The cold wind howled grievously over the freezing town. The storm drizzle of rain fell rhythmically, pelting the denizens below as well as the surrounding area, drenching them in its chilling tears as if it were crying out for the lost and dead.

It was a very sad day for the monsters, especially for the family of Monster Kid. He was the only child they had; raised with the love and care that any good family would have given for their offspring. He was their golden egg, the sunshine that brightened their everyday life. He was the hope for the future generation of monsters... it left a large hole in their hearts to know that their son wasn't here anymore.

After the burial was done, a ten minute prayer of silence was chanted. Mostly all the monsters had left the cemetery after that. However, Frisk, Sans and Flowey had decided to stay a little longer.

They all felt some responsibility for not being able to save MK as they stared at the gravestone shrouded in an array of golden flowers and some echo flowers while the monument was imprinted with his name:

Here lies Monster Kid; a child beloved to all as the little prince of Snowdin. May he R.I.P

A long while of silence followed, enveloping their minds like the grey clouds that hung above them in the sky as the storm continued to pour down.

"Still... I... can't believe it. Just last week, we were having a good time..." they sighed sadly.

Another moment's silence was over them before the flower spoke to break it.

"... Well it's not gonna do us any good if we just stay here all day. All we can hope for now... is that his SOUL rests in peace" murmured Flowey with a sigh as well.

"You're right weed..." the skeleton replied, sadness present in his tone. He was just as upset as everyone else.

"Oh that reminds me... the injury you have. How's it holding up?" he asked with a strained grin as he was trying to lighten up the mood a little.

"It's... a little better I guess. Nurse says I gotta stay in bed for quite a few days from now. So while I rest up, I really hope... you two will be alright" he said, letting the worry show in his voice.

"... I'm sure we'll be okay," the skeleton smiled a little white lie, slowly eyeing Frisk who was still in a slump mood and silent.

Although it all seemed bleak now, he only hoped things would really get better.

Over the next few days Frisk and Sans had made a slow but regular routine of going to Grillbys for a meal every lunch time. Then the skeleton would coach the human child on evading his attacks as a little training session.

It wasn't as easy as they thought it would be. In fact it was quite difficult for them to get the hang of it at first, so the skeleton went easy on them. He understood their demotivated mood which still lingered. He understood that getting over the little dinosaur's passing was going to take... a lot of time.

Frisk... I only hope you'll feel better he sighed solemnly, noticing their miserable expression that day as they were held in his embrace while the skeleton mumbled soothing words to comfort them.

He didn't blame the kid for how they were feeling. It had been quite rough on them for the past weeks after all, with the fact that they almost had another death. And it wasn't the first time due to their history.

They'd been through a lot. Although it sometimes really scared them because they was afraid of being hurt again. Occasionally a memory would resurface from the depths of their mind when they were in a lot of pain from the traumatic times of their journey in the Underground while they and the spectre where at Waterfall.

Chara had encouraged them that day to be strong. They could still vividly remember the words as the ghost held the child close to them, doing their best to comfort the small quivering and sobbing form that was in tears:

"Frisk... we've been through a lot together. We've been through so much pain. Although no one will ever understand our suffering...it's better to do the right thing and have mercy on them. It's going to be okay, Fisky-pie. We have each other, and we'll get through this, together."

... Normally the remembrance of those words would have calmed the child down, but after what happened that day... it was just another horrible memory.

It frightened them to think that someone else had control over their partner's being. And it terrified them to imagine them harming another monster now that Chara was corporeal.

-

Through the third day that week they felt a little better in their moods. Their eagerness for training had seeped in more than usual and their agility and stamina had begun to improve over time.

They ducked under a flurry of white bones just in nick of time that coursed from behind. They then charged forward in attempt to whack him with their bat.

"Yaaaaaaaaah!" the child sounded their battle cry, turning their body in momentum as they prepared to swing... Bonk! They felt it hit. Through their current excitement they smiled happily to themselves, feeling the joy dancing in their heart.

For the first time in a while... they actually felt genuinely happy, and it felt really good as they swam in their happiness for a bit, not realising that the noise they heard... was actually them being stopped.

A weight began to shift.

Their body felt a heavy drop for the moment as they saw their SOUL in blue then, they felt they were being lifted off the ground. Rising higher and higher, they started to feel the freezing cold temperatures as they were drenched in the ice cold rain and were halted just a few meters away from him in mid-air.

Their oak orbs widened in sudden surprise as they snapped back into their current surroundings. Their hair was wet as water trickled down their face drenching their clothes. They shivered, but felt light as a feather. They saw him grinning under the shade of the grey shadows, then his soul filled sockets lit up, warmly glowing in amusement at their reaction as he gazed up at his little kid.

"You having a joy ride up there kiddo?" his mocking eyes shimmering with laughter.

"U-uh... it-it's a tad 'chilli' up here. And wet too. T-too bad it's not s-s-spicy enough" they smiled hearing him laugh at their pun.

They felt a large shadow loom over them as something brushed up from behind them. They were still held airborne by the skeleton's gravity hold. Their body twisted around as they came face to face with a skeleton floating dragon head. Its eyes mischievously staring at her; they thought it looked a bit crazy.

"H-hi?" they greeted the gaster blaster with a nervous gulp.

...Clunk!

It opened its mouth...

The child began to shudder in sudden panic. Oh no... Nonononono! What am I gonna to do? I-I can't move!

They felt it surging power, they felt powerless... they realised... they couldn't do anything.

Another memory flashed in their head at that point. ... And it was one they wished they had forgotten completely. They didn't want to remember the horrible and gruesome nightmare...

