DoubleTale: Rewritten

by XWolf26

What if two humans were in the Underground at once? What if one human was DETERMINED to stop the other? What if they could both SAVE? What happens when an Unstoppable Force meets an Immovable Object? When a certain scientist pulls enough of himself together, he finally finds a way to stop the destruction of his world. (Undertale AU. Rewrite of DT.)

48. Chapter 48: Here's To Growing Up

Thanks go to Wingah, Zack Frost, Sonic245, Doctah Sawbones, 10burgers, Guest, dragonmasterd55, Tbone8454, Francisl13, Stillnyte, Jack54311, WhoWritesThisCrap, Acoolnamme, ChumpBuster05, Linki, Genowar, Get vectored, and NBoss01.

Get vectored, this is gonna sound cruel, but it made me very happy when I heard I made you ugly cry! It always makes me glad when I see that I can bring an intense emotional reaction out of people! That said, I uh, I hope you're feeling better now! ^^;;

Stillnyte, if DoubleTale Rewritten were to get animated with full voice acting and original music, I would be incredibly happy. Having an animated series is a big dream of mine, and I would love to see DoubleTale: Rewritten recognized in such a way. The mere hypothetical makes me excited! Now, I'm not a voice actor or an animator or a music producer, so I would be pretty hands off in the production. Pretty much all I would want would be the final say on things. I would essentially just want to look stuff over and hear out ideas to make sure everything stayed true to my vision, and I really don't think I would be all that strict. Outside of that I would let the people working on it do whatever lol.

Thanks to everybody for their very kind and supportive reviews! I'm so glad to see you all enjoyed the finale of Season 4 so much! It made me so happy to see I was able to leave so many of you speechless, and even bring some of you to tears! I've been building for so long to this point in the story, it's so gratifying and humbling to get such a powerful response! Thank you guys so much!

I promise, I'm going to keep producing this content you guys love to the best of my ability and finish this story! We're through the first half of it now, so we have a whole four more seasons to go! I'm going to be taking a short hiatus to brainstorm and really figure out exactly how I'm going to execute my plans for Season 5, so the next update will be Sunday, September 6th! So four weeks (a month) from today!

I hope to see you all in the reviews after this chapter, and I hope to have your continued support for the next half of the story. Thank you all so much, and please enjoy the chapter. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale.

---

Thud... Thud... Thud...

Badster walked behind The Anarchist, back straight and hands folded behind him. He didn't say a single word, and Anarchy didn't say anything either. The doctor had no desire to set off his master, after all. So, he walked at the same pace he had been. He didn't get any closer, and he didn't get any further away. He didn't ask any questions. He knew Anarchy, after all. And the fact was that he had killed for much less.

The two had been walking aimlessly for some time, just wandering the infinite darkness of the void. This, too, Badster dared not question. Anarchy had not even ordered Badster to fix his almost completely destroyed clothes, nor had he demanded the blood, sweat, and other filth be washed from him. This, too, was unlike him.

Of course Badster had been jarred by the conclusion to the First Hacker Anarchist Event, how could he not have been? Anarchy had spared Cter. He had let him go, and Badster just couldn't understand why. His brain and Anarchy's worked in a completely separate manner, after all. And the bad doctor had accepted long ago that his master worked in strange and mysterious ways, ways that his logic and number driven brain could never hope to grasp.

When Badster caught on to what was happening, he had told CORE!Alphys to edit the feed. No more close ups, no more audio. The words that The Hacker had lamented, and the tears that The Anarchist shed had been hidden from the world. Those two had images to be protected, after all. The only ones who knew of their shared emotional breakdown was the Badster and all who saw it in person. To the rest of the multiverse, Anarchy had just called it too early, and The Angel's guardian was able to revive him. And that was all they needed to know.

Because while at first Badster had thought the sparing of Cter The Hacker was a curse, after a moment's thought, he recognized it as a blessing. Because now The Hacker was chasing The Anarchist. Their roles had been reversed, and he no longer had to worry about The Angel's grooming, because now he knew he needed to be stronger.

The fact was, even Badster had underestimated how powerful Anarchy was. Even with his Cherub ascension, Cter was not even in the same league as The Anarchist. Badster's experiment had never been pushed was all, never been made to break a sweat. So Chaos Incarnate scaled himself to Cter in their battle. The harder Cter pushed, the harder Anarchy pushed in turn. He put in as much as his opponent, all the way until the end. When Cter reached the end of his rope, and destroyed his own body by shattering his limitations. But The Anarchist, on the other hand, had barely scratched the surface of his ceiling, let alone shatter through it in the way these red souls were known for.

Already, Badster knew these two were on a collision course again. There would be a Second Hacker Anarchist Event, and though the doctor was not a betting man, he would gamble that it will be twice as destructive as The First.

"... Gaster?"

Badster lifted his head to attention, looking right back to the turned back of his master. Still he smiled politely, even though Anarchy was not looking at him. "Yes? Is there something you desire, my boy?"

"..." Anarchy stopped walking, and Badster immediately stopped with him, not getting even an inch closer. The skeletal doctor watched The Anarchist stuff one hand into his pocket, the other hanging limp. It was weighed down by the crowbar he held, lacking any sleeve to hide the tool in like he usually did. Deeply Anarchy inhaled, and slowly he exhaled, before he spoke up again. "... Time."

"Time..?" Badster repeated more to himself than anyone, but of course Anarchy heard him. This worried the doctor momentarily, made him fearful that he would set his beast off by accidentally questioning him, but Chaos Incarnate didn't seem to mind. In fact, it seemed his mind was somewhere else entirely.

"I need to go somewhere." Blinking his emotionless eyes at the endless nothingness, Anarchy's voice was bland and lifeless. Slowly, thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed. "To... Consider my options."

"I see..." Badster nodded slowly, thoughtfully. This was far from the outcome he had expected, but Anarchy had been on a roll for surprising him today. He valued his life, so instead of objecting, he decided he would consider the positives of this choice. In the mean time... "Did you have anywhere in mind?"

"Somewhere... Quiet." Finally, The Anarchist turned his head. Over his shoulder his left eye peered at the doctor. His loyal servant stood at attention under the all powerful shine of his ruby orb, but for better or worse, Anarchy hardly cared about this politeness.

"Somewhere real quiet."

Chapter 48: Here's To Growing Up

Or: Aftermath of The First

---

Creeeaakk... Creeeaakk...

"So, how'd it go?"

"..." Shamefully, my green eyes glossed to the side. I stared at the wood chips to evade his gaze, slowly rocking my swing forward and back with the tips of my shoes. "... Bad."

"Mm. I'm sorry to hear that." Little Anny looked forward thoughtfully, gripping the chains of his own swing to my side. He wasn't swinging though, instead focused on speaking with me. "Did you say everything you wanted to?"

"Well, I mean... Kind of?" I reached up, running a hand through my hair. My exasperated eyes darted around the playground anxiously, sweat drops making my forehead slick. "But, I think I said it too late, and, I dunno..."

Groaning, I let my hand slide down my face. I stopped swaying in my seat, and as I slouched forward, I turned my sad dog eyes to my pasty pal. "I just, feel like I said it all wrong, y'know? I feel like I screwed up..."

"Well... Yeah, you probably did." Anny turned his head over to me, shrugging harmlessly. I squinted at him, my shoulders sinking.

"Gee, thanks Anny." I spoke in a jaded tone, and Anny laughed, smiling innocently.

"Well what do you want me to say?" Anny asked, once again wrapping his little hands around his swing's chains. His words were a little hurtful, but he wore a playful smile. All best friends gave little jabs every now and again, and I certainly didn't expect him to just tell me what I wanted to hear. "You wanted to say sorry, and you ended up trying to kill him instead. Only you could goof something that hard, Angel."

"Eugh... I knowww!" I groaned with frustration, reaching up and clasping both hands over my face in order to shout my frustrations into my palms. "Why am I so dumb?!"

"You're learnin', it's okay." His smile getting a little sweeter, the kind albino boy beside me placed his hand on my back. Comfortingly he rubbed his palm up and down my Deltarune tattoo, but all I could think about was all the cracks I had split that flesh with. God only knew how much pain I was gonna be in when I finally wake up...

"So, if you don't mind me asking," Anny tilted his head to the side with care and curiosity, furrowing his little white eyebrows. "Where are you gonna go from here?"

"... I..." I let my hands slide off my face, revealing my haggard emerald orbs. The truth was, I'd been thinking about the answer to that question the entire time I'd been here. And I'd come up with an answer, even if I didn't like it. "... I think it's time I leave."

"Hm. Weird." Anny's eyebrows rose with some surprise, and he turned his head, looking out to the playground surrounding us.

"Huh? Why's that?" This time I turned my eyes over to him, squinting with some confusion.

"Well, honestly I thought I was gonna have to throw you out." His eyes darted over to me, and he flashed another playful smile. I tried my best to return this, but my own smile was a little sad. He made a good point, I had been here for a long time. We'd just been silently swinging without a word until a moment ago, when Anny finally decided it was time to talk about what happened.

"Nah... I wanna stay, but..." I turned my head, letting my eyes lower to the wood chips at my feet. My smile faded completely, and I narrowed my eyes painfully. "... I've spent too much time standing in place."

"Oh?" Anny's eyes widened some, but he didn't turn his head. Instead, he just watched me from the corner of his ruby orbs, patiently awaiting my response.

"I can't just... Sit here, happy and safe," I leaned my head back, letting my eyes explore the skies above. The clouds whipped overhead, rapidly waving by. But there was no wind pushing them. I didn't mind their velocity, though. "While everything burns just outside of my bubble."

"..." Anny looked forward, and he pushed his beat up shoes into the wood chips, slowly pushing himself back and forth. The swing set creaked a few times, and he spoke. "You're not talking about the playground, are you, Angel?"

"... No." My fingers tightened around the chains of my swing. I blinked at the swirling skies, and I understood their rapid movement perfectly. "No I'm not."

"This is going to be a big change." Anny turned his head up to the sky, like he was trying to see what I found so interesting. He must not have understood, because then he turned his eyes back to me. I didn't look at him. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"..." I pulled on the chains of my seat, standing. Fearlessly I began walking forward, my face a blank mask. An emotionless void. "Everybody's gotta grow up sometime, Anny."

"I hope it goes better for you than it did me."

That made me pause. I stopped there, standing straight and stiff. And as I heard his swing set begin to creak again, and it became obvious that he was carelessly playing without me, my hands tightened into fists.

"... Yeah, me too..."

And then, I walked again. All the way to the gate. One foot in front of the other, crunch after crunch in the splinters. And when I made it to the lock, I pushed it open with my bony fingers, before resting my hand atop the waist high, chain link gate.

I shot a glance back at Anny, and he smiled quietly. Kicking his feet out, before pulling them back in, building more and more momentum as he swung up and down. Still he let go of the chain with one hand, and he gave me a wave.

I forced a smile, even though I didn't feel particularly happy. And then, I pushed open the gate, and I walked through.

---

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I could only see out of my right eye. The second thing I noticed was how much it sucked being awake.

