The final chapter... begins right now!

I was sitting cross-legged across from Chara in the desolate plain. "If you had a second chance, would you take it?" They asked.

"A second chance at what?" I asked in reply.

"Life," They said. "If you could hit a button and start over, would you take it?"

"I'm not for sure," I said honestly. "How would that happen?"

A smirk ran along their face. "Let me see your SOUL and I'll give you an idea."

"W-what? N-no!"

"Come on! Don't you trust me?"

I looked at their face and saw the child encircled by golden flowers during my first visit. "Okay," I resigned. I held out my hand and my SOUL flickered into existence.

Chara had already reached for it when they said, "Are you ready?" I nodded. They grabbed the heart, sending a revolting sensation squirming through my lungs and crawling its way around inside of me. Chara and the field were lost in a pitch black abyss.

I flailed pointlessly. I was falling with no way of stopping. I heard laughter, the mad laughter of a broken mind. I felt threads tie around my limbs and pin them to my side. I shut my eyes, hoping that it would all stop. There was a brief flash. My eyes snapped open. Right in front of me was my SOUL, bound in the same threads as me. With all of my strength, I struggled to lift my arm and painstakingly grabbed my SOUL.

The scene changed instantly. I was standing in Toriel's bedroom. The motherly Monster was sleeping with her back to me. My limbs weren't trapped anymore. Instead, my arm was raised, my knife pointed straight at Toriel. Suppressing a scream, I ran from the room. I ran from the house into the Ruins. Panting, I slouched to the ground on a terrace overlooking the original HOME. I dropped the toy knife, covering my mouth with my hands.

"Why did you have to ruin it?" I gave a jump. Chara was standing before me, their form thin. I was able to see the wall behind them through their torso. The disturbing smile was on their lips. "I was almost done."

"W-what did you make me do?" I asked breathlessly.

"I was trying to kill her, what else?" They said.

"What!?" I screamed. "Why would you do that?"

They shrugged. "Why not? It seemed fun."

My hands began to shake. "Chara, what are you doing?"

"Me?" They asked sarcastically. "Well, I'm having fun. I can do whatever I want, hurt whomever I want, kill whenever I want. I've been asleep for so long. Now, I'm going to enjoy this." I put my head between my knees, trying to block them out. A hand touched my chin, guiding my head until I was looking Chara in the straight eye, inches apart. "I can do this with your help."

"M-my help?" My voice was weak.

"Yes!" Their smile broadened. "You have so much untapped power. So much Determination. With it, we can start again from the moment you fell into the Underground. We can see how things can be different and act however we want without any repercussions. What do you say, partner?"

I sat in shocked silence, then I gently shook my head.

"What?" Their voice tightened.

"No, I don't want that," I whispered. "I've already lived through all of this and I don't want to change a thing."

Their smile started to falter. "Not even to see that girl again? To keep her alive?"

"No," I said. "I miss her so much, but I won't play God. Things happen, some good and some bad, and you just have to accept them," I steadied my breathing. "I won't help you."

Chara didn't move for over a minute. Their smile turned into a snarl. "Fine, then. I'll do this the hard way!" My SOUL flickered. They grabbed it, causing the sickening sensation to return.

"Stop!" I pushed them away. I got to my feet and ran back into the house and down the stairs. I passed the door, sprinted through the hall and into the snow. I kept running as I felt Chara trying to overtake me. I stumbled past trees as my body began to go numb. I fell against a trunk as my legs became useless. Back pressed against the wood, I sat and watched my breath as the forest disappeared.

I was back on the plain. Storm clouds completely filled the once sunny sky. They grass had died, laying flat and brittle on the ground. The flowers were gray and withered. The petals would crumble to pieces on the slightest breeze. Chara was standing in the middle of it all. The ring of flowers was shredded. Chara gave me a twisted smile.

"Chara-" I started.

