Mightta gone off the rails in a few places Chapter 98
The melodic strings from Papyrus's lyra sounded almost ethereal reverberating around the cavern walls of the Soul of the World. It was a welcome greeting to Sans as he returned, groggy and heavy-headed, before the sun had even crept its way into the Kingdom. The sight of his little sister greeted him as well, the auburn-haired girl dozed off upright in a hunched, cross-legged pose, her cheek on her fist as her elbow dug into her leg. A large book was left open at her side and a striped quilt lay across her shoulders.
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The skeleton blinked heavily. He kneaded the heel of his hand against his bad socket and knelt down to the kid.
"Waited up, huh?" he said quietly.
"Mhm." Her eyes opened to gleaming, golden slits. "Took you long enough."
"Heh. Sorry." He held out his arms. "Want me to, uh, tuck ya in somewhere?"
"Mmmno." She uncurled herself slowly and stretched. "Gotta talk."
The skeleton plunked himself down in the grass before her. "Sup?"
.
Chara masked a yawn behind her hand and shook her head as if to rouse herself. "So, um… Frisk had a little bout of sleepwalking," she said. "Nothing serious, but I'm told that that, paired with those scars of hers glowing, it's pretty similar to how she reacted to when her father was reaching out to her from the void."
"Uh-huh," Sans said. "So, what, think we're gonna have to deal with some other bonehead?"
"I'm not sure. But, I mean…" She shrugged. "It's not like that'd be a bad thing."
"Heh. Dunno if I could deal with another one, t'be honest."
Chara's lips quirked up in a sideways smile. "I know. I mean, I get it. But, that guy… You'd like him." She laughed when her brother shot her a skeptical look. "I'm serious. Anyway, if that's… I mean, if it's true, or someone's trying to reach us—or her— that'd be a good thing, right?" She winced. "This whole thing's made Frisk a little anxious again. Not that I blame her."
"Still gotta get outta here," Sans said.
"I know." Chara chuckled dryly. "It's been on my mind since she got here. Along with that sense of impending doom. My favourite."
.
Sans's smile turned sympathetic. He patted her on the head. "You're doin' great, pigeon."
"Yeah, well…" She sighed and shook her head. Her gaze locked onto the ground and she grimaced. "Just tell me again that things'll work out? I… know you can't see that far ahead, but—"
"Listen," Sans said quietly. "This whole thing… It's all good so far, yeah?"
"…Yeah," she said.
"Worked out. Better than y'ever thought," he said. "Better than ya couldda dreamed. Yeah?"
She nodded.
"So." He reached out to cup her cheek and gently tilted her head up to look her in the eyes. "Trust 'em. Just let it play out." He grinned. "Y'gotta realize by now that you ain't cursed, huh, Chara?"
Chara's face flushed. "…We'll see."
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Sans ruffled her hair and she managed a little smile.
"Are you willing to get some work out of the way now?" she asked. "Maybe we can get this new stupid thing sorted before everyone wakes up."
Sans instantly looked exhausted, but he nodded. "Yeah, might as well." He winked and offered her his hand. "Not like I got anythin' better to do."
Chara grasped deep into her soul, pushing the flow of its energy down her arm and out along her fingertips. "Thank you. I'll make you some breakfast when we're done."
"Eh, don't worry," he assured her. "I'll just nap it off."
xXxXx
Frisk awoke with a jolt, phantoms of snow dancing on the backs of her eyelids. She had to take a deep breath as a flitter magic tingled across her skin. She rubbed her face and a furry arm tightened around her.
"…Nnnnno more sleepwalking," Asriel mumbled against her head. "Nnnnnnope, yooou're stuck."
"Can I just do normal walking?" Frisk joked.
"Nnnnnnh…" Asriel grumbled inaudibly and snorted a gentle flame across her hair. "…Kay. That's fine."
.
Frisk rolled away and out of a sleeping bag, onto the grass, and awkwardly sat up. Asriel yawned loudly and turned over to flop onto his back.
"What was up with that, anyway?" he muttered.
"With what?"
"You just started walkin' around like… three times, I think," Asriel said. "Were you sleep-looking-for-something or… something?
"I dunno," she said as she stretched her arms above above her head.
"D'you dream weird?"
"I, uh…" She rubbed her head. "Yeah, kinda."
"You see your dad?"
"No, but, like…" She frowned thoughtfully as the hair on the back of her neck prickled. "Think I saw some of Sans's memories, but kinda off. I dunno."
"See him?"
"Not for real. I saw, like… little him? Or like, from far away. S'weird."
"Did he try to get your attention or anything?"
Frisk shook her head. Asriel heaved out a sigh.
"Man…" He smooshed his hands over his eyes. "Crap. It's gotta be too early, right?"
"I dunno," Frisk said. She rubbed her hand along her nape and a shudder ran down her whole back, tingling sharply under her skin. She scrunched up her face and got to her feet. "I'll be back."
"Where you goin' now?" he asked.
"Gonna awake-walk around," she said.
Asriel pulled the blanket up over his face. "Uuuuuh huh."
.
The kid wandered from the strange, dark but cozy forest and out into the cave proper. Just as soon as she emerged, she stalled in her tracks. A tall skeleton in a dark coat stared down into the glow of the Soul. For just an instant, her heart wrenched and her tongue felt like sand. She knew he would never have taken a hug from her, but she wished that he would, even though she felt selfish even considering it.
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Gulping and forcing herself steady, she took a second to look around for anyone else, or the source of that magic she felt. Aside from Gaster, she didn't see anybody. She couldn't hear any voices, either. When she took a cautious step closer, the old skeleton turned to look at her. She froze and his eyes locked on her for a few seconds before he dipped his head. After a moment of trepidation, he beckoned to her. The kid's heart thumped hard in her chest.
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As Frisk hurried to join him, she got a much better look at the Soul. Sans and Chara, merged into their large, skeletal form, were standing at the light, taloned hands locked onto it, tail rigid; icy bones gleaming.
"Do you know what that is, exactly?" Gaster asked her. "I've tried speaking with him, but he was unresponsive."
Frisk's heart jumped a little. "Y-Yeah, um, they kinda freeze up when they do that," she said. "It's how Sans and Chara look for stuff in the void, I guess."
"Ah." He crossed his arms and his eyes narrowed. "That's… like what she did with Papyrus, isn't it?"
"Yesterday? Yeah," Frisk said. "It's pretty cool, right?"
"Well, the implications are certainly… something else," he said.
"It's pretty safe," the kid assured him quickly. "I've seen them do it a bunch. There's like, a special t-technique and everything. It just makes you really tired after."
"Hm. And you… did that as well. Right? Out in the field."
"Oh! Um, yeah, with Asriel," she said.
"Ignoring for a moment that you or Chara emerging from this shouldn't even be possible," he said, "did it leave any remnants on you?"
"Just this, that one time." Frisk held out her hand with the star mark and scars pricked into it. "That's it, I think."
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Gaster stared at her blankly. Frisk's face flushed and she smiled awkwardly—feeling pretty silly that she'd even considered he might want to see— but the skeleton bent and took her small hand in his sharp fingers. The kid didn't flinch, but a jolt of surprise made her insides flutter.
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With a cautious, steady grip, Gaster traced the pattern branded into her, his magic prickling; testing her through her skin. "I have to admit," he said quietly, "I wasn't aware this could happen to a human."
"I, um, dunno if it's a thing; I still don't know much about humans. I wouldn't be surprised if it's just 'cause I'm weird," Frisk said.
"Even so." He drew back slowly and rubbed his fingers over his other hand, as if unsure of their touch. "Whatever that is, it's not normal. Prince Asriel didn't seem to have anything substantial, either."
"Why, does it normally do really weird stuff?"
"It does," he said. "But, I guess your method, it's not the same as… Well…" He shook his head. "Where I'm from, the human dies."
"Oh. Yeah, I know, I did that one, too," she said.
.
The skeleton stiffened as if he'd been frozen solid. His neck all but creaked when he turned to rest his gaze on her again. "Pardon?"
"Ah. Um. I lent my brother, Sans, my soul, is all," she said. "We didn't look like that, though." She pointed down the slope. "We were like a dragon, kinda. I dunno if it wouldda done anything weird to—"
"You gave your soul to Sans?" he asked.
Frisk nodded. "Yup."
He looked at her incredulously. "…Why?"
"Oof. Um. Long story," she said. "But like, there was a whole bunch of stuff we had to do, to save Asriel, and we had to cross the barrier, so we went together as bone dragon annnnd it was pretty nice."
