You floated in that void for what felt like forever. You were falling, but staying still at the same time. Your thoughts were muddy, and it hurt to remember where you were. You just wanted to sleep. Yeah, sleep sounded nice. You closed your eyes.

You stopped. The sudden jolt briefly snapped you out of your daze. The memories came flooding back. You were Chara, and you had just died. So what now? And what about Asriel?

There was a strange tug at your core, and you felt yourself floating back up very quickly. You started to panic. What was happening? Where were you anyway? Then, a bright red light came into view. It was only a small dot, but it was blinding in the dark void. You came closer and closer, and it grew bigger and brighter until you stopped right in front of it. It was your SOUL, but much stronger than when you saw it before death.

Tentatively, you reached forward. Your fingers grabbed hold of the glowing heart. A warmth filled your body, filling the void you hadn't realized was there. On instinct, you pulled it back into your chest. What was happening? Were you alive again?

Suddenly, you felt another presence. Standing ahead of you was a pure white SOUL. And forming around it was a familiar figure. Just in black and white.

"Asriel!"

"Chara!" The two of you ran forward, before slamming into each other with a hug. "I thought… you were really gone."

"Of course not, dummy!" You laughed, but you weren't sure why. You knew this was happening, right? "So, you did it? Absorbed my SOUL?"

His expression hardened when you said absorb. Even you had to admit it was an ugly word in this situation. "No, that's why we're here now…" He held out his hand, but refused to look at you. You could sense the hesitation radiating from him. But this was no time to back out. You reached out and took his hand in yours.

"Asriel, thank you. And… I'm sorry."

You opened your eyes. The world was too bright as far as you were concerned. Then again, anything was bright after spending eternity in a dark void. Every color blended together, and you could barely make anything out. Your body felt weird too. Everything was off. It was like your limbs were too long and too heavy. And you had the weirdest feeling in your core, like there was someone with you and you were alone at the same time.

"Asriel… are you…?"

"Mom?" You asked. Wait, no. You didn't. Your mouth moved on its own. For that instant, it was as if your thoughts were shoved aside by another's. The pull on your mind was odd. But finally, your vision cleared up. You brought your hands to your face and wiped them.

But why were your hands so warm and fuzzy? You blinked. In front of you, you didn't see your own hands. They were larger, and looked more like white paws. More like Asriel's. You gasped and stepped back. You were taller too, much more than before. You towered over everything in your room. Inwardly, you laughed. God of Hyperdeath. Mom and Dad were staring at you with concern. You were Dad's height. And on the bed…

You.

You were lying in the bed, covered in a thin layer of sweat. Or rather, your body was. You were dead. That body lacked a SOUL. So what were you doing still alive?

"I-I'm fine," the other force said again. "But there's something I have to do." Wait, you knew who that was. You and Asriel were in the same body? But how?

"N-no!" Dad suddenly commanded. He suddenly stood up tall, dwarfing you despite the fact that you were the same size now. You both cowered under his gaze. "I know what you're thinking, but you cannot cross the barrier!"

You pushed Asriel's side of your consciousness aside with more force than you wanted. "I have to do this, Dad! This is what I… Chara wanted me to do!" You had to pretend to still be Asriel. No one could just be thinking you were still alive. You stepped forward and pushed him aside. Somehow, it was easy, like pushing a door open. You were strong. Too strong. So this was the power of a human and monster together.

Mom attempted to intervene, placing a hand on your shoulder. You didn't look. "Asriel, I know you're upset, but this isn't the way to-"

Your expression hardened, and you promptly reached down with both hands, picking up your prone body. The mere act of touching your own dead body made you shudder. This was wrong in so many ways. You could feel Asriel resisting, probably having doubts, but you ignored him. You had gone too far to step back now.

"Asriel! As your father, I forbid you to-"

"Shut up already!" You felt Asriel recoil at your outburst. You just couldn't hold it back anymore. All of this was so close at hand, and now they were trying to stand in your way. This was all for them in the first place! Why couldn't anyone but Asriel understand? "I'm going. And you can't stop me."

You turned and marched out of the room, faster than you would have liked. Your parents were too shocked to do anything about it.

"Chara, I think that was sort of mean," Asriel's voice echoed in your head. You really were sharing a body. It was just as weird for him as you. It was like you were sharing a head too. His emotions kept leaking into yours. Along with some… memories? It was gradual, but the more you probed, the more you could recall faint memories that could only be Asriel's. All about his parents. Probably because he felt bad about you shouting at them.

