Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Undertale outside of this fan work. I can't even program anyways.
-Chapter 5: Year 2: The other fallen child-
My hands shook slightly as I wrote in a notebook. Toriel had managed to acquire one for me recently, and it helped quite a bit to have something to put my thoughts down in. The thoughts I was putting down right now though, all related to an incident I had had moments ago.
It had started as a simple attempt at practicing magic, like usual. Growing a bit frustrated in my lack of progress beyond a few small useless red sparks, I wondered if there was something I missed. Calling my soul forth, I suddenly noticed something that I hadn't really considered before.
While looking at my soul, I recalled something mom had taught me. The difference between a human and monster soul. Monster souls where more fragile than humans. They where also less vibrant, appearing more a soft grayish white than the brilliant red mine glowed. The biggest difference however... was that a monster's soul as inverted, point upwards.
In essence their soul was upside down. I once asked her why that was. She didn't really have an answer for that question. Perhaps no one did. She did have a theory however. The idea being that human and monster souls, despite everything, were still attracted to each other on some level.
Since humans lived on the surface, their souls pointed down. Since monsters lived underground their souls pointed up. A very interesting perspective. Musing to myself though, I wondered... what would happen if I somehow turned my soul upside down, like a monster? Maybe it'd let me use magic?
I was a fool, toying with things I didn't fully understand. I hadn't thought this through. All I saw was the potential benefits. Gripping the heart-like object, I forcefully turned it. It was like turning a rusted bathtub knob. It took a great effort, but after a bit it sort of just... 'clicked' in place.
Not even a moment later I felt a sensation which forced me to my knees. It was a deep and visceral pain, unlike anything i'd ever felt. Stupid... stupid...! Was I going to die now? The pain faded quickly however, and I found that I had not in fact died.
I'd been ever so lucky this time. Wrapping an arm around my still uneased and slightly nauseated stomach, I stared at my soul. It was still inverted. It seemed to still be intact as well. Good. I didn't want any permanent damage after all.
I was still shaky and drops of sweat trailed from my brow, but I had to know. Reaching a hand out, I tried to focus any magic I had into form. This time instead of sparks, a knife made of red light, similar to my soul, appeared.
Magic. Real magic. I'd actually done it. It was... not exactly what I'd hoped I could do, but it was still magic. Not a moment later it faded away, and a wave of exhaustion slammed into me. I returned my soul to my body and unceremoniously passed out into a pile of leaves shortly after.
When I came to, I was back home in bed, with a worried Toriel looking over me. I didn't want to worry her more than she already might be... and perhaps a small part of me was afraid she'd be furious at me for the stunt I'd pulled. So I told her that I had pushed myself a bit too hard with my training. It wasn't exactly a lie.
With that, the next few days were spent resting. This brought me back to the notebook, and writing that all down. Good news, I wasn't dead and I actually used some real magic. Bad news, I needed to get control of my curiosity fast before it got me or others killed.
I had to tell her at some point. And I would. You didn't keep secrets like this. I knew what it could do to people. The trick would be how to break it to her. And before even that I needed to figure out what it even was I really did. I knew what I had intended but...
In the end I ended up forgetting about it. My soul had even returned to normal so I ended up just not worrying about it. I could still use magic a little as a result though. So I practiced. The best I could manage would be a single knife made of magic however, or empowering my knife with it. Bit by bit I was getting a little better though. Destructive magic... I had to think of some way to use it to help people.
My 16th birthday came around. Old enough to get a beer by Grieland law. Young adult by human standards. Still a kid for two more years by monster standards. It seems they really didn't have the concept of teenager. Fine by me.
My birthday gift was two pairs of hand knit gloves. Good for keeping my hands clean while I tended the flowers, warm during the colder times in the ruins as well, and perhaps helpful if and when I decided to see Snowdin myself.
Life threw me another curve ball though. While I was going to tend to the flowers, I nearly tripped over a prone figure. Looking down, I saw that it was a child. A human child. Not much older than 6 or 7. What where they doing down here? They weren't moving either.
I felt a pit form in my stomach. Putting my hand to their face, still warm. Still breathing. Still a pulse. They were alive, though not in the best shape. It didn't entirely set my mind at ease, but it helped. I pulled out my phone as I looked down at the young child. Dark tanned skin, dark brown hair... they wore a blue and purple stripped shirt as well.
