"c'mon, we're pals aren't we? i need to enter the ruins for just one day!" Sans pleaded through the door.
"…I can't do that. This door is supposed to stay shut."
"please, c'mon, lady, i'm begging you here!"
"What happened?" Toriel asked finally, worry evident in her voice. "Your brother didn't somehow get in here did he?"
"no… my friend… a human child… look, they're alone right now! they should've come out by now, and i need to be with them! please…" Sans pleaded, resting his forehead against the door. "i'm worried they're gonna do somethin' stupid and hurt themself..." and if chara is there anymore… well. i'm going to find some way to scare that nasty kid off for good. Sans thought bitterly. where did that little bastard run off to, anyways?
"…I-I see. Well, if it makes you feel better, I'll go look for you. If I see your friend I'll lead them to the exit, all right?" Toriel finally replied, and Sans sighed with relief.
"…thanks. but, uh, if the kid's eyes are red, stay far away from them, okay? that wouldn't be my friend. that's…. someone else."
"Got it. Don't worry, if they somehow got in here I'll find them before you can think of two knock knock jokes," Toriel assured, and then her footsteps faded into the distance.
Sans closed his eyes and slid to the ground, staring up at the sky. "…what a mess," he sighed, dropping his head to rest it on his kneecaps. "what a mess," he repeated quietly.
.
Frisk gazed up at the hole high above them, stretching a hand up only to let it fall limply across their face. They kept hearing that same strange voice, over and over in their head… what did it mean? What did any of this mean? Frisk was tired of this… They just wanted to sleep.
"…Chara?" They asked, their vision covered by their arm. They weren't sure if they wanted to talk to the spirit right then, but they had to try. "Chara, why did you do that? It's not going to do anything for either of us."
"…"
"I'm tired of you doing this. What do I have to do to make you stop?"
"…"
Frisk sighed and allowed their arm to flop back onto the ground. "You always did give me the silence treatment whenever it wasn't going on your terms." They closed their eyes, and sighed. "…I was so scared when I realized what you were doing. I thought I would wake up and Sans and Papyrus would be gone. Did you forget that I'm just at Level One? Eventually I would wake up and take my body back forcefully again, so what was the point?"
"He killed us! He didn't even hesitate and he killed us!" Chara finally snapped. "All that love, all that attention, and he didn't even hesitate to spear your tiny body into torn little shreds! Don't you get it?! He doesn't truly care about you! People… people are always the same, Frisk. Humans. Monsters. In the end, it's best to not trust anyone but ourselves. I could help you where he has failed. I could get rid of this RESET problem of yours. It's been so many RESETS, I thought you'd understand that by now!"
"…heh." Frisk's mouth tilted up in a small smirk and they sighed. "No. Understand this and understand it well, Chara: you and I are through. Done. Finished."
"…then I'll just have to take your body by force. One day, Frisk, you'll fall asleep and just so happen to have gained a LOVE level by the time you're awake. And the second that happens, I'll be stronger than you once again and you'll pay for this for the rest of your miserable life."
The SOUL's presence faded from the room, and Frisk took a deep breath and shuddered. They were glad, at least, that no one was around as the tears started falling.
.
Footsteps approached, and Frisk's eyes snapped open with a start.
"nnng… Sans…?" They asked blearily, hastily wiping at their red, puffy eyes before remembering where they were and quickly sitting up.
White clawed feet greeted their vision, and a figure leaned over to offer Frisk a hand, their back to the small amount of sunlight so their face was covered in shadow.
"There you are," Toriel said kindly, retracting her hand a little as Frisk flinched away from the contact. "I've been looking for you."
"Wha-? You h-have?" Frisk asked, startled. "How do you…?"
"How do I know you, my child? I have a, well, a friend on the outside of the Ruins. He asked me to find you and show you the way out. I don't know how you got into the Ruins, but you're a very lucky human if you're already taken under someone's care in the Underground. That's… very rare here."
Frisk gazed up at Toriel for a moment longer, and then hesitatingly accepted her offered hand. She tugged them to their feet, and gently led them back towards her house.
"The safest door is through my house," Toriel explained as they walked. "It's for protecting those that come here. I wouldn't have suggested a human child like yourself to ever leave the Ruins- there are… monsters outside of this area that are intent on hurting children like yourself. But in this case... How long have you been living outside of the Ruins?"
