keep running forward even if you trip chapter 58

"The study of determination and red souls is an odd one, for certain. And a very nebulous one. It's a title we've given to both a base soul trait linked to the colour red— only fairly recently, mind you— and to the magical element that binds souls together."

.

Deep in the lab, in a bright, clean room with white walls, a floor of teal tiles, and strange, magical apparatuses packed against the walls, Gaster was holding an impromptu lecture. Phantom hands in black floated around a whiteboard, scribbling accompanying information as he spoke. The gathered monsters and humans snacked and sat around on a hodgepodge array of chairs and stools, with the exception of Suzy, who sat on Papyrus with a small white dog that had appeared from out of a garbage can. Alphys, sipping a soda as she worked, rearranged a needle-like device on a mechanical arm near a specially outfitted desk and monitor.

.

Sans was bored. Half-asleep. Most of this was first-year-magic-studies stuff and nothing he didn't know, so he could afford to rest his eyes a little and be rid of the fractured vision of several realities, at least for a little while. He rested his cheek on his hand. The dog hopped from his brother's chair and onto his legs, shoving itself up under his hand. To be honest, he was glad for the warmth.

.

Gaster's magic drew out a rainbow spectrum of souls: red, orange, yellow, light green, forest green, blue, indigo, violet, purple, pink, and white.

"The first thing to note is that monsters and humans share seven of these basic colours." The skeleton marked them all out, minus the deeper green, violet, pink, and the white. "Red amongst monsters is the least common of all— in fact, it's very difficult to find. In humans it was more prevalent, but still uncommon. Mind you, it has been a thousand years, so the numbers may have changed."

"Why's that?" Boyd asked with a confused frown.

"The force that gives a soul its structure, which we called determination, carries that red colour when isolated," Gaster said. "We've understood for a long while that humans have a certain… persistence, to them. Both while living and in death. It's why a human soul often lingers after death and a monster one does not— and is also, occasionally, the cause for human ghosts. Humans were colloquially known by us as a very determined people, which is where we borrowed the word from, but…" He smiled sideways. "Often, the more common word attributed to them was stubborn."

"…Well, you ain't wrong," the man said quietly.

Gaster continued, "Monster souls have very little of the actual substance called determination on average. Just enough to keep us together and give us physical forms. More than that can cause strange or ill-effects in us. Human souls, however, are much sturdier." He turned to scrawl on the board, drawing a rough picture of Asgore's face. "The main exception in monsters are what was then called Lords, and now called boss monsters. These monsters are much stronger than average and often are physically larger. For the most part, a monster with a larger body is able to contain more determination than one with a smaller one."

.

"Now, each soul colour is associated clearly with a school of magic. For example. Orange is Bravery." The skeleton wrote that down on the board next to the orange soul. "Spells in this school are typically about moving forward through danger— so speed enhancements, strength enhancements, things like that— are common. Likewise, the Patience school has emphasis on waiting and slowdown, even ice magic."

"I think we learn these soul traits, too. Just, um, not the magic," June said. "Bravery and Patience matches ours."

Gaster nodded and pointed out each colour in turn, starting from red at the top of the spectrum. "Determination, Bravery, Justice, Kindness, Patience, Integrity, and Perseverance. These are only the most basic of basics, mind you. It should be the same unless humans changed some words around."

She nodded. "What about those others?" She pointed to the board. "The ones you left out?"

"Ah. Fortitude, Strength, Inspiration, and Empathy," Gaster said. "Monster souls can appear as almost any colour on a gradient, while humans exist on a rigid spectrum of the seven. Oh. Also. Our souls should actually appear white to you humans, unless you have extended periods of exposure to our magic."

"I heard they were always white," June said. "That's interesting."

.

"So this Determination…" Toriel looked thoughtful. "I am a little puzzled, though. Red was once associated with prophecy, was it not?"

"It is," Gaster confirmed. "In monsters, we once called the red soul trait Foresight, and called it Power in humans. But this is because there was so little known about it. Several red souls that we did know about over the years didn't seem to have a defined trait at first. The affinity for prophecy was not always present. However, when I studied it, and through Alphys's research as well, we discovered the trait shared through every red soul and that binding energy was the determination to survive. Thus, the renaming."

"So what's the connection to time junk, then?" Undyne asked.

"It's still not certain," Gaster said. "The power of literal foresight is linked to it. Due to my experiments on my own soul, I have a limited version of this ability, as does…" He paused and looked at Sans.

Despite looking like he was asleep, the short skeleton cracked a tired smile and stuck his thumb up.

"As does Sans. And as did my mother. My daughter, however, has a power of hindsight— to peer back into the past, which, admittedly, we know even less about. As for the general connection to time— to be able to peer through variations of timelines and to remember things that have been undone— I do believe that exposure to energy from the CORE or from a more time-attuned red soul is what starts to trigger it. It can also occur through sheer, well… determination."

.

Undyne frowned, folding her arms. "So… I'm not a boss monster, but I… kinda remember this stuff more than… most people, right? What's the deal with that?"

"I can't say for certain without more study on your soul in particular," Gaster said apologetically.

"So if I can…" She shook her head. "Toriel and Asgore should remember more than me. I'm not sure about Asgore, but…" She looked at Toriel curiously. "I think it was coming through more on my end than what you got, right? At least the surface stuff?"

Toriel nodded. "It is interesting. I'm not sure how I can explain it."

"I might be able to," Sans said, finally opening one eye again. "This is all, uh, speculation, right? But… in some timelines that are, y'know, gone? Some stuff happened that… triggered a big burst of the stuff from right inside you, Cap. It could be that 'cause of how it plays with the CORE, some of it stuck around without actually hurtin' you."

Undyne's eye went wide. "Huh. Uh. Maybe? Is there a way to tell?"

Sans shrugged. "Might be. It's, uh, pretty unique." He smiled sideways. He wondered if she had any memories of that. Hoped like hell that she didn't. "Maybe when this is done, huh?"

"Right. Right."

"I-In the meanwhile…" Alphys held up her phone and tossed it to Undyne. "I-If you like, use SOULSCN to, um, give it a look?"

"Oh. Uh. Cool. Alright," Undyne said.

.

As she fiddled with Alphys's phone, Gaster returned to his board.

"Back to it. Determination is also a very powerful strengthening force, hence the identifier of Power in human souls. Acquisition of LV gives an instant increase in determination."

Toriel flinched. "Is…? Is that why…?"

"Oh, right, the Queen…" Scathkath said quietly. He put his hand on her arm. "It couldn't be helped."

She sighed. "I know." She gestured to Gaster. "Sorry, my friend, please continue."

.

Gaster's brow furrowed, but he nodded. As his phantom hands began to write again, he turned to draw three circles to accompany them. Papyrus got up on quiet feet, shifting Suzy over onto Sans's legs to nestle up with the dog already stealing the short skeleton's space. He tiptoed behind Toriel and draped himself in a hug around her shoulders, glowing sunshiny-warm for her.

"So far," Gaster said, "there are three known sources of determination. The qualities and strength of each type vary dramatically. One is the kind within monsters ourselves." He drew a form like a goat monster in one of the circles. "The amount, however, exists in a very fine balance. Too much and it can be fatal. Too little is the same. Increasing ones' strength raises the cap for how much a monster's soul can contain, and unfortunately the quickest way to attain that is through LV and EXP."

"Sorry, uh…" Boyd stuck his hand up for a moment before dropping it down to his side. "You said that before— what's LV? How d'you get it?"

"It means level of violence," Kio said, staring at the floor. "You get it through EXP. It's… unpleasant."

"What's EXP?" the man pushed.

"…Execution points," Gaster said grimly.

June's eyes went wide. Boyd flinched.

"A-Ah. Gotcha."

"Anyway," the skeleton said, "because of this, extraction from one monster to give to another is almost impossible. It would, in all but extraordinary circumstances, be fatal to the extractee. When it can be gained, though, it is the weakest kind of determination. If we used the King, for example, he would probably be able to sacrifice some with no ill-effects, but he's one of very few."

"So, what about you, though?" June asked. "Is this very dangerous for you?"

"If our measurements are not precise, it is," he said. "But. I have injected myself with the other two kinds before. I… have grown in strength since then. I believe I will be able to remain steady with a little more."

.

"So, the other kinds: it's human, right?" Undyne asked. "What's the third?"

"Ooh! I bet it's the CORE," Flora said.

"Very good," Gaster said, filling in the other two circles with rough drawings of a human and a tower with a spiral around it. "How did you know that?"

The lizard smiled and shrugged. "I just figured, it's the biggest power source underground, right? So if anywhere else was going to have it, it'd be there."