Huh... if they were pale like me, they could almost be a dead ringer for me at that age. The phone rang twice before mom picked up. I didn't give her a chance to reply. "Mom, you need to get to the flower field right now. We have a situation. Someone's badly hurt here. " My worry must have shown in my voice.
"I will be there right away, Chara. Please, remain calm and do what you can for them. How is their HP?" HP. Their health percentile. How much of a pounding their soul could take before it broke or started to get actually seriously damaged. Running a quick check on their soul, I found that it was a somewhat stable 15 out of 20.
As long as you had at least some HP, you could recover. "They're at 15 of 20. I'll call if they come to before you arrive." It was good the kid was hanging on. As they were though, they were very vulnerable. The kind of vulnerability that someone like Flowey would be happy to prey on.
"Well, talk to you soon, mom." I could almost feel the warmth in her voice through the phone. "And you as well, my child." Click. Sitting in the flowers next to the unconscious child, I gently twirled the knife in one hand, eyes sharp for that smiling fiend of a flower.
Two hours, and right on cue, the little demon flower popped up from a small mound of dirt. All happy and ready to pull the same stunt on the kid they tried on me, no doubt. In a flash I grabbed them by the stem, and held my knife to it. " 'Ello Flowey. Lovely day today, huh? Nice day to do some weeding." I smiled at the little flower.
Rather than false happiness or sadistic pleasure, Flowey showed a new emotion. Nervous apprehension. I was the one in control this time. "O-oh. Howdy there buddy. Still angry about the whole 'friendliness pellets' thing? No need to get snippy, ahahaha! We're cool, right?"
"I dunno. ARE we cool, Flowey? Are we really...? I don't feel very cool right now." Man, this moment was cathartic. How was I ever scared of this little thing? Almost felt a little bad actually, doing this. Almost. " O-oh dear.." I tightened my grip just slightly. Enough to make him more uncomfortable.
"Tell you what. You do something for me and we'll be cool. Now you're going to nod really slowly if you understand and agree... and if you screw it up? Pop goes the daisy." The flower did the best attempt at a gulp I'd seen from a plant, and nodded slowly like I'd asked. Good... Good...
"Alright. Here's the deal, short stuff. You're gonna be real nice to me and the kid here. You're not gonna do ANYTHING to hurt them. You hurt them? You're gonna have a bad time. You don't have to like it. Just try to pretend at least, ok?"
Flowey gave a nervous laugh. "A-ahaha... s-sure thing buddy. We're friends after all, right?" I let them go, still holding the knife close. I didn't trust them to not pull something otherwise. "That's right. Friends. Now run along little flower before Toriel blasts you again." And with that Flowey beat a hasty retreat.
Good timing, since Toriel arrived not even ten minutes later. "Alright, kid. Stay determined. We'll be home before you know it. You'll like it there. It's safe." A look of worry flashed across Toriel's face when she noticed the kid. I helped them up and into her arms and she used a bit of healing magic on them before we made our way back.
I had to give mom credit. She carried the kid all the way home like a champ. Barely had to pause for any of the puzzles. I wasn't exactly a fan of my fellow humans, but I had a real good gut feeling about this kid. Something was special about them... and besides, I wasn't gonna blame them for the sins of others.
A chill ran up my spine as we walked through the pitfall room, just like on the surface that distant year ago. Was it Flowey? Glimpsing out of the corner of my eye, I caught the darting of something dark and indistinct, like a shadow. It was gone when I turned to get a direct look at it though. Definitely not Flowey. Something else... Hopefully just another monster.
The feeling was gone by the time we reach the doors of home however, and the tension vanished. I couldn't shake the feeling that something inherent in the ruins had changed though. For better or worse? I was going to find out eventually.
The kid awoke later that day. We didn't even notice at first because they didn't actually open their eyes. At least it didn't seem like they did. Maybe they where just squinting really hard? They could definitely see though, judging by the way they reacted possessively spooked by me. And I could tell it was me, and not Toriel since they were looking right at me. Probably.
"Hey kid. Easy there. You're safe." I held my hands up non-threateningly. " The name's Chara. I'm a human too. One of the cool ones though, y'know?" Toriel gave them a reassuring look. "And I am Toriel. There is no need to be alarmed, my child. Are you hungry?"
