During his journey into the Underground, and in the past two years, Frisk had never been to the capital under the mountain, New Home, beyond the Dreemurr Castle. It was the only place here that he didn't really know, its people and its secrets.
All the child saw above were buildings with archaic roofs and cold colors. Few he had seen, Frisk came to confront the king, and some monsters he had encountered came on his way to tell him the sad story of a prince and his friend; another time was during a great celebration, when King Asgore announced from his court their release and a bright new future. Then, the child had been too busy to explore this place as he wanted. So, when Frisk was curious about this city, he asked a few questions to Asriel who had lived there most of his life.
For example, the human child had been surprised to learn that the city used to be more warm and with vibrant colors, not just poorly white. He had talked a lot about the banners, the decorations that rivaled Snowdin Town, and it was even more festive with the arrival of the two heirs of the royal family and hopes of the nation of monsters. "But…" Asriel added, a veil of sadness in his eyes as he clutched his pendant tightly, "that changed after Chara and I… disappeared. Everyone was very sad and miserable, so they had removed every color from the walls and roofs. New Home has never been the same since. I would have liked you to see the city I had always known. Not this ghost town."
When Asriel spoke like that, full of regret. Frisk could tell how guilty the little monster felt about the state of his old house. Like him, the little prince had never returned to the capital, and this was because of this guilt: an overwhelming reminder of his past. Frisk had then hoped, the day they went there, that New Home would regain a new shine of the old times.
And today, the opportunity to return there presented itself again.
Mt Ebott:
At home, they had prepared quickly, very eager to see New Home again after so long – and at the same time slightly intimidated by it, especially for the two children. Leaving Second Home, the first half of the trip was by car on a small road that crossed part of the mountain, until they stopped in the parking lot of a resort.
To quickly reach the entrance to the East Gate, at the top of the nearby mountain, a cable car had been built at the base of Mt Ebott, the long line led straight to the top of the rise. In these important times, it was very used by many other people, both monsters and humans. This sophisticated and genius engine was built to facilitate travel between the Underground and the Surface, so that anyone could get from one location to another without tiring yourself out walking and risking getting lost - or, worse, falling into one of the many ravines and caves hidden in these mountains. People who worked on this project and built it are The Underground-Surface Transport Company, an association between employees of the two peoples. To take one of the departing cabins, the wait was quite long - looking at the dial inside the noisy station, Frisk saw at least an half hour.
Fortunately for them, Toriel had only had to present her identity card, which included an authorization for express transport, for the bird monster who distributed the tickets to make the family board among the first passengers.
"Get ready to go !", announced the human engineer, who signaled to the mechanic on the other side to start the climb.
As soon as the cabin was ready and the occupants were installed, the machine started up and took them step by step towards the heights. Unable to remain static, Asriel and Frisk had excitedly snuck over to the edge of the cabin, to see the ground several hundred feet below them and taking turns showing each other what they saw with excited murmurs ; the innocent joy these children exuded did not escape anyone around them. It was a first for them to go on this unique transport, and the children took advantage of it as much as they could. Toriel was not far and watched them from her place with vigilant caution : she was not blind to the slight tender smile that was present on more than one face, monsters and humans alike who were traveling together.
This was another proof of their ideal; no matter what had happened earlier this week, or what some narrow-minded people might say, understanding between their two peoples was a possibility. The path could be difficult, but not impossible if you tried hard enough and never lost hope. It is our children who will allow this to happen, she realized, knowing it was true. The thought did not come to her directly: another said these words, a long time ago.
"Here we are, children" Toriel called, after the little family arrived at the checkpoint at the East gate, pulling the kids close to her as the passengers filed out of the cabin.
When he dismounted with everyone, Frisk couldn't help but observe the surroundings from above, clinging to the safety railing; a splendid view stretched out in the distance, almost similar to the one Frisk had once contemplated with the others, although this one was different from the last. Very far away, the child could see the infrastructure of the town of Ebott and, if he turned towards the North, the small city of Second House where its mixed population lived. Smaller, indeed but, in a few years perhaps, the child knew deep within him that it could become as impressive as any other place. He would make it happen: it was an oath he had made to himself, upon taking the role of ambassador, and that Frisk would keep for as long as he lived.
For the future. For their friends and family. For everyone.
As the child swore to himself again, this message appeared in his mind:
*Seeing how far he had come, and what would need to be accomplished, it filled him with determination.
He felt his Soul beating, strong, as this energy filled him again. This feeling always filled him when it happened, and the child appreciated the comforting impression it left. Yet at the same time, Frisk was surprised by a strange feeling of uneasiness that crept over him.
What is this ? Meh, probably my imagination.
"Frisk, are you coming? Mom is waiting for us." Asriel had joined him, taking out the child completely absorbed in his contemplation – Frisk immediately forgot what he had felt just now. It couldn't have been much of a big deal, and he moved on.