KiLl HiM! KiLl HiM NoW!

N-no...no I won't!

YoU ArE sO PaThEtIc! wE'Ve AlReAdY GoTtEn ThIs ClOsE. WhY ArE YoU sO WeAk? I ThOuGhT YoU WaNtEd tO bE StRoNg, PaRtNeR.

I... I never wanted a-any of this! L-leave me alone!

YoU CrYbAbY. YoU'Ll NeVeR ChAnGe... BeCaUsE iN tHe eNd, YoU'Ll AlWaYs bE tHe WeAkEr HaLf.

... Sorry kiddo, it's Game Over.

The mocking tone and cruel laughter of that dark memory replayed in their mind several times as they closed their eyes, praying in fear. They felt warm tears threatening to spill as they trembled, whimpering, shutting their eyes tight, and hoping desperately that it wouldn't fire...

Suddenly they was bought back to ground level as the Gaster Blaster vanished.

They blinked sniffling; their tanned cheeks wet as they felt a bone finger gently lift their chin. The skeleton stared at they with a look of concern and guilt written on his face as he held them close. They'd realised... that Sans knew they were crying.

"Kid... I-"they shook their head, a warm smile playing on the child's face as they rubbed their eyes.

"No... It's not okay. I know I hurt you before... I just wanna be able to do what I can to make it right again," he caressed them, letting his emotions show, tears forming in his eyes. Usually he was a guy who had his sadness hidden, but he wanted the child to know he deeply cared for them. "I won't harm you again. I promise I'll take care of you." he said kissing the temple of the small form's head.

"Now you know you shouldn't be talking like that dunkle. I don't like it when you do," the child frowned, wagging a tiny finger disapprovingly, but appreciating the comfort he was giving them.

"H-heh... you...you're right. I just... I just wanna make you happy, that's all." he rubbed his sockets chuckling, the sadness and guilt still aching in his SOUL.

"Don't be a numbskull, you always make me happy. ...You silly bonehead" their frown soon turned into a grin, hearing more chortles of laughter from the skeleton as he started to feel better. He pulled them gravitationally toward him, picked them up into a one arm bear hug while with the other, playfully ruffled the child's hair.

"H-hey! I-I'm not a little kid anymore!" they pouted grumpily, arms folded while in his arms.

"Says the little squirt who's the size of a baby toadstool. You're only eleven years old. You've barely reached passed my skull" his grin widening into a smirk.

"Sh-shutup dunkle!" they gave him a moody stare, not happy about him teasing them as they heard him laughing, then they were suddenly turned on their back as they felt the bone fingers wriggle their way lightly on their tummy like a feather and soon they began erupting with squeals of delight and giggles. He thought it was adorable. They sounded like a baby piglet when it's happy.

"Heh you sound like a little piglet who's happy at getting a tummy rub," he teased, earning a little glare as the child tried to helplessly keep a straight face.

"Well you laugh like a giant elephant!" they exclaimed.

They stared at each other in silence for a couple of seconds before cracking into more laughter.

After a while, his smile faded a little as the laughing subsided. His eyes became serious and they felt it as they were slowly set back down onto the damp snowy floor.

"... but on a serious note, you really aughta learn how to counter attack better. What if you find yourself in a jam like what happened now? What are ya gonna do? ... What if... what if I'm not here to protect you when you really need it?"

They were silent for a long while, not knowing what to say. After all, how could they make up their mind? They didn't really know how to fight. After all they were just a kid, a child who was only eleven years old. ... An idea suddenly flashed in their mind... hesitantly, they spoke their idea.

"R-r-reset...? ahahah..." they nervously grinned, expecting him to be angry with them but they saw he had a patient expression.

"...Don't forget that was the reason why we're speculating this whole thing's happened in the first place," he stated bluntly as he felt them flinch "In fact... there's somethin' you autgha know. Why don't we sit down at that bench over there." he pointed in the said direction.

They quietly walked to it and he calmly gestured for the young child to sit beside him. As they did so placing their bat beside them, they gulped nervously trying not to let the bad feelings they felt play with their mind as they made eye contact and concentrated on their dunkle.

He adjusted himself properly, lying back against the green bench to become more comfortable before he finally spoke.

"During our search that time at the lab... the information I read from those documents provided something of into-rest" he said

"And what d-did you find out?" they asked, scared of what they were about to hear.

"... That messing around with the timelines could cause things... things to appear that aren't meant to be there. And if you reset again, it might only get worse" he said, trying to explain it to them in the simplest way.

"Meaning if you... if you end up going back in time to a place you're not supposed to be... bad things that you don't want to happen, most likely will" he gave them a stern look, an icy pupil fixed firmly into the nervous oak brown orbs.

The feeling of anxiety washed over them SOUL as they felt the ruby red heart that pounded and glowed brightly off the surface of their coat dim with negativity. They knew that he was going to ask something big from them... and they didn't know if they were ready to accept that decision yet.

Just as he was about to tell them, he heard something...

Something was buzzing, vibrating in his jacket pocket.

He slowly drew it out. It was his cell phone; his favourite tune was playing as it rang. He saw that the call was coming from Papyrus. He thought about not answering it for a split second because he believed it might be another one of his brother's daily ramblings about a new puzzle. Since he was discussing more important matters right now, he was about to place the phone back into his pocket- then he stopped.

He felt his heartbeat quickening...

Anxiousness gripped him like a snake wrapping tightly around its victim...

Something at the back of his skull throbbed. It was... his consciousness... echoing, yelling at him!

