evidence for that theory."
Gaster gave me a puzzled expression. "Can you expand upon that thought?"
I gladly did so. "Well…there are some who theorize that feathers are an ancestral trait to dinosaurs, likely evolving some time before they "existed" Passed down from a common ancestor. It would explain some results from analysis on alligator embryos."
"What does that mean?" Kris twiddled their thumbs nervously and I pat their head affectionately. I did have a soft spot for cute things…and they definitely fit the description.
"Turns out crocodilians have a number of genes associated with feather development…and the formation of feather like structure has been induced by scientists before…can't forget the hair like structures of pterosaurs either."
Personally I find evolutionary history rather neat. The sheer diversity of life over the past billion years or so is absolutely amazing! Convergent evolution specifically is pretty great too…
Hell there used to be non mammalian synapsid equivalents of primates and squirrels back in the Permian. Some crocodile like temnospondyls, Armadillosuchus…the multiple iterations of saber teeth. The streamlined forms of fast swimming ocean going animals like dolphins, sharks, Ichthyosaurs…sailfish. That fish like species of free swimming sea slug…
"Hello?" Toriel was giving me an odd look, a small uncertain grin on her face.
I flushed, scratching my chin in embarrassment. "Sorry…got a little lost in thought."
"That's alright dear…I was just worried." The goat monster shrugged her shoulders, her dress ruffling with the movement. I pursed my lip once I noticed the amusement dancing in Toriel's eyes.
Why was she smiling?
I suddenly felt tiny hands tug at my shirt and I glanced down to meet Kris's silver eyes. They tilted their head, and my…SOUL seemed to resonate with theirs…
They were certainly the curious sort huh?
I leaned down slightly. "What is it?" I kept my voice calm and solid, again didn't want to alarm them by mistake.
They smiled sweetly. "You're really nice…"
O-Oh…that's…n-neat…yeah.
Stop smiling like an idiot Frisk…
I shook my head, regaining control of my scattered thoughts. This was no time to be distracted by sweet words and smug Frisk's.
"Thank you…" I stared past them and at their pet, my hands curling in on themselves.
Kapro tilted her head, the strange crocodilian licking its teeth with twinkling eyes. She bounced into action, her body coiling like a spring before skidding just short of my feet.
I was then pushed back several feet as she leaped into my open arms.
Pet pet pot…
"Didn't take you for an animal lover." Frisk was literally sparkling and I questioned this before remembering where I was.
I'm living in a world of talking skeletons and flaming goat monsters…and sparkling is where I draw the line?
So…weird of me…
"Well…I think animals are neat that's all. And so soft and fluffy." I whispered under my breath while petting the adorable little fluff ball. She purred and I grinned openly, marvelling at the sheer softness.
"Sure…sure little man." Frisk smirked and I felt the urge to push her.
"Kris was it…?" They nodded timidly to the scientists question. Gaster clicked his tongue(somehow?) as if unsure whether he should continue.
"Yes?"
"Please…if you do not mind, why did you come here? You do not need to mention you home life….but I would ask what you were looking for…"
I glared at him, and Toriel did the same. Gaster paled and h—
"I…was looking for something…"
"What would that be?" Frisk asked curiously.
"Answers…"
Gaster looked rather pensive…as if he had an idea. He looked to me with a neutral expression.
"It's quite early…return home for a few extra hours of sleep. I have something to show you…"
Kris and I glanced at one another.
Wonder what it was…but…
God I'm tired…
Kris yawned and I knew they agreed with me.
A nap would be a good time…
—Play Home—
"So why am I here?" Chara was rather adamant in not wanting to deal with this.
Apparently Frisk had gotten up to…to be honest I don't know. Maybe she wanted a day by herself? Hard to say…but before that, she set up a little bed for Kris to sleep in. So we fell asleep and were later woken up by a knock on the door.
Chara had been given the task of guiding us to some invention of Wingdings. We still had some time though, so I was cooking up a basic egg and ham breakfast.
A little bit of olive oil…beat up the eggs until they're scrambled. A pinch of salt and a few minutes of cooking in the pan and they're done.
Kris was looking on with hunger in their eyes, and I had given up the equivalent of two cooked eggs to Kapro.
Cute little thing looked ready to bite my face off…thankfully her ravenous hunger was satiated by the early meal. So I was spared…
I turned off the stove, and grabbed three plates placing two servings of scrambled eggs. Kris looked at me with an unreadable expression and Chara rolled her shoulders, conjuring a fork with magic.
An…interesting use of magic. But then again…Toriel uses fire magic to cook…using magic for more mundane purposes isn't new.
And I might be thinking that magic is more special that it really is. In my world it's nonexistent but in a world where's it common. It would obviously be used as a tool in common life.