Gaster smiled and nodded. "The magic in the CORE does contain determination. However, the amount varies from minute to minute. It can be extracted, and I have done so in the past, but the time it takes is not feasible for this project. Determination from a human source is the strongest and most consistent. It used to be exceedingly difficult to obtain, but thanks to Alphys, the process should now be fairly smooth."

"Ah! Y-Yep, it's, um…!" Alphys looked a little sweaty, but she smiled regardless. "It… It should be p-pretty simple to, especially from a red soul. I d-don't even think it'll hurt very much!"

"Oh good," Boyd said with a dry laugh. "So. It's not a whole lot you're gonna take, yeah?"

Gaster nodded. "From a human, the power is immense. Even a few drops should be enough."

.

"Well. I'm glad Alphys has been on top of this," Scathkath said, folding his arms. He shot her a smile. "Hey, hun, if I remember after all this, mind if I pop by and look at your research? Ten years gone and we missed the whole thing!"

"Oh! Um! I-If you find it interesting, I-I'd be happy to walk you through it sometime," Alphys said with a smile.

"Ooh, I'd also be interested," Kio said, smiling. "It'd be nice to spend a little time here again."

"And I wanna see you, too, Sans," the shadowcat insisted. "I hear you've been up to some bizarre stuff, hm?"

"Understatement of the year," he said with a sideways smile.

"Sans is always up to something weird," Papyrus said.

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"Um." Suzy stuck her hand up, almost bonking Sans in the face. "Can I… ask something?"

"Of course. Anything," Gaster assured her.

"This, um, black magic stuff? It's doing weird time junk too, right?" she said. "I don't get it."

"It is," Gaster said. "Alphys, I believe you coined void souls for this black-soul phenomenon?"

"Ah! Y-Yeah, I… I just thought it sounded sort of, um, c-cool?" she said with a smile.

"Sounds super cool," Undyne agreed swiftly.

Gaster held back a laugh. "This…void magic. Comes from a place outside of time. Which is why, I assume, the time shifts are almost completely clear to the group of you." An excited glimmer shone in his eyes. "I know this can be alarming. And we still have a lot to learn. But, I would like you to know, we have no records of something like this happening before. Not just a new colour, but, this… This magic, it's a whole new medium."

The little white dog hopped into the air and burst a confetti popper before summersaulting under a chair and vanishing.

"Is it gonna be gone after all this is done and your daughter comes back?" Flora asked.

Suzy gulped and unwittingly grabbed onto Sans's sleeve.

"I have no way to know, I'm afraid," Gaster said. "It may be permanent. If it is, rest assured I will study it to be sure it is safe, and bring what I learn to all of you."

"You young guys, don't ya go bragging to all your friends or anything," Scathkath joked, shooting them a wink.

.

"So, is that enough exposition for now?" Papyrus asked.

Gaster chuckled. "I suppose so, unless anyone has any more questions." His eyes settled on the humans. "This was mostly for you two, after all."

"I think I'm alright," June said. She looked at her friend. "Boyd?"

The man frowned at nothing for a few seconds. He rubbed the back of his head, looking startled once again as he felt short hair against his fingers. "This is bonkers, mate." He got up with a huff. "Guess I'm ready."

"Thank you." Gaster offered his hand, and Boyd shook it with a strong grip. "I will make the most of it."

"Hey. If it helps that psychic kid, let's do it."

.

"Shall I prepare that same chamber again?" Toriel asked.

"That'd be perfect," Gaster said. "Alphys, you modified the extractor, right?"

"Y-Yes! It's also a s-super-refined injector, t-too!" she said. "What w-were you using before that? I could never find it."

"Needles and tubes," he said bashfully. "Manually."

A shiver ran up her spine and her scales flushed. "Y-Yeah, okay, n-not doing that anymore!" She smiled at the group. "Anyone r-ready to head back, come with me."

.

Scathkath got up and stretched. His eyes darted over to the younger, void-souled monsters, cracking a smile when he noticed that Opurl had dozed off. He waved at Alphys. "Hun, you got a coffeemaker?"

"Upstairs," Alphys said.

"Everyone's gettin' a hot drink and I'm gonna make it," he said, heading for the door. "Kio?"

"I'll catch up," she said with a smile.

.

The white dog nudged Opurl awake, and most of the monsters and the two humans began to filter out. Suzy lingered. Sans caught her eye and she gulped again. She took a step towards him.

"Hey, kid," Undyne called to her.

Suzy froze up and whipped around. "Yeah?"

"Come on, shouldn't take long, right?" she offered a hand. "Don't worry too much, okay, this crap is pretty awesome. Right?"

"Right!" The kid gladly grasped to her, but not before waving goodbye to the skeleton brothers.

.

Gaster sighed, rubbing a hand over his skull. Kio slithered in close to him and draped her long neck over his shoulder.

"What a day, hm?" she said.

"It's… It could be worse," he said tepidly.

"This is safe, right?" Papyrus asked as he bounded up to his father. "You're really not going to just collapse or do anything crazy, right?"

"Well, I may need a nap," the skeleton said.

Kio huffed out a sigh and withdrew. She gave Papyrus a hug, and then made her way to Sans and offered him one as well. He shrugged and she engulfed him in her short wings.

"It's so good to see you all again. Honestly," she said. "Sans, do you normally look so… grey?"

"He's usually slightly less grey," Papyrus said.

"You take care of yourself, alright?" she insisted as she drew back.

"I'll save that for when the world's not fallin' apart," he said with a wink.

.

Gaster grimaced. He fetched a chair and brought it to the device Alphys had finished with. Papyrus perked up.

"Oh! Speaking of the world falling apart!" he said. "Dad! I didn't have time to tell you before. But! I met someone from the past while I was out looking for Opurl."

"You what?" Gaster's eyes went wide. "I… Hm." He frowned and pressed a curled forefinger against his chin. "Well, I… guess there's no reason that shouldn't happen. That's bizarre. And fascinating."

"I know, right?! Especially because she was quite important, actually," he said. "And she gave me a lot of good advice and also researched my strange red orb for me! Oh! And I definitely need to tell mom, actually, I think she would be very interested in hearing about it and also probably going to meet her and—"

"Sorry. Paps. Who?" Gaster asked curiously.

"Oh! Minerva," Papyrus said.

.

Gaster froze. His eyes sparked with colour. Kio, too, stared at him with wide eyes. Papyrus tilted his head.

"You know. Or. Maybe you don't? She mentioned you! The human with the purple soul," Papyrus said. "Oh! Maybe you didn't know her name, or—?"

"You… met Minerva." Gaster repeated.

"Yes I did! She was very nice," Papyrus said.

The older monsters looked at each other with awe and trepidation. Sans raised his brows.

"Familiar, huh?" he asked.

"She… She was very clever," Gaster said quickly. "I… didn't know her very well, but Gerson did."

"Right! She mentioned that. She said they were good friends, in fact! And for being in hiding, she seems to think pretty highly of you, dad!" Papyrus said. He tilted his head and squinted suspiciously at their worried faces. "Why are you…? Oh! Don't worry! I already know what happens to her."

Kio wilted. Gaster grimaced.

"O-Of course. I'm… sorry, Paps."

"I know. It's… It is definitely very sad." His normally proud shoulders drooped for just a moment before he perked up again with a big grin. "But! I'm going to visit her again soon, I think! You're welcome to come along! I'm one-hundred-percent going bring mom."

"Your mother? Why…?"

"Tori was in the Ruins, Kio," Gaster said quietly.

"…OH!" The snakebird put her wings to her beak. "Oh my goodness. I see. I seeeee…eeee?" She whirled on Gaster. "Wait one second, you're dating Toriel?!"

.

Sans barked out a loud, choking laugh and doubled over, and Papyrus snickered quietly as any light in Gaster's eyes reduced to pinpoints and a faint flush of magic tinted his cheekbones. He shook his head frantically and Sans only laughed harder.

"N-Not at all! Bain mo cloigeann, it's…" He took a deep breath. "While I was gone from time, she— Sans, please."

Sans wheezed. He wiped his eyes, and his voice was hoarse. "God, that'd be such a mess."

"Mom adopted us while dad was outside of time," Papyrus said with a grin. "She's very good."

"Oh!" Kio laughed. "That's sort of a shame, G, it would have definitely been interesting."

"I could never," Gaster said. He turned to Papyrus as he tried to regain himself. "I… wouldn't mind saying hello. If I'm able."

"It's fairly easy," Papyrus assured him.

.

Gaster rubbed his skull again. He grabbed the mechanical arm with the needle at its tip and ran his thumb carefully over the point.

"Oh! Do you need any help?" Papyrus asked.

Gaster shook his head. "I just need a reading. It won't take long." He clicked through the computer and booted up a program with a spinning, red soul on its loading screen.

"DT analysis, right?" Kio asked.