Frisk blinked and looked down at Toriel's hand, gently wrapped around their own. "…I've been in the Underground about…" Frisk hadn't been very good at math in school, so they had to consider the question for a moment. "About two and a half years."
"…? That long?!" Toriel gasped, eyes widening. "And you've… you've been safe that entire time?"
"Not all the time." Frisk's haunted eyes turned away, and they shook their head. "Not all the time, but… but most of it. Sans kept- keeps- me safe."
"Sans? Oh! The skeleton sentry, right? With his brother Papyrus?" Toriel's face lit up with a smile when Frisk nodded and she hummed to herself for a moment. "I knew he wasn't like the other monsters out there," she murmured happily.
When they reached Toriel's house, she offered them water and some food she had bought from the spider bake sale on the way there, as she didn't want to keep Sans waiting while she baked something for Frisk. (She did, of course, apologize for this.) After Frisk ate a little bit of food, Toriel led them down to the exit and gently unlocked the door, swinging it open and standing aside for Frisk to pass.
"Take care, my child. Feel free to come talk to me with Sans next time! If you ever need a place to stay, my door is open for you." Toriel called, and Frisk waved goodbye as they went to meet Sans again.
.
Sans was waiting at the entrance of the door, and immediately strode over to Frisk to check them over quickly, his eyes darting to Frisk's face and then traveling down to their toes. He sighed, relieved, and opened his mouth. "hey, kiddo! i was worried about you." Sans greeted them. He reached out, and although Frisk didn't mean to, they couldn't help but flinch away from his touch. "uhhh…it's okay, frisk," Sans said gently, withdrawing his hand. "that wasn't your fault. it was more mine than, uh, yours, actually. i…shouldn't've forgotten that it was your body as well."
"I know, Sans," Frisk muttered, staring down at their feet. "I don't know why Chara waited so long for me to change my mind like that, but apparently they… they can take over my body when I'm asleep, Sans. I- I'm dangerous, don't you get it? It's better if I just stay away from everyone... even you."
"wha-? that's the opposite of what you should do. i'll watch you and make sure you don't do anything stupid at night this time, got it?" Sans tried to reach for Frisk again, but they stumbled back, shaking their head. "i promised you wouldn't snap under my watch after the first incident with chara, and I'm not breaking my promise now."
"I…" Frisk gazed at Sans with their eyes still red and puffy. "I can't…" They stammered before turning tail and running, feet plowing through the snow as they turned and ran away like the coward Frisk knew they were.
"frisk! wait!" Sans teleported, landing in front of Frisk and grabbed their arm. His grip tightened, and he bent down to look Frisk in the eyes. "come on, frisk, it's okay. you're okay. just come back to the house, please…"
"…One run." Frisk whispered, eyes watering as they looking away from Sans's gaze. "Just… I need one time to be by myself without you watching me like you always do, Sans. I can't… I can't think with everyone always suffocating me with all of this attention! My own thoughts are intruded on by Chara, Alphys watches me on cameras, you are always watching me, I just…. just leave me alone for five days. Please, Sans."
Sans blinked, and stared at Frisk for a long moment, considering how much trouble could happen if Frisk was left alone. "…are you sure that's wise, kiddo?"
"I just want to be left alone. What's the worst that can happen? I get killed by you again?" Frisk challenged, and Sans flinched, grip loosening. That was all needed for Frisk to break free from his grasp and race off, not looking back.
This time, Sans didn't follow them.
.
Frisk leaned against the cave wall, chest heaving as they sank down to rest their head on their knees. Water drops dripped around them, and the soft roar of distant waterfalls allowed Frisk to start feeling a bit calmer.
Their eyelids started to feel heavy, and Frisk's head dipped forwards a bit before they snapped awake again, swaying between sleep and alertness. I can't sleep now… what if… Frisk struggled to stay awake, but it was in vain; their body, still one of a young child with no prior experience traipsing up and down the Underground didn't match up with their mind. With a soft sigh, Frisk drifted off to sleep.
"-are you going to wake up?" An unfamiliar voice asked, and Frisk's eyes flew open, head jerking back so fast they hit their head on the stonewall with a sickening thunk.
"Ouch!" Frisk yelped, hands grasping their head. "Who...?!" Their voice died in their throat, and their eyes locked onto the figure in front of them. They didn't know this person. But how was that possible? Frisk knew the face of pretty much everyone in the Underground… that only left one probable conclusion: This person was another anomaly.
