Forward, Back, Neutral, Reverse: Frisk's POV
Alright Frisky, time to play a real game. One where I refuse to lose no matter what because I have something to go back to. I look around the room to find that her vines have covered the whole place. Whatever is going on, it means she's not far from a collapse herself. And magic like this doesn't come from a human unless her world is unique. I pick up her scythe and grin with a bloodlust I forgot a long time ago, "Stop me if you've heard this one. You're about to have a bad time. One chance, release the magic you have over this area before I'm forced to do it myself. Not that that plan isn't more preferable to me at the moment."
Her eyes glint with red yet her soul seems to struggle for a moment. Before she can fall, the dust surrounds her as if to support her. One bright white light catches my eye from her soul that makes me understand immediately; she's a monster. Her voice is cracked and weakened, "Why did you send him away? They deserve to die. They killed him… The Gasters, Rose… The list could keep going if WE don't stop them."
"Nothing to stop. Papyrus is dead. The culprit of everything is gone forever. I promise you that you're fighting a battle that already ended. Now threes a crowd, but I'll be sure to show you how this dance ends if you've already lost control of your determination," I grin with a joy beyond what I felt control over. My aura flares up, creating a blaze around my fists and feet. Every inch of me wants this fight to happen as if she could be a real challenger to me. Even the scythe I stole burns to a crisp and burns to ashes on the ground, "Just remember I'm a lot older than you, and I won't be holding back for the sake of your inexperience."
She holds out a hand that glows with dark red butterflies forming into a circle all too familiar for me. Lightning spreads out from the blaster magic in arcs that strike towards me in a flash. I'm in the air faster than I anticipated and kick off the ceiling to burn her precious roots on a test. When her body sinks again, I understand it all immediately. Wonder how hot I'll have to burn to get rid of all this in one go? Well no time like the present. The dusted creature tries to stop me with a barrier around her to block my fiery fist.
The resulting wave throws me back towards the entrance, making a new char imprint in the wall. A wider grin spreads across my face underneath the mask with a slight ounce of joy at the challenge, "Two versus one. Now I'm in. Hope you can keep up, cheaters." I dig myself out of the wall and land with a blazing thud. Fire spreads from my feet with a dark red hue to it. The vined walls begin to catch in a blaze which causes her to fall to the ground as they burn gloriously. She's possibly unconscious. Not good enough, a part of me cries out, one last hit will knock them both down.
With a single step forward, I find myself just begging to get that last hit in myself with the last of my will against it having bled away by now. Been building up this power for awhile, maybe it's high time I use it to take out the competition. Better off anyhow since she's my enemy. I barely remember why I even came down here except to kill her… Sto- No I'm right. Kill. Not that a monster like her will last much longer anyhow. She's a goner. I'm doing her a favor really.
Three bone hands form a barrier around me within seconds which stop me in my tracks while I try to understand the new target. My glare is aimed at the one ruining my fun but no sign anywhere. The shield creating a sort of cage that expands to her as well with one word ringing out, "Sorry." Glimmering steel in the form of a box flies through the air in front of me making me want to run as fast as I can once my mind recognizes what it is. No, I'm not losing this much of a charge. The built up flames in me expand enough to break a way out for me. I use the shield as a pole vault to jump up to the opening above. The hell he thinks I'm going to let go of this much power. Who the hell is this guy to even think he can force me to give up all that power?
The tug of my determination from the device opening up to devour all determination that it can reach only makes me try to jump further up the mountain into the opening towards the top of the mountain. I'm not losing this edge; the rush I feel. Not this much power. Before I can react, I run headlong into a bone made pistol that fires a blast point blank into my leg. Despite the pain, my instinct is set on getting out of here. Sinking to a knee, I curl my arms to my chest and roll down the mountain side waiting for the free fall of the side. Something punches me into the side of the mountain with a significant enough force to not only stop me but imprint me into the ground a few feet. Now another joker, or the same one. Either way, I'm not letting them take this from me. To hell with their morals. Crazy whack jobs think they can tell some stranger to stop fighting.
