Blinding light above me and golden petals beneath me.

That's what I opened my eyes to. My whole body was aching. I must have really exerted myself last night.

…What did I do last night?

I groaned trying to sit up, as black locks fell in front of my face. I looked around trying to get my bearings. Above me was a hole where the sunlight pierced through. That only presented another question to me.

…Why am I down a hole?

I looked up and raised my right hand to block the sunlight as I squinted. The hole had to have been fifty feet deep. If I fell down here, I'm honestly surprised I'm not dead.

I let my hand drop to my side and into the golden petals. As my hand landed, I felt something. I wrapped my fingers around the foreign object and raised it up to inspect it.

"My sword?" At least, I thought it was mine. It was down here with me after all.

Merciless:

Is sparing your enemies really worth it? +15 ATK

I stared at its dark blade as it reflected the light from above. My eyes eventually trailing down to the red gem in the center of the sword's crossguard. I don't remember why I had this with me, yet I felt like I have a strange connection to it. But hey, at least I have some kind of protection now.

I stood up and placed the blade on my back. I decided to look over what the hell I was wearing. A simple black jacket over a grey t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and dark brown combat boots. I was even wearing a pair of fingerless gloves. My outfit pretty much read "edgy punk" all over it. But strangely it was a style I felt comfortable with.

I felt for any injuries and noticed some unknown objects in my jacket. I reached back into it and as my hands made contact with the objects, I pulled them out.

"A pair of guns?"

The Ombra Twins:

Two guns are better than one. +10 ATK

A pair of black M9 Berettas with compensators and the words 'The Ombra Twins' engraved on the were in good condition. Didn't even have a scratch on them.

"Are these mine as well?" My voice echoed through the cavern. I looked around and put the guns back into my jacket. There's something more important I need to figure out.

"Where the hell am I?"

I looked back down the pathway in front of me. I wasn't gonna figure anything out by just standing around. I went down the path and through the gateway I came across a small mound of grass. It was strange. This whole thing felt familiar but I couldn't figure out why.

As I continued on, I was hoping to remember… something. My mind just feels so clouded. I can't even remember my own name. Only thing I could think of was trying to move forward.

I found myself standing before a set of stairs leading into a purple brick building. In front of it was a golden star. Its warm light drew me to it. My hand outstretched as I inched closer.

Ding!

*In this world, it's kill or BE killed.

All of a sudden, my head became flooded with pain. I ripped my hand away from the star and grasped my forehead. All I could hear was a loud ringing noise as images flashed before me. A sword and a katana clashing. Blood. Familiar looking bodies. My scarlet eyes snapped open. I finally remembered. A name for myself. "Aiden… My name… is Aiden. And I know where I am."

And a name for this place. "Undertale."

*You saved the game.

I looked back at the black box filled with text. Didn't really feel like I saved anything. I then looked at the dusty footprints that led their way into the ruins.

"And it looks like I'm not the only one here."

Chapter 1: Awakening

"A storm is approaching."

I entered Toriel's house. As soon as I stepped through the doorway, the smell of cinnamon and butterscotch greeted me. But that didn't make me feel at ease. I made my way to the kitchen. The wooden floor creaked underneath my boots. On the counter was the rest of the cinnamon-butterscotch pie. It was still warm.

"Well… I'd hate for this to go to waste." I took what was left of the pie. Both because I was hungry and that I might need it if I got into a fight.

Searching the rest of the house, I found nothing else. The place was empty. No trace of Toriel or the kid either.

*There's nothing else useful here. Keep moving forward.

They're right. Not much left but I wasn't sure if I was ready yet.

"I wonder…" I stretched my hand out and focused. After lightly thrusting my hand forward, the textbox had shifted into a box of stats.

"Huh. Didn't expect that to actually work." I looked over my stats. Everything seemed ok until I looked closely.

ATK 10 (15)

DEF 1 (1)

Weapon: Merciless

Armor: Jacket

Looking at the word 'Jacket' it must be referring to the black jacket I wear all the time. I reached out and click on the word.

Jacket:

The jacket makes you look good, but don't expect a lot of protection. +1 DEF, +4 STYLE

A confused look grew across my face. "Style? What does that even do?"

*It makes you look stylish.

"Does that stat even exist in this game?"

*...