The effect of her words were almost instant. The kid stopped breathing so heavily and seeming on the verge of fainting again, which was a good step forward at least. After processing Toriel's question a moment they nodded slightly. Quiet kid.
"Ah. Then I will get you some pie. Would you like some as well, Chara?" I gave her a thumbs up. "Sure. I'll look after the kid while you go get it." And so it was just me and the kid now. "Hey... You got a name? I think calling you kid is gonna get old for us both really fast."
They took a long moment before speaking, their voice barely a whisper. "...Frisk." Arching an eyebrow, I really hadn't heard a name like that before. But then my name was Chara so who was I to judge? "Frisk, huh. Well nice to meet ya. Kinda remind me a little of when I was your age. How old are you anyways?"
7 fingers went up. 7 huh? I couldn't help but frown to myself a bit. What would drive someone that young to come to this place? "7, huh?" I forced a smile. "Well I just turned 16 a few days ago myself, hahaha. Us young folk gotta stick together."
Damn if I wasn't gonna watch over this kid. They were gonna have a happy childhood. "Hey. While we're waiting for that pie, want some chocolate?" I offered them one of my personal bars. It pained me a bit to have to part with it, but kids like chocolate right?
They stared at it a second before shaking their head no vigorously and sticking their tongue out in a fake gagging. I could only stare at them bemused. The kid didn't like chocolate? Seriously? Well no accounting for taste I guess. Hopefully they liked the pie at least.
Sitting down cross legged across from Frisk, I bit into the chocolate bar. A curious idea came to mind as I remembered something."Hey... wanna hear a story? Just thought of one. " A thoughtful head tilt before they nodded eagerly. I took a deep breath before adopting my 'story teller' voice. The one thing the other kids at the orphanage really liked about me was my stories.
"Alright. So a long time ago there was a knight most brave. She had a best friend who was a kind monster wizard of great power. This is the tale of one of their adventures together." I went on to spin a tale of bravery, kindness, and friendship having embellished a little bit here and there. The wizard hadn't been a monster in the older stories among other small changes, but somehow it felt right.
Along the way, the wizard and knight picked up a third member of their adventuring party. A young scholar who spoke little, but was good at getting them out of a bind. The knight would protect the wizard, who watched over the scholar, who would reign the knight in if she became too bold. It was in this way that they became great heros.
Pie came and was eaten as the story continued. I could only assume they were interested in the story. It was hard to tell with how consistently neutral their expression seemed to be most of the time. Or perhaps they where just really really pensive?
Anyways. Story. So one day the knight woke up to find that the wizard had vanished. She'd never had the chance to express how she felt to him... now she never might. For a time they had been rivals. Those days had been fun. These days had been the best yet however... she didn't want to let go. And besides, she had made a promise that she'd always find them if they were in trouble.
So, that became the mission, and she was determined. It was at this point that I realized two things. First and foremost Frisk was now deeply interested in the story and secondly, I came to realize that I had no idea where the story was going to go from there. " And... that's all I got right now. Sorry, kid."
They looked down, a little disappointed. "Oh..." I gave them a small smile. "Hey now. Just because I don't have anything right now, doesn't mean the story's finished. It's not over until the three friends are reunited and save the kingdom. That's how the knight would want it to end after all." A thumbs up to them and an encouraging smile.
Ooh! There it was! A bit of a smile. Small but it's there. I'd call that mission accomplished. Now I'd just have to work at getting a bigger smile out of them. "That's what's great about being alive. At any given moment." I looked up at the ceiling. "As long as you're still going you have the power to say 'this is not how the story is going to end.'"
Seems my words gave the kid some determination, judging by their expression. Tea was set in front of the two of us by Toriel. "Oh. Is story time done, my children? Perhaps in a little I shall show you around the ruins?" Frisk gave them a warm smile and a short nod.
Frisk didn't seem at all that surprised by mom being a monster, come to think of it... maybe they were one of those kinds of people that just went with the flow of things? I could respect that. The next few moments I spent prepping for the trip. I made sure to have a decent stock of monster food I'd been stockpiling.
The great thing about food that had been cooked with magic is that you didn't even have to fully process it. Somewhere along the line, the body fully absorbs it into energy. As a bonus, it restores your 'HP' because it's good for the soul, and even helps heal physical wounds a little. That doesn't mean that monster food can't be a little... strange however.