"Coming."
Together, the children returned to their mother, currently facing RG 02 and who was impatiently searching for the necessary papers remaining at the bottom of her bag. She then grumbled that nothing was what Toriel was looking for, who muttered "Where could that be?"
Unable to sit still, Frisk decided to find another distraction and checked the surroundings. Then his gaze fell on RG 01, busying himself with his own checks. A mischievous smile escaped him and he went towards him; This did not escape Asriel, who preferred to follow closely to ensure that his friend would not get into trouble, at the moment when Toriel let out a delighted exclamation upon finding what she was looking for.
The soldier retrieved the documents, nodding as he verified their authenticity - one approved by the royal seal, formed of a trident.
"You can pass, ma'am. Your papers are up to standard. Right, dude?" RG 02, the scaly soldier, asked his teammate as he returned Toriel's documents but, a little further away, his companion seemed to be busy chatting with Frisk... and strangely embarrassed as the child greeted him happily.
"Hey you. You are the kid from before, like, the human in the striped sweater that bro and I met in Hotlands?"
"Yes, I remember you too. I'm glad to see both of you again."
"Dude, we're, like, super sorry for the whole thing that happened. You know, like, killing you and all that stuff. We had nothing against you at the time but, like, we had to follow orders and everything. No hard feelings?"
"Water under the bridge." Frisk smiled at him, absolutely not upset by this reminder. Asriel, who had accompanied him and remained by his side, could only be even more admiring of his friend's compassion and caring nature. No matter how much the monsters - and himself - had hurt him, Frisk had never shown the slightest negative feeling about it: it was an admirable character trait of his.
Frisk wasn't done yet; he continued, his tone becoming suggestive: "Sooo, now, are you two something or…" He pointed to the partner of the monster who was calling them, which did not escape RG 01 again more uncomfortable.
All feeling before forgetting, Asriel took on a completely scandalized look, amazed by Frisk's lack of discretion. Even his cheeks pinkened a little as he understood what the human was implying: "Frisk ! You can't to say that" There is the romantic and embarrassing side, back again! The young human had a very big problem with intruding into people's personal lives, without knowing any normal social boundaries. Asriel was not the only one to be embarrassed by his remark; the soldier in front of them stammered,
"L-Look, human, it's, like, complicated. Like, it's super embarrassing to ask me." Uniquely, the long-eared monster's helmet was very red at the cheeks.
The big soldier grew more and more agitated. He couldn't even manage his own queue, which was getting a little longer and noisy with protests right behind them. This time, Asriel decided to intervene, before Frisk further attacked the poor guard who covered his face in shame. He grabbed his human friend by one arm and pulled him gently, but firmly, remaining deaf to his annoyed groans as he led them away.
"Come on, Frisk, stop making me go crazy! We have to leave now."
"Awww, I could have helped him a little by giving him advice" (If you had given me time to do an |ACT|❤, I mean). But Frisk didn't insist and complied, sulking a little about their failed attempt as the monster led them back.
Asriel was right: Toriel was waiting for them in front of the huge ancient door. However, Frisk was in no hurry and wanted to have a little more fun. The previous fatigue forgotten since his Determination had skyrocketed, he felt capable of marathoning the entire mountain. He needed another source of relief: his gaze lingered on the head of the kid whose back was completely turned to him. A brilliant and sneaky idea rang in Frisk's head who, furtively, approached his free hand to Asriel's nearest drooping ear ; he could reach it.
Unaware of what was happening, he saw nothing until a violent, annoying tug stopped him in his tracks and he yelped. "Ouch ouch ouch, not the ear!" As he grabbed his sensitive member that was being attacked, his annoyed eyes landed on Frisk. He had freed himself, taking advantage of his surprise, and the child stuck out his tongue to provoke the now really angry prince.
"The last one to arrive will have to give their piece of the pie to the winner!"
At the frustrated shout of Asriel who rushed at him, vengeful claws in front, the child did not wait for his rest and fled from the ex-god of Hyperdeath, laughing heartily. He barely listened to Toriel who asked them to wait for her, while the child was the first to head towards the access to the Underground. His heart was light, and his course was rapid; soon, Frisk heard only the sound of his own breathing, as he ventured down the corridor that the child and his friends had taken in the opposite direction to return to the Surface.
No matter what made him keep running, Frisk didn't stop. The impulse pushed him forward, without turning back or waiting for the others. This need he felt was not motivated by a simple whim, like the one that had prompted him to start this race. He just wanted to move.
This feeling, somewhere... was very familiar to him.
And Frisk didn't know why, until he reached the last corridor.