"They-they'll understand. As soon as this is over, we can explain everything." You walked down the stairs to the basement. But all of a sudden, you heard hurried footsteps chasing after you. It was both of them. They were trying to stop you. Why? You were doing this for them! For everyone

"Maybe we should listen to Mom and Dad. They're the adults here! And now that you're technically still alive…"

"Would you just let me do what we have to!" You snapped back. You could feel the rage bubbling up inside of you now. It just permeated every part of your SOUL, and you could feel Asriel shy away from it. But he wasn't giving up. Even as you hurried your footsteps down the long hallway. Almost in a full sprint.

"You're scared, Chara, aren't you?" You flinched, allowing Asriel to take control for a moment. Your shared body slowed to a walk. He almost dropped your body in the rapid shift.

"You-you don't know what you're talking about!"

Asriel's presence attempted to calm you down, like a warm hand on your shoulder, but you only resisted more. You wrested control again and went in a dead sprint down the hallway. You were far faster than your parents could ever be.

"I know what you're feeling, Chara." You ignored him. You were getting close to the garden. "I-I can see some of your memories too. I understand why you had those nightmares all of the time!" You stiffened. Why did he have to bring those up?

"That doesn't have anything to do with this, okay?" You shouted that aloud. You weren't sure why. "I don't need you telling me what I feel! And I don't want to talk about the nightmares."

Once again, Asriel tried to wrestle control from you, adn succeeded. You were now in the garden. He forced you to stand still. Right in front of the buttercups. You felt sick again. "I know what you did. But, I also know why you did it." A sigh escaped from you both. "You don't want to go back, do you? Back to that terrible life? I don't blame you. I'm terrified too." He wasn't lying. The fears that were welling up in your SOULs were a perfect match for each other.

I don't think I can face anyone again…" you muttered aloud. Asriel was letting you take control again. "I never wanted to, so when I realized I never had to go back, I was so happy. But knowing that my life was all that stood between everyone's hopes and dreams… how could I keep on living? You've done more for me than anyone. And I just wanted to return the favor. It's not like…"

Asriel interrupted, but not out of a need for control. Just to stop you from beating yourself up. "Stop it, Chara. You're not useless. And I care about you more than any monster or human. But now we're in this together, no matter what. So how about we face both of our fears together? We can do anything when we're together like this."

If you had been in separate bodies, you would have taken his hand in yours and hugged tightly for as long as you were able. But now you were one-in-the-same. No hugging anymore.

That was one thing you'd miss.

Together, you made your final journey toward the barrier.

For the first time in a lifetime, you stepped into the sunlight.

Sure, some light from the sun filtered in through obscure holes in the surface of the Earth, but it had been an entire year since you'd felt pure, unfiltered sunlight on your skin. Passing through the barrier had been an uncomfortable experience. Feeling this made up for it. You felt so warm, and not just because of Asriel's fur.

You could feel the sense of wonder radiating from Asriel's SOUL. The smile on your face was shared between the two of you. This really was the Surface. And the dawn of a new day.

You looked around, trying to get your bearings. After exiting the cave, you found yourselves in a forest. You weren't too sure, but you thought you recognized the place. If you were right, it was actually very close to your village. What luck! A sudden thought made you stare down at your prone body for a moment. You really did want to see the flowers again. A quick stop before the nearest cemetery wouldn't hurt. You had to face your fears sometime.

"Agreed," Asriel said. It was going to get weird, having someone have a general idea of your thoughts at all time. But you'd get over , you began the trek to your town. Along the way, you began to see familiar sights. That cluster of rocks your brother's friends used to play on when your parents forced him to bring you along. The tree you tried to carve a word into, but only managed to make a collection of chicken-scratch. Even the tree that was struck by lightning two years ago and split into two. It was all there, but the memories associated with them felt like a lifetime ago. You were a different person then.

Finally, your village came into view. The houses and businesses you knew so well were standing right in front of you. It was the time. You tried to step forward, but you could no longer move your legs. A strong burst of apprehension took over. This was a bad idea. We should turn back now, while there's still a chance.

However, you could feel the calming presence of your brother with you. Together, you could handle anything! Even the people who made your life terrible.

You stepped into the village for the first time in a year.

Strangely, everything was quiet. You didn't see anyone outside, and the only sound was the wind whistling through the empty streets, with the occasional piece of trash floating in it. It was eerie.