My entire body was covered with bandages. From my left shoulder to my left middle finger's tip was wrapped in white, and my entire abdomen and back was covered in the same fabric. I didn't feel pain, but I did feel the side effects of some kind of painkiller. I was drowsy and the room was tilting and swaying around me. My right eye blinked, winced and widened. It was trying desperately to perceive my surroundings.

Eventually, as the few senses I had left returned to me, I realized I was laying flat on my back in a hospital bed, staring right up at the ceiling. The only sound was the beeping of my heart monitor, lined with various other machines surrounding my bed. I tried to twitch my left hand, but it didn't budge. I tried to open my left eye, but it continued to see only darkness.

I gave my right arm a try, and found that one was a lot more willing to move. It was a struggle, but I managed to lift my hand into the air over my face. I turned it over, from palm to knuckle, inspecting my skin closely. On the back of my hand I found an IV was embedded, and all I could think was how glad I was that it wasn't in my arm's bend instead. This way, I had enough mobility in the one limb I could use.

I reached up, and I gently rested my palm over the left side of my face. Just as I'd thought, I found that same medical tape swirled around the left side of my head, shielding my eye and the skin I had destroyed around it.

I let out a silent sigh, and my right arm dropped right back to the bedside where it had been resting before I awoke. I began turning my head, relieved when it didn't cause me any pain. My dizziness was wearing off now that I was waking up a little more, but as I spotted the mounds of flowers and balloons cluttering the room, I started to wonder just how long I had been out.

I couldn't read the names on any of the cards attached to the get well gifts I had been showered with due to the gentle shifting of the world around me, but judging by the varying styles of each flower and/or balloon and/or plushie, I had to figure that just about every monster had been in and out of this room at least once.

What made me stop though was when I finally spotted someone else in this quiet little room. In the chair beside my bed, the only other furniture in the room, Chara was slumped over, their eyes closed. They looked exhausted, dark circles surrounding their eye sockets. I wondered if they were still weak from the fight, but that didn't add up. We were in a hospital, and they wore no bandage. Sure, they hadn't received quite the whooping that I did, but they should have needed some medical attention, right?

And yet, there they were. Sleeping restlessly by my side. Was it me? Was it my condition that made them uneasy? Is that why they were here, waiting for me to wake up instead of resting themself? I decided then that they had to know, I had to wake them and they had to see. I was alive and I was well, they didn't have to sacrifice anything more for me.

With all of the strength left in my broken body, I managed to move my right arm once again. My one eye wincing with all the pain that came with straining my shredded muscles, I desperately reached out through the air. My arm trembled and shook, but I refused to let it fall. They were within my reach, they had to be. I forced my aching shoulders to shift, not caring if I split open any of my scabs.

My fingers grazed theirs. Their restless expression twitched some. It wasn't enough. Quietly I grunted, my vocal cords dusty and my throat dry. With everything I had I scooted just another inch to my right, and one last time I swiped at their hand with my own. This time, my palm struck Chara's, and I refused to miss this chance. Instantly my stiff fingers cracked and popped, closing around their hand and squeezing it as tightly as I could.

It had to be enough, it had to! I couldn't bare to worry them any longer, I couldn't burden anyone anymore. I refused to. They had to know, before unconsciousness took me again. Before my broken body began resting once more.

Their head shifted from one shoulder to the next, and their frown deepened briefly. Their eyes fluttered some as they stirred from their sleep, before finally they began to open their eyes. Wincing in the dim light that was pouring in through the window from the either rising or setting sun, Chara's eyes drifted down to their left hand. Their brows drew near to one another, some confusion appearing on their groggy expression. It was clear their sleep deprived mind didn't really get what was going on at first.

That was, until their ruby orbs scanned down my fingers and up my arm. And when our eyes met, and I smiled as wide as my cracked and dry lips could manage to reassure them, confusion was overtaken by shock. Chara looked so jarred to see me awake, to see me back with the living. It was as though, for a moment or two, they were trying to figure out if this was a dream or not.

But, the moment Chara understood that this was real life, and I really was conscious, a shaky smile curled up their face. Tears built in their eyes, and they wrapped both hands tight around mine, holding onto it for dear life. I couldn't believe how relieved they looked, how glad they were. They were crying tears of joy, and I knew if I had the energy I would have been crying too.

There I laid, shattered in just about every sense of the word, in the wake of my greatest failure yet. And yet, somehow, feeling their hands around mine made all those invasive thoughts disappear. All the pain, all the nausea and dizziness faded away at the sight of their smile. I'd seen a lot of things since I came to the Underground, both grand and terrible.

But right now, in this moment, their smile appeared to be the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

---

Once I was awake enough to start talking to people, I learned I had been in a coma for two weeks. The leaves had turned from vibrant greens to beautifully sad oranges and yellows and browns, changing as all things did. They were preparing to depart, fall down into the dirt that needed them. Like always, change was as beautiful as it was heartbreaking.

Apparently while I was out, my soul had been changing colors in the same way. It had been entirely green when I was first admitted to the hospital, but over the two weeks I was unconscious, red began to seep back into that heart. Scarlet splotches grew over, DETERMINATION once more shielding KINDNESS. And by the time I woke up, my emerald soul had once more become a ruby, and I was a DETERMINATION soul once again. I was just relieved that my eyes had stayed green.

Once my soul was back to normal, it got to work. By the second day of not-coma, my DETERMINATION had properly healed my bones, flesh, and organs enough for the hospital to dismiss me. The doctor said it was like nothing she had ever seen before, commenting on how strong my soul was to have such an influence over my body.

I hobbled out of there with the help of my friends and a single crutch. My left arm was still wrapped in bandages all the way to my palm, but my head and left eye had been uncovered. My chest and abdomen were still bandaged as well, and I would have to come back in a few days to get my stitches removed. I was advised not to try to bring out my wings until my back and shoulder blades healed. We tried healing items, but nothing worked. Whatever my DETERMINATION had done to me was immune to the healing effects of magic, and clearly we would have to let it heal on its own.

I was taken home in Toriel's van, surrounded by the Dreemurr family. They all tried their best at polite conversation, but my attention was impossible to keep. I just stared thoughtfully out the window, nodding quietly at conversation and scoffing halfheartedly at any jokes that came. Eventually I think everyone understood that I wasn't feeling too talkative, because the car went silent.

When I got home, Frisk helped me back up to my room. I had trouble getting around on my crutch. They told me everyone had considered throwing a surprise party to celebrate my release from the hospital, but decided against it, figuring I might not be in the most social mood. I smiled weakly, and I thanked them for deciding against the party.

For the rest of the day I sat in my room, and I stared out the window. I watched the sky, perfect and clear and blue. For hours I observed, spotted the occasional cloud as it passed by. I watched when light blue grew darker and darker, and stars began to twinkle in the dimming light of the setting sun.

I couldn't stop imaging it. Seeing his face, hearing his words. Anthony The Anarchist. My best friend. I had let him down again, and what was worse I had let him slip through my fingers once more. I had let him out of my sight. And when I let Anarchy out of my sight, people die. I had failed in every sense of the word. I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't good enough.

Soon enough, the moon was high in the sky, and the world had gone quiet and dark for the night. Asriel and Chara went home, then Asgore returned to his apartment, then Toriel went to bed, and finally Frisk went to bed. They all said goodbye to me in intervals, and I tried my best to give each of them a smile and thank each of them for their care. I don't know how well I did.

Finally, after hours of not moving, I reached for the crutch that leaned beside my chair. Pushing off the arm of my chair with my right hand and forcing the padding of my brace under my left arm, I got up to my feet. As quietly as I could, I hobbled from my room. Down the stairs, through the living room and by the kitchen. On my way past the counter, I reached carefully into Toriel's purse and retrieved her car keys. I had seen on my way in that my own car was missing, and hadn't bothered asking about it.

It was a brisk October night, and it was only going to get colder from here. In my time unconscious, I had slept through the last warm embers of Summer. Now Fall's creeping chill was descending, preparing the world for a cold Winter. I silently shut the front door behind me, wincing into the frosty winds and beginning to limp towards Toriel's van.

I grunted as I forced my injured body into the drivers seat, tossing my crutch into the passenger seat and shutting my door quietly. I started the car, got the heat going, buckled my seat belt, adjusted my mirrors, and I was off.

There were hardly any other cars on the road as I drove. The mountain in the distance grew closer and closer, and with it my heart ached more and more. Seeing it from a distance was even more disgusting. Its peak was in fact completely leveled. It loomed there, a monument for all to see. A monument to my failure.

Minutes passed, and eventually I was turning on to the winding dirt road of the mountain path. My eyes squinted painfully as my headlights passed over construction signs and equipment. The sides of the road were littered with rubble. Boulders, tree trunks, piles of gravel. The forest surrounding Mount Ebbot had been devastated by landslides, and I hadn't even thought about it until this very instant. My knuckles were white around the steering wheel.

Finally, I met where road became path, and I brought Toriel's van to a stop. Turning the key and shutting off the engine, I then began the painful process of fumbling my way out of the car. After about a minute or two I finally managed to shove the door open and drag my ass off the seat, pulling my crutch with me. I cursed under my breath while I once more shoved the brace under my left arm, and I pushed the car door shut with my right.

From there, it was a long and shitty walk up the mountain. I was panting and breaking a sweat at times, I hadn't felt so weak in quite awhile. As I hiked higher and higher, rolled boulders and unearthed trees became shattered pens and withered worm corpses. It seemed that without Anarchy's power coursing through their lifeless bodies, the creatures were burned by the sunlight. Now they were shriveled up and charred to grey, most of them crumbling to ash somewhere on their bodies. Still, their mouths curled in an endless smile, even in death.

Finally, after some time hobbling and stumbling, I reached the massive hole that dropped down into the Ruins. And more importantly, the now cracked stone wall that lead straight to Ebbot's peak. Or, plateau now. I carefully made my way around the vertical drop straight into Asriel's garden, limping right up to the sedimentary wall that loomed before me.

I shut my eyes then, and slowly exhaled. Taking a moment to focus and relax my body, I felt a warmth flicker in the Deltarune on my back. It was my first attempt at magic in weeks, and I was relieved when I felt no pain. There was no searing agony, no stabbing or stinging or aching. And I watched with some relief as an eraser gently rose out of the earth before the stone wall, standing just a foot or two off the ground at first.

I stepped onto the top of the eraser, and its pencil rose gradually from the earth, lifting me up the mountain side. After a few seconds, my eraser elevator reached the peak, and once again I was looking into the valley of shadow and death.

As far as my eyes could see, everything was scorched black and grey. In the moonlight, the sand glistened some, the chunks of glass littered throughout the ash reflecting any and all light. I stepped off of my eraser, and I began limping back over the dead grey dunes. My head turned from left to right, back and forth as I wandered through the wreckage.

I examined it all, now with a clear head. Craters were here and they were there, and every now and again I would step over dried red stains in the sand. In the distance, becoming more clear, was a field of pens. They all stabbed high into the air, and on top of them shattered pencils lay, crushed and overturned into useless shards of wood and rubber.