There he stopped, recognizing very clearly the stained glass windows shining through the light and the immense pillars of the room. Although more people came here, like now, this place hadn't changed. Inside, the atmosphere exuded a solemn and serious tone; instinctively, people spoke quietly or remained silent, admiring the old building and its work. The child had been there many times, at several different times that many people had forgotten. It was a special place, because here, someone very important to him met him. Who judged him, advised him and, in the end, presented him with the greatest dilemma at stake.
Frisk missed Sans' presence, his judgment and advice in disguise. Aside from Asriel, he was the monster who understood him the best. He knew a lot, like the whole thing about timelines; no matter what others said, the skeleton was much wiser than his phlegm and apparent laziness suggested. He was also blessed with incredible insight: the day after the events at the embassy, Frisk was questioned about what had happened and he denied remembering anything, playing on the fact that he had lost consciousness after hitting himself.
"I only remember going into the room to change," Frisk had told in front of everyone who listened with attention and concern, playing his poker face towards them so as not to reveal his true feelings. The child had already thought about what he could say without fear, hiding half of the story from his friends: "I didn't delay and tried to open the door, but it was stuck. By pushing too hard, I ended up pulling hard and lost my balance. My head hit the ground, then passed out, and everything turns black. All I remember next was waking up in Alphys' lab. That's all." When he was done, Frisk checked everyone's expressions; everyone seemed to accept his fact-checking - perhaps Toriel had scrutinized him a little, certainly, as if her instincts were warning her of his deception toward them.
"Is that really all? Nothing else?" she asked, her gaze piercing, and Frisk gently shook his head. He hadn't been very comfortable lying, especially to his adoptive mother who seemed the most worried of them about his safety.
But, ultimately, his story seemed to convince them enough for them to stop questioning him. Except for Sans; he had looked at him with an attentive gaze and, listening to his excuse, the little expression that the skeleton showed through his knowing eyes had made him feel immediately exposed. The child knew that his friend had not believed his false story, no matter how, and he must have suspected Frisk to be hiding more than he claimed: yet, despite his fears, Sans had done nothing to denounce him, leaving Frisk alone for that the other adults were discussing among themselves.
"just rest, kid," he had simply said before settling down on the couch, pretending to sleep, and Frisk being unable to tell whether Sans was offended by his secrets or not. Besides, the skeleton did not seem to be the only one to appear skeptical of his statement.
Another person present seemed to see through his game : Asriel didn't seem to believe it that much, either. Frisk worried about this thought a little longer, annoyed at having to do these secrets from those close to him, even if he was only acting like this to protect his friends. I just hope I'm doing the right thing, but it feels like the opposite instead : that's seems not fair for them, Frisk worried, no longer knowing if what he had decided was what should be done.
He was so preoccupied by this that the child had overshadowed the issue at hand and what was happening now.
Until it's too late.
Suddenly, he was grabbed by the waist; he uttered a little mouse-like cry, and a surprising force clamped him in a vice, crushing his ribs.
"I...I got y...you, you dirty cheater" Asriel was out of breath, pink tongue hanging out after he finally managed to catch up to Frisk. His arms held him tightly, implacable and locked around the child's body, who realized with horror what was happening.
Damn, he got me: I had completely forgotten about it! And Asriel didn't seem willing to let him go. His arms wrapped around him tightly, his muzzle buried in Frisk's hair. The human child felt him laughing wickedly, and he feared what the monster might do to make him pay. This time, the child was afraid of having done too much.
Behind, Toriel arrived in turn, relieved to have finally found them. "There they are", she huffed after her brief run, while the two children were arguing among themselves, Frisk trying to escape from Asriel's merciless embrace. But it seemed that his attempts ended in glaring failures; Asriel refused to let go, no matter how hard Frisk tried.
"Let me go, Asriel!"
"Not until you apologize AND admit to cheating!" The little goat held on while Frisk flailed like a fish out of water, managing to pin him.
Resentful, the little Boss Monster swept his hairy fingers under Frisk's shoulders; his own weak point, fully exploited by the kid as his friend struggled against him – although not with all his strength, out of caution.
"S-Stop, hahaha, you j-jerk, haha" Frisk's weak, strangled insults only made the ticklish sensation and his laugh stronger.
With a perfectly evil smile, Asriel took pleasure in torturing the vulnerable little human ; he was however careful not to inadvertently harm Frisk, not using his claws but rather his soft fur-padded pads. The effect remained devastating, and with its hold, the monster continued to attack Frisk. The latter couldn't take it anymore; the tickles became unbearable, and his lungs burned. Frisk understood that he had no chance now.
"O-Okay, I-I get it, haha, stop it now!"
"Understood what, Frisk?" Asriel asked insolently, adding even more tickles than before only to see Frisk almost faint.
"I cheated, haha! I-I'm, hahaha, sorry!"
Toriel stayed a little behind, smiling fondly at their harmless bickering without intervening. However, she soon had to call them: after all, they hadn't come here just to play games. "Alright, children come on. It's time to go now." They still had to go through the entire castle, the interior completely rebuilt to serve as a gateway between the entrance and the monster kingdom. When the children calmed down, already out of breath, Toriel grabbed their hands and led them towards the path leading outside: towards New Home.
