Time to Make a Choice
Frisk took their time walking towards the keep. As much as they knew that they needed to go, they weren't comfortable knowing that they'd have to kill the king to do so. The longer it took them to get to the barrier, the longer they could put it off.
Ultimately, Flowey was right. Either the king will kill them and free the monsters or they'll kill him to go home. Normally, the odds wouldn't be in their favour, but the whisper wouldn't let them die. It said before that it would preserve them. They had no choice but to fight to live.
Now that they had come to accept what they wanted as something that they could achieve. They were determined to get it, so they wouldn't die. Not yet. Not until they had the chance to become who they wanted to be.
They just wished that this wouldn't involve killing someone. It was something that they would have to come to terms with eventually. Whether it was before or after they do the deed, that would remain to be seen. They suspected it would be a long time before they could forgive themselves for the crime.
Several monsters stopped them as they approached the castle entrance. They learned of the prince and the first human that showed up in the Underground. The human was touted as a saviour, their soul to be harvested upon their natural death. Then they got sick and died. The prince took their soul and crossed the barrier with their body where he was attacked by the humans who lived at the base of the mountain. Not wanting to hurt them with his new power, the prince crossed the barrier again and died on a bed of flowers in the throne room.
This was when the king declared war on the humans and the queen fled the capital. The rulers who had been a united front against the harsh living conditions were separated, and the morale of the Underground reached an all time low. The declaration of war brought the monsters hope. Now that the eighth human had arrived, they would have the seven souls needed to shatter the barrier. They were hopeful. The monsters were ready to be free.
Weren't they excited too? Frisk felt dread. By killing the king, they would crush the hopes of all the monsters who lived here. Who even knew how many that was? Were they worth it? What was their life in exchange for the happiness of hundreds or thousands of others? The sentiment reflected what their peers had told them at school, that they would be better off dead than alive.
They didn't want to kill the king, but they couldn't see another option. They would try their best to resolve things, but if they needed a monster soul to go home, then the king is the only option. The queen disappeared long ago, and as far as they knew, those two were the only two boss monsters left. Other monster souls wouldn't last long enough to help them pass.
Frisk stopped inside the house that doubled as the front gate. Upon entering the house, they were hit with nostalgia. The colour scheme was different, but the layout was the same as Toriel's house. They found the kitchen and its half-finished pie recipes on the counter. They saw the children's bedroom and picked up the locket and the knife.
Then they approached the long mirror in the hallway. Reflected on the glass was a kid. They didn't appear to have grown since they fell down, but their face now showed a subtle confidence that hadn't been there before. They looked the same, but they weren't the same as the person who dropped down a hole under the guise of exploring. By losing themselves down here, they had found something core to their being.
"Despite everything, it's still you." the whisper said.
Was it really though?
"Yep." the whisper chimed in, "You could argue that you're always yourself, but that's a lame answer. When you fell down, you were you obviously, but not really. There was a disconnect between who you were and who you perceived yourself to be. Now, those two things are a lot more similar. It was the one thing that resisted my preservation."
Huh. How about that. It was nice to know though, that the voice couldn't hold back who they were despite being able to rewind time and keep them alive.
"I'm Frisk," they said, "and no one can tell me I'm anyone or anything but me."
With Fresh resolve, they made their way to the basement. That was the exit to the Ruins, so they assumed it would be the exit to this house too. The exit led them to the top of the castle walls. Once again, the dimensions of space were shown to mean nothing here.
Frisk walked along the top of the wall. The capital extended a long way into the caves. There were small stone houses and narrow cobbled streets running between them. It reminded them of those pictures of old European cities. It seemed like it might be crowded, but it was clean. It wouldn't be a bad place to live. They could understand why the first human wanted to live here. If it wasn't for the declaration of war and their quest to leave, they could imagine themselves staying here.
At least, they could imagine themselves living with Toriel or with the Temmies or maybe even in Hotland. It was too bad that they had to go home.
They continued walking quietly until they came upon an archway. Inside was a golden hallway and another glowing star. At the opposite end of the hallway was the living definition of buzzkill. Sans had the ability to destroy any good or calm mood that they might have. Immediately, they were on edge, ready to use the knife that they found in the house.
"So you finally made it. The end of your journey is at hand." Sans began. If they didn't know any better, they'd think that he was trying to kill them with long speeches and threats. Maybe he believed that humans were so short lived that he only needed to stall them until they died on their own.