He nodded. She tilted her head to the side and, after a moment of thought, her eyes lit up.

"Oh! Speaking of analysis," she said. "I noticed something interesting. And I have a little hypothesis. About this supposed void magic."

"S'it about fillin' up the triangles?" Sans asked.

"Ah! So you noticed, too," she said, and her eyes lit up when he nodded. "Clever boy!" She turned to Gaster. "I believe that the power level of it works inverse to age."

"Well that doesn't sound normal," Papyrus said.

"It's not," Kio said. "But… I mean. I suppose it makes sense, right?"

"Does it?!" Papyrus asked.

"The longer the monster was outta time, compared to how old they are, is what determines how strong their void stuff is," Sans said.

His brother frowned. "My great assistant Suzy is the youngest. And, that… makes her the most powerful?! Is that right?!"

"Nailed it," Sans said. "I guess with the exception of dad." He cut his eyes at his father. "You're a whole other thing at this point, aren't ya?"

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Gaster's brow furrowed with worry. He sighed quietly. "I suppose I am."

Kio patted him on the shoulder. The program on the computer finally activated, showing a large, white soul on a black screen and a plethora of technical jargon in small, white and gold lettering in a compact panel to its right. Gaster sat down heavily and brought out the glow of his blackened soul. The edges shimmered faintly with pale blue and gold. Kio winced. Her expression was quickly mirrored on the faces of the skeleton brothers when their father quickly plunged the needle into the light of his soul.

"Yeesh," Sans said.

"It's, ah… It's not so bad as it looks." Gaster held the mechanical arm in place with one hand and activated the program with the other.

.

A faint thrum of magic rumbled inside the base of the device. It only took a few seconds for a red heart to appear inside the white one, filling up about a fifth of the space. A second, dotted line appeared a few millimetres around it, marking how much more of that red was theoretically allowable. Gaster saved the screen and then pulled the barb from his soul— the other monsters unwittingly wilted in synchronized, sympathetic relief. Papyrus grabbed his father's hand and pushed a warm, healing magic through it. Gaster smiled.

"Don't worry." He got to his feet. "It's fine. Back to it?"

"Are you sure you don't need to rest for a little?" Kio asked. "You've been through a lot today."

"There's no time for it," he said, heading for the door. "For those kids. And for the world. I have to keep pushing forward, no matter what."

.

He vanished past the doorframe and a chill ran up Sans's spine. Kio sighed. She shot the skeleton brothers a tired smile that poorly masked the worry in her eyes.

"He's always been like that, you know." She stretched and made her way towards the door after the old skeleton. "Ah well. Coffee time, I suppose."

.

Sans crossed his arms, his brow furrowing.

"Was it just me or was that incredibly ominous, brother?" Papyrus said, leaning in towards him.

Sans rubbed the back of his skull. "Yeah kinda. Notice he's not losin' his voice anymore?"

"Oh! You're very right! That's good, isn't it?"

"Guess so," Sans said. "Weird that it's been since that dream spell, huh? And now his arm…"

"Why? You think it's suspicious? You sound like you think it's suspicious," he said.

"Just don't really know what it's doin' to him," he said. "Maybe he's just gettin' more attuned to himself. Dunno."

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Papyrus sighed dramatically. He thumped Sans on the back. "Well! Another thing for the list!"

Sans smiled sideways. "Bet it's a pretty long one by now, huh?"

"Nyyyes. Yes. It is. But!" He stuck a finger in the air with an aura of sparkles around him. "I'm the great Papyrus! It's really no trouble for me at all. So. Don't waste any time worrying about it, okay?"

Sans tilted his head. "…But, uh, you know you can come to me if it's too much, right?"

"Pfff, when would it ever be too much for me?!"

"You know what I mean."

"I do, but there's really nothing for you to do," Papyrus said quickly. "You should just be spending this time working very hard at resting and eating and not teleporting into rivers or Ruins. Or anywhere else. If you can help it."

.

The short skeleton grimaced. The light in his eye sockets dimmed to darkness. Papyrus tilted his head.

"What?" he asked

"What what?" Sans said.

"What's that face for? What are you worried about?"

"Nothin'," Sans said, cursing his eyes. He winked. "What've I gotta be worried about with you on the job?"

"Nyeh. Very correct. And yet…" Papyrus folded his arms and tapped his foot. "Sans. Come on. You can tell me. And none of this very obvious avoidance nonsense."

Sans's grin fell ever so slightly. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and shrugged. "Just wish I could do a little more, I guess."

"But I'm doing things. So is mom, and dad, and Doctor Alphys, and Undyne, and all these monsters with the void souls. That's quite a lot, you know! So. You really don't need to. Why do you want to, wouldn't you prefer to laze around like usual?"

Sans flinched. The words held up in his head for a few seconds too long. "I, uh… You know. You figured it out first. Those kids left because of me."

"Well. Yes. Of course they did," Papyrus said. "I thought that was pretty ob…" He gasped. "GASP. WAIT. Waaaait wait wait." He grabbed Sans's shoulders. "You're not saying that as a neutral observation, you're saying that because you feel guilty, don't you?!"

Sans shrugged tepidly.

.

"Nyeeehhhh!" Papyrus bent and wrapped his brother in a tight, warm hug, glowing bright. His soul reached out to cling to very little. "Come on, brother. It's alright. Really! No guilt. There was nothing you could have done."

"What else is new?" Sans muttered under his breath.

"Hm?! What was that?" Papyrus asked.

"…Thank you," he said, raising his voice a little. "'Preciate it." He let his soul tentatively sync with Papyrus's, just a little chill edging in to melt in the warmth.

"Oof. That is some serious oogies you have going on there," Papyrus said. He pulled back and grasped Sans's skull in both hands, glowing with healing so bright it shone in his brother's dark sockets, pulling the white light back up into them. He grinned. "There you go. Does that feel a little better."

"Always," Sans said.

"Good!" The tall skeleton carefully bumped his brow against his brother's and then straightened up, grinning brightly. He gestured for the door. "I'm both excited and nervous to see what the heck dad is up to, aren't you?"

"If he does somethin' real dumb, you'll help me toss 'im, right?" Sans said.

"Of course I will!"

.

Papyrus took two confident strides for the door before pausing, leg in the air, and spinning around to face his brother. "OH! One more thing! I think you should know. While I was doing a computer fetch-quest for Doctor Alphys, I went into a room and I had a… vision? Sort of? But I could touch it."

Sans's soul skipped a beat. "What?"

"You were in it! I thought it was actually you for a second, but it was not because you didn't respond to anything I said and you didn't look nearly as terrible as you do right now, though you were wearing the same hoodie but not the same pants. Anyway! It was probably the past! Because Crabapple Kid was there!"

Sans's eyes went wide, the light in them shrinking down with shock. "Show me," he said.

"But dad—?"

"Please," he insisted.

.

He must've looked desperate. Papyrus was suddenly frowning with worry. He picked Sans up off the ground under his arms.

"Of course! It won't take long at all!"

.

The room thankfully hadn't shifted in the time he'd been gone, and it looked exactly the same as he'd left it. He placed Sans down on the floor and gestured broadly.

"Here we are!"

"Where was she?" Sans asked.

"Ah!" Papyrus sprung across the room to point out a spot beside a bookshelf. "Sitting right here! But. Here's the strange thing. I was very relieved to see her, you understand, even though I still can't really remember what she looked like, and so I sort of gave her a pat on the head, and she jumped and looked right at me! But then she ran to you to ask if—"

"If I was foolin' around or somethin'," Sans said under his breath. A shiver crept up his spine.

"Yes, exactly! With… those words, too, actually." Papyrus said. "Was that the real past?"

.

Sans felt sick. That day was like a punch to the ribs— the first time some strange light in time had whisked her away. Helplessness was a frequent intruder upon him: familiar, unwelcome, and utterly unavoidable. But, he'd reached out his hand, and she'd come back, hadn't she?

.

"How…?" No, Papyrus wouldn't have a clue. "Bro, you, uh… somehow broke time for a sec?"

"Did I?!" Papyrus yelped

"I remember that." Sans ran his fingers across the dusty desk closest to him, leaving thin, clean lines on the wood. "We were lookin' for some stuff for Alph. Readin' old emails and junk. Kiddo said she felt somebody rub her head but there wasn't anybody. Wondered if it was a ghost."

"I… Nyeh. I think it was me?!" the tall skeleton said, wide-eyed. "Wowie, but how…?!"

"What were you doin' before that?" Sans asked.

"Like I said, Doctor Alphys asked—"

Sans shook his head. "No, like, uh… real specific. If you can remember."

"Of course I can! My memory— aside from the obvious current limitations— is impeccable, you know! I was walking down the hall, and I was… maybe a little melancholy for a moment, and I was holding the strange artefact, and I wished that…" He froze, his eyes lighting up. "OH. MY. GOD. SANS?! CAN I GRANT WISHES?!"

