Alrighty! Here as I promised, but with an announcement. This Thursday I will be going on a two week vacation, and I may not have much time to type while on this vacation. So I'm unsure of when I'll be updating next, but it may not be until days after the 17th of October. At the latest, expect the next chapter on the 27th. If I do update before then, it could be on any given day. I really have no idea what my schedule is gonna look like these next few weeks. Thanks for understanding, and I hope you have a great October!

Allagenda-domsitzers-chan! You madlad! I'm glad you aren't dead! It's unfortunate that you disappeared when you did, I was really looking forward to seeing your response to Anarchy's unabridged backstory in chapter 25, since you've always found him concerningly relatable lol.

Thanks go to Andyfire123, Wingah, 10burgers, Monkey D. Chimera, MegaVile, Jack54311, Genowar, Gray Kanzakai, Infinity Soul, Linki, Skele, Allagenda-domsitzers-chan, and bignibba532.

Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale or Horrortale (The latter of which was created by Sour-Apple-Studios).

"... But my name is Cter The Hacker." I spoke with a distinct lack of understanding, reaching up and putting a hand on my chest.

"... Mhm." Future slowly and sarcastically nodded his head, widening the emerald orbs I thought only I possessed at me while that red flame disappeared from his left eye.

"I just, figured there was no way anyone else has that name?" I squinted with confusion, gradually tilting my head to the side.

"There isn't." Future lifted his fist, resting his chin on it while he watched the dusty gears in my head creak and groan as they tried to spin.

"But, you just said..?" I lifted the hand I'd had on my chest, skeptically pointing to him.

"Oh my god..." Chara muttered, burying their face in their hands while they watched me rub my two brain cells together in desperate attempts to decipher this riddle.

"What?" I looked over to them irritably, and with little patience they threw their head back and dropped their arms dramatically to their sides.

"He's you, Cter!" Chara exclaimed, throwing one hand out to gesture to Future and snapping their head to the side to glare at me.

"But I'm me!" I protested, recoiling some at this stunning revelation.

"You are not that stupid!" With my lack of understanding, Chara was getting more and more irritated. "You know there's more than one you across the multiverse!"

"Yeah, dipshit, I got that part!" Their anger ignited my own, and furiously I pointed to the chuckling king on his throne. "My point is that I am not some withered old dude with depression!"

"You do have depression, though." Future interjected casually, and my glare turned to him.

"That hasn't been proven by a licensed professional." I defended, tilting my head down some to give Future a look from under my eyebrows.

"Doesn't take a licensed professional to tell you the sky's blue." Future slouched with a careless shrug.

"Time does not flow evenly across the multiverse, Cter." C Frisk's calm tone caught my attention, and I glanced down to them, listening curiously.

"With the many manipulators of time, there are plenty of timelines that are days, weeks or even months off of one another." hands behind their back, C Frisk stared blankly up at me while they cleared things up. "It's quite common."

"So what, do I hit turbo double puberty next week and everyone thinks it's so cool they make me king and are okay with me drinking?" I asked with a drop of sarcasm, crossing my arms.

"Funny." C Frisk smiled, oddly bright on their dark features. "No; there are a small percentage of timelines that are years or even decades off from the norm."

"Well, alright, I guess I can see that, but what about his hair?" I once more gestured to my black haired counterpart, using my other hand to poke a finger into my head of brown hair. "Do I hit an emo phase in my early thirties?"

"Turns out having a species worth of magic pumped into our bodies changes us a lil' more than we originally thought." Future shrugged carelessly. "In our late twenties our hair starts to change on account'a the ink in our veins. There've been a few other minor changes, but nothing that noticeab-"

"Wait there's ink in my bloodstream?" My eyes widened some as I interrupted, leaning back skeptically.

"Issa metaphor." Future waved one hand dismissively, but then he hesitated. Those distant emerald eyes darted to the side. "... Probably."

"Probably?!" I exclaimed, grabbing at my arms suddenly, like I was concerned with what lurked in my own body.