He wasn't entirely wrong. If it wasn't for the whisper, he wouldn't have had to do anything at all. They would have already been killed.
"In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together, you will determine the future of monsters. But that's then. This is now. Now, you will be judged." Sans explained.
How dare he? Why did they need to be judged? What had happened to them so far that was under their control? The only things that they did by their own choice were choosing their name and breaking into Mettaton's house. And there's no chance that he knows about the trespassing.
"You will be judged for every action. For every EXP you've earned. What's EXP? It's an acronym for Execution Points." Sans stared at them. His left eye glowed a bit brighter. Was it light blue? Yellow? They couldn't tell from this distance. "It's a way of quantifying how much pain you've inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. What's LOVE? It stands for Level of Violence. A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt."
Did he really expect them to straight up kill people? Maybe those humans killed the prince a long time ago, but who knows how long ago that was? Most people now don't even consider killing others as an option.
Sans continued as if what he was saying made sense, "The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others. Now it's time to begin your judgement. Look inside yourself. Have you done the right thing? And what will you do now? Take a moment to think about this."
He paused and gave them a moment to think. They knew that they did nothing wrong. They didn't hurt anyone. If he was only talking about killing people, then they've never killed anyone.
What he said about LOVE and distancing themselves, that struck a little too close to home. Not in the way that he was talking about it though. The old Frisk would distance themselves to run away form the things that hurt them. Since falling down, they've started to learn to do better than that. They weren't that old Frisk anymore. The new Frisk didn't distance themselves. The new Frisk did what they needed to do to get what they want.
It would all begin when they get through the barrier and get home. They would make their parents listen to them and find a way to stop their body from turning into a woman. They would find a way to get themselves the body that they dream of.
"You never gained any LOVE." Sans continued, "'course that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naïve, just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart. Even when you ran away, you did it with a smile."
Who was he watching when Undyne was trying to murder them? That's right, he was napping. The scumbag.
"You're about to face the greatest challenge of your journey. If you refuse to fight, the king, Asgore, will kill you. Asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity. But if you kill Asgore and go home, monsters will be trapped for eternity. No other monsters are strong enough to destroy the barrier, not since the queen left." Sans said. He paused again, considering. His eye glowed again. They were pretty sure it was yellow.
"You didn't get this far by giving up though, did you? You have something called "determination," so as long as you hold on…" Sans trailed off. "As long as you do what you believe is right, then what happens next is up to you. Red souls are tricky. Their powers are the hardest to define, but the most powerful. I wonder if you've learned what yours are?"
"If you get the opportunity, ask Asgore about the souls and the barrier. Maybe you'll find the solution that you're looking for." Sans winked and disappeared behind a pillar.
Frisk walked forward, only to see that there was no evidence that Sans had ever been there. They relaxed their shoulders. If he was gone for now, then they didn't need to keep their guard up so high. That would just take energy that they'd need to fight their way out later.
Beyond the hall were two paths. On the left, there was the throne room. A large monster was watering flowers in there. He hadn't seen them yet. Ahead was another staircase. Frisk decided to check the stairs first. The monster in the throne room was likely the king or a knight who would guard or report to him.
At the bottom of the stairs were seven coffins. Each had a different colour heart painted on it. The closest one had a glass heart. The glass was clear at a distance. As they approached it for a better look, the glass started to glow red. It was the same shade as their soul.
Unnerved, they quickly made their way back up the stairs. They touched another glowing star in the archway to the throne room. This was it. It was time to go home.
They entered the room and stepped carefully across the bed of flowers that carpeted the floor. The squishing sounds of stems under shoe caught the attention of the large monster. He was twice the size of Toriel and was decorated with a small crown and a regal purple cape. This was King Asgore.
"Howdy! How can I… oh." Asgore said. He put down his watering can and took a deep breathe. After a long blink, he looked into their eyes and spoke, "I so badly want to say, "would you like a cup of tea?" But you know how it is. Nice day huh? Perfect for a game of catch… But you know what we must do."
Asgore turned and headed towards the door behind the throne. His footsteps were heavy and resigned. He clearly didn't want to do this either. Frisk took the opportunity.
"Why not?" they asked.
Asgore stopped abruptly and turned around. "What do you mean, "why not?" I don't understand."
"I mean…" Frisk took a deep breath to steady their nerves. They could think of this as a practice run for when they have to talk to their parents. Similar scenario, different subjects. "Why not just have a cup of tea. We can talk, and maybe think of something else we can do."
