Chapter 31: Two New Mages

"Come on. Let's get this over with."

As we entered the house, there was only the light chatter of the monsters to fill the silence. Pandora took her spot on the couch clear across from Sans, Toriel had moved Melody to her room, and I took my spot in between them.

As I sat down, I muttered under my breath loud enough that Sans heard. "You're finally gonna get to know everything you want." I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention, immediately feeling my anxiety start to swell. "You guys, I need to have a serious talk with you."

Chara's eyes were searching mine, as she said with a smirk, "What, you're not knocked up, are you?"

I glared at Chara, making her lose the smirk. "No, I'm not, 'knocked up'. It's something a lot more serious than that." Understanding started to dawn on Chara, as I saw her pale at my words. I looked around at the group who was anxiously waiting for what I was about to say, and took a deep breath. "Okay... This is going to be... difficult to hear. And it's all a lot, so please, don't freak out right away. Just listen to what I have to say, please."

Sans took my hand in his, quietly saying, "frisk, you don't need to tell everyone if you don't want to. you don't even have to tell me if you don't want to."

I shook my head and took another breath. "You guys all remember and know about when I fell into the Underground with Melody. But have you guys stopped to wonder why we fell down there?" Everyone looked at one another, seemingly communicating with their eyes and facial expressions. "Well we fell down, because we were running away."

Toriel's voice was gentle, "Running away from what, my child?"

... "Our parents." Everyone's eyes widened, besides the people who knew already, and Sans inhaled sharply, as if a hypothesis of his were correct. "Me and Melody were abused. Our parents were drunks and druggies, they didn't want us and so they showed us that by abusing us. I was the one who got a majority of the abuse, since I protected Melody in any way I could. It was mainly just them beating me and starving us, though, things did get a bit out of hand at times..." I felt like I was being transported back to every single horrible event, the main ones like letting men or women have their way with me, or when they went after us with broken bottles and such. I gave my head a slight shake, coming back to reality. "Anyways, their abuse finally made it's toll on Melody, and that's when we ran. I had gone out for a quick trip and I thought Melody would be okay at home since no one else was there, but... I was wrong. I don't know what they did to her, but it was the last straw. So we packed whatever meager possessions we had, and we ran to Mt. Ebott. We weren't expecting to fall into the Underground, but I am so glad we did."

Everyone had horrified expressions while Alphys, Mettaton, and Chara just lowered their heads and looked to their feet. I cleared my throat a little, knowing that they were thinking of how I would never fight back or hurt someone."But I don't want you guys to think that I'm someone who's a completely innocent pacifist child. Because... I'm not. I've hurt others before. I know how to hurt people and I know how to kill."

Sans frowned, "frisk, what are you talking about?"

I took a shaky breath, "Since we've came to the surface, I've been working a certain job. And..." How are they going to react...? "And I've been working for-"

I couldn't continue, for shots rang out once more that day. Sans jumped up and dragged me to the kitchen, trying to protect me. I looked into the living room to see Pandora, engulfed in a murky grey aura, her gun in hand, though she looked shocked and horrified.

Alexandra was doing this.

I ran to the kitchen and grabbed whatever leftover Butterscotch pie there was, and I put it into my inventory. Then I let my rose pink aura surround me and Pandora, and imagined the first place that came to mind. And before Sans or anyone else could stop me, I had already teleported.

When I opened my eyes, we were in an all too familiar place.

Pandora's voice was panicked, "Frisk, help me, I don't want to hurt you!" I looked around the giant room, taking in every detail. "Frisk! Where are we?!" I fixed my eyes on Pandora, who was still surrounded by Alexandra's magic.

"The Judgement Hall."

My breathing was labored; this was the longest and most tenacious fight I had been in.

"Frisk, please, please, just-"

I felt something sharp enter my abdomen, and shakily yanked it out to continue. "NO. I'll find a way to help you, I just need a little bit of time!" I checked my inventory: Nothing. Everything had been used up. I looked up and ignored Pandora's tears as she was forced to summon another attack. I threw a sort of force field around Pandora, caging her in for now.

I paced, trying to figure something out. I couldn't kill her, no matter how much she begged me to. But I couldn't hold her for long, and Alexandra was relentless when it came to being Pandora's puppeteer. I rubbed my face in my hands, letting out a frustrated scream. I had to take a moment to calm myself, before my voice rang out. "Alexandra, stop with your games. Just tell me what you want, and we can compromise."