Future threw his head back with laughter, reaching up and putting a hand on his face. "Jeez kid, you really are easy to scare!"

"Shut up!" I snapped at my older self, face going red with embarrassment as I recognized his cheep shot. "You know that vein stuff freaks me out!"

While I was shouting and Future was laughing at my expense, the both of us failed to notice that Chara didn't look the least bit amused. Their hair shadowed their eyes, their lips curled down in a bitter frown, and their hands clenched into tight fists.

"... Hey. Old Cter."

"Huh?" Future stopped his laughing, looking back from the ceiling to Chara. "Wassup munchkin?"

"This has been informative, but we're still missing a piece of the puzzle." Chara looked up from the shadow of their hair, narrowing those red eyes with intensity.

"Oh yeah?" Future squinted some himself, the previous mirth draining from the room with a sudden tone shift. He leaned forward in his throne, staring into those eyes unflinching. "And what's that?"

"That crown." Their jaw clenched, and with concern and confusion I watched them. "Why are you wearing it?"

"... I already answered that." Future frowned now, those eyes we shared suddenly looking a lot more lifeless than my own. "I'm the king."

"Asgore. Toriel. Asriel. Frisk." Chara recited their names, and Future flinched visibly. "There's a long line of people who'd have that crown before it ever landed on your head."

"You sayin' I'm not right for the job?" His hand clenched on the arm of his throne, a certain lethalness flickering in those eyes.

"I'm saying that you don't have interest in government." Chara's fists were white knuckled now. "I'm saying you'd only dawn that crown if-"

"If everyone else was dead?" Future lifted his eyebrows inquisitively, tilting his head some. Chara and I both flinched with those words, but Chara took a deep breath and continued, fearless of what they might learn. "That's what you were gonna say, right?"

"Future." C Frisk spoke his name like a warning, their jaw tightening and their tiny fists trembling anxiously.

"What?" Future fearlessly looked to C Frisk, a certain aggravation in his tone. "They've already pieced enough together, who am I to stop 'em from seeing the full picture?"

"Answer the question, Future." Chara's demanding tone cut back in, making Future's sleep deprived green orbs lock back onto them. "Why are you the king?"

"... You really are one smart cookie, ain'tcha?" Bitterly the king smiled, leaning his head back against his throne and looking down at us. "Congrats, you figured it out."

"In this timeline, almost everyone I've ever cared about is dead."

Chapter 29: A Funny Looking Crystal Ball

"Everything is bad and it's makin' me sad!"

The air was sucked from the room. Time came to a screeching halt. We were crushed under the gravity of that reality, the darkness of this future.

Even Chara was at a loss, staring with shrunken pupils at Future, who stared right back with those frozen emeralds.

"... W-who-"

"You." Future cut them off, answering their question before they could ask it. "It was you."

I too felt paralyzed, watching Chara go pale from Future's relentless revelations. Nervous sweat beaded down my forehead, eyes darting between the two. Chara's hair dropped over their eyes once more as they lowered their head.

Desperately I wanted to speak. Reassure Chara and denounce Future's words. This was the last thing they needed to hear, that this was how the story ends. With me sitting on a throne of dust that they built.

But, my mind was too busy whirling for me to speak. It just didn't make sense to me. I knew Chara, I knew they wanted to be better. And I knew that so long as they had people to support them-...

"... You."

My voice caught everyone's attention, and all heads turned to watch as I boldly stomped towards Future's throne. The tidal wave of thoughts washing over me turned red, and my fists trembled furiously at my sides.

Chara's brows furrowed with quiet confusion, eyes following me on my way towards Future. "Cter, what are you-"

"What did you do?!" I snapped, hand darting out to grab my Future self by the collar, yanking his wide-eyed face down to my level.

"What do you think I'm an idiot?!" I snarled with rage, a red light flickering in my left eye. "I know that'd never happen with us around!"