"…he asked me to take you to him." The stranger commented idly, their large eyes drilling into Frisk's own. "We don't want to keep him waiting."
"…Who is he?" Frisk wondered, standing up quickly. The monster was a little taller than themself, and was gray all over with no hair, nose, or color whatsoever on their body. "Who are you?"
"I'm no one important." The monster started to walk away, and then turned and motioned for Frisk to follow. "What are you waiting for? Come on, then. He's watching."
Frisk frowned, and hesitatingly glanced around to see if Sans was anywhere nearby. They couldn't see him, though. In fact, Waterfall felt even quieter than usual, like all of the monsters were hiding and holding their breathes as they waited for the stranger to leave.
Something told Frisk that they shouldn't follow this monster.
But what was the worst that could possibly happen?
Frisk carefully followed as the monster ventured deeper into the heart of the Waterfall caves.
.
"…Here?" Frisk asked, eyes widening as they paused in front of a gray steel door that definitely hadn't been there before. Frisk had never laid eyes on this door before, they would have known if they had. Where had this door come from, and why?
The strange figure moved to the side of the door, and gestured for Frisk to enter. Frisk hesitated for a moment longer, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. It creaked open with an unhappy groan, and Frisk was greeted with darkness.
Frisk's hand lingered on the door's handle, and they took one more steadying breath before they let go and stepped inside the room. As soon as they took their third step away from the door, the door groaned shut behind them, clicking shut and bathing Frisk in darkness.
Frisk's eyes widened in alarm, but as their vision adjusted in the darkness, they realized the room wasn't quite as dark as they had originally thought. They turned around, wondering why no one was here, before a shape shifted and Frisk froze. A tall, dark figure stood in the center of the room, gazing back at them. How had Frisk missed him?
[Welcome, Frisk. I have waited for a being like you to appear for quite a long while.] The figure whispered, and Frisk felt chills travel up and down their body. They knew this voice, a voice both chillingly cold and quietly haunting. The voice they could never quite recall… until now.
"You… Who are you?" Frisk asked, their voice coming out quieter than they intended. "I… You… You were at the RESET screen, weren't you? Do you have something to do with the virus…?"
[Your deduction is correct.] The being turned, white glowing pinpoints that functioned as his eyes shifting to focus on Frisk. [My name is W. D. Gaster and I am the one who currently controls your RESETS.]
"Wha-?!" Frisk stumbled back, feeling their stomach jump into their throat. "I-I don't understand."
[Did I fail to articulate anything just then?] Gaster stepped forwards, and Frisk couldn't suppress their reflex to shudder as his face came into view. One of his eyes tilted down, dark cracks running down his face. His hands had strange holes in them, and his ethereal shape didn't look like it was tangible.
Disregarding the bizarre appearance, however, Gaster almost looked like a… a skeleton.
"have you ever met a third skeleton?"
Frisk's eyes widened, and they felt their blood run cold. Sans had known about Gaster. Had Sans known this entire time who controlled Frisk's RESETS? Why hadn't he said anything? Was… was he using Frisk since the first RESET?
No. No. No. NO. NONONONONONONONONO. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be...
Frisk's fingernails dug into their palms, not caring as blood started to drip down their hands. "...No," Frisk whispered hoarsely. They had to stay calm. They had to stay calm. If they didn't stay calm, they would fall apart for sure. "But I just don't understand. What do you want with the RESETS? Why haven't you approached me before now?!" Why did you make me suffer like this?
The unspoken question pressed down around them, and Gaster stopped advancing, studying Frisk's face with a calm, composed stature in contrast to Frisk's small shaking frame, the human barely able to hold themself together. [My apologies for the discomfort you went through to get here. Unfortunately, in order to see my form, an organism must first be exposed to a large quantity of particles from the void. Each time you RESET, you were exposed to a few, and eventually, those miniscule numbers created a larger sum.] Gaster blinked, eyes tracing the walls around them, and he shook his head regretfully. [It was also to test your aptitude of my requirements. I needed to ask a being with your abilities for a small request, thus why we are speaking now. You passed, no, surpassed my expectations and thus stand here. I specifically chose you because, unlike the other test subjects, your DETERMINATION doesn't break despite acute discomfort and stress to the point where all other subject's DETERMINATION proved unsuccessful.]