"…Nice." The skeleton looked increasingly perplexed.
Frisk nodded.
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A little shift of movement from below drew the kid's eye. The large, blade-tailed skeleton unlatched his hands from the Soul and took a wobbly step back, only to stagger and plop down heavily against the ground. Frisk took off, sliding down the hill as quick as she could. She stumbled as the slope levelled out and rushed to him.
"Hey, you guys—?" She squeaked as the lower set of arms snatched her up and pulled her in tight.
Even though his arms were frosty, his chest blazed with heat. The huge skeleton wheezed out a hoarse breath. "Frisk…" All three tired eyes turned to look down at her as his sharp-tooth grin widened. "You didn't sleepwalk down here, yeah?"
"N-No, I was up!" she said.
The skeleton breathed a sigh of relief and carefully released her. He plunked a huge hand onto her head and mussed up her hair. "Gooood. Good. Ah…" His jaws parted in a big, sharkish yawn, which he mostly failed to cover behind a hand, and he kneaded at an eye socket watery with sleep. "Mhf. Sorry."
"Still nothing?" Frisk asked.
He shook his head. "You, uh, got any idea what threw ya?"
"So, wait, nothing from my dad or anything either?"
"Nnnnope, nothin' that was real obvious, at least."
"Huh." Frisk's brow furrowed. "Then… I dunno. Maybe I was just like, way too tired?" She shrugged. "I did a thing a little while back called a sleep pa… Pa…?" She scrunched up her face. "Par-al-is-is."
"Paralysis."
"Yeah, that," Frisk said. "But it was 'cause I didn't sleep for a few days, or something, could it be like that?"
"…Could be, sure." The large skeleton sighed and shot her an apologetic smile. He flinched and a pulse of magic seared across his bones. "Uh, whoops, there we g—"
.
The monster's whole form was overwhelmed with light and Chara and Sans burst apart. The skeleton flopped back against the hill with a grunt and Chara plopped out, crashing into Frisk. The two collapsed in a red and glowing mess.
"Ugh, sorry!" Chara said. She fumbled backwards and pulled Frisk upright as well.
"Guess we're done," Sans said, folding his arms behind his head and slumping where he'd landed. "You guys try to rest, huh?"
Chara rubbed at her face and she looked at Frisk apologetically. "Sorry, I'll, um, stop glowing in a minute."
Frisk shot Sans a curious look. "Hey, um, d'you think doing that channeling through me thing would help?"
"Nah," he said. "Why?"
"Well, like, if it's really super secretly my dad or something?"
"Soul ain't freakin' out," he said. "I mean, if it does, sure, but as it is…" He gestured to the swirling starlight before letting his arm flop at his side again. "Not worth it to screw up your hand, pal."
"It's not exactly healthy to pump all that magic through you and tear your skin open," Chara said; the red dyeing her had started to fade. "That's a last resort thing, not an anytime thing, you dork."
"O-Oh." The kid smiled sheepishly. "Kay. Gotcha." She looked at the soul, tilting her head quizzically. "I guess I just feel weird, still. Like, um…" She rubbed a hand over her arm. "I keep feeling magic that's giving me pricklies."
"That was probably us," Chara said apologetically. "But, obviously, if something really weird happens, tell us."
Frisk nodded. "Hey, Sans, um…" She paused and grinned sheepishly; he was already asleep. "Oops."
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Chara leaned over to look at him and chuckled. She twisted around to sit beside Frisk and rested her back on the steep hill as well. "Nice." She patted the spot beside her.
Frisk settled in beside her. The crystals far above— constellation patterns embedded in stone— twinkled like stars. Her eyes, blurred with sleep, erased the stone. She imaged the night sky, like back home.
"Hey," she said quietly. "Thanks for checking."
"That's our job," Chara assured her. She yawned loudly. "Shush. Get some rest."
Frisk put a hand over her eyes and made a soft noise of affirmation. The steady vibrations of the Soul's magic so close was reassuring, somehow, but she still felt a chill beneath her skin. She wrapped her arms around herself and sunk down. Her blinks became long, until it was as if her eyelids were simply too heavy to rise again.
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Frisk jolted awake with Sans's big, warm coat draped over her and the gleam of the crystals sparkling in her eyes. Faint chatter filled her ears, punctuated by Papyrus's bright laughter. It was nice, she thought. Felt sort of nostalgic.
.
With the large coat hung like a cloak around her shoulders, Frisk wandered back up the slope. Her head felt heavy and sluggish, like her brain hadn't fully turned back on.
.
Asriel wasn't far— he was strolling along the ridge of the hill. He shot her a smile as way of greetings. Chara was slumped over his shoulder, arms around his neck, completely asleep. Past him, near the cabin, Papyrus and Sans were chatting with Toriel. Gaster lurked off in the trees, a pale phantom flitting between the dark trunks.
.
"I miss anything?" Frisk asked quietly.
Asriel shook his head. He cast a look back towards the others. "Paps was worried 'bout you, though."
The kid stuck her thumb up and made her way towards the cabin. As soon as Papyrus caught her from the corner of his eye, he whipped around and bent to give her a hug.
"Good morning, friend!" he said brightly. His soul brought a warmth to her that she hadn't realized she'd been missing. "Did you finally sleep well? How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Pasta? Tea? Milkshakes?"
"I'm okay," she assured him with a little giggle. She leaned around him to look at his brother. "Thanks for your jacket."
"Looks good on ya," he joked.
"Like a little winter wizard," Papyrus said brightly.
Frisk snickered. "No way, I'm a winter demon!" She focused as hard as she could for just a moment and little stars in red popped into the air around her shoulders and tumbled to the ground before flickering out in a scattering of ember motes. Papyrus gasped loudly.
"Very nice!"
"Yeah?!" Frisk grinned. "Thanks!"
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Toriel chuckled fondly. "Very cute, little one," she said. "Who taught you that?"
"My brother," she said, looking back at Asriel with a smile. His attention was elsewhere, though, and she pouted a little. "Aw, he missed it."
The huge, silvery monster smiled fondly and bent down to pat the kid on her head. There was a faraway look in her eyes when she straightened up. "I am happy to hear you are feeling a little better, dear." She turned her eyes on the skeleton brothers and smiled apologetically. "Now, as I was saying, I suppose I will head to the castle again, so that that skullking man may return without being completely rattled, hm?"
Sans snorted and Papyrus smacked his palms against his own face.
"Mom!"
Toriel let out a light snicker and pulled Papyrus into a hug. "Thank you for putting up with me, my child."
"Siiiigh, of cooouurrse." He squeezed her tight.
"Tell your sister good morning from me when she awakens, will you not?"
"Also of course!"
.
As Toriel took her leave, Sans turned his attention on the kid.
"Need breakfast?" he asked.
"Uh. Soon, maybe? I'm okay." She shifted his jacket. "Oh, wait, here, lemme—"
"Nah, keep it for a bit," he said. "You're still lookin' a little chilly."
"O-Oh." Frisk smiled sheepishly. "Kay. Thanks."
"I feel like we need to get you a big, thick jacket," Papyrus said.
"I had one at home," she said. "I didn't know we'd keep going to cold places."
Papyrus snickered and patted her on the head. "Well, maybe we can get—"
.
A spark of magic distracted him and a portal lit up in a spiral. Just as the day prior, Mistral emerged. She caught sight of them and joined them as fast as she could.
"I heard about yesterday," she said curtly. "Anything else to report?"
"Nice to see you, too, Mist," Sans teased.
"Nothing besides the whole he-almost-died thing," Papyrus said.
"He's been behaving?" Mistral asked.
"Yep! We haven't had any issues," he said.
"He's over there," Sans said, nodding his head at the trees.
"Ah." The armoured skeleton frowned. "Alright, I guess my check'll have to be a bit more thorough." She puffed herself up. "Interloper!"
.
Within seconds, Gaster peered out of the trees. When he caught sight of Mistral, he headed right over. "Hello again."
"Yes. Hello. Please hold still." She grasped to his soul and he remained exactly where he was with a faint grimace on his face as she tested his energy. When she released him, she nodded and turned to the forest. "Alright. Please stay here."
"Uh. Would it be alright if I ask you something?" he said.
Mistral paused midstep and looked back at him. "You can ask."
"What're your parents' names?"
"…What an odd question," she said.
"I'm sorry," he said swiftly. "Where I'm from… Ah…" His eyes darted between Sans, Papyrus, and Frisk. He took a deep breath. "I was the last. Skeleton, I mean. Until my sons. And I just… was curious if—"
"We're… extinct, where you're from?" Mistral asked, brows shooting upwards.
