Frisk woke up early the next day. They greeted their mom and told her they were going to go see Alphys today. As they ate they talked to their mom more about yesterday. As they finished, she said something rather odd.

"Frisk, what happened last night?" she asked.

'What do you mean?' they asked.

"You got up in the middle of the night and came downstairs. I saw you looking through our bookcase. What was that about?"

Frisk was confused. 'I don't recall doing that. I slept just fine.'

Now Toriel looked puzzled. "Odd. We spoke at length. Do you not remember last night?"

'No. I told you, I slept like a rock.'

Toriel looked down at her slice of pie. "Well, if you are alright, I suppose I can allow you to go. Just be safe, my child."

Frisk put on their clothes, wearing a coat for their trek through Snowdin on their way to Hotland. As they walked, they talked to Asriel. 'Hey, any idea what she was talking about?'

"Nope," Asriel lied. "Maybe she dreamed that conversation."

Frisk wasn't sure they bought that. She seemed pretty convinced it happened. Then again, they were a very vivid dreamer as well. Maybe she had imagined it.

They got to Alphys' lab and she was waiting for them. "H-hi, Frisk," she greeted.

'Hi, doctor,' Frisk greeted back. 'So, got any theories what's going on with me?'

"Oh, well, not really," she admitted. "Um, but I think if I give you a full examination, I could get an idea."

'So how does this examination work?' Frisk asked.

"Come with me," she said, gesturing for them to follow. They went to one of her labs and they hopped onto the bed there. "Okay, first I'm going to give you a full physical workup then I'll examine your Soul to see how it's doing." She turned and started gathering equipment.

"Why would she need to see your Soul?" Asriel asked.

'It seems a second Soul, a Monster Soul, appeared and fused itself to mine while I was incubating,' Frisk signed, making sure Alphys didn't see. 'It's not affecting me as far as I can tell, thankfully.'

"A Monster Soul?" Asriel asked. "Could… could it be…" He laid a hand over his chest.

'What?'

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Okay, I got everything I need," Alphys announced, turning back around. "Now, let's see how you're doing." She gave them a full work-up, checking their heart, lungs, reflexes, everything. She also took a closer look at their mouth to see why they weren't speaking as much as they could. She examined the back of their throat and even checked their lips, having them go through all sorts of motions to test them.

"Hmm. Seems your lips and vocal chords are alright. You just don't know how to operate them as well as someone your age should," Alphys determined.

'Is there anything you can do?'

"The only thing to be done is practice," Alphys said. "You just need to practice speaking more than one or two words."

"I could have told you that," Asriel snarked.

"N-now that your body is good, let's check your Soul." She picked up her tablet and began scanning them, examining their chest. She tapped on the screen. Frisk wished they could see what was going on, but the tablet was facing away.

"I could read off what it says," Asriel offered. Frisk nodded and Asriel walked over to stand next to Alphys. He squinted at the screen and it looked like he was having trouble reading it. "Uh, well… your Soul is red," he said.

"Well, everything seems alright," Alphys determined. "Your original Soul is still going strong. No signs of deterioration. As for the Monster Soul, it seems to be fine as well. It's cocooned within yours, so there's that."

'Anything unusual?' Frisk asked.

"Not as far as I can tell," Alphys answered. "You are perfectly healthy."

'So have you learned anything from this?'

"Nothing that pertains to what you said yesterday." She laid the tablet down. "You said you see golden stars and when you came back, you were right next to one?"

'Yes,' Frisk confirmed.

"Huh. Never heard of anything like that. Show me this thing and I'll see what I can find."


Frisk walked out of the lab, Alphys behind them, tablet in hand. They told her there was one of those stars outside. A ten-second walk later, Frisk was at the star.

'This, right here,' they signed, pointing at it.

"This what?" Alphys asked, looking around.

'This,' Frisk repeated, pointing at the star. 'It's right here.'

"Right where?" she asked.

"Can she not see it?" Asriel wondered.

'Here. Right here.' Frisk emphatically gestured to the glowing star.

Alphys looked like she was staring at empty air. Perhaps from her point of view, she was. "Well, I'll take your word for it." She raised her tablet and had the back pointed at the star. "Hmm. My scanner does register something there. But I'm not sure what."

