Everything was just like last time.
The off limits signs that were scattered through out the path, worn down and faded over time. The rusted over hiking benches where humans had once been brave enough to venture. The occasional lonely tune from a stray bird that had flown far away from the town below.
Nothing had changed.
It all was the same.
Even Frisk was the same. Just as desperate to run away as last time. Just as alone.
The human did admit though, their improvised revisit to Mt. Ebott had allowed them plenty of time to think.
They considered the pros and cons of their disappearance. Thought about how worried everyone probably was back home...
No, Frisk shook away the thought.
This was for the best. There was no point in thinking otherwise. There was still hope.
That is if who Frisk was searching for was still in the Underground, there might still be a chance after all.
The only variable being that if he was still there, would he be willing to help?
The chance alone that their friend might have a solution yet, had laid down a new drive of determination.
There was still one person, one celestial being, one final resource Frisk had left to confide in.
Their "old pal" who remained as the only chance the human had to finding answers.
Asriel Dreemurr.
Frisk peered down into the familiar abyss. This time it would be no tree root that sealed away their fate. No clumsy act on their part.
It would be the human's own choice to descend and never return.
With closed eyes, Frisk horsed out a near silent goodbye before jumping in feet first.
.
.
Turns though, out how you fall in proved to be pointless. The human face planted regardless.
Thankfully on top of a large bed of soft yellow flowers that took away all of the impact.
Just like last time.
Not wasting any time to consider their repeated luck, Frisk hurried off towards the open space they knew laid only a room away.
Where they had first met Flowey.
Soon enough the child was able to reopen the wide arching doors that had been sealed off. Asriel, they mused, must have shut them after Frisk had left along with everyone else.
Now having felt a surge of determination rattle in their soul, the human peered inside of the minimally lit cavern.
Then nearly dropped in relief at the sight before them.
Their long lost friend was the only thing in the open end of the dark room. And true to his parting words, Asriel had reverted back into Flowey's form.
Only this time he was facing away from the entrance. No longer expecting or waiting for another prey to kill.
The small human moved quietly. Barely rustling even a single flower before leaning down to kneel before the Dreemurr child.
"Whoever you are, Im going to give you to the count of five to leave before I...Frisk?!"
Startled, the reincarnated prince appeared shocked and also appalled to see Frisk.
He had sensed a life form, but never expected the human to ever return to this accursed place.
"What the hell are you doing back here?"
The flower's voice was as cynical as ever, but the words held no real malice. Only concern.
Asriel seemed to have kept more control over his soul than last time. Or at least enough so Flowey couldn't try and murder Frisk again.
Breathing softly with scared eyes, Frisk took a minute before swallowing.
Talking hurt. Talking made every nerve in their throat burn. Talking got them in trouble. Talking was bad for medical and personal reasons.
But this was one of the few times speech appeared mandatory.
"...Do you...'member it?"
"Did you snap or something Frisk? I have no clue what your croaking about, but-"
The human slammed their small hand into the soil. Both from frustration and pain. There was barely a sound. Yet the message was clear.
They weren't playing games. There was no time.
"...The past...Asriel...do you..."
For once the flower decided not to snap back. The genuine worry for his friend outweighed any remaining snark.
"Frisk I don't understand."
"Do...do you 'member...what I did...to everyone...what i did...to you."
Realization dawned on the flower like the sunrise he would never see. Turning yellow petals downwards, to portray a look of weariness, Asriel refused to meet Frisk's eyes.
"It's kinda hard to forget. Getting chopped to pieces I mean..."
It wasn't meant to sound so negative. But then again there was no real positive way either.
The truth hurt the human worse than any wound. More than Undyne's spears, more than Toriel's fire, More than San's Gaster Blasters.
The truth felt like someone had slowly ripped a knife straight through their soul.
Somewhere deep within themselves, the human had been hoping that they were wrong. The entire climb up Mt. Ebott had been filed with small and fleeting bursts of hopeful theories.
That Asriel would say its impossible, that Asriel would tell them their insane for believing such a thing, that Asriel would assure Frisk that there was never a time or place or even a Chara to fear.
No.
No Asriel confirmed that Frisk truly had been grasping at straws. Pitiful nonexistent straws.
They had committed the mass genocide...and allowed Chara to overwhelm them. They had laughed. They had smiled. They had whiped the dust off of their knife and moved on endlessly into a never ending nightmare.
Frisk could just practically hear the shrill cackling from the back of their mind.
Suddenly feeling weaker than they ever had before, the child pulled their knees up to their chin and despaired.
They wanted to ask more questions, but loathed the idea of ever hearing the answers.
However it wasn't like they had anywhere else to be...or any where left to go.
"What...caused it?"
Asriel moved his leaves as though trying to straighten up. He had to be honest now more than ever.
"Determination most likely."
The flower allowed his eyes to peer over at the shaken human.
"Whether or not you believe me, you never gave up because of your need to win. You reset after every loss, and tried and tried until you finally came out on top. Until the only ones left were you and Chara."
"But..."
Deepening their voice in a typical Flowey fashion, Asriel focused in Frisk with a mocking glare.
"What you never meant to? You tried to fight it? You were only listening to Chara?! It doesn't change anything. You murdered everyone. You sought them out and waited. There was no mercy. There was nothing, but your choices."