"Frisk, you have to calm down. Think of Gaster down there with Hope. We have to go back to them. Or did you forget that while fighting?" Arch walks over to my side with a freshly made dragon skull pistol aimed at me, wearing that black trench coat with white lining. The blast is already charging to hit me if I so much as move.
A dark, echoing undertone lines my voice, "Too bad. She's slowly leaving the building. I'll take a message for you if she comes back!" In one movement, the mad grab for his pistol works to trigger the explosive ability I've honed. His pistol glows red for a few seconds enough to distract him while I bolt out of the way with a single graze shot to my side from the pistol I didn't see in his right hand.
Boom!
I feel the force throw me from the cliff side just where I wanted to go off of earlier. Slower but not stopped, I free fall for a minute until I prime a stone in my pocket and throw it towards the ground to create a repulsing force to stop my fall. There's a clear shot from above me and then the stone explodes inches from my face. Sickening cracks of bones and crunching of stone is all I hear until my mind starts to dull down in a few seconds. Thick fog seems to cloud my mind for the better since the cracks I heard probably meant I'm hurt more than before. Why did this happen? So close to taking her out just like before in the other time. No loss of targets there. Things go black until my vision clears a moment to find myself looking up at the sky.
The adrenaline and determination seem gone now that I think about it. Where's the stone or the mountainside? Where's- Shooting straight up, I look around in a panic for Arch only to regret sitting up so quickly. Throbs of pain go off like gongs in my head. That's right; Arch, Gaster, Sans, Alphys, Hope… All of them. I remember them now. How long has it been since I used that much determination? The amount of fire to burn those vines might have overdone it. Nope! Stop thinking before your head hurts too much.
A jacket is draped over me in my daze and confusion. The same voice from before sounds exhausted or maybe something colder, "Frisk… Are you…" Gaster's voice hesitates like something is being held back from me. If he could just finally tell me the truth of whats going on.
"How did it happen? I don't know how, but I felt like I wasn't… me. We lost control before but without her that's impossible," I think about it out loud with a lost look at the above wall where a medium sized indent of myself sits.. The air seems to be thinner for a moment as if the chill itself came from inside me. Standing up, I find myself looking at my arms. They were pale just like my soul is. Wait… Pale… No, not pale, my soul was a pale gray. Where did my determination go? I look at Gaster with the same chill yet more intense this time and feel my body get heavy, "Gaster… I think I'm…"
Catching me in the same blue field, he moves over to me, "Frisk, take it easy. You shouldn't have moved so quickly. Just rest. I'll take us below." His voice turns solemn yet attempts the effort to cheer me up, "Who knows. You may be weaker. But maybe this can be a cure. Burning it all off…"
I feel a little more comfortable to rest knowing he's here. Closing my eyes, that cold feeling seems to be getting intensified. Part of me is glad. I've never felt truly cold. Maybe he's right, I think before my eyes close without my consent.
A Day Later in Archimetale's hidden lab under Alphys' lab: Turn's POV
Warm… No, not warm. I choke a breath back which makes me realize I'm breathing again. Breathing? Wait, if I'm alive… I sit up quickly to look around and see Chara asleep with her arms and head resting on the bed I'm in. Her soul is multi-colored again, but stable if I can guess. I rest a hand on her arm with a small smile, "Chara? Chara, are you-"
"Five more minutes…" her exhausted tone grumbles out while I heave a sigh of relief. I get out of bed and levitate her in. With a small and very disconcerted effort, I put the blanket over her to begin exploring this lab myself. It's not the head scientist I know. That's for sure. She had these "Bark Bark Woofow" posters of some fighting anime she watched. These were plain, no posters or anything. One foot outside the door lets me slowly and carefully shut the door.
Deciding to explore a little, I look around to see several rooms with names on them like there was a bad battle. Kinda curious what happened since I was gone this time. Chara's safe at least, so plus side there. One of the doors labeled "Arch" swings open with another version of me stepping out and walking the opposite direction from me.