I dragged my body deeper into the desert's chill, eyes narrowed painfully at this monumental trap I had captured The Scorpion in. I could still see that horrid beast - along with every other creature Anny commanded - when I closed my eyes. I could still hear his words, his furious screams and his joyous cackling. Every word he had said to me and every word I had said to him, it all looped endlessly in my mind. And the closer I got to this field of jagged pens, the louder the track of memories grew.

Finally, I stood right in front of the spine pit, head tilted back and eyes staring endlessly into the horrific, pointed spires. Shadows slithered and danced oddly within those pillars in the moonlight, but I hardly minded. I had seen what The Dark held, and now I was unafraid.

"Why weren't we good enough Angel?!"

"..." I shut my eyes, and I drew in a deep breath through my nose. A gust of wind blew by, colder than all the others. But I didn't shiver, instead parting my lips and slowly exhaling. It wasn't quite cold enough for my breath to be visible just yet. My emerald eyes opened, their green shining in the night. With my right hand I slowly reached out, gently resting my palm upon one of the pen spires. "... I'll make it up to ya, Anny. I promise..."

"Angel."

My eyebrows rose some when I heard a familiar voice call out to me, and I began the strenuous process of turning myself around. I was more than a little surprised to see Lexi The Predator standing in the ash across from me, her arms crossed impatiently over her chest. I'd seen her angry before, but I'd never felt a glare this cold. A few feet behind her stood Melanie The KIND, her green eyes glossing pensively between the two of us. Unlike Lexi, she looked like she wasn't entirely sure how to feel.

"... Hey, Lex. Melanie." I nodded solemnly to Predator, before glancing past her to look at Melanie as I acknowledged her as well. My voice was calm, and my face was an emotionless mask. "Glad to see you guys are alright."

"No thanks to you." Predator stung, her PATIENT blue eyes narrowing furiously. Her remark was so cold that when I next exhaled, it brought a thin stream of white fog.

"... Right. Sorry about that." I meant the apology, but I didn't really feel too sorry. I didn't feel much of anything. My eyes narrowed thoughtfully, glossing to my left. "Hey, wasn't CORE Frisk supposed to put up firewalls to keep people from just casually slipping into my timeline?"

"They owed us one after we devastated Gatherer's base for them." Lexi explained, keeping her voice calm in spite of the rage I could see boiling in her eyes. It looked like it was taking every ounce of her will to not lunge forward and knock my teeth down my throat.

"... So I take it you found out what happened." My eyes drifted back to hers, withstanding the blizzard of her wrathful gaze without flinching.

"About you stabbing me in the back or about you trying to kill Anthony hours after agreeing to help me save him?" Lexi leaned forward, arching a brow at me. Then, her eye twitched, and frigid gusts of wind blasted out around her as she stamped her foot. "OH WAIT I KNOW ABOUT BOTH'A THOSE THINGS!"

"I-" I opened my mouth to give her a well deserved apology, but she cut me right off.

"Your stupid little showdown was broadcast multiverse wide!" Lexi leaned back then, throwing her arms out to her sides to gesture to the big wide world around us. "I saw everything. Everyone saw everything!"

"... If you're here to kill me, I get it." I blinked lifelessly, my left hand tightening around the handle of my crutch. With my good arm, I gestured to my shattered body. "I'm not really in a position to put up a fight. Now'd be a good time."

"It's always life and death with you, isn't it?" Her jaw clenched, and white fog seethed from the corners of her mouth. "Y'know not everybody thinks murder is the cure for all their fuckin' problems, Angel."

"... Besides. Frisk had some stipulations that I have to follow." Lexi's angry eyes darted to the side, and she huffed her chilled breath into the one strand of hair dangling in front of her face, blowing it up and behind her head. "I agreed to not lay a finger on you. This time."

"That's why I'm here." Melanie spoke up, giving a little smile as she placed a hand gently on Lexi's shoulder. She squeezed The Predator's arm to reassure her that she was there for her, before continuing. "I'm her emotional support."

"Or the only thing keeping me from shoving that crutch up your ass." Lexi growled, her predatory eyes darting from Melanie and back to me. "However you wanna phrase it."

"... Right." I blinked calmly, displaying no concern towards her threat. I had just survived tangling with the most dangerous man alive, after all. What could possibly intimidate me now? I took a deep breath, let the cold air into my lungs and released it in a white puff. "Listen, Lexi, I'm sorry. I-"

"Save it. I didn't come here for an apology. " Lexi cut my apology off at its head, hands balling into fists. Though I had been attempting to make her feel better, it seemed my words had only further aggravated her. "I don't need to hear anything from you. I came her because I have something to say."

"..." My eyebrows rose some, and I recoiled a little at her words. I pursed my lips, knowing better than to say anything in response. She said she didn't want to hear anything, and I knew she meant it. So I just nodded like I understood instead, silently telling her I was listening.

"I loved you, Angel. I trusted you more than anybody, and when Xander told me what you did it broke my heart." Lexi spoke so calmly and clearly, it honestly stunned me. The emotions she was explaining were emotions that I would have hidden for fear of showing weakness, and yet she wore them right on her sleeve. Not only that, she exuded strength in her honesty. She owned her emotions, felt no shame for them. "I was devastated, but not just because of what you did."

"Look, Angel, I understand being a bad person back then." Lexi narrowed her eyes, reaching up and planting one hand on her chest. "I've changed a lot in the past six months too, and I'm not proud of who I was in those days either."

"So yeah, it hurt hearing what you did, but honestly?" Lexi shook her head slightly, pursing her lips momentarily. It looked as though she had to think about what she was going to say next, like she was making sure one last time that it was true. It must have been, because she looked back up at me, a PATIENT glimmer in her eyes. "I could forgive it. All of it, I could have understood."

My eyes went wide when I heard that, her words honestly flooring me. The idea that she could ever forgive such a thing felt completely unbelievable, the idea had never once crossed my mind. Up until this moment I had thought my past self an inexcusable villain. I was so completely stunned that I tried to break my silence with some half baked sentence, "I-"

"What I can't forgive is that you didn't tell me." Lexi's jaw clenched as she pointed one finger out at me. She had shut me right up again before I'd even had a chance to get anything out. "I had to hear it from Xander! Do you have any idea what that feels like?!"

It was at this point in Lexi's ruthless scolding that Melanie rested one hand on her back with soothing gentleness. Picking up on her friend's KIND reminder, Lexi paused, pulling her finger back. She straightened her posture, shut her eyes, and took a deep breath to calm herself. I thought that was amazing too, the way she reigned in her emotions to keep herself steady. She didn't want to fly off the handle, she didn't want to scream at me. She just wanted to explain to me how I had hurt her.

"... You had plenty of chances to tell me what you did yourself, Angel." Lexi's eyes opened back up, once more glowing with the precise and intimidating chill she'd be blasting me with for this entire conversation. "At any point between when I showed up on your front door and when we dropped on Gatherer's base, you could have pulled me aside and been honest with me about our past. But you didn't."

"You act like you're better now, and that you've changed from the person you were. And yeah, you've made some progress." Lexi nodded some, but her eyes narrowed further, and her frown deepened. "But when the pressure is on, you crack and you go right back to who you were. That's why you kept lying to me, that's why you tried to kill Anthony. Because you're only a good person when it's easy."

"So yeah. That's the part that hurts. That you were still willing to lie to me and keep lying to me." Lexi tilted her head some to the side, looking to me with eyes that reflected pain and anger. "I offered to let you into my life without knowing what you did to me and the people I cared about, and you didn't even respect me enough to tell me what you did. I'd ask you why, but I know why."

"It's because you were afraid you'd get in trouble. That you'd have to face some consequences for what you did, because you essentially got off scot-free." Some of the anger dispersed from her eyes, replaced by understanding. The pain remained though, and I knew she was hardly willing to sympathize with someone like me. "You used to play this game - Undertale - because it made you feel like less of a shitty person."

"So when you got the chance to live here, you made yourself look like the person you've always wanted to be." I avoided Lexi's gaze while she spoke, letting my ashamed eyes fall to the sands at our feet. The sands I had created, the beauty I had destroyed. "And when I showed up, you were afraid I was going to tell everyone the truth, and they were gonna find out that you've been an asshole most of your life, right?"

"..." Quietly, I just nodded my head. I wasn't sure if I was keeping my mouth shut now because she told me to, or because I couldn't bring myself to speak.

"Look Angel, I don't think you're evil. But, I do think I might hate you." Her words weren't the most hurtful thing they could have been, but they did make me wince. It never felt good learning that I'd made someone hate me, and it was unfortunately a feeling that I experienced generally often.

"And... I think if your friends find out what you did the same way I found out, they might hate you too."

My eyes widened some, and I lifted my head to look back at her. There was fear clear in my eyes, but something else too. Why was she taking the time to tell me this? was this some kind of advice?

"I don't wanna see you crash and burn Angel, even though you did really hurt me. I just wanna see you get better." As Lexi spoke, she lifted one hand. At this order, Melanie stepped back from behind her. The KIND soul cut one hand through the air, and a rift opened, creating a portal for the two to leave through. Lexi continued somberly, "I believe people have the power to change. That's why I have to save Anthony."

"So, if you want my advice, I'd suggest coming clean to the people you care about." Lexi turned as she spoke, waving one hand lazily over her shoulder. She stepped up to the blacks and purples and greens of this spacial rift, but didn't yet step inside. "Its your only shot at keeping their trust."

"..." I narrowed my eyes at her back, thought about all that she had said to me. I appreciated her. Her advice, the fact that she had taken the time to explain her feelings to me, even if it was to tell me she hated me. In that moment I felt that she was so much stronger than me, more mature than I had ever been. I thought she should know how I felt about what she said, but I also knew she didn't really need or want to know. Still, before she got the chance to move, I spoke. because I wanted her to know. "Lexi."

"..?" She didn't speak, but she did turn her head. Curiously her left eye peered at me over her shoulder, glimmering its cyan shade in the night.

"Thank you." I said humbly, my eyes narrowing with a hint of DETERMINATION. I stood as straight as I could with my damaged body, trying my best to look like less of a mess. "I promise, next time you see me, I'm going to be better."

"... There aren't gonna be anymore "next time"s between us, Angel." The Predator turned her head forward again, and I could feel her chill. It spread through the air, crept across the sands at our feet. She stared unblinking into the mysterious, shifting shades of the portal before her and all it represented, and she spoke the last of what she wanted to say. "I'm going to get stronger, and I'm going to save Anthony. And I'm not gonna ask for your help then, because I'm not gonna need it."

"You and me? We aren't on the same team anymore." With that, Lexi The Predator stepped forward. Fearlessly she went into the unknown, disappearing gradually through that portal. "If we see each other again, and you get in my way, I'm gonna beat you. Whatever it takes."

Silently Melanie and I watched Predator leave us there, the portal remaining in her wake. Melanie stepped towards the rift too, but paused there. She glanced back at me, and she furrowed her brows thoughtfully. It was as though she was trying to find the right words, but she couldn't.

We stood there for a few seconds, just watching one another. Two greenies, now on opposite sides. I didn't speak, because I didn't have anything to say. She did, though. And finally she opened her mouth, letting her thoughts be vocalized. "... You could've been one of us."

