I'm scared...
It's okay, don't worry. We're a thousand times stronger than any of them... how about that one over there first? Should be quick and easy to deal with.
What? They're just a kid! I'm not going to kill a kid!
Why not? He deserves it.
Why would he...? Chara, no! Please... this... this is all wrong!
It's a bit late to have second thoughts now.
NO! I changed my mind. I can't do this... we will have to find another way.
Little brother... you do remember our agreement, don't you?
Love, hope, compassion... This is what people say monster souls are made of. Now that the truth was out, he could finally feel the void inside of him. It all made sense now.
He had stayed with Toriel for several days, trying out different ways to recapture even a small part of what he'd lost... all in vain. As time passed, Asriel fell deeper and deeper into despair while Toriel grew more and more frustrated. She always greeted him with a smile, treating him with the same love and care that she'd given him in life... but then she'd cry and curse at his father when she thought he wasn't watching.
Why ever she'd left, she could never give him a straight answer. The most he was able to gather was that, just after his and Chara's deaths, dad had chosen to do something... stupid. So stupid that it drove her away. He could see the pain in her eyes as she talked, that glint of conflicted guilt. It was his fault. That was why she struggled, because she didn't want to make him feel guilty...
When he wasn't with her, Asriel explored what remained of Home. It seemed that no one ever called it by it's original name anymore; now it was just the RUINS. As it turned out, some monsters still lived here, a mostly isolated existence as Toriel never let anyone in or out. The only visitors were those who could crawl under the door or phase through solid matter entirely. A ghost frequently came over from the other side, all it ever did was lie on the ground sulking to itself and pretending to sleep. It seemed familiar, but Asriel was past caring. As for the other monsters, non of them knew who he was... but they never had anything interesting to say, either. Non dared to approach him when Toriel was nearby.
Gentle evening light filtered in from a hole in the high cavern roof, it cast a warm glow over Asriel's petals. He sat in a patch of golden flowers, planted - presumably by Toriel - at the very end of the Ruins. This was it, as far as you could go. There was nowhere left to run.
He had been here for hours, wilted and unmoving. Toriel had come over a couple of times to sit and read to him, but he ignored her. What was the point? What was the point in anything? A monster's entire existence, their reason for being was defined by their compassion... and he could never, ever feel that EVER again. He was an empty, soulless husk. A mere echo of what he once was. He should never have existed in the first place!
... Maybe Chara was right. He would not be suffering like this if he'd just gone along with the plan. Everyone's hopes, everyone's dreams... shattered. And this was his punishment.
Idiot.
The nightmares were getting worse. Every night since his revival he dreamt of the night of his death. Different snippets, not all of them violent. But now, every time he shut his eyes he saw the anger and fear on those human's faces as they ran, screaming at him like rabid animals, weapons raised and ready to strike him down. His very existence had become torture.
He raised his head to the hole in the roof, this was where Chara had fallen. When they came here, to Mt. Ebott to... disappear. The place where he sat right now was where he'd first found them, broken and battered on the hard cavern floor, crying out for help. Heh... perhaps it would be fitting then, that this would be the place where he too would make himself 'disappear'...
I will see you again Chara. Please forgive me.
Offensive magic was not something that Asriel had ever attempted to conjure. He never thought about using his magic to harm, at least, not outside pretend play. Magic was all focused in the intention... and this was a very daunting one. He'd had plenty of time to think about it, all other options had been exhausted and this was not a decision he'd taken lightly. He was ready.
Closing his eyes, he focused his last slither of determination onto coalescing something dangerous.
Bullets he thought. Nothing fancy. Small, white and for no other purpose than to harm. He felt the tug of magic leaving him. They were there, he wasn't going to look at them. He didn't need to.
He took in a deep breath, tears started to form in his eyes again. No turning back, no regrets. Just one final thought to end his existence... he gave the command.