"So where do you find the nuts to look at Chara and say this was their fault, when we both know it was you who fucked up?!" My hands shook violently in gripping Future's shirt, all those unpleasant feelings shining in my emerald orbs. "When we both know that if the world's gonna turn out like this, it's gonna be our fault?!"

... Ah. So that's why I feel shitty.

Future's eyes were wide, brows raised for another moment or two. Then, he shut those peepers, took a deep breath, and reopened them. He gently placed his hands on my shaking forearms, and what remained of his KINDNESS shined from those green eyes.

"... When things get stressful and difficult in a way that you aren't used to, it... It gets easy to play your cards wrong. To go back to dealing with your problems in a way that's familiar." Future's lips drooped in a frown, eyebrows rising like he was asking me if I understood what he meant. "Sometimes it's easy to keep making the same mistake."

... So that's what happened. Chara wasn't the only one who went back to their old ways in this timeline. It really was my fault.

"..." I didn't speak, just nodded quietly while I let go of his shirt and took a step back.

"I'm sorry, I know I was a little harsh. I said some things that I probably shoulda kept to myself." Future stood from his throne, and with some understanding he looked over us. "I understand that seeing a reality like this is more than scary for you two. Breeds a lot of doubt in yourselves."

"All I can say is that this isn't set in stone. I mean, your path is already diverging from mine. All this?" Future gestured to the world around us. "It isn't your fault. It hasn't happened to you yet, and so long as ya both pay attention, it never will."

Things were quiet. Chara and I just stood there in quiet contemplation of all we'd rapidly learned about ourselves and the world around us. It was an overwhelming amount of information, and we were being forced to take it all in at once.

"... Anyway, I won't keep you two much longer." Future sighed into the bitter silence of his castle. Chara and I must've looked like we were pouting, and C Frisk was clearly displeased, judging from their crossed arms and tapping foot. I s'pos I would be angry too if I was nice enough to beg a stranger to help a friend, only for that friend to turn the stranger's whole world upside down.

"Just a few more things to figure out, then you can head home for the day."

Aliza fidgeted as she sat on the bottom step that lead up to Toriel's home. She was slouched forward, elbows resting on her thighs and knees pulled tight together.

"You can stay outside if you want. I get it if you don't wanna see this."

That had been what Anarchy had told her, in reference to the murder of Toriel. He had calmly explained to her that Toriel was not as she seemed, that she would poison and drug Aliza just to keep her weak and unable to escape. This news was not entirely surprising to her, but she couldn't deny that it stung.

Toriel had been the first one to accept her in The Underground, after all. She'd protected and cared for Aliza, but she couldn't deny the drops of madness she could see in the goat woman's eyes.

"That's where you come in, you lucky duckling you!"

... Though, where Toriel had droplets, Aliza's 'best friend' had an ocean. That made her skeptical of what side she had chosen, but what option did she really have? It was Anarchy or death. That was the rule she had quickly learned in this place.

But, she supposed she might not have been being too fair to Anarchy. All he'd ever done is be kind to her thus far. He'd given her food, offered her friendship, and even let those spiders attack him to keep them away from her.

Granted that, didn't seem to affect him much...

A shiver rushed up Aliza's spine from the thought of those poor arachnids' fate. The terrible melty creature Anarchy had effortlessly turned them into, and the vicious beast that had devoured them. How many of those disturbing worms lurked under Anarchy's feet, Aliza wondered. Just how many monsters swam in the darkness that followed The Anarchist?

"... You didn't run?"

Aliza stirred from her thoughts, turning her head to look over her shoulder. Anarchy stood in the doorway of Toriel's home, staring down at her with genuine surprise written on his face.

"W-was I supposed to?" A hint of panic entered her voice as she swiftly climbed to her feet, standing at attention before The Anarchist. He laughed at her panic, shaking his head as the confusion disappeared from his face.

"No, of course not!" Smiling crookedly, Anarchy waved a hand dismissively. Then, some of that joy drained out of his face, leaving him with a slightly more serious expression. "I just kinda figured ya would."