"…We are."
"How?"
"There was, ah…" His fists clenched. "A war. Between humans and monsters. Skeletons were targeted first. Almost all of us were gone by the end of it."
"…That's horrible," Papyrus breathed. "Why?"
"Ask a human," Gaster muttered.
"It's not exactly like we got any here from back then," Sans said, frowning; his words terse.
Gaster's cold eyes darted to Frisk. Sans glared at him.
"You gotta be kidding me," he said.
"Wait, me?" Frisk asked. "I… I only know what… my brother knows- um, what he told me. That it was like humans had it out for skeletons and a few other kinds of monsters more, at first. I think… they were probably really scared. But that's stupid, there was no reason to be, so…" She shrugged awkwardly. "Sorry. I dunno. All I know is I saw a painting of the Field of Bones and it made me feel sick."
Gaster's eyes bugged out and he froze. He clenched his teeth and nodded.
.
"Well. Then." Mistral hesitated, then let out a short, sharp sigh. "One mother is Gravura. The other is not a skeleton, but she is Marin. Does that help?"
"Thank you," Gaster said swiftly. "It does."
Mistral dipped her head and held out a hand. "Wait here." She headed out to the woods. "Don't enter the cabin!"
"He won't!" Papyrus called. He looked around the group, his eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry, that was an extremely dismal question; I shouldn't have asked."
"Don't be sorry," Gaster assured him. "I brought it up." He looked down at Frisk. "Why on earth would your brother tell you about that?"
Frisk froze. "Uh." He hadn't actually, but the information was deep in his memories. "I dunno, history class, I guess?"
"And what was that painting?"
"It was a skeleton defending, like, a castle gate or something, I think," she said.
Gaster's cheekbones flushed— he looked a little ill. Frisk squeaked and put her hands up.
"A-Ah, sorry, please don't fall again!"
"I… Hah. I don't plan on it," the old skeleton said quietly. "I'm just, uh…"
"Extremely disturbed?" Papyrus suggested. "Because you look extremely disturbed."
"I guess that's apt," Gaster admitted. He shook his head. "Never mind."
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Sans shrugged one shoulder. "Welp. If ya say so." He wandered off after Mistral, but Papyrus crossed his arms and frowned.
"That doesn't sound like something you just never mind, you know."
The old skeleton let out a mirthless chuckle. "I guess it doesn't. Sorry, Paps." He turned his gaze on Frisk with a faint glimmer in his eye. "You could at least pretend not to be an eldritch being for a little while, you know."
"I dunno what that means," she said.
"I don't think she reads a lot of fae-and-or-oogabooga horror books," Papyrus said. "She's ten."
Gaster clunked his palm into his forehead and let out a tired laugh that had a little more light in it, even if it was also steeped in incredulity. "Of course she is."
"E-Eleven in an old timeline," Frisk said.
"Ooh! When's your birthday?" Papyrus asked.
"I got no clue. Paps just gave me some cake and presents on his and said we could share."
"So when's that?!"
"March twenty," she said.
As Gaster pinched his brow as if he suddenly had a huge headache, Papyrus let out a pleased squeak.
"Mine, too!" he said brightly.
"I should have stayed in bed," the old skeleton grumbled.
"Oh no, do you feel sick again?!" Frisk asked.
"Oh, constantly."
"D'you want some tea?"
Gaster hesitated. "…I don't."
The kid scrunched up her face. "I don't believe you." She backed up towards the cabin and pointed at him. "Don't get sick!"
"You don't have to bother—"
"Tooooo late, byeeeee!" she said as she rushed into the door.
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The cabin's interior was just as chaotic as the day prior, but with a few more sketches added— mostly of the iridescent goat Frisk and Asriel had become. The kid tried to ignore it and went straight for one of the stools to push it up to the counter.
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As she boiled some water and readied a mug, she couldn't help replaying the conversation in her head. She flinched and her stomach dropped. Of course Gaster was upset; she'd just reminded him that, somehow, their worlds were one and the same, to a point. The kid bonked herself in the head and grumbled about how dumb she was under her breath. If she triggered him to fall down again, she vowed that she'd just stay out of the Soul completely until Sans and Chara found home.
.
The creak of the door made the kid jump, but when she turned, it was only Mistral coming in. The skeleton paused to stare at her for a moment.
"Have you touched anything?" she asked.
"Uh. Just this stuff." Frisk gestured to the counter and the stool. "Want any tea?"
"Kind of you, kid," Mistral said as she began her scan of the space. "Normally, I would say yes, but I'm in a bit of a rush."
"Got an important royal thing?" the kid asked.
"Hm. Sort of. I have a few meetings back at the castle right after this."
"Kay," Frisk said.
.
Mistral finished up just a little before Frisk did. When the kid emerged from the cabin with Gaster's tea, she found the Dragonguard's captain handing a piece of paper over to him.
"There's a registry in the castle's library," she said. "And one at the largest Sun Temple in the city. There's likely even more of what you're looking for in Archwizard Alphys's Academy. If it's something you're interested in. And if you can convince an escort."
"Thank you very much," he said.
She nodded and looked to Papyrus. "And, you. Tell your brother I'll have an answer for him by the end of the day."
"Oh! Sure! About what?" he said.
"A crystal he was searching for."
"Okay, consider him told!"
Mistral gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Hopefully, I'll see you later today. Stay out of trouble."
"We will!" he assured her.
.
As Mistral made her way out, Papyrus whirled on Gaster with wide, curious eyes. "So? Do you want to go?"
"I…" The skeleton looked at the note he'd been left with. "I do, but I can't imagine that—"
"I'll take you! It's not a problem at all," he assured him. "Frisk, do you want to come?"
"Uh, where?" she wondered. She shoved the teacup towards Gaster. "Take this."
"To see monster family records!" he said, nudging the other skeleton until he gingerly took the steamy drink. "You don't have to look at that, but he would like to."
"Oh! Sure! I mean…" She turned her attention on Gaster. "Is that okay? Do you mind if I come?"
The old skeleton looked perplexed. "…Me?"
"Yeah, you!" She shrugged. "I don't mind staying back if you don't wanna be around me."
He stared at her, unblinking, for a few seconds. "…Do what you want. I can't stop you."
"Yeah, I know, but what do you want?" she insisted. "Seriously, if you want, I'll stay way the heck away."
Blue and gold flickered deep in Gaster's eyes. Cautiously, he took a sip of the tea. His expression softened just a tinge. "Do what you want."
Papyrus beamed. He clapped the old skeleton hard on the back. "Good! Progress!"
xXxXx
With Chara roused to the world of the waking to eat breakfast with the rest of the group, Papyrus excitedly explained a plan that he had undoubtedly just come up. A visit Sun Temple first, for sure. The one Old Grumf was in charge of. Then, maybe the castle, and the Academy if they could get in. A protest was clear in Chara's eyes, and even Gaster seemed surprised by the suggestion, but Frisk swiftly reminded them that she'd been his target; no one else. They all knew that, at this point, he wasn't a danger to anyone.
.
The idea of showing Gaster around New Home put a bounce in Papyrus's step, but Sans seemed completely uninterested. Then again, the sharp-toothed skeleton wasn't interested much besides his bowl of pasta at the moment. He looked as tired as Frisk felt. He stayed behind as they prepared to leave, falling asleep on the couch almost the instant he sat on it.
.
As Papyrus made sure Gaster was prepared— with his coat and armour with a high enough collar to conceal the band on his neck from normal folks— Asriel, Chara, and Frisk took a moment to check on their magical seed realm. As was to be expected, without an anchor of energy, it had begun to collapse. Not so bad that it was inaccessible, but it soon would be without interference. They made the choice to let it deteriorate, for the time being. They'd make another when they needed it; hopefully one that could stay stable on its own with Asriel's crystal lodged inside of it.
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Stepping out into the bright sunlight wasn't enough to ward off the chill that plagued Frisk but, even so, the breeze rippling through the grass outside the Soul's mountain was refreshing, carrying the scents of the forest along with it. In the daylight, Gaster squinted and blinked a lot. He seemed a little happy, though, as they walked with Papyrus talking his metaphorical ear off.
.
The other kids hung back a bit, keeping to Chara's lethargic pace. Frisk didn't mind— she was still pretty tired, too. She pulled her striped hoodie tighter around herself to ward off the chill in the air as she watched the skeletons ahead of them.
"Hey, um, he'll be okay, right?" Frisk said. "Like, out in public?"