It was silent for several moments, before Alexandra's disembodied voice reached my ears. "You want to compromise, now do you? Okay, fine. We'll compromise. What I want, is for us to strike up a new deal."

I could feel dread form like a hard knot in my stomach and a hand around my lungs. "Alright, what is this new deal that you want to make?"

"I want you to come to the compound. Permanently. I want to test your abilities, push you to the breaking point. I want you and your magic." Alexandra got straight to the point.

I ignored Pandora, who had a fearful look in her eyes and was shaking her head, mouthing no to me. "And if I went with you, permanently, what would I get in return? How would this benefit me?"

"If you do this, you're family and friends will remain safe. They won't be harmed, and they will live. If you don't comply, well... we don't want another -what was his name?- Kody incident to happen."

I felt my nails dig into my skin at the mention of his name, and refrained from making a nasty comment directed toward Alexandra. I took a breath, and stiffly said, "Okay. You've got a deal."

I ignored Pandora's protests, and listened as Alexandra chuckled. "Magnificent. Now hurry on here, you're new home is waiting."

I watched as Pandora was released from Alexandra's possession and collapsed to the ground, whipping her head up to look at me and tell me what a bad idea this was. But I spoke quickly before she could, "I'm going. I made a deal, and I can't go back on my word... You're not going to tell them anything about where the compound is or how to get inside. You're not going to tell them anything about what has happened tonight. You'll only tell them that I've ran. You'll tell them that I've ran and abandoned them, leaving you to deal with them. You can step in as Ambassador now, you can take my place."I closed my eyes, beginning to imagine the compound and getting ready to teleport. I heard Pandora get up and get ready to run toward me, and quickly spoke once more.

"Pandora? Just... tell them I love them, and that I'm sorry."

And before she could act, I was gone.

When I had entered the compound, I was immediately taken into custody by security, and thrown roughly into an empty room.

I sat down, taking in any moment to rest. I lifted my shirt to see that I'd been severely injured, and was bleeding quite a bit. I let my shirt fall back down to cover my wounds, and just sat there for a moment with my eyes closed.

My attention was caught when I heard the opening of a door, and felt something furry jump onto me. I opened my eyes to see Lune, who was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement from seeing me. "Hey Lune, did you miss me boy? Yeah?" Lune bombarded me with slobbery kisses, resting on my lap. "Ohhhoho, you're such a good boy." As I pet Lune, soothing him, I looked up to see my father. "Hey Aaron."

My father looked deeply concerned, and hastily told Lune to get off of me. "Oh Frisk, what have you done?" Aaron lifted me to my feet, supporting me as he took me to a medic. "What you've done today, coming to that agreement with Alexandra, was incredibly... incredibly foolish. What were you thinking?!"

I simply shrugged in response, before continuing verbally. "Well, Pandora didn't want to hurt me, and I couldn't bring myself to hurt her. And by making that deal, I've just protected everyone I care for."

Aaron shook his head, frowning. "You should have just killed that girl, she's not a Mage, she's of no importance."

I shot him a disgusted look, "Everyone's important! I don't care if someone's the most innocent and pure person ever, or if they're a cold-blooded murderer, I will not kill them unless there is no other way!" I focused my gaze on Lune, and ignored Aaron as I pet the wolf.

It was silent until the medic finished up, and that's when Aaron spoke. "Alexandra won't be easy on you. And I'll try my best to protect you from her, but I can't make any promises. Luckily, your time with her will be rare and limited. I'll be in charge of training and teaching you for a while, since Alexandra will be busy with the newest Mage."

I reluctantly began to speak to him again, curiosity getting the best of me. "How many other Mages do you have right now?"

"Well, we've found four of them so far. There's Mage 1: Gabriel, Mage 4: Liam, Mage 5: Selena, and Mage 7: you, Frisk. Mage 5 is the one who Alexandra will be tending to now, since we've only just recently found her," Aaron finished.

Recognition sparked in my eyes, "Mage 5, Selena? Is she a girl of about 14, with fading blue hair and such?" Was that girl really a Mage?

Aaron looked surprised, "Yes, yes, that's the new Mage. How do you-?"