"What kind of friend would do something like that..?" Aliza tilted her head to the side, squinting with a genuine lack of understanding. She didn't get Anarchy's thought process. If he expected her to be a friend, then why would he think she would run away?

"..." She didn't know why, but Anarchy smiled at that question. Then, instead of giving her an answer, he turned and looked back into the house. He waved over his shoulder for her to follow, wedging his free hand into his pocket. "C'mon, it's safe."

Safety, Aliza pondered. Certainly an unusual concept in the company of The Anarchist.

The rest'a the meeting had been all business. Exchanging contact information, discussing our next move and what role each of us would play. Future'd made it clear that it'd be up to us when our evil counterparts rolled up. He was the last pillar Monsterkind had in his world, so honestly it was a relief that Chara and I wouldn't have to worry about guarding him when we fight our other selves.

Speaking of worries, there'd been an awkward silence between Chara and I since we got back. They'd been pretty quiet after finding out that their future self did Genocide Part 2: Electric Boogaloo. Understandably so, I certainly didn't feel too great after figuring out I apparently abandon everyone. Again.

*I told you so.

I said goodbye to Chara and Asriel, and made my way out the front door. As I was walking down the front steps, however...

"... Hey, Cter."

"Hm?" I looked over my shoulder, cocking a brow at Chara. They stood at the doorway, slowly pulling the entrance closed behind them and standing outside with me. They didn't look any happier, which is why it surprised me that they were speaking. "What's up?"

"... Thanks." Chara adverted their gaze from mine, reaching up and scratching the back of their head. "For uh, sticking up for me back there, I mean."

I smiled at that. It was a pleasant surprise; I hadn't realized I'd done something thank worthy.

"It's no problem." I waved a hand dismissively, before my smile faded to an expression a bit more serious. "... I know you'd never do something like that."

"... Cter," Chara shut their eyes, sighing and crossing their arms. They didn't seem too reassured. "You've literally got a massive scar on your chest from me doing something exactly like that."

"That was a long time ago." I defend easily, but Chara just seemed more irritated.

"As someone who has been around for quite awhile, I can tell you that six months is not a long time." Chara frowned deeply, those red eyes narrowing scornfully at me.

"And as someone who has spent six months laid up in bed, I can tell you that six months is a very long time." I responded with growing stubbornness, crossing my own arms.

I could tell they wanted to argue. Could see it in their eyes. They always fought me on these things, so I was surprised when, instead of snapping at me, they turned around and grabbed the doorknob behind them.

"... Whatever."

I wanted to stop them as they disappeared back into their home, but what could I say? What could I do other than provoke them and start a yelling match?

"..." I just sighed to myself as the door shut between us, spinning around and nodding to myself. From my shoulder blades my wings sprouted, and with one mighty flap I flew away.

"So what Badster said," Hacker spoke as he looked into the boiled noodles he was stirring, mixing them in with spaghetti sauce. "That had to have been a threat, right?"

"Oh, for sure. Nobody says you're gonna 'get exactly what you deserve' without meaning you're gonna 'get murdered'." The Demon leaned their back against the wall opposite to the stove on which Hacker was finishing his spaghetti. After a moment, they furrowed their brows with confusion. "I'm sorry, did you say Badster?"

"Yeah." Hacker looked over his shoulder as he turned off the stove, staring like it was obvious. "He's a Gaster, and he's bad. Badster."

The Demon snerked, crossing their arms. "Okay. Should I start calling you Badter?"

"Well, it sounds better than Badcker or Badgel, I'll give ya that." Hacker smiled playfully at them while stepping over to the cupboard to retrieve bowls. "Good idea, Badra."

"Cute." Demon stated with an amused smirk, stepping forward and taking the ceramic bowl that Hacker offered them.

"Sparkle~" Hacker responded with a half assed pose, using his free hand to make a horizontal V and put it over his eye.

"So why'd you feel the need to cook regular food again?" They asked, scooping spaghetti into their bowl with what was essentially a big spork. "You'll never be hungry with Monster food."