"I dunno, why?" Asriel said.
"Well, like, we put out his face as a big criminal, right?"
"I wouldn't worry about it," Chara said with a languid, dismissive wave of her hand. "If someone battles him, it's not the end of the world. You're the one who's more likely to get stopped in the street now."
"O-Oh." Frisk pulled her hood up and Chara scoffed and patted her head, squishing the little, plush horn-points on top.
"Why so worried?"
"I'm not! I, um, just kinda wanna have a quiet day."
"I hear that," Asriel said, rubbing the side of his head. "I feel like I could sleep for a week."
"You can go back," Frisk said. "I'm sure Sans won't mind."
"Nah, I'd rather come," he said
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Up ahead, Papyrus came to an abrupt stop and whirled around. "Sister!"
"Yeah?" Chara asked.
"I almost forgot!" He bounced back to her and pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "We got this yesterday, while you were napping. Sorry, I should have given it over sooner. And if it's what I think it is, you're going to be pretty pleased!"
"Let's see." She tore into it from the corner and dropped a folded piece of paper into her palm. When she opened it up, she smiled. "Ah! From Kid."
"You know a Kid?" Frisk asked, eyes gleaming. "Does he have black stripes like a bee?"
"Did you meet him?" Chara asked.
"I think I saw him in town," she said.
"Ah! No, you would've seen his little brother," she said. "He was doing some training out in the west. But this says…" Chara smiled at Papyrus. "He's applying to be Mistral's squire, so he'll be in New Home for a bit."
"Exactly as I thought!" the skeleton announced proudly, before he shot a bright smile at Frisk and Asriel. "So, I guess you two know a Kid back home, too?"
"Yeah, but he's still small, like me," Frisk said. "…Oooh, maybe that was why Mistral was in such a rush."
"That'd do it," Chara said.
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"You know, I really wanted to be Mistral's squire for a bit!" Papyrus said.
"Oh yeah, what happened?" Asriel asked.
The skeleton smiled fondly at Chara. "My sister happened. And! Also!" He grinned. "There's another position I think I would like a lot more."
"Lemme guess, Royal Alchemist?" Asriel asked.
"Exactly!" He winked. "You know me pretty well, already, friend! Plus! With Chara's amulet, we wouldn't have to even move out of Snowdin, right?"
"Exactly," Chara said.
.
"Pardon," Gaster cut in. "…You're from Snowdin?"
"It's not the same as you'd know, Uncle," Chara said.
"Ooh, would you like to see it?" Papyrus asked brightly. "Tomorrow, maybe?"
"If that's alright," the old skeleton said. His brow bent apologetically and he gestured broadly around himself. "But, if plans change, I'm more than satisfied with this. Even… out in the other worlds, I hadn't seen the sun."
"Wait," Asriel said sharply. "Whoa whoa wait a second, you're saying that when we fought you, you were sunstarved?!"
"I was, for a while." Gaster tapped his teeth thoughtfully. "Of course, it takes more than a few days to fully recover."
The goat boy's fur fluffed up indignantly. "What the hell?! Even then, you were so tough that—!"
"You did very well, Prince Asriel," the skeleton said, unable to quell a smile tinged with pride. "You and… the time god, you defeated me at the strongest I'd been, after all."
"Still, though!"
Gaster chuckled and gave the boy a pat on the shoulder. "Chalk it up to age, son."
"That's crazy," Asriel grumbled. "And—!"
"Ah. Right. Sorry. Not son—"
"No! I was gonna say!" Asriel huffed. "If… If things are… Ugh. I hope you'll get it. We got it. So, I hope you do, too."
Gaster's smile turned rueful. He shook his head.
"Uncle, it still might not be too late," Chara said.
The skeleton chuckled, the sound coming out rough and exhausted. "I'm sorry," he said, and then looked to Papyrus. "Never mind. Lead the way."
"Ah! Uh! Right, we're nearly there," Papyrus said, beckoning him onwards.
.
Asriel scowled, stuffing his hands into his pockets, and he kicked his heel in the grass as they trailed the skeletons. "Never mind, never mind," he parroted quietly. "What a stubborn guy."
"We didn't tell him about the thing, though," Frisk said under her breath.
"Don't. Not yet," Chara said. "Once we know the structure's solid."
"But do you think it'd make him feel better to know?"
"On one hand, it could," she said. "On the other, if we fail, absolutely not."
"We're not gonna fail, we're gonna do it," Frisk insisted.
Chara smiled. "I think so, too, but I'd like to be safe about it."
Frisk pouted a little. "Ooookay," she said reluctantly.
The taller girl patted her on the head again. "Soon."
.
When they came to the portal's shelter just beyond the field, as usual, Chara used her medallion to whisk them away, back to the city of New Home. Papyrus beckoned them onto the quiet, cobblestone street, but as soon as his boots made contact, Gaster's body froze almost as if he'd been petrified. His eyes darted around, scanning the rooftops and the quaint storefronts that lined the way.
"Where is this?" he breathed.
"Oh! This is part of New Home!" Papyrus said. "Near the—!"
"This is New Home?" Gaster tilted his head up to look at the clear sky above. He breathed in deeply and his stiff shoulders dropped, just a little.
Frisk looked up, too. Though it wasn't strange to her that the rooftops were like what she recognized from the city of the same name from back home, she imaged seeing it without being shrouded in the confines of the great cavern must've been pretty impressive.
"Is it… alright if I just… stroll a bit?" Gaster wondered.
"Sure!" Papyrus said. "I'll come with you."
Gaster nodded, but he didn't really seem to be listening as he walked off down the road as if in a daze. Papyrus hurried to trail him, turning to walk backwards for just a moment to hold up a small crystal. Chara replied in kind and he grinned and jogged after Gaster as the old skeleton turned a corner and vanished from sight.
.
"Jeez, good thing someone has energy," Asriel said.
"Jealous?" Chara said.
"Hell yeah I am. I still feel like I got smacked with a mountain."
"Hah. Me, too." She hummed thoughtfully. "Well, d'you wanna find a café and just sit for a while? Or we could head to the temple." She plunked her hand on Frisk's head. "You've been pretty quiet, what do you think?"
"Oh, um…" Frisk smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry, um… I'm okay with whatever."
"Are you still feelin' rough, too?" Asriel asked.
"Just a little, no big deal," she said. "I guess I wouldn't mind just goin' to see Grumf or something. I can thank her for that magic dog poster."
"Oh, true," Asriel said. "Is it far?"
"No, that's why I brought us here," Chara said, rolling her eyes. "Follow me."
.
It was hardly a five minute walk to the huge Sun Temple. There were some monsters milling about outside, but none that paid them any mind. Music in long, trailing notes and the scent of baking drifted down the road invitingly.
.
Beyond the open doors, the temple was a lot more crowded than the first time they'd visited. Monsters were gathered around the shrine-like area, playing instruments that reverberated in a sort of ethereal way off the high ceilings. Others were browsing the books or simply sitting on some benches and chatting. A little dog— ginger in colour with pointed ears and big, dark eyes— in a robe very similar to Grumfs' was wandering between the visitors with a basket of cookies.
.
"Ooh, is this what this place is normally like?" Frisk wondered.
"On a busy day," Chara said as she started to head for the benches.
"So, this stuff, it looks like it's based a lot on those dogs we saw in that flying fort, right?" Asriel wondered. "D'you think that happened here, too?"
"Couldda," Frisk said as they sat down.
"Did you see a Sun Temple back then?" Chara asked.
"Sure, that's where I got the weird vision from."
"Oooh. Right, right, I forgot. Sorry. Was it similar to this one? The architecture or anything?"
"It was more like the one in the castle," Frisk said. "But, kinda gloomier, I guess."
"Strange." Chara leaned against the hard back of the bench and let out a sigh. "I sometimes think… Is this what we could have been like? Is this where we would have gone, if the war hadn't… You know."
"…Me too," Frisk admitted.
"Yeah," Asriel said, his ears drooping a little. "It's been pretty weird since we got here, but… I mean, it's good, too. That's why I'm bringing all that magic stuff back with us, y'know?"
"It's a good idea," Chara said. "I—" She halted abruptly as a basket of cookies was pushed up and towards her. She chuckled and she took three and passed them between the other kids. "Thank you," she said, reaching down to pat the dog's head.
The little ginger beast looked up at her with huge, dark eyes, but when he glanced at the other two, he yipped, spun in a circle, and dashed away, holding the basket up over his head, short tail wagging frantically.
.