I sighed with disappointment. "Well, I'm glad I took the rest of that pie."

I made my way down to the basement. It grew colder the further I went in. Everything that I've seen up till now hasn't been good. The Ruins were completely empty, except for the piles of dust in every room. Toriel and Frisk aren't anywhere to be seen. I kept thinking to myself, "This is just a dream right? I just need to wake up."

That's what I hoped. But that hope quickly died as I reached the end. The door to Snowdin closed. And in front of it was a pile of dust.

"Oh no…" I ran to Toriel's remains and knelt down. But there was nothing I could do. It was then I realized that this wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare I had no hope of waking up from. I was in Undertale during a genocide run.

Dust and blood painted the walls. Too many times have I been in this kind of situation. Something I've grown used to.

*Bad memories.

I stood up and looked at my text box. This wasn't the time to ruminate on the past. I had to do something now. I pushed the Ruins door open and was greeted with a chilling wind.

Somewhere in another reality, cyan eyes snapped open. Harsh sunlight beaming down through the hole, he raised his right hand from the golden petals to block the sunlight.

He sat up, groaning in pain. He looked around confused, wondering where he was.

"What kind of place is this?" His voice echoed through the cavern. As he stood up he noticed the long object he was holding in his left hand. A katana that resided in its sheath.

He grabbed the sword by the handle and pulled the blade out slightly. It generated a click that echoed through the cavern. He studied the exposed portion of the silver blade, his face and the sun reflecting off it.

Angel's Blade:

A katana that was said to be wielded by an angel. +15 ATK

As he continued to stare at the blade, he gave a look at his reflection, noticing the reddish-brown he had. Some of his bangs were long enough, the center lock of them had curled underneath his left eye.

He then sheathed his blade, and decided to inspect his attire. A white blazer over a black turtleneck, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. He was sharply dressed, despite his current circumstances.

He then figured that if he were to find out more about this strange place, he'd have to press onwards. So he traveled down the cavern's main path, passing through a gateway that led to a room with a lone pile of grass.

The world he had found himself in was strange. He knew nothing of it. And as he continued to walk past the lone grass mound, his memory continued to fail him. He couldn't remember a thing. Not even his own name.

Soon he found himself standing in front of a pair of stairs, leading to a set of ruins. In front of it, a golden star shimmered. Strangely, he felt drawn to it. He approached the star, and stretched his hand out to meet it.

*Ding!

He closed his eyes in pain as a ringing filled his ears. He wrenched his hand from the star, falling down to his knees, holding himself up with the katana while grasping his forehead with his free hand. Images, remnants of his memories returning to him. Places, people, clashing swords, bodies. They all flashed in the blink of an eye.

The ringing soon stopped, and his eyes snapped open like he remembered something. He placed his hand on his chest as if checking for a wound. But when he looked at his hand, there was nothing.

*Saved.

He looked at the textbox in confusion.

Saved what?

Regardless, he picked himself back up and looked back at the ruins that presented itself to him.

"I see…"

Relieved of whatever plagued him beforehand, he then walked forward with a smirk on his face. Stepping into the unknown world ahead.

"It's not my time just yet."

I walked out of the ruins and entered the snowy forest. The cold wind blew. I could see my own breath. My scarlet eyes darted to each side, looking for the kid. No sign yet but I remained vigilant. They could show up at any moment.

*So what's your plan here? Cause it seems like you're just marching towards death.

"I'm not sure yet but it involves stopping that genocidal enby."

*And how do you plan on doing that?

"Talking it out?" I shrugged, not even completely sure about my own plan.

*That's a great idea! I'm sure a genocidal maniac would love to talk about not killing people!

Despite only being text I could just feel the sarcasm coming from that. I'd appreciate it if they were actually helpful.

"Hey, if things go south, I'm sure I can take them. They're just a kid right?"

*You plan on murdering a kid?

I frowned at my text box. "It sounds worse when you put it that way."

"Hey you!"

Hearing the voice, I hid into the nearby trees. I peeked out and saw Frisk approaching a lone Ice Cap.

"What do you think of my hat?" The Ice Cap was so hungry for attention, it didn't notice the toy knife being flipped around in Frisk's hand.