"Is there any…" Kris whimpered when I looked over to them. I darted my eyes over to a nearby ketchup bottle and pointed. Kris meekly nodded and I gave them a grin.
Maybe I can show off a bit…?
I proceeded to use some telekinesis, adding a UFO wooing sound for added effect. Kris clapped their hands enthusiastically, a blinding smile on their face.
The ketchup bottle gently floated down with a fork coming in for a landing shortly after. Her fingers grazed the bottle before suddenly freezing up.
"Is it…?"
"Y-You don't have to ask to get some ketchup…" I answered Kris's unfinished question, feeling a discomforting unease in my stomach. Something about how they acted around adults gave me a sick feeling, and I didn't want to think about it.
Kris dug in to the food with little hesitation, barring a slight quiver of the lips. Which Chara and I pretended to ignore for the kids sake at least.
We ate quietly and awkwardly and between bites Chara was the first to break the suffocating silence.
"H-Hey…kid? If you wouldn't mind…What's it's like on the Surface now? I know it's different that it used to be…" Chara's lips briefly twitched into an an awkward mess of a smile. Kris looked rather more disturbed by the facsimile of a facial expression. I could tell Chara was hurt by that…
"Uhhh…it's hard to describe?" Kris wrung their hands together, their eyebrows furrowing in concentration. "The air feels…and tastes weird…and there aren't any usual animals…no foxes…no reindeer…the songs are different."
"Songs?" Kris blinked, a lack of understanding on their face.
"You…can't…hear them?" We shook our heads and they tapped their fingers against the table. "Well…I can hear…songs…the ones that living things keep within their SOULS." I felt uneasy again but steeled myself. "The animals living here are both familiar and not…it's strange. So…alien."
That…might be some unique form of magic then. Certainly not a form of magic I've ever heard of before…but that isn't saying much.
"That's…an interesting…way of using magic…" Chara was brimming with questions but she certainly didn't want to overwhelm Kris with them. The determined youth crossed her arms, and I could see the years turning in her head. "Which brings me to a different topic…how old are you?"
"Uh…seven? Why?" Kris pursed their lip, their head tilting like a small puppies.
"You're pretty tall for being seven that's all." Chara scratched the back of her head, a dash of red on her face as she lost her nerve.
She…wasn't wrong…upon closed inspection Kris didn't look seven years old. The child was too tall and too intelligent…
My phone suddenly vibrated and I pulled it out of pocket in haste. I frowned at the unknown number by decided to reply.
"Ahh…human."
"Gaster?" I placed him on speaker, since I needed to fill my belly with my meal. I took a few bites as I heard him smack his…lips?
"It seems my diagnosis of the human child…was underestimating their health issues." I hissed at the idea. No one so young should be…going through what—
"What?" Chara's tone was flat but I could see her eyes dart to the visible bruises on Kris's arm.
"Based on…what I can tell…they're rather more undernourished than I once thought. They're the right height…more or less. But they're quite underweight, and are lacking some important nutrients to help with their development. I have a prescription of vitamins they must take…"
That's…awful…
"Is that so?" I shivered at the undernote of pure fury distorting Chara's speech. Kris shrunk in on themselves, and Chara's searing gaze softened.
Chara pulled something from somewhere…a brief distortion of air the onto indication she had done something.
"Uh…?" Kris was unsure, looking at the object in Chara's hand in curiosity.
I stared dumbly at the offered chocolate bar, Chara gesturing for Kris to take it.
Oh…
Guess Chara has a soft spot for kids after all…
"They also appear to be about eleven earth years old…and…their se—." Gaster was cut off by Kris when they added a cough.
"I'm seven though? At least that's what my d—someone said. But kids back up always looked at me funny when I said that…" Kris trailed off, counting their age on their individual fingers.
"Uh…what's that based on?" I asked Kris, unaware on how they had gotten that idea from.
"Maybe telling us where you were born might help?" I turned to Chara and she mouthed out the words. "Maybe they lived in a place with an non standard calendar?"
It's not an impossibility…but we can't really know that. Unless we ask anyhow.
"Heimabæ…was where I was born…it's…not close…it's really far away…"
"Come on…a place can only be so far." Chara placed her knuckles on her hips, a cocky smirk on her face to reassure the tallish child.
"53…"
"53 what…?" Chara leaned forward to hear the kid better. Kris blushed, rubbing their hands together in a painfully understandable action.
"53…million kilometers."
…
…
What?
"Excuse me?" Chara was left nonplussed by their reply. In response Kris pulled something out from their backpack. A small…smart phone of some variety…they clicked a screen button and the device flashed.
I blinked at the sudden holographic image, displaying a large metal torus slowly rotating around a small asteroid field. One rock in particular dwarfed the station, easily ten times its diameter.