Chara snickered. "Anyway. I was going to say, I know for sure our parents will appreciate it." She pointed her cookie at Frisk before taking a big bite of it. "Your dad especially. He used to talk about this huge library he lost."
"Yeah, I… It's funny, whenever it comes up, I feel like I went there," Frisk said bashfully. "Oh man, it'd be so nice if he could have a library in town, now."
"No reason he can't," Asriel said. He grinned sideways. "All we got is the goofy librarby that Alphys's cousin runs."
"…Wait, that's Alphys's cousin?" Frisk asked. "She never mentioned that."
"Yeah, I think they had a bit of a falling out over her working in the lab," he said absently. "Cause her dad fell down there and he was their last adult in the family at the time, I guess. People are complicated sometimes."
"I never knew all that!" the kid squeaked. "How'd you know that?"
"I know everything," Asriel joked. He chomped his cookie down and snickered as his sister stared at him with an increasingly flummoxed expression. "I was in a time loop for a ton of time, remember? I got to know everyone. Some of 'em more than I wanted."
"So I guess he musta been real desperate when he called her that last time, huh?" Frisk wondered.
"Sounded like it," Asriel said.
"Is that that green lizard in Snowdin?" Chara asked.
"Yeah, that's the guy," he said.
"I hope they can make up," Frisk said quietly.
Asriel shrugged. "Eh, you never know. Some families don't get along at all. But, maybe."
.
Frisk nibbled on her cookie thoughtfully. It was sort of a weird thought to her, but, then again, both of the versions of Sans she'd met outside of home seemed to absolutely hate Gaster that they knew.
.
"Speaking of, I've… been thinking about… our parents. A lot," Chara said quietly.
"Oh yeah?" Asriel said.
"Yeah. About what you said, too," she said. "About how I'm not a secret you can keep."
"O-Oh, god, right, what are we s'posed to do about that?" Frisk asked shrilly.
"I wish I knew," Chara mumbled . "Because, it's true, it's not as if I can ask you two to keep what happened here quiet until we get our connection working. Right?" She ran her fingers through her auburn hair and her eyes glazed as she stared off at nothing across the room. "Maybe I... could write them a letter? Do you think they'd recognize my handwriting after all this time?"
"What about a video?" Frisk asked.
Chara blinked her bright eyes and Asriel's ears perked.
"Avenir recorded a couple for my brothers and my dad," the kid continued. "I dunno what she said but maybe you could do something like that?"
"I…" Chara gulped. Her cheeks flushed ruddy and the grasped her hands tight together. "I… think that's doable. I'll need to figure out what to say, I guess." Her lips quirked into a sideways smile. "Just make sure you have that ghost mode on, yeah?"
Frisk's face lit up. "Yeah, sure!"
"We can help," Asriel said. "I mean, we can do a little editing, too, right? In the app?"
"I think so," Frisk said.
"So!" Asriel grinned. "If you start crying—"
"Shut up, I'm not gonna start crying," Chara muttered.
"Oh yeah? I dunno, I would," the boy said. "I cried a ton when I saw them for real again."
The freckled girl crossed her arms and she puffed out a little sigh. "We'll see how it goes."
.
Frisk held out her arms and Chara let her squish her into a tight hug. The girl sighed and clenched her fingers into Frisk's sweatshirt and rested her chin on her head.
"Got you," the kid said quietly.
"Hm." Chara couldn't help a smile, even when she caught Asriel grinning fondly at her. She blushed and squeezed Frisk a little tighter. "I know you do."
.
Asriel cleared his throat pointedly and nodded his head back towards the entryway. Chara half-reluctantly released the short kid in her arms and twisted around. Papyrus and Gaster had arrived. The former caught sight of them and beamed, waving, while the latter stood in place, leaning back to stare at the ceiling with an awed look on his face.
.
Papyrus bounded over to them. "It seems like things are going pretty well!" he said in as hushed a voice as he could manage. "He actually seemed like he was in a bit of a good mood!"
"That's good," Frisk said brightly.
"Learn anything interesting?" Chara asked.
"Uuuuhhh, nnnnnot really," he said. "Was I supposed to be information-gathering?"
"No, no, it's fine," she said. She peeked around him as Gaster started to walk farther into the temple. "To be honest, I'll be a little surprised if he finds anything in here."
"I dunno, Mistral seemed pretty sure; you think she gave him a bad lead?" Asriel asked.
"No, I mean it's way too messy," she said.
"Maybe we could help?" Frisk wondered.
Asriel put a paw on her shoulder and got to his feet. "I'll ask. Still doubt he'll tell you."
"Right," the kid said, trying not to droop.
"Don't worry, friend," Papyrus said with a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure he'll come around."
"I'm not," Frisk said, "but it'd be pretty nice." She carefully slipped back onto the ground.
"Where're you going?" Chara asked.
"Spying," the kid said. "You wanna come?"
The freckled girl shrugged, but she got up, too.
.
The kids dodged between monsters as they crossed the temple into the sections divided by huge bookshelves. Peeking around, however, found Gaster and Asriel in the corner near the wall and ancient, royal tapestry that they'd seen on their first visit. The skeleton already had a large, battered tome cradled in one arm as he pored over its pages. Frisk caught Asriel's eye and mouthed to ask if that was it. The boy shrugged, but waved at her to leave. The kid pouted but pulled back quickly.
.
Chara and Papyrus were right behind her when she turned around and she had to cover her mouth to keep from yelping.
"Y-You guys don't have to hide, you know!" she whispered.
"Oh. That's true," Papyrus said. "But I thought that—"
"Hi."
All three of them just about jumped out of their boots as, somehow, Old Grumf appeared between them without an ounce of fanfare. Chara wheezed and reached for the shelf and Papyrus smacked both hands against his own face.
"A-Ah, hi!" Frisk squeaked. "I-I got your letter, thank you so much."
"Oh. Good." The old dog gave Frisk a quick squeeze of a hug before turning to beckon to the little ginger dog and someone in a cloak, but as soon as they moved, the clunk of metal against the wood revealed the newcomer.
.
"Pasithea!" Frisk said brightly.
"Kids?" The pesanta pulled her hood back and smiled brightly, her purple eyes gleaming. "Nice to see you!"
"You…? Do you come here a lot?" Chara asked, brows raising.
"Well, yeah, of course," she said. "It's a great place to get advice. A-And also—!"
"She helps out with the shelves. I know 'er grandma," Grumf said with a sly little smile. "Known this one since she was 'bout the size of a bean."
"Thaaaat's true," Pasithea said with a sheepish grin. "Also, speaking of grandma—"
"You have news?" Chara blurted.
"I do! Good and bad," she said, and then quickly added, "but the bad isn't actually that bad."
"Did something go wrong?" Frisk asked worriedly.
"Oh! No, no no, not at all," the pesanta assured them. "Actually! That's the good news! The project's done. The, um, only bad news is just that, I wasn't sure how to send it to your house, so I delivered it to the castle earlier this morning. So you'll have to make an extra trip to pick it up."
Chara wilted with utter relief and Frisk couldn't help a little snicker.
"Oh thank god," the freckled girl muttered.
"That's not bad at all!" Papyrus assured her. "In fact, we were on our way there after this, so that works out really well."
"Oh, phew!" Pasithea said. "I'm really glad to hear that." She puffed up and her eyes twinkled. "My grandmother was really confident about it. She wrote everything in a letter, you'll see."
.
"So who did you leave them with?" Chara asked.
"Well, I planned on leaving it with the Queen herself," Pasithea said. "But there's some big knight contest or something today, so I couldn't get to her. I ended up giving it to that friend of yours. The, um, big leafy boy."
"Leirak," Frisk said. "Ooh, that's good. Thank you so much."
"Yeah, that should be fine," Chara said with a nod. "Worst case scenario, he tries to bring it to us and we just do a bit of a run-around."
"Definitely workable!" Papyrus said. "Thank you very much, friend!"
"Oh, it was no trouble," Pasithea said, her cheeks flushing. "In fact, I was happy to—"
.
The pesanta's words cut off into a startled shriek as Gaster came around the corner. He froze at the sound and she gulped hard and reached out for Frisk's shoulder, stepping forward despite a tremor in her whole body becoming audible through the rattling of her false leg against the floor.
"Ah." Gaster took a small step back and dipped his head. "Hello again."
"Oh, um, he's safe now, for sure," Frisk said, reaching up to take Pasithea's hand. "Thank you, though."
"I-I…! Um!" The pesanta looked at the others with confusion. "I thought he was in the dungeon?"
"He's got a suppresser on, it's alright," Chara said.