I fiddled with Lune's fur, "She was one of the victims from Pandora's shooting. So, does that mean that she's just... all alone?"

Aaron nodded, "Yes. Her only parent was killed in the shooting, and she doesn't seem to have anyone else to care for her. She has actually requested to share a room with any other female Mage; it seems she isn't used to being alone."

"So she'll be sharing a room with me?"

Aaron was hesitant, "Yes. Unless you're opposed to the idea?"

I quickly responded, "No, no, it's fine. It actually works for my plan of taking care of and keeping an eye on her. Anyways, we'll discuss more on that topic later. My question is, what are you going to be teaching and training me in?" Lune had fallen asleep, so I just rest my hands in his fur.

Aaron was ready with his response, "Instead of just throwing you into action and possibly damaging your health, I'm actually going to help you develop and discover your different abilities. Everyone has their own unique abilities, but there are things like healing or telepathy or telekinesis and such that the average person may have. But there'll be more to learn about everything, later. I'll be introducing you to the other two Mages properly, instead of throwing you into a fight like you and Gabriel had to do."

I hummed in response, "M'kay. And I'll be meeting Liam and Selena, correct?"

Aaron nodded, "Yes, correct. Frisk, I must ask you: Will Gabe be coming back to the compound soon for his sessions?" After seeing the look on my face, Aaron quickly said, "He can keep living with your family and such, I just need to know if he'll be back for his sessions."

I shrugged, "Maybe, as long as you're the one who helps him, I think. I'd have to ask him quick, is that okay?"

Aaron nodded hesitantly, "Let's just make sure Alexandra doesn't find out I let you have contact with anyone outside the compound."

I nodded and closed my eyes, concentrating on reaching Gabe over this distance. Gabriel, can you hear me?

It took a moment, but Gabe's response came through. I'm here. Frisk, where are you?! Pandora says you've abandoned us, but everyone knows it's not true. Has- has Alexandra taken you?

Do I share what has happened with him? ... He knows how to keep quiet about stuff like this. You can't tell anyone, you're forbidden from telling them where I am... I'm at the compound. I struck up a deal with Alexandra, and now... this place is where I live. Alexandra can't find out we can contact one another though, she'll kill you guys. And I mean it, she's dangerous Gabe, she won't hesitate to hurt any of you. And Gabe, Aaron needs to know if you'll be coming in for sessions and such.

Gabe's connection got fainter each second; my magic had been pushed to the limit today. I managed to keep the connection going though. Yeah yeah, I'll come in for the stupid sessions... Frisk, I'm allowed to tell the others you're okay though, right? They can know that we're able to communicate?

I hesitated, it was just earlier that I had told Pandora not to tell a soul about anything that had happened. Should I relent and tell them everything? They can know that I'm alive and okay. But no one can know my whereabouts. And Gabe, make sure they don't come to try and get me back. My heart panged at the thought of losing anyone else today. I can't handle another loss Gabe, I really can't...

Gabriel took so long that I thought the connection was lost, but he was still there. ...Okay. I'll tell everyone that you're okay, but to stop looking for you. I'll also reassure Melody that you haven't abandoned her, and that you love her. And... do you want me to tell Sans about how you-

I shook my head, before realizing that he couldn't see me. No. Just tell them what they need to know.

Gabe persisted, Frisk, he needs to know how you feel about him. And I think you need to know how he-

NO. It'll be easier to live in this miserable place if I don't know about how he feels. If I find out that he loves me, I'll be filled with a longing so unbearable that I won't make it in this place. Just tell them I'm fine and alive. Don't break, don't relent and tell them whatever else they want to know. If there comes a time that I want to leave this place and need you guys to rescue me, then we'll get to that when that time comes. Now go, the connection will be broken in a moment. I'll talk when I'm stronger. Love you guys.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Aaron had went and gotten the other two Mages.

Aaron spoke first, "You're done so soon?"

I nodded, "Tired. I just used a lot of my magic and energy on that fight with Pandora, not to mention, I had an incredibly emotionally draining day. So, these are the other two?"

Aaron nodded, gesturing to each when their names were said. "This is Mage 4, Liam," Liam gave a stiff nod, avoiding eye contact. "And this is Mage 5, Selena," Selena gave me a small smile and waved.