He knew it was a sign that he should pick it up, so he wasn't going to ignore it. He slowly put the cell phone to his non-existent left ear.

"Hello, Sans here," he answered immediately, hearing the taller skeleton's voice. His brother sounded... in distress and panic as he spoke.

"W-w-what!? The centre was attacked!?" he exclaimed, shocked at hearing the news.

"What!? Hello!?" he heard the signal becoming disrupted on the other end. He could only hear the words of help, black shadows, danger, and... Flowey.

"P-paps! Papyrus! I can't hear you! You're-"

Beeeeeeep...

The line went dead.

Frisk watched Sans' expression as he turned to them. That look was the look of complete dread and the kid knew something bad had happened.

Wasting no more time the two nodded as they were mounted onto his back. They and the skeleton hurried on, taking one of his usual shortcuts.

It wasn't long before they reached the centre. On the outside, everything seemed the same. The snow mounds where piled high and a grey-ish oblong building with a red cross towered above them like a large stone statute. It gave Frisk the chills.

But what awaited them inside made the little human child feel more afraid, conjuring up with frightening thoughts in their mind as they latched on to the skeleton even tighter, their small hands firmly gripping his neck as they whimpered, burying their face into the hardness of his skull as they felt the coolness of it against their cheek as the wind howled aggressively, pelting their hair with more freezing rain drops that were icy cold.

"S-sans...I-I'm scared" they exclaimed whimpering and trembling.

"Hey... don't worry, alright? Nothing bad is gonna happen. I'm gonna protect you this time... I promise." He reassured them.

They quietly made their way into the building as the dark corridors glowed with an unnerving light.

Sans' footsteps echoed as they sped ahead. It was a race against time as his legs clattered onwards through the empty, dark hallway.

Cables and wires were strewn on the floor as they rushed by door after door; time left them feeling under pressure to rescue their friends. They knew they had to hurry.

As they kept on running, Frisk made sure to keep a tight hold so they wouldn't fall off his back. As they got into a deep part of the centre, the skeleton abruptly stopped.

"H-hey dunkle... w-why have we... suddenly s-stopp?" the child timidly asked

The skeleton heard them but decided to keep quiet, feeling that there was something off about this part of the area.

A few moments of waiting gave him his answer.

Scrap...scraaaaap!

He could hear it. As he listened closely he could tell... that something was right behind that wall!

"S-san-"

"Shhh!" he moved his hand in a gesture that told them to zip it. He felt a little quake and the whole building rumbled which made him jump out of his bones when something THUMPED loudly from behind them.

It approached closer and closer. Sans quickly stepped aside, hiding behind one of the other walls as he felt the child shaking.

He decided to play the waiting game, wondering what the creature would do next.

As carefully as he could, the short skeleton attempted to tiptoe without making a sound as he slowly stepped backwards further and further away.

He was nearly into a safe spot when...

RATTLE! ...

He slowly turned around... Shit! He thought, slapping a skeletal hand to his skull as he felt himself bump into one of the operation beds.

They heard a really loud snarling noise as the ground shook with an even greater intensity this time, making the operating table rattle.

The human child whimpered even more as a gigantic shadow threateningly loomed above them, ominous blood red bulging glowing eyes glared down at the two viciously. They had been spotted.

It had long pointed ears much like a cats, only they were much thinner. Long arms were bent, ending in pointed needle-like claws which were stained with blood. White spots covered its body like a pattern. It also had a patch mark on its right front paw and its left hind leg. Attached to its rear was a long winding tail, a forked claw sprouted at the end.

The three stood there for a few moments. Sans cautiously took out a bone sabre and he could hear Frisk's heartbeat and rapid breathing as the tension of the atmosphere grew.

He took a few steps back. The creature edged ever closer now, showing its yellow rotten fangs that were blackened from the rotting flesh in its mouth, the claw at the end of its tail rose.

Sans' eye widened at the swiftly striking tail and immediately threw the sharp sabre which struck the creature's foot.

SEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH! It gave a deafening loud screech as it roared in pain.

The skeleton immediately took off as Frisk yelped in surprise at the sudden move, nearly falling off his back in the process; thankfully he lifted them back on as they tightened her grip securely again.

Sprinting as fast as his legs could take him Sans just kept running, not daring to look back; the raging roar of the demon cat sounding not too far from them.

Tables flew, chairs were flung over and whole lot more rumbling shook the hallway as Sans did his best to keep a steady ground. As he dodge left and right, one of the tables was extremely close to hitting them.

"Sans, look out!" Frisk yelled just in time for the skeleton to turn around and stop the flying object with a force. He threw it at the creature but it evaded the flying table. He swore under his breath in surprise as he continued to make a run for it.

"That's one shady creature alright" he joked with a grin, hearing Frisk groan.

They turned, running into the next direction as they thought of a plan to escape.

Thump...THUMP! The skeleton's heart was beating. Not out of fright, but out of disbelief; surely they didn't take a wrong turn? All he could see around him now were enclosed shadowed walls.

... Stomp! ... STOMP! ... It was getting closer... STOMP STOMP STOMP! ... A low growl vibrated into the darkness

Frisk gulped in panic, their heart racing, terrified to turn around because they knew... they knew that horrible creature was right behind them and that it was going to eat them.

They were trapped with nowhere to run. It was a dead end.

The tension of the room inflated like a balloon as the human child just sat there on the skeleton's back unable to do anything. They felt helpless; they wanted to help but didn't know what do to.

They hated feeling of being so scared, and so weak. They hated feeling like a hindrance to those who were always there for them.