.

"Dude, what?" Sans asked, baffled.

Papyrus raced to him and pulled out his red orb, cupping it in both hands. His phone buzzed but he ignored it.

"I wished that I could see my sister for real and this mysterious fog rolled in and then I DID get to see her for real! And before that— a few hours before! I… I was wishing I could find someone to help me understand this bizarre dog-summoning thing and then I found Minerva! And she definitely helped me!"

Sans blinked. He cautiously extended his hand and his brother hurriedly passed over the orb.

"You try," he said. "Wish for her and Asriel to come home. Oh! Wish for them to be right here with us!"

"Me? I..." Sans sighed. A wish from him was worthless. "It can't be that easy, can it?"

"I have no idea. Try!"

.

Sans held the warm artefact in his hands, clenching his fingers against it. Wishing felt foolish, but he did anyway. Papyrus watched him with eager eyes. He looked around.

"Little sister?! Asriel?!" he called. He tapped his foot impatiently, but nothing had changed. He held his hand out and his brother passed the orb back to him.

.

Grasping the artefact firmly, Papyrus clamped his eyes shut and whispered his wish to it. They waited in silence. Still, nothing happened. Papyrus sighed.

"Nyeh. Sorry, brother," he said. "I hoped it would…"

"S'okay. Didn't get my hopes up," Sans assured him.

Papyrus pouted. "Maybe it was just a coincidence."

"I dunno. You might be onto somethin'," Sans said. He tapped his teeth thoughtfully. "Whatever happened, both times it looked backwards, yeah?"

"Oh! Yes! That's very true," he said.

"And both times you were touchin' that artefact, yeah?"

"Also yes! Wowie. I think you're onto something, brother." He rolled it around in his hands, staring at it intently. "I'll figure out. It's just like a puzzle. Or a new spaghetti recipe. It just takes a little work."

"So." Sans cut his eyes at him. "Guess, for now, that makes you the past-a master, hm?"

"I mean, I suppose— SANS!"

Sans grinned wide. "Yeah, bro?"

Papyrus rolled his eyes and scoffed. He lifted the orb again and stared at it with a sturdy, resolute gaze. "Okay. I wish… our siblings were here and safe with us thirty seconds ago."

.

They waited. Nothing. Papyrus sighed and glowered at the red artefact that glimmered warmly back at him.

"Oh, come on, that's the past, isn't it?!" He sighed and rubbed his chin. "I'll have to think about this more."

"Guess so," Sans said.

"Maybe once I take it into the sun, things'll become clearer."

"Might shed a little light on it," his brother agreed.

Papyrus scoffed. "Un. Be. Leivable." He pocketed the artefact and stomped towards the door, only to pause at a vibration of magic and the lights above them flickering for just as long as it took him to walk back to his brother.

"Guess they're, uh, sheddin' some light upstairs, too, huh?" Sans said.

"…Well, they do have void souls," Papyrus said. He grabbed his brother up off the ground. "Come on, let's make sure dad isn't also getting void bones. Again."

.

The air in the experiment chamber was once again steeped with Toriel's magic. A massive, heavy machine shaped like a skull with a long, sideways jaw dangled from the ceiling from thick cables. June stood beside it with a box of tools clutched in her arms. Gaster held Alphys up around her waist high off the ground as she leaned into the top and tinkered with something. Little electric sparks of her lemon magic spurted out around her, shining in her dark brown irises as well.

.

Toriel intercepted the boys with a smile. "There you are." She beckoned them over to where Undyne, Opurl, and Suzy had gathered off to the right of the door to the control room. "We were about to have a little chat you may want to be involved in."

"Wuh-oh," Sans said.

"It's nothing bad," Toriel assured them. "We were just discussing Suzy."

"Huh?!" Suzy yelped. "We were?!"

"We were, sweet one," Opurl said with a smile, pointing between herself and Toriel. "We were trying to figure out where your home and family might be. Because I recall we were neighbours, but your house is no longer beside mine. Very strange."

"Y-Yeah, I couldn't find it," she said. "Everything moved."

"We just wanted to give you the option," Toriel said. "If… you'd be more comfortable, Opurl has offered you to stay at her home until things are settled."

Suzy froze. "Wh… What?"

"Since you guys know each other," Undyne said. "My guards are still lookin', but we haven't found any sign of your house or you sister, but, like, if you want, Opurl said you're welcome to stay with her if you'd rather wait it out in New Home."

"In case your house returns," Opurl said. She smiled. "It'd be like old times, if you like!"

.

The crocodaur looked lost. Her eyes darted between the taller monsters and she grimaced. She clutched her hands together tightly. "…I… guess it makes sense," she grumbled.

"Oh! Suzy! Please don't fret, you don't have to if you don't want to," Opurl assured her quickly. "And I sense your reluctance."

"Can kinda see it, too," Sans joked under his breath, before speaking up a little louder. "Don't scare the kid outta her scales, alright?"

"Hm?" Toriel's eyes went wide. "What do you mean?"

"She's worried 'bout gettin' kicked out," Sans said. "We're not givin' you the boot, Suz, chill."

"What?! Oh! No, no no no, my child!" Toriel said swiftly.

"Never! You're my great assistant," Papyrus said.

"We were concerned you might be feeling lonely and strange with us," Toriel added. "You don't even have any of your things with you. I wanted to be sure you didn't feel like you absolutely must stay if you don't wish to."

Suzy shook her head emphatically. "I wanna stay. I'm still all weird. And…" She looked at the skeletons. "I… I wanna help."

.

Papyrus broke into a grin. Toriel and Opurl shared a look of relief and the clam lady bent to wrap the kid in a hug.

"Oh, I'm so glad," she said. "We just had to know if you were feeling alright."

"I would sure hope so!" Papyrus said. "You'd tell us, right?"

"Yeah, for sure!" Suzy said.

Opurl beamed. She held the kid by the cheeks. "Suuuuzyy, look at you! Oh, I'm so pleased!"

"You are?" she squeaked.

"Mhm! You were always so quiet. I'm happy to see you here with some friends. Oh! And, I believe I may have a plush or two of yours at my place, still, would you enjoy having those? I sense that you might. I can bring them to you."

"Uh." Suzy's scales flushed. "I-I dunno…"

"Ooh! A few plush critters will make you feel more comfortable, for sure!" Papyrus said brightly. He put a hand to his chest. "I have a few myself, you know!"

"You do?!" She turned back to the clam lady. "O-Okay. That'd be nice."

.

Sans chuckled. He reached out and patted the kid on her head. "Keep makin' choices, alright? S'good for you."

"Y'think?" she said, tilting her head. "I guess it feels good to."

"Good."

"Suzy, I must apologize," Toriel said. "Sincerely, I did not wish to make you feel unwelcome. We are happy to have you stay as long as you wish to."

The crocodaur shook her head. "No, it's… not that. I just…" She took a deep breath and clenched her fists again. Her magic bristled. "I don't wanna be left out. I wanna know what's going on"

"I feel that," Undyne said.

.

"Alright!" Gaster called from the centre of the room. "Sorry for the delay. We're ready for the extraction. All monsters please leave this area for the control room."

Flora was already in there. She waved at them. Undyne scooped Suzy up and she and the others headed for the door. Only Sans and Toriel lingered. The large monster sighed and rubbed her temples.

"Oh my," she said softly.

"Uh. You okay?" he asked.

"I should have worded myself better," she said. "Poor dear. She… seems so insecure."

"She'll get better," Sans said quietly. "She's only been, y'know, out? For a few weeks. It'll take some time, but she'll figure herself out."

Toriel nodded. "I think you're right. I am glad we found someone who knows her, though." She put her hand on his back. "Come."

.

It was getting a little cramped in the control room. Gaster was the last inside, sealing the door tight behind him. Boyd was left on his own, standing on in circle drawn on the floor in chalk.

"Is that…?" Gaster counted heads. "Did Scathkath not come back yet?"

"He's the shadowcat, right?" Flora asked. "Nope. I watched the door. The snakebird left, too."

"Thank you," he said. He snuck through the group to get closer to the computers and switchboard. "Time to get started."

"Wait, just one moment," Toriel said quickly. "His daughter isn't around here somewhere, is she? I would hate for her to see her father in any sort of distress."

"Yes, that is very unpleasant," Papyrus said. "But I don't think I've seen any little human kids here."

"Don't worry," June said with a smile. "He told me she's back at the house with the King and her new friend."

"The…?" Toriel's fur bristled, her eyes going wide and her pupils contracting. "The human child is alone with Asgore?"

"Yes, why?" The woman frowned with confusion.

Toriel's ears pinned back. She put a hand on Papyrus's shoulder. "Carry on the aura for me?"