"Five," They interrupted. "Not including you or myself, five humans have fallen into the Underground. With each one, I stirred in my sleep. I saw it all: the pain, the tears, the smiles, the laughter, the flames, and so much blood. Each one of them died. And, like you, they each made a promise. Every single one broke with their demise.

Images filled my visions: children falling, a girl with a red-haired Monster, a boy hugging a bipedal bunny, a boy in an apron talking to a spider wearing a dress, a boy with glasses sitting next to a lizard in a lab coat, and Cowgirl hovering over my bed. In a matter of seconds the scenes were burned into my brain: Of how they fell, the promises they made, and how they died.

My breathing became ragged. "You… you did that to her? Why would you make her do that?"

"That was my mistake," Chara admitted. "None of the first four who fell had enough Determination to wake me up. However, the next one did. The problem was that I could not tell which one of you two it was. I had been certain that the girl was the right one, but it turns out that it was you." They spread their arms wide. "If I can get your SOUL, I would have enough power to Reset to the beginning. I could fix my mistakes and do it right this time."

"Do what?" My voice was eclipsed by the thunder booming overhead.

Their arms fell, their smile was once again a snarl. "But you refused. Is it because of your promise? Are you afraid that you might break it? It wouldn't matter." The images of the children making their promises flashed by briefly once again. "Promises are pointless. They are just empty words. They have no power, no reason to enforce them." Chara paused. "But you still reject my offer, don't you?"

I nodded, too shaken to speak.

Chara looked at the cloudy sky. They started laughing, the sound broken and pained. "Fine, then!" Their voice grew hysterical. "Do you know what they did leave me? Their Determination. Whenever they died, I collected what I could and added it to my own. Their SOULS were tied so closely to their items that it left an imprint behind. Let me show you a few tricks I picked up." Lightning ripped across the sky, illuminating the field in a blue light.

"What's happening?" I whimpered.

"Have you ever wondered what this place is?" Chara hissed. "This is the merging point of our Determination. Here, we can have unimaginable powers, but we won't affect the real world. This is where we are at our strongest. Let's get started! To the victor goes the spoils!" The air around Chara wavered. Before my eyes, a tutu and ballet shoes manifested on them. "Ready or not, here I come!"

Chara lifted their foot high above their head. The shoes faintly glowed blue. A sudden force dragged me across the brown grass to them. Chara's foot came down on my head. I collapsed at their feet. I was lifted by the mysterious force and slammed into the ground over and over again. I was thrown and was let to fall this time as Chara spun on their toes. Their foot connected with my chest, with the strength that no human should be able to achieve. The kick sent me skidding across the dead plain until I came to a stop. My chest was hot, feeling as if acid had been poured down my throat. Every breath made me want to scream in pain. Bile rose to the surface. I vomited, except the only thing that came out was red. My blood continued to fight its way out and painted the grass.

Chara started towards me as my vision became blurred. This was it. Even if I could speak, I couldn't reason with them. The cheerful child who I called a friend had been replaced by this terrifying beast. Just end it. I can't fight back. I'll never see the girl again. Toriel would fall back into her depression at my absence, but she had the voice to comfort her this time. My life with Toriel ended the second Chara took over my SOUL, if not before. I was powerless. I closed my eyes, waiting for the final blow.

"My name is Toriel. I am the caretaker of the Ruins.

A feeling like I've never felt before seeped through my veins.

"Don't worry. I've been here for years. Everyone in the Ruins is nice to me. You'll be fine."

It warmed my body, erasing my pain.

"I'm in the mood for checkers. I'm warning you, I'm good."

It gave my body strength I never had before...

"Say, what is your name anyways?"

Giving me the desire to stand, to fight back.

"My name is Annie."

The feeling exploded, escaping from my body in a magnificent golden light. Chara covered their eyes from the sudden brightness. I was standing, any sign of injury or blood was gone.

Chara's shock was quickly replaced by that twisted smile. "Yes! This is your Determination! It's glorious! I have to take it! It will be mine!