Once we were under way, Frisk wasted no time taking an interest in the spider bake sale. 'For spiders, by spiders, of spiders' apparently as the slogan was, and they weren't exactly joking about the last bit. Though thankfully it wasn't other monster spiders. Not that they could, since monsters turn to dust when they die.
The kid nearly blew half the spending money I'd lent them on goodies from it, despite my protest. Three spider doughnuts, some spider cider, and a croissant (The only thing spider-free on the menu). What shocked me though is that the Frisk enjoyed it, the absolute madman. How the heck do you drink spider cider and like it?
I made sure to introduce the other monsters to the kid. That went smoothly enough, though there was a bit of uncertainty about them. Understandable, given this was the second human in a short time span. Even I was feeling a bit nervous. What if there were more? What if they weren't so nice?
I pushed those thoughts away, having noticed a curious small white dog was following us. It was kinda cute really, looking sort of like a samoyed, but something seemed... off about it. They weren't a monster, that much I was sure of. I had a pretty good feel for what it was like to be around a monster by now. They were hardly an ordinary dog though.
Frisk didn't seem to pay them much mind, so I didn't either really... until they tried to snatch mom's phone. I wasn't having that shit. With a firm bellow and a wave of the knife, I tried to shoo them away. The dog gave a few annoyed barks, and tried a few more times before giving up, then gave me one hell of an evil eye before bounding off into the shadows of the ruins.
I had no idea a dog could look at someone that hatefully. It was like a petty child who was told they couldn't have their way. Too bad, dog. I want to be able to call mom. When I looked back, the kid had already solved the puzzle I had been going to teach them about. Just like the last few. Frisk had a knack for puzzles it seemed.
Eventually we reached the flower field once more. Toriel paused. "Oh, I have forgotten to take care of some errands. Would you please watch over them while I am out, Chara?" Easy question. "You can count on me. Kid's gonna have a good time." So now it was just me and Frisk again.
"So... this is where I found you. Where I first fell down as well." I stared up at the distant hole. "I can understand if you don't wanna stay, but please. Just give it a little time and thought first, before you decide. If you're absolutely sure you want to go... I'll take you myself."
I allowed myself a sad smile. "Alright Frisk. Let's head back." They followed along quietly... and the dog was back again. A few barks, before they tried to get at my jacket, intent on finding something... Wait. The locket! Oh hell no!
Good going dog. I was just annoying before, but now I was actually mad. I expressed this by shooting sparks of magic at it while shouting angrily. Enough to get a yip of surprise from it, and make it run off, and... through a wall? Did it just walk through a wall? I looked to Frisk and they looked to me. We were both pretty baffled to say the least.
Something told me we hadn't seen the last of that dog. Twice it had tried to steal something important. Well, if they tried that again they'd get to see my 'scary face'. With that little bit of conflict resolved, the rest of the trip home wasn't so bad.
Time passed, and while Frisk didn't speak much, I learned a decent bit about them. I don't think I'd ever met a person so kind and selfless for one. Underneath that kind and quiet exterior lurked the analytical mind of a tactical genius however.
A strange thing really. One moment, they're just a kid, the next thing I know Frisk is displaying levels of reasoning and perception you'd expect to find in someone something like 20 years their senior.
They had kept to my suggestion to stick around, but I ever now and then would catch them staring at the stairway leading to the ruins exit. They were considering it still, I could tell. Hopefully they'd tell me why they wanted to go at some point.
The year was nearing it's close again. We'd run into Flowey a few more times in the course of that. They seemed a bit peeved that we were still in the ruins for whatever reason, but they were actually pretty bearable to be around ever since I had that little 'talk' with them. Dare I say fun even. Shame it was probably an act.
The sense of dread, like back in the forest grew day by day however. Particularly any time it was just me and Frisk. I didn't know what it meant exactly... but it couldn't be a good omen. It left me on pins and needles feeling like something terrible was about to happen... and I'd soon learn why. Whatever happened though, I was determined to make sure Frisk could be happy as well.
MsYakumo: A wild Frisk appears. With this the plot is about to really start kicking off. Frisk I feel is a little tough to write, since you never really get much of a read on them as a character outside of what you end up projecting onto them yourself as a player. Not sure why this chapter was a bit tougher to write than the others, but it's done at least. Hopefully it was worth the wait?