"Oh. Uhh." Pasithea's long ears pinned back. "…Hi?"
He nodded. "I remember you. Your actions were brave."
"Um, thank you?"
.
"Hmph." Grumf crossed her arms and her fluffy brows furrowed so heavily her eyes were all but invisible. "You made a lot of trouble, mister."
"…I know," Gaster said.
"You made the puppy upset," she continued, a growl in her high voice. "They put her through an inquisition because of you."
"I-I'm okay!" Frisk said swiftly.
Grumf shook her head and she glared at Gaster. Nothing had changed but, somehow, she radiated heat. "I hope you said sorry. I hope you are sorry. Because you should be. It was bad."
Gaster grimaced. Frisk snuck out in front of Grumf and put out her hands pleadingly.
"H-He thought I was doing something really horrible to his home and his family," she said, "so I—"
"No," the dog said sternly, taking her by the shoulders and gently shifting her out of the way. She looked into Frisk's eyes very seriously and patted her on the cheek. "Puppy, it was bad. Extremely bad."
.
"Yo, are you getting dressed down by that little dog?" Asriel asked as he poked his head around the corner.
"It's fine," Gaster said.
"Sure is, it's hilarious."
"Az," Frisk squeaked.
"It's fine," the skeleton repeated. "…She's not wrong."
"No, I'm definitely not," Grumf said. She pointed two stubby fingers at him and a ring of red gleamed in the fur on her brow. "We're watching, so don't you dare do a bad thing again, got it?"
"I absolutely get it," the skeleton said. "You… won't have to worry about me much longer."
"Hmph." Grumf turned on her heel, her little tail gently smacking him in the leg as she marched off.
Her fuzzy ginger companion did the same action with a two-clawed point and hurried away after her.
.
"I guess you don't get any sun cookies, huh?" Asriel said.
"That's the least of my worries," Gaster said with a tired laugh. He gently closed the book and turned his attention on Pasithea. "I apologize for any pain or grief I might have caused you. If a duel of some kind would help you to—"
"W-Whoa whoa whoa, a d-duel?!" Pasithea sputtered. "N-No! Nooo no, that's okay, I… I…! I'm not mad, I was just worried about the kids!"
"Are you just gonna offer to let everyone you messed with beat you up?" Asriel asked.
"That's the idea," Gaster said.
"Aah, please don't!" Frisk said.
"It's what they're owed," the skeleton said.
"Honourable, at least," Chara mused.
Frisk groaned. "C'mon."
"If it's what he feels like he has to do, it's probably for the best," Papyrus said. "A good battle can be a cathartic way to work something out. But! Don't forget!" He put a hand on Gaster's shoulder. "Frisk is the best healer we have. So! If your bones get injured, Frisk is the one who will be patching you up."
The old skeleton's brow furrowed, but he nodded. His fingers clenched lightly into the book. "…Do you… suppose it's alright if I still—?"
"You didn't get kicked out," Chara said. "I'm sure you're fine."
He nodded again and held onto the book like it was precious as he slid away around the large shelf again.
.
Pasithea blew out a relieved sigh. An awkward smile strained her snout and she rubbed the back of her head.
"I'm really glad he, uh, didn't insist on that fight," she said quietly.
"It's only if you wanna knock some sense into him," Asriel joked.
"I'm just fine, thanks." The pesanta chuckled. "Battles aren't exactly my forte, anyway." She shook her head. "Anyway, I'm happy to see you here. I should get back to open my shop, but let me know how things work out, okay?"
"If we can," Chara said. "I'll… probably be in touch, regardless."
Frisk felt a little pang in her chest. "Oh, um." She looked up at the monster bashfully. "Could I, um, give you a hug?"
"Sure, uh…" Pasithea dipped down and Frisk grasped her tight, pressing close and letting the warm red of her soul flare. The pesanta wilted and cuddled her up in her cloak. "Aw, kid, s'okay."
"Thanks for everything," Frisk said. "…Y'know, in case we don't see you."
Pasithea nodded and gave her a little squeeze. "You're a good kid." She straightened up, patting Frisk gently on the head. "You all are. Stay safe, okay?"
"Do our best," Asriel said. "Thanks for the help."
"Happy to!" Pasithea assured him.
.
As the pesanta went on her way, waving as she did, Frisk couldn't help the melancholy that settled within her. She tried to push it aside and spent some time with the others, keeping a casual eye on Gaster and listening to the endless music as monsters rotated in and out of playing spots.
.
When Gaster was done, he slipped off to give another quiet apology to Old Grumf before they were on their way to the castle.
"Hey, can I ask?" Asriel said as they headed for another portal hub. "What exactly are you looking for?"
"Hm? Oh. It's… nothing important, really," Gaster said tepidly. "More of a curiosity. Mostly, I'm looking for familiar names."
"Why?"
"Did you find any?" Papyrus asked.
"Some," Gaster said. "It's… interesting. The death rate in this kingdom was extremely slow until around two hundred years ago. What was it that happened, exactly? Would that be your barrier incident?"
"That'd be the King's Curse," the younger skeleton said. "And, barrier— I guess? But it was more about the big mountain than the barrier. Not much light at all."
Gaster frowned thoughtfully. Chara cleared her throat.
"There was a mountain formed over the Kingdom by the King's Curse," she said. "We blew the top off of it when we broke that curse. The walls are what's left."
"And what curse is that?" he asked.
"Oh! It was awful!" Papyrus said loudly. "The most basics of basics were, it made all of us monsters have weird bodies that we weren't really born with. It also made almost all of us moonblind and go crazy at night and get into fights and act like a horror story. And! Everyone who was born after the curse, we still have some things about us that are different than they were supposed to be, mostly in the form of dark colours or pointy bits."
"Apparently, the longer a monster had that curse," Chara said, "the less of their body changed back after the fact. Undyne looks almost the same as she did before we broke it, hm?"
"Mhm, she's just a bit shorter now and without the snake tail and the black eye," Papyrus added.
"And… this was because of the King?" Gaster wondered. "Don't tell me it was—?"
"Asgore," Chara said, lowering her voice. "Yes. He was… corrupted, maybe, is the right word? He was almost driven insane with grief when his kids were murdered. And all of that cursed the Kingdom."
"It's a lot better now!" Papyrus said swiftly.
.
The old skeleton couldn't keep from grimacing. "I suppose that's why I haven't heard much about him."
"He's not here," Chara said. "Self-imposed exile. It…" She sighed. "It wasn't entirely his fault. His advisor wasn't moonblind. He manipulated a lot behind the scenes."
Papyrus blinked. He whipped around to look at Chara. "Did I know that?"
"We might've mentioned it once or twice," she teased. "Don't worry. It was all pretty chaotic, yeah?"
"Oh, absolutely. Extremely chaotic!"
"And you got bashed in the head."
Though Gaster flinched, Papyrus snickered. He tapped the faint scar on his skull.
"I sure did," he said. "Well, at least it looks pretty cool."
.
Before long, Chara took them straight in through a portal again and into the castle. Despite how grandiose it was on the inside, somehow, it didn't seem to impress Gaster as much as the common streets did.
.
There was a lot of bustle in the corridors leading in from the main entrance. Well-worn posters stuck to the walls pointed guests towards a courtyard for the squire trials, and many monsters looked to be following their arrows. Guards in the hall cast lingering gazes on Gaster, but the presence of Papyrus and Chara clearly put them at ease.
.
"Okay!" Papyrus clapped his hands together and grinned, very much looking the part of a tour guide. "What would you like to see? Do you want to watch the squire trials or head straight for the library or—?"
"How about we go to trials," Chara suggested. "And he can go to the library."
"Sounds good to me!" Papyrus said. "If you see Kid, cheer him on for me, okay?"
"Yeah," she said.
"Oh, and keep an eye out for Leirak, right?" Frisk said.
"Right!" Papyrus's eyes lit up. "Oh! We'll stop by the barracks, too." He turned to Gaster. "You don't mind, do you?"
"I don't, not at all," he assured him. "You're in charge, Paps. Whatever you want."
"Thank you!" Papyrus said. "We'll catch up with you three later! Now! Follow me!" He beckoned to Gaster and herded him along— not that the old skeleton seemed the least bit bothered by it.
.
"Okay." Chara's voice huffed out like an exhausted sigh. "Great. Um."
"What's wrong?" Asriel asked.
"Nothing, I'm just exhausted," she said. "And I've been trying to write a script in my head."
"You wanna just go back and nap?" he asked.