"You'll never be full, either." He shrugged his answer, letting them finish gathering their food before getting his own bowl full. "And there's only a few monster foods that aren't cat tails or sinews or something."

"You've got a point." Demon shrugged, the two making their way into the kitchen while they talked. "I guess Monster food is just more convien-..."

At the kitchen table, F Chara looked up from their finger nails, which they'd been inspecting lazily. They leaned back in their chair, feet rudely placed on the table. "Oh. Greetings."

In an instant, they were back flipping out of their chair, ink spiraling out from The Hacker's hood and crashing through their previous chair and the floor under it, sending splinters of wood flicking through the air. They landed on one knee, smiling maliciously up at the dynamic devil duo.

"Who are you?" Demon spoke, that murderous glare appearing in their eyes as they stared upon their elder counter part. Their knife appeared in hand from their inventory.

"Kinda looks like you." Hacker spoke in a careless tone, one hand extended with his ink and the other carefully holding his bowl of spaghetti. "Hey, Chara, what'd your mom look like?"

"... Er, dad?" Hacker squinted his eyes, craning his neck to try and get a better look at F Chara's facial features. "Maybe mom? I think? Possibly?"

"Cter how many times do I have to tell you I came out of a cabbage?" The Demon looked to their partner from the corner of their eye, sliding their own bowl onto the table to dedicate their focus on this new foe.

"Riiiight, riiiight." He nodded like he was remembering, all while watching F Chara stand back to their full height. They held their hand out to the side, letting their own knife manifest.

"Apologies, I didn't mean to interrupt your date." A mocking smirk appeared on F Chara's face as they watched the two with those ice cold rubies. "It's just that I have a bone to pick with the two of you."

"... Is this a date?" Hacker asked without much expression, eyes glossing sluggishly over to Demon.

"Cooking and eating spaghetti at home?" The Demon cocked a brow over at their partner incredulously. "Maybe for people who've been married for thirty years."

"Ha." Hacker smirked with some amusement, before those lifeless emeralds landed back on F Chara. "Now what's this about picking bones?"

"To put it simply, you two are hunting on my turf." F Chara's eyes narrowed, their jaw clenching and their red eyes narrowing furiously.

"And it's pissing me off."

"... Mm." Anarchy hummed thoughtfully, looking down at the snow of Snowdin from the exit of The Ruins, and then to Aliza's bare feet on the few remaining purple tiles. "Well this is a problem."

Aliza fidgeted nervously while she watched the gears shift in Anarchy's mind, Chaos Incarnate stroking his imaginary beard while he ran ideas through his head. She was officially weighing him down now, there was no doubt about it. With each passing second she convinced herself further that The Anarchist was going to cut her loose.

"... I mean, I'd give you my shoes, but I don't think you wear fifteens." Anarchy furrowed his brows with displeasure at this revelation, puffing out his left cheek and keeping his thoughtful eyes on the purple tiles beneath the two.

"Well, then I guess there's only one thing to do."

Oh god, this was it. he was going to kill her. Would he crush her skull with that crowbar? Would he feed her to his darkness? Would he use that strange red mist to mutate her into some freakish beast? She was certain Anarchy's twisted imagination contained a million and one more ways to rip her life away from her, and that made her tremble.

She wanted to run, tuck her metaphorical tail between her literal legs and flee for her life. But to where? Anarchy's darkness followed everyone. It lurked in everyone's shadow, worms gnashing their jaws in every dark corner. Nooks, crannies. His reach spanned the galaxies. Any reality he was in he owned. These were things Aliza was certain of, just by watching how Anarchy carried himself. By looking into those reaper eyes and seeing the all powerful soul beneath. She'd never even seen him exert himself, but his presence alone had convinced her that he was a god among men, and a terror among gods.

... And, maybe there was something to be said about being killed by someone like that. To be a roach that could have been smashed by anything in the world, crushed under the toe of any thoughtless animal or malevolent child. And yet, of all those things, it would be the righteous sword of a god - beautiful and pure in its evil - that would strike her down.