The king stared at them. He looked at them like he was seeing someone else. Or maybe he was seeing them instead of someone else? He thought for a moment and moved back to the patch of flowers. The tallest flowers with the largest petals were collected easily. His claws were sharp enough to cleanly trim the flowers from the stem.
"Very well. To tell the truth, I am not ready to kill you. I owe it to you to know who is making a sacrifice for the future." Asgore said, "Follow me. I will prepare us some tea back at my place."
True to hist word, Asgore brought them back to the house that they had passed through earlier. He boiled some water on the stove and dehydrated the flowers with his fire magic. He added the flowers and some other dried herbs to two mugs and poured in the boiling water. After a few minutes, the steaming liquid turned a pale gold. They'd never seen a tea this colour before. It smelled nice.
When the tea was served, the two sat at the kitchen table.
"What is your name?" Asgore asked.
That was the question, wasn't it? It was the truth that they had learned here.
"My name is Frisk." They answered.
"Frisk, huh. An unusual name by human standards, unless naming conventions have changed significantly? I haven't seen any recent literature wash into the dump, so forgive me if this sounds ignorant."
Frisk shook their head, "No, you're right. Frisk isn't a typical human name. But it's mine."
Asgore closed his eyes and gave a small smile, "I think I understand. One of my children was very similar to you, at least on the surface. The first thing that they told us after settling in was that their name had to be spelled correctly. They liked the name they were born with, but changed the spelling to better reflect themselves. Coincidentally, they were also a red soul, same as you."
"Really?" Frisk asked, "Does that… mean anything? Like, does a soul colour tell you what kind of person you're supposed to be or something?"
"No! Not at all!" Asgore chuckled, "The seven colours of the rainbow are often associated with the seven virtues but that has nothing to do with the colour of the soul. All associations with virtue are coincidental and based solely upon the most common professions and types of magics that humans with a soul colour will manifest.
"I'll admit, I'm no scientist, but I do know the basics due to my part in our history. It's quite an interesting subject. Do you want to hear about it?" Asgore asked them.
If he wanted to tell them about it, then why not? Monsters kept saying that red souls are special somehow, but they didn't know how or why.
"You see, it has to do with output efficiency. All humans contain, more or less, a similar amount of magical power. Due to your physical body structure, the magic can only be channeled in specific ways, depending on the particular human. Monsters, conversely, are made largely of magic, so our powers are far more consistent across the various species, and are easier to call upon." Asgore began, "Human magical power will manifest in different ways based on two factors: soul colour and individual magical pathways.
"First, soul colour doesn't necessarily reflect anything about the personality of the human. It directly reflect the strength of the magical flow from their soul. Reds, having the lowest energy colour, are the most efficient and thus have a higher magical output. Purples, being the highest energy colour, are the least efficient and thus have a lower output. How much magic is output is a factor in determining what types of powers can manifest because certain various magical applications require different average levels of output. Are you following so far?"
It was a lot of information. They think they understood. All humans have a similar amount of magic. The magical outputs of humans can be more or less efficient, and their soul colour will change to show that. Inefficient souls had some power converted to high energy light, while efficient souls had some energy converted to low energy light. Frisk nodded and sipped their tea. It was tasty.
"Alright then," Asgore continued, "Now specific human powers vary greatly between humans depending on their values and their physical magical pathways. Since humans are not made of magic, like monsters are, their bodies contain specific physical pathways for the magic so that it can be used safely. Think of it like your different biological systems. Your blood vessels are separate from your nerves and your digestive systems, for example.
"Despite the wide variety of possible powers humans could have, soul colours tend to fall into broader categories of powers. Purples tend to have powers that are "sticky" in nature. Often they will have excellent memories or be able to traverse difficult terrain with ease because their magic sticks to things that aid and interest them. Blues often have powers that reinforce physical things. Either they can quickly train specific muscle groups to the human limits, or they can alter objects to make them last longer in optimal condition. Cyan souls tend towards survival-oriented powers. They can be silent, invisible, or can be impervious to various physical conditions, like drowning or burning. Greens are the mimics. If there is a constructive activity that they enjoy, they will learn to recreate these activities nearly to perfection. Finding green souls in the medical field was common, as they could mimic monster healing magic. Yellow souls frequently have very strong intuitive powers. This could include precognition, telepathy, telekinesis, truth detections, and such. Orange souls, likewise, often have very strong physical powers. They learn to push themselves beyond the human limit in times of need. They might become strong, or fast, but they could also learn some rarer arts only seen in those cartoon books, like duplication or laser vision."
