Chapter 1- Dreams (The Beginning)

Before the end, there was a beginning. And the beginning was a story, one that starts here.

My name is Serif. This is my story.

The destruction of my world began on an exceptionally dull day.

Slowly, reluctantly, I let my weary eyes drift open a slit. Hazy morning light traced the pillow beneath my head, glimmering warmly across my cluttered little room. Burying my face in the blankets helped to block out the glow, but failed to muffle the distant clanging from the kitchen downstairs. it's a new day. At this unwelcome thought, I sighed and pushed the comforter down.

I lay unmoving, simply enjoying the peace. It had been a surprisingly pleasant night. I'd had three mere nightmares and only one had woken me. It was the best sleep I'd gotten in over a month.

"SANS!" The jarring call was quickly accompanied by thunderous knocking. "SANS, GET UP, YOU LAZYBONES! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE TO YOUR SENTRY STATION!" Groaning, I rolled over and stuffed the pillow overtop my head.

"i'm up, paps," the muffled response came. "take it easy on the door, bro. i'll be right there." This reply seemed to pacify Papyrus. I heard a huff of approval, then the receding rhythm of his oversized, bright tangerine boots thumping down the stairs. At least they made him happy, ridiculous as they were. I wished a style of shoes was all it took to make me happy.

Silence settled back over the room. I let the pillow fall away and stared blankly at the ceiling. I wasn't sure why my brother's insistence on punctuality bothered me at all. I'd rather have him lecture me endlessly then nightly watch him—

I shook away the unsettling scenes, shuddering. I didn't want to think about it. Deciding to ignore the nightmares a bit longer, I begrudgingly wriggled from beneath the tangled mess of blankets and pillows.

Standing, I slid with perfect precision into the soft, pale-yellow slippers at the side of the bed. Beside them lay a pile of crumpled clothes—right where I'd left them yesterday. Kicking through the heap, I found my wrinkled outfit and shook it out.

My starry, navy sweatpants were replaced with dark grey sports shorts, which were accented with a white stripe down each side. The orange, "WAKEY WAKEY, EGGS AND BAKEY" pajama top, (a gift from Papyrus,) was traded for a simple grey T-shirt. The sleepwear was dumped unceremoniously in a wrinkled pile of its own.

Lastly, I retrieved my old teal hoodie, which was neatly draped across the bedpost. It was about two and a half sizes too big; the sleeves came down to the tips of my thumbs. There were holes, thrice patched, over both elbows, and the seam down the left edge was coming undone. But I loved it too much to search for a replacement. It had been a symbol of hope since the day it was gifted to me. Even after all these years, it still inspired me to hold on just a little longer… even if only by a thread.

Pulling the hood up and sliding my hands into the pockets, I sighed. Yet another day of monotonous routine awaited me. I considered merely going back to sleep, for that would be easier. But the same reason that daily dragged me out of bed drove me onwards yet again. press on for papyrus. you gotta be there for him.

Before heading downstairs, I knelt before the boxes clustered in the corner. Digging through the piles of unfinished projects, I tugged out a shiny, abandoned CD disk. Quenching my circular white eyelights, I hesitantly sparked my magic. My left socket blazed with a ring of ethereal teal flame. Squinting closely at my dusky reflection, I frowned. The crack had spread.

I'd noticed the fracture a few weeks ago. Every day, the damage expanded, shedding flickering photons each time I blinked. The break didn't seem to affect my vision or magical skill, true. But I knew that eyelights were indicative of a skeleton monster's overall health. Living with just one was already wildly detrimental, both mentally and physically. Watching my last one slowly crack was downright petrifying.

I had basic healing skills, and an education to match, but I couldn't begin to guess what was causing this bizarre damage. I wondered what would happen if my last eyelight shattered. Maybe I'd just shatter, too. Huffing, I shoved the uninvited thought away.

Glancing back at my reflection, I tried to twist my lazy smile to look a bit more convincing. A little more relaxed, a little more carefree. A little less scared and sad. There was no point in frightening Papyrus. He couldn't fix this. I doubted anyone could.

Fiddling with the silver wing-charm on my hoodie's zipper, I shuffled downstairs. I tried my weary smile on Papyrus and muttered a slurred greeting, then nodded absentmindedly through the customary lecture on the perils of chronic laziness. Eventually, satisfied he'd straightened me out, Papyrus excitedly presented breakfast: spaghetti. Like always.

I forced a smile, trying to focus on my faltering hunger. At least Papyrus was distracted from his risky ambitions by a hobby as harmless as cooking. Well, "harmless" was an interpretive description. The pasta was so overcooked that it tasted like plaster—and was equally inedible.

Thankfully, Papyrus was too busy chattering to notice me teleport half of the meal off my plate into the trees behind our house. Like always. At this rate, the birds might start making nests out of noodles instead of twigs. Grinning at the thought, I tried to focus on what Papyrus was saying.

"… MUST BE READY. A HUMAN IS BOUND TO ARRIVE ANY DAY NOW, SURELY! IMAGINE HOW PROUD UNDYNE WILL BE WHEN I CAPTURE IT—SHE WOULD INSTATE ME AS A ROYAL GUARD ON THE SPOT!" Papyrus's face filled with delight as he imagined his long-deferred dream coming true. "JUST THINK. CATCHING A HUMAN WOULD MAKE ME THE GREATEST, MOST BELOVED MONSTER IN THE ENTIRE UNDERGROUND! IMAGINE THAT, SANS!"