"Of course, mom," he said, his eyes and fingertips lighting with gold, "but what's—?"

"I must go. I'll call soon," she said. She turned on her heel and rushed off.

.

"Tori, wait a sec!" Sans called after her, but she was off down the hall with no signs of stopping. He quickly pulled out his phone. "Ah. Shit."

"Sans, language!" Papyrus scolded.

"What's wrong?" Gaster asked.

Sans shook his head. "It's, uh… Tell ya later, never mind." He supposed he didn't have time to come up with a cautious way to tell her what she was walking into. He texted her in as few words, spelling it out as clearly he could.

"Uh." Undyne peered over his shoulder. Her eye went wide upon catching a glimpse of what he had written. "Yo. You want me to go catch up with her?"

"That'd be perfect," he said.

"Hey, punk," she said to Suzy, "you're the bodyguard until I get back!" She thumped Sans on the shoulder and then took off at a run, slamming the door behind her.

.

"What w-was that about?" Alphys asked worriedly.

"Is she okay?" June wondered.

"It's, uh… time stuff. I'll explain later." Sans pointed back into the other room. "Shouldn't keep this guy waitin' too long, huh?"

"R-Right," the lizard said. She gently pushed Flora's chair just a few inches out of place and sat down at the controls.

"It's all primed," Gaster said. He pressed a button to activate the intercom. "Sorry for the delay. Are you ready to begin?"

Boyd stuck his thumb up.

"Perfect. Take a few deep breaths."

.

Alphys twisted a knob and a big, clear cylinder carefully descended over the man until its rim clunked against the floor.

"This is a protective capsule," Gaster said. "If you feel faint after the extraction, do not hesitate to sit; it will catch you. The process will be very quick. Any last second concerns?"

Boyd stuck his thumb downwards.

"Alright. I will now count down from ten for you." Gaster put a hand on Alphys's shoulder. "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One."

.

At the end of his count, Alphys triggered the machine. The openings in the front that resembled eye sockets flared with white light and a spark brightened in between its mandibles. Red glowed out of Boyd's chest. June gasped. She unwittingly held tight to Papyrus's arm and he grabbed her in return. A beam of white light shot forth from the machine and connected with Boyd's soul. The light shifted to red. After just a few seconds, it powered down. The man was still standing, but he had a hand up against his chest and he looked more pale than usual.

.

"I-Is that it?" June squeaked.

"That's it," Alphys confirmed. She brought up a program on her monitor and skimmed it, a smile coming to her face. "I-It worked perfectly."

The room lightened with a collective sigh of relief.

"Next phase," Gaster said. He opened the door and allowed June to rush out past him to her friend.

.

Sans stepped out into the hallway. His messages were unanswered. He called Toriel but she didn't answer that either. He huffed; hated the thought that she might be blind-sided by a mysterious, out-of-time kid. Things were stressful enough as it was. But, at least, she might be happy to see him.

.

"Do you know what got into mom?" Papyrus stuck his head through the doorway to give him a worried look, and Suzy snuck out past him to join the concerned-looking skeleton. "She seemed very alarmed all of a sudden."

"Not totally sure," Sans admitted. He frowned. "I dunno. Maybe Asgore doesn't make good lunches or somethin'."

"Oh! Darn, I should've sent her with some pasta, if that's the case!"

"Maybe she forgot he knows what a human is?" Suzy said.

"Nnnnno, no, it wouldn't be that," Papyrus said. "They lived on the surface together a long time ago."

"Oh." Suzy frowned. "I dunno."

"I also don't know," Papyrus said.

.

"Hey, kids!" Scathkath called out from down the hall. He and Kio had returned with many mugs wafting with steam suspended in an aura of deep blue magic. "How's it going? Get started yet?"

"Welcome back!" Papyrus said brightly.

"Extraction's done," Sans said.

"Wow, fast," the shadowcat said. "Was that the lights?"

"When the big thing dropped down, they tried to turn it on and the lights turned off for a sec," Suzy said.

"Ah! Thanks, hun." He peeked into the mugs and then passed her a blue one with snowflakes on it. "For you." He handed mugs to the skeletons as well. "So. The old man zapped himself yet?"

"Just about to," Sans said.

"Well! Exciting," he said, striding in past them. "Breaking the laws of nature and all that!"

Kio tilted her head, shooting them a sympathetic smile. "He's just worried."

"It's alright, Auntie Kio, we're worried, too," Papyrus said.

The bird smiled warmly. She moved in to give him a hug once again and then slithered into the control room past him.

.

Boyd had been brought inside. Flora had given up her chair, and the man was now slumped in it. June held his hands and Opurl stood behind him, a soothing glow seeping from her flippers as she pressed them against his temples.

"Doin' okay?" Sans asked.

"Oh. Yeah." Boyd's voice was low, as if he'd just woken from a nap.

"It didn't hurt too much, did it?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

"Nah. 'Bout as bad as a punch. Had worse."

"We really appreciate you doing this," he said.

"Hey. Like I said. It's no big thing." He cracked a smile. "Lookin' forward to a nap, though."

"Okay, sure, very brave," Scathkath said, shoving a mug into his hands. "Now drink up. You'll feel better."

"I-If you want, you guys can go upstairs and rest," Alphys suggested.

"I'm alright," Boyd said. "Kinda interested to see what it does."

"Just… don't stand up too fast," June said gently.

.

Sans rubbed the back of his skull. His father wasn't in the control room. He was already setting up in front of the machine. Sans wanted to rest, too, but instead he wandered out, a sharp pang of pain shooting through his temple. Time shards flickered with colour. He squinted and ignored them as best he could as he went to join Gaster.

.

The old skeleton was already inside a clear, square chamber. The inside was pushed into the shape of a seat and a table, where he scribbled furiously on some papers beside a computer screen. Sans tapped on the side with his knuckle, where it made the sound of knocking against heavy glass. Gaster looked up quickly and brushed a hand downwards. The wall Sans touched melted to the floor.

.

"Hey," he said, stepping inside. "Need anything?"

"Just, ah…" Gaster handed his son his paper. "Double-check my math, would you?"

"Uh. Sure." Sans began to skim it. "Intentional extra, or—?"

"There should be over half left, if I'm right."

"Cool." He started to sit and the chamber made a place for him to land as he crossed his knee. "So. How was it last time?"

"Incredibly painful," he said with a tired laugh. "Once we succeed and I complete the NOCTURNE's path, I'm expecting I'll collapse for a short while. If he's up to it, maybe have Paps focus healing on my legs?"

"Gotcha." Sans followed the formulas in his head until he reached the end of the sheet. "Checks out."

"Good," Gaster said.

"Hey, uh." Sans looked up at him. "Thanks."

Gaster shook his head. "I love them, too."

"Just… wish I could do more," Sans said.

His father smiled fondly. "You want to keep pushing, too. I appreciate that." He reached out and put his hand on Sans's skull. "It's been hard. But. Just know I am so proud of you."

Sans's cheekbones tinted with blue, but he scoffed. "Don't start talkin' like you're not comin' out of this."

Gaster chuckled. "It's not that. I thought you needed to hear it." He got to his feet and his seat receded into the wall and smoothed out as if it had never been there. He closed his laptop and handed it to Sans. "Well. I guess that's it. Give these to Alphys?"

"Sure." Sans got to his feet. "Good luck, huh?"

"I'll be fine," Gaster assured him. He began to take off his shirt. "I'll see you in a minute."

.

Sans felt an odd sense of dread he couldn't shake. He joined the others in the control room and shut the door tight. Its lock clicked behind him.

"H-How is he?" Alphys asked.

"Ready, apparently." He carefully slipped through the group to join her at the controls and passed her his father's work. "Triple check?"

"Mhm." She opened the laptop up and adjusted her glasses. After a few seconds of silence, she nodded. "Got it." She inputted the data into the control panel before her and its screen lit up with a white smiley face. "O-Okay. Oooookay." She activated the intercom. "W-We're ready in here. Should I d-do a countdown?"

"I'd prefer if you just hit me, to be honest," Gaster's voice answered.

"Oh. R-Right. Okay. Um." She took a deep breath. "Intercom off. Good luck." She hit the button again and turned to Papyrus. "Stop the aura. J-Just in case it interferes."

Papyrus nodded and the glow dimmed from his eyes. He snuck up to the window to peer back, and yelped loudly. "What's it doing?!"

Sans joined him.

.

From the window, they could see, within the cube, a smaller tube had descended and tendrils like blown glass emerged from it, wrapping around their father's arms and legs and pinning him back against it.

"Oh. Chill," Sans assured his brother. "He's doin' that."

"Is he?!"

"Yeah. Strappin' in," he said. "Safety stuff. Don't worry."