Frisk swallowed, and stared at Gaster as horror slowly dawned on them as they understood Gaster's meaning. He meant the other human children. Did Gaster make them all go through this as well…? If so, Frisk realized, it wasn't some coincidence none of them ever escaped the Underground.
Frisk swallowed and licked their lips, heart hammering as their SOUL softly glowed in reaction to their fear. "A request? I-I… that's…" Frisk didn't know what to say. Their mind seemed to have gone blank, and all they could think of was the fact that every single one of their unhappy moments all connected to this creature in front of them. "Are you going to release my RESETS?" Frisk finally asked.
[Certainly. All you need to do is follow my orders and you can continue on with whatever you wish to achieve.]
"...and if I refuse?"
[Then you shall not continue. But, Frisk, I really wouldn't suggest doing that. You don't wish to make me angry, do you? There would be… consequences to that.] Gaster replied, his tone never changing but the air itself seeming to feel thicker as Frisk's breath caught in their throat.
Hearing their name spoken by Gaster, Frisk couldn't suppress the anger that flared up inside of them. "I-I still don't understand, why are you doing this to me?! Why not someone else?! What do you want…?" Frisk snapped, clenching their fists and shuddering. "Just end this, please! Haven't you done enough already?"
[I require your assistance, Frisk. And now, you require mine. All I'm asking is for you to SAVE me as well as the other monsters. I know that you're very kind and caring, Frisk, so is that really so much to ask?] Gaster asked, his white eyes flickering in the darkness. [Only then will I release my hold on your RESETS.]
Frisk stood there, staring at the ground, before raising their head and defiantly glaring at the skeleton. "…then I'll find another way. This 'kind and caring' person that you're talking about was before you made me go through this- this hell, so you're looking at the wrong human now. Go find some other kind and caring little puppet to play with… I don't think you're worth SAVING." Frisk spun around, intent on storming out, when Gaster's cold voice made them halt.
[You'll come back. Even if it takes a thousand RESETS, you have so much DETERMINATION that you're trapped here forever, Frisk. You'll be back.]
Frisk paused, and turned to look back over their shoulder. "I've heard that kind of threat before… It won't work on me. I can find some other way."
[Haaa… why do I always have to deal with the problem children?] Gaster asked in exasperation, emotion finally showing on his face. […hmm. Well, unlike your friend- and I assume we're talking about the first human SOUL that fell down here- there's one major difference that you're missing here- I control your RESETS. After all, when did I promise Sans would keep remembering everything? He's the only one that you consistently remain fixated on as an anchor for your mental health, but I can fix that, you know. I can start RESETS at random times, so perhaps you would have even as long as a year on the surface with everyone before it's once again ripped away from your grasp. And you'd never know when it was coming… now wouldn't that be interesting?]
"….You wouldn't." Frisk whispered, paling and turning back to face Gaster.
[Oh, but I would. You see, Frisk, I've waited a very long time for someone of your caliber to come to the Underground.] Gaster commented, his dark mood hidden behind a suddenly very cheerful exterior. A dark grin stretched across his face, and he gestured at Frisk. [A human with enough DETERMINATION to keep going, even if they're stuck in a loop that seems never ending. A human who keeps going when others would have just given up and faded away. A human who wants to SAVE everyone- isn't that right?]
Frisk paled, backed up, and their back hit the metal door, the freezing iron chilling their back. With a frantic jerk, Frisk's hand reached out and grabbed the handle, wrenching the door open as they flew out of the dark room and desperately fled from Gaster, their own shadow chasing them as they ran as fast as they could just so they could get as far away as possible from the monster that held their life in the very palms of his hands.
.
.
.
QUIT ERROR ERROR ERROR UNAVAILABLE.
CONT_NUE_ FILE 0101101
[Test subjects aren't allowed to cease the experiment halfway through… how troubling. Your DETERMINATION won't allow you to QUIT, even if you try.]
((WHOO HOO HERE HE IS. I hope my portrayal of Gaster does not disappoint. Currently, for those wondering, Frisk has lived in the Underground for 821 days. And yet keep in mind this time frame only affects several characters… Also I am fully aware I said my updates were going to slow down but this long weekend I couldn't help but post the chapters as I wrote them. Whoops? I was too excited for my own good. This is the last one for a few days though, I get busy starting Tuesday.
Thank you for all of the kind reviews, whether some of you were threatening to dunk me or not~))