They looked different. They weren't a kid, I could tell that for sure. They were taller than I imagined. Still a couple inches shorter than me, but they definitely weren't the size of a child. Had to be at least sixteen or seventeen.

Frisk pulled the toy knife back and slashed through the Ice Cap's hat. It slid off and Ice Cap was no more. It was now just Ice.

"I… I…" The Ice stuttered.

Showing no mercy, Frisk pulled back their knife once again and slashed through the cowering Ice. Its body faded into dust.

*Your LOVE has increased!

They looked at their text box then turned away. They walked over to a wooden box and flipped it open. Reaching inside, Frisk pulled out the Tough Glove and pulled it over their hand. They then closed the box and made their way down the main path.

When they were out of sight, I came out of hiding and walked up to the pile of dust.

"Well, this might be harder than I thought."

*Got any other ideas?

I stood there thinking of what to do. "What about the fishing pole? There's gotta be a number or something attached to it, right?"

*I mean it's a start.

I reached out to the nearby star and saved my game. Instead of continuing down the main path, I made a left turn. I figured that by calling the number I could tell them about Frisk and warn them. Then they could warn others.

I approached the fishing pole and reeled it in. I was hoping to get something only to be met with utter disappointment.

"Damn it. No number." I frowned then let out a sigh. I was certain there'd at least be something here.

Crunch, crunch, crunch…

I stood up at the sound of the crunching snow. I slowly turned around and saw… them.

"..." Frisk looked at me with those crimson eyes. They curled their glove-covered hand into a fist as they approached me. "You aren't supposed to be here."

I just stood there. Looking at them. Couldn't even muster up a single word. They stared back at me with those cold, red eyes.

Those eyes… They were like the eyes of a demon. Set sight on their prey.

"Hm." Frisk's lips curved up and formed a slight smile. "What's with that expression? You look as if you've seen a monster."

They weren't wrong. And it was standing right in front of me. A monster I had no chance of reasoning with.

"... Are you ignoring me...?" They glared, tilting their head to the side. "Are you stupid?"

"This is why I hate humans." They stomped towards me with their balled up fist. "Nothing interesting comes from these encounters."

As they pulled back their fist, I reached for my sword's handle. My hand was inches away...

"You're all so predictable!"

Pain.

The punch sent me down to the ground. Blood dripped out of my shattered nose.

*Get up!

I felt their hand wrap around my ankle. Suddenly, my body was lifted off the ground and I was soaring through the air. My back crashed into a tree and I fell into the snow beneath me.

Frisk stepped into view. They were standing a few feet away from me.

"You know…" They spoke as they raised their hand only to curl it back into a fist. "I don't think I've ever gotten to kill a human before."

Picking myself up off the ground I looked at them as I was filled with rage.

"You wanna go?" I raised my thumb up and wiped the blood away from my nose. I then wrapped my hand around my sword and drew it from my back. Time to do what I do best. "Then come on!"

We charged towards each other. I swung my sword down only for them to dodge it. I swing to my right only for them to dodge that as well. They cock their fist back and hook it into my face.

The punch made me fly back. I crashed through the snow leaving a trail behind. Blood was all I tasted now. I spat the red substance out and it quickly stained the snow. I got into a kneel before looking up and seeing Frisk dart towards me.

I pull one of my pistols out of my jacket and open fire. Most of the bullets flew by. Except for two. One grazed their left shoulder, and the other grazed their right cheek.

They didn't stop. As they were closing in, I stood up to block their oncoming fist. Frisk cocked their hand back, putting their full might into a single punch that crashed into the flat side of my blade.

The punch was strong enough it sent me skidding back through the snow. I was somehow able to remain on my feet though. We were both breathing heavily. Frisk was covering the wound on their shoulder. But I feel like this fight has worn me out more than it has them.

"How are you not dead yet?" They looked at me. Nothing but rage coming from them.

"I'm stronger than you think." I smirked at them. "Also dying just isn't on my to-do list."

We charge at each other once more. Frisk swings their fists but I dodge back as they whiff past me. They go in for a third with their right fist. I raise my left arm and block it. I push their fist away and go in for a sweep kick, tripping them. They land on their back into the snow.

I flip my sword around and jump into the air. Their eyes widen as I drive my sword down below, flinging snow into the air.