"A Stanford Torus…" Kris nodded, and the image shifted to a view of the solar system from above. The point where the…colony was, was labeled as 1.35 AU from the sun. Which would explain their confusion, but even then it wouldn't be correct.
"That would make you eleven years old…not seven. Your biology isn't different enough yet. Whoever told you what was messing with you." Chara replied with a confused lilt as she spoke.
"Oh…I'm sorry." My eyebrows furrowed at their apology.
"There's no reason to apologize you've done nothing wrong."
"Ahem…" we all froze at the sheer irritation in Gaster's deep voice.
We should get going.
(Kris's POV)
So I'm eleven years old…I guess that's another thing that D—he messed up with…
After that…uncomfortable exchange, that tall pretty girl and the short(but cute) older guy decided to take us(I wasn't leaving Kapro) to the special place of Doctor…Gaster?
It was a rather scary place…full of lava and smoke that made it hard to breath. But the moment I started coughing…the red eyed lady pushed back it back with magic.
She's a nice lady too…
"Where are we?" I brushed my hair back, a puff of steaming air heating me up. The lady…Chara tilted her head back to answer.
"This is the start of Hotland. It's where the Royal Laboratory is. Gaster wants to show us something." The lady grimaced and I crept close, looking at the distant magma with distaste.
I looked up at the white outer walls of the of the huge lab, a grin spreading on my face. Whatever was in there would probably be really neat…
Kapro hissed and before I could stop her, she charged forward at top speed. I swear I saw glimpses of her eyes flashing with light, and I flinched at the sudden resounding thud as her head met metal.
She shook it off, and with a yawn sat down in a sprawling position. Feet scurried from within and a…sweaty yellow dinosaur lady opened up the door?
"Hey Alphys!" The g—Brandon greeted the monster with enthusiasm and I added to his greeting for politeness if nothing else.
The monster rubbed her eyes, her bleary gaze focusing on me for a brief second. They opened wide.
"O-Oh…you guys are here. Uh come on in, Gaster will be with you…in the True Lab."
Why does that sound so ominous? It's just a lab…
We followed just behind her, and I relaxed as the heat from outside faded. The lab was much cooler and felt more like home.
I'm sure it'll be fine!
(My POV)
I rubbed my eyes in slight pain at the sheer and utter greyness of the room we had been brought to. I could barely make out anything except a single mahogany table with a clear glass sphere sitting on it.
Kris was repeatedly blinking, and Kapro was growling with annoyance. Chara didn't react at all, seeming almost familiar with the place. Which wasn't an impossibility with how strange this room was…
Alphys had fallen behind, whispering about "CORE maintenance" before finally leaving us.
"This…VOID is…very interesting. But…it's too quiet." Kris whispered under their breath, a trail of vapor emanating from their mouth. They also shivered. Likely the cold of the room was the cause. Behind the desk however…
There Gaster stood, his hands behind his back, his eyes and mind elsewhere. They flitted over to us, deeply analyzing and or assessing us.
"Hello children…I'm sorry for the…displeasure to your senses. Sometimes this place…glitches." He snapped his fingers and the eye burning sensation vanished. The grey receded to the pure white of a laboratory, easier on the eyes than before. Only his desk remained the same.
I felt shivers run down my spine, as if had someone had walked straight through me. Voices promptly followed afterward, the whispers circling around us and around Kris. There was a feeling of welcomeness, each slightly different in their own way.
"So the six human SOULS are here?" Chara asked Gaster with a deadpan expression and he nodded. The whispers grew louder and deeper and a growl escaped my throat. The noise flustered and annoyed me…
The whispers soon stopped, a hint of apology in the wonderfully musical notes of soul speech. Kris watched the eyes with fashion, a quiet humming in their throat as the souls flew around us.
Gaster cleared his throat, and we returned our attention to him. "Yes…they have always been interested in my handy device here." He patted the round clear orb with affection, a wide and sweet smile on his face. A rather unexpected change in emotion.
It reminded me of Papyrus…
Where was I?
Gaster gave me an unimpressed look and I sheepishly waved. He rolled his…eyes and straightened his back, starting his lecture. He patted the orb again. "This device is a byproduct of my research into the VOID. You could call it a looking glass, allowing anyone to perceive images of parallel worlds and timelines."
"Like when you fell into th—."
Gaster cut her off with a grunt. "Yes…this device, this invention I have named…" he stopped with a dramatic pause. "The KALEIDOSCOPE. It was developed primarily to allow navigation within the VOID. It's…power supply…is less excessive…than the full machine."
Machine? What machine…?
"Why are you telling us this?" Kris had a serious look that was unbefitting of their cuteness, their eyes obscured by messy hair.