Wiping away at the tears that were suddenly falling from their eyes, Frisk sobbed silently for a moment. Giving Asriel enough time to reign Flowey back in and soften his face back to normal.
"I-if...why reset?...why go back if I won?"
The reincarnated Dreemurr shrugged.
"Who knows...there were so many restarts I lost count. A lot of good ones, neutral ones, even more than one murderous one. You killed us all so many times Frisk. Sometimes I never knew why..."
The small human nearly threw up right then and there.
Asriel didn't blame them. They probably would have too if their soul was still 100% intact.
"...im so sorry Asr-"
"Don't be...Flowey or...I did the same thing."
Frisk peered down at their friend. Eyebrows drawn together in worry. The flower was crying. Softly and with actual remorse.
"Before you fell in, I controlled the resets and saves. I saved everyone, I killed everyone, I tried different patterns, I reloaded my favorite moments. I deleted my failures...all because I was bored with my time. All because I was curious."
Pausing slightly, Asriel turned away. His voice darkening again.
"I ruined everyone's lives so many times. And I gave them their happy endings. I though I was so content just pretending..."
He laughed with no real humor. Lost in his own insanity for a moment. Flowey didn't like being reminded of the past anymore than Frisk did.
"I COULDN'T FEEL A THING! Not even a drop of emotion...When you came here though I lost everything. You suddenly had control. You reset and reset and reset. I begged for mercy so many times, but it was never enough. Just as Im sure this time won't be enough for you Frisk."
The human remained silent. Before their suddenly monotone voice echoed throughout the cavern.
"Why did I reset...if everyone was happy..."
Flowey's sudden overwhelmingly loud tone scared the small human back into silence.
"You think this is the first time you received a happy ending? This isn't even close. You've reset so many times. Just. For. Fun."
Asriel or whoever was in control currently was becoming aggravated and desperate. It was showing in the way their petals bristled and clenched.
Frisk felt nauseous.
Their throat nearly raw with having spoken and cried so much.
And yet they were starting to see it again. The deja vu. The memories. The deaths. The sunset.
Chara.
They saw every reset, some were for amusement, some desperation, even a few that were out of pure guilt and the need to forget.
That one especially made Frisk think of right now.
"...who else knows."
Asriel suddenly sounded calm and in command again. Seemingly back in charge of whatever power struggle he had just endured with Flowey
"Sometimes you would talk to that comedian and he'd tell you the truth. Sometimes you'd reach the conclusion on your own. You've never come down here to ask me about the resets until this time actually."
The Dreemurr child smiled with no real humor.
"I wonder why that is."
Morbid just like Flowey, but saddened and genuinely scared like Asriel. It was hauntingly split between both voices.
Feeling the weight of their sins on their back, the small human pressed their head onto their knees. Wrapping their arms around their bent legs so that they appeared even smaller than before.
"How...do you...and Sans 'member all of this..."
"Ironically it always happened after you won. When you would kill me it would all flash before my eyes as I died. When you would mercy them all, I only ever saw the past once the last monster crossed the barrier."
His voice softened.
"I don't know how the skeleton knows. But I remember him trying to kill you more than once and mentioning that it never felt easier on him. He would even hold back sometimes, begging you to drop the knife before-"
"Please...stop"
"He'd wait in the Hall of Judgement for hours on end just mumbling and wondering how many times you were going to keep coming back-"
"Asriel. Stop..."
Frisk had heard enough.
The tiny human could see it all so perfectly just like Asriel had said. Every timeline, every route, every murder, every mercy. It all was there, they just had blocked it out.
Because they knew they didn't deserve to live a happy ending with all of the guilt racking up against their heart. They knew why even their pacifist routes ended in restarts.
Asriel frowned deeply.
"You came down here to waste away down here to wait out death didn't you? Just so you could let your family live happily."
The child nodded slowly with no shame from being caught. It had seemed like a good idea...
"You don't get it?! The second you die, you'll come back again. The only options are to keep the cycle going Frisk. There is no second chance here!"
Suddenly standing the human could feel their face fall back into the emotionless mask they hadn't worn since the very beginning.
Asriel was wrong and they knew it.
They would rather spend eternity trapped in the black nothingness along with Chara than have anyone suffer because of them again.
Raising their hand with determination in mind, Frisk pulled before themselves two familiar options.
Each glowing within a clear white box.
SAVE
RESET
And right to the top right corner there was exactly what Frisk needed.
QUIT
Let someone else find a happy ending for their family. Let another child hold this power. Frisk had no determination left to give after so many cycles.
Asriel didn't even bother to watch what would happen next.
"You know if you do this Flowey will take over again. I can't promise I'll be able to see you again Frisk."
The human smiled pitifully.
"Do me a favor then...kill me quickly...if I ever come back again..."
How odd would it be to see from far away. A small human holding up a magical option board that controlled the universe. Speaking to a weeping flower whom they had just asked to take their life so long as it would keep the ones they wouldn't even remember alive.
How very odd indeed.
Just as Frisk's trembling hand reached out to touch the fateful button, a sudden burst of fire shot out and knocked them off balance. Canceling the screen.
"Frisk!"