One week later
Alphys rubbed her brow, wiping the sweat off. Then she took off her glasses and wiped them with her lab coat. She did not like public speaking at all. If it was just a few people, she was fine, but she was going to be speaking to a whole room of workers. But she would manage.
She scooped up the blueprints she had drawn up, checked that her projector was working and walked out of her lab into the main area of the laboratory. There were thirty Monsters there, many with hard hats and coveralls, talking to each other. Undyne was there, dressed in more formal attire, out of her armor.
"You'll do fine," she assured the nervous lizard.
Alphys nodded, setting up her projector. "O-okay, everything's ready. C-can I have your a-attention?" No one noticed her nervous speaking and thus kept talking to each other.
"HEY, SHUT UP!" Undyne yelled. Everyone jumped at her shout, turning their attention to her. "Okay, they're all yours," she said to Alphys.
"T-thanks," Alphys said. "O-okay, so, um, we've got a lot to g-go over and a-a lot to do, so I'll try and k-keep this short." She switched to the first slide. "I-I've finished my designs for the new caverns that were blown open, s-so we can get to work on them. The f-fight from a week ago left many huge new chambers across the Underground and the k-king wants them to be used for housing and s-such. I've finished the t-town plans for each area, s-so all that's left is to g-group you all up so we c-can get this done quickly. Um, I'll let Undyne take it from here."
"Thanks," Undyne said, walking up. "Okay, I've assigned you all based on the geography of each cavern, so you'll be able to work most efficiently. The Hotland cave will be supervised by cold-bloodeds and fire Monsters adapted to the extreme heat.
"The Waterfall cave will be for the aquatic kind, since you'll be able to swim in the massive lake and I'll be running point on that, as well as the new fort that's going up in Waterfall. The Snowdin cave will be for all you furry folk who can withstand the cold. Just a word of warning, though; there's ice all over it, so expect to slide a lot.
"And as for the Ruins, we've got two teams to handle it. One will be in charge of restoring the old city to its original condition, the other will work on the adjacent cave. Asgore wants these new sections completed and ready to be inhabited in six months, so we've got a lot to do. Any questions?"
"Yes, will they just be referred to by their connected cave names? The new areas, that is," one Monster asked.
"No. The king's working on naming the new areas, but his second child is helping and has already vetoed many of the ideas," Undyne answered. "Anything else?"
"Is there a reason the Royal Guard is helping us?"
"It's more hands to lighten the work and they're not going to be doing much else since the most immediate threat, the humans, are dead," Undyne explained. "So I'm assigning them in this manner so they're doing more than just sitting on their assess. Anything else?" When no one said anything, she clapped her hands together. "Okay, now to get to the assignments. Alphys has some colored bands here and I'll be using them to assign you to your cavern."
Alphys held up a bowl with the aforementioned bands. "O-orange for Hotland, g-green for Waterfall, blue for Snowdin, a-and purple for the Ruins. And there are two purples for the two groups."
"Line up and I'll get to work," Undyne ordered. As they lined up, Undyne talked to Alphys. "So, where is the squirt anyway?"
"At Toriel's home, packing up," Alphys answered. "Remember? They told us all three days ago."
"Right. Must have slipped my mind." She pulled out the first band and started handing them to the Monsters.
Papyrus was carrying boxes out of Toriel's home, placing them in a cart. Sans was snoozing next to the wheel. "SANS, GET UP AND HELP!" he shouted.
"i am helping," Sans replied nonchalantly. "i'm making sure this cart doesn't roll away."
Papyrus sighed, running a gloved hand down his face. "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR LAZY SHENANIGENS. I MUST RESUME HELPING LADY TORIEL PACK UP HER THINGS." He marched back into the house, ready to carry another stack of boxes.
"Papyrus, I want to thank you again for aiding me," Toriel said.
"IT'S NO PROBLEM! ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP. OH, I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU'RE MOVING BACK IN WITH YOUR HUSBAND."
"He is still my ex," she corrected.
"STILL, YOU'RE WILLING TO FIX BRIDGES. MOVING BACK IN FOR YOUR CHILDREN'S SAKE!"
Toriel chuckled. "Yes. I have been very lonely here and as Frisk is not willing to move back and Asriel is choosing to stay with his father, I am going to go back to spend time with my family again."
"THAT'S WONDERFUL. AND HEY, MAYBE PERHAPS YOU'LL GET BACK TOGETHER!"
"I would not go that far," Toriel said. "I am still not sure things will ever be the same between me and him again.
"WELL, THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE," Papyrus said as he picked up a finished stack. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE WAY YOU USED TO BE. IN FACT, YOU COULD BECOME SOMETHING DIFFERENT. STILL MARRIED, BUT NOT THE SAME AS BEFORE."
Toriel chuckled at Papyrus' enthusiasm. "I wish I had your faith in others. I still envy it."
"THAT'S OKAY. NOT EVERYONE CAN BE AS GREAT AS ME!" Papyrus started to walk out, but paused with one foot out the door. "BY THE WAY, WHERE ARE FRISK AND ASRIEL?"
"In Frisk's old room, still packing," Toriel answered. "They still have a few things to get."
"OH, OKAY." Papyrus walked out, leaving Toriel to resume packing. Then she heard his voice outside. "OH, HELLO, YOU TWO. OH, THAT'S WONERFUL! SHE'S INSIDE, I'D SUGGEST ASKING HER FIRST."
Toriel turned and saw Noelle and MK walk in. "Greetings," she said to them both. "What are you doing here?"
"We came to help Frisk pack," MK answered. "Is that okay?"