Frisk reached out and touched it, impulsively activating the star. When they did, the tablet started beeping like crazy, but it lasted only for a single moment. 'What was that?'

Alphys looked at the screen. "Whoa! For just a moment, it registered a massive spike in the DT levels. I've never seen anything like it."

'What is DT? You mentioned it yesterday.'

"It's short for 'Determination'," Alphys explained. "It's the stuff that allows a human Soul to persist after death. Monster don't have any of it naturally. I discovered it when I was examining the human Souls we already have."

'It's in human Souls?' Frisk asked. 'Does that include mine?'

"W-well, I thought it did. While you were… um, you know… I did examine your Soul and you had way more DT than any of the other Souls I've seen. I was slightly worried it would have a negative effect on your body."

'Why?'

"Um… well…" Alphys was sweating nervously. Frisk got the impression she was hiding something and didn't want to tell. "Y-you see, Monsters don't have enough physical matter to handle large amounts of Determination. The effect is… not good. But you seem to be alright, so I thought, maybe, you lost yours."

Frisk looked at the star. Alphys' words were running through their head. 'Maybe I still do. You said the levels were higher than you've ever seen them for a moment. That was because I touched the star.'

"Huh. So, when you interacted with it, it triggered the spike? But why? And what do the stars do?"

Frisk had a thought. 'Maybe it is like you thought. Time travel. These points somehow allow me to move through time, but only to when I last touched it.'

"Can you prove it?" Alphys asked.

'Think of a fake word, but don't tell me it.' Alphys pondered for a few moments before nodding. 'Okay, I'm going to touch this, then ask for the word. If I'm right and I can go back when I want, I'll know it before you would have told me the word.'

Frisk touched the star and the tablet once more registered the spike.

'Okay, now tell me the word.'

"Phlebotom."

Frisk tilted their head to the side, as did Asriel. 'Okay, strange choice.' They shook their head. 'Now to go back and say it out loud.'

"How are you going to do that?" Alphys asked.

'Well, last time, I wanted it hard enough and it seemed to happen. Maybe if I just focus…' With all their will, they focused on the strange feeling that surged every time they touched the star. The world went white and Frisk was back to two minutes ago.

"So, do I say the word or…"

'Phlebotom.'

Alphys looked in surprise. "Okay, so you are time traveling." She looked at the area the star was in. "But what does DT have to do with it and why only you?"

'I'm not sure it's just these stars. Remember, a year ago, I died and woke up in bed, as if that day had just been a bad dream.'

"Is there a star there, too?"

'Just on the edge of town,' Frisk explained. 'There's a few in Snowdin Forest, too. In fact, from what I can tell, these stars are all over the Underground, but not everywhere. They only show up in specific places.'

"Huh. It's almost like…" Alphys' face lit up in excitement. "Oh! They're like save points! Maybe that explains what's going on and how you travel through time."

'Save points?' Frisk asked.

"Don't you play video games?" Asriel asked.

"It's a mechanic in video games!" Alphys excitedly explained. "It allows a player to save their game so if they die, they don't lose all that progress. It's in so many games, as well!"

'But my bed doesn't have a 'save point' near it.'

"Maybe there are multiple ways to save. Some games have an autosave feature, which saves the game at a specific checkpoint, so the player doesn't have to do it manually. Maybe going to bed is one such autosave!"

'You make it sound like the whole world is just a game,' Frisk signed, with a blank expression.

"W-well, it's just for example," Alphys meekly said. "But it's cool to think about. You could control the world like you're a player in a video game."

'So, when I die, I just load up my last save, which takes me back to when it last happened?' Frisk questioned.

"I guess," Alphys shrugged. "Oh, I just thought of something. If it is like a video game, you could 'Reset' it. You could go back to the start of the game."

'When would that be?' Frisk signed incredulously. 'It's not like there's a clear beginning to all this.'

"F-fair point. It was just a thought."

Frisk sighed. 'Well, at least it answers what goes on. I can time travel in a sense.'

"B-but if it is like a game, then there's only so much you can do. You probably can't go back to before you were born, or travel to the future."