I thought it was over. But as the snow cleared, I realized that they were gone. I stood up and pulled my sword out of the ground. I looked around but they weren't anywhere in sight.

But then I heard something. A single footstep from behind. I turn around and-

STAB!

Pain. Sharp pain. Their knife driven into my gut, I was hunched over. Blood dripping from my wound. I let go of my sword and it fell into the snow.

"Guess I'm the stronger one here." They place their other hand on my chest and pull their knife hand back. I grab them by the arm. I have to keep the knife in. I can't bleed out now. But my attempt was futile.

Frisk pulled the knife out, pushing me away and flinging blood onto the snow. My body fell back onto the cold ground beneath. I struggled to keep my eyes open.

They then bent down and grabbed my sword by the handle. They raised it up to inspect its dark blade. Frisk then turned around and started to walk away.

"Hey…" I tried to sit up. It hurt just trying to lift my head. I couldn't die yet. I have to stop them.

"What the hell?" Frisk stopped and looked back at me shocked. Wondering how and why am I still alive. They then saw the red soul on my chest. It was then it finally clicked with them. "No…"

"We're not… done yet…" I can't die yet. I just can't-

STAB!

My own sword. Driven into my chest by them. My body jerked forward then fell back immediately. Leaving the sword in my chest, I was impaled to the ground. The last thing I saw were those crimson eyes staring at me.

"Don't you dare come back!"

Shatter.

He had touched the golden star before entering the home. He searched the house, tried to find anyone. But no one was home. He made his way to the kitchen and found a leftover pie. He figured it would be useful, so he took what was left.

*Time to move on.

He looked at his textbox in agreement. With nothing left, he made his way down to the basement. He then heard a voice. It sounded feminine. A dying laughter. He looked across the hall to see nothing but another human holding a knife. Surrounded by dust and blood.

He walked towards the other human. Footsteps echoing through the hallway. The other human had turned around as he stopped.

"Who the hell are you?" They pointed their knife at him. Blood dripping from its plastic blade. Their crimson eyes glaring at him.

The man placed his thumb on the katana's crossguard, putting pressure, and gave them a smirk.

"The beginning of your nightmare."

CLICK!

A man sat alone in a dark room. Smoke rising from the cigarette put out in the ashtray. He was on the edge of his bed, slumped over, looking down at the floor.

He was contemplating the things he had done. The choices he had made. The life he was living.

Footsteps could be heard approaching the door. The door clicked and as it opened, a woman emerged.

"Yo Aiden, what's-" Her amethyst eyes darted to Aiden sitting on his bed. Her expression quickly shifted from happiness to worry. He looked up at her and stood up, wiping tears away from his face.

"Aiden… are you ok?" She walked towards Aiden with concern. She placed her hand on his shoulder, but he looked away to try and hide his face.

"Lily?" His voice was weak. Throat sore from trying not to cry. "Do you think I'm a demon?"

"Aiden…" Lily placed her hand on Aiden's face, and had him turn to look at her. "The only thing you are to me, is you. Nothing will ever change that."

Aiden closed his eyes as they started to water. He then quickly wrapped his arms around Lily, and started to cry.

She quickly returned the hug, placing one hand on his back, and the other on the back of his head trying to comfort him. They hugged each other tightly, neither of them wanting to let go.

Flash.

"Lily!"

I shot up. My chest heaving up and down with each breath I gasped for. I looked around only to realize that I was back to this horrible reality.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me…" I fell onto my back and raised my hands up to my forehead.

"I'm actually in Undertale." My arms fall to my sides as I stare upwards. "And I'm in a genocide run of all things. My life just keeps getting better and better."

*Would you like to switch over to easy mode?

"Shut up."

*You know, I thought you'd be able to handle them. But I guess I was wrong.

"They caught me off guard." I stand up and tilt my head to both sides, generating a cracking noise with each tilt. "Plus, there's no telling how much LOVE they've already gained."

*They gained enough to kick your ass, we know that for sure.

"Now you listen here!" I pointed at my text box with anger running through me. "Are you actually gonna be useful in some way, or are you just gonna float there and be an asshole all day?"

*Well your plan of talking it out didn't work too well did it? Fighting may be your only option now.

"I guess… But I don't think I have the strength to take them."

*Well you better think of something fast. Because time is running short, and they're just gonna keep getting stronger the longer we wait.