I pursed my lips, and my eyes narrowed painfully. I didn't know if she was angry with me or disappointed, if she was vengeful or regretful. Either way, I only had one response. My feet planted and my back straight, I spoke solemnly. "I coulda been a lotta things."

She disappeared within the portal, and it shut behind her. I was alone in the wake of my failure once more, but somehow I felt more content. Like I had reached some measure of closure with an important part of me. It was as though I felt ready to move forward now, as though I knew where I was and where I had to go.

*Ring, ring!

My eyebrows furrowed some as I heard the familiar tune of my ringtone - L's Theme Metal Remix - and felt vibrations course through my hip from my pocket. It must have been my new phone, the one Alphys had put together for me after hearing about the loss of my last phone. Shoving my hand into my right jean pocket, I quickly retrieved my phone, pondering all the while who would be calling me. It was probably Toriel or Frisk, concerned after finding I had disappeared somewhere in the night.

But when I brought the screen of my phone to my face, and its light illuminated my features, my eyes went wide. A blast from the recent past - or technically the distant future - was on the other end, my caller I.D. informed me. Leaning some onto my crutch, I pensively slid my thumb across the touch screen to answer. Then, I brought the phone to my ear. "... Hello?"

"Uhh... Hey, Mini Me." I recognized a voice on the other end that was quite similar to my own. It's tone was apprehensive, and a little awkward. I understood that, I felt the same way. "How uh... How ya holdin' up?"

"... I think I should be asking you that, Future." I said after a moment of hesitation, turning my thoughtful eyes to the half moon looming in the clear sky above. "Last time I saw you, things were uhh... A little rough."

"Yeahhh... Listen, you don't need to worry about me, munchkin. I'm a big kid, I'll be alright. What I wanna know is if you're okay."

"..." My brows furrowed a little painfully, glossing subconsciously to the side. "... Why wouldn't I be?"

"... I saw your fight with Anny. I'm sorry, I know how bad that all must've hurt."

I was a little surprised by his words at first, but then sadness softened my expression. Future was right, he did know how bad that all must've hurt. It was reassuring in a way, to know there was someone who directly understood exactly how I felt. I winced some though as I thought about it, realizing it probably hurt him like it hurt me to have seen our showdown. "You saw it..?"

"... Everybody saw it, kid. I don't know how, but it was broadcast multiverse wide." Future's soft, apologetic tone softened the blow more than Lexi's furious yelling. It hadn't really registered when she had told me, I was more focused on the rest of what she had be telling me. But now, I was actually given a moment to consider how I felt about this. About the fact that my greatest battle and greatest loss was broadcast like some breaking news story to literally everyone. "I'm sorry."

"..." I paused for several long moments, pursing my lips while I squinted into the stars above. It took me a moment to swallow that pill, and I never really figured out what it tasted like. "... I'm sorry you had to see that. It couldn't have been easy for you."

"Heh. Since when did you get so selfless, munchkin?"

"It's... Something I'm workin' on." I explained vaguely, slowly leaning back against one of the pen spires reaching up towards the sky behind me. I stuffed my left hand in my pocket, letting my crutch rest under my arm.

"Right..." Future hesitated for a few moments, like he was trying to figure out how to phrase something. I figured there had to be more to this call than just a check up, even though I appreciated his concern. He had an ulterior motive, and he finally let it be heard. "Look, we need to talk. In person. Bring Chara."

"Oh?" My brows furrowed at this, eyes squinting some as they glossed over towards the phone I was holding to my ear. I hadn't really known what to expect, but that had caught me off guard.

"Yeah. I'm sorry to bother you, but it's important. Trust me."

"It's no problem." I said thoughtfully, my eyes scanning over the ashy desert before me. "I, honestly need stuff to do anyway. Keep my hands busy so my mind doesn't have to be, y'know?"

"Heh, yeah, I getcha. CORE!Frisk should be by early tomorrow morning to pick you two up."

"Sounds good." I said politely, but honestly I didn't know how it sounded. C!Frisk was somebody I hadn't thought about, but now that they were brought to my attention again, I had a thought. C!Frisk knew about Anarchy. They had to have. They also probably knew he was coming for me. And yet they'd never thought to tell me...

My wrapped left hand clenched into a tight fist.

"Alright, thanks Mini Me. I'll see ya tomorrow."

*Click...

I sighed, shutting my eyes momentarily and letting my hand drop back to my side, though I kept a grip on my phone. I leaned my head back, taking just a moment to gather my thoughts. It had been a lot today, and it wasn't over. Now, despite my exhaustion, I had another phone call to make.

After a minute or two's rest, I finally opened my eyes, releasing another warm breath into the cool air. Then I lifted my phone, using my thumb to unlock it and begin scrolling through my contacts. I reached the number I needed pretty quick, clicked the call button, and brought the phone to my ear.

*Ring... Ring... Ring... Ri-

The speaker of my phone vibrated with the sound of rustling and fumbling, before finally a groggy voice answered. "Hello..?"

"Hey, Chara. You awake?" While I spoke, I took hold of my crutch once more. I began hobbling back towards my eraser elevator across the plateau, figuring I'd gotten more than I had bargained for out of this night already. It was time to head home.

"..." Chara paused, and I heard them sigh with exasperation. I smiled just a little at their mild irritation towards my question. It was an intentionally stupid query after all, of course they were awake. They had answered the phone. "I am now. What's going on..? Why are you calling me at 2 AM?"

"It's 2 AM?" I responded, arching a brow towards my phone. I had left for the mountain at 12 AM, and it was looking like I had lost track of time. Either that or limping up a mountain took more time than I had bargained for. It was probably a combination of both those things.

"Yes, Angel." Chara responded grumpily, their voice sleepy and gravely. It was pleasant to me nonetheless, as this was already leagues better than the other conversations I'd had this evening. That may have just been because Chara was involved, though. "What are you doing up this late..? And is that wind? Are you outside?"

"Don't worry about it." I answered them casually, and once again I heard a tired grunt of exasperation. Their mild aggravation made me smile a little though. Bugging Chara had been a consistent joy to me, that was one thing that hadn't and wouldn't change. "Listen, I just got a call from Future."

"At two in the morning..? I hope you told him to go to bed..." A yawn punctuated their sentence, and I finally reached my eraser. I was glad; using a crutch to hobble through sand was in fact a bitch and a half.

"Nah, I didn't get the chance to." I laughed just a little at their less than composed response, my elevator gently sliding back down the mountain and to the first entrance into the Underground. "But, he told me he wanted to talk to the two of us. In person, tomorrow morning."

"Really..?" That seemed to get Chara's attention, and they forced some of the sleep out of their voice. Something rustled; I guessed that they were now sitting up in bed. "Did he say why..?"

"He just said it was important." I looked off into the cityscape below while my eraser lowered, before finally it touched down on the ground. It seeped back into the earth, leaving me standing on grass while it faded back to magic. I paused for a moment, watching the darkened city below thoughtfully. "... Did you know? That my fight with Anarchy was shown all across the multiverse, I mean."

"..." Chara paused for several long seconds, and I waited patiently. Their silence was all the answer I needed, but they still confirmed my theory. "... Yeah. Gaster told us a few days before you woke up. We all knew."

"Why didn't anybody tell me..?" I questioned softly, eyes drifting to my feet as I began to wander down the mountain again.

"We, wanted to, but..." Again Chara paused, and I heard them draw in a deep breath. "... We've, all been really worried about you, Angel. After everything you went through, we were all just happy you survived. No one wanted to stress you out."

"... Thank you." I lifted my head some, staring down the dark path ahead and continuing to walk it fearlessly. "It means a lot, knowing that you guys worry about me."

"Well, I mean... Duh." It was hard to tell through the phone, but Chara almost sounded a little flustered and awkward. That made sense, expressing care wasn't something either of us was the best at. "You're, really important to everyone. You saw all the flowers Monsterkind filled that hospital room with."

"Heh... Yeah, that meant a lot too." A little smile crossed my lips again, the reminder of my friends' care brightening my mood some. But then, Lexi's words from earlier crossed my mind, and the smile left my face. In its place a stoic frown formed, and I took a deep breath. "... Chara, I... I think I'm gonna come clean."

"Huh..?" There was confusion in their tone, and they paused, reprocessing my words before questioning me. "About what..?"

"... About me. My past, all the fucked up shit I did." There was silence on the other end, and my eyes narrowed painfully. My body was starting to ache as I trekked further down this mountain, but I continued on. I had to, there was no going back. "I think everyone has a right to know."

"... Wow, Angel... Are you sure..?"

"... I'm scared to, but... I have to." I answered honestly, gulping down the cotton of my mouth before continuing. My thoughts drifted back to Lexi, and the support Melanie had provided her when she was saying what she needed to. I admired that kind of trust and care in a friendship, and I also thought it had been a smart idea. Everyone needs some reassurance, especially when talking about the things that hurt them. "... I, uh, I was actually wondering something."

"What is it?" They asked with care and curiosity. I appreciated the way that they listened, even though I had essentially shaken them out of bed with this phone call.

"Well, uh... You know about what I did. And, it's... Gonna be hard to say it out loud in front of a small audience." My eyes drifted from tree to tree, to the stars, to the gravel path. I was more than a little embarrassed, asking for help had never come easy to me. Still, I forced the words out. "Would, uh, you... Mind being there with me? For, uhm, support, n'stuff?"

*Dork.

"Huh? Oh, uh, sure!" It was clear that my question had caught them off guard, but with the way that they quickly assured me, it was clear that they didn't want me to think they weren't up for helping me. "I'll be there, Angel. Don't worry, I'm sure things will go over better than you think."

"Thanks, Chara..." I breathed a little sigh of relief now that I knew I had their support. But, in a way, this added to my anxiety as well. Now that Chara knew I wanted to tell everyone what I did, I couldn't back out. They were someone to lean on, yes, but they were also a locked door, keeping me from escaping this commitment. I was both proud of and angry with myself for that. "I'm not sure when I'm going to tell everyone just yet. Probably when I finally get off this crutch and don't have to dress like a mummy anymore."

They gave my joke a laugh, and I appreciated it. "Sounds good to me. But for now, you should get some rest. Based on past experience with Future's timeline, tomorrow could be a long day."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Finally, the path around me began to widen, and I spotted Toriel's van in the approaching distance. A small smile crossed my lips, both from the sight of the car and from how well this phone call had went. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Chara."

"Goodnight, Angel."

*Click...

---

"HOOOLY shit!" Was the first thing Future said when he saw me. Led by CORE!Frisk, Chara and I had made our way through the gold shades of a hall very similar to The Underground's Judgement Hall and into his Throne Room.

"Yeah I didn't get the chance to tell ya on the phone." I gestured with my right hand to my crutch and wrapped left arm. "I'm gonna be a cripple for the next few days. So I hope ya didn't call us out here for manual labor."

"Well... No, not exactly." Future leaned forward on his throne, resting his elbows on his thighs and letting his tired eyes rest on us. He looked better than he had the last time I saw him, but that wasn't saying much. Still, he had shaved the five o'clock shadow off his face. His crown was planted evenly atop his head now, whereas before it was slanted and uneven. His clothes were clean and well ironed, and he actually gave off a royal energy. I was proud of him for that, because it felt like he was starting to get this king thing down.