Asriel was quick to voice his concern. "It's not supposed to be this quiet, right? Or am I reading your memories wrong?"

You gazed up at an open window. "I wish it was this empty all of the time. I don't know what's going on." A shiver spread through your system. This wasn't right. "Let's just see if the flowers are still there and get out of here."

You walked through the streets, gazing at the empty houses and roads. You felt no love for this place, but you couldn't help but let the few good memories arise. As you walked past the bakery, you remembered the time the baker had given you a free cinnamon roll after seeing some of the others pick on you. The library reminded you of all the books you had been able to read. A strange feeling arose in your chest. Not sadness, definitely not, but not happiness either. You just felt weird.

Finally, you came over the hill that led down to your home. And you were met with the strangest site. All around, you could see Golden Flowers. It was a field of gold that wavered in the breeze. They weren't gone. And there were even more than ever. But why?

"See? They wouldn't get rid of these flowers," Asriel said proudly. "They're just too beautiful. Even more than your drawing." You would have blushed at that comment if you could, but you had let Asriel be in control. Why did he like crappy drawings like that? But the idea that what you loved wasn't destroyed in the end. It was a weird feeling. Maybe the flowers just grew out of control.

After a moment of standing there, letting the soft breeze blow over you, you were both ready to go. You saw what you needed, and it was amazing. But you then noticed something in the field behind your house. It looked like a person. After straining your ears for a moment, you heard voices. Was it your family? Or the missing villagers?

"Let's take a look," you suggested. It felt like Asriel was about to protest, but you dragged him forward. You had to know why people were here and not anywhere else. It was a small village, but never this quiet.

You walked down the path, avoiding the flowers as best as you could. But with your new, larger form, it was a challenge. You were still getting used to it, and were very clumsy. Your feet kept brushing up against the flowers, getting pollen all over them. That was going to be a challenge to wash off later. But eventually, you made it to your door. In all honestly, you were glad you didn't have to go back inside.

Carefully, you edged around the house and looked toward the back. What you saw was even more shocking than the flowers. Almost everyone you knew from the village was gathered there, in front of something. You couldn't tell what it was. They all looked… sad, from what you could see. What had happened? Did someone die?

Then, you saw it. Someone moved. They were all standing in front of a rounded rock, with golden flowers laying before it. It was a tombstone.

Your tombstone.

The picture sitting in front of it was one of the few nice ones you had taken. On a day where you face wasn't bruised or your hair cut short instead of how you liked it. Your blood ran cold, and you stumbled backward. Asriel took over as to not let you drop your own dead body. Your mind was going into overdrive. "Wh-why? Why are they doing this! Is it some sort of cruel joke? Are they celebrating me being gone?" No, that didn't make sense. They all looked sad, even your bullies. Dimly, you recalled that this was the day you'd gone missing last year.

"I don't think so," Asriel replied. He was trying to get you to calm down. And failing. You could feel your panic and confusion seeping into his consciousness too. "I think this is some sort of memorial service. Everyone… looks sad."

That wasn't possible! Memorials were for people who had others that cared about them. You didn't have anyone like that up here! You could feel it getting harder to breathe. You weren't even wanted from the start! This had to be some sort of joke! "That can't be happening! I- they all hate me! Why do you think I ended up on Mt. Ebott anyway! There's no way they're upset that I'm gone! Not my mom, not my dad, and not my brother!"

"Especially not him, damn it!"

You froze. You had shouted that aloud. And everyone heard it.

The villagers all turned around at once, and stared in shock. The world was silent and still. Neither you nor they could carry the will to move. But at the back of the crowd, you noticed a familiar face. It was your brother. He was taller now, but nowhere near as tall as you. And he had tears running down his face.

It felt like someone fired a spear right through your SOUL. You stumbled back, in shock. That was what finally broke the silence.

"I-is that a monster?" Someone cried. Murmurs of agreement spread throughout the crowd.

"And the person they're carrying…"

"Are they… dead?" The tension in the air was growing. Both you and Asriel wanted to run, but your feet were planted firmly on the ground. You couldn't move a muscle.

It was then that your brother spoke. His voice could only barely be heard. "I-it's Chara." He had used it. The name you always wanted to be called instead of your other one. But everyone had shot it down the moment you uttered it. But now that you were dead, apparently it stuck. However, your brief happiness was superseded by your brother's rage. "That monster killed them!"