Something stirred, whirling within the skeleton's body like a hurricane as his sockets went blank.

Memories flashing back from when he didn't take responsibility a year ago started to resurface. He shook his guilt and bad feelings aside as something burned in his SOUL, igniting brightly like a flame.

The resolve to protecting the child filled him with DETERMINATION

"... Hey Frisk you remember what I said?" he exclaimed, a blue fiery aura pouring out from his right socket, a determined sharp smirk played on his face as his attention was centred on the monster now.

"I said I would protect you, and this monster isn't gonna lay a shady claw on you. Heh, get it?" he grinned as he saw them smile, immediately evading a claw swipe that came at them.

Summoning a row of large bones, he shot them straight at the monster which re-directed the attack back with the swing of its clawed tail and gave a loud roar that made the human child cup their hands over their ears to block out the sound.

As the skeleton evaded another tail attack from the monster, he summoned two gaster blasters searing its body with scorching energy beams, hearing its howl of anger and pain.

As Sans continued to dance around the creatures attacks and annoy it with taunts Frisk giggled cheering their dunkle on.

The creature driven insane', unleashed gigantic waves of sharp pointy black needles that protruded from out of the ground like a fissure causing the earth to split.

Sans almost tripped from the unexpected surprise attack, nearly sending the wobbling child flying.

"Aaaah! Sans I'm gonna fall!" they panicked, keeping a tight hold on him as much as they could.

"Just don't let go!" he shouted back, dodging the last hurdle of black-death spikes by a margin as it popped out right in front of his face. A cold sweat trickled down his white cheek bones and his forehead while he slowly retreated from nearly being impaled in the face.

A large clawed tail violently swung by right at that moment, striking Sans in his ribs which knocked the skeleton off his feet and sent the human child falling off his back as they saw him landing a meter away from them.

"Sans! Are you okay?" they called out distressed as they got to their feet and started dashing towards him when they were suddenly blocked by row of shadow spikes.

As they tried again, spikes turned up once more nearly catching them as they gasped. Fear began to take root in their SOUL. They shuddered, panicked about what to do as the relentless attacks continued. The human barely evaded them as they were running.

"S-Sans! dunkle Sans! H-help me!" they cried, finding themselves backed into a corner.

Large red orbs glared ravenously upon the small frightened form, the shadow cat creature licked its lips at finally having its chance to eat. Frisk buried their face in their tiny palms quaking fearfully. They felt their SOUL dim with doubt at the feeling that they weren't going to make it through.

I'm not going to make it... I... this is it for me... they thought as the monster leapt at them.

...Thump...THUMP...THUMP!

"YoU'Re NoT GoInG tO DiE oN mE aRe YoU?~ SuReLy YoU'Re NoT 'GiViNg Up' NoW. OtHerWiSe WhO aM I gOiNg To PlAy WiTh?" a mocking voice echoed in Frisk's mind.

They were afraid... they didn't want to die.

They felt a strange sensation suddenly surge from deep within their chest and course throughout their whole being.

Their SOUL flared up in a shimmering aura of determination red as it pulsed. The pupils in their eyes disappeared, only the white shells remained. Enveloped in the energy, celestial wings of ruby and black formed from their back coating the edges in a shimmering, glossy sheen, spreading out a meter wide. Feeling the burst of overflowing power, the child's mind was wiped blank as they rose into the air.

Raising their hands mechanically like a robot, a violet-red flame viciously swept over the creature like an inferno. A blood-curdling scream erupted from the dying monster before it exploded, its remnants evaporating into black wisps of smoke before disappearing forever.

The skeleton simply stared at the child in awe, he was speechless. It wasn't long before he snapped out of his trance though as he saw a fainting Frisk go limp, falling. As the tall spikes of darkness he was trapped in disintegrated, the skeleton teleported towards them, catching the human just in time before they fell to the ground.

As he cautiously walked ahead, the skeleton kept an alert eye-socket out for anymore creatures like the one they had just encountered. So far so good, they hadn't had to confront another one.

Keeping the unconscious child held in his arms the whole way, he felt guilty... he felt he failed protect them again.

I promised I'd protect them... yet... I... he trailed off shaking his head. This was no time to be filled with regrets. The things that had become a main priority now were seeing that his little brother and his other friends were safe.

The skeleton kept a firm hold, drawing the kid close to his chest as he gave her a worried glance every so often.

Weed... I hope you're doing okay. Just hang in there, we're coming.

***************

They arose drowsily, their vision blurry from having the feeling of waking from a very deep sleep. Rubbing the dirt from the corners of their eyes, the child yawned blinking themselves aware to their surroundings- their head throbbed with the heaviness that clouded their mind. They found themselves lying in a giant bed covered by medical green and white hospital sheets.

The child backed up a little, feeling nervous and afraid at the presence of an unfamiliar face.

"It's alright punk, there's no reason to be alarmed. This is Lydia. She's a nurse and the one who helped Flowey to feel better" said a gruff female voice.

At hearing the voice, the small form saw an ocean blue fish monster with yellow fins and a slanted lemon eye looking at them with a toothy grin. Her left eye was encased over by a black eye patch. Her red flaming hot long hair was tied up in a high pony tail as she was clothed in a black sleeveless shirt. Around her neck was a shark tooth pendant. She was also draped in midnight pants and coral red boots with soot black stripes.

"HUMAN! OH MY GOODNESS, I'M SO RELIEVED TO SEE THAT YOU ARE UNHARMED." said the tall skeleton.

Frisk was relieved to see some familiar faces as they immediately jumped at the chance, giving both the fish monster and tall skeleton an embrace.

