Toriel watched as Frisk's body went limp in her arms. She heard them let out a slow, deep breath, then stopped breathing altogether. She placed a finger on their neck but couldn't feel any pulse. She placed an ear to their chest but their heart wasn't beating. She had known this was coming but it still hurt. She hugged them, feeling her failure to protect them.

Eight children. Eight children had come under her care. Time and again they left her. And now Frisk joins them. She placed a gentle kiss to their forehead, the face forever frozen in an emotionless state. She tried to hold back the tears but as the warmth left Frisk's body, she found she could not. She let out all her grief and anguish, as in her mind's eye, she saw Frisk join all the other children she had failed.

She was alone again. Childless again. A mother with no children. Again.


Last night, Alphys had put her theories into practice and succeeded in creating the DNA for a new Monster using Asgore and Toriel for the base with some of Frisk's genetic material thrown in. She had let it grow in a tube overnight to see if it would work. She had made one change to the body and that was to have it grow at three times the normal rate.

She observed the tube but nothing was visible within. Not surprising, as nothing should be visible for a few days. She did have monitoring equipment set up and they did register something within. At the moment, though, there were no signs of life. However, there was something organic within and it was growing. Slowly but surely, it was growing.

She checked all the readings and so far everything checked out. The clone would grow at three times the rate a normal Boss Monster would and when it reached a suitable age, she would slow it back down to a normal rate. As she looked over her instruments they did say that the being growing within was a Monster despite the small amount of human in it. That gave her hope.

She wouldn't be able to save Frisk's body but she might be able to save their Soul. Once the clone grew to a sufficient point where it would be receptive, she would transplant Frisk's Soul into it. But before she could do that Frisk had to die. That would be the only way to transfer the Soul.

Giving her monitors one more look over to confirm the clone was developing at a sufficient rate, she decided to call Asgore. The phone rang for a few seconds before the king picked up.

"Howdy, doctor," he greeted. She could hear the weight in his voice despite its pleasantness. "What is it?"

"I think I've found a way to help Frisk," she informed.

"Really?"

"It won't save their body but I have found a way to still save them," she explained. "I've been doing research and found that it is possible to create clones of our kind that we can transfer human Souls into. I've already made one for Frisk and, so far, it's growing fine."

"So, the way I understand it, you plan to put Frisk's Soul into the clone to save their life?"

"It's the only way," Alphys affirmed. "If you don't approve, I can shut it down right now."

"It's alright. I guess it was foolish to hope you could fix them. Save their life however you can, doctor," Asgore instructed.

"Well, the next part is what to do to get Frisk's Soul. I could kill them right now to avoid a potentially unpleasant end or just wait for them to die naturally."

"Would they not die soon anyways?" Asgore asked.

"Well, I checked on them this morning and they were still alive, so they might be able to hold on for a little longer. Thing is, it will be a while before the body is ready to receive their Soul. So, do I wait and kill them later, or do it now and store their Soul when that day comes?"

Alphys wasn't expecting Asgore to answer, but she did get an answer. She jumped when a scream rang out across her lab, the phone flying from her hand. She took a moment to compose herself as she realized that scream came from Frisk's room and it had sounded heartbroken.

She picked up her phone from where it had landed, Asgore still on the line.

"Well, I think you just got your answer, doctor," he said. "Keep me updated."

"Yes, sir," Alphys understood, hanging up. She sighed as she though over what to do. Frisk's Soul would be visible soon, so she would need something to contain it. Luckily, she did have more of the same jars that Asgore kept the other six Souls in. She could use those to contain Frisk's Soul for the time being. She just needed to find one, first.


Toriel was squeezing Frisk's corpse, her tears refusing to stop. As she held them, their body got colder and colder. She still didn't want to be here, as it brought back painful memories of Asriel and Chara's deaths and the sleepless nights she spent mourning them.

She didn't know how long she was there for, but eventually the door opened and in walked Alphys, carting something under a blanket.