I gave each a smile, "Hi there, it's very nice to meet you guys." Apparently I had shocked Liam, for he looked at me in disbelief with wide eyes. I guess kind manners were not common here. I turned to Aaron for a moment, "So what's the plan gonna be for training and such? Are the three of us going to be working together for training?"

Aaron smiled and nodded in answer, "Yes, you guys will indeed be training together and such. Liam might be a bit more advanced than you since he has been here at the compound for a while, but Selena will for sure need your guys' assistance when it comes to training."

Selena smiled gratefully, "Good, I think I could really use the help. So Frisk, I never got to thank you earlier today, at the grocery store. Where did you disappear to while you were helping the others?"

I gave her a small smile, fighting the sadness welling up inside of me. "I was off helping a very close friend of mine. I'm sorry I couldn't stay afterwards, my friend was very badly hurt."

Selena gave me a sad smile, her eyes holding something within. "It's fine. I'm very sorry about what happened to him."

She knows about what happened to Kody. "So it seems you're a mind reader. Correct?"

Selena nodded, smiling. "You've caught on fastest out of everyone so far! Unfortunately, that's the only ability we've discovered of mine so far. And I'm hoping you guys can help me discover the others?"

Liam stepped in and put a reassuring arm around Selena, his voice was lower than I would have thought."Of course, you have nothing to worry about. Trust me, you'll be just fine."

Selena let out a breath, dimples forming when her lips formed her smile. "Thanks Liam, it means a lot." Selena turned to me, her hazel eyes piercing. "So, you're supposed to be the more dominant one of the Mages?"

I nodded and let out a sigh, "Though, like you, I haven't exactly discovered all of my abilities. And I definitely need some practice." I looked at a clock on the wall, finding that it was just after 11:20 pm. "We should head to bed right now, we can discuss more later." I turned to Liam and gave him a small smile, "Goodnight, Liam. Hope you sleep well." I gently pushed Lune off my lap, and began to follow Aaron to mine and Selena's room, Lune following happily.

When we entered our room with only two beds, two desks, and a wardrobe to share, Selena turned to me. "So why exactly did you decide to live here at the compound? Don't you have your own family and friends at home?"

Since Selena was a mind reader, I wasn't going to bother hiding anything from her. "Well, I was sort of... forced to live here. I made a deal with Alexandra, only agreeing to live here if she swore to leave my family and friends in peace. So, we compromised, and now I live here."

Selena gave me a sympathetic smile, "Well, at least you still have a family out there. So, what's it like here? Also, if he doesn't bite, can I pet your wolf?"

I nodded, smiling a bit as she dropped to her knees and plunged her hands into Lune's thick fur. "I don't think it'll be so bad here, as long as you have friends or something. Now Selena, discovering your other abilities will not be easy. You'll be thrown into some extremely difficult situations that could cost you your life if you don't concentrate and believe in summoning your magic."

Selena's mouth now formed a tight line, her voice a bit tremulous. "And what do you mean by dangerous situations that could cost me my life?"

"My first trial was when I was thrown into an empty room, and they riled Lune up to try and attack me. I had to find some way to keep myself safe, and that's when I first summoned up magic that I didn't know I had. It wasn't easy though, and Lune did end up getting me pretty good," I pulled my shirt from my shoulder, showing her the scars from Lune. "Me, Liam, and even Aaron can help you train and learn more, but when you have your first session, it will be only you who can keep yourself safe."

Selena's hands began to shake, and I could tell she was trying to calm herself down. Her voice was shaky, and I could tell that she had tears in her eyes. "I don't want to die though. What if I die, Frisk? This is just too much, I don't think I'm cut out for being a Mage."

I sank to my knees next to her, putting a hand on her back so I could send soothing magic through her more effectively. "Selena, hey, you're fine. You'll do just fine too, you'll be great. I know it seems scary right now, and honestly, it will be scary for a while. But I'm right here if you ever need me, okay? You're okay, you're okay. Just breathe."

Selena nodded, breathing shakily. "Can I sleep next to you tonight? I know it's a strange request, but I need someone to lay next to. I used to lay next to my mom and cuddle her every other night, she liked it when I did that. And honestly, it made me feel safer and not so alone." Tears filled Selena's eyes once more, and her voice was thick with emotion. "But she's gone now. She's just... gone, and she's never coming back..." Selena let out a sob before trying to regain control, "So, Frisk... Can I lay next to you tonight?"