"Undyne! W-what are you doing here?" Frisk exclaimed, eyes beaming with happiness, the corners of their mouth turning into a wide smile.

"Keeping an eye on you till you woke up so I could have a fight with you again! We totes need a re-match sometime." The fish monster declared while returning the hug, seeing the child smile and break into a laugh at her joke.

She turned to the taller skeleton and smiled "And Paps. I'm glad to know you weren't hurt either! Sans and I were so worried about you."

"WHY OF COURSE I AM UNHARMED. I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AFTER ALL!" he posed in a dramatically heroic manner, flexing his biceps as his red scarf trailed gracefully from below like a ribbon.

"... BUT REALLY, IF IT WASN'T FOR UNDYNE, I SUPPOSE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A LOT MORE TROUBLE. BUT DON'T WORRY, EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE FINE." Papyrus beamed cheerfully, trying not to let the discomfort show on his face. It made Frisk feel a bit better, at least for now.

A few moments later, their ears perked up. They thought it was due to the fact that they were really tired at the moment, that they were just hearing things.

... It was faint, but they were sure they could hear muffled voices nearby.

Curious, they eyed Papyrus with a questioning look as if to ask if he knew something. They noticed sweat dripping down his four head and stared at him for an even longer time.

It wasn't long before they broke him.

"U-UM... EXCEPT... THERE MAYBE JUST ONE TEENY TINY PROBLEM..." He confessed with a nervous gulp, pulling at his scarf a little.

Papyrus was never truly any good at hiding things nor was he a very good liar. However he was good when it came to being entrusted with something scared, like secrets or even looked up to for advice. Frisk was thankful for the fact that the skeleton was honest.

Immediately they began moving out of the bed but the nurse tried to prevent them. Holding a now struggling Frisk firmly within her arms as the child kicked at her.

"Now now child, don't be naughty. You need to rest" scolded Lydia

"Let me go!" shouted Frisk "I'm fine!"

Undyne gestured for the nurse to let the struggling child go; the nurse knew protesting wasn't any good. Reluctantly she set little one back down to the ground who left, scurrying ahead as the group watched them leave.

"QuItE tHe ReBeL aReN't YoU?" the mocking voice sounded again, rather amused by the situation.

Frisk heard the voice this time, but couldn't tell from where it was coming from. But they didn't have time for solving this mystery right now. They had more important things to attend to.

As they crept closer Frisk could hear the voices more clearly. Putting an ear to the wall, they listened in. Gasping in realisation as they peeked out from the corner, they saw the familiar faces of the flower and the skeleton who were having a heated argument.

"But what if they won't wake up?! How do you expect us to explain this to Toriel?! She'll absolutely kill you, Smiley!" yelled a berserk and frantic Flowey

"Don't friggin' yell at me Weed! Everything happened all so fast, it was too late before I could do something!" Sans replied angrily.

"Still, you should have taken better precautions!"

"I tried my best! Okay?!"

Seeing them fighting made the child upset. They strongly disliked it when discord happened among their friends... in fact they hated it. They always felt they were in the middle of it in some way or another... It always made them feel... guilty.

Why am I always in the centre of this...? the child whimpered in frustration.

And now because of me... Flowey and Sans are fighting. They felt bad and desperately wanted the fight to end before it escalated any further.

They were about to intervene when the fish monster came up from behind them, gently putting a scaly hand on the kid's shoulder.

"Hey... you okay punk?" she asked, feeling concerned that the kid's mood had dampened a lot from just a while ago.

Frisk remained silent, clenching their small hands. Immediately the child ran towards her, hugging the tall fish for comfort. Kneeling to the little kid's level, Undyne knew it, embracing the child gently in her claws as she stroked the child's head gently, holding them until they calmed down from the sobbing.

"What's the matter...? You wanna tell pirate eye what's up? Arrrgh!" the fish monster grinned and Frisk giggled through their tears, slowly cheering up a little.

"W-well... it's... it's just... I always feel bad when they start a fight. I always seem to... be in the way..." they frowned guiltily, sadness clogging their spirit as more tears trickled down their plump cheeks.

"Aww come on now. It's nothing like that I'm sure. You know that those two care about you a lot, right?" she tried to reassure the human, handing them a tissue.

The child nodded in response, taking the tissue as they wiped their face from the tears and the trickling snot, not expecting the fish to swiftly sweep them off their tiny feet as they were boarded on the fish's right shoulder.

"Then come on! We're gonna go shut some mouths up! YEAH!" the fish monster raised an arm in the air and fist bumped her chest. Frisk laughed at Udyne's random outburst.

Aside from their mother, their older sibling Chara, the flower and the skeleton brothers, Frisk held a huge admiration for Undyne. Somehow, the fish monster always knew how to cheer them up whenever they were sad.

They never knew how but, they were glad that Undyne was their friend, because it always made them feel reassured to know that one of the strongest people were here to help them.

They loved their friend's random outbursts the most. It's one of the reasons the child always felt they had a close tie with her. They were like another big sister to them.

The fish grinned at seeing the child cheered up. As they approached the squabbling friends a few moments later. She extended an arm backward into position, summoning a long blue glowing spear.

The javelin came thundering down like a lightning bolt upon the flower and skeleton, landing right in between them as the earth cracked beneath their feet. They jumped in surprise at the sudden swift attack.

"Alright break it up you two. Quit arguing like a bunch of old broomsticks, the punk's awake!" Undyne shouted in annoyance at the fact that the flower and skeleton were still going and were now practically at each other's throats with a vine wrapped around the skeleton's neck and him putting a mitten hand on the flower's face.

