There was only void.
Stop struggling
The child could not move.
There's no way out
Dust smeared his bruised body. Where does this come from?
It's inevitable
Before him shone his soul, "the sum of his whole being". But it shone with a dark, unhealthy glow.
It will all be your fault
All his friends had disappeared. What happened? Why nobody came?
You think you're above the consequences, don't you?
Screams and pleas pierced his ears. Doubts assail him.
You do not understand ?
So look at your soul
The child obeys; there was a crack. Very small, almost imperceptible to the eye. Suddenly, it got bigger. A little. But the tugging sensation that followed made him moan painfully. He recognized the feeling all too well: it was rooted deep in his flesh. He had been so many time beaten, burned, stabbed, pierced, cremated... Over and over and over...
Frisk?
This tear was the one that always preceded the destruction of his soul. Before he comes back, always.
Frisk ? Do you hear me ?
You played with a power you don't control, like the ignorant child that you are
Such a mess
Now you have to pay the price
The child cried out in anguished horror, as the corrupted heart fragmented and weakened. He cupped his chest, begging for everything to stop as his body screamed.
Frisk !
But don't worry, I'll make much better use of it than you.
It's just a bad dream! Please wake up!
I will eventually join you
In the meantime, I leave you to your nightmares
It's you who will beg me to end it
His Soul burst, scattering its fragments which were lost in the void. The child saw his limbs gradually fade… while a hooded form watched him, coldly, without making the slightest gesture to help him.
Remember: beware of the man who talks with his hands...
We will meet again very soon, dear singularity.
It's time for you to leave this place.
Crimson eyes pierced the dark veil.
Please wake up, Frisk!
This voice which called him, ceaselessly… The only one which counted for him and comforted him in this hell. It is…
-oOo-
The first thing what Frisk saw when he woke up on his bed, dozing, was a small white muzzle covered in fluffy fur. Seeing it made you want to kiss it or rub your face in it. Each day another, longer and finer, gives them many kisses full of tenderness on the forehead. Frisk was also very fond of the taller, broader one, whose golden beard tickled them at formal and clumsy hugs when he arrived during the regular visits allowed by their mother.
Above his head, his gaze met large spring green eyes, very worried at first - Frisk thought he saw tears beading at the corners, but he wasn't sure - which became relieved when the human child emerged from sleep. Fluffy but clawed hands holding his tense shoulders; their owner must have been shaking it for a while.
"Finally, you wake up! cried the small voice of another child who moved aside to make room for him.
Straightening up, Frisk stares in confusion at his non-human roommate standing next to the bed frame. Compared to other monsters, he looked more like a human child of his own age, though his dominant physical characteristics were unmistakably that of a young boss monster goat child, with bits of fangs sticking out from under his lips and long drooping ears just below his shoulders. Above his still hornless head - much to the frustration of the little monster, who already wanted to get them out - is a generous tuft of full, wild hair that could use a good combing. Although his thick white fur kept him warm, he wore pajamas similar to his, except that they were green striped with yellow instead of mauve.
"Hi, Az…" Frisk mumbled with a small smile as he rubbed his face, the disheveled brown hair covering his eyes still misty with fatigue.
"Howdy Frisk! » Asriel Dreemurr, the Prince of Monsters, returned his friendly expression.
The biological son of former Queen Toriel and King Asgore Dreemurr, watched his best friend, Frisk, the unofficial and only human child in their family, stretch his sleepy body. He seemed ready to go back to bed in less than a second. There was nothing voluntary about his laziness; normally, Frisk got out of bed quickly and early. But this morning, he was sorely lacking in energy and motivation. To believe that he had not slept a wink of the night. The little goat noticed his reluctance to leave his blankets and pouted; he would not allow him to go back to Morpheus.
"Come on, Frisk, don't be like that!" Asriel protested before his scowling face cleared. "Mom is making breakfast! If we hurry, the pie will still be warm."
The trick worked: when the young monster pointed it out to him, Frisk smelled the tantalizing scent of the much-loved butterscotch-cinnamon pie, whose had risen from the kitchen upstairs. It was his favorite sweet dish; taste that he shared with all his friends who were lucky enough to enjoy it. The fatigue forgotten, the water instantly rose to his mouth. And, inevitably, his stomach was screaming with hunger. A resounding roar rose through the room he and Asriel shared, before fading into a series of gurgling sounds. Frisk's cheeks flared in surprise and shame, while Asriel's eyes widened, his expression shared between disgust and admiration.