In spite of the situation, I gave a faint smile. "Alright. But I'm warning you, I'm good."

A growl escaped from Chara's grin. "Consider me warned."

Chara attacked. They planted one foot and spun, swinging their other foot directly at my head. I brought up my arms and crossed them. Cyan light glowed around the limbs. Chara's foot made contact, sending a shock through my body, but I didn't fall. Chara's foot had been stopped by my arms.

I pushed them away. Chara stumbled trying to keep their footing. I lashed out with my right hand. Chara jumped away, farther than any human should be able. They gave a cocky grin. It quickly vanished when they noticed the blood dripping from the cut on their rosy cheek. A knife, my toy knife, had materialized in my hand after I had blocked the kick.

Chara raised their hand and pulled it back fiercely. I felt my SOUL being pulled again. I was ready. I planted my feet as Chara spun. Ducking, I cut upwards. A large gash appeared on the shoe above my head.

Chara gave an amused scoff. They began to spin, switching from foot to foot, until they became a blur. I dodged and slashed away at the flurry of kicks. Bruises appeared on my arms and torso. With one last cut, a ballet shoe sailed through the air in tatters.

Chara came to a halt. The sky crackled with orange lightning. With a chuckle, the torn tutu and remaining ballet shoes faded away to be replaced by a bandanna and gloves.

I stabbed at their heart, but they dodged easily. Glowing orange, a gloved hand connected with my arm. With a disgusting snap, my forearm nearly folded in half. My knife fell from my grasp as I retreated. The skin had broken, and startling white piece of bone was sticking out. I became panicked thinking about how this injury would end me. Cyan light with streaks of gold encased my arm. My skin mended as the bone slipped back inside. In seconds, my arm was fully healed.

Chara gave a short laugh. "At least you're making this fun."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

With a chuckle, Chara's fist was aimed at my stomach. I backed away, feeling the glove graze my shirt. I ran past Chara and dove for my knife. A fist swung down at me. I quickly rolled away and jumped to my feet. The impact left a crater about the size of a basketball in the ground.

Chara raised a hand, palm towards the sky. An orange glove grew from their's and became twenty times the size. With a gulp, I began to run. The giant glove flew after me. I jumped to the side as it barreled past me, wind whipping my hair across my face.

The glove made a sharp turn and came straight at me. I inhaled deeply. My knife started to glow cyan. With a scream, I pounced and slashed at the glove. The attacks met with a moment of resistance. My knife glowed brighter, cutting through the glove cleanly. The severed fingers and part of the palm disintegrated instantly. The rest hung in the air a moment before they fell apart in a cascade of sparks.

I had a second to gather myself before Chara was behind me. They throw a punch at my head. I twisted and pivoted on my feet. My knife sliced though the material and across their left palm. Drops of blood fell to the grass.

With a grunt, they leapt away. Lightning flashed purple against the gray clouds. The items disappeared as a battered leather notebook rippled into their left hand and a pair of large, round glass appeared on the bridge of their nose.

With a flutter of paper, words began to spring from the page, all of them with negative meanings. With a flick of their wrist, the animated words swarmed me.

I cut down as many as I could before I was overwhelmed by the sheer number. Pushing against the words, I broke through and lunged at Chara. Lightning briefly illuminated the plain in a green light. My strike was blocked by… a frying pan? I rapidly slashed at Chara again as a green wall sprang up between us. My attacks bounced off harmlessly.

The words crashed into me. I was dragged across the ground as they weighed me down. Shreds of grass and flowers and clumps of dirt were thrown wild as I left a gorge in the plain. I saw a glimpse of Chara holding the notebook in their left hand and a frying pan in the other. An apron had been draped around their shoulders.

The words lifted me high off the ground and let me fall. As I fell, dozens of them struck and launched me again. They repeated this process several times. I gritted my teeth. I spun in mid-air as the words charged me.