"Frisk!" they exclaimed together. As the fighting ceased, they turned to face the human and fish. Both of them were relieved as they rushed over to Undyne, crowding themselves around the small child.

"I'm so glad you're okay! You scared us half to death you moron." chided Flowey, grasping the human in a tight embrace.

"Yeah it's good to see you're all in one piece, kid." Sans ruffled Frisk's hair playfully with a hand.

The child stared up at the two with large glittering brown eyes, tightly embracing them back.

"I... I'm sorry guys. I'm sorry I worried you. Please don't fight because of me. Whenever you do, I always feel... like it's my fault." they soured again, their frown returning.

"Don't be daft you idiot. None of this is your fault." The flower rolled his eyes, making a firm tone with the upset child.

"Hey you know it's always a skele-ton of fun fighting with Weed. Sometimes, he admits he LOVEs it too~" Sans teased.

"W-what... No I don't!" pouted the flower, leafy arms crossed.

The short skeleton simply gave a mischievous stare as his permanent grin of a smile split into an even broader one.

"Q-quit laughing at me! I'm not talking to you, Smiley! You know I still hate you, trashbag." Flowey turned away upset- embarrassed. His face turning a light shade of pink as he heard Sans chuckling away.

Frisk smiled, relieved that the two were making up. Well to an extent anyways.

In the distance, they saw Undyne speaking to Papyrus before the two left together. They wondered if anything was wrong, but they figured they probably needed a bit of privacy as they turned their attention back to the short skeleton and flower.

A few minutes later Flowey scoured the area, wanting to make sure no one but the three of them were around as he turned his attention back to Frisk.

"... Frisk..." he looked at them a bit ashamed, his head lowered slightly "I'm sorry that you had to see that... it's just, me and Smiley-" they put a finger to the flower's lips "I know, you guys were worried... and it's okay, really." they smiled, removing their finger again.

"I feel much better now. I'm just glad... that you're okay my little flower" they said in a warm tone as they picked him up, gently placing him into the opening of their jacket, being careful not to put him in too roughly due to the healing injury.

"Just promise me one thing-" he eyed them closely, his expression stern "Don't worry us like that again... I... I don't want you dead" murmured the flower, water drops pricking his beady black eyes.

"Yeah, none of us do, kiddo," said the skeleton joining in, noticing the flower bury his face into the human child's jacket.

"I'm sorry..." the child mumbled regretfully, "I'm sorry to you both. I promise this time, I'm going to get stronger" they stroked the flower comfortingly on his head.

"And we'll lend a hand to help" Sans joked again, making Flowey groan as he quickly popped his head back up and Frisk giggle "But really, you saved my life kid, and I'm eternally grate-ful" he winked sending the child into another fit of snorts.

"Oh my god Smiley, seriously, enough puns already!" he pleaded with a roll of his eyes like always after rubbing them.

The skeleton shrugged casually "I thought you weren't talking to me. What happened, Weed?" he raised a non-existent eyebrow curiously.

The flower stayed quiet for a few minutes before turning away again in a grumbling tone.

The child frowned a little at this, giving a sleepy yawn while the skeleton gave a warm grin at the kid and a shrug.

"Welp, I think it's about time we hit the hay." said Sans picking up the small one into their arms.

Just then Undyne and Papyrus re-entered the room regrouping with them.
"Alright punks' things should be fine around here for now. Tomorrow should be as normal. We will be keeping an eye-patch out in case things get outta hand again though" she said with a note.

"Alright pirate eye, we'll see ya in the morning" he nodded,

"Oh and, Paps... It's good to know you weren't hurt. Love you a skele-ton bro." Sans smiled warmly through his sharp grin.

"THANK YOU SANS... I LOVE YOU TOO, BROTHER" Papyrus returned a smile.

With a wave of farewell the gang headed their separate ways for the night.

-

A throbbing sensation swept over their mind... like a fire, the pain persisted for a while before slowly subsiding into a small pulse that ebbed away at the back of their skull, until it disappeared completely.

... Drip...drip... they thought they could hear something familiar... drip...DRIP... suddenly they felt it touch them, the wet, cool texture dripping down their left shoulder to their front.

Frisk...

Their ear automatically twitched- they could've sworn they heard something but it could've been their imagination. Opening their eyes awake, they were surprised to find themselves in a shallowness that appeared to feel like water, but in reality they saw... that darkness surrounded them from all over.

They peered at themselves in the water's reflection seeing that they were in their pyjamas of a black t-shirt decorated in white daises as well as blue short pants with three white hearts trailing along the right side. Aside from that, they were barefooted, though the water felt strangely warm under their feet.

"...W-where... am I? ..." they pondered; lifting themselves from the pitch-black pool as they began walking along, still feeling uncertain and afraid about where they were.

"H-hello?" they called out into the empty void. They waited a few moments... but no one answered.

They were about to call out again when something buzzed in their head.

They felt... something trying to connect within their mind.

"Hello!" they called out again more confidently.

F-fr-frisk...Frisk...

They heard a faint echo this time.

Frisk, yes I am here.

"W-who are you...?" the human child asked.

That is none of your concern for now. Follow the path ahead, and keep going... Frisk.

Frisk repeated the question but instead of getting an answer like they wanted, the voice ignored them.

Welp... looks like I'm not going get anything out of this guy.

They reluctantly did as the voice had told them and started to follow the path.

Soon they noticed that the scene had begun to change. The darkness slowly eroded into that of a familiar area.

"This is..."

Yes, this is the laboratory you visited back at Waterfall.