"Not exactly?" Chara repeated, furrowing their brows with some confusion. They crossed their arms over their chest, watching the king carefully.

"Well, first off," Future grunted, planting his hands on his knees and forcing his aging body to stand. He stuffed his hands into his pockets after he made it to his feet, and began walking towards us. Once he reached us, he surprised the two of us by suddenly straightening his posture and flattening his arms to his sides. Then, he leaned forward, bowing to us. "I would like to formally thank the both of you. Last month, you both gave a lot to help me and my people, and I never properly thanked you. I apologize, that was wrong of me."

"Whoa, hey, i-it's no big deal!" Chara waved their hands dismissively, clearly a little flustered. I was jarred as well; it was strange watching this grumpy old man act in a humble and kingly manner. "You were uh, having a pretty rough time, we didn't take it personally or anythi-"

Future straightened his back, and he reached out, grabbing hold of one of Chara's hands. He shook it firmly, looking them straight in the eye as he did so. "You especially, Chara. When everyone else was down and everything looked hopeless against Character, it was you who stood up and put a stop to their reign of terror. I haven't forgotten that."

"Oh! Well, uh... I mean..." Chara reached up with their spare hand, awkwardly scratching the back of their head. They evaded eye contact, a smile on their slightly red face. They were very much a stranger to positive affirmation, and clearly they still hadn't learned how to respond to it. I didn't blame them, I wouldn't have known how to respond to Future's words, either.

"To be frank, I owe you two big time. And I owe C Frisk one, too." Future let go of Chara's hand then, taking a step back away from the three of us and returning his hand to his pocket. "That's why I asked you two here today."

"Future, we really don't need a reward!" Chara told him humbly, waving their hands to dismiss his worries. "I-I mean, so much happened with that fight, it was hardly a win, so-"

"You guys might not need a reward, but you certainly need help." Future turned his back to us after cutting Chara off, waving for us to follow him. He made it blatantly obvious that his mind was made up. Chara and I glanced at one another as he began making his way across the golden tiles of his Throne Room, and we shrugged, following after him.

"I should probably brief you guys on a few things." Future continued to speak as he disappeared through the open arch that lead into the next room. We followed after him, his voice continuing to ring clear. "For the time he's been in this world, Anthony The Anarchist has been a relentless force of death and destruction."

Chara and I exchanged another glance, this one a little more painful. Anarchy? What did this have to do with him? I turned my head forward, looking back to Future as we entered the next room of his castle. The lay out of this room was strange, a triangle of shut white doors the only detail on the grey walls. The floor was black marble, echoing every footstep the three of us made. C Frisk's steps, as usual, were silent. I answered hesitantly, "... Yeah, I know about that."

"So it should interest you to know, then..." Future reached the door at the far right of the room, wrapping one hand around its knob. Then, he turned around, letting his haggard green eyes land on me. "That in the two in a half weeks since your battle, no one has seen so much as a glimpse of Anarchy."

"What..?" Chara furrowed their brows, tilting their head some. Anarchy? Being low key? That certainly didn't add up in any way shape or form.

"What do you mean no one's seen him?" I narrowed my eyes, taking a step forward with the help of my crutch. I gave Future an incredulous look, "He's kinda hard to miss."

"What Future means is that The Anarchist has disappeared. Completely and totally, without a trace." Now Frisk spoke up, walking ahead of Chara and I. They stopped by Future's side, turning to face the two of us. "No timelines have disappeared, no one has died."

"Well, that's... A good thing, isn't it?" Chara inquired, tilting their head some. Just like me, they watched Frisk and Future pensively, unsure of what to make of this news.

"What it is is a strange thing." Future turned the knob of the door behind him, before pushing it open. A well lit stairway was revealed, and my heart sunk when I saw just how far into the earth the steps went. There had to be several stories worth of ground between us and the basement those steps must have lead to, and my injured body wasn't particularly eager for the trip. Future went on despite my paling face, "Not only is he not killing, he is impossible to find."

"How can he be impossible to find?" I questioned, reaching out to grab the railing of the staircase with my right hand while I began to shakily descend the steps on my crutch. "Frisk, aren't you basically omnipresent?"

"Even I can't see everything at once." C Frisk explained while we descended, eyes staring ahead. With every soundless step they made their way deeper into the earth with the rest of us. "And even I can be kept out by a strong enough firewall."

"Wherever Anarchy is, he doesn't want to be found." Future glanced over his shoulder at Chara and I, leading our party single file down the narrow passage. "And his Badster has worked hard to make sure he won't be found."

My eyes narrowed, thoughts drifting back to the smiling doctor I had met in Gatherer's timeline, right after I had killed a man. I had been so terrible then, so disturbingly malicious that he compared me to Anarchy. And I hadn't objected, because I had agreed.

"Okay, so Anarchy's in hiding." Chara reiterated Future and Frisk's words, shaking their head some. "I still don't see how this is necessarily a bad thing."

"Let me to explain." Frisk spoke calmly and clearly, as they usually did when they talked business. And it seemed they were always talking business when I was around. "The Anarchist does not grow more powerful in the way that you two grow stronger."

"You two reach new heights by being pushed to your limits. The awakening of all your power is brought on by the combination of physical and emotional strain." Blinking their void eyes, Frisk stared straight ahead. They folded their hands behind their back, continuing. "Anarchy, however, has never been pushed to any limit. Even after his battle with you, Cter, he still seemed to have plenty left in the tank."

"The awakening of Anarchy's power is brought on by mental strain." They kept explaining, and my brows furrowed with some confusion. "When he makes a revelation about himself, learns something new or gains a different perspective, that is when his power reaches new heights."

"..." My eyes lowered to the steps I was hobbling down, pupils shrinking as the pieces of this puzzle began fitting together. Anarchy's words echoed in my mind,

"Next time, I'll be ready."

"... So you're saying he's gone somewhere he can't be bothered or interrupted, all so he can sit and think?" Admittedly, it did sound a little silly when Chara laid it out like that. Still, even their tone reflected that this was no laughing matter. Nothing ever was on the topic of Anarchy. "And... That if he, reaches some deeper mental awakening, he could get even stronger?"

"That is some Sith shit right there..." I mumbled, my semi-wide eyes still watching my feet. This was indeed a haunting revelation. I was powerful enough to flatten a mountain peak, and Anarchy had been far stronger than me. Now I was learning he could continue to widen the gape between us, and possibly intended to? The mere thought made my left arm ache.

"If there's one thing The Anarchist has taught me, it's that nothing is impossible." Bitterly C Frisk narrowed their eyes, jaw clenching shut tight. I could feel it, the hatred they seethed with. The way they despised Anarchy.

"And that's why you ankle biters are here." Hands in his pockets, Future stepped off the bottom step of the stairway and onto flat ground. He stepped aside to give the rest of us room to follow, looking up at us and continuing to speak all the while. "Because you're our best shot at handling him."

"Handling..?" I repeated curiously, glancing over to Future from the corner of my eye as I stepped into this basement. Then I turned my eyes forward, and they immediately went wide at the sight before me. Echoing Future's words from earlier, my jaw dropped. "HOOOLY shit!"

Chara and I stepped into an underground field. The ceiling shockingly high, each wall must have been a mile apart! It was completely baffling, seeing this much wide open space beneath the earth. Even the Underground, while obviously being larger, was cluttered with housing and rivers and trees and rock formations. This was just a massive, wide open plain beneath the world.

"What... Is this place?" Chara questioned, wandering a few steps ahead. Their head, like mine, was on a swivel, examining everything before them. Finally, their eyes settled on the floor, and they knelt down, curiously reaching out to touch the ground on which we stood.

Beneath us was dirt, but our feet weren't touching it. A strange wall separated us from it, shimmering and shifting even though it was clear. I recognized it as something similar to The Barrier that had once kept Monsterkind beneath the ground.

"You two have gotten devastatingly powerful." With a slight smirk, Future stepped up ahead of us. He turned around to face us, gesturing out with both arms to the massive field around us. "It'd be hard for you to train at your full strength without causing serious property damage. That's why Frisk n' I had this place put together."

"As you can see, the floor is shielded by powerful magic. The walls and ceiling are protected in the same way." C Frisk stepped up beside Future, holding their hands behind their back, which was straight. "Just like The Barrier, it would take a seven souled god to shatter these walls."

"And just like Anarchy, these walls are gonna reflect whatever you throw at them back at you even harder." Future's smirk was almost a little malicious as he described just how cruel the mechanics of this room were. As he did, Chara and I began to stop seeing it as a marvel of construction and instead as a hellscape. "This place is essentially one massive echo chamber for your power. However hard you can hit, it'll hit you harder."

"I-..." Chara's mouth hung open, but they had no words. They just wandered a few steps deeper into this pit, still letting their ruby orbs scan everything. Those two weren't lying, the ceiling above and each of the walls glimmered in the same way that the floor did. Shaking their head, Chara looked back to Future and Frisk. "How did you guys even make this?!"

"Well, I'm the king'a the Monsters." Future reached up with one hand, flicking the golden crown fitted to his head while he flashed his crooked smile. "And Monsters know a thing or two about building underground."

"And I have an uncountable amount of contacts." C Frisk's lips curled upwards some as well. It was obvious the both of them had put a lot of time and thought into this room, and that they were very proud of how it had turned out. "It was pretty easy for me to scrounge up seven different magicians to create these barriers."

"Whoa..." I didn't have much to say, too enveloped by the gravity of this moment. This was certainly a stunning revelation, and a beyond useful tool. I couldn't imagine a better place to be pushed to my limits, and that made me both hopeful and terrified. Because I knew this place could make me stronger if everything they said was true, but that meant it would make me stronger by breaking me down. Over and over, again and again. And that was... Intimidating. To say the least.

"So, I guess what we've been trying to say, is that this is a formal invitation to Future's Bootcamp." The king crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head to the side. He almost loomed over us, exuding a certain pressure. It was strange, the both of us knew we were far stronger than him, but we also knew he was smarter and more experienced than either of us. "If you two are up for it, I can teach you plenty."

"Not only will this room help you get more powerful, but Future will also be teaching you the essential things that you both have yet to learn." C Frisk explained, that prideful smirk never leaving their expression. "Things like how to travel between timelines and proper control of your powers."

"We're even gonna figure out how to properly use that green soul you're hidin' in there." Future nodded towards me, and my eyes glossed down to my chest. The power of my KINDNESS was certainly something I had been thinking about a lot since it saved everyone's ass from Anarchy. "That is, if you guys are willing to enroll."

"I'm not gonna lie to you two, this is going to be a big change." Future took on a more caring tone then, stepping closer to Chara and I. Empathy entered his tired eyes, and he leaned down just slightly to get closer to our level. "If you guys are going to get the best training I can give you, well..."

"You'll have to leave your own timeline." C Frisk explained bluntly, causing Future's expression to sour some. Their lack of care made me narrow my own eyes over towards them, but I didn't yet interject. "Until Anarchy reappears, and the two of you are strong enough to face him, you will be living here."