Perhaps, the one special thing in her entire meaningless life, would be the death that her best friend would bestow upon her. Yes, she could make peace with that.

"... Well? What're you waiting for?"

A familiar voice shook Aliza from her melodramatic thoughts, and her stunned eyes drifted down to find that the all mighty was on one knee for her meek and useless self, looking over his shoulder to her with a curious expression. "Hop on."

Beasts, men, gods... They all received The Anarchist's fist. And yet, for a meager cockroach, he extended an open palm, a benevolent hand. This made Aliza smile. It made a single tear slip down her cheek. For the first time in ages, hopeful thoughts pervaded her mind.

Could someone as amazing as Anthony...

"... O-oh! R-right!" Swiftly Aliza wiped the tear from her cheek, stepping forward. Carefully she climbed onto Anarchy's back, awkwardly wrapping her arms around his shoulders to keep herself steady as he easily stood back up, not seeming bothered in the slightest by her added weight. "U-uhm... Thank you, A-Anthony..."

"Ay," Anarchy shrugged casually as he began to walk on into the snow, smiling with that mouthful of flesh tearing teeth. While this smile had scared her before, Aliza couldn't deny that it was growing on her. "What're friends for?"

... Really see something special in someone as unimpressive as her?

Future blinked his exhausted eyes up at the boring ceiling that loomed over him. Sleep had never been something that came easy to him. His thoughts had been too loud, ever since he was a little kid. This stage-varying insomnia had resulted in bags of inconsistent darkness under his eyes, from his adolescence to now.

A lifetime ago - at least, that's how it seemed these days - he'd asked Gaster for a way to cure his need to sleep. Gaster had laughed of course, as it was an absurd request. The good doctor had asked Future why he didn't just want something to help him sleep instead. Future had to explain to him that sleep was a waste of time.

That's how he'd viewed it, anyway, after being denied it's relief so many moons over. Medications dulled the noise of his thoughts and eased his nights over the years, but when there was something important on his mind, they did little to shut his brain up.

*A bullet through the head might help. It did wonders for me.

If only things were that easy, Future laughed mirthlessly. But he had his doubts that even a lethal hole in his cerebellum would shut his thoughts off. Not that he had the time to test such a thing anyway, he was far too important.

These days, Future hardly slept at all. Short naps through the days, six hours of sleep for every seventy two hours of being alive. his dreams were vague, but he always woke up drenched in freezing sweat. At least that was consistent in his chaotic life. A dull grey excuse for a silver lining.

Sometimes he heard voices, but didn't see people. Sometimes he saw people, but didn't hear anything when their lips moved. Monster Kid, Frisk, Gaster, Sans, Asgore...

... Chara.

The list of faces he saw in dreams matched the list of people he'd left behind. On a lucky day he'd see people who he was pretty sure were his parents, but their faces were blurry. It'd been so long since he'd abandoned them, he hardly remembered what they looked like.

When he was awake, he thought of everything he should have done. When he was asleep, he dreamed of all the people he could have saved. It was a perpetual cycle of coulda-shoulda that tortured him day in and day out.

But, lucky for Future, the earlier fight with The Chara-Cter gang had exhausted him. Finally he managed to shut his eyes on his dark bedroom, and he could feel his consciousness slipping into the back of his head in a rapid fall into sleep.

"Uhm... Cter?"

Future groaned, his lifeless emerald eyes creaking open to spot the grey-scale child. A deep frown creased his face and his brows furrowed furiously. "... Frisk you're so lucky you're ethereal."

"I'm sorry, I know it's late and I know you have trouble sleeping." Holding their hands behind their back and frowning with some concern, C Frisk held themself respectfully before the king. "But Chara's gotten themself into trouble. I figured you would want to know."

"My former friend my current employee or my future opponent..?" Future asked groggily as he sat up, rubbing his tired eyes with his index finger and thumb while his exhausted body grumbled and groaned at him.