"Um, your majesty?" Alphys asked. "Um, I hope I'm not… intruding or anything. But… I need to see Frisk."

"Why? They are dead, doctor," Toriel mourned, not letting go.

"I know," Alphys said. "But I can still save them."

"How?" Toriel demanded.

"Has their Soul emerged yet?" Alphys asked.

"Not yet."

"Good." With that, Alphys whipped off the blanket. Toriel glared at the glass container that sat on the cart. "I'm going to contain their Soul within this for now," she explained.

"Why? There is no need to keep it. The king said that the war is over," Toriel said bitterly.

"Yes, but I can still help them. You see, I've done research on Souls and from what I've learned, when a human dies, everything they were is contained within their Soul. If I keep their Soul from shattering, I can later transfer it to a compatible body to absorb it. A Monster body."

Toriel looked at Alphys like she grew a second head. "You… you want to place Frisk's Soul in a different body?"

"Yes. I've already begun growing it," Alphys confirmed. "Once it reaches a point where it can absorb Souls, that's what I'll do. Frisk's Soul will be absorbed by it and since there won't be any consciousness in it beforehand it will allow them to control it as their own."

Toriel thought it over and wondered if Frisk would even want that. "Would it work?"

"The numbers say yes, but, as it's never been tried I can't say it will for certain. But it is a chance to save their life. Isn't that worth the risk?"

Toriel looked down at Frisk's body which was still limp in her arms. A chance to see them again. A chance to hold them in her arms and hear their laugh and voice. These past few weeks had been so delightful with them around. She wanted it back so bad. After a moment she made her choice. "Yes. Do it." She laid the corpse down and Alphys came over with the jar. A few short moments later a red glow came from Frisk's chest and their Soul was visible.

Carefully and without touching it, Alphys got the Soul into the jar and sealed it. She pressed a button and a brief flash came from within. Toriel could see Frisk's Soul hovering within, floating inside. Alphys placed the container on the cart.

"So what do you want done with Frisk's body?" Alphys asked. "They were your kid."

Toriel looked at the now empty shell, internally debating. "They should be buried at someplace they loved. But I do not know where that is. For now though, I will take them home with me." She scooped up the body in her arms. With a heavy heart she left the lab and started making her way back to Snowdin. Before she even got to Waterfall, Sans showed up.

"heya. alph called and said you were on your way," he shared. He looked at the body in Toriel's arms and could tell from her expression that Alphys had failed. "sorry about the kid."

Toriel wiped the tears away with her arm. "It is alright. She thinks she might have a way to bring them back, just not with this body."

"care to elaborate?"

"I would if I understood it myself and I do not," she explained. "For now, I need to bury Frisk's body. But I do not know where as they should rest some place they loved."

"well, the ruins were probably their first home but that's not an option with its current occupants," Sans reminded. "maybe you could bury them at our place?"

"You would allow that?"

"yeah. we've got a small space in our backyard that's not seeing any use," Sans explained. "i think given the circumstances it'd be a perfect place to bury the kid."

Toriel smiled down at her friend. "Thank you. That will be perfect."


Toriel buried Frisk's body under a tree behind the brothers' house. Sans aided, though Papyrus was confused as to what they were doing. Sans had to explain to him that humans don't turn to dust when they die. Papyrus offered his condolences to Toriel, who accepted them. She didn't do much that first day after coming home. She tried to find something to do but she just didn't have the energy now.

The next day, to her chagrin, Asgore showed up.

"Toriel, how are you doing?" he asked.

"Why are you here?" she demanded, rather than answer his question.

"I just came to say I am sorry about what happened to the hum… to Frisk," he quickly corrected. "It's not fair that they had to die so soon and in this way."

"As if you care," she muttered to herself.

"Take heart. Alphys has informed me that the body she is growing is developing properly and will be ready for your child's Soul in a few days," Asgore advised. "In no time at all they will be in your arms again."