I tilted my chair back, keeping my tired smile steady. Neither Undyne nor I had the heart to explain the truth to my earnest, optimistic brother.

Six human souls had already been collected. Should one more tumble into the mountain caves, it'd only be a matter of time before it was captured or killed. Then, we'd finally have enough power to break the magical barrier that trapped monsterkind underground. We could all return to the surface, and the Royal Guard would be disbanded.

Considering that was the best-case scenario, I decided to avoid addressing Papyrus's misconceptions a bit longer. let him hold on to his dreams, I thought to myself with a nod. he deserves it.

"undyne may be captain, but king asgore still has to approve new members, paps," I reminded. "when there's an opening, i'm sure you'll be the top choice. undyne's been training you for two years, and you're obviously her favorite student. so don't worry about catching some silly human. you're already the greatest monster around." Papyrus's eager smile flipped.

"IF I REALLY WAS THE BEST, SURELY THE KING COULD FIND A TINY SPOT ON THE GUARD FOR ME," he challenged, crossing his arms. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE I'LL BE A GOOD GUARD, OR THAT I'LL EVER BE A ROYAL GUARD AT ALL? YOU SAY THAT SORT OF THING ALL THE TIME!" I couldn't help but chuckle gleefully.

"well, tibia honest, i don't think you're the best, i know you are. you were bone to be great."

Ignoring Papyrus's conflicted huff, I smirked to myself. I knew the unimaginative puns were mind-numbingly stupid, but it was fun to tease Papyrus with them. I knew he secretly found my jokes amusing. Glancing back down at my plate, I stifled a frown of my own. Hungry as I was, I wasn't desperate enough to endure an entire serving of pasta paste. Looking up at the wall clock, I feigned concern.

"oh, time flies. it's nearly seven. better not be late to my post. see you later, bro."

With that, I teleported out of my seat before Papyrus could fret over my unfinished breakfast. Landing in the streets of Snowdin town, I grinned proudly. Sure, teleportation enabled my laziness. But for that very reason, I valued it above all my other rare, powerful abilities. I wouldn't trade this skill for all the gummi worms in the world. Chuckling, chuffed with my cleverness, I turned and headed for Grillby's.

Time did, indeed, fly. Before long, I found myself far from Grillby's diner, trudging down the path outside of town. When Paps and I first moved to Snowdin, my conversational vocabulary had been limited to the menu. Despite this, it only took two mere trips to the diner for the soft-spoken fire monster to befriend me. And here we were, seven years later, chatting as if we'd always known each other. I wished I could have stayed longer. Talking to Grillbz made me feel like a normal, happy person. Just for a little while.

I finally made it to my sentry post in Snowdin forest—twenty minutes late. Not like it mattered. There was nothing to report out here but birds and bugs. A peaceful hush hung over the woods, broken only by the quiet calls of sparrows and cicadas. I was alone with my thoughts and a cooling bagel. Compared to Grillby, they were terrible company.

If only I shared Papyrus's optimism for our future. Nearly every other monster did. Everyone knew the prophecy. An "angel" would someday visit us, and the Underground would go empty. Not everyone believed the legend, but we all knew the end was near.

One more human was all we needed. One more powerful soul, and we'd escape our cavernous prison of stone and see the sky. Some foolish, patriotic kids wanted to repay mankind's unprovoked cruelty to us centuries ago. But, considering how humans were infinitely stronger than us magic-based beings, most monsters just wanted peace.

Some hoped the next human would help us make a truce with the surface-dwellers. Others worried it might evade the Royal Guard, kill our king, and escape, leaving us defenseless. Some feared breaking the barrier would instigate another vicious war between our races.

Regardless of their opinion, everyone believed there would be a solution, even for the darkest outcome. But not one soul had considered the future that perpetually haunted my dreams.

Visions of Snowdin, ransacked and abandoned. Of a flashing glint and a screech as another monster was turned to dust. A human, dressed in black and charred orange, viciously kicking away the powdery remnants of another innocent, fragile soul.

I'd witnessed nearly every neighbor and acquaintance die a violent death, in grisly, morbid detail. I'd watched the royal Golden Hall turn red with blood. I'd even felt the Underground collapse and crush me beneath miles of stone. Yet, even worse were the dreams of when I survived. I heard the distant laughter of a human as I held Papyrus's beloved orange scarf… and watched helplessly as my brother turn to dust.

Frowning, I crammed another bite of my breakfast. I couldn't fathom where these horrors came from. I'd never witnessed anything remotely as gruesome. Was I losing my mind? Was I sick? Or, were the hyper-realistic dreams… some sort of warning?

I shook my head vigorously, scattering the uninvited thoughts. this is pointless, I concluded with a frown, busy stuffing the bagel back into its bag. you're probably just overthinking, as always. Sighing, I rested my head on my folded arms. I couldn't solve this, and I didn't care. I was exhausted. I just wanted to forget it all… just for a little longer…

BANG!

I jolted awake. The echo reverberated through the silenced forest, instilling me with dread. Initially, I couldn't think of what might make such a crisp, booming thud. Then, my breath caught. The entrance to the Underground was blocked by the heavy doors of the Ruins. And they never, ever opened. Teleporting from my station into the thick tree line bordering the overgrown path, I peered out from the shadows.

There, flipping a tarnished knife in the air, with a jagged grin cracking their smug face—A human child. The human child. The one that haunted my dreams.

They were here.