A stray one, nightmare, zipped past. I grabbed it and was carried through the sky. It bucked and swerved while trying to throw me off. I kept a close eye on Chara and their shield. Nightmare fought hard, my grip was slipping. Just a little more. My free hand was struggling to hold on to the e. Just as my fingers started to fail, my opportunity came. I let go, free falling towards Chara's shield. I positioned my self so that I was falling feet first. The glow around my knife intensified. My feet slammed onto the green light. In that second, I gripped my knife with both hands and plunged it into the shield. Cracks spread along the dome until it finally shattered with a blast of air that flung me away.

I dug my feet into the ground as I land and charged, knife at the ready. I stabbed. Chara brought up the frying pan, glowing with green light as bright as my knife, to intercept. The weapons collided, neither one giving under the other. The lights brightened, becoming indistinguishable from one another. The feeling inside grew, causing my light to grow as well. For the slightest moment, I saw the frying pan crack. In a blast of green, Chara and I were blown apart.

I landed on my side and twisted back onto my feet. Chara was also standing again. However, they were holding only the handle of the frying pan. The rest laid in pieces scattered across the plain.

Chara was laughing as they panted. "Well! Things are getting really interesting!"

I had something I wanted to say. This was as good a time as any. "You're wrong."

"Oh? About what?"

"About promises," I panted. "They're stronger than you think."

They laughed harder at me outright. "Oh, please! I've seen it time and time again! People swearing they'll do one thing, but just turn around and do another. They're so easy to break. What's the point of making them? No one listens. No one keeps their word."

"You're right," I said. "They are easy to break. But that doesn't mean they're powerless."

"Now you're just babbling."

"It doesn't matter if they break," I said with resolve. "Only why you break them. Not their flimsy creation, but the reason why it was made."

Chara sighed. "You put a lot of faith in promises. However, if it wasn't for a promise I wouldn't have this." Yellow lighting brightened the sky as the air curled around their right hand until they were holding Annie's gun. "Remember this? If your friend hadn't been so foolhardy they would be alive right now! Do you really want to put so much stock in promises?"

"I do. I will."

"Fine, then." Chara's face hardened. "Let's see if you change your mind before you die!" Chara aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. I dodged to the right only to be tackled by more words. I hacked away as bullets tore through the air. My knife moved in a blur, barely deflecting the golden shots.

Words coiled in the air above Chara. A yellow light emanated from the gun's barrel.

I held my head high. "All of those promises Annie and the others made were not pointless."

Chara rolled their eyes. "This again. This topic is getting on my nerves."

The feeling, my Determination, flowed stronger through my SOUL. The memories of the children's promises pounded against my skull. For a moment, a ray of sunlight broke through the clouds. With it came voices:

"Can you do something for me?"

"Of course."

"Watch over Undyne."

"I will. I promise."

Chara was startled. "How are you doing that?"

"The first girl made a promise on her deathbed to help her friend and assure their future."

"What? You're still spouting that nonsense?" Words flew at me, which were quickly cut to ribbons.

More rays of light broke through, with them came more voices.

"Promise to come back to me, okay?"

"I promise."

"He made a promise he knew that was impossible to keep, but he did it to lighten the pain and burden his loved one was facing!"

"Stop it!" Chara growled. More words charged. I shredded them as a bullet ripped cross my shoulder. I ran at Chara as another voice rang out:

"I hope things turn out better for you, Flowey. Someone is going to come and help you feel again. I know it. I know it will happen, Flowey. I promise."

Chara swiftly dodged my slashes.

"All he did was be kind to that flower. He was trying to give someone hope when they had given up!"

I was too close for Chara to use the words without being swept away themselves. They couldn't properly aim the gun with this short of range, but bullets still found my calf, arm and hip.

"Hey, Alphys?"

"What is it?"

"How about… How about we live for each other?"

"…Sure…That sounds great."

Chara stumbled. My knife tore through the air. Paper flew in a cloud around us. My knife had found the notebook, cutting off the back cover and most of the pages to pieces. The floating words, stray paper, and notebook crumpled to ashes.