Asgore to a long drink of his tea. "Reds are of a different caliber than the others. The first six colours have powers that are directly related to themselves. Their powers only affect themselves and the things that they do, sense, or perceive. Reds have such efficient output that they can use their magic to inflict changes on others. In this respect, they are most similar to monsters. Monsters can temporarily dye a soul another colour to affect how it responds in a fight. Reds, while they don't necessarily dye the souls of others, instead can have more permanent effects on themselves, others, and their surroundings.
"A red soul could bless the land to produce especially bountiful harvests containing crops with high mineral and nutrient concentration. They need only bless the land once every ten years or so for the effect to last. In this case, the red soul changed the soil composition on a molecular level to be the most conducive to farming. But that is just one example.
"My red-souled child, we were never certain of what their power was, but we could see the effects of it." Asgore took another long drink. This subject couldn't be easy for him, "As you might have learned, monsters live far longer than humans do. On average, a monster will live eight to ten times as long as a human. Boss monsters, even longer. As such, monsters also age more slowly than humans, at a similar respective rate. Humans reach physical maturity some time between fifteen and twenty years of age, correct? Most monsters will reach physical maturity some time between one hundred and two hundred years old, depending on the species."
Asgore took a deep breath and sighed. "My child lived with us for close to thirty years, yet they remained the same developmental age as my son, a boss monster youth. They were using their magic to slow their aging. They were also able to instantly fix broken toys or restore their favourite crayons when they got worn down. We never figured out what the theme of their powers was. We can only speculate that they must have and kept it a personal secret. Without understanding what tied the various applications of their powers together, they wouldn't have been able to properly use it to fix their toys."
He looked at them with some curiosity, "Have you managed to figure out what your powers are? You don't need to tell me what they are unless you want to, of course. I'm only curious if you've managed to lean about yourself on your journey here."
Frisk thought about it for a moment. Getting preserved was something that the whisper did, not them. They didn't know if they'd even used their magic at all while they were down here.
The best answer they could give him was a shrug, "I haven't noticed anything magical while I was down here. Nothing magical from me, at least. Maybe it's subtle. You said that some souls end up with powers that are hard to detect. Maybe mine is the same?"
Asgore hummed. "It's possible, but you are a red soul. Generally, their powers are too strong to hide. I'm sorry that you never got to learn what they were." Asgore stood up and went over to the cupboards, "The tea has whetted my appetite. Would you like me to make you a snack?"
If this really was the end, then they still had some food in their pockets that they should eat.
"No thanks, I still have some food I need to eat before I go. I can share it with you, if you'd like. There's a bit too much for one person." Frisk offered. They took the pie, donut, and instant noodles out of their pocket and placed them on the table.
The sight of the pie made Asgore tear up. "I see, so she is still alive. I'm glad."
They split the pie down the middle. Asgore had a sweet tooth, so he took the donut while they kept the noodles. The crunch of dry noodles and the salty flavour packet reminded them of their old life. If wasn't a life that they enjoyed at the time, but it reminded them of where they were going to go. It reminded them of how far they'd come. A few tears fell from their eyes and hit the table.
Frisk sniffed and apologized, "I'm sorry. It's just been so long since I've had raw noodles. I mean, I used to hate eating them, but right now, I miss my home."
"No need to apologize, Frisk. I understand. I feel the same way about the pie. It's been centuries since I've tasted it." Asgore told them. He put a hand on their shoulder in support.
The kind gesture just made them cry harder. This reaction is what they wanted from their own parents. It gave them hope that maybe their parents would be able to do it too.
After a moment, they were able to compose themselves. Did this mean that Asgore had known Toriel? They wanted to ask him about her but held their tongue. If he hadn't seen Toriel in centuries, then it was probably intentional.
Instead, Frisk decided to ask about the barrier. "I'm the last soul you need to break the barrier, right? Is there any other way to break it? One that doesn't involve seven souls?"
Asgore shook his head slowly, "One more human soul is needed to break the barrier. One thing that the general public doesn't know is that only two human souls are needed to break the barrier, not seven. That was a convenient lie I told to buy time after my children died. In the heat of the moment, I wanted revenge. When I had calmed down, I knew that I couldn't truly follow through on the declaration of war." He admitted.