His black trench coat and white inner lining remind me of something, but I can't place it. Alphys, this one almost completely similar to mine, chases after him, "Arch! You haven't been cleared yet. Ever since that explosion went off, something is off with anyone with those souls. Let me check your soul while-"
"I'm fine! I have to go check on Gaster since he seems to think that he can work without sleep or food. Besides, with Frisk out of action someone has to yell at him. Let alone that I'm fine and you're worrying about nothing. My soul still glows blue," his voice sounds a lot older than me, rougher too. He's definitely not like me, that's for sure.
I clear my throat before I lose track of the pair altogether, "Ya know, if you're Gaster is anything like mine was. It's probably a lost cause. Whoever he's trying to save would probably come first… Just a habit of Gasters I guess…" It hurts to not know whether or not they're alive but at least I can learn more from these two.
Alphys jumps sky high, more nervous than ours. She would have killed me for jumpscaring her. Her voice seems softer too, "O-o-oh, you're awake. I guess she's still sleeping. Good, she's been working hard to help me since she woke up… Uhm I'm Alphys. Just call me Al. This is Arch. And you're r-r-right. Gasters seem to remain stubborn across parallel timelines."
"Stubborn or not, I need to see what he's doing. I'm not a scientist, but I know he'll burn himself out. That won't help her. Come if you want, I'll explain what I can on the walk there," Arch says to me, still angry. Not at me. At this Gaster it seems. He waves me along while he speaks to 'Al' as she calls herself, "Just check on Chara and Hope for now. Without knowing their condition, we won't know why only Frisk is losing color like that instead of determination just disappearing like them. Maybe if Chara wakes up, she can help you out again."
"R-r-r-right…." Al sighs deeply before walking past me towards the other rooms from where I came from.
I follow Arch, like he said I could. Keeping pace with a much taller version is harder, "Uhm… Question. What do you mean, losing color? Is she a determination user like Frisk was in my timeline?"
He nods with a troubled look to the comment I made, "Yeah. She's the one who knocked out Chara. Problem is that when she did, she lost control. After I beat her… Her soul lost color. The determination is gone from Hope all of the sudden. Thanks to Chara, she was able to take my green soul and give it back to her. Chara's corrupt seven souls were cleansed too. Chara lost the red glow to her soul altogether. It's like Frisk triggered something and then broke inside. Now she won't wake up and keeps getting colder by the hour."
This feels familiar to me, but no memories pop up, "I'm not the science type, but I'll help if I can."
"Good… Chara said you can reform monsters and even bring them back from your dust. If the artificial soul plan works, maybe you can be our back up if the monster soul breaks. For now, Gaster needs to eat and get out of that lab…"
Just giving him a solid nod, I decide to go along with this for now. Seems Chara made more of a mess than I thought her souls could. Thinking back on it, I remember something he just said, "You said you gave this Hope her soul back. Couldn't you do the same for her? Just transplant a different human soul color into hers. It may not be hers, but it would be better than giving her a substitute soul."
Arch stops and seems to flick between conflicted and curious in front of me. He pats my shoulder way too hard with a wide grin, "We never considered it. But I might know a way to dose her system with a new soul. One even I know how to do. I'm not a scientist either, but I know a way to help her recover… Do me a favor and head to the lab down this hall labeled 'Royal Head Scientist Forbidden.' That's where he is. Tell him I'll be right there." With that and a black void portal he steps through, he's gone.
I find myself confused and amazed. All I did was listen to the things I was told had been done. Looked for a solution in what he knew already and there it was. The pathway to the lab is rather dark and quiet. Didn't even hear a flower cackle or any music playing. Just dead silence that gives way to a slight snoring beyond the door he told me to find. Opening the door gingerly, I notice him sleeping at a desk with his head resting on his arm in front of a computer that says processing.