She shook her head. "It'd be nice to catch Kid, if he's there. It'd be… Hah. Strangely normal." Her expression flattened. "I mean, unless you two don't want to—"
"I want to!" Frisk said swiftly, her eyes sparking. "I dunno your Kid, but I really like our Kid, so I think it'd be cool!"
"Yeah." Asriel grinned. "Hey, we were on TV— I mean, VC, right? I bet seeing some VC people cheering for him would hype him up, right?"
Chara smiled fondly. "Thanks."
.
The three kids strolled along the path of the arrows in a tired silence. Chara's head was a million miles away. Asriel couldn't help but yawn. Frisk felt much the same and had to stop herself from mimicking him. She was also still freezing. Nobody else looked bothered or cold, though, so she guessed it was just her. Her body did all kinds of dumb things when she was overtired, she supposed.
.
The rumble of raucous voices pulled them down a hall and to a wide, open archway out into a courtyard. Rows of bleachers blocked the way, but the buzz of magic in the air told them right away that a battle was in progress.
.
Cheering erupted just as they headed in and a huge burst of blue magic smashed in front of the seats, only for it to be harmlessly repelled by a clear barrier that shimmered in hexagonal tiles on contact. Two young monsters — an orc and a bunny— were duking it out in a large, grassy arena, rimmed on three sides by guest bleachers, crowded with excited monsters. The final side was yet more seats, but framed around a massive throne-like seat where Undyne and Alphys currently sat. Several members of the New Delta Council were around as well and, judging by the presence of some wasp-patterned reptiles and several other distinct groups, so were the families of the contestants.
.
Chara looked up at the stands and then took Frisk's hand, guiding her and Asriel around some groups and up into a spot near the edge that was clear, with just a few monsters nearby. As they sat, Asriel shuffled close to Frisk and took off his hoodie to put it around her shoulders. She smiled gratefully up at him and he snickered.
"Raccoon eyes again," he said.
"Yeah I bet," she said.
.
As the kid snuggled up beside her brother, Chara peered around with sharp, amber eyes. She let out a faint hmm. "I don't see him."
"Who?" Asriel asked.
"Leirak," she said.
"Why, you think he's—?"
A thunderous crash of magic made Asriel jump and cover his ears, and Chara burst out laughing. All of a sudden, the bunny was in a dazed heap on the floor and the orc had her arms high up in the air. The crowed hooted and cheered and burst with exuberant sparks of delighted energy, like twinkling stars and hearts.
"WINNER!" The voice was Arnbjörn Penguigon, bellowing from some crystal microphone near the throne. "Uru from Anvil Rock! Good job, lass! And, good effort, lad, better luck next time!"
The victorious monster thumped her chest with her fist and pulled the bunny to his feet, patting him heavily on the back.
.
"Is that it? Did she win the whole thing?" Asriel asked.
"I dunno," Chara said.
"EYYYY WHEN'S NERDLY?!" bellowed a voice above them.
Frisk looked up and, though it was hard to see past Asriel's horns, she could just make out two teens in the magus coats from Alphys's Academy sitting a couple rows behind them.
"What's a nerdly?" Asriel wondered.
"Probably a nerd," Chara said.
Asriel scoffed and Frisk couldn't help a snicker.
.
"Alright, mates, that was a great showin'," Arnbjörn announced. "Winners, yer set for your finals tomorrow, and to impress some good ol' Dragonguard vets. Hell, I might even pick up one of ya!" He guffawed heartily. "Now comes the finalists from yesterday to duke it out."
"Gotta be him, right?" Asriel said.
"Is that his family over in the special seats?" Frisk asked.
"Yeah." Chara nodded. "Had to be."
.
The next into the arena were a dog-like skeleton wielding a spear and a lion with a sword.
"Spear wins," Chara said.
"Huh?" Frisk asked.
"Spear wins," she repeated.
"Are we taking bets?" Asriel teased.
"Don't bother, you'll lose," Chara said.
.
An anxious silence fell over the crowd as the two contestants squared up. Then, souls bursting, a heroic blast of horns and an intense charge of fiddles roared over the arena and the two monsters raced at each other with spirals of bullets. The audience howled and cheered, on their feet with every cast and wincing at every strike.
.
They were both so fast, hitting and parrying— it was hard for Frisk to keep up. Asriel was having a better time, but his jaw was on the floor.
"I-I think I love this," he breathed.
.
By the final cacophonous attack, the arena was stained with magic and the skeleton dog was the one left standing. Arnbjörn, absolutely chuffed, announced Lato of Beinn Mhòr the champion and congratulated both contestants and announced the next round. Again, one of the teens behind shouted to ask when nerdly was, whatever that meant.
.
Two more rounds passed in a blur of shrieking cheers and explosive magic, adding a rotund, purple goblin and a black-and-red fire elemental to the pool of winners.
.
"Great job, everyone! What a show!" Arnbjörn said, clapping his big flippery hands together. "Now! The finals! Competing to be our own Mistral, Head of the Dragonguard's, personal squire! We got!"
In a spiral burst of pale green wind, a blue bird in white armour appeared on the field, brandishing a long halberd. The crowd erupted in cheers as he waved to them and the two teens whooped and hollered, one of them jumping to their feet. Frisk finally got a good look, and her jaw dropped. A mauve crocodaur in a vibrant, purple and white magus coat. She could have been Suzy's twin, if the kid she knew were a bit older. The crocodaur made a weird barking noise and pumped her fist in the air, only to have a snickering deer monster in red and green pull her back down to the bench.
.
"Berdly of New Home!" Arnbjörn announced. "And!"
A waft of mist puffed up at the opposite end of the field and it dissipated quickly to reveal, finally, Kid. Wasp-like in pattern, with dark streaks on his face and a long snout filled with sharp teeth, he was much larger and more dangerous looking than the Kid that Frisk and Asriel were familiar with. Chara couldn't help a grin.
"Kid of Snowdin!"
Frisk immediately jumped up as the cheering began anew. "WOOOO, KID!"
"YEEEAAAH, KID, GETTIM!" Asriel added.
Kid twisted around, his big, red eyes wide with surprise. Chara waved at him and he instantly grinned and frowned with determination as he faced down the blue Berdly.
.
Silence, for just an instant. The crowd waited with bated breath. Then, a beat pulsed in the air and two almost electric songs bashed into each other. The blue bird raced forward and Kid did, too. The halberd jabbed forward and the reptile slid under it and shot a barrage of bubbles upwards, knocking Berdly right into the air.
.
The bird flipped around, sending percussive blasts of wind down into the ground, slamming into Kid and knocking him across the grass.
"RAAAAA NERDLY GO!" shouted Not-Suzy.
"Woohoo!" the deer added.
Asriel growled. "COME ON, KID, YOU GOT THIS!"
"YOU CAN DO IT!" Frisk called.
.
Kid was up again quickly, but the wind kept coming. With a spin of his weapon, Berdley raised himself up to sit on the top of a tornado, a smug grin on his beak as he hurtled magical bursts downwards. Kid braced his talons hard into the ground, then bolted forward, juking between the small storms that charged across the field. His magic shot bubbles ahead of him in a chaotic burst. The bird waved some away, but Kid bounded up the largest of them and aimed forward like a torpedo, sailing through a spiral of wind and clunking his head right into Berdly's.
.
Not-Suzy howled with laughter as audible winces and cheers erupted in the crowd as the two monsters crashed to the ground together.
.
"NICE!" Frisk yelled.
The green wind erupted again as Berdly flapped back to his feet, Kid was up in an instant, too, and his bubbles shot out in all directions, slamming into a whipping hurricane and bursting in green and yellow sparks.
.
Together, their magic twisted around them and the crowd howled in excitement, despite only seeing glimpses of the two clashing between gaps in the tornado.
"HEY, BERDLY GET THAT DORK!" Not-Suzy yelled.
"KID!" Chara called. "WIPE THE SMUG GRIN OFF THAT BIRD'S FACE!"
"OR THAT!"
"I thought we were on his side," the deer said with a laugh. "Come on, Berdly!"
"Uh, right. YEAH, COME ON, NERDLY!"
"NO WAY, KID, YOU GOT IT!" Asriel yelled.
"NERDLY!"
"KID!"
"NERDLY!"
"KID!"
"RAAAAAAAAAH!"
"AAAAAAAAAAH!"
Frisk had to cover her ears.
.
The hurricane broke. Magic scattered everywhere. The audience screamed.
.
When the sparks cleared, silence. A gasp. A strained sigh of relief, despite everything. Both competitors were on the ground beside each other.
.
A tie.
.