I thought hard, but coming up with a plan wasn't really my strong suit. I normally just winged it, and it's worked up until now. But then I remembered. A certain someone, who might know more about this universe than I do. I looked down the path ahead of me.

"I wonder if he'll be able to help."

Frisk continued down the path. They stopped as the skeleton bros stood ahead of them. The skelebros had their usual conversation and then started spinning, as Frisk simply stared at them. They had seen this joke hundreds, maybe even thousands of times. They eventually stopped with their backs turned towards the killer.

"Sans! Oh my god!" Papyrus turned towards his brother. His excitement had turned into confusion. "I'm dizzy. What am I looking at?"

"Behold!" Sans turned toward Frisk with his hand outstretched.

"...A human." Sans kept smiling as his eyes darted to the side.

What? Frisk looked over their shoulder. Their confusion quickly turned into anger.

"What's up?" I raised my hand up and did a short wave as I grinned. I seemed friendly enough to the skeletons, despite the fact that I'm carrying a sword about as big as me on my back. I glanced over at Frisk and just as I expected, they looked furious.

"What?" Papyrus was shocked. His eye sockets locked on to me. I kept smiling and gave another short wave to him. Never thought I'd be meeting Papyrus in person. Or any of these other characters really. Papyrus's sockets snapped over to Sans. "But then what's that in front of it?"

"Dunno." Sans shrugged as he looked back at his brother. "Not a rock?"

"Not a rock?" Papyrus repeated it back in shock. He then proceeded to point upwards. "Then by process of elimination, it must be a human!"

"Foolproof." Sans looked back at Frisk and I. He gave us a wink and acted like this was the norm.

"Humans! Prepare yourself for high jinx! For low jinx!"

"Well this sounds like fun." I leaned over towards Frisk to whisper to them. "Don't you think so?"

"Go to hell." They whispered back at me, shooting me a hate filled glare as well.

"Come on." I muttered back. It looked like the skeleton bros were too busy with Papyrus's speech, so they didn't see us talking to each other. "You don't wanna ruin the fun for everyone else, now do you?"

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus had already finished his speech and took off laughing in excitement.

Frisk glared at me, clenching their glove-covered hand. They then looked over to Sans, who remained here instead of following his brother like usual. He just looked at us. Keeping the same face he always makes.

Frisk then just started to walk away. They took the same path that Papyrus took as Sans watched, and they soon disappeared from our view.

Well now that the genocidal enby is gone, I can have my little chit chat with the funny skeleton man. But what could I say? How do you start a conversation about the world about to end? I walked over towards Sans and as I got close, the white dots in his sockets looked over in my direction.

"Heya. I don't think we've met." Sans outstretched his hand towards me as he looked up. "I'm Sans, Sans the Skeleton."

I reached out to shake his hand but I felt like I was forgetting something. As my hand inched closer, I saw a pink whoopee cushion strapped to his hand. I pulled my hand back after I realized Sans's joke attempt.

"What's wrong? Don't know how to shake hands or somethin'?" Sans kept his hand outstretched and kept looking at me.

"No, I'm just not really a fan of fart jokes." I gave him a slight smile, calling him out on his joke. Honestly I can't believe I forgot Sans's opening joke.

He turned his hand over and revealed the whoopee cushion in its entirety.

"Huh. You got a pretty good eye kid." He winked at me, still smiling like usual. He then pocketed his whoopee cushion. "So, what brings you here kid?"

Ok… How to start? Should I just blurt it out? He might think I'm crazy if I do that though. But he could already know as well.

*Just say something.

I looked at my text box then let out a deep sigh.

"Ok listen. I know pretty much everything about this world." Gotta get straight to the point. Let him know right away. "I know that other skeleton is your brother Papyrus. That other human, Frisk, is on a genocidal rampage and your brother is about to become the next major victim here. Then everyone else is gonna die. Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, and Asgore are going to be killed by them. Then they're just gonna RESET the timeline and do it all over again."

"Uh huh…" Really? Your brother and friends are in danger and you're just gonna give me that?

"I tried to stop them but they got the upper hand. But I was able to come back." Even after telling him of my death, Sans gave me nothing again. Still keeping that smile. Come on, say something! I groaned in anger.