"But why am I here?" they asked in confusion.

There was no answer.

"H-hello?!"

Still no answer.

They started to fear that they were by themselves again. They waited a while longer, but the voice never came back. They knew because... the connection with the voice they felt before... the link which had be present in their mind had vanished. They realised that the only way to go was forward.

The hallway stretched like an endless path that wove on forever as the human carried on their stroll through the dark waters; the splashing of the large sea echoing from behind. They didn't feel any fatigue which they found to be strange.

Suddenly they felt the darkness beginning to return. A feeling of unease wormed its way into their core as a large metal door just like the one they had seen at Waterfall that time appear right in front of them.

Frisk stared at the gate hesitantly. Their hand gripped the knob, and before they knew it... Click. It twisted, jarring the door wide open.

Grooooan... The gateway into another dark path was awakened.

*Thump*... they felt their SOUL pulsing.

*THUMP* she entered inside, fear gnawing at their chest.

*THUMP!* they saw a little bit of a light.

As they moved closer they thought they saw... a shadow.

At first they couldn't make out who the figure was then they heard it shouting.

"H-help...Help me!" the voice echoed clearly- that voice they gasped... there was no mistaking it-

"MK!" they rushed forward without a second thought- but when they got there, they felt... that something wasn't right as they saw the small figure just standing there.

They blinked in confusion.

Something flashed by in a blur, and then they felt it...

Guilt gripped them again as glinting blade of black coursed right through MK's stomach- a crimson liquid dripping.

Those void sockets of the small monster stared at her accusingly; they knew by the way he was staring at them, they felt...horrible.

"N-no... Noooo!" they screamed in anguish as she clutched the small body... they couldn't save him...again.

"Fr-Frisk...W-why...why d-didn't...y-you s-s-save... m...me..." were his last weeping words before his body slowly melted away into a liquid goop seeping through their hands. His corpse disfigured and mutilated as the colour of his bright golden skin faded into a dull dead grey before nothing else remained.

They fell to a crumple on their knees staring at their mirror reflection in the darkness of the water...shocked and horrified.

The scene replayed in their mind over and over again like an old tape recording.

The way he was stabbed... those accusing eyes...

'W-why…why d-didn't… y-you... s-save m-me...?'

The echoing words never left their mind as they still heard his dying voice trailing away into the shadows.

An ominous giggle rang out faintly through the hall a while later.

Frisk felt another presence... something else had entered the link...

They wasn't sure why, but they knew... they just knew that this presence was something bad.

The scene began to transform again, this time to a sort of grey-ish white background but the black pool still remained as they heard the splashing of the water again.

Someone approached.

"JeE... SuCh a SaD sAd EnDiNg. iF OnLy TiMe CoUlD'Ve SpArEd YoU a wHiLe LoNgEr, MaYbeee YoU CouLd'Ve SaVeD HiM~" taunted a dark voice. It sounded... female, and distorted.

The child could feel the presence close behind them. They whipped around to face the one who spoke.

The being appeared similar appearance to them with short spiked hair that ended just a little above her shoulders.

The only difference was, the being wore an ash grey sweater that had two lighter grey stripes trailing across her body and a stripe which ended on each sleeve, a little like Frisk's old sweater. She was draped in jet black pants with a white shadow-like claw arm that swirled from the bottom which held a white heart, while at the bottom, covering her feet were a pair of grey shoes.

A round her neck was a silver glass mirror pendant in the shape of a heart turned over that glinted faintly within the dimness of the light. Her grey face also seemed to be painted with darker eyes. Round dark circles were imprinted to her cheeks to which Frisk thought... they appeared to mirror Chara a little, as well as them.

It was no friendly visit though. From experience, although their counterpart was never truly physically abusive to them, Frisk knew that their dark mirror self was a dangerous enemy.

After all, she was created from Frisk's negative emotions.

She was their mirror image.

The two stood there for a while staring at one another. A cold air in the atmosphere blew across them as an uncomfortable silence lingered for a bit.

"LoNg TiMe nO sEe yOuR MaJeSty. HaS iT rEaLlY bEeN a YeAr AnD a HaLf?" she stated gesturing with a mocking bow. She pretended to ponder over the last time the two had spoken though she knew all too well that they always spoke, whether Frisk was dreaming or not, given it had been a while.

Frisk stayed silent.

"GiViNg mE ThE SiLeNt TrEaTmEnT hUh? GoOdNeSs, iS ThAt aNyWaY tO TrEaT An oLd 'FrIeNd', FrIsKy-PiE?~" she smirked playfully, her void black sockets swirled with an edge of mischief as the mirror heart emanated with a malicious aura as black the SOUL that displayed from the left side of her sweater.

"W-we're... we're not friends." the child stated, trying to sound blunt but their mirror counterpart could feel them quivering slightly despite trying to hide it.

"HmMm... I tHiNk It QuAliFiEs A fAiR bIt, CoNsIdErInG I wAs ThE oNe WhO gAvE yOu ThAt LiTtLe PuSh bAcK tHeRe~"

Frisk didn't say anything for a while.

"I know... it w-was you who was talking earlier. I just didn't respond because I... had s-something else to d-deal with." said Frisk.

"WeLl iT's ThOuGhTfUl tHaT yOu NoTiCeD mE~ I wAs bEiNgInG tO ThInK yOu WeNt DeAf" she remarked in her usual mocking and teasing tone.

"Oh come on! Y-you know I heard you." grumbled Frisk as they watched a satisfied smirk form on their dark self's face. They knew that their counterpart was getting under their skin.