"You seek something of the past do you not?" Kris froze, but after a several moments nodded with reluctance. Gaster smiled, thought it didn't reach to his eye sockets. "Then the KALEIDOSCOPE can provide answers…we must simply seek out another near identical timeline. We can get your answers…if you wish."
"Yes." Their reply was immediate and without hesitation. Their desperation and hope made my heart clench and I bit my lip, gazing down at the orb with wariness.
A different feeling started surging within me as I caught a glimpse of Kris's silver eyes.
That dream of unlimited blades…
"I…" I sunk in on myself as the three other occupants stared. I took a deep breath to get my confidence going. "I…might have seen something…in a dream." Kris was puzzled, though their eyes suddenly glimmered once they parsed on to what I implying
"W-What?" They were sullen…and confused.
"I remember…a dream…of a woman standing on a hill of swords. She looked a lot like you…and…and." My mouth dried, and I strained my mind to remember. "She…was fighting a gigantic army…on this exact mountain."
Chara was nonplussed, her aura oozing off of her and emitting fear and anger. I clicked my tongue ponderously, remembering even more.
"She was…a hero of justice…and said something to me…but the words are pretty fuzzy now." I shrugged apologetically.
I wheezed as I was suddenly hit with 36 kilos of excessively happy 11 year old. I couldn't make out any words, but there was gratitude coming off of them in waves.
"Thank you…" I felt awkward at the sudden act of affection and gently pried off their grip, giving them a half smile.
"How intriguing…your gifted pseudo kaleidoscope should make finding out what the child is looking for…much easier. It'll still take some time…but it's a start." Gaster brushes his skeletal hands against the smooth surface of his invention, and he typed something in. The machine whirred and he grimaced. "It won't be a quick process…whatever history is…here it is of a great length."
"I can wait." Kris looked at me with a toothy grin and I glanced away, a light blush on my cheeks.
"If you please little human. Us adults need some privacy…would you mind? My son sans will keep you safe." Kris smiled and nodded silently.
The skipped off with a panting Kapro behind them.
The door closed…
"Hey human…you're looking a little…bonely ehh?" I rolled my eyes at the sudden crash of drums, but felt my heart warmed by Kris's laugh.
It didn't take long for the sounds to disappear as they walked away and it was now only Chara, Gaster, and I.
"It…was definitely you who brought me here right doctor?" The skeleton remained silent and I scoffed with contempt.
Just what I thought. But I didn't know why…neither Frisk or Chara had any knowledge of me, or they wouldn't have been so surprised.
"Was the only way." I only caught the end of his mutter and I raised an eyebrow, wanting a full explanation.
"Gaster stop mumbling like a spoiled child. You're a Royal Scientist. Act like it." Chara didn't tolerate his groaning for a second and the man relented.
"I…during my time in the void. I could not act as more than a simple distraction or curiosity for the…DEMON. I had so much knowledge and information set upon me. But what use would it be when neither my mind nor my body could help me?"
I understood his desperation.
"But…a thousand RESETS ago…a lucky break gave me the opportunity to save us all." I was enraptured by the hope as well as guilt, and focused only on him. He turned to me with a smile. "That break…was you."
"Me? How the hell would I be of any help?" He poked my chest, my SOUL briefly appearing in response.
"The power of a human SOUL is vast. And your fall into the void came at the right time…I delayed the Reset of this world. Entertaining the DEMON for who knows how long…an endless game…giving Chara time to plot as the timeline sat in limbo."
How exactly would he distract a being of near infinite power for any length of time?
But…wait how…?
"It shouldn't be possible. I couldn't have fallen into the void by accident." It didn't make any sense. My world should be pretty disconnected with such a distinct universe.
"It's our fault isn't it?" Chara was lifeless, her eyes dull with self loathing coursing through them. The redhead's fists clenched until her fingernails almost drew blood.
"Cracks in space time…the strain of so many resets tore holes through realities. Brandon was just unlucky enough to fall straight in like I once did."