"Okay." Papyrus didn't look a hundred percent convinced. He glanced back at Alphys. "This is okay, right?"

She nodded. "Y-Yeah. We're… Okay. He's still l-lined up?"

"He isssss, but—"

"Then l-let's start." Alphys took a deep breath and gently pulled downwards on a fader bar. Her finger hovered over the final button. "Three… Two… One." She pressed it down with the harshness of anxiety weighing her touch.

.

A deep, melodic humming permeated the air for about three seconds, and then a laser of brilliant white shot straight from the giant mechanical apparatus's jaws and slammed into the skeleton. A beam of red within it punctured him and within his ribs began to bubble black.

"D-Doctor Alphys," Papyrus said shrilly, "I think something might be going slightly wr—"

The ground rumbled beneath their feet. Opurl snatched Suzy up and Flora was braced where she stood against Scathkath.

"That's not a coincidence," he grumbled.

.

A pulse of energy burst from the centre of the room like a sonic boom and, as the beam shut off, Gaster clunked against the capsule. It shattered, but he stood straight, his spine rigid, head tilted back. A shriek like twisting metal burst from the chamber, forcing everyone to cover their ears.

"D-Dad!" Papyrus called shrilly.

.

The skeleton inside shuddered and the lights around them flickered. Black liquid began to drip from the holes in his hands.

"O-Oh no," Alphys said quietly. "No no no no—"

"Hold it together, hun," Kio said gently, grabbing her shoulders.

"Do we go in?!" Papyrus demanded.

"Hang on," Sans said quietly, grabbing tight to his brother's arm. "Residual could melt ya."

"Did I do this?" Boyd asked, his voice hoarse.

"No no no, it's n-not…" Alphys's voice was shrill. Her eyes darted over readings from the chamber that were spiking all over the place. "Wh-What is he doing?!"

.

The floor rumbled again. Around the skeleton's feet burned black and spread suddenly into four points. He lurched forward and twisted magic bones in obsidian erupted around him like spires of stone, plunging through the floor and into the walls.

"Paps," Sans said.

His brother was petrified. Sans grabbed him and dragged him back as hard as he could. Snapping out of it, Papyrus spun and threw his arms out, a golden bubble of energy and a latticework of femurs bracing the control room and engulfing them all. Sans was yanked down as June covered him with her body, and Scathkath burst his shadowy body, enlarging into the shape of a large panther and laying over everyone smaller than him. The lights above went out and the rumbling stopped.

.

Silence— except the faint hum of Papyrus's magic reassuring them.

"Holy shit," Boyd wheezed.

"I-Is everyone alright?" Alphys asked.

"P-Pretty sure science isn't supposed to be like this normally, right?" Flora asked, warbling despite trying to keep some levity in her voice.

"No it is not," Kio said. She straightened up from her spot on the floor and Scathkath pulled back to let in Papyrus's light.

"That crazy fool," the shadowcat grumbled. He stuck his big snout up close to Papyrus's face. "Kid, are you okay?"

The skeleton shuddered. "Y-Yes, I'm fine." His eyes darted over everyone— though most of them were clinging to each other, nobody was hurt.

Nothing had broken through. He let the bones shatter into glitter and the barrier of light break into small orbs to shine in the dark.

.

Sans patted June's arm appreciatively and heaved himself to his feet. Suzy broke away from Opurl to race to Papyrus and hug his legs tight. He bent to embrace her.

"Nyooo…" he grumbled softly.

"Is all the power out?" Scathkath asked. "Still pretty dark over there, right?"

.

The windows beyond the control room were still completely black. No gradation of shadows; not a single speck of light to be seen.

"That ain't normal," Sans said under his breath. He leaned up against the glass and his soul pinged, bright blue shining from his shirt.

Two rings appeared in the dark— violet and golden-orange. Then, two more, larger and lower. A chill ran up and down Sans's spine. Embers of red spluttered. Sans's vision roiled and he felt sick. He took a step back.

"Get out," he said.

"Sans, what—?" Alphys began.

"Out. Now," he ordered, loud and steady.

"You heard 'im." Scathkath used his bulk to shove the others out towards the door.

"Wait, but I—!" Suzy squeaked.

"Not now, hun, let's go."

"Sans! I can't!" Papyrus insisted, pushing back against the cat's shoulders.

"Just gimme two minutes," Sans insisted. "Just two." He locked eyes with Papyrus and, after a moment, his brother wilted.

"I'm counting!" Papyrus said with a determined frown.

Sans cracked a smile. "Good."

.

He turned to face the darkness oncoming. The door slammed behind him. He let out a breath of relief and then reached for the door. Before he even touched it, the lock clicked and a blackened skeleton arm shoved its way out of the void.

.

Gaster peeled himself from shadow, black smoke flaring with red sparks belching from his jaws and ribcage like an erupting volcano. His eyes were those bright rings of the wrong colours, as were the palms of his hands. Even in Sans's distorted vision, he was as clear as day.

"Dad," Sans breathed.

The old skeleton stumbled and Sans grabbed him tightly. Gaster slumped around him, wrapping him in his arms. Sans felt heat in his eye sockets and he winced, holding his father tight and syncing his soul against the burning mess beaming out of him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "God, I… I'm sorry."

Gaster, with stiff hands, gently rubbed the back of Sans's skull. The younger skeleton nearly cracked. Instead, he squeezed as tight as he could.

.

It took a moment, but Gaster's voice coughed out like he was choking on ash. "Sans." The tone was deeper than usual. He rested his brow against his son's. "S…ans." He hacked. "I'm… Haaah… I'm alright."

"Shit, couldda fooled me," Sans said.

Gaster chuckled. He pulled back stiffly. The smoke was receding back into his soul. The darkness behind him faded to the regular shadows of a lightless room, with the exception of the giant bones still stabbing through the walls. Not one had come close to the control room.

.

He sighed, a contented look spreading on his face as if he'd just woken from a pleasant dream. "Whew. That was something else."

"That's all you have to say?" Sans asked, laughing incredulously.

"I'm ready," he said, getting to his feet. He turned his brightly glowing eyes on the door to the hallway. "Papyrus."

As if on cue, Papyrus burst back inside with Suzy hanging onto his shoulders. He gawked and raced to Gaster, throwing his arms around him tightly. Suzy squeaked as she lost her grip, but Sans caught her and they flopped onto the floor with an oof.

"You absolutely scared me to death!" Papyrus squawked.

"Oh. You look alright, though," Gaster joked weakly.

"Shhhuuuush. Shush." Papyrus sighed deeply, pulling back and looking him in the face. "Your eyes are different."

"They are." Gaster patted him on the shoulder and turned his attention back on the others who had crammed themselves up into the doorframe. "Scath. I appreciate it."

"Wh…? Oh." The large cat grinned sideways. "Yeah, you're welcome, maybe don't do an earthquake next time."

"Won't be a next time," he assured him. He beckoned back towards the experiment chamber. "Come. I'm ready to finish this. If you are."

.

Gaster turned on his heel and headed back into the chamber. The shadowcat reshaped into his normal form, readjusting his white sweatshirt. He grabbed Kio's wing and the two of them headed in after them.

"Aah, w-wait! I need backup power on!" Alphys squeaked, "I…! Oh h-hell…" She ran in to give Sans a squeeze and then rushed after Gaster to crush him into a hug as well.

.

Sans rubbed his head. Suzy grabbed onto him and he patted her hands. Papyrus wilted and sat on the floor with them.

"That, uh… wasn't normal, huh?" Boyd said.

"Not even a little bit, no," Papyrus said.

"Are you boys okay?" June asked worriedly.

"Here. Allow me to help," Opurl said, setting her fins aglow.

"It's fine," Sans said. "Head on in. We're good."

"Are you sure?" Flora asked as she tiptoed in. She tilted her head. "I know it's… You'd do anything for your little sis. I'm the same. But just don't go nuts. If I know her, she'd hate that."

"True," Sans said. "Thanks. We're okay."

Flora nodded. She took Opurl by the arm and nodded her head towards the chamber. "Suzy, you too?"

"Yeah, soon," she said.

.

As the monsters moved out, the humans moved in. June squatted down. Papyrus shot her a smile.

"I saw you grabbed Sans. Thank you," he said.

"Oh. Ah. I just figured, since I'm more… solid. Right?"

"'Preciate it," Sans said. He rubbed his brow. "Man, I need a nap."

"Almost there, brother," Papyrus said. He straightened up. "I guess I could help Doctor Alphys with the lights."

"I'll come with you," June said. Her eyes darted into the shadow experiment chamber. "Do you know where it is? Can we hurry?"

"I think I do, actually, follow me!"

.

As they left, Sans sighed. He flopped onto his back. Suzy stared at him and copied him.

