The throne room with a bed of flowers appears through hazy vision. Two figures stand across on the other side. Pain courses through him as he stumbles into the room, "M… mom… Dad. I…"
The humanoid goat creature collapses to the flowers of the throne room. Through faltering eyes and ears, the two figures move over to him, their voices coming through as only feint and garbled sounds.
A voice from within him, another soul, speaks, "No… no… please don't die. Not like this."
Her voice breaks up, "Please… Please Asriel, d… Don't. Stay determined."
The eyes fade to complete blackness the voices to a deafening silence. The voice falters, "As… Asriel"
The voice holds back tears, "No, not like this. It can't be like this. If you'd only listen… Oh, why didn't you listen why d… did you let them kill you? Why… you… you idiot."
The voice collapses into tears she feels herself begin to fade, darkness starts to take over. She cries a moment knowing she is about to die, knowing she… "No, not like this. I… I can't let it be like this. I won't…" She pours as much energy as possible into staying off the darkness anything to get Asriel to wake up. Her voice hardens, "Not like this. wake up, now. It can't end like this…" Her voice falters once again, "Please…"
The darkness begins to close in again. She holds back tears and thinks back to the garden where this whole horrible idea started. If she could only go back, if she could only change that decision If she just had one last chance. If she could only escape this nightmare? Change what she did. She waits for the inevitable.
A long moment passes, and she feels her chest go up and down, Breathing. She didn't feel her own breathing since Asriel absorbed her soul. She hears a familiar Voice, "Chara, do your creepy face."
Chara slowly opens her eyes and sees Asriel pointing a camera at her. She feels her lip quivering, this can't be real, "Asriel… Is… Is that really you.?"
Asriel lowers the camera his eyes squinting slightly, "W… What? Of course, it's me, Chara."
Chara holds back tears, "I… You… You're alive." her head collapses into her hands and knees tears seeping through her hands.
Asriel drops his camera, "Chara!"
Chara feels his arms wrap around her, "Chara, w-what's wrong?"
She speaks through tears and broken-up words, "I… You. I s-saw you die."
Asriel's voice begins to break up slightly, "I-I'm fine, I'm here, I'm alive, Chara. P-Please. What happened."
Chara struggles to speak, "I, I.. I don't know. Maybe… Maybe it was just a bad dream… a nightmare, but… But it seemed so real."
Chara feels Asriel start to move her head he looks at her a moment and then speaks, "I Don't know what you saw, but I'm fine I'm not going to die I'm not leaving you. I… I love you, you're the best sister I could ever ask for."
Chara wipes tears from her eyes, "I… I… your… your right. I'm sorry."
Asriel shakes his head, "Don't be sorry, whatever you saw it must've been horrible."
Chara hides her face. What did she see, was it a nightmare, it didn't seem like a nightmare.
Asriel looks around the garden for a moment and picks the biggest buttercup he could find. He puts a hand on Chara's shoulder, "Hey, maybe we should go home."
Chara moves her hands from her face and spots the flower she quickly slaps it out of Asriel's hand. Asriel moves back a little and rubs his hand, "C-Chara?"
Chara puts a hand on her head, "Oh… I'm so sorry, Azzy."
Asriel looks at the flower, "It's alright. Next time I'll try and pick a better one."
Chara shakes her head, "No that's.. that's not it…"
He looks at her, "Then what is it?"
Chara sighs, "Re-Remember when we made that pie?"
Asriel's tone becomes sombre, "Yeah… Yeah, I do. How could I forget? Dad was so sick."
Chara continues, "We used buttercup instead of butter. I.. well in the dream I… I died eating buttercups, I." Chara's voice begins to break again, "I poisoned myself. I died and you absorbed my soul. I convinced you to kill. I told you that if we could get six human souls Monsters would be free we could all see the sun… I… I was such a fool."
Asriel comes closer, "It was only a dream, Chara. It was only a dream. And I'm sorry about the flower."
Chara feels her tears start to dry, "Yeah… But it didn't feel like one."
"Come on let's go. Let's go home," Asriel helps Chara to her feet and grabs his camera from the ground.
They begin walking back home they walk in silence for a while until they enter some different terrain. Small rivers, rapids and waterfalls flow through this land. Chara feels Asriel's hand as she grips it a small smile grows across her face. Her Mind starts to wander, what happened was that really a dream… is this a dream? Is this just the final moments of her life, her brain trying to make something different? She, she just didn't know. What was she supposed to do?
Suddenly she realizes that they have stopped walking.
"Hey Chara watch this," Asriel approaches an echo flower he whispers something to it.
After a moment the flower presumably repeats what he said, "Howdy I'm Echoey the echo flower. Your new best friend. what's your name."
Chara sighs, "Really Azzy?"
Asriel looks at her, "Aww, Come on."
Chara rolls her eyes, "Fine, I'm Chara."
The echo flower 'Speaks' again, "Oh, that's a nice name. Much nicer than Echoey."
Asriel chuckles for a moment. Chara shakes her head, "Oh, Asriel."