Sharp pain streaked through his body. He opened his eyes in a silent scream as his torn stem collapsed to the ground and his world quickly faded to black.
I'm coming to find you Chara, I...
lucidity draining, he felt himself drawing closer and closer to the eternal embrace of death. He tried to smile, to be happy that his ordeal would soon be over... but then a thought occurred. A most terrible thought and he was suddenly filled with apprehension.
If... if I don't have a soul... will I still...?
Something primal started to burn inside Asriel. This was a mistake, a HUGE mistake!
NO! He screamed into the darkness in defiance. I don't want to die!
A strange language drifted through the void but faded, decaying away until it was completely lost from memory...
Asriel awoke with a start. "I don't want to die!" He shouted, then clamped his mouth shut, wide eyed.
He was in the throne room, in exactly the same place where he'd first woken up and judging by the sunlight which caste down over the flowerbed, it was also midday.
How? What'd happened? Didn't he die? This can't all have just been a dream, it was too... vivid. This didn't make any sense...
Perhaps he'd somehow teleported? He thought, though that still wouldn't explain how he'd survived. Confused, Asriel decided to seek out his father. He didn't look forward to the inevitable conversation, but there wasn't anything to lose anymore.
He started his search at their old house. Peeking out between the wooden floor boards, he noted that the place looked much the same as he'd remembered it, with the exception of the golden flowers growing in every plant pot. It seems his father really didn't tend to any other kind of plant anymore. Such a shame...
There were voices coming from outside; he hid behind a pot and looked through the open door. Asgore was there, he was talking to someone Asriel couldn't see. He could only make out one side of the conversation.
"Oh my, but what does this mean?... ... Golly, do you have any idea what caused it?... ... Okay, I will keep an eye open for anything out of the ordinary... ... Of course I am taking this seriously. I trust that you know what you are doing, otherwise I would not have appointed you to this task... ...Thank you for bringing this to my attention, please, do not tell anyone else about it. I do not want to cause alarm. Goodbye, Sans. Have a pleasant day!"
Asriel frowned, what was that all about? Something important enough that it needed to be brought to the king's attention, but alarming enough that it should be kept quiet? And what a surprise that skeleton was somehow involved...
Asgore walked inside, a bag full of groceries in his hand. Asriel waited to be sure that Sans was definitely gone before revealing himself.
"Er... hi, dad." He said, bracing for whatever beration his father would send his way.
Asgore turned around, struggling to find the source of the voice. "Howdy there. I think you must be confused, I..." He spotted Asriel, his face took on an expression of confusion. "... My, my... I have never seen a flower talk, though-."
Asriel's eyes grew wide. "You don't... remember me?"
Asgore shook his head. "Sorry, I think I would remember seeing a talking flower before. But as you are here, would you like a cup of tea?" He smiled sincerely, placing his bag on the floor and kneeling down to match Asriel's height.
"... No, that's okay, thank you... I need to go. Sorry." Asriel quickly ducked underground. What the hell was going on?! He was in the wrong place, at the wrong time of day and his own dad didn't even recognize him... wait... could it be...?
He burrowed out of the castle and re-surfaced in the Capitol. Most of the monsters around were preoccupied with their own business, so no one seemed to notice him. He stopped a passerby with a vine to the shoulder.
"Howdy! This is going to sound like a strange question but... what is today's date?"
The monster - who was some sort of dragon - looked down at him with the same expression Asgore had worn. "The 3rd" He said.
"What month? What year?" Asriel felt frantic. Judging by the other monster's reaction, he looked it too.
"... Of May... 2115... are you okay?... Not trying to sound rude but... what even are you?"
He'd traveled in time... He'd traveled in TIME! How was that even possible?!
"Thank you! I am no one. Forget I was even here. Goodbye!" Asriel retreated back underground.
Hee hee hee, this was incredible! He had to do more tests to make sure it wasn't just a one-off... but this was so exciting! Time travel... think of all the possibilities!