"This is the part where we lay on the floor and feel like garbage," he said. "Learned this from a ghost pal of mine."

"S'good," Suzy said.

Boyd looked down at them. He rubbed his head and then sat heavily in one of the seats. "Glad Ellie wasn't here. Hey. Little, uh… dinosaur? You're a kid, right?"

"Who, me? Yeah, 'course I'm a kid," Suzy said.

"Try not to get nightmares, okay? Everything worked out."

"Big mess, though," she said. "S'okay. Everything's weird all the time for me."

"Well. Alright. But… stay close to your people, yeah? And, seriously, though," the man said, looking at Sans. "That wasn't 'cause my soul's… wrong or somethin', is it?"

"Nah," Sans said. "It's his that is." He closed his eyes. His own soul still ached. "He'll be fine." He hoped he wasn't lying. After a moment of silence, he checked his phone.

Hadn't been that long, but Toriel still hadn't answered. Texting her again was probably prudent. He put his arm over his scrambled eyes. In a minute, he told himself.

xXxXx

It had been such a lovely afternoon. Asgore found some old puzzles and boardgames in one of his closets and gave them to the children, who had made a gleeful mess combining a few into one. He made fresh biscuits with the two tykes helping him stir and roll them out, punching shapes of flowers, stars, and Gyftmas trees into the dough. Flour was everywhere, and he couldn't be happier.

.

After the freshly-baked cookies and milk, Ellie had been up for a nap. Mak was a little older and insisted he was fine, until he had a blanket around his shoulders and a nice story read aloud to him. Then, both children snoozed soundly. Pleased with himself, Asgore sat down for a nice, peaceful cup of tea— until it was interrupted by his door slamming off its hinges and a fireball following close behind it, burning down the entryway and around the corner to his armchair.

.

"ASGORE?!" Toriel's voice.

Asgore was almost excited before he recalled the flame licking his beard. He patted it out and got to his feet just as Toriel burst in, violet irises flickering with red.

"Where is she?!" she demanded.

"Um. Howdy to you, too, Tori," he said.

"The child," she growled.

Asgore couldn't help his dark green eyes from lighting up fondly. "Oh! Yes. They're asleep in our children's old room right now."

.

Toriel's raised fur smoothed slightly. She took a deep breath. "You should have called me. What if something happened?"

"Um. Such as?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Your memories, Asgore," she insisted. "What if something had happened to you?! What if you'd thought the barrier was still up?!"

"Oh." His eyes went wide. Deep sympathy welled up in his soul. He put his tea aside and cautiously took Toriel's hands in his. "That's what you were worried about?"

"Of course," she said.

"Oh, Tori, that's…" He smiled warmly. "I'm glad. But. You have nothing to be concerned about. I haven't lost a single moment to this strangeness, with the exception of your daughter. And, our son, at first."

.

Toriel blinked. "You…? Pardon? Not one?"

He shook his head. "I've seen many, many shifts. I've seen parts of the city move around me. Citizens coming and going from what I realize now must be different times. It's… fascinating. And sad. But wonderful, too." He smiled ruefully. "Such a shame it comes from such a chaotic and upsetting event."

The woman stared back at him silently. The red in her eyes dimmed. He patted her hands.

"Trust me. If I had even the slightest thought I might slip, I would have sent for you instantly."

"I…" She sighed, tilting her head to the side. "I believe you."

"Thank you." He gestured to the kitchen. "Would you like some tea? And some shortbread? They're not as good as yours, but we certainly did not burn them this time!"

"I'm alright," she said, though her brow was furrowed. "I… should get back to the lab, actually. Gaster was about to…" Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She looked puzzled and lifted it up. "Five messages? Oh, goodness."

"I hope everything's alright," he said.

.

Toriel frowned. Her eyes skimmed texts on a dark screen and, slowly, her jaw fell open. "No."

"What?" he said.

The woman floundered for an instant. She put a hand against her mouth and looked up at him with bright, glistening eyes. "The children?"

"Yes?" he pressed.

"One who… came through my home?"

Asgore's eyes bugged out as if he'd been caught in the fridge at two in the morning, raiding a slice of pie. Toriel's lips twisted to show fang.

"You didn't—?!"

"He was gone." He lowered his voice, his ears drooping, a hitch in his throat. "He was gone when I found him. I'm so sorry. Back then, I mean! Now he's... Right now he's... fine."

Toriel's expression softened ever so slightly. "I… would like to see him."

Asgore nodded. He beckoned her towards the hallway.

.

Gently, the big monster knocked on the bedroom door, and then opened it a crack. Though the lights were dim, Makena was up with a book.

"Oh! Little one," Asgore said at a whisper. "You could have come out if you wished to read."

The boy smiled sheepishly. Asgore beckoned to him.

"I have someone here to see you," he said. "I think you will be pleased."

Mak looked a little puzzled, but he nodded and slipped off the bed. Asgore opened the door fully. The boy froze for a moment before breaking into a grin. "Miss Toriel!"

.

He sprinted into the light of the hallway, arms out, and Toriel immediately bent to wrap him in a tight hug. Asgore smiled fondly and quietly closed to door again. Toriel drew back, holding the boy's face in her hand. He grinned up at her and she tutted affectionately.

"O-Oh! Silly child, you've lost a tooth," she said.

"It's normal," he assured her, "I've lost a bunch of 'em! Don't worry, it'll grow back!"

She chuckled and stroked his head. "I can't believe…!" The shine in her eyes dulled. "Have you…? Been safe out here, dear? Did you…? Ah…" Her ears drooped.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Can I help? I'm really glad to see you again."

"As am I, my child. But how…?" She sighed and cracked a tired, warm smile. "How about you tell me about your adventures so far?"

"Ooh! Okay. You too, right?"

Her smile grew. She got to her feet and offered her hand. Mak took it and Toriel took him back towards the living room. She gave Asgore a nod over her shoulder and he smiled and waved her off.

.

His soul felt warm and full. Some small fraction of his evil, undone, at least for the moment? He would take this tiny, undeserved victory. And, he was elated for Toriel. He set a new pot of tea boiling, just in case, and fetched his mug as he tiptoed out to take a seat in the front of the house.

.

Asgore relaxed in the stoney silence amongst the pale, silvery leaves, watching the glimmer of the golden star a few paces in front of his door. He closed his eyes and thought back. He supposed he hadn't seen them much before Gaster had vanished. He'd have to ask him about it sometime.

.

After some time, the silence was broken by clunking boots. Asgore opened his eyes to see Undyne running up. He stuck his hand up to wave and she slowed herself.

"Howdy, my girl, how are you?"

"Did Toriel make it here?" she asked.

He nodded. "She's inside. Having a private chat."

"Oh. Okay. So it… was fine, then? With the kid?"

"It was indeed."

She rubbed her head. "Huh. That's good." She turned on her heel. "Guess I can g—"

"Why don't you stay a little while?" Asgore suggested. "You sound a little… stressed."

"Do I?!" She cracked a toothy grin and plunked down beside him. "Man, can't hide anything from you, huh?"

.

Asgore smiled fondly. "What's troubling you?" he asked.

"Oh, y'know. Or. Do you know? You do, right?" Her ear-fins drooped. "I, uh, have a hard time keepin' it straight sometimes."

"I know," he assured her. "You've been working very hard, haven't you?"

"Always am! It's no trouble though. As long as my damn head stays on."

Asgore chuckled. He placed his tea to the side and put his arm around her shoulders instead. Her posture slackened.

"So, what's the news of today?" He asked.

"Gaster's doin' a big thing with all these monsters with black bits in their souls and then he's gonna zap himself with DT, I think? Or he mightta already done that. No clue," she said. "And then I guess Sans wanted to tell Toriel about this kid who's here but she ran out before he did for some reason, so I went to get her but then I got shifted to some patrol in Waterfall from who-the-hell-knows-when and had to run all the way back, and by the time I got there, the power was out. When it came back on, I still had to wait for the elevator to come back." She sighed. "At least I didn't lose memories this time." She screwed up her face. "I hope I didn't, anyway."

"Golly, that is a lot," Asgore agreed.

"Man, that wasn't even everything!" She sighed heavily, running her fingers through her hair. "I… I dunno, I guess… I wish I still had Alphys to talk to."

"Can you not, still?" he asked.

"I dunno, it's just weird," she grumbled. "She's like, almost before we even met. It sucks." She folded her arms tight. "If Paps or you moved on me, pfff, I'd just be done." She grimaced, but then laughed. "Or if I age backwards or something! Jeez, I wonder if that's a thing?!"

.

The King chuckled. He pulled her into a warm hug and, though she jolted for a moment, she relaxed quickly.

"Thanks, ya big fuzzball," she said quietly.

"Any time," he assured her. "If you do, do not fear, I will arrange for some stilts for you as soon as possible."