"It's gonna be a strict schedule and a lotta work." Future frowned honestly, and it was clear he knew exactly what he was asking of us. This was a lot to take in all at once, a big opportunity at a big cost. "And you probably aren't gonna be able to visit home as much as you'd like."

"But when you face Anarchy again, you will be ready." C Frisk promised us, their void eyes unblinking in the face of this tense moment. "We won't force either of you to do anything, but I strongly suggest you consider this offer."

Chara and I exchanged glances again, the both of us doing just what CORE Frisk was asking of us. For a few long moments we were silent, each of us thinking long and hard about our futures. If we were to take them up on this, not only would it be a drastic change, but we would also be gearing up for some of the most grueling days of our lives. And, as I considered, my thoughts drifted back to that playground. To the boy sitting on the swings, watching me leave and wishing me luck. I made my decision.

"I'll do it."

I was surprised when I spoke, hearing Chara's voice doubling my own words. Just like me, they had looked up, a DETERMINED glint in their eye. Fearlessly they stared into Future's eyes, but I was now distracted, glancing over towards them with concern on my face. I thoughtlessly began to object, "Chara, wait. I-"

"Save it, Angel." Chara glanced over to me, and I recognized their stubborn expression. There was empathy in their eyes though, and I realized that they must have understood what I was going to say. "I know you feel responsible for Anarchy, and I know you don't want to burden anyone else with the problems that you feel you caused."

"But I got stronger to protect the people I care about. And when Anarchy showed up, I was completely outclassed." Their eyes narrowed, drifting to the floor. Painfully they clenched their fists, their own words picking at fresh wounds in their mind. "And because I couldn't stop him, you got hurt. Asriel, Frisk, Monster Kid... They all got hurt."

"Next time, I will be strong enough." Chara's ruby orbs lifted to mine, showing a focus and a drive that I admired. Though I was worried, they had convinced me pretty easily. Not only because I understood and respected their reasons, but also because I knew there was no convincing them otherwise. "I was afraid he was going to kill you, and I wasn't going to be able to do anything about it. And I'm never going to let myself feel that helpless again."

"..." I sighed, nodding a few times before giving them a little smile. Their expression got a little less serious too the moment that they saw I understood, and the same small smile that I was wearing spread to their own face. "Well, it looks like we're in this together, then."

"Glad to hear it!" Future exclaimed, standing back to his full height. He threw his arms out to his sides, exuding some kind of excitement. It was relieving, seeing him smile. I knew how miserable he was the last time I saw him, so to see some life in his eyes was reassuring. Perhaps helping the two of us would help him as well.

The four of us discussed for a bit longer, deciding on when we'd be moving in. We agreed on the end of the month, as I had to finish recovering and we both had plenty of preparing to do. Gathering our things, breaking the news to our friends, and finally telling everyone my life story. I left that last part out though, figuring Future and C Frisk didn't really need to know about that.

Finally as we were preparing to leave, I paused thoughtfully. There was something more I had to know I realized, and my eyes drifted over towards C Frisk as they prepared to open the portals for Chara and I to walk through to our respective homes. So, before the rifts were opened, I rose my hand. "Just, one more thing."

"Hm?" Future arched a brow over to me, tilting his head. Chara looked to me too, furrowing their brows some. C Frisk stared right up at me with their black hole eyes though, and I stared right back down at them. The room was instantly flooded with tension, and both Chara and Future appeared suddenly uneasy.

"So, Frisk." My lips slowly curled down then, and my emerald orbs narrowed with lethal precision. "You knew about Anarchy, and you knew he wanted me, right?"

"..." C Frisk paused for a moment, but they didn't blink. Everything was silent for several long seconds, before they finally responded. "... Yes, I did."

"And you pitted me against Character, right?" My jaw tightened, frown cracking deeper into my features. Chara's eyes darted to CORE Frisk, clear surprise and immediate anger in their expression. The monochromatic child never flinched though, their expression never changed. "Because, like you said, I get stronger when I get pushed to an emotional and physical limit."

"... Yes, that's true." As they confirmed my accusations without a hint of regret or remorse, I felt my blood starting to boil hotter and hotter. Did they even care? They were playing with my life, tugging at strings and putting me and more importantly my loved ones in danger, and they couldn't even pretend to give a shit when I called them out on it?

"..." My teeth ground together the harder I thought about the past few weeks of my life, more and more dots connecting in this instant. Suddenly, in a low growl, I spoke again. "... How'd Gatherer find out where Lexi's ship was, CORE?"

That got them to squint. They didn't like being called CORE, I remembered that much from the time I had spent reading their fan comic back in my world. I was trying to sting them, trying to get a reaction. And by the look of them, and the tone with which they responded, it had worked. "... I told him."

"You mother fucker." I took a step closer, a red shade flickering in my left eye. But after just one bold stomp closer to them, Chara jumped into action. They put a hand on my chest, keeping me from getting into CORE's face.

"Easy, Cter!" Chara told me, even as they shot a glare over their shoulder at C Frisk. Growling with their own withheld anger, they continued. "They're not worth getting worked up over. You have to be careful with your injuries."

"People got hurt because of you!" I shouted, ignoring Chara's warning and trying to push past them. Of course I couldn't get by, especially when Future joined them in holding me back. "A man died because of you! Do you even care?!"

"Clifford The BRAVE died because of you, Cter Hacker." CORE Frisk's lips curled down in a frown, their stoic demeanor struggling to withhold their disdain. "You killed him, not me."

"You think you can just fuckin' pit people against each other like that?!" I threw my crutch aside, each of my shoulders held tightly by Chara and Future. I knew they were incorporeal, I knew even if I got to them I wouldn't be able to hit them, but I had to try. My red soul was burning for me to wring their neck, throttle them. "Lexi and Xander, everything that they've worked for and all the people they care about! You put all of that in danger for your own gain!"

"My gain?" They repeated, jaw clenching furiously. Their tiny little hands balled into fists at my accusation, void eyes narrowed with anger. "I've been working to restore the balance that you and your kind have completely destroyed!"

"News flash, douche bag!" Savagely I kicked out one leg towards them, but they were out of my reach. "None of us DoubleKids asked to be brought here! It's not our fault that you couldn't keep track of a few Gasters! The multiverse getting turned upside down is your fault too!"

"My fault?! How dare you?!" As Frisk shouted back at me, the air around us vibrated with tension. Their rage caused a swirling wind, reality straining from their furious presence. "I've dedicated an eternity to maintaining the multiverse! It's all I can do, it's all that I have! And people like you and Anarchy have ruined everything!"

"Oh boo hoo! CORE's perfect little world is changing!" I pursed my lips then, a grumble being heard in my throat before I spat a loogie right through the incorporeal forehead of the monochromatic child. "You were apparently perfectly okay with letting people die on your watch before so long as you got to play the hero and bring the survivors back to your happy little timeline!"

"That was different!" C Frisk objected, stomping their foot angrily. I didn't let them talk for too long though, immediately going back to yelling at them.

"It was different because you were okay with letting those people slip through the cracks! You felt you were in control of reality's chaos when you weren't! You'd just gotten used to the patterns!" I jerked my left shoulder forward, and immediately winced. I didn't stop struggling though, even as my body started to ache. "Now everything is crazy and unpredictable like life is supposed to be, and you can't handle it!"

"Damn it Cter, I put all this together! If it wasn't for me Anarchy would have ripped you limb from limb!" CORE defended their actions furiously, reality continuing to vibrate with their fury. "You should be thanking me!"

"You want me to THANK you?! You did the BARE MINIMUM, you son of a bitch!" As I spoke, I opened my maw wide. I snapped my jaws to my left suddenly, hooking my teeth into the bandages covering my left arm. I yanked my head back, and the fabric of that white wrapping stretched and tore. I flung my arm back and forth, throwing its coverings aside. Then, I lifted my forearm, displaying it clearly. "Look at me, CORE! LOOK AT ME!"

Future, Chara, and CORE Frisk all stared with wide eyes at my arm as I displayed it. All across my flesh, from my palm all the way up and under the sleeve of my T-shirt, those cracks glowed. They were burnt a permanent red, scarred forever into my arm. Though they no longer bled as they had during my fight and in the days after, they were detailed with stitches that failed at closing any of them completely. It was apparent now to all in the room that I was branded with my failure that day, that this wound would not fade like all my others.

As the room went silent, Chara and Future both slowly let go of me, their expressions twisting with concern. Their eyes never left my mutilated arm, even as I limped ahead of the two of them, now lacking the support of my crutch. My expression contorting with contempt, I loomed over CORE Frisk, the both of my hands clenching into tight fists.

"If you had actually trusted me, we could have built this room six months ago." I spoke quietly now, my voice the only sound in the world. CORE winced up at me, trying their best not to show how my words stung. "If you had been honest, if you had gotten over how much you hate needing my help, I would have been ready for Anarchy."

"But you didn't. You left everything up to chance." Somehow, despite my beaten body, I exuded a pressure that made all other life down here pause. The vibrations that Frisk's anger had caused were stifled and shut down, everything being crushed under my gravity. "Because you don't trust me. You don't even like me."

"So, as long as we're putting all our feelings out on the table, why don'tcha tell me." I craned my neck, looming over them and letting the full weight of my wrath lay upon their shoulders. "Do you hate me, CORE Frisk?"

"..." Frisk stared up at me for a long time. Occasionally, one of their eyes would twitch a little. Their frown dug deeper and deeper into their face. Everyone held their breath, and finally, they spoke. "Yeah, I hate you."

"I hate you, I hate Anarchy. I hate Predator and Gatherer and all of you stupid DoubleKids!" C Frisk snapped, throwing their arms out to their sides. They continued to lament their darkest emotions, more and more rage bleeding into their expression. "If it were up to me, if I had the power, you would all disappear just as fast as you appeared!"

"I've been watching this multiverse for an immeasurable amount of time. Everything from standard Genocide Runs to X-Events, I have witnessed!" They reached up, slapping one hand onto their chest as they shouted up at me. "Countless timelines categorized, patterns learned and plans meticulously followed, only for all my work to go up in smoke because a few skeletons had a problem with my system!"

"Do you have any idea what that feels like?!" Frisk demanded to know, and I could see the anguish appearing in their expression. "To work so hard for so long, just to have it all end up being completely meaningless?!"

"..." My enraged expression softened some as I heard the hurt start to bleed into their voice, and the gravity in the room began to lighten. Slowly, I drew in a deep breath through my nose. I exhaled it in the same manner, and I nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I know exactly what that's like."

"Listen, Frisk. I don't like you and you don't like me." The previously bright red glow of my left arm's scars began to dim to a dull crimson hue, and the pressure of the room returned to normal. "But until this Anarchy thing is under control and people are safe again, you and me are gonna have to work together."

"So yeah, for now, I'll be your new attack dog." My eyes narrowed with an indiscernible emotion, my fists slowly unclenching along with my jaw. "I'll handle problems in the multiverse, I'll keep the peace. I'll start doing my duty as someone with power and I'll help people instead of hiding in my own timeline."