The door opening didn't even wake him up. He must be that tired. Well if he's anything like the Gaters I knew. He's a sound sleeper. Then again Arch is nothing like me… Timidly stepping across the room, I find myself at odds with the idea of waking him up. Something about this bad feeling I get emanating from the dust I control. That feeling seems right when I see a shield crop up around the sleeping Gaster with a field of blue bones going out a few feet.
Screw it, I think to myself, probably better to wake him up then worry about what might happen next. In a more or less even tone, I call out, "Hey… uh… Gaster. Arch sent me to tell you something and check in."
The bones vanish as soon as his eyes open, alert now with a hopeful look to the large encasement tube smothered in flames. He sighs and looks over, "Who- Right. Chara's fiancé. You said Arch sent you. Where did he go?"
Shrugging to him, I shake my head side to side. Looking to the tube, I finally ask something to divert his attention for a moment, "I mentioned an idea which made him take off saying 'Tell him I'll be right there.' Guess you aren't like the Gasters from my timeline at all though. They would have slept right through me talking to them." Giving a look to the container, "Is it true her soul faded to gray? Is it possible?"
"I don't know. Something went wrong. Like she didn't have enough determination to continue that way. Her soul just turns gray," he says almost at a loss, holding his head in a hand frustrated, "Maybe Arch's plan might work. I don't know what it is, whatever we can try at this point matters. I should fill you in on what you've missed."
An honest shake of my shoulders makes me really think of how much I need to really know seeing things as they are, "No. I'll remember eventually. I wanna know something else actually. If Chara only has six souls, can she really revive other monsters still? I thought it took all seven." Thoughts drifting back to the Gasters… Hell, maybe even the dogs. I have to wonder what happened to anyone from home. If she can't bring them back…
Gaster moves to his computer, motioning me over with a hand. He shows me a video of Chara bringing me back with sweat on her forehead, but her souls managed the strain. I feel a little guilty since my lack of focus in that fight left her alone. Gaster speaks up slowly, his voice sounds almost cold, "It's integral to the seven souls functioning, true. Or it wasn't without it until now. Her soul glows like that despite the loss. Seems something is changing."
Arch rushes in and shuts the door with a slight huff. A large mass hits the door with a familiar yelp. I move to next to him and open the door as the large white hound breaks into four that move around my feet. Kneeling down, I pet two of them, "That's a relief. Thought you guys were hurt too. Guess they mistaked you for me. Sorry. Wait did you end up going to my timeline?"
"I had to get some stuff I stashed in other timelines. Passed through yours to make sure everything was okay. Checked Gaster's timeline too. Nothing to report in either… Wait! That's behaved?" Arch says until he just stares at me as if I'm crazy.
With a shrug of my shoulders, I think it over in my head one last time, "I'm gonna walk them to her room. She'd feel better knowing they're safe. And uh… Gaster. I can't say don't do whatever it takes to help her. Then I'd be a hypocrite. But maybe if Determination can change, maybe she'll wake up just fine. You said it yourself. Something is changing. Could be for the better. I've seen determination do horrible things to people. It tried to swallow my home. Now it could be better for everyone, even Frisk."
Archimetale, Frisk's POV(Forward, Back): Head Scientist Lab
"He's optimistic, that's for sure. Wouldn't even let me tell him what happened…" I heard Gaster say, though the words seem to muffle behind the roar. The roar… What roar is this… Wake up! Open your eyes, Frisk! As hard as I push, nothing happens. It's too warm. No… Warm. Focusing what strength I can muster, I try to summon the magic I had before. Nothing… Fine. I've always been determined, I won't stop now. The draw of physical strength from within me makes me feel weak for a second but fades quickly once the adrenaline kicks in. I take one good punch to the front of me where I hear him until the sound of glass shattering fills my ears.
Someone catches me in a field of levitation, and my adrenaline is gone. Exhaustion taking its place instead. The cool room feels nicer, finally some peace. Gaster's voice starts sounding clearer and closer, "Easy, Frisk. Calm down. You can't stress your soul like this."