"Of course," Toriel said. "They are upstairs in their room with Asriel."
"Thanks! Let's go!" MK bolted up the stairs, Noelle following at a slower pace. They walked into Frisk's bedroom and Frisk was going around grabbing things and handing them to Asriel, who put them in boxes. "Hey, guys!" MK greeted.
"Howdy," Asriel said in response. "What are you two doing here?"
"We came to help you pack," Noelle answered.
"Oh. Well, Noelle, you can help me put things in boxes and MK, you can help Frisk reach high places," Asriel suggested.
"Sure!" MK agreed, running over to help Frisk reach the higher shelves of the dresser. Noelle walked over to Asriel, picking up a few shirts and putting them in a box labeled 'shirts' in messy handwriting.
"Glad you're helping," Asriel said to her. "You're not upset that we're leaving, are you?"
"We'll still see you in school," Noelle answered.
"That's not an answer," Asriel said.
Noelle sighed. "I'll miss having Frisk as a neighbor. Well, I've gotten used to it over the past nine months, but still, I'll miss you both."
"We'll still come visit," Asriel assured. "And like you said, we'll see each other in school. Mom's gonna enroll me to your school next semester."
"You sure you have to move back to New Home?" Noelle asked.
Asriel sighed. "I'm used to living with my dad and Frisk thinks it'll be better for mom if she and dad live under the same roof."
"And how are sleeping arrangements for you and Frisk going to work?" Noelle wondered, picking up a few toys and putting them in boxes.
"I'm going to sleep in my old bed and all three of us have insisted that Frisk takes Chara's old bed," Asriel answered.
"I'm glad for them," Noelle said. "For a while, I was worried that they'd be upset since their parents – their birth parents – died."
"They don't seem to terribly affected," Asriel noted. "I think, in their mind, they've been dead for years. Plus, given that they sensed how much hatred came from then when they held you both hostage, might have killed what little love they had for them."
Noelle agreed. "So, what's going to happen to the house once you've all moved out?" she asked.
"Some other family is going to move in," Asriel answered. "That's part of why mom is doing this. Other Monsters could get more use out of the house now that Frisk is older."
"Well, I hope they treat it fairly," Noelle said.
After a few more minutes, everything was packed up. The three kids with arms carried the boxes down the stairs to Papyrus, who put them in the cart. Sans was asleep on top of the pile this time.
Toriel looked over the house one more time. A few memories came to the surface as she looked around. That time where Frisk finally managed to walk; the day she brought them home; teaching them sign language. The house had so many memories for her it hurt to leave it all behind.
Frisk could see Toriel struggling and grabbed her hand to assure her. "You okay?" they asked.
"I am going to miss this place," she admitted. "It has served us both well for four years. It is… hard to leave it."
Frisk nodded. "I understand. This was probably my second home, a place where I could rest in peace. Almost all of my good memories can be traced back to this place. I'll miss it, too. But if there's anything I've learned from my time on the surface and down here, it's that a real home isn't a place; it's the people that love you, support you, and are always at your side."
Asriel walked up and took his mom's other hand, which she squeezed to reassure herself that he was there. She chuckled at the irony. "How is it that I, a thousand-year-old woman, have a twelve-year-old child who is much wiser that her?"
"Guess I've just been raised right," Frisk said.
"Indeed," Toriel quietly agreed. She freed her hand from Frisk's grasp, closing the door behind her and locking it up. "We are ready, Papyrus."
The taller skeleton nodded, hoisting the cart up and pulling it, Sans still asleep on the pile of boxes. Toriel, Frisk and Asriel followed, Noelle and MK breaking off to return home, waving to Frisk and Asriel as they parted. The five of them journeyed through the Underground to New Home, arriving at Asgore's castle before the end of the day. Papyrus parked the cart just outside the door to the house, picking up Sans and waving goodbye before running off back to Snowdin.
Asgore arrived outside a moment later. "Howdy," he greeted. "Glad you made it before nightfall."
"How about I work on supper while you boys work on unloading everything?" Toriel suggested. "We can unpack after we eat."
"Sounds good!" Asriel agreed excitedly, grabbing a box and carrying it inside. Asgore grabbed four boxes while Frisk got a single one, Toriel walking ahead and to the kitchen. After unloading the cart, Toriel told everyone that dinner would be ready shortly.
Frisk walked outside, looking around at the grey walls of their new permanent home. Everything had changed within a few days. They knew Flowey was still out there, but Frisk would be cautious of the flower from now on and hopefully he understood to stay away from Frisk's family.
Frisk looked off to the side to see the glowing star. It marked a 'save' as they had come to call it, a place where they could ensure they could go back to if something happened. But Frisk didn't see that happening for a long time. They were going to settle into a calm life and a stress-free routine for a long time. They walked over to the star and touched it, ensuring that everything that happened today and from before was forever locked in. Toriel called out and Frisk rushed back inside to eat. They could feel it in their very Soul – the future looked bright.
End of Book I
A/N And thus ends Divine Soul: Genesis.
Now before you ask, yes there is a sequel in the works, but it won't be for a while. I've got other stuff to go through first.
So what's next? Well, starting next week, exclusively to DeviantART, I plan to give you all a preview of what I've got in store. I've got several more Undertale stories I want to share, and I have the prologue for each already written. My plan is to post one prologue a day, along with a brief description of the overall story. Though, just be prepared. What I'll be posting is only the first draft of each story, so it won't be the same high-quality writing you've come to expect from me.
Well, that's all from me. I plan to start releasing the previews Monday, so I hope to see you then. My username on DeviantART is the same as here. Until next time,
Stay Determined.