I don't remember…that…why don't I—
E̊̈̔̎̃n̡̻̱͉̰̜͙̿ͯd̸͙̤̤̗̓ͩ͐l͛ͮ͊ͦͭ̐̃e̅͟s̥̞͔͈̭̹̜̏̂̃ͩ͐̋s̆ͩͤ̊͂͑͒ ̝̮͖̑̐̾ͮ͛v͕̻̦͓̪̯͕̾̍̊̓ͬ̾ͫo̡̳̮̭̦̤̺i͓̰̺̘̠ͤ̍̾ͥͦ͛d͙͈̖͈̓͑ͮ̚͜…̯̘̗̬̞̯̓͆̓̑̌̅i̼̥͓ͭ̊̀̐̚͠n̺͙̱̹̳̓̿̆͌ͅͅfͧ̉ͭ͊i̦̹̲̠͎͎̐͐̊̔̄̓̚n̘̽́ͭ͊̇̄̃͞i͇ͮ̾t̩̭̳̖̩́̋̋̉ë̠̻̻͈̬́ͅͅ ͚̘̣͉͈͇̾̓͒̄̍e̤̹̺͇̜̥ͨ̽̊̎͋̏̍͜x̬̩̙̘͕̺̽̊ͮͦͨ̋̆́p͔͇̯̳͈̻͚ͧͣ̾̒ͬ͝a̹̦͇͎̫͍n̢̗̼̤̱ͤs͔̭̥̳̦̖̊͌̾̏ͩͯ͡ë̥̤̟͉ͧ̈̑s̡͋̾̒ͬ̉̓ ̳̿́ͨͭͫͧͤo̸̪ͮ̓ͮf͔͔͚̺̖̿̉ͅ ̟̮̏ͤ̉͌́̿ͅt̗̙̩̼̺ͣ̈̍ͩ̆͋͆i̺̬̝ṁ̮͖̋e͈̥̙̻ͦ̀ͯ̑͜ ͇̙̮̠̅ͦͩ̑̌a̖̦͖̳̹͛̋̑͠ń̚͢d͍̅̽ͪͣ̆̒ͤ͝ ̪̰̯͐ͪ́s̮͎͙̟͔̳̤͌̃̇͆p͎̂a̘̗͓̤̔͐̾̓͋̓c͚͈̳͉ͅē̳͇̖̣ͬ̊ͨ…͕̹̺̠̠ͤ̄ͫ̒ͧͭd̈̏͆î̸͔͔̞̤̖̣̩͑͐ͧe̛̳͖ͨͤ…̻̣̙̮̆̓͊͗͑r͕̖̽ͩe̩ͥ̅ͪ̓͒s̙̖͍͒͒ͪ̅̉ͩͦe̵̫̿̀ͩͭ͊t̠͎̯̮̀̉ͥ…̳̘̬͔d̮̋͒̔͑ͪi̢̞͖̻͇̣̙͂́̾͑̑̌ë̡͔̳̯͓̲̃̾̐ ̟̤͚̹͈ͨ̅͘r͖͖̲͎̩̯͍ͦͯ͗̕e͖̖ͣs̘̹̯̪̥͝e̵̮̪͇̻̒ͬ̾́̏ͨ́ṱ̦̘͔͎͉͂ͨ̏̾̂ͯ͑…ͮ͊ͤ̊̅͊d̖̣̫̝̼ͬi̬͕̫̼̺͉̿̈ͅḙ̳͇̈́͋ͬ̾̀͗́ ͒͟ͅr̪̥̗̦̞̦̼ͥ͒͌̊̚e̜͕̫͖̤̦̥͆̃̈͞s͟ë̱̯̲̪́t̝͝.̷̤̫̝͎̦̓ͣ̔
̴͍̘͎̲͍̭ͦ̍͆̽̑͆ͅ
̶͈͕̹͉̪̋̈́̅͗̄̆̏A̅̏̓n͉̲̰ͦ̊͢ͅg͔̪̤̯̺̼e̪̱̼͎̱̼̮ͤ̋͊̍l͙̥͌͂͊ͥs̯̪̣̹͍͗̊̔̍͛̒͠ͅͅ ̢̗̼f̢̫̳̠͖͖̞͇ạ̷̱̼̐ͅľ̹̺̮̜̫̣̖̀͑͊l̘̔…̭̤̖̰̼̮͚́ͣd̻̬̪̳̥͙͉͂ͧ̈́ͪ̾ē͎̳̠͚̼͓͔̑̍͒m̱̘̝̥̖̟̅̐ͦ̓̒͜o̗ͭ̋̑͘ṋ͔͈͖̩͌̈́̉̈́̽ͨ̾͡s̷̆ ͍̤̼͖̾̑̾̋͢c̴̗̳͇̼͖̜͗ͧ̉̂͗̊̐ǒ̺͎̃m͔̲̼̥̪̮̣̊̒é̞̭̘͔̯̕…̨͎̤̹̥͕̪̙̉ͬt̖͚̼̟̤̠͊͐͂̀ō͔̗̘̓ͫͬͥ̚o̳̦̗̺̗͊̎ͥ̀͌ͩͭ͜ͅ ̨͇̎̎m̹ͧ̓͊̾̐û̲̙̦̲̱̰̀͗͂̐́͆c͕h͏̜̮̯͙…̛̲̩̭͎̰̖̃͛̿́t̛͈̮̰̘͇̀͗̆͒ͨ̇ỏ́͊҉̪̳̹o̟̖̿ͪͮͫͣͫ͢ ̸̗̣̫͓̬̒̎̀̽̀̇m̟̼͉͉͕̲͒̎̊̅͡ͅu͇̙̰͎̪͙̔̋̿ͦ͒́c̬̝͉̊͋̇ͥ̽͜ͅh ̲͕͓̱̥̗̞̿̅ͫ̌͘i̶͈͕͛̅n̳̈́ͥͯ̀̅̓ͅͅf̯̅͆̇ͮ͠ȍ̈ͣ̑̏̃ͤ͏͎̱r̵̰̼̲̗͖͗m̸͇̮̼͍̝̾̓̿̔ͦá̄͏͕̝͚̹̰ț̛̣̭̦̺͉̃͑̂i̤͔̔́̒̒̓ờ̃̒ͩň͎̗͔͕̖̦̃͌ͫ̒̚…̙̜̖ͨͫ̉̉͗c̼͓͉̟a̡̖̤̺͍̱̻͂͊ͅn̷͙̩͉̟̊̑̉ͅ'̏̾̏t̯̳̹ͬ̇̋̔̅ͦͫ ͙̫͍͇̰s̪͕̞ͣ̈́̓̐̔̿̀ē̈ͫ͐͏̤ͅe͇̥̻̠̦͎̼͑̏̈̊̔̿ͪ,̷̬̫̼̞͕̠͗̄͆͗ ̷̙͍ͪ͐̍̀ċ͚̳̔ͧ̓ͯ́̀́ą̗͖̳̎͊̄̋̈́n̆́̅͒̒ͦ͏̠̣͕'̂̈̆̉͛t̥̩͚̱ͦ͆̑ͬͪͯ ̧̖̅͂̓̈́͆̇ͅh͇͉̮͚ͨ͂́ė̸̙̋̓̒͂̎̐a̰̦ͥ͑̈̽ͤr̡̳͇̬,͚̖͙̟͙͊ͭͨ̌̾̿ ̶̙̪̞͇̩͙͒̈́̎ͭ̂c̶̍ͪ͛͗̍̔ạ̲̟̲͇̟͒̽ͣ͐͂̑n͒'̸̮̬ͨ̔̉t͍̻̟̹̣̫ͮ ̰̳̯͙̘͉̒ͮ͐ͧ̈́̇̚f̶̠̳ͣ̈́̽̍e̸̱̻̱̭̮͍ȩ̜͚̱̟͛́l͙̺̞͚͖̅̍͋̚ͅ,͖̌͆̚͡ ͔͇̘̫̟̟̒c͕̉ͣͪ̎ͭͩ̆a͉̟̫̘̓̃̽̈́ͩ̎ͧn̢ͯ̽͗ͣ͐͒̀'̝ͣͦ͊̑t̻̬̭̖̞͂͋̊͝ ̤̻̻̤͔ͣͨ̾ͭ͠s̪̤̠̦͍ͣͨ̐̂ͅp̦̗̘͚̓ͦ̎̊̓e̯̻̩͎̗̻̼̍ͧ͡a̦͙̳̘̝̝̝̔͛͆̊̒͛ͩ͜k̈́…̓ͣa̮̗̤̮͍͙̙ͦͩͩͥņ͔̠͈̹ͩ̾̾̔ͣd̜̯͙̱̠̕ ̡̘̹̣̝̼̼̍̂ͮ͐̓c̻̦̮̺̹̺̓ͦͬͦ̉̔̚͟ả̢͔̮̄̌̓n̼̖͐̔͡'͒ṱ̡̥̼͔ͫ͊ ̇̂̑ͨ̈̏̆s̭͕̳̩̉̇ͩ̿ͮͦ͋c̣͌͂͂̽ͦ́r͊͊̔̚͜eͭ̍ͨͮͫ̕ā̩ͩ͊̑͠m̵͍͙̝͉̖͉̭ͩ̉͑̋.̜̅͒̽ͥ͛
̖͆̚͝
̗̭̱̗͕̬͈S̐ͧ̈͑̒̆ͪ͏ŏ͇͈̙͒̌ ͇̙̦̖͎̤̖͋͋̒c̶̠̈͒ͦő͔̭̻̣̪̭̩ͥ̈͟l̘̣͔̺̐ͤd͇͍͐̀̚…̟̲̼̻͎̞̜̽̃́ͣ̉ͨ́i̇̍͒҉̮̥̹̰ẗ͉̠̓̚'ͯ̒ͭ̂̋ͣ̊̕s̡̞̰̠̣͗̈͌͊͊ͩ̓ ̳͈͍ͦ̕ͅsͫ̒͂̈́͏͓͙o̷̰̜̫̲̼̜̅̓͂ͤ ̦̩̘̼̹̩̎̓ͫ͌ͮc̗̤̯̆̀̔ͅo̝͌̆̀̏̌̊l̖͇͙̞̻͚̯̄̅ͬ̾̌͒͋͝d̝̳͍̠̩̍̏̐̿̌̃…̴̖͉̙̓ͬ̔̑ ̷͙̳̯̳̖̞̬ͯͬ̚
̴̪͈̟̖̤͑͐̽ͧ̑̑̄
"BRANDON SNAP OUT OF IT!" I yelped at the sudden influx of pain, a palm snapping my head back. I dimly realized I was hyperventilating, my palms were sweaty, my knees were shaking…I…
Two hands gently placed themselves on my face, and warmth flooded from them. I noted the light of low level flame magic, relaxing as my thoughts slowly rearranged themselves.