She didn't say anything and he chose to occupy his time by looking around the house. "So this is where you are staying? Why not find some place else to live?"

"There is no room. Anywhere," Toriel answered. "I have looked all over Snowdin and there are no houses large enough for me and my child. Nor are there any places in Waterfall or Hotland."

Asgore hummed in thought. "Overcrowding has become an issue as of late. And we are going to be here for a while." A smile grew on his face as an idea came to him. "You know what? I think I can fix that. I'll have a house built for the two of you."

"I do not need your generosity."

"It won't be just for you. I'll have some more housing built throughout the Underground and I'll make sure one of the houses is for you. It may take a few months, but you won't have to stay here much longer."

Part of Toriel wanted to refuse but she knew she had to accept for the practicality. As nice as Sans and his brother were, she couldn't live with them forever. She needed her own place and it needed room for Frisk. "Very well, Dreemurr. I will accept that."

"Splendid. I shall let you know when it is finished." Asgore waved as he left leaving Toriel by herself.

She still didn't like the idea of accepting help from Asgore but if Frisk was going to come back, then she needed a house of her own as she had a feeling Frisk was going to go through their whole childhood again. They would need space to grow and play and the brothers' house was a bit too small for that.

As she thought about what to do she realized that Frisk was going to need some clothes if they were going to be in the kind of body she assumed. She still had their old clothes. Perhaps she should modify them for when they reached the right age.


A few days went by and Alphys was keeping an eye on the clone. It was growing fast. But it was not yet at the point where she could put a Soul inside it. She wasn't sure when that would be. She just had to wait for the sensors to detect a heartbeat. But even with the accelerated growth it would be a few weeks. Until then, she was looking over all the research notes she had on cloning.

Curiously though, she had very little. Almost everything she had on the subject that wasn't fiction was in that file. While she did find a few research notes from a few years ago they didn't have much that was relevant.

While she looked over the notes a thought occurred to her. Frisk's new body was going to be all Monster and her experiments with Determination showed that Monster's couldn't handle large amounts of it. There was a very real possibility that Frisk's Soul had too much DT for their new body to handle.

If that was the case, she was going to have to keep a close eye on them to make sure nothing happened.


Undyne was in her house, out of her armor for the time being. She was preparing to spread the word that the Royal Guard was looking for new recruits. She had to wait until Asgore made the decree that the war was over and that humans who fell into the Underground were to be captured. Since he was making that change, she was changing her own policy on what it took to be a guard. No longer would they have to be willing to kill.

Since she was making that change, she might be able to let Papyrus into the guard and give him formal training, rather than cooking lessons. Papyrus had been bugging her about that for the last few days when he had realized that she was opening positions in the guard. She had to tell him to wait for the king to make his decree, then she could officially let him in. Until then he was still a sentry.

Papyrus was also trying to push Sans into joining the guard and Undyne knew he would be a good fit. Problem was, he lacked the motivation. If he did actually join, she was going to have to instill that into him.

There were a few other Monsters she was planning to reach out to and ask if they wanted to join. Monsters who she knew had what it would take but denied enlistment for various reasons. With the king's change in policy those reasons would be null and void.

And then there was the kid. Alphys had told her what she was doing to help them. It still made her blood boil thinking about it. Humans were their enemy; they had destroyed the surface before Monsters could ever reach it and yet they were trying so hard to save this one. If it was her, she would let the kid stay dead and use their Soul to claim their freedom whenever the surface was livable again.

But she had to follow her king's orders and Asgore had told Alphys to seek any methods needed to save their life and she had done just that. Though even that made Undyne a little mad. The kid was a human. Putting them in a Monster body made her scales crawl. But again, Asgore had said that kid was to live and there was nothing she could do about that.

For now she was going to focus her efforts on recruitment. And if the kid posed a threat she would be there to end it. Permanently.


Sans was in his secret lab in the basement. He was taking readings of the timeline at the moment. Normally he wouldn't bother with as much. But recent developments had made him curious. He was fairly certain that the kid was the anomaly he had identified some time ago, able to reverse time and deny death. And yet, time continued to march forward.

