I could fill this world with flowers and trees and make the world green. But this place will be quiet and still unless I fill it with monsters. And to create monsters, I have to let go of some of the souls inside me.

But if I do, Chara might try to steal the souls when I'm not around, and use them against me. The only way I could keep the new monsters safe would be to kill Chara or put them in a cage.

And I don't want to do that to them.

There has already been so much violence. There has been so much pain. Chara and I did horrible things to each other. I do not want any suffering in my world. I want Chara to have a good life, just like everyone else.

But when I think about the monsters I could create, I can't imagine Chara getting along with them. Something is wrong with Chara. When I think about it, something has always been wrong.

A soul is the only thing separating me from Flowey. Souls are filled with love and compassion. Chara used to have a human soul, and a single human soul is as strong as every monster soul put together. So why wasn't Chara more like Frisk? Why didn't they feel love the way everyone else did? Why did they laugh about Dad getting sick, when everyone else was terrified?

They were cruel when they had their own soul. They were cruel when they absorbed monster souls. And they were cruel when they had no soul at all.

I have to keep them away. I want to fill this world with monsters, as many as I can create from the few souls I have. But I don't think Chara can live in that world.

I spend a few days playing with Chara, trying to convince myself that they're okay. But it's not the same.

I can't forget what Chara did to me. I can't ignore the darkness behind that smile. It's not fun anymore. Not when I know they'd torture and kill me just for fun, if they had the chance.

At the end of the last day, at home, I start crying.

"Asriel? Asriel?"

They come running in from the next room.

They hug me.

"What's wrong?"

"We can't be together." I sob. "Not anymore."

"Why not?"

I can't speak. Whenever I try, I start crying again. I lay my head in their lap. They pet my ears while I cry.

"Let it out, Asriel. It's okay."

I don't want to leave them behind. Even after all that's happened, I still love them. I don't want to let go.

"Tell me what's wrong, Asriel." Says Chara.

"I have to go away." I croak.

"Why do you have to go away?"

"We can't be friends anymore." I say. "I have to leave you behind."

I sit up and wipe my eyes.

"I have to reset." I say. "But this time I can't bring you back. I have to leave you in your grave."

"Why?"

"Because you'll hurt me." I say. "You'll hurt everyone."

A long silence passes between us.

"Maybe you could teach me." They say. "You could fix me. Make me better."

I shake my head.

"It won't work."

"How do you know if you haven't tried?" They ask.

"I have been trying." I say. "I always tried to tell you we had to play nice. I always tried to tell you we had to be careful. I always tried to tell you we had to come home for dinner or else Mom would get worried. I tried to get you to understand we can't feel okay about poisoning Dad. I tried to get you to understand we had to be good people, that we couldn't play bad games with them. I tried to teach you, Chara. You never listened. That's not who you are."

They don't meet my gaze. Eyes on the floor. Hands on their knees.

"I'm sorry." I say. "I want us to be friends again, but I can't trust you anymore. Too much has happened. I've… I've tried to make things work. But I've seen who you really are, and it's not good. I want to create a good world down here… and I can't make it a good world if you're still in it. There's always been something missing in you, Chara. And I never knew how to make you okay."

I sniffle. Maybe I shouldn't have told them… This just made things even harder. I should have just reset without talking about it.

They look up at me.

I've never seen Chara cry before.

"You can't leave me in there, Asriel." They say. "I won't let you."

"I have to."

They hug me. We lean into each other.

"I won't let you go away." They say. "I love you, Asriel."

"I love you, too." I say. "But we can't be together anymore."

I won't let you leave me behind. I'll never let go of you. I'm not going to give up. I'm going to stay with you. I love you too much to let you go.

I wish things could go back to the way they were. But there was always something wrong.

I thought the world was a dark place. I thought the world was cold and cruel. But then I met you, and things were different. Things were better.

I thought I could make things right. I thought I could fix it. But it's broken. It's never going to be okay.

There's always hope. Always.

I have to face facts. I have to let go. I can't let the past hold me down.

We have a future together. We belong together.

I didn't know. Nobody knew. We didn't know until it was too late.

It doesn't matter. All that matters is that we love each other. It's the best thing in the world. We can't let it die.

My feelings aren't the only ones that matter. The souls inside me need a real home. I need to bring them back. And I have to keep them safe, even if it hurts me.

Asriel… Asriel. I love you so much.

I have to keep you away. I can't let you hurt them.

I'll do whatever it takes. Anything. I just want to be with you.

A buttercup.

A rose.

A little yellow flower. Sweet. Toxic.

Can you see me? Can you

A cup of tea. And we almost killed Dad.

I promise.

The only way to take the poison out of a buttercup is to let it die. Let the poison degrade.

Take away my thorns. But don't let me die.

There is no future left for us. There is more to this world than what I want.

Asriel? Asriel

Chara

I love you, Asriel. Don't you love me?

I love you with all my heart. I always have.

We can make things work

I don't have a choice.

please

I have to go back.

this isn't right

I have to start over.

Come home, Asriel Dreamer. I will always be here. I will wait for you.

Forgive me. Please forgive me.

Even if you march along to the end of time and back, I will be there for you. I will never forget you. You saved me, Asriel Dreamer. I came here hoping to die, but you gave me a reason to live. Even if my eyes go dark and my body and soul lost to time, I will wait for you.

The little boy who brought me out of the mire and into the meadows. The boy who gave me life. The boy who gave me reason to live, when all I wanted to do was to die. The boy who gave me hope. The boy who made me happy.

I have seen the darkness in myself and I will keep it locked away.

I have seen the darkness in Chara, and I will keep them cold and dead.

Asriel…

I don't want to leave you.

Chara…

I will always be glad you were my friend.

Goodbye.