My heart broke; it was just so unfair that people were torn away from their families and the life they knew so suddenly. "Of course. You can lay next to me tonight, and any other night if you need to. If you need anything, anything at all, I'll be there. I'll be right by your side in an instant to help you." Selena gave me a wobbly smile, which I returned. "C'mon, let's get to bed."

Selena turned onto her side, facing the wall. "Goodnight Frisk."

"Goodnight."

Selena had slept fitfully, having nightmares, and then waking up every hour or so, unable to sleep. So I had stayed up for a majority of the night, sending soothing magics and such to her, trying to make sure she slept okay.

It was about 5:24 am when Gabe contacted me again. Frisk, are you awake?

I sighed, leaning back against the wall as I watched Selena finally sleep peacefully. Yeah, I've been awake. Why, what's up?

Gabe went on. Well, we have a sort of... situation. And you're a girl, and you know about this stuff, soooo-

I rubbed my face in my hands, exhausted. Gabriel, just get to the point already.

Gabe was hesitant, but went on. Melody's up as well. And the situation involves her because... she has kinda started her period? And she's freaking out, and I can't calm her. And I don't want to wake anyone else, but I don't know what to do, so can you help?

I sprang out of bed, pulling on leggings and a t-shirt. I'm going to get into so much trouble for this, you know that, right?

Gabe went to ask what I meant, but I had already teleported to him before he could say anything. When Gabe saw me he jumped, "Jesus Frisk! You say you can't come home when everyone's desperately begging you to, but you come when I say Melody's got her period? Seriously, what-"

I waved him off, talking extremely quietly. "Gabe, you know I love you guys. But if Alexandra finds out I've come on this little excursion, we're in deep shit. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to help my little sister."

I tried the bathroom doorknob, finding that it was open, and stepping inside. Melody almost screamed when she saw me, but refrained from doing so. I took a breath, "Okay Melody, I can only stay for so long, so I'll have to be quick with this. First off, I can't come home and stay here, not right now. Second, please don't tell anyone I came back for a few minutes, only you and Gabe can know this secret. Okay?" Melody nodded, a sorrowful look in her eyes from missing me. "Okay sweetie, let's get this situation sorted out, okay? Now first, what all do you know about this?"

After explaining what a period was and why it happened, I explained to her how to get blood stains out of things, I told her it was best to sleep on your side, what medicines she could take to help cramps or headaches and such, and so on and so forth. And by the time that she had ran out of questions, I could hear the rest of the household start to wake up. I sent Melody off to her room to lay down again, and I approached Gabe.

"Gabe, does everyone know that Pandora will be taking over as Ambassador for now?" I couldn't remember if Gabe had mentioned anything about Pandora being Ambassador yesterday.

Gabe shook his head, "Not really. Pandora announced that she'd be taking over, but her and Chara kind of... butted heads. I think everyone's more in favor of Chara taking charge instead of Pandora."

I nodded, "Okay, that'll work. Um, I'll need to be able to communicate with Chara, so we need to figure that out. But Gabe, I need to go now, before Alexandra finds out. Love you, bye."

Before Gabe could say anything back, I was back at the compound, arriving just in time for Selena to wake up.

When Selena woke, she caught sight of me and smiled. "Good morning Frisk. Did you sleep okay?"

I nodded, smiling. "I slept just fine. Now, we should get dressed." I crossed over to the wardrobe, pulling out a sports bra, and the usual black tank top with leggings. "Okay Selena, you have to get dressed so we can go meet Liam and Aaron."

Selena approached the wardrobe, looking anxious. "But, I don't really like clothing that... clings to my body. Do you think there's a looser shirt I could wear?" Selena fiddled with her shirt, readjusting it.

I gave her a smile, "Sure. I understand how it is to feel uncomfortable in your own body at times." I rummaged through the wardrobe, looking for a plain black t-shirt. "Ah-ha, here's something." I pulled out an extra large black t-shirt, "I'm guessing you want something loose, like this. And then you can just grab some leggings to put on. I suggest you put a tank top on under the shirt though, just in case you get hot and want to take the t-shirt off."