"Alright. Let me ask you this. Do you know anything about what I just said? Do you know about the resets, the different timelines and universes, or is this just some made up shit on the internet?" Everything was quiet. I just stood there, waiting for an answer. But he finally spoke.

"You humans got a weird way of introducing yourselves." He winked one of his sockets at me. Just felt like he ignored my question entirely. He then walked down the same path Frisk took and waved back at me. "I'll see you later kiddo."

I couldn't really think of anything to say. I put my hands on my hips and just looked down at the ground and let out a sigh of disappointment. "Well that's just great."

*What are you gonna do now?

I just stood there and thought for a bit. I guess there's only one thing left to do. I made my way down the path everyone else took. "Guess I'll play along for a bit."

Frisk was already ahead of everyone. They had skipped the puzzles while I had to figure them out. Though it wasn't all bad. Papyrus seemed to be having fun and I can only hope that Sans is starting to trust me a bit more.

I continued on until I reached Snowdin. The whole town was already abandoned. No sign of anyone. I looked over at the store where the shopkeeper bunny usually stays. I opened the door and the store was completely empty. On the counter was a sign that read, "Please don't hurt my family."

I was surprised to see that the store hadn't been raided by Frisk, so I pretty much took that into my own hands. I took the G from the register and as many Cinnamon Bunnies as I could until my inventory was full.

I left the store and closed the door behind me. Frisk and Papyrus must already be at the end of Snowdin. The blizzard between Snowdin and Waterfall. That was where it was gonna go down.

"In this world, it's kill or be killed." I repeated those words to myself. Ready to take on what lies ahead.

The blizzard raged on. The harsh wind howled, Frisk's hair and Papyrus's scarf flowing. Snow obstructing everyone's view.

"I, The Great Papyrus, have some things to say!" Papyrus stood before the killer in front of him. Despite being alone in a blizzard with them, he stood his ground without fear. "First: you're a freaking weirdo!"

Frisk had heard this speech numerous times, they tuned most of it out. Didn't bother to listen anymore. It just got boring listening to it over and over again.

"It feels… like your life is going down a dangerous path."

*Tired of hearing this speech again.

"However! I, Papyrus, see great potential within you! Everyone can be a great person if they try!"

*I'll be with one to guide you.

"But worry not! I, Papyrus… will gladly be your friend and tutor.

*Let's just finish this now.

"I will turn your life right around!"

Frisk kept on walking forward. Inching closer and closer to their next victim, pushing through the blizzard. "I see you are approaching. Are you offering a hug of acceptance?"

*Idiot.

"Wowie! My lessons are already working!" This made Frisk smile. Papyrus really thinks he can turn them around? It was pathetic to them. This act of mercy is what led to the monsters' destruction. "I, Papyrus, welcome you with open arms!"

*Papyrus is sparing you.

Papyrus let his arms out wide. Ready to embrace the human, but unknowingly opening his own way to death.

*Forgettable

Frisk cocked back their fist, ready to end the dumb skeleton's life. They were filled with rage. The rage of the one that controlled them. It filled their very soul. Frisk lunged forward, as Papyrus's smile faded and his sockets widened.

SLAM!

Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, as that boot crashed in Frisk's face. It caused them to fly away and crash through the snow. They tried to get back up only to fall back down into the snow on their hands and knees. Their eyes then glared at their attacker.

"Attacking someone when their guard's down? That's a jacked up notion of fair play you got pal." I had put my foot back down into the snow, drew my twin pistols and aimed at them. "Stuff like that, just pisses me off."

Papyrus had fallen down, but he seemed ok for the most part. I kept my guns aimed at Frisk, as the red soul in my body burned from my chest.

"Other human!" Papyrus got up from the ground. He looked over at Frisk and then back to me. He then realized what had just happened. "You saved me?"

I didn't take my eyes off of Frisk. My eyes remained locked on them. They got back on their feet, wiping blood away from their nose. They then clenched their glove-covered hand. "Think you back that up, tough guy?"

"Definitely." I kept my guns trained on them. Fingers on the triggers, ready to pull. I was ready. No holding back.

Frisk then drew their toy knife and held it in their non-gloved hand. They smirked at me. I can bet that they won't be holding back either.

We stared each other down for a few seconds.

"I won't hold my breath."

BANG BANG!