Asriel starts walking again, "Well at least I got you to smile."
"I guess," What would Mom and Dad think if Asriel told them what she told him, "Azzy, can you do me a favour?"
"Of course Chara. What is it?"
"Well… Can you keep this… what happened between us? Please." Chara looks at the bluegrass Waterfall.
He nods slowly, "Alright, Chara. I won't tell them."
"Thank you, Azzy. I could always count on you."
Suddenly Chara hears a new voice, "Hey… Hi, I'm Paner. You… you're like the prince right."
Asriel smiles, "Yeah Of course I am." He seems very proud to say that.
"Oh, that is so cool. You want to like hang out or something?" Paner says barely able to contain his excitement."
Asriel rubs his head, "Uh… maybe another time. Me and Chara we're just going home."
"Oh… Hey Chara, I'm Paner."
Chara gives a small smile, "You already introduced yourself."
Paner speaks fast his excitement taking over, "Oh… did I, I'm sorry I guess I'm just so excited to meet the prince… Oh, and Princess, sorry."
"It's alright really. Sorry, we can't hang out now." Chara gives a consoling smile.
Paner seems disappointed a moment then starts enthusiastically nodding, "Alright, maybe some other time, maybe even tomorrow, but probably not. Alright, I'm going to get out of your hair now." He leaves strangely quickly.
Asriel and Chara start walking again. After a while they arrive at home Asriel is the first to the door, "Howdy Mom." He unsligns the camera from his neck and puts it on a small table.
Toriel smiles, "Hello Azzy, Chara. How did it go… Chara have you been crying?"
Chara looks away, "No I'm fine, j-just tired."
"Alright, Sweetie. I'm making butterscotch pie tonight."
Asriel smiles, "Thanks, mom."
Chara starts waking to her room.
Asriel looks down the hallway, "Oh, I got to go, mom."
"Oh, alright."
Asriel runs down the hallway.
Toriel looks at the camera and sees the blinking red recording light. Oh, Asriel left the camera on, she picks it up and presses it off. A video file is created, a picture of Chara crying is put as the image of the file. Toriel smile fades, she plays the file as she watches she practically collapses into a chair at the dining table.
"Tori the stove has reached 475 degrees… Tori… Dear?" Asgore's voice comes from the kitchen.
Toriel ignores the calls and watches the video. Asgore comes up next to her, "What's…"
Toriel stares into the tiny video screen straining to hear every word. After a long moment, Asriel's voice breaks the trance, "Can I have my camera."
Toriel looks over at him tears on her face, Asriel frowns "Uh…I…"
Toriel turns the camera off, "What happened, Asriel?"
Asriel sighs, "I wasn't meant to tell you." Asriel quickly after saying this sentence realized they were a very bad choice of words.
Toriel lowers her eyebrows slightly, "You weren't meant to tell us!? What else has been hidden from us?"
Asriel stammers, "I-I… I"
Asgore stands puts a hand on Toriel's shoulder and gives her a small look, Toriel begrudgingly stops. Asgore takes the camera off the table and walks over to Asriel, taking a knee he speaks to his son, "Listen, Asriel. You made a promise and we'll respect that if you think it's best…"
Toriel but's in, "Asgore!"
Asgore raises a hand Toriel rolls her eyes, Asgore continues, "But, we may be able to help Chara. This may be some kind of mental issue or some kind of human thing. We simply just don't know, maybe you can help us understand, so we can help. But, if you think it's best that you don't tell us. Then take the camera, and I and Mom will never bring this up again." Asgore presents the camera to Asriel and gives a calm patient smile.
Asriel looks over the camera he slowly reaches for it griping the strap he looks up Asgore's expression has not changed. Asriel goes to pick up the camera, but can't, "I.. I'll tell you what I can… We were."
Asgore stands, "Wait don't say anything yet. Take a seat and I'll go get you a cup of milk and some of those cookies we baked."
Asriel smiles, "Oh… Thanks, Dad."
Asgore walks to the kitchen as Asriel sits at the dining table with Toriel. An uncomfortable silence fills the room only interrupted by the sounds of Asgore collecting stuff from the kitchen. Asgore finally returns placing a cup of milk and a plate with four cookies in front of Asriel.
He takes a seat, "Take your time Asriel. Me and Mom we'll be ready to listen when you're ready."
Asriel drinks some of the milk, "Well, me and Chara went to the garden in the Ruins. We talked a little, I messed with the camera then I went to record her. You probably saw that, then she broke down, saying I died and I don't know it didn't make much sense, it seemed like some kind of dream, nightmare."
Asgore waited a moment waiting to see if he'd say anything else, but he didn't, "So, she was fine one minute and in an emotional breakdown the next and saying impossible things."
Asriel nods and sips the milk again. Toriel speaks up, "That makes no sense how could she have a dream just sitting there? For not even a minute."
Asriel looks down, "I have no idea. Maybe Dad was right."
Asgore picks up the camera, "Perhaps we should watch the entire video, is that alright?"
Asriel takes a deep breath and then slowly nods. Asgore plays the video.