About two months ago, Frisk had fallen into the Underground. When they did, his instruments had registered it. Then, less than a day later, they had detected something else. He wasn't sure what it was, but he believed it was another variation in the timeline. The DT readings had spiked at that moment so the kid had done something to the timeline in that moment. But he wasn't sure what it could be.

Now the kid was dead but would be brought back soon. From his understanding of Determination, that shouldn't have happened. When the kid died they should have been sent back. Instead, time went forward. Perhaps it was because the kid's Determination had failed or the method by which they died?

But still, his instruments said that they still had control over the timeline. But there wasn't much he could do. He was only an observer. Nothing he could do could change things and he barely understood this power himself. He knew that it hadn't always been with the kid though.

Before their fall, he had déjà vu of days, weeks, sometimes months, of things that hadn't happened. At the center of those memories was a golden flower. One day, Papyrus told him a talking flower had said strange things to him. Then, when he asked the kid, they confirmed its existence and that it was hostile as it had tried to kill the kid when they first fell.

He rubbed his eye sockets. He wasn't sure if looking for the flower would get him any answers. He felt like he had done it several times. And the kid said that the flower had yet to show itself again. But he was going to keep an eye socket out just in case.

For now, he had more important things to do. Like see what was for dinner. Since Toriel came his mealtimes had become a lot better, though her cooking had taken a bit of a dip recently. Not surprising. He just hoped the kid got better for her sake.


Alphys was sleeping at her desk when her computer dinged loudly. She had been doing more research on cloning and Determination when she had apparently fallen asleep. Her computer was telling her something so she opened the notifications to see what it was.

After scrolling through a few irrelevant ones, she found what had woken her up. The body had a heartbeat. After taking a moment for her half-awake brain to process that she realized what that meant. It was ready.

She went down to her lab where the body was growing. By this point, it was visible. She had Frisk's Soul with her, still red and pulsing. A small panic gripped her, afraid of what this would do. She didn't know if it would even work, but she had to try.

She connected the container to the tank the body was being kept in. She pressed a few buttons and mechanical arms whirred to life. Some tubes were attached to the fetus but these arms were submerged in the tank to monitor the growth and regulate things as necessary. One arm she had designed specifically for this.

As the arms moved, magical energy filled the tube, which would be necessary to keep Frisk's Soul stable while it was moved from the container to the body. It had been weeks since their death and while the container was supposed to keep the Soul stable, she didn't want to take that risk.

The arm moved, taking the red heart out of the jar it had been kept in and moving it to the still growing body. She didn't know what this would do to either the body or the Soul, but all the simulations she had run said it should work. Slowly, the arm lowered the Soul to the body. Alphys checked the readings to make sure there was a consistent heartbeat before proceeding. Once that was determined, she pressed a green button and the arm moved the Soul so it was touching the fetus. There was a brief flash of light that forced Alphys to look away. When it faded the Soul was no longer visible.

She checked her instruments and it did detect the Soul within the body. It would be constantly monitored to ensure it wasn't breaking. With that done she closed the door to the room, letting it go dark, except for the blue light that lit up the tank. She would be constantly checking and monitoring the body and Soul to ensure both were fine. For now, she had to get back to work.


Toriel got a text from Alphys. A while back the doctor had upgraded her phone so she could "keep up with the times" as it were. She read it and felt relief fill her when it said that the Soul was now in its new host, but as it wasn't old enough yet, there was no activity. But so far there were no signs that anything was wrong so Alphys was hopeful Frisk would make it.

A part of the Boss Monster was relieved to hear that her child might be back before too long. Though Alphys said it would be another two months at least before it was ready just hearing that her child's Soul was safe was enough for her.