'Wouldn't want to, anyway. I'd prefer to stay like this.'

"S-so, um, is that everything, then?"

'Think so. Thanks for the help, Alphys,' Frisk signed.

"N-no problem. Hey, if you don't mind, I'm going to look further into this, see what else I can find," Alphys said.

'Cool. Well, see you around.' Frisk left, returning to home.

"Like a video game?" Asriel muttered. He had a sinking feeling as he said that.


Frisk sat in their room, thinking over what Alphys said. Though Asriel's pacing in the room distracted them.

'Can you stop that? You're making me dizzy.'

"Sorry. I just can't stop… thinking about what Alphys said. That the whole world is like a game."

'I doubt she was being literal,' Frisk signed. 'Come on, it's crazy. The whole world is a game? That's just too unbelievable.'

"But it does explain a whole lot. After all, if you're the player, that means you can do just about everything and everyone else is an NPC."

'NPC?'

"Non-player character," Asriel explained. "Have you never heard that term before?"

'I've never played video games before.'

"Okay, well, basically, everyone would be just a character in the game. With programmed actions and dialogue based on what you do."

'Over ten thousand people? Do you not hear how crazy that sounds?'

"Okay, admittedly, it's a stretch. But it does make some sense."

'Okay, for argument's sake, let's say it is a game. What's the point?'

"What?"

"You know, the goal. The objective. All games I've played have something you're supposed to do and a way to win the game. What would be that for this one?"

Asriel stood silent for a long time, trying to think about that. "Escape the Underground?"

'To where? The surface is gone, remember? There's nowhere to escape to!'

"Uh, well…" Asriel kept trying to think of an answer. Just as Frisk was about to make him concede defeat, he thought of something. "Kill us?"

Frisk shot up. 'What! Why would you think that?'

"W-well, all the games I know, you have enemies you're supposed to beat and kill. When you've killed them all, the game is over and you win. Maybe that's what you're supposed to do?"

'Is that supposed to be a joke?! Who would do something like that?! And why would I ever do that? Sure, I would defend myself, but I'm not about to go around killing people!'

Asriel twiddled his fingers nervously. He could see his argument breaking down. And to be honest, he didn't really believe it either.

'If this world is a game, then the end goal of it is rather stupid in my opinion if I'm supposed to kill the only people left in the world. How would I even do that? I'm just a kid.'

"Well, technically, humans are a lot stronger than Monsters," Asriel explained. "It's not too much of a stretch to say that one kid with a lot of hate could easily…"

'STOP! Stop talking like that! I wouldn't do that! I wouldn't!' Frisk stood up, looking at Asriel directly. 'And even if you're right and it would have been possible, I'm a Monster now, not human. I don't have that power anymore! And what game lasts for three years?! Because that's how long it's been since I came here. No game where you kill people lasts three years.'

Asriel sighed. "Maybe killing isn't the point, then?" he offered. "Maybe you're just supposed to be friends with everyone."

Frisk calmed down. 'Why would that be the game?'

"Well, not all video games involve violence. Some are more simple. Maybe this is supposed to be that type of game? And this is also a game where you make friends with everyone."

Frisk sat back down. 'That I would believe.' They looked at Asriel. 'What about you? You said you were dead. What role would you play in this game?'

Asriel had to think on that. "The narrator? I do narrate everything you do, after all."

'Huh. That would make sense. But I still don't buy that the world is a game.'

"Admittedly, it does seem a stretch," Asriel conceded. "I guess your power just allows you to interact with the world as if that were the case."

As Frisk thought on what to say next, a smell wafted up to their nose. It was pie. 'Smells like dinner's almost ready.'

"Man, I wish I could eat," Asriel said. "I miss it."

'Can't you taste what I eat?' Frisk asked.

"It's not the same. I want to taste her pie in my own mouth."

As Frisk stood up, the faced Asriel. 'Maybe I could find a way to help you?'

"I doubt it, Frisk. I'm dead. Not much you can do to help a dead child."

'Still, I'll look for a way. You're a good friend, Asriel and I want to be able to help you.'

"It's a nice thought. Thanks anyway, Frisk."

'No problem. Now I better get down there before mom shouts for me.'

End of Chapter 16