"But once this Anarchy thing is over, whether that means saving him or putting him out of his misery, I'm done. We're done." I gestured to myself, and then back to Chara. All the while my steely gaze never left Frisk's. "After we take care of what I caused, Chara and I are goin' home. And you and me won't have to work together anymore."

Quietly, C Frisk nodded as though they understood. The hate never quite left their face, but their expression did relax some. And as their body began to fade away, their physical manifestation leaving us there, they spoke.

"I look forward to it."

---

Future had to open portals for us to head home after C Frisk left so suddenly, and Chara had went home with me instead of going straight back to The Ruins. They asked me about what happened in Gatherer's timeline, and while they helped me re-bandage my left arm, I told them everything.

The raid on Predator's ship, the assault on Gatherer's base. Meeting another KINDNESS soul, battling Cliff, and ascending to a Cherub. I even threw in my talk with Lexi last night. They were reasonably disturbed by the scene of Cliff's death, but were ultimately understanding. They even gave me a hug when they saw how broken up I was about it.

Of course, though I hadn't cared at the time, the memory of that day now weighed heavy on my mind. I was incredibly powerful, after all. I hadn't needed to kill Cliff. I didn't need to mutilate Mad Mew Mew, or knock out Cliff's sister. I could have just left. Called out to CORE Frisk or flown up to Predator's ship or something. But instead I had let my rage and my hate out on them. I had gone back to the old me. In that instant, I was The Hacker again.

And I kept hearing that girl. Kept seeing her sobbing face. The words she had screamed at me echoed in my head when I remembered for too long. I had killed her brother, someone she really cared about. And she was just a kid, no older than sixteen. It was... It was like...

*It was like when I killed your Granny.

... Yeah. Like that. Anyway, after I told Chara I had learned Anarchy was there via a phone call from Gaster, they had pointed out that Gaster had warned them on the phone as well. And then, some dots started to connect. I'd had so many other things on my mind, I hadn't taken the time to think about it. But now it was coming together.

Toriel and Asgore said Anarchy showed up on our front doorstep. Then, he had asked for Gaster. And somehow, after that, he ended up on Mount Ebbot.

Thump thump thump!

Harshly I beat my fist against the cellar door of the skeleton house, my nostrils flared and my lips creased down in an enraged frown. I waited for a second or two, before the doctor's familiar voice rang clear.

"Come in!"

I yanked the doors open, shaking my head while I began to descend the steps into Gaster's basement laboratory. I still required use of my crutch, and that made getting down the stairs a struggle, which added to my anger.

"Ah, Cter!" Gaster smiled as he turned his head away from his beakers and notes and other nerd stuff to look at me. But when I finished descending the steps, and he got a good look at my face, his brow bones drew near each other, and he frowned with concern. "Hm? Is something wrong?"

"Gaster, did you know about Anarchy?" I asked bluntly, and he nearly jumped. Immediately I spotted sweat drops forming on his skull, and as I narrowed my eyes at him and tilted my head, he began shrinking into his chair. "Follow up question! Did you know he was coming to kill me and choose to not tell me for Six. Months?"

"N-now, Cter, hold on." Gaster rose his hole punched hands defensively, but I just shook my head furiously, stomping closer to him. "Let me explain-!"

"While we're at it G, why don'tcha tell me if you knew that CORE Frisk was setting me up to have to fight Character and, a week later, Gatherer?" I demanded to know, stopping just a few feet in front of the doctor. Gaster was quick to stumble to his feet, like he was afraid I was going to de-arm him despite being down an arm myself. "Have you been lying to me and scheming behind my back to put me in horribly dangerous situations in hopes that I would get strong enough to beat Anarchy?"

"..." Shame burning in his sockets, Gaster lowered his eyes to the tile floor. He showed more care and remorse than C Frisk had, and if I hadn't been so blinded by rage, I might have given him props for that. "... Yes. Yes I, I knew about everything, and I told you nothing... I'm sorry."

"I can't believe you." I spoke quietly, shaking my head. It was apparent I was furious, but there was more to it than that. This... Hurt. A lot. I thought Gaster was my friend. Over these past six months I had helped him with experiments, we had hung out and had fun and gotten along. We had fought Error together! This entire time I had thought he was my friend, but... That whole time he was... Grooming me. Just like CORE Frisk, he was using me like a tool to save his own ass from Anarchy.

"Now, wait, Cter." Gaster rose his hands defensively, but the mere idea that he thought he could defend his actions made my eye twitch with anger. "If you had seen what I had seen Anarchy do-!"

"Seen what he can do?!" I cut Gaster right off, snapping immediately. I lifted my right arm, gesturing with exaggerated motions to my left arm and my crutch. "I FELT FIRST HAND WHAT HE DOES!"

"You don't GET to defend yourself on this, Gaster!" As I shouted, Gaster shrunk once more. Again my soul exuded its pressure, the gravity of my presence crashing down on the lab and weighing down on the doctor. "You were my friend! I trusted you! Now I find out that the entire time we've known each other you've been plotting behind my back! How do you think that feels?!"

Gaster evaded contact with my eyes, his sockets narrowing painfully. He managed to squeak out some shameful response. "We - CORE and I - were concerned that, if you found out about Anarchy, if you saw what he could do..."

"That what? That I'd run away? Maybe try to stack up my LOVE to get stronger quick?" I held my arms out to my sides, leaning forward some and tilting my head. "You know that probably could have been avoided if you had just TOLD ME FROM THE BEGINNING AND GIVEN ME TIME TO PREPARE!"

"Look, I know I screwed up, but everything I did was for everyone's safety!" Gaster proclaimed desperately, throwing his own hand out to the side. It was as though he was gesturing to the world and the people around us.

"Oh, really?" A wrathful smile curled my lips, and I recoiled with fake surprise, throwing my hands up defensively. But then I leaned forward again, tilting my head to the side. "Tell me, who were you lookin' out for when you sent Anarchy to Mount Ebbot, Wingdingus?"

"I-I-!" Gaster started to talk, but I shut him down.

"Wasn't that you you were lookin' out for, doc? Weren't you savin' your own ass by throwing Chara and Asriel under the bus?!" I demanded to know, red embers crackling over my left eye. My soul glowed on my chest, illuminating the basement.

"You don't get it! Anarchy would have killed Sans and I both!" Gaster defended, planting a hand on his own chest. "Chara was the only one around who stood a chance against him!"

"No YOU don't get it, Gaster!" My voice boomed powerfully as I stomped forward, jabbing one finger into the sternum of the doctor. "I am The Angel! It's my job to protect The Royal Family and all of Monsterkind!"

"So let me make it crystal clear!" Heated winds were starting to gust out from around me, throwing papers all around the lab and knocking over the occasional beaker. "If any of the harm Anarchy had inflicted upon Frisk, Monster Kid, Asriel or Chara had been permanent, I WOULD HAVE INFLICTED IT UPON YOU ONE HUNDRED FOLD!"

Gaster fell back into his stupid rolly chair, scooting a foot or so back away from me. His sockets were wide, his pupils shrunken fearfully within them as he looked upon my form, glowing with fury. The full force of The Angel was barring down on him, all of my pressure crushing down around him. He was sweating, trembling. He looked sick, the rage of my human soul poisoning his monster soul.

"We are DONE!" I furiously threw my hand out to the side, crimson steam smoking up from the corners of my mouth. "I DON'T EVER WANNA SEE OR HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN!"

So consumed by rage and hurt was I that when I spun around to stomp back towards the door, I pulled my crutch out from under my arm. With the violent activation of my soul, and the steam seeping off my body, my remaining injuries stopped their groaning. Unable to see through all the vibrating, furious red, I yanked my crutch up over my head, before swinging it down into my risen knee. Like cheap plastic it snapped in half, and I shitwhipped its metal chunks across the room.

My broken brace crashed loudly into something that was probably important, but I was too angry to care. I stomped up the steps, seething all the way. So heated was my body that I left smoldering black spots on the stone steps.

---

For the next two and a half weeks, I didn't see Gaster once. I didn't receive a phone call or any kind of apology. Sans and Papyrus didn't even try to smooth things over. In fact, when they were around me, they avoided bringing him up completely.

A few days after I exploded on Gaster, Sans sought me out personally. He told me he had known about Anarchy too, and though he had tried to convince Gaster and C Frisk to tell me, he knew he could have and should have just told me himself. He apologized, and said he would understand if I was furious with him, too. But, he also told me he had known nothing about Character, and that he hadn't found out I had been sent to fight a war with Gatherer until I had already left.

Now, Sans and I'd had our differences in the past, but it was obvious that he wasn't in quite the same boat that Gaster and CORE were in. And I appreciated his honesty, and the fact that he came forward and apologized himself without me even being on to him or his part in things. So, even though I was upset - and I made sure he knew that, but without screaming like I had at CORE and Gaster - I forgave him.

I got my stitches removed two or three days after I flew off the handle with Gaster, but honestly I probably could have gotten them taken out that same day. After my soul really reawakened, my DETERMINATION healed up all of my remaining injuries lickety-split. I was even able to bring out my wings again.

Unfortunately, as I had expected, some of those red cracks had remained. Though the ones around my eyes and along my back had thankfully faded, The ones up my arm remained. Scarlet scars reached all the way from the left side of my chest, up my shoulder, down my bicep and forearm all the way to my palm and the back of my hand. They were almost always emitting a dull crimson hue, meaning that I now glowed in the dark.

... Now it was November 1st. It was a chilly day, a little bit of snow had fallen, but none of it had been able to stay on the ground. I was currently shirtless, sitting at the foot of my bed, right in front of a packed suitcase. Directly across from me, a full length mirror loomed.

I stared at my reflection, as I had been for the past forty five minutes. I examined my body, thought about how much it had changed since I came here. The obvious details of the scar carved across my chest and the red fissures detailing my left pectoral muscle and my left arm, not to mention the Deltarune on my back. But there were simpler details, as well. I had probably grown about an inch taller. My jaw was sharper, my muscles were defined whereas before I had just been scrawny. Even without powers, I was sure the current me could fold the old me like clean laundry.

Knock knock knock!

My door creaked open, and I watched as one reptilian head peaked in through the door. Monster Kid poked his head inside my room, furrowing his brows over at me. "Yo, Cter? Everybody's here."

"Huh? Oh, thanks, Monster Kid." I glanced over to MK, flashing a friendly smile. I hoped he couldn't see the hint of sadness in my eyes, and that he didn't question the suitcase sitting on my bed. "I'll be down in a minute."

"Whoa..." MK hardly heard me, his eyes lighting up as he saw my new scars. He gravitated further into the room, his lips curling up into a grin as he looked from my arm to me. "You look so cool!"

"H-huh?" My eyes widened a little, glossing down to my arm. I smiled some at the positive spin he put on my newest markings, before looking back up to him. "You think so?"

"Duh!" MK jogged excitedly in place, as he often did when he got too worked up. "You look totally rad! Like some kinda anime dude!"