Two months. By then, her house would be ready. Asgore had gotten straight to work and word was spreading fast that new houses were being built in all three major regions outside New Home. The Monsters of Snowdin, though, still didn't know the former queen lived with them. She still wore her cloak and hood when she went out and she kept her interactions with others to a minimum.

"what's up?" Sans asked, appearing next to her.

"I just got a text from Alphys. She has moved Frisk's Soul to its new body," she answered.

"good for the kid." Sans was silent for a moment before speaking again. "hey, you should know, while the king is making a house for you, there's still the economy to be thinking about. he can't have you and the kid living there for free."

"What are you saying?" Toriel asked.

"well, my bro and i pay the bills because we're sentries. if you wanna live in snowdin, you're gonna have to find a job."

Toriel realized he was right. She hadn't had to work for a long time. She had always depended on the gold she had when she left. But that would run out if she had to care for herself and Frisk. She would need a way to provide for herself and her child.

"I suppose you are right. But what am I to do?"

"hmm." Sans hummed in thought. "well, you're a good cook. why not open a restaurant? i'd pay to eat your food."

"I do not think that would work. There is already a place here that I would have to compete with and I do not think I could make that much every day." Then an idea came to mind. "I know! Is there a school of any kind here?"

"don't think so," Sans admitted. "in fact, the only schools in the underground that i'm aware of are in new home."

"Perhaps that is what I could do. I have always wanted to be a teacher!"

"cool. i'll let the king know. he's asked me to keep an eye on you while you're here."

"Oh, he has, has he?" Toriel said with a frown.

"yeah. it's kinda sweet if you ask me." He turned around. "anyway, i'll go let him know, ask him to make a schoolhouse for ya somewhere around here."

Toriel grumbled slightly. She still didn't want to depend on Asgore, but as he was the king, he could get a school set up faster than anyone else could. And she hated that her friend was apparently reporting to the king about her. Why would he be doing that and what for? Someday she'll ask him.


Papyrus was navigating Snowdin Forest recalibrating his puzzles. He also had to recalibrate Frisk's, as they were currently unavailable. Though he was used to working alone the last few weeks felt lonely. While the human had only helped him out for a week, he had grown to like the companionship and thus missed it now that they were… unavailable.

He was currently rearranging the snow on an X-O puzzle to look more like his face. He caught himself glancing at his side on occasion, expecting a small human in a purple cloak to be standing there, ready to dispense advise. And more than once, he had asked Frisk something, only to remember that they weren't there.

"HUH. I WISH YOU COULD COME BACK ALREADY, FRISK," he said sadly. "I MISS YOU."

He finished making his jaw when a new voice spoke up.

"Howdy!"

Papyrus turned and saw a golden flower with a face smiling at him.

"OH! HOWDY, FLOWEY!" he greeted.

"What'cha doin'?" the flower asked.

"I AM CURRENTLY REARRANGING THIS SNOW FOR THIS PUZZLE SO IT RESEMBLES MY FACE," he answered. "WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT SO FAR?"

"Golly, I think it looks cool. As cool as you!" Flowey praised.

"WHY THANK YOU, FLOWEY! YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD FRIEND."

"Don't you know it!" the flower proclaimed with a wink. "And friends share things." He raised his head so it was level with Papyrus' own. "So, I've been hearing some things around the Underground," he began.

"OH? LIKE WHAT?"

"Well, that there's a human walking around," the flower remarked. "And that it was last seen hanging out with your brother."

"WELL, UH, THAT'S NEWS TO ME!" Papyrus lied.

"And that there are a bunch of humans in the Ruins and it was evacuated before any Monsters could get hurt." Flowey looked at Papyrus. "Do you know what's going on?"

"UH, WELL, YOU SEE…" Papyrus wasn't sure what to say. Asgore's orders were to not tell anyone about the surface. But Flowey was his friend and he didn't want to lie to him. "WELL, THE HUMAN WASN'T BIG NEWS TO ME. CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?"

"Sure!"