"Former friend and, by extension, future opponent." C Frisk explained while taking a step back from Future's bedside, the final monarch standing and grabbing his button up shirt from his bedside table, where it'd been haphazardly tossed before he face planted into bed.

"Son of a mother fu..." Future mumbled, before shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. He spoke once more while he buttoned up his shirt over the crater of a scar that formed a trench across his chest and abdomen. "Where?"

"Underground castle." They spoke quickly and clearly, Future stepping into his shoes while he summoned his bracer of multicolored pens over his wrist, straight out of his inventory.

"Alert the munchkins, get 'em here as quick as you can." Summoning his spear in his left hand, Future sliced through the air with his right. A rift opened in the air, shimmering with code. "I'll hold things down until they get here."

"Cter, are you certain this is a good idea?"

Future paused there, before the portal. He looked over his shoulder, not speaking. He only narrowed his eyes questioningly.

"This is a good opportunity to let two of your enemies destroy each other." Frisk's void eyes squinted emotionlessly then, perfectly aware of the chill in their tone. "Perhaps it would be wise not to put yourself in danger, and let Chara and Cter handle things once they arrive."

"... I let Chara down once. I'm not gonna do it again." With those words, Future stepped through his portal, disappearing from safety.

Damn it! F Chara slashed swiftly just to deflect each of The Demon's rapid fire stabs, back stepping quickly down the steps of Asgore's old home. After an upward parry, their younger counter part jumped into the sky, flipping over F Chara and landing a ways behind them.

They're too well coordinated as a team! F Chara thought as they spun, drawing their revolver and letting their DETERMINATION flare through its chamber, a bolt of red power bursting out the barrel, only for an F key to appear in its path, making the crimson bullet shatter and disappear.

If I can't find a way to separate them, then I'll be..! They turned around on their heel, slashing through the spear of graphite that one of the looming mechanical pencils had fired at their back, before their ruby orbs widened at the grey dust it shattered into, obscuring their vision and stinging their lungs.

I can't die yet..! F Chara coughed and sputtered, placing a hand over their mouth while their eyes darted around the smoke that surrounded them. If they're able to get past me this easily, then Angel doesn't stand a-!

The smoke exploded open, and F Chara's eyes darted over their shoulder to spot the Demon inches away, poised to strike. Their knife was darting forward in slow motion, racing to pierce the space between F Chara's shoulder blades.

... And then, it seemed a force caught The Demon out of mid air, and as their shock ridden eyes darted down to the orange arrow that had suddenly appeared on the ground between them and their elder self, it was as if a rising wind was pushing against them. First their hair started to blow back, then they were launched back away from F Chara, launching down the lawn and slamming into the grass, where they rolled and skidded to a stop.

"What the..?" Just as F Chara got a good look at the orange arrow that had forced The Demon to launch in the direction it pointed, it vanished. They weren't able to ponder for long, however, when a distantly familiar charging sound thudded against their ears.

With urgency F Chara spun around to face the Beat Blasters that loomed over head, jaw clenching with frustration as the three beams of white raced down to greet them. before F Chara had even jumped back, however, a wall of green light appeared between them and the blasts, stopping the searing assault in its tracks.

"How the-?"

"You've lost a step, Char-bear."

F Chara's eyes widened, darting over their shoulder as Future dropped down behind them, standing back to back as they awaited the next move from their adversaries.

"Cter?!" They exclaimed, before clenching their jaw. They wanted to turn to him and give him an earful for being dumb enough to come out here - to save THEM, of all people - when he had a kingdom to look over, but they had to remain facing the opposite way, eyes rapidly scanning for any sign of writing supplies. "I had this covered!"

"Well now it's more covered." Future's emerald eyes scanned the hills of Asgore's overgrown yard carefully, spear tight in his grasp. "Ain't I a nice guy for helping you out?"

"Banter later." F Chara gripped their knife with white knuckles, glaring at The Hacker, who was smiling quite calmly as he made his way down from the front doorway and into the yard, ink dancing in vicious points just over his shoulders.

"Gutter children now."

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