"Wow... I thought I heard a Froggit trying to imitate Shyren's song."
"You're in no position to say that!" Frisk groaned, throwing his pillow in Asriel's face."Your snoring at night sounds like a car engine. I can barely get a decent night!"
"Liar, I don't snore!"
Frisk stuck out his tongue playfully at the plaintive squeaks of the monster child; vexed, the latter returned the pillow. This time it was the young human who couldn't avoid it, then, as he pulled it out, a heavy weight crushed him - the prince had thrown himself on him - and forced him to push on his arms to get up. Soon, enthusiastic laughter broke out in the room, as the two friends held each other's shirts to gain the advantage over the other. However, they were careful not to be too loud so as not to alert their mother still in the kitchen, just below the floor.
Heavier and stronger than Frisk, Asriel took advantage of the fact that he was still entangled in his blankets and gradually gained ground. He put on a victorious expression, but he greatly underestimated the human child who was resourceful and determined not to be pushed around. Not without struggling. One of his feet, which he had been able to free from his duvet, pushed the face of the monster now forced to wring his neck, to prevent his toes from going straight into his jaw or under his sensitive nose. His indignant face made the show very funny to watch.
" Hey ! Frisk, you're cheating!"
"You started it," he replied to the accusation before making a mischievous expression. "In combat, everything is permitted and all strategies are necessary! "
"Did Undyne tell you that in her self-defense class?"
"Yeah: demonstration!"
Taking advantage of his position, Frisk manages to use the young monster's strength to his advantage. He pulled away abruptly, which dragged Asriel down with a small cry, and threw him against the mattress. Blinded, he had no time to prepare for the onslaught that came from behind. His eyes widened in astonishment, as quick fingers teased his ribs.
"Oh no- Ah!… No tickling- ah! ah! Pi-Pity Frisk no- ah! ha ha! This! Spare me - Ah! Ah! Ah!"
"Say you're sorry, then!" asked the human with a devilish mimicry passing to his uncovered belly, soft and very ticklish.
It was too much and Asriel, unleashed, surrendered: he was half choking with laughter and breathing heavily.
"O…okay!" Sorry ! Sorry !"
Satisfied, Frisk released him and gave his half-brother time to catch his breath. A thousand years ago, no one would have believed this scene possible: that a human and a monster, two species that were until recently mortal enemies, could once again get along and have fun with innocent joy. Today, it was something that had become normal and ordinary in everyday life; at least in this house. Body still shaking with spasms and laughter, Asriel stared at the beige ceiling and the bright light from the enchanted stone, which served as a light bulb. He slowly calmed down and became thoughtful.
"It will soon be two years..."
Frisk turned to him, seeing him still lying on his crumpled mattress, the result of their little argument. I'll have to take care of it before mom comes upstairs; change the sheet and the blankets, otherwise she'll wonder... not to mention all the white fur lying around, he thinks to himself, but for the moment the boy's thoughts intrigue him. He suddenly sounded so serious that Frisk instinctively felt the need to lighten the conversation.
"Yes, a lot has happened," he adds, joining him. "This morning I have to go to the Ebott City Senate with Undyne, Papyrus and Asgore. This will be my real first speech in front of a large audience. Damn, I'm not telling you how stressed I am... Mom would have liked to come, but she has to go to school to prepare for the opening of the class, which starts in a week. And Alphys… I guess she and Sans will continue their research on Amalgamates. It was quite a surprise that he offered to help her; no one had ever thought that he had scientific knowledge… "
The human child looked at Asriel, hoping to see him laugh or at least smile at her friendly mockery of their notoriously lazy friend. But the prince did not react to his attempt and continued to stare sadly into space. After a while, Frisk cautiously asked him:
"Asriel...are you ok?"
"…"
"…You're still thinking about all that, aren't you? Before the destruction of the Barrier."