At once, the villagers were in a rage. You wanted to speak, to say that you were fine, to explain everything, but your mouth just wouldn't work. But apparently, Asriel was more on top of things than you. "Chara! We need to run."

It was chaos from there. The moment Asriel turned and set off at a run, the riot began. Rocks began flying at you, and although they didn't hurt, they were more than enough to impede your progress. Asriel had to duck low to avoid getting hit in the head. More than a few times, he stumbled, only to crush a few flowers. This wasn't good.

By the time you reached the top of the hill, bad had gone to worse. The moment you heard the bang behind you, you knew what was happening.

Your family always had a large gun collection.

Asriel made the mistake of stopping to look back at the sound. Before you could take control, you felt a stabbing pain in your arm. It cut straight through you, and you and Asriel shared a cry of pain. It was like a straight line across the top of your arm was covered in fire. You looked down. The arm was only grazed, but what was struck looked loose and… dusty. It spiraled into the air, and blew away quickly in the soft breeze.

You recalled something you read in a book. Monsters' SOULs were weaker in comparison to human ones, so their bodies responded to attacks proportional to the amount of killing intent directed at them. And these people were out for your head. You would not be surviving this, even with the human SOUL in your body.

You heard another gunshot. At once, you forced yourself back into control and forced your body to the ground. The bullet whizzed over your head. "We have to keep moving!" You didn't even care about keeping your conversation mental any longer. There was no time for that sort of focus. All you could do was dodge and hope you weren't killed.

You ran as fast as you could, but it was only a matter of time until you were hit again. This time, the bullet struck your leg. You cried out and fell. Your face hit the dirt road. Neither of you wanted to look at the injury this time. You could already feel the dust fading away from it.

This time, Asriel took over. He pulled you both to your feet, but you could both feel the pain. You could tell enough now that whoever was in control had the most awareness of their senses. You were practically blacking out now. You could only imagine what he was going through. Asriel reached down and gripped the leg tightly. Green light began to emanate from his palms, and you felt the pain fade slightly. Apparently he was better at magic now.

That gave you an idea. Who needs to wait in a graveyard when there are tons of SOULs ripe for reaping?

Asriel finished healing up what he could, but there wasn't much time. He only made it possible to keep moving. Every step still brought a stab of pain, however. The humans would catch up eventually at this rate. There was only one thing you could do.

You recalled a time when you were actually on somewhat stable terms with your biological brother. He was taking you along with him to go hunting. The thought of killing an innocent animal terrified you, but he ignored it. He said it was something you had to do to "man-up". After following him through the forest, you eventually came across a deer. He wasted no time in shooting it right between the eyes.

You were horrified and even threw up at the sight. But your brother said it was a good lesson for you to learn.

In this world, it's kill or be killed.

You wrestled control from Asriel, even though he fought back. You were too determined to let this happen. You would die if this continued. So it was time to kill. You were stronger anyway. Even stronger than Toriel and Asgore. You gently put your body on the ground.

"Chara! What are you doing? We have to run!" He urged. You could tell he knew what you were planning. The humans were coming within sight. You began to focus on your shared SOUL. Just as you thought, there was a lot of power stored within. You let it out, the warmth flowing into your fingertips. The energy began to take shape: a hand-sized star bathed in rainbow light. Star Blazing.

"This is the only way, Asriel." You narrowed your eyes. They were coming closer. Your brother led the pack of gun-toting idiots. You could see that everyone was terrified. They should have been. You were the strong one now. Who cared if they felt bad? Who cares if they respected you now? They made your life a living hell for years! It was time you got some payback!

"Stop!" Asriel roughly shoved you aside. With more mental power than you thought possible, he gained full control. The attack you had been preparing dissipated completely, and he reached down to pick your body up again. He gingerly swept a misplaced strand of hair from your face.

"What are you doing!" You screeched. This couldn't be happening! You were filled with a terror-inducing mixture of emotions. But Asriel's SOUL purely radiated kindness. "Don't be an idiot! We'll die if we don't fight back!" In response, only a smile came onto Asriel's face. Even as another bullet tore through your body.

"Get the hell out of here!" Your original brother shouted. "Y-you killed my bro- sibling! And now you're gonna pay!" He lifted the gun again.

"It's not like you think," Asriel explained. Another bullet. More dust.

"Azzy! Please! You'll die!" If you could have spoken, you would have been choking up right now. You didn't even care about the pain. Only what you were putting Asriel through. Let me take over! We can't let them win!"