"Well, wouldya look at that!" Arnbjörn called. "Stalemate! Haven't seen one o' these in years!"
.
The crowd exploded.
"BRUUUUUH!" Not-Suzy yelled.
"What's that mean?" Frisk said, voice hoarse, eyes wide. "D-Do they both win or both lose?"
"I… I don't know." Chara grasped tight to Asriel's arm.
.
Slowly, both of the monsters in the arena got up. They both looked exhausted. They stood and waited as, before the throne, Mistral and Undyne convened, speaking in rushed, hushed tones.
"They're just, uh, seein' what they're gonna do," Arnbjörn said. "Hang on a tick."
"I don't know if I can wait a tick," Chara grumbled.
.
The monsters in the stands rumbled in anticipation. They could see Kid's family way across the arena were leaning almost out of their seats to try to hear the Queen and her Dragonguard. Alphys, still in the huge throne, was simply beaming.
.
Mistral stepped down into the arena. "I've chosen," she said. "That was a great battle, absolutely. Both of you are more than worthy of training with the Dragonguard. But, for today, my choice is… Berdly."
Chara drooped and Asriel patted her on the back as the teens behind them whooped and the crowd rejoiced. Kid's shoulders sunk a little, but he nudged the bird gently and smiled, seemingly offering congratulations. Berdly patted him on the back.
"Due to compatible magic," Mistral continued, "I feel like Berdly will do best under my instruction." She smiled. "Congratulations."
"Thanks, ma'am!" Berdly said, thumping his hand against his chest. "I will be the best squire you've ever had, just you wait!"
.
"HAH! But that ain't all!" Undyne announced, strolling down onto the field.
Berdly and Kid both quickly stood at attention, but the Queen grinned and waved them off.
"That was great," she said. "So, uh. Kid, right? It was a tie. And you did amazing. Real unorthodox way of usin' a magic that ain't normally for battles."
"Th-Thanks, your Highness," Kid said quickly.
"So, I say, how 'bout you be my squire instead?"
Kid's jaw dropped. Chara's expression was all but identical. The monsters cheered and Berdley swiftly grabbed the gobsmacked reptile and shook him.
"Take it, you fool!" he said.
"I—! Y-Yeah! Yeah! I would love to, your Highness!"
"HAH! GOOD!" Undyne said, laughing loudly. "Because I wouldda been disappointed otherwise!" She clapped her hands together. "Okay! Great show, everyone! Test for Saffron's squire is up tomorrow aaaaaand that's it! Now, get outta here, go get some lunch or somethin', I dunno!"
"Thank you for coming, everyone," Mistral said.
.
As the crowd whooped and clapped, and began to disperse, Chara was out of her seat quickly and rushing down to the arena. Asriel snickered and Frisk beamed.
"Man, that was better than a TV show," she said.
"Yeah, that was great."
"HEY!" The crocodaur had bounded down the benches and pointed straight at Asriel. "Fluffy boy!"
"What?!" he said.
"Good shouting!"
"Oh. Uh. Thanks! You too!"
Not-Suzy nodded approvingly and gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder as she passed by. The bucktoothed deer trailing her smiled bashfully.
"Guess it's a truce, huh?" she teased.
"Guess so," Asriel said.
She snickered and hurried off, and those two headed down to the arena as well.
.
"Man, this just makes me think we could crank up those magic contests back home like crazy," Asriel said. "Imagine. A big arena like this? Imagine Papyrus going all out."
"That'd be so cool," Frisk said. She smiled sheepishly. "This all kinda hurt my ears, though."
"Hah! Um. Sorry," he said.
"S'okay," she said. "Screaming in a crowd is kinda fun."
Asriel snickered. He patted her on the head and slumped a little where he sat. "You know… I'm pretty glad," he said quietly.
"Hm? 'Bout what?" she said.
He pointed down to the arena where Chara was very emphatically discussing something with Kid. "That." He smiled. "I mean, of course she has Sans, and Paps, and Toriel, but I guess… I was a bit worried she didn't have a friend outside the house. I'm really glad she does."
"Same," Frisk said. "And, if he's like back home, Kid's a really good friend."
"True," he said.
"…Do we tell him we saw the older version of him use crazy bubble magic to break through tornados?" she wondered.
"Dude, we HAVE to," Asriel said, wide-eyed. "He's gonna love that."
"Heh. Yeah. Guess so," she said.
.
Frisk got to her feet and stretched, and quickly rubbed her hands together as she noticed the shiver. She looked for Chara and caught her starting to come back up for them. She beckoned to them, so Frisk and Asriel hurried down to join her and Kid.
"Hey, thanks for cheering for me!" Kid said brightly.
"Yeah, of course!" Frisk said brightly.
"W… Wait." The monster squinted at her and tilted his head. His eyes bugged out. "W-Wait, are you the Demon of Starhome? And…! And Captain Chaos?!"
"…I forgot that was the name," Asriel said with a strained smiled. "Haaah, yep, that's us."
"Chara, dude, that's nuts," Kid said, wide-eyed. "You're a whole family of heroes?!"
"Okay, wait, forget us," Frisk said quickly. "Congrats!"
"Ah! Right, yeah, thanks!" Kid said, grinning his bright, sharp teeth. "I didn't see that coming."
"I kinda did once Undyne came down here," Chara said with a self-satisfied smile. She patted the monster approvingly on the back. "You got really strong."
"I worked out a lot!" he said proudly. His eyes darted out over the crowd and his cheeks flushed. "Uh. Annnnd there's my mom over there, I better—"
"Go, go," Chara said with a laugh. "We'll catch up more later."
"Yeah!" He started to rush off, nearly stumbling as he skid to a halt and turned back for just a second. "Nice to meet you guys!" he called before racing away.
.
Chara let out a breath of relief. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but her eyes darted to the side and she waved. "HEY! ARNBJÖRN!"
"What's eatin' ya, Red Ghost?" he called back as he passed by.
"Have you seen Leirak?"
"Uh-huh, sure have," he said. "Sent 'im on a run this mornin'. Should be back by dinner!"
"Thank you!" She looked back at her siblings and her shoulders sagged. "I don't know if I can hold out that long without finding somewhere to nap, first."
"…Same, kinda," Frisk said.
"Well, uh…" Asriel scratched his cheek. "I dunno, I don't mind just sleepin' in a chair. I could wait. You two could go back to the Soul or something."
"You sure?" Frisk asked.
"Yeah," Asriel said. "We gotta talk, anyway. About the… You know, Toriel thing."
"Fair," Chara said. "What do you plan on doing, exactly?"
"Explaining it to her," he said. "I figure, I'm a good bridge, y'know. And… And if he can at least get one parent back, that's pretty good, right?"
"True," she said.
"I think that's really good and brave of you," Frisk said. "I hope it works."
"Yeah," he said with a dry chuckle. "Same."
.
The three tired, shouted-out kids returned to the castle proper. There was a hedgehog handing out tea right at the door, and they all gratefully took one before they went back to wandering. As Chara lead them towards the library, however, the only thing stopping them from running straight into Papyrus as he barrelled around a corner was a blue warning flashing in Frisk's vision.
"Oh, hey Paps," Chara said, "you missed K—"
"I know, I'm sorry, I just, uhhhh…" His voice got very high. "Gaster didn't happen to maybe have come to join you, did he?"
"Uuuuh… No?" Asriel said. "Why?"
"Okay, uh, don't panic, but I can't find him," he said.
.
Frisk's eyes bugged out and she looked up at her brother. He smacked his face with the palm of his hand.
"Oh, great," he grumbled.
"Okay. Calm down. Where'd you last see him?" Chara asked.
"The library!" the skeleton said. "But I looked all around there, in all the side rooms, and up the ladders, and in the secret behind-the-shelves rooms that I'm not supposed to know about! Nyooo, I'm really sorry, I—"
"Don't apologize, it's fine. He can't teleport, so he can't have gone too far," she said. "Did you tell a guard?"
"Nnnnnot yet," His cheekbones flushed bashfully. "I didn't want there to be a panic, he probably just got lost."
"Well, okay, do you want to split up to look?" she asked.
"Isn't splitting up like the bad spooky movie thing?" Frisk wondered.
"Sure, if you're somewhere dangerous," Chara said. "This is just the castle. There's nothing to worry about."
"Oh. Yeah. That's true." Frisk blushed. "Sorry.
"Well. I'm game," Asriel said.
Frisk nodded. "Me too."
"Okay, pick a direction and…" Chara sighed. "Check wherever a weird skeleton super scientist might think is interesting."