"YOU SEE, THE HUMAN HAD BEEN LIVING WITH ME AND MY BROTHER FOR A FEW DAYS. WE KEPT THEM A SECRET BECAUSE THEY WERE BADLY HURT WHEN WE FOUND THEM."

"Wait… you mean a real live human was in your house and you didn't report them to Undyne? Why not? She would have rewarded you with becoming a Royal Guard if you had."

"I KNOW," Papyrus admitted. "BUT THEIR MOTHER IS A BIT… SCARY. AND LIKE I SAID, THEY WERE HURT AND I WOULDN'T BE A VERY GOOD FRIEND IF I RATTED THEM OUT WHEN THEY AREN'T AT FULL STRENGTH. NOR WOULD I BATTLE THEM IF THEY AREN'T IN TOP CONDITION. I'M A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS AND I WILL NOT HURT SOMEONE WHO CLEARLY ISN'T IN ANY CONDITION TO BATTLE."

"Wow, Papyrus, you surprise me," Flowey said. "I bet the human is very grateful to you for protecting them."

"YES, I'M SURE THEY WERE. THEY EVEN HELPED OUT IN DESIGNING MY PUZZLES. THIS ONE I'M WORKING ON RIGHT NOW, THEY HAD COME UP WITH THE BRILLIANT IDEA TO TURN IT INTO A MAZE, WITH TURNS AND FALSE ENDINGS."

"So why aren't they with you now? Where are they?" Flowey asked. "Did they… go somewhere else, leaving you behind?"

Papyrus did notice that Flowey said that in a suspicious tone. "NO, NOT QUITE."

"Then where are they? If they're not here, where did they go and why aren't they helping you right now?"

"UM…" Papyrus wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to lie, but he was afraid of what would happen if he told the truth. "WELL, THEY ARE CURRENTLY, LET'S SAY… INDISPOSED."

"So what happened? Where did they go?" Flowey pressed.

"YOU SEEM AWFULLY CURIOUS TO SEE WHERE THEY WENT," Papyrus noticed.

"Well, yeah," Flowey said as if it was obvious. "After all, if they're trying to leave they'll be heading for New Home and right for the king."

"NONSENSE. THEY HAVE NO REASON TO LEAVE," Papyrus stated.

"Sure they do! They're trying to get back home. And the only way to do that is to pass through the Barrier. And the only way they can do that is to kill the king and take his Soul."

Papyrus almost said something but caught himself in time. Asgore's orders to not say anything about the surface went through his mind. He had to keep quiet, though he still felt bad lying to Flowey. "PERHAPS THEY DON'T?" Papyrus suggested. "PERHAPS THEY WISH TO STAY DOWN HERE WITH US BECAUSE IT'S SO MUCH NICER."

Flowey raised an eyebrow. "What are you hiding? I can tell you're hiding something, Papyrus."

"UM… WELL…"

"Come on, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone!" Flowey promised.

Papyrus wanted to, but again Asgore's orders went through his head. "I… I CAN'T, FLOWEY."

"Aw, but Papyrus, we're friends, aren't we? Friends share things and keep secrets. Come on, whatever it is, I won't tell."

Papyrus really wanted to. Flowey was his friend. But still, he was under orders. Though what Asgore had said shortly before meant that perhaps it might be okay, but he didn't want to hurt Flowey's feelings with knowledge that freedom was now beyond their reach, possibly forever.

Asgore had said that Papyrus did the right thing by disobeying orders. Now he had to do the right thing by obeying them.

"I TRULY AM SORRY, FLOWEY, BUT THE KING HAS ORDERED ME TO NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS," Papyrus apologized.

"What?" Flowey said angrily. "Seriously? You're not going to tell me what it is? Come on! Where is the human?"

"I CAN'T."

"But that human could be dangerous!" Flowey retorted, trying another angle. "They could try to kill the king and leave us all down here."

"NO! FRISK ISN'T LIKE THAT!" Papyrus insisted.

"You don't know that! They're a human! Where are they?!"