I chuckled at that while I stood from my bed, shaking my head some and grabbing my shirt from my cleaned off bedside table. I took one last glance at myself in the mirror, and I squinted thoughtfully. Then, I slipped my red striped shirt over my head and down my upper body, covering most of my scars. I looked back to my best friend, and my somber smile widened a little. "... Thanks, Monster Kid. That means a lot."

He smiled at me, and the two of us made our way downstairs. There, in the living room of the Dreemurr house, those closest to me had gathered. Monster Kid, Frisk, Asriel, Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, and Sans. I would have invited Mettaton, but he was still out on his Spooky OcTOURber Tour with Napstablook and Shyren. It was a smaller group, certainly not all that I knew but all that knew me. Chara sat in one of two chairs at the living room's front, and they gave me their best reassuring smile when they saw me hop off the final step.

"So what's this about, squirt?" Undyne asked, eyes following me as I stepped past her to get to the front of the room. MK found his seat between her and Papyrus, furrowing his brows just like Undyne was.

"N-not that we mind being invited over or anything, but, this is a little..." Alphys glanced anxiously to the side from her seat beside Undyne, inspecting the rest of the people sat in chairs and couches throughout the living room... "Weird..?"

"I suspect a group story time is afoot!" Papyrus exclaimed with the utmost confident, slamming his fist down into his palm. He wasn't completely wrong.

"Something like that, Papyrus." I explained as I turned to face everyone, sitting back into my chair. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my thighs and letting my hands fall between my knees. "But, this... Isn't gonna be a very pleasant story."

"What is it that you need to tell us, my child?" Toriel tilted her head curiously to the side, concern glowing in her motherly eyes.

"We're all ears, kiddo." Sans winked an eye shut, grinning about his lack of ears. Papyrus rolled his eyes, but thought better than to scold Sans in the moment.

"Well..." I lowered my head some, gulping quietly. I shot Chara a worried glance out of the corner of my eye, and they flashed their reassuring smile again, gently patting my shoulder. Exasperatedly I returned their smile, before lifting my head again. "... You've all been very accepting and trusting of me. You've taken me in, been my friends, helped me out. And I really can't thank you all enough for that."

"Why do I feel like there's a 'but' on its way?" Skeptically Frisk tilted their head, watching me with pensive eyes from their seat on the couch.

"... But." My eyes drifted over to them, and I nodded once to confirm that they were right. "You guys don't know who I am. Or, at least, who I've been."

"I've been ashamed of my past for a long time. I kept it secret for these past six months, because..." I sighed quietly, letting my eyes drift along the floor for another few seconds. Then, again, I forced myself to make eye contact with the crowd, and I continued. "... Well. I thought for sure you guys would all hate me."

"Yo, what?!" MK recoiled, like the idea of him ever hating me was completely and totally ludicrous.

"Why, Cter, there's nothing you could have done that would ever make us hate you!" Asgore objected, recoiling in a similar manner. He almost looked offended at the very idea.

"Just, wait until you've heard the full story before you make any decisions." I lifted my hand, shutting my eyes briefly as I calmed the small crowd's murmurs. "You all have the right to know. About who Anthony and Lexi are, who I am, why what I've done lead to the flattening of Ebbot's Peak..."

"And..." My eyes narrowed painfully, and I lowered my head again. I clasped my hands together between my knees, gulping silently. "Why it means I have to leave."

"..." When the room grew deathly silent, I took it as an invitation to continue. I gestured over to Chara, straightening my posture some. Even as I looked out at the many confused and concerned faces, I found the will to keep talking. "Chara already knows. I told them the night of my birthday party, because, well..."

"... They caught me anxiety puking in the toilet." With my left hand I reached up, scratching the back of my head. All the while I evaded eye contact, hesitantly continuing to speak. "And, reasonably, they were worried. I was a mess, because, I was afraid you guys would find out what I did. And, that you would hate me..."

"..." Again, a thoughtful silence. I had to clear my throat, my ears turning a light shade of red as I began to feel embarrassed. It was a little hard lamenting your deepest feelings to a dead crowd, but still Chara placed their hand on my back as a reminder that they were there with me, and I forced myself to continue. "... But, you guys all have a right to know. I'm not going to lie to you anymore."

For a third time, the room was devoid of sound. I furrowed my brows at this, and glanced over to Chara to see if they wore a similarly confused expression. They didn't, though. They looked just as confident in me as they had the moment I walked in the room. I didn't understand, though. I had feared a lot of responses, but I had never thought I would get silence. I gulped audibly, my expression tightening. My hands were shaking, and so was my voice. "U-uhm, well-"

"Cter, wait."

I almost jumped at the sound of Asriel's voice, and my eyes darted to him. He had risen his fluffy hand to get my attention, and when I looked to him, I saw that he was glancing around the room. He and the others in the room all exchanged glances, like they were agreeing on something, and then he looked back to me. He shook his head, "We don't need to know."

This time, I was the one reeling. My eyes were completely wide, even more shocked by this revelation. I looked to Chara to confirm that this was real, and they just smiled in the same way that everyone else in the room was smiling. I looked back to Asriel, "Wait, what do you mean you don't need to know?"

"What I mean is that if we felt we needed to know, we would have asked." Asriel shrugged casually, the corner of his mouth curling up a little from my bewilderment. "But we don't feel like we need to know."

"Yeah, man!" Monster Kid exclaimed like it was obvious, grinning in a way that was so uniquely him. "We know who you are now, why would we be upset about who you were then?"

"I-... Uh... I uhm..." I blinked my eyes and shook my head. It felt like my brain was short circuiting. This entire time I had been berating myself, calling myself a liar for keeping my secrets, and it turned out that they... Didn't even mind? How could that be?! That didn't make any sense!

"Yeah, Cter. I mean, look at me and Chara." Frisk leaned forward some, resting their arm on the chair of the couch. They were so... Casual. Everyone was so casual. "Nobody knows where we came from, and nobody asks or even wonders about it."

"W-well... I... But..." Still I was completely floored, leaning back in my chair. I felt like I might pass out, my brain completely overwhelmed. What Frisk was saying was true, even I hadn't wondered about their or Chara's past.

"Because it doesn't matter who we were yesterday. What's important is who we are today." Chara told me, and I looked over to them with eyes that were still dazed and confused. They squeezed my shoulder comfortingly, care in their soft expression. I realized that they may have known all along, that this would be the outcome. That's why they had kept smiling, that's why they were so sure of me. "And not a single one of us believes we have the right to judge you for who you were then over who you are now."

"We love you as you are now, that's what's important." Toriel assured with a motherly smile, resting her paws in her lap. "And nothing is going to change that."

"Nothing that you could have done in the past will ever outweigh what you have done for us in the present." Asgore assured with a proud gleam in his wise old eyes, nodding his head once.

"I-it would be pretty hypocritical of me to judge you on your past." Alphys laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head. Awkward as she was, there was genuine kindness in her eyes. "Who you are now is who my f-friend is, so that's who I-I think of you as!"

"Yeah, punk! Don't be dumb!" Grinning wide, Undyne shut her eye happily. As usual, her friendly demeanor was a direct contrast to her rough and gravely voice, tone, and word choice. But it was this strange combination that made her special in her own right. "You've done way too much for us to get whiny about whoever you used to be!"

"When I first metcha, I could see you were all twisted up inside. I knew you weren't the best person." Sans winked his right eye shut, his grin ever present while he looked into me with his left pupil. "But, by the time we got out of The Underground, that had changed. All that malice I had spotted in ya before was gone, and I knew you were a good person."

"Of course if you ever need to talk about your past, we're all ears!" Sans chuckled at Papyrus' words, but the taller skeleton fought his urge to scowl, all to reassure me. Instead he kept his bright grin, eyes as friendly and welcoming as ever. "But you shouldn't tell us because you feel you have to! None of us will ever think any less of you for what you have done!"

"And, yo, if you need to go away for awhile to handle some stuff from back then, we get it." Monster Kid spoke up again, his voice more soft and understanding over it's usual excited and giddy tone. He smiled softly, white eyes gleaming with care. "But you're always gonna be welcome right back here, because you're always gonna be our friend."

"..." I was quiet. I was quiet for a long time. I just stared at everyone, let my eyes wander from person to person, completely bewildered. And then, as I felt something trickling down my face, I slowly reached up with my left hand. I touched my cheeks and pulled my fingers away, finding tears staining their tips.

And the moment I realized I was crying, I really started crying. Like, ugly crying. I was sobbing and blowing my nose, what else could I do? In that moment, so much of my stress and anxiety was completely released, and I was filled with so much relief and happiness in its place that all I could do was bawl my eyes out.

And as I sobbed and cried and even wailed once or twice, my friends closed in around me. Suddenly, even though I had to look beyond gross with tears and snot dribbling down my face, I was at the center of a massive group hug. In that moment, I was more loved and accepted than I had ever felt. My own tears even brought tears out of some of my friends. It was amazing to me, that others could feel so deeply for me.

This moment was everything. Everything I loved about my friends, everything I loved about my home. Everything I desired to protect and everything I would wish to return to when this was all over. This moment was everything.

---

After my intense sobbing session with my closest friends, I did explain to them a thing or two about my past. I didn't get into anything with my Granny or my parents, but I did explain to them who Anny was. I wanted them to know, because he was the reason I had to leave.

Just like they said they would, everybody understood. No one blamed me for Anthony becoming Anarchy, in fact they consoled me when they saw how heartbroken I was over it. I didn't give them every detail surrounding the gang, but I certainly emphasized just how cruel my betrayal was. I felt it was necessary, so that they would understand just why Anarchy was so incredibly pissed. Even this, my worst crime in life, was not held against me. I never got so much as a scowl or disturbed glance.

After that was done, Chara and I explained where we would be going and what we would be doing. That, too, was understood. Though there was a hint of sadness in the air as we talked about having no idea how long we'd be gone, or even when we would be able to visit. It was very clear that we were going to be missed around here, and while that was a little sad, it also made me feel strangely special. Besides, we had phones. Contact would be kept. This was not a goodbye, just a see you later.

Now the two of us stood at the edge of the house's backyard, staring into the shifting colors of a portal that C Frisk had wordlessly opened for us without even appearing. A rift in reality that lead into Future's timeline, where we would be living for who knows how long. More than that, it lead into the unknown. The chaotic, indiscernible future before us. All its promises and all its threats were there, swirling endlessly in that spacial tear. It was intimidating and exciting all at once, fearful and hopeful at the same.

I glanced over to Chara. Like me, they were carrying luggage, weighed down by bags and suitcases. After looking at them, I looked back at my friends. They were all gathered on the porch, watching teary eyed as we prepared to leave. We'd all said plenty of goodbyes, so now all they could do was wave. Chara and I returned these waves with matching sad smiles, before looking back to one another.

"Well..." Chara took a deep breath, looking like they were bracing themself. It was a cold November day, but it wasn't windy. They were a little uneasy, just like I was, but they still managed a slight smirk. "You ready?"

I chuckled at that question. My chest lifted with laughter, and I shook my head. The both of us took a step forward, and the swirling power of the portal washed over us. Anxiety and excitement rushed through me, along with plenty more emotions. But I smiled, bright and wide, and I gave them an honest answer.

"Nope."

---

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