Flowey's Journal, Part 78:

I guess this is it.

This is the part where everything ends.

I'm not even going to bother copying the notes I took. Every journal I wrote after the second one was a complete waste of time.

Sans would never have fixed that machine. Nobody can ever fix that machine.

There are 14 parts that are completely broken beyond all repair. Fourteen. Every single one of them needs to be fixed for the machine to work. You need all 14.

I guess you could fix 12 of the parts. If you had components that don't exist anywhere in the Underground. But the other two are hopeless, even if I got out.

The destruction of the time machine didn't just break those two components. It permanently rendered it impossible for any timeline to create either one. To get those components back, I'd have to use the time machine. To use the time machine, I'd have to get those components back.

Not even determination will let that happen. All timelines have suffered the same damage.

I don't know what happened to this machine, but whoever was responsible didn't just destroy the Flat Chip and Bronze Hoop Panel. They created a universe in which neither of those things could ever exist.

Ever.

I've gone everywhere in this world.

There isn't a single tiny hole leading to the surface.

There isn't a single corner of the Underground I have not seen.

I know how every machine works.

I know every remaining monster by name.

I know every tree, rock, seed, gear, and sheet of paper in this world.

I know everything there is to know.

It's over.

There's only one thing left to do. I've been putting it off for so long. I'd put it off a little longer, but it's the only thing I have not tried.

This might be the worst idea I've ever had. The effects will be irreversible, I'm sure. It could destroy me. It could destroy everything.

The pain? Unimaginable.

The duration? Forever.

But this is the only thing I haven't tried yet. And I have to try. I have to know. Even if I regret this decision forever.

This is all that's left.

This might be the last entry in this journal. If I'm lucky, I won't need my memory anymore. If I'm not lucky, I won't even have it.

Let's hope everything is okay.

Asriel Dreamer

202X

"Chara? Chara, can you hear me?"

I touch their forehead.

"Chara?"

They stir.

"Chara! Chara, can you…"

Chara sits up, eyes still closed.

"Chara… it's me… Your best friend."

They open their eyes.

Empty. A little red glow is all that's left.

"Who are you?" They ask.

"It's Asriel." I say. "I… I'm a flower now."

They look around.

"What happened?"

"A lot happened, Chara. A lot."

They climb off the table. They look a little stiff.

"Are you all right?" I ask.

"What happened to my body?"

"You died." I say. "But I brought you back… Alphys took away your determination… she used it for experiments. I put it back into you. So you'd get up. So we could be together again."

"My hands…"

"Your body didn't stay the same." I say. "It... rotted a little, but-"

"I'm so gray… This isn't my body."

"Of course it is. It's just…"

"No, no. This isn't my body."

They stagger away. I follow after.

"I know it's not what it used to be, but…"

They stop in front of a mirror.

"Chara…"

"No… no." They say. "No, that's… that's not right. This can't…"

"It's… it's better than being dead, though, right?"

They glance back at me.

"Why did you do this?" They ask.

I look at the floor.

"I was alone."

"I don't understand." They say. "We were in the same body when we died. How did we come apart?"

"That's the thing… neither of us has a soul anymore." I say. "I came back when Alphys tried to give determination to a flower, to see what would happen. My dust got mixed in, so I came back as a flower. The determination let me live again. I thought I could do the same thing with you. I wanted to bring you back, even if… if neither of us has a soul anymore."

"This doesn't feel right." They say. "No soul at all?"

"We might be able to get you a new one." I say. "I've done some reading, and I think you might be able to absorb a monster's soul. It's not supposed to be possible for humans to do that, but I think it's different now that your soul is gone. I've tried myself and it hasn't worked, but I've gotten close. Maybe you can do it."

"Wouldn't that kill the monster, though?"

"Yes."

"And you don't mind?" They ask.

"No." I say. "Not anymore. A lot has changed."

"Whose soul do I take?"

"There are 14 left." I say. "You could take all of them if you want."

"Only 14 left?" They ask. "What happened to the others?"

"They got through the barrier." I say.

"How?"

I tell them the whole story. From the second human to Frisk, from Alphys injecting me with determination, to me injecting Chara.

When I'm done, they just sit there.

"So…"

Silence.

"Chara? Are you-"

"You did the same to me." They say. "I don't believe it."

"What?"

"This is your own little hell… and you brought me here to keep you company?"

"Well… yeah." I say. "You're the only one who's any fun to be with, Chara. Everyone else… it's not the same."

"Hey… no hard feelings."

They smile at me. It doesn't look the same as it used to, but I smile back anyway.

"Let's get you a soul." I say.

We start hunting for monsters. When we find the first one, I pin it down and tell Chara what to do. It's kind of complicated; Alphys' notes were really confusing.

Eventually, the monster stops moving and turns to dust. Chara stands up.

"It... it worked." They say. "I can feel its soul."

"Yes! Let's find the next one."

Alphys was right. There was a loophole. A human can take over a monster's soul if it doesn't have a soul of its own. The way you do it is kind of like how I absorbed those monster souls back when Frisk was here; I could only do it because I had human souls myself. Something about humans makes them stronger than monsters, but that fullness also makes it hard for them to absorb any more souls.

I take Chara around the Underground. They absorb every soul.

I see the color return to their cheeks. It's like they're alive again. Their voice, their skin, their smile… everything goes back to normal.

The only thing that doesn't change are Chara's eyes.

"Chara?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for being my friend."

Chara turns their head.

"We make a good team." They say.