Hotlands, Alphys' Lab:
"O-oh, they finally arrived." Alphys looked at her phone, having received a message from Toriel warning her of their entry into New Home.
Toriel warned her that she would bring Frisk to her later after doing some shopping with her children to find them clothes. Alphys was rather relieved, in fact: the scientist was finishing preparing the machines to examine her human friend as well as his Soul. Her lack of preparation last time almost cost them dearly; she wouldn't make the same mistake. This time, Alphys had left no stone unturned. Security would be optimal and, with luck, she would discover what had weakened Frisk's Soul. He and everyone else were counting on her.
And that... it was a bit of pressure. If something went wrong again...
Alphys swallowed nervously.
"M-Maybe I should make some more adjustments before." While the lizard monster frantically searched for its highly sophisticated and handmade tools, she did not see the shadow of an enormous creature sneaking behind her back. It seemed shapeless, its structure soft and vaguely resembling a six-legged canine.
This seemed intrigued by what Alphys was doing, and the multiple drawn dog heads below all bobbed towards the scientist to get her attention.
"Woof?" His noisy, curious bark surprised her; she turned around, quickly regaining her composure as Alphys recognized the creature.
"En-Endogeny, you are here. S-Sorry, I can't be with you right now. M-My friend, Frisk – do you remember him, the human you played with in the laboratory? - he is coming to see me soon to do some very important exams."
The Amalgamate seemed to understand her, its main head and all the others bent in attentive listening; at the mention of "human" and "play," the merged monster emitted happy moans, convulsed, and jumped all over the room, drooling fluid leaking from the single orifice on its face. Endogeny remembered Frisk, the little striped being who petted and played with him, and they were very excited to see him again. Impatient and with a wagging tail, the big monster trotted away happily, leaving Alphys who resumed her search for the missing tools. As the creature wandered around quietly, looking for a place to take a good nap, the outline of one of the dog's heads suddenly turned towards an empty room.
This alerted the rest of the body, which turned towards the source of curiosity. Sniffing the strange odor that its many flaring nostrils smelled, Endogeny discovered that it was not something they were familiar with. It was new, foreign - not the kind human or Alphys.
A ripple ran through the creature's slimy body, like fur bristling in apprehension. All heads emitted a multiple worried groan.
"Grrr..."
"Endogeny, are you okay?" A distracted Alphys asked, vaguely hearing her patient who seemed to be reacting to an inconvenience, but preoccupied in the moment by not being able to retrieve his tools.
Too intrigued by what lurked nearby, the creature ignored her call; cautiously, Endogeny crept closer to the half-open door – the one where Alphys kept all her work equipment. Its slimy head slipped through the crack, peering into the cluttered space. The sagging tips of their ears suddenly rose, distinguishing the clear tear in space that altered the surroundings. This affected objects, the floor and the wall, physically distorted by jolt; the closer they were, the more powerful this effect was.
Too scared by this, Endogeny was going to run away as quickly as possible. At that moment, a gray and black being appeared in the void, right in front of them. He wasn't there a second ago, and that disturbed the Amalgamate enough that they lingered a second longer.
It was one too many.
"Perfect, you could be an excellent test subject," said the being to the disturbingly smiling face covered in shadow, eagerly studying the interesting guinea pig he had just found.
The object he held in one clawed hand, unsettlingly resembling a head, appeared in a flash in the center of Endogeny's face. It clung to the soft matter that made up his body, like a parasite. The disturbance spread throughout Amalgamate, shaking and shaking as the phenomenon affected it entirely.
"AWOOO!" Endogeny screamed to death from all these heads, panicked, and the fused body tried in vain to tear off with its slimy paws what was causing them terrible pain.
"En-Endogeny!" Alphys came running when she heard the monster; When she found him, a nameless anguish overwhelmed her. Parts of the Amalgamate were twisting and distorting visibly, as the poor, desperate creature flailed wildly, frantic with terror.
Hearing Alphys, Endogeny turned towards her; blinded by terror, the monster rushed straight towards her. Driven by a protective instinct, the scientist dodged it in time to avoid being trampled alive. Getting up, she just had time to hear the final rattle of the fused canine monster. Then, a new disturbance assailed him, and Amalgamate suddenly disappeared from the laboratory.
Without leaving the slightest trace.
It only lasted about ten seconds. Alphys stood there, unable to move or say anything. In her fall, she had lost her glasses, which had fallen to the ground and were now limbed. But she was too stunned and horrified to even notice that.
"Oh by the Angel...what just happened?" She could only whisper, her linked paws trembling as she imagined the worst.
In the room where Endogeny had been trapped, the stranger and the tearing were no longer there.