Chara gave me a sympathetic look, moving her hands down to my back, rubbing circles on it.
"T-Thanks." Faster than a blink of an eye I latched onto Chara, the embarrassment lesser than the terror from remembering even a fraction of the VOID.
…
…
She…was…really warm, it…was kind of calming to just…hold her.
"It's fine…just relax alright? Everything is going to be okay." Chara sounded rather soothing and my hands gripped onto her shirt.
I felt…so stupid and weak for acting like this. I'm supposed to be a grown(ish) adult and here I am whining like a…
"Ahem?" Gaster was showing us a blatant poker face, and I backed away from Chara. She looked as embarrassed as I felt, her whole face turning a deep shade of red.
It looked good on her…
"Sorry." He shook his head, not wanting an apology.
"The void…is not a place to take lightly. Those who fall unprepared, usually do not come out unscathed. Your body would have been torn apart if I hadn't…" He didn't elaborate and I had to guess what had occurred.
"You absorbed my soul didn't you?" There a brief nervous rattling coming from Gaster and I let out a deep breath.
"Child…you were rather luckier than I was…I was erased from existence, but you…you were not. So…once the DEMON's interest faded. Wielding the power of a human SOUL… I eventually broke back into the real world, all the while meticulously pieced together my own soul back together. And…you know the rest."
"And how am I alive then? Pretty sure you need to kill me to steal my soul."
Gaster chose his words carefully, rapping his fingers against the table. "In the void…the laws are a bit…twisted. And my body back then was a little… melty " His accent acted up, and I briefly glanced windings flying all over the place "With the REWRITE I repaired the lingering damage to your body, and have focused my efforts on two projects.
"The Barrier." He nodded at Chara's response.
"As well as creating a stable INFINITY gate. Essentially forming stable passageways through void space. It's the least I could do…without you, we would have surely perished."
You're welcome then…wait a moment.
"So you're going to use the Kaleidoscope to find my home."
He grinned, thought it became more uncertain later on. "It will take some time however, travel through the void requires a substantial quantity of energy. I have to make some precautions as well…the void is incredibly dangerous and volatile. The both of us have hands on experience after all."
I yelped as a hand lightly smacked my shoulder. I looked to my left, seeing Chara giving me an encouraging smile. "That's good ain't it mate? You'll get to see your family again." I grinned back, a warmth spreading throughout my body at the gesture from Chara.
At this point I had no more questions, at least I couldn't think of any at the moment.
Chara's eyes suddenly lit up with an idea, and I felt my soul leave my body at her vicious glee.
"Uhh…" She clasped her hands together with a giggle.
"Haha! If you're really done with this. Then we can start back up with your conditioning and training. We can bring Kris along to watch."
Oh…oh dear…
"That sounds great…"
Chara tightened her grip. "It won't be too bad. We're going to be spending most of our time on just practicing spells. But you'll have to practice them in a…well practical scenario. I want to see Perseverance magic for myself." There was a competitive gleam in her ruby eyes and I knew I was doomed.
"S-Sure." Chara started pushing me and my feet naturally pressed their heels against the ground. It was to no avail, her strength overpowering me in her excitement.
Gaster waved with a glint in his eyes. "Good luck!"
Rage boiled my blood and blinded my logic.
You motherfu—!
(Frisk's POV)
"Where you been Frisk?" Chara yawned, leaning against a grumbling mass of anger and spite on her left. To her right, Kris was snacking on some chips, the cracking somehow echoing through the combined living/kitchen room.
"Just walking around…wanted to see the Underground for myself. It's a little different from before…" I answered truthfully.
The Rewrite made things rather different, usually for the better…and sometimes for the worst.
'Oh stop asking such stupid questions. Your parents would never want such a strange and quiet freak!'
I shivered, the old memory worsening my mood. I had felt uneasy since Kris had arrived. The walk had helped, but it still wasn't enough.
I don't know why…why Kris scared me. No it wasn't that they scared me, but something about what they looked like.
That's what frightened me. Like I had seen it before, long ago…but I didn't remember.