Your brother wiped his face. The others were only standing to the side, letting him get rid of all of his rage. "Shut up you fucking monster! I know what happened! You killed them, and now… now I'll never get to apologize! None of us will!" Apologize? "We all treated them so badly. When they ran away after knocking me out, I was just angry. But when I realized that they were gone forever…" He... felt bad? "I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! You took away the most important person in my life!"

Another bullet. Another burst of grey dust. You wanted to scream. Tell them that the monsters did nothing. Tell that that they were the real monsters. But no, that wasn't right.

You were. Just you.

You had fought your brother and run away. You were the one who tried to kill themselves up there, and it wasn't even the first time. You were the one who tricked everyone. You were the one who died on purpose. You were the one who ruined everyone's lives. You were the worst.

Asriel didn't seem to react at all. "I'm sorry you feel that way. But just know, I didn't do it, okay? I'm going to miss Chara too." He sounded so defeated. Maybe that's how you were feeling too. You just felt numb, gone to the world. The people before you lowered their weapons, confused and not sure what to do. And so, Asriel turned and began to walk.

You didn't face any more resistance as you left the village. Not that you could even tell. You wanted to disappear more than ever. Judging by the amount of dust leaking from every part of your body, you were going to disappear soon anyway. It was oddly appropriate.

"I'm sorry, Chara," Asriel's SOUL carried all of the dejection and sorrow that you felt. But you could also hear the slight chuckle from the irony of what had happened. "Guess I doubted your plan…"

"N-no. It was a bad idea. You were right." You hadn't noticed, but Asriel was limping. The wound had reopened on your leg. You helped by sharing control. Sharing the pain. He didn't try to stop you. "God, this was a terrible idea." Right foot. Left foot.

A small laugh escaped from you both. Just two kids, enjoying each other's company on a walk through the forest. Nothing wrong with that.

Finally, you reached the cave you had left from. You didn't hesitate before shambling in. It was getting harder to move. This was it. You really were about to die. Again. But it wasn't you you were worried about. It was Asriel. This really was the worst thing you had done. You had dragged your real brother into all of this.

You weren't sure when you two passed through the barrier. Or when you collapsed into your parents arms. Asriel told them a short version of what had happened when asked, but couldn't speak any more than that. All you were really sure of was when you reached the garden and couldn't even limp any further. You simply fell upon the grass and flowers.

"Asriel, please!" You weren't sure who was speaking. It was getting hard to think or see. Even Asriel's thoughts were distant. "You have to get up! We-we can't lose two children in one day! We love you both!"

You smiled a bit. One day, and you had found so many people really did love you. All it took was a little death to see it. You wished you could just bask in the love a little longer.

You were back in the featureless abyss. Darkness went on for eternity around you. But this time, you weren't alone. Mixing with the red light of your SOUL was the grey of Asriel's. You could barely stand to look him in the eyes.

"Asriel, I just want to say…" There was so much you wanted to say. But nothing could excuse what you had done. There was only one thing that could come close. "I'm sorry." You could feel the burning in your nose and the tears welling up. A lump caught in your throat. God, this really was it. You felt your pain rising with every word. "I dragged you into this! And now, I got you killed! I'm the worst sibling ever!"

At once, you felt his body around yours, wrapped in a hug. The warmth of his SOUL calmed you down slightly. But the tears just wouldn't stop. You nuzzled his soft, warm ears with your cheek. "Stop blaming yourself, Chara. I think you've done that enough for one lifetime. You were the best sibling a guy could ask for."

You laughed slightly. His chest rose and fell under your arms. He was crying too. You would have looked terrible if anyone could see you. A thought suddenly occurred to you. "Hey, Azzy, did we ever figure out which one of us was older?" You had to know before...

"Well, I'm nine now," he replied.

"Eight," you said. "Guess you were the big bro the whole time." He laughed.

"Guess I was." You finally pulled apart. Both of your SOULs were looking rather bad. A spiderweb of cracked spread across both. It was almost time.

"Well you were the best older brother I could have asked for. No doubt." Without another thought, you planted a short kiss on his cheek. It was something you saw people who loved each other did a lot. And that included siblings.

"Hey, see you again, Chara." He smiled. "In the next life."

You nodded. "Definitely."

Your SOULs shattered. You hugged and fell into the cold darkness. But at least you were together.

Friends until the end.

Wasn't that a happy chapter? Not sad at all.

I'm a sadistic monster sometimes.