Chapter 20

"I'm home, Papa…"

A/N: Well, it's been a while since I've posted, and since I've made an author's note too… I'm sorry for my lack of overall DETERMINATION... Thank god Tsuko G. was able to refill my DETERMINATION with KAZOOMINATION...

WELL THEN! I've thought up a little… challenge… for you all. The reward will be good, in my opinion (i don't really know about all of you), and to win the reward, you have to PM (Personal/Private Message) me the theme of One Extra Soul. The reward is… an OC appearance in the next story. You can even choose what you'd like them to be: a main character, an opposing force, a cameo/side character… Whatever your heart desires, as long as the theme is right and you're one of THE FIRST FIVE PEOPLE. However, only one can be a main character, and one can be an opposing force. More details come next chapter.

Also, before I go, this chapter contains MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE STORY OF THE FIRST FALLEN CHILD, AND THE BEGINNING OF A NEUTRAL JUDGEMENT. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. Some people read fanfics without knowing the franchise, so I'm just giving everyone fair warning.

I dashed forwards, slicing through Mettaton in one sweep. Mettaton fell backwards, shocks radiating through his body. "H-H-HOW!? M-MY BODY I-IS SHORTING OUT!"

I sheathed my sword. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. I'm just incapacitating you for the time being." I started walking away from the arena. "I need to get to Asgore…" I turned down a long hallway, dashing down it. Chara was floating next to me, smiling. "*That was easier than I'd thought it would be."

I slammed my fist into the button on the elevator, causing it to start upwards. I leaned against the back wall, sighing. "…Nearly there… If we're lucky, we'll be able to break the barrier before Frisk shows up." I smiled at Chara. "*I wouldn't bet on it. Knowing her, she might find some help to get to the Final Corridor." "…Crap."

I sighed as the elevator came to a stop. I stepped off, walking down the long hallway. It took a while, but I finally made it to a house. I entered, looking around. I walked to the right and entered the first door. Four presents were there. I opened them up, placing the items in my pockets. "*Dull Knife. +30 ATK. Perfect for cutting through vines. *Heart Locket. +30 DEF. Inside is a picture of Asriel and myself. *SOUL Locket. +15 DEF. A locket made to look like a human SOUL. Inside is a space for a picture. *Delta Armor. +15 DEF Armor with a Delta Rune on the front." "Thanks, Chara." I put on the SOUL Locket and Delta Armor before exiting the room. I started walking forwards, towards a yellow key.

Suddenly, two Froggits leaped out at me. I stopped moving, hoping not to fight. They stood there, and started to speak.

(Quick A/N here so you aren't confused. Here's the order of monsters speaking. "Bold-face speaking" is for the left, or first monster. "Italic speaking" is for the second monster. "Underlined speaking" is for the third monster, if applicable.)

"A long time ago, a human fell into the RUINS."

"Injured by its fall, the human called out for help."

The Froggits leaped away as I continued forwards, grabbing the first key. "…Chara, what are they talking about?" I inquired.

"*…The story of when I fell into the underground." Chara's voice was a husk, emotionless, and hollow.

Two Whimsun appeared before me next.

"ASRIEL, the king's son, heard the human's call."

"He brought the human back to the castle."

I bit my lip, continuing onwards. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear all of this, not like this.

Three Moldsmals told the next part of the story.

"Over time, ASRIEL and the human became like siblings."

"The King and Queen treated the human child as their very own."

"The underground was full of hope."

To me, the monsters started blurring together, and I heard voices just continue to tell me the story as I continued along.

(Migosp) "Then… One day…"

(Migosp) "The human became very ill."

(Vegetoid) "The sick human only had one request."

(Vegetoid) "To see the flowers from her village."

(Vegetoid) "But there was nothing we could do."

(Loox) "The next day."

(Loox) "…"

(Loox) "The human died."

(Snowdrake) "ASRIEL, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's SOUL."

(Snowdrake) "He transformed into a being with incredible power."

(Ice Cap) "With the human SOUL, ASRIEL crossed the barrier."

(Ice Cap) "He carried her body into the sunset."

(Ice Cap) "Back to the village of the humans."

(Woshua) "ASRIEL reached the center of the village."

(Woshua) "There, he found a bed of golden flowers."

(Woshua) "He carried the human onto it."

(Shyren) "Suddenly, screams rang out."

(Shyren) "The villagers saw ASREIL holding the human's body."

(Shyren) "They thought that he had killed the child."

(Dummy) "The humans attacked him with everything they had."

(Dummy) "He was struck with blow after blow."

(Dummy) "ASRIEL had the power to destroy them all."

(Knight Knight) "But…"

(Madjick) "ASRIEL did not fight back."

(Knight Knight) "Clutching the human…"

(Madjick) "ASRIEL smiled, and walked away."

(Final Froggit) "Wounded, ASRIEL stumbled home."

(Final Froggit) "He entered the castle and collapsed."

(Final Froggit) "His dust spread across the garden."

(Whimsalot) "The kingdom fell into despair."

(Whimsalot) "The king and queen had lost two children in one night."

(Whimsalot) "The humans had once again taken everything from us."

(Astigmatism) "The king decided it was time to end our suffering."

(Astigmatism) "Every human who falls down here must die."

(Astigmatism) "With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever."

(Loox) "It's not long now."

(Simultanious Moldsmal/Loox/Migosp) "King ASGORE will let us go." / "King ASGORE will give us hope." / "King ASGORE will save us all."

(Pyrope) "You should be smiling, too."

(Vulkin) "Aren't you excited?"

(Vulkin) "Aren't you happy?"

(Froggit) "You're going to be free."

I nodded slightly, understanding the Froggit. The Froggit hopped away, and I turned into the Final Corridor. My boots clacked against the tile floor. I stopped in front of a shadowed figure.

"So you finally made it. The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together… You will determine the future of this world. That's then. Now. You will be judged. You will be judged for you every action. You will be judged for every EXP you've earned. You probably know this, but EXP stands for EXecution Points. A way of quantifying the pain you've inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. You probably know what LOVE stands for too, but LOVE stands for Level Of ViolencE. A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The less you hurt, the easier it becomes to hurt others."

The shadows parted, revealing Sans, standing side by side with Frisk. Sans was talking now, and I listened. "sure, you gained some LOVE… but that LOVE hasn't affected you at all. you're still friends with everyone. even undyne likes you, and she knows you killed someone. we've all got our problems, but LOVE isn't yours. to be honest, i'm not even completely sure you did gain LOVE. you've been showcasing so much love that it's near unfathomable for you to have killed someone. but now, you've gotta go face the king…" Sans looked away for a moment.

Frisk looked at me, and I bit my lip. "The only thing you did was protect. You killed one to save many. … I'm sorry I wasn't asking you more about your problems… I thought that you were doing fine, and I was imagining things…"

"Frisk…" I looked at her. "You don't need to be sorry. I'm the one that ran away. Please… Will you come with me and help me talk to King Asgore?" She smiled, nodding. I smiled as well, as I started to approach her. I opened my arms wide, and Frisk hugged me. I smiled again. Sans smiled, watching from his place, before disappearing with a snap of his fingers.

His voice echoed after he disappeared. "i really hope this time's the charm…" I let go of Frisk, after handing her the Heart Locket and Worn Dagger.

After another corridor, I walked into the Throne Room, after Frisk saved. Chara stood in between Frisk and I, her voice involuntarily leaving her lips. "P-Papa… I-I'm home…"