"I CAN'T TELL YOU!" Papyrus screamed. Flowey shrunk back in surprise. Papyrus covered his mouth with his hands when he realized he had screamed. "SORRY, BUT I REALLY CAN'T SAY. TRUST ME, FLOWEY. I WOULDN'T KEEP THIS A SECRET FROM YOU WITHOUT GOOD REASON. AND WHILE I KNOW YOU CAN KEEP IT SECRET, IT WILL JUST BREAK YOUR HEART TO HEAR IT. I'M JUST TRYING TO PROTECT YOU, FRIEND. TRUST ME. THIS SECRET… YOU'RE BETTER OFF NOT KNOWING."

Flowey sighed. "Fine. If you're gonna be this way, I won't force it out."

"I REALLY AM SORRY," Papyrus apologized. "I'M JUST DOING THE RIGHT THING."

"I know," Flowey said. Then grumbled to himself, "That's what makes it so annoying."

"PERHAPS WE COULD TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE?" Papyrus suggested.

"Nah. I've got other things to do," Flowey dismissed. "See you around." He disappeared into the ground, leaving Papyrus alone. He felt incredibly guilty keeping a secret from his friend but he knew to his bones it was the right thing to do.


Alphys was working in her lab continuing to monitor the body. Over the course of the past couple months, the body had grown at a considerable rate. By her estimates it was almost ready to come out. The Soul within the body was stable, showing no signs of deterioration.

She was getting anxious as she wasn't sure what had become of Frisk's consciousness in the interim. She knew it was tied to the Soul but the body was that of an infant. Who knows what would have happened to the human's mind? Not to mention how they would react to this. They died and were brought back against their will in a body that was alien to them. There was one other curiosity that had shown up that she wasn't sure how to deal with.

She heard a beep come from her computers and switched the displays to show what was going on on the top floor. That beep told her someone had entered her lab. But who would be coming at this time?

Turns out, the former queen. She was walking to the door to her True Lab. Alphys briefly panicked before she got to work, making sure that her 'secret' was hidden before she greeted Toriel as the elevator brought her down.

"Your majesty," she greeted. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I have told you before, Alphys, call me Toriel," she said. "And I came to check on Frisk personally. It has been some time since your last update on their condition."

"Oh. Well, uh, follow me." She led the Boss Monster to the room she was keeping the body in. "There hasn't been much to report other than more growth. They are stable and signs show the body is healthy and the Soul is fine." She gestured to the glass tube they were being kept in and Toriel walked up to it, in awe.

"You are making them a Boss Monster," she realized. "Something within my Soul told me that."

"Well, I figured if I could make them any Monster, why not the one they live with? Assuming you still wish to take them home with you."

"Of course!" Toriel confirmed. "When can I take them home?"

"Any day now," Alphys answered. "They're showing signs of consciousness. Just some kicks and jerks, though, nothing to indicate sentience."

"That is good," Toriel mused. She looked as close as she could at the body noting all the similarities to herself. But she also saw some that connected it to Asgore. "Doctor, did you… how do I put this? Use mine and Asgore's DNA to make it?"

"Yes, I did," Alphys confirmed. "I thought they might like it, as well as you and the king."

Toriel hummed in thought. She wasn't so repulsed by the thought, but it did make her slightly uncomfortable. Regardless, she would push it aside for Frisk's sake. "I do appreciate it."

"Good. I just need to double-check these Soul readings to see if they're both alright."

"Wait… both?" Toriel asked.

"Oh... I guess I forgot to tell you. About a week ago, the sensors detected a second Soul within the body. I don't know where it came from, but it seems to be a Monster's Soul," Alphys explained.

Toriel looked at the scientist. "Is that a problem?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so but I'm still running tests to see-"

The monitors started beeping faster and Alphys tried to interpret what they were saying.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Toriel fretted.

Alphys looked up and pointed at the tube. Toriel followed her gaze and gasped at what she saw.

Frisk's eyes were open.

End of Chapter 7