Seizing up, I can feel the pain behind the exhaustion searing through my body like a live wire inside of me veins. My body instinctively curls in on itself until I recognize Gaster's hand on my shoulder with the same familiar healing magic. The empty black of my vision clears up to a lab kind of like ours with Gaster next to me. Arch is behind him with a blue magic ready at hand, his reverse magic no doubt. The pain fades yet exhaustion remains like an illness that never goes away.
"Gaster, the pod is melting," Arch says, running out of view. A loud sound pierces my ears, causing me to hold my hands over my ears.
Gaster pulls me back, holding me by the shoulders to help me stand. Silence returns, which lets me uncover my ears. I sigh in relief only to see the mostly melted pod with lingering black flames left behind. My skin feels warmer, but for some reason I'm uncomfortable being this warm. Speaking up with a wave of weakness washing over me, "What happened? I was attacked by Arch and then… I don't know. Wait! Hope and the others, are they okay?"
I stumble a bit backwards into Gaster, who takes a hold of my arm to support me to walk to his chair. After setting me down, he pulls the other chair over to sit on while holding a hand to my forehead, "You're cold… How is this possible? How do you feel right now?"
"Better. Before it was too warm. Couldn't handle it so I tried to break out to reach you. Sorry about the pod…" I say feeling guilty yet in shock staring at the pod. What did I do? It's melted but why is this fire familiar? Thinking back to my soul I think it through, "It's the fire from my abilities before. I've melted stuff before but not like this. This is… something else." Each melted corner begins to freeze till it cracks under the pressure. I snap back as Gaster gets my attention.
"We need to test your soul. I'll go get the machine," Gaster gets up, sinking back shortly after. His voice is barely cohesive, "Sorry… I think… I'm a ta…" His voice fades off, exhaustion taking hold. A sign I knew well enough for him. I pull the lab coat off a rack nearby once I'm steady and drape it over him after I help lean him back on the chair. He sleeps so calmly because he's used to people. Not people as in hundreds but people as in ten or so. Let alone worlds and now this… He probably is going to be out for more than 2 hours.
Looking to Arch, I speak up in a hushed tone to not wake Gaster, "Can we talk outside the room? I don't wanna wake him up." One look back at Gaster, I can tell now. Bags under his eyes, slow even breaths and sleeping instantly; signs of exhaustion for him. I understand why he was upset, but sleep is necessary too.
He nods, stepping carefully over cords but staying close enough to me in case I fall. One glance backwards makes me recognize concern. Once outside the room with the door silently shut behind me, my voice echoes slightly in the empty hallway, "I know you're probably going to say no, but I need go home quick. Sans and Alphys need to know, and I need to run a test in a space I know I can't damage."
The blank stare is before I get a decidedly pointed glare. Tone alone tells me he doesn't like this idea of me doing anything, "I'm not him. If you wanna go back to check something, I get that. But you could just ask Alphys here to check you out and stay nearby. Maybe stop by Turn and Chara first. They might wanna say thank you. Down that hallway to the right. I gotta deal with a few issues in the underground for now. Oh, one more thing. If your soul starts to break or anything, take this. It's a healthier version for conditions like yours or what I can do for you really." He throws me a pill bottle of black pills, "A mix of my own making. Don't tell him about them yet and only take it if you need it. Its a special blend I used when the damage to my soul was getting severe. Monster souls can't handle determination well. Neither did yours. Just a precaution. I don't need the bag of bones to lose his lid if you get hurt."
Turning with one hand gesturing in a wave behind him, he takes his leave the opposite way with arrows pointing at the exit until a black portal hole appears for him. In a blink he's gone, only to leave me alone. I will kick myself for this later, probably. Down the hallway, my footsteps echo into the emptiness inside my soul. That usual buzz of determination is long gone now. Just a memory that will fade like my dwindling family. Finding the door labeled 'Chara' makes my heart drop, I sigh. One light knock later, my voice calls out almost as devoid as my feelings on that name, "Hello? This is Frisk… Arch sent me to talk to you."