"He had given up. He tried to end his life until someone saw his pain and helped him, supported him. They made this vow so each of their lives could have meaning again."

Chara switched the gun to their left hand. They let off a barrage of shots. I blocked all I could, but grazes covered my frame and a couple plowed into my side and left shoulder.

I ground my teeth together. My knife was swallowed by the cyan light.

"I'll keep you safe. I swear on my life, I will protect you. No matter what happens."

Chara raised the gun, but my knife was faster. Part of the barrel was cleaved off. Chara quickly caught the piece.

"Annie…" I faltered. "And Annie was doing what she thought was right so that she could protect me!"

"Shut up already!" Their anger soon melted back into that creepy smile. "All of that talk, but you are forgetting one thing. You broke your promise to Toriel! What do you have to say about that?"

Chara threw the gun and broken barrel into the air. It glowed yellow and shattered into pieces. More and more pieces scattered across the sky, until there were hundreds. Chara's smile widened. "If you survive, I would like an answer!" Chara clenched their fist and brought it down forcefully. The pieces streaked across the sky, all racing towards me.

I stumbled back. The Determination sent a shock through my SOUL. A cyan light with gold streaks poured from my SOUL around me. Pieces slammed into the light. Whenever they made contact, the piece and part of the light would disappear in a flash. However, the light quickly diminished. I tried to hold it together, but I was soon being pelted by the miniature bullets.

It was soon over, but my body felt like it was on fire. The bullets dug under my skin, smoke billowing from the wounds. Just moving my arm caused a wave of pain to crash over me.

The light started to repair the damage, but the process was slow. The injuries were too widespread for a quick heal

"Your answer?" Chara asked.

My breathing was heavy and painful. "I did break my promise. I will always regret that. It will eat me up every second I'm alive. But I had to do it to protect her. I couldn't trust myself with you around."

"Interesting," Chara said. The air rippled again as the plain was painted red by lightning. A knife, a real knife, appeared in their left hand. "After letting out all of that hot air, do you still believe in promises so much?"

"I do," I said with as much force as I could. "In fact, I have one last promise to make."

"Really?" Chara was intrigued. "What might that be?"

"It's a promise to you."

"Oh? Go on."

"I promise that no matter how hopeless it seems, how hard it may be, how much it hurts, I will never let you have my SOUL!"

Chara chuckled. "Now this is fun! Let's see if that holds up!"

Chara lunged. Their knife moved through the air like lightning. I managed to block the strike, but the tip nicked my cheek. Our blades parted and collided like a dance. Whenever one of us broke through (Chara slicing my right tricep, above my wrist, my forehead, etc.) our knives connected once again. I was thrown backwards and fell on my back.

Chara fell on me. I blocked their knife and drove my feet into their stomach. I used Chara's momentum and flipped them over my head.

I had just gotten to my feet when Chara jumped up and lashed out, leaving a deep cut on my left arm. They drove the blade deep into my side above my left hip. They pulled it up and out, widening the injury.

Chara lunged again. I wouldn't be fast enough to stop the knife. In that moment, I thought I was done. Then, the sky cleared completely as a new voice rang out:

"I'd never doubt you, Chara… Never! Y…yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone. I'll go get the flowers."

Chara faltered long enough for me to block the knife. We were both exhausted. We were both putting all of our strength into pushing against each other, trying to overpower the other.

My legs started to give. Chara started to push me back. My SOUL shone brightly between us. With a final strained scream, I pushed back. My SOUL blasted Chara with the cyan and gold light. It was filled with every ounce of my Determination.

Chara was launched several feet off the ground. As they fell, their features became gray. Chara's body started falling apart as dust. First their arms were carried off, then their torso disintegrated as well. Their legs went next. The last to go was their head, and I watched that terrifying smile complete crumple to dust. They were gone before they hit the grass.