Asriel narrowed his eyes at the insinuation, before sighing deeply and sitting down on the bed. Frisk worried to see him so quiet. His prostrate and defensive attitude reminded him unpleasantly of the first days of his return among them. Closed in on himself and mute. After a while, although reluctantly and taking his time, he finally answered:
"It's... It's just that I still have a hard time believing it, you know? I... Not so long ago, I was still a flower, brought back to life because my dust had settled on its petals. was Flowey then. Soulless, emotionless. I find it hard to realize that it's over. Every time I wake up in the morning, I... I expect that everything that happened was just a dream. And... I find myself again at the bottom of this garden. Alone and again this... horrible thing."
Unable to help it, tears streamed down her cheeks. Frisk froze at the sight of them, then at the shaking hands Asriel held in front of him and stared at them as if they were repulsive. Before he could say anything, or contradict him, the young monster spoke faster and jerkily.
"And… And then I start attacking everyone again. I de-destroy their lives. I manipulate them. I-I take advantage of their suffering! I couldn't stop! We are at the castle! Dad ! Mom ! And everyone ! Everyone ! I'm taking everyone's soul to attack you again!"
Frisk didn't have to think: he took Asriel's sobbing body and hugged him. He felt it tense, but the young boy didn't go away.
"It's fine, Azzy…" he reassured him, in a calm tone despite the block of ice that had formed in her stomach, before massaging his back with a soothing gesture. "Flowey is gone. For ever"
"N-No, I feel like he's still here!" Asriel cried and Frisk felt him shake his head sharply against his shoulder. "I can hear him laughing, in my nightmares, with my own distorted voice! He and I are the same person, and you know it, Frisk! I...I'm so scared of what I might do to you! you, our parents and everyone else. If I get lost again..."
"No, that won't happen!" You still have a soul! Flowey had none. It was born out of your loneliness, your anger and your fears. But despite that, deep inside you, you never stopped being yourself and, thank to this, I could SAVE you in the past, remember? … Hey, Az. Look at me."
The human child backed up so that the other child looked at him, eye to eye. His watery eyes were red and swollen, the fur on his cheeks was soaked, and his wet nose was sniffling to keep the snot from dripping onto the bed that wasn't his. He was still crying a lot. Without her control, Asriel suffered panic attacks that happened randomly, and they were more or less intense depending on the day. Luckily, Frisk had been there every time to soothe and reassure him, ever since they had started appearing soon after he returned from his previous state. He guessed it was the weight of Asriel's guilt and insecurity, which continued to hurt him terribly. Even today, his trauma remained. It was not uncommon for the young monster to relive memories of his past times as "Flowey"; when that happened, Frisk joined him, often at night, to keep him company and comfort him as best he could until dawn. After all, he was the only one who knew about his past and this dark side of the prince.
Frisk knelt before him and looked at his friend with all the intensity and assurance he possessed. At that moment, he could feel all his Determination flowing from his being, and it marked in his mind the words he repeated to him:
"Even if you had become Flowey again...even if, that day, I had not been able to give you a soul, I would not have abandoned you. Despite what you told me, I would go look for you, in this mountain, then I would have brought you to the surface with me. By force, if necessary."
"Re…Really?"
"Yes! I would have asked Asgore for gardening lessons, but I would have taken care of you, as long as necessary, until I found a solution."
Asriel sniffed again, but it was an amused noise that left him as he wiped away the rest of his tears, a small smile appearing under his muzzle.
"You're a really stubborn person."
"I'm often told that, so I take it as a compliment!" the little human exclaimed happily, glad to have improved his mood. "Feel better ?"
"Y-yes, much better. Thanks, Frisk."
The child gave him a mischievous and charming wink, before getting out of bed to look for clothes to dress. Asriel stayed for a while, trying to mend his face after his emotional breakdown. Toriel shouldn't see him like this, when they come down; his mother would be mad with worry. I'm still such a crybaby as ever. That's what you'd tell me, wouldn't you, Chara? he thought without waiting for his missing friend's answer, before imitating Frisk as he got ready for breakfast. He had to hurry because, after all, whoever arrived early was certain to have the best plate! But, above all, he didn't forget to take his most prized possession from the nightstand: Chara's gold necklace.
The monster tenderly caressed the object pressed against him, which kept so many memories, then joined Frisk; this one, dressed in his signature blue striped sweater, was already leaving their room and getting ready to leave without him.
"Hey, it's not fair! Wait for me!"
"No way! I want to have the first bite!"
They nearly passed each other as they walked down the hall, then stumbled to reach the railing at the very bottom.