Frisk was confused, "But what about the seven coffins down those stairs? Isn't that where the souls are kept?"
"No, if we had any human souls, then they would need to be stored in a specialized stasis cannister. You can think of it like a superfreezer, used to preserve foods long past the time that they would normally expire. The truth is, the six previous humans to fall down made their way here and I was able to help them cross. They wanted to go home, So I helped them." Asgore explained, "I told the population that seven souls were required because human souls come in seven major colours. I painted on the coffins to make others believe that they were full. The only people who know of my falsehood are the queen and the Royal Scientist at the time I made the claim. I suspect that is one of the many reasons that the queen left. As for the Royal Scientist, he has since passed on."
Their eyes lit up with hope. This means that they don't need to kill anyone to go home! "Then you can tell me how to cross the barrier, right? I won't have to hurt anyone and I can still go home!" Frisk grinned. This was the best-case scenario.
"Unfortunately, I cannot." Asgore said. Suddenly, this was the worst-case scenario. "All monsters believe that six souls have been collected. By now the majority of monsters also know that the final human has arrived Underground. If I live and the barrier remains, then they will hunt you down or riot and destroy everything that I still cherish. Worse, monsters may begin falling down again even more rapidly than in the past. I cannot allow that so happen to my subjects. In the end, I am king and bound to their collective will."
"So I'm just unlucky then?" Frisk asked. They pushed their tea aside. It didn't look appealing anymore.
"I'm afraid so. I wish that this were not the case. Truthfully, I do not want to kill you either. But my time has come to pay for my sins." Asgore sounded defeated.
"Is there really no other way? Maybe we could think of some way to break the barrier without killing me! If you tell me how to cross the barrier or break it, maybe I can think of something. Two heads are better than one, right?" Frisk pleaded. If there was any chance, they had to take it.
Asgore shook his head. "I do not mind telling you, but I find it unlikely that you will find a solution so quickly. The greatest scientific minds of the nation have been considering the same problem for centuries since the barrier was erected."
"Please? If there's any chance, I need to try." They looked long and hard at Asgore, daring him to ignore their request. If nothing else, they were determined to try.
"Truthfully, there is nothing. To destroy the barrier, a monster can use a single human soul to break the barrier. The magic in the soul would be used to disrupt the framework of the barrier, destroying the soul in the process. Obviously, this is unacceptable to you." Asgore explained.
"If a human or monster wishes to cross the barrier, the two souls need only merge. The extra magic from the other soul would keep them intact while they cross the barrier. Without the extra magic, the barrier will instantly destroy a monster or slowly disintegrate a human. With a large enough donation of "determination" or DT, that is, the human form of magic, a human can cross without a monster soul. As it is now, I believe I am the only monster who produces a significant amount of DT, being a boss monster. Unfortunately, I have recently made a donation to our Royal Scientist to aid in healing some monsters who have fallen down. I do not currently have the reserves to help you cross, even if you convinced me of this course of action.
"That is how I helped the previous humans cross the barrier. The third option to shatter that barrier non-lethally requires two human souls, or the equivalent amount of magic. Currently, our population has enough collective DT to almost equal a purple soul. If we had enough, then there would be no issue. As it is, trying to break the barrier with the current population would kill you at best, and kill everyone at worst. In a few decades, it's likely that we'll have the population to break the barrier with your assistance. Being a red soul, the minimum populations we need is lower than it would be if you were another colour."
Asgore folded his arms on the table. "While a few decades isn't too long for monsters, it is very significant to a human. If you chose to wait, you wouldn't be able to leave the Underground until more than half your life has passed. While I would appreciate it greatly, I don't imagine you can wait that long."
Frisk sat very still. It was a shock to hear. To shatter the barrier now, they would die. To shatter the barrier without dying, they'd lose more than half of their life. To leave, they had to kill.
Tentatively, they asked a single question, "I can't wait until your DT has recovered and leave like the others did?"
"I cannot. If you choose to leave and I do not attempt to take your soul, it will lead to the destruction of the nation. As king, that is something I cannot allow." Asgore said, "Whatever your choice, I will respect it. Meet me in front of the barrier when you are ready."
Asgore picked up the dishes and put them in the sink. He then left Frisk alone to sort out their thoughts.
They had to choose between their own life and saving a kingdom. It was an impossible choice, but they had to make it. They had to decide and be determined enough to follow it through to the end.