Selena smiled, "Okay, that'll work. Now, um, can you turn away so I can change?" I nodded and heard Selena sigh, "Thank you. I'm sorry if this is like, a hassle for you."

I quickly reassured her, "No no, it's fine. As long as you do whatever's comfortable for you, I'll happily comply!"

Selena took a shaky breath, "Okay, how do I look?" I turned around to see she had put on the leggings and tank top, not the t-shirt yet.

I smiled, "You look good!" I went up and went in a circle around her, "You definitely look really good. And I think you might actually have bigger breasts than me? And you're only 14?"

Selena blushed and nodded, "Yeah, I've matured and grown a lot faster than other girls... But I think I only have bigger breasts because I'm fat."

I whacked Selena on the arm, "You're not fat! You only weigh what, 170-180 something pounds? Selena, you're fine."

Selena shook her head vigorously, throwing on the t-shirt. "No, I'm fat. Even if I did weigh 180, which I don't, I weigh more, it's not normal for a 14 year old to weigh that much. I'm fat, and I need to seriously lose weight. So don't say I look fine."

Her low self-esteem and low self-love made me sad. "Whatever, I bet Liam thinks you look fine too. Why don't you just read his mind when you see him next? Find out what he thinks about you." I ship them, by the way.

Selena only shrugged, not even blushing like I would've liked. "I actually can't read his mind. I was able to when I first met him, but then I think he sort of... put up a wall around his thoughts. So, yeah. Why?"

"I dunno." Thoughts of shipping, begone!

Selena narrowed her eyes, "Liar. Why would you even think he likes me? Not only have we literally just met yesterday, but I'm not even that pretty; I'm not the type of girl that boys like."

Before I could say anything else, Aaron barged in, looking rather pale. "Selena, Liam's just outside the room, you can go join him while he shows you to the dining hall, and then to the training room. Frisk, please come with me."

I followed Aaron, as Selena's eyes grew wide and she looked at me in fear. When we were away from being heard, I spoke. "So Alexandra found out about my little excursion this morning?"

Aaron turned on me, eyes full of both anger and fear. "What were you thinking?! I had to talk her down for over an hour, and even now, your punishment will be bad. What were you thinking Frisk?!"

I was quiet for a moment, "...Melody needed me, okay? She's my little sister, and she was scared because something happened to her that was new and different, and she needed me. If my sister needs me, I'm going to be by her side in a second. Kapeesh?" Aaron looked at me with incredulous eyes, and my voice came out more quietly this time, "She's not going to hurt them, is she?"

Aaron shook his head, beginning to walk again. "No. She's not going to hurt your loved ones. But she is going to hurt you, Frisk. Your punishment is going to be... painful."

My smile was grim, "I know, it's going to be very painful. But she won't get any satisfaction out of it. I won't let her." I took a breath, "Besides, at least no one's dying because of me."

Aaron gave me a stiff nod, then stopped in front of a door. "This is where I'm supposed to drop you off. Good luck, Frisk."

I nodded and turned to the door as Aaron began to walk away. When I pushed the door open, Alexandra was standing there waiting for me. "Okay Alexandra, what's my punishment? Are you gonna stone me to death? Slowly dismember me? C'mon, enlighten me."

Alexandra glared at me, and crossed the room to grab something. "Take your top off, along with your bra if you want it to remain untouched."

"That's a strange request, dontcha think?" What was she planning?

When Alexandra turned back to me, I paled as I saw the whip in her hand. "Oh Frisk, I'm not going to punish so severely since this is the first time you've disobeyed me. Why, the lashes you get today will only be the tip of the iceberg. Now, top off, and stand against the wall with your back to me."

I stood with my back to Alexandra, bracing myself for what was about to come next. "...How many lashings will you do?"

Alexandra brought the whip down fiercely, the sound of flesh meeting whip sickening as it resounded in the empty room. "Oh, I don't know Frisk, we'll just have to wait and see. I suppose I'll stop when I'm satisfied." I clenched my hands into fists, biting down on my lip to keep in any sound that I made; I wasn't going to cry out, I wasn't going to let her win. "Now, Frisk... Count."

I took a shaky breath, unwilling to show my pain.

"One."

Another chapter, whooo!

Sorry for the long wait, I meant to post sooner.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Until Next Time~