"W-what are you doing here a-anyways Ksirf," It was more of a statement than a question.

"iSN't iT oBvIoUs? I jUsT CaMe tO sAy hI" she stared at Frisk innocently with that poisonous pretense of a sweet smile she always had on her face as she approached the human close.

Frisk immediately backed up but before they could go anywhere, they were wrapped by the waist in their dark self's arms in an affectionate embrace as their faces where level with one another.

Ksrif stared at them with a smirk, squeezing them a little gently but firmly.

"aNd JuSt WhErE dO YoU ThInK YoUr gOiNg, PaRtNeR?~" there was a slight edge of mockery to her teasing tone when she stated that, and Frisk always hated it.

They flinched at the word 'partner', shuddering at the horrible memories from when they tred down that route. They never liked it when Ksirf termed them as such.

Frisk became flustered. Why they always seemed to blush when the strange sensation happened they didn't know; but it made them feel weird and uncomfortable as they struggled, trying to push themselves away from their dark mirror self, but when Ksirf wouldn't let go the human child sighed in a pout, arms folded while still keeping their guard up.

"I still know you're not just here to say hi at all. Would you quit playing with me?" they glared in the hold of their darker self.

"AwWw, bUt iT's FuN tO MeSs WiTh YoU~ i'M nOt DoInG aNyThInG wRoNg RiGhT nOw Am I?" the mirror being grinned, ruffling the annoyed child's hair in a patronizing way with a hand.

"Ugh, okay first of all get off me." they growled, struggling again as they finally set themselves free. Ksrif was laughing and enjoying the fact that Frisk was getting annoyed while she toyed with them. The child stood a few steps away from her now, the redness still visible in their cheeks as they fumed.

"YoU'Re sO aDorAbLe WhEn YoU'Re MaD FrIsKy~"

"Sh-sh-shutup damnit!" they frowned.

That sent her dark side into another howl of laughter.

"A-anyways! We're going off topic. ... What the heck is going on? W-what what was that apparition...?" asked Frisk

"HoW sHoUlD I kNow? YoU'Re ThE OnE WiTh ThE DrEaMs." Ksirf shrugged passively but a sly smirk spread across her face as she stared at her counterpart with a sinister knowing look.

It took a while to understand what their mirror self was talking about as they thought hard about it.

"Wait I... still don't get it,"

She patiently waited for her silly idiot of a counterpart to figure things out. She knew Frisk wasn't that dumb, even though the child had the condition of a moderate learning difficulty which meant that it took them a bit longer to catch on to things more than the average person normally would. But it still didn't mean she was going to help them out.

"You...you said dreams, which only means... I'm asleep right now. And if... if that's the case, then..." they trailed off.

"ThAt'S rIGhT iDiOt, YoU oNlY hAvE yOuRsElF tO bLaMe FoR wHaT hApPeNeD," Ksirf sneered.

"YoU fAiLeD tO sAvE HiM. AnD nOw aT tHe CoSt oF yOuR fAiLuRe, AnOtHeR OnE oF yOuR BeLoVeD OnEs MiGhT NoT bE SaVeD. It'S tOo LaTe, FrIsK; yOuR pReCiOuS SiStEr WiLl SoOn FaLl To ThE dArKnEsS aT hAnD, aNd It'Ll bE aLl YoUr FaUlT."

"N-no... NO! N-not C-chara...Not Chara!" the human child panicked

"InEeD, yOu'Ll NeVeR sUcCeEd At ThIs RaTe."

Frisk felt the arm of their mirror side snake around them. They could feel the warmth of the being's breath down their neck as they felt a whisper.

"BeCaUsE yOu'lL AlWaYs Be A fAiLuRe." The mirror being cackled.

"NO!" they shouted with their hands on their head as though they were losing it. The darkness began surrounding them as they felt themselves falling, a trailing cruel laughter sounding in the distance.

They continued falling... falling deeper into the depths of nowhere. At this point they felt they didn't care as hot wet tears spilled from their eyes. They were a failure. If they couldn't even save their friend who died in the past... how were they going to save Chara?

Suddenly, at the back of their mind a familiar voice called out to them.

Frisk, pull yourself together. You are anything but a failure!

The human child knew that it was the voice from before but they didn't want to listen.

Frisk, what happened wasn't in your hands; it was out of your control. If you insist on being convinced of what Ksirf wants you to become, then at your own demise you WILL become what she will enjoy you to being; an utter failure. You know deep within your heart, within your SOUL that you are much better than this.

Frisk perked their head up as the voice vibrated through their being.

You are a kind hearted, willing, and determined person, Frisk. And should your friends lose you, they will be missing a vital member of their group. One who has the soul power to stay determined for a lot longer than any monster in this underground.

If you hurry, you may still catch up to the one who is controlling Chara. Your sister still lives, they're doing their utmost best to fight that terrible darkness in themselves too. They're on their way to Hotland right now, and if you depart tomorrow then you may just be able to make it

A hopeful spark filled their spirit. Their SOUL burned intensely.

Whatever you do, child, do not give up. Carry the resolve to keep a strong belief in yourself, your friends and always remember who you are and what it is that you are fighting for

"But who ar-" they suddenly felt themselves slipping further and further away as everything around her swirled and soon they fell unconscious again.

Their subconscious tore them away from the dream-world, making them slowly sink back into reality.

Although that new voice was a complete mystery to them, and whoever it did belong to, they gave them the hope and courage they needed to fight off Ksirf. Somehow... they could feel that they were becoming a little stronger already because... the hope that they still had a chance at saving their sibling filled them with... DETERMINATION