My strength was gone. My legs gave out and I fell back against a trunk. I dropped to the ground as the dead plain was replaced by a forest covered with snow. My heavy breath was visible in the cold. My knife was gone, leaving my hand weak and empty.

A form wavered before me, sitting crossed-legged with a neutral face. Chara was hard to distinguish, as if you a soft breeze would will cause them to break.

"I lost," A smile played on their lips. "Who would've guessed?" Their form began to fade. "It doesn't matter. Eventually, I'll take over. It may take awhile, but I will break you."

"No, you won't," I said. "I promised that I wouldn't let that happen."

"Really?" They chuckled. "And do you expect to back up that promise?"

Weakly, I smiled. "I'll just sit here."

They were puzzled for a moment, until my meaning dawned on them. "You plan to sit there… until you die."

I nodded.

Chara didn't respond for several minutes. Then, their laughter, so broken and pained, rang through the still forest. "Determined to die, huh? Does that take guts? Stupidity? Patience? I don't know. But it doesn't matter. One day, another human will fall. I'll come back through them."

I kept my smile. "Then I just have to hope that they fight you off like I did."

Their smile faltered. "All those months just for it to end like this. Such a waste." They raised their hand and waved slowly. "Well, I guess all I have left to say is goodbye. See ya later, until next time." Chara's body dissolved into mist and faded into the snow.

So I sat and watched the snowfall. My thoughts relived every moment since I fell into the Underground. The minutes stretched into hours and into days. I hadn't moved an inch.

I thought about how I had let Toriel down. How much pain I caused her by leaving. How much I prayed that the voice will soothe her once again. Then I thought about Annie. How I missed her so much. That I might be able to see her again.

My stomach had given up on trying to get me to eat and simply lashed out at itself. My throat was dry and I had started to cough up drops of blood. Snow had piled up on my head, legs, and shoulders. My skin had turned blue from the cold. Now it was turning a deep, ugly purple. I had lost feeling in my body long ago.

My final thought was of Toriel's warm smile and Annie's cheeky grin. With one final breath, I was free.

i was walking down the familiar trail. i was wearing a blue jacket, the only reasonable part of my outfit since the only other things I was wearing were shorts and fuzzy slippers. being a skeleton, however, i didn't mind

i reached the door i had seen every day for several weeks. with a chuckle, i knocked. i waited, but no reply came. i knocked again. Nothing. worried, i called "hey! are you there?"

silence. i started to turn away when, "I am here."

"oh, good," i said relieved. "what took you so long?"

"I was… just…tired," her voice answered, heavy with grief.

i shrugged it off and continued. "alright, i've got a good one! so, yesterday i swallowed a bottle of food coloring. the doctor says i'm fine, but I feel like i've dyed a little inside."

there was a pause. she gave a weak laugh, which quickly broke down into sobs. startled, I asked her what was wrong. when she was able to respond, she said,

"If a human ever comes through this door… could you please, please promise something. Watch over them, and protect them, will you not?"

i thought about this for second. promises were so much work, and people get mad when you break them. however, over these past weeks, i realized how attached i had become to her. listening to her cry was too much, so i said,

"i promise."

So, that's it. End of the line. Honestly, I feel really weird about finishing this. I have tried to write stories so many times, but I always got lazy and never finished, or put them on some big delay. To finish this, it makes me so happy.

To Eccentric Axolotl, who beta-read every single one of these chapters. Their input and opinions helped me improve so much. Thank you for everything you have done for me.

To the readers, I know this story isn't popular, but I noticed those who stuck by my all this time, even though I started publishing this back in March. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoyed.

Well, I've been blabbering for awhile now. Sorry for that, but I'm almost done. Three things left:

I hope reading Memory of the SOUL was worth your time,

Expect more from me in the future, and

Stay Determined!

Edit: Um... ignore that first line. I posted a new fanfic that continues off of this one. If your interested, check my page. It is called Memories and Control. Spoke a little too soon. Oh well.

-End