She scoffed. He smiled and bumped his snout against her head. Undyne, finally, slumped. She shut her bright yellow eye and the heavy furrow in her brow released. She let out a long breath as if she'd been holding it in.

"You will be okay," he assured her.

"Damn right I will," she said quietly.

.

Undyne went quiet for a little. Asgore could feel her energy roiling inside her. He remembered when she was a child, her soul had been more turquoise, but as she grew, its glow overpowered that colour. It was nothing like he'd ever seen before. He sometimes wondered if it was in harmony with the similar, potent glows in blue of her home. Sometimes, he could swear he heard Undyne's resonance in the rush of waterfalls.

"Hey," she said quietly. "I'm gonna make you proud."

Asgore chuckled. "You've already made me proud, my child. A thousand times over. No father could wish for better."

Her bright eye flitted open again. She cracked a smile. "I'm gonna get us that sun."

"…Undyne."

"If I have to tear every human apart. I'm gonna get us up there. I will."

Asgore's face fell. He gently patted her head. "My girl, relax. Breathe. It's already here. There's no fight to be had."

She turned quickly, looking up at him, wide-eyed. "Wha—?"

"The surface. You've seen it. The sun. With your friends. Do you remember?" He cupped her cheek and smiled sideways. "Papyrus flew a car, remember?"

Undyne's mouth fell open. She jerked back and jumped to her feet, hand to her head. "Sorry."

"No, no, Undyne, it's alright," he assured her, standing up. "It's not your fault."

She shook her head quickly and recoiled as he reached out. She pointed to the house. "Keep me the hell away from here." She turned on her heel and sprinted away.

"Undyne!" he called after her. "Oh no." His ears drooped and he chased after her. "Undyne!"

xXxXx

For once in this mess of a timeline, things went just as intended. No explosions, no faintings; no near-death experiences. The void-souled monster recast the spell, with Suzy and Flora leading the way. Gaster reached into the void itself and, finding the melody of the NOCTURNE, heaved it with all his might. Its search now followed Asriel's trail left out in the vast nothingness. Locked onto it. Showed exactly where the kids had gone.

.

Not floating adrift. Not lost in deep blackness. Instead, they were nestled securely to some point in the vastness that was impossible to reach, and yet very much there— another universe. Why they had not returned, however, was still completely a mystery. Sans was sure they had to be trying. In his mind, there was no way they'd still be gone if it was entirely their own choice. Maybe they had to do something similar to what the NOCTURNE had to retrace their steps.

.

Gaster was reminded, finally, of what had happened under the influence of his modified dream spell. Though he hadn't been able to see the location the kids were in, he was positive he had managed to communicate that they'd be sending a beacon, somehow, to the missing time child. That was a relief to everyone, but they still weren't sure how to get her attention. At the very least, after all that exhaustion and sacrifice, they at least knew where to send it.

.

As everyone was packing up and calming down, Sans was still on edge. He had his eyes firmly fixed on his father. He seemed too relaxed, brushing off any concern tossed his way. Even so, his eyes still had not gone back to normal— neither dark, nor the blue and gold they usually were. Had there really been enough determination in that blast for that?

.

Toriel and Undyne hadn't returned, and they weren't back after a celebratory meal at Flambé's either. Sans left Papyrus a note under his napkin and slipped out while nobody was paying attention. He strolled down towards Waterfall, though a mysterious white dog jumped from a snowbank to trail him. He didn't mind. They wandered in comfortable silence. He wasn't really sure what he wanted but a moment to himself.

.

He stopped in a wishing room and sat for a while with the dog on his lap, stroking its ears. If he could risk a second wish in a day, it would be that he could at least contact his sister or new brother through a dream. Their link had been such a bittersweet thing for him, but now he was desperate for it. Of course, he didn't count on it even an iota. Nothing had changed for the better about him, after all.

.

A little deeper into Waterfall and a strange, orange glow caught Sans's attention. Undyne's house was still burning. It's fish-like facade outside looked rather upset. Through the light of flame, he saw the shadow of a figure standing before it. Sans raised a hand to shield his eyes as he squinted through the blaze.

"Cap?" he called.

"Who…?! Oh. Sans. Hey." She came over to him and lifted him across the stream just a little too wide for him to jump without a running start. "You alone?"

"Yeah."

She frowned. "Shouldn't be."

"Needed to clear my head," he said with a wink. "Not that there's much in there."

"Pff. Well." She folded her arms and stared at the fire. "Same, I guess."

.

The blurble of water and the crackle of flame made for odd companions. A larger splash broke the rhythm every few seconds. Undyne growled quietly.

"This is shit, dude," she said.

"Yup."

She shook her head quickly. "No. You don't get it." She bared her teeth. "I keep wanting to literally kill people, dude. I can't do this."

"I know," he said quietly.

"And I just keep goin' back to it! I can't stop. I keep tryin'." She snarled. "This isn't fair. The barrier's down, right?! I keep forgetting the sun."

"I know," he said again.

"Do you?! You remember everything," he said. "I feel like my mind's melting out my ears! I don't know how to fix any of this shit."

.

Sans flinched. "It ain't fair. I know."

"No shit it's not. Damn. I just scared Asgore, I keep showin' up in stupid places, I don't remember Toriel and Alph doesn't remember me, and I'm a danger to basically any human that runs into me," she said. "I can't even guarantee one of you guys with me is gonna slow me down!"

"I know."

"The world's falling apart and none of us can do a damn thing about it," she snarled. "We just keep spendin' hours on this weird magic science junk that I can't even tell if it's doin' anything and now all we have left is we have to rely on some stupid kid I don't even know for sure is real anymore!"

.

Sans's eye flashed. He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm gonna pretend like you didn't just go there since, uh, you have no clue what you're talkin' about. But she is our best shot."

"Sans, the world is going nuts! If she's so good, why did she leave us like this?! Why's it breaking now, huh? Why's it—?!"

"You don't understand."

"No, I damn well don't! That's my problem!" she yelled. "If she screwed up time so much that—"

"She didn't screw up anything."

"Then what did?! Sans, how do you know?! You can't just defend—"

"I know because it was me." His eye flared and his brow furrowed deeply. "It wasn't her that screwed us up, it was me."

"What?" Undyne's expression softened. She shook her head. "No, don't just put it all on yourself."

.

"You literally don't understand," Sans said sharply. "She's the anchor. She didn't hurt us, she fixed us. I'm the one who had to hold us together before she even got here. I'm the one that failed. I'm the one that was too weak to stop those things from ripping the world apart over and over and…!" He clenched his fists, his bones starting to rattle. He took a deep breath. "I'm the one that gave up and let it happen for so long we started makin' no sense. I'm the one that screwed us, not her. I'm even the reason she left to begin with; if I wasn't so damn weak this never wouldda happened. All I had to do was stay awake, but because I'm the worst piece of shit on earth, I couldn't even do that. Now she's gone and so's the Prince, and if you wanna blame somebody, blame me."

.

The skeleton huffed. There was something frantic in his eyes. Undyne was frozen, her words of rebuttal caught in her throat. She started to reach out, but he gathered himself up, his expression flattening to one of tired disinterest. The colour in his eye dimmed down.

"I, uh… I don't deserve them, y'know?" he said quietly. "Any of 'em. So. I'm gonna do my best. Until I can't. Heh. Sorry for flippin' out." He cracked a tired smile. "Must be more outta it than I thought. Not your fault. Don't deserve you, either."

.

He took a step to leave, but Undyne grabbed his shoulders and yanked him back, wrapping him in a bear hug. He froze.

"You stupid freak," she grumbled.

After a moment, he wilted. "Thanks." He held onto her shoulders. His eyes began to water. "I, uh… Sorry."

"Don't. Same, but… Don't." She gritted her teeth. "You… tell anyone else that?"

"Never," he said quietly.

.

Undyne frowned. "We… are determined. Right?"

"…Guess we gotta be. I think… what we're doin', it's the only way," he said. "But I'm… Heh. I'm really runnin' short on time."

"Okay." She drew back, a glint in her golden eye. A sharp-toothed grin spread on her face. "Then. We keep each other goin', right? As long as we can. And we punch through time and space until we get your sis."

Sans looked up at her skeptically. "Punch it, huh?"

She grinned. "I'll shoot so much magic into the damn void it's gonna look like a supernova. That'll get her to notice, right?!" She offered her pinkie to him. "Make you a deal. Whichever one of us taps out first, we go all out for each other, alright?! Whatever it takes. We fix this world."

"You serious?" he said.

"Yeah. C'mon, don't leave me hangin', punk." She grinned. "It's good for me. Keeps me on track."

Sans cracked a sideways smile and shrugged. He locked pinkies with her. "Then. Whatever it takes."