Why did it feel like I knew them?
The bundle of black and white blankets shifted and I gawked as Brandon popped his head out like a baby bird from their nest. His hands followed and he beckoned to Chara with hunger. She had her own bag of chips. Yellow-orangish…Doritos I think? Definitely not a European or American variety…
"Those chips…would you mind giving me some?" It wasn't a request and Chara knew it too. She dropped them shakingly, taken aback by the emotionless cold emanating from the boy.
Kris didn't seem particularly scared of Brandon despite the implications of why they had come here. But then he isn't exactly what you would call scary. Barring his laugh anyway…Chara isn't much better with her creepy face though.
"What are you guys watching anyway?" Brandon mumbled his reply between bites, looking intently at the screen.
"Mhmm…How to…Train your…Dragon. One and two…Kris wanted to watch a movie and this was as good as any. After Toriel asked us to house them. Something about being more knowledgeable?" He shrugged. "Maybe we'll take them to see three when it comes out next year…" he spaced out, certainly overthinking things like he usually does.
"Wanna watch? We got enough snacks." Chara gestured to the array of snacks. Popcorn, chocolate(of course), lots of soda and juice, chips, and fruit too…
I took the leftmost cushion since Kris was already laying down comfortably on the soft materialed arm of the sofa.
Where'd they even get a TV?
"Mister Gaster got us the television when I asked him." Kris mumbled, nervously scratching the side of their neck.
Huh, must of been talking out loud.
"So where we at?" Chara took a bite out of a chocolate covered mango(?) and lazily pointed to the screen.
"Haven't pressed play yet…Brandon asked us to see if you'd show up. Pretty nice of him actually." The brunette ducked into his cocoon when I glanced over. I patted his head and Brandon sunk deeper into his hidey hole.
I decided to move on, patting my belly as a signal. Chara rolled her eyes, and passed me a plate with salty popato chisps.
…
…
Fucking Chara and her weird wordplay…
"H-Hey…can I ask you all something?" Kris whispered quietly, and I didn't like the fear I could sense.
"Yeah it's okay you cute little ankle biter." Chara smiled, and the protective aura coming from her made me smile. Kris looks like a sweet kid…
"H-How old are you? I know I'm eleven but…I don't know how old the two ladies and the little man are." I cocked my head, but didn't have a reason to refuse their strange request. Brandon grumbled, likely because of the accidental jab at his height. Chara was thrown off by the use of lady…I doubt anyone would talk to her like that.
"I'm 22, Frisk here is two years younger than me and Brandon here is…" Chara cut herself off, a revelation coming to her. We didn't actually ask how old our fellow human was.
"18…I didn't know that either of you were older." I could see the way his ears reddened and I giggled.
He was too cute really. He made it too easy.
"Oh you must be happy to get the attention of two older women ehh?" He leaned back, pressing into Chara's side.
"Shud up." Brandon was muffled by both his blankets and Chara's sweater and I knew I still got it. There was one more thing…
My smile split my face as I spoke. "Lucky for the both of you that your ages still fit a certain rule of dating." Chara was utterly clueless and Brandon ignored me, starting the movie to shut me up.
"I don't get it." Kris whispered again, their eyes lighting up as the movie started.
"22 divided by 2 plus 7." His groans were sweet music to my ears, and Chara's befuddled face was equally as funny.
She mumbled under her breath, counting on her fingers until she got the answer. A light bulb basically formed over her head and Chara hissed. She was staring daggers at me and sweat started forming at the heat in her glare.
Kris tugged on her shirt and the rage instantly dissipated from Chara. I couldn't hear what they speaking about, since they were being so quiet.
Thank god…
From the corner of my vision however, Kris gave me a thumbs up and I suddenly felt extremely thankful to them.
Chara was very frightening when she got mad.
"Actually…now that I'm here, why is Brandon so curled up in his blankets?"
"Because Chara decided she wanted to see my magic personally. Didn't realize she was literally several times stronger than me."
He sounds really pissed off. And Chara is blushing. It must've been pretty bad then.
"It…wasn't that painful right?" Chara asked with a guilty expression.
Brandon deadpanned. "You kicked me in the balls."
I choked. "W-What? Oh my god!" I laughed openly, and the older woman couldn't meet my eyes.
"Shhh! I'm watching the movie!" We shut up as Kris exploded, though they crawled back into their shell when we all stared at them. Kris's cheeks darkened, a hint of fear in their eyes. "I…I'm sorry…"
"It's fine we were being rude. We'll be quiet from now on." I smiled reassuringly and Kris relaxed, and we settled in on the movie.
Two days with nothing too big going(besides Kris anyway) was the most relaxed I had been…in a very long